In "Chickamauga," it may seem unrealistic that he was able to sleep through a battle going on all around him. What fact, revealed near the end,...

In Ambrose Bierce's short story "Chickamauga," a little boy wanders into a Civil War battle while he is pretending to be a soldier. The little boy feels terrified as he wanders through the woods; he cannot find his way home and, exhausted, eventually falls asleep. 

Hours later, the child wakes up and sees injured men dragging themselves on the ground. The child has heard nothing during his time in the woods. Thousands of men have...

In Ambrose Bierce's short story "Chickamauga," a little boy wanders into a Civil War battle while he is pretending to be a soldier. The little boy feels terrified as he wanders through the woods; he cannot find his way home and, exhausted, eventually falls asleep. 

Hours later, the child wakes up and sees injured men dragging themselves on the ground. The child has heard nothing during his time in the woods. Thousands of men have passed through the woods during the course of the battle. The story presents some horrific scenes of men suffering and dying around the child, but he does not seem to understand what is happening. The narrator relates that it was a "merry spectacle" for the child. 

Near the end of the story, the little boy follows a glowing red light and discovers several burning buildings. Only after dancing joyfully in the flames does he see the body of a dead woman - his mother - and recognize the fiery buildings as his home. 

Here we finally learn the reason behind the boy's strange behavior during the story - he is deaf and mute. He cries aloud - "a startling, soulless, unholy sound, the language of a devil." Because he was unable to hear the battle raging around him or to hear the cries of his family, he remains oblivious to what is happening until the very end of the story. 

What industries evolved from the railroad industry?

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "evolved from", but the railroad industry was a keystone in the development of industrialization around the world. Railroads allowed reliable, rapid transportation of heavy machinery on land, where previously such shipping was only possible over water (and usually only in very deep water such as oceans, rather than lakes or rivers). The Transcontinental Railroad was particularly important, as before that point the only way to cross between...

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "evolved from", but the railroad industry was a keystone in the development of industrialization around the world. Railroads allowed reliable, rapid transportation of heavy machinery on land, where previously such shipping was only possible over water (and usually only in very deep water such as oceans, rather than lakes or rivers).

The Transcontinental Railroad was particularly important, as before that point the only way to cross between the coasts of the United States was to either brave a long, dangerous land trek without roads (such as the Oregon Trail), or ride in sea ships all the way around the horn of South America. (The Panama Canal would not be finished until 1914; it had a similarly huge impact on transcontinental shipping.)

Railroads made people much more mobile, and towns often sprung up in previously uninhabited areas that were turned into train stops. The need for heavy infrastructure investment in railroads changed the role of government and corporations in the economy, presaging the modern system of multinational corporations and government-financed investment.

Some historians in fact argue that the pace of economic development, particularly in the Western United States, was basically determined by the pace of railroad construction; this is controversial, however, and other historians argue that conventional roads could have done most of the job.

Railroads also created an incentive to develop new technologies, such as more efficient steel production, more powerful internal combustion engines (ultimately leading to the high-power diesel engines used in most US locomotives today), and even improved clocks, because precisely synchronized timekeeping across different regions became necessary. The current time zone system would not exist were it not for the need to synchronize train schedules across different cities.

Which has the highest frequency wave between microwaves, gamma waves, radio waves, and ultraviolet waves?

The electromagnetic spectrum illustrates the range of electromagnetic radiation. Light travels as a wave and different wavelengths represent different types of electromagnetic radiation. For example, the longest wavelength is the radio wave, followed by microwaves, infrared, then visible light. Visible light is used by producers like green plants to carry out photosynthesis.

As we progress through the spectrum, ultraviolet is next, followed by X-rays and then Gamma rays. Gamma rays have the shortest wavelengths.

To...

The electromagnetic spectrum illustrates the range of electromagnetic radiation. Light travels as a wave and different wavelengths represent different types of electromagnetic radiation. For example, the longest wavelength is the radio wave, followed by microwaves, infrared, then visible light. Visible light is used by producers like green plants to carry out photosynthesis.

As we progress through the spectrum, ultraviolet is next, followed by X-rays and then Gamma rays. Gamma rays have the shortest wavelengths.

To calculate the frequency of 

Describe the scene Wordsworth was fascinated by in his poem about the daffodils.

Wordsworth was overwhelmed by the beauty of some daffodils which he came upon as he was walking. They were spread out in glorious colour 'beside the lake beneath the trees.' The setting could not have been more aesthetic. The speaker's pleasure on this unexpected discovery of nature at its best is clearly emphasised in the word 'golden' which signifies something of great value. He has stumbled upon one of nature's great treasures and is treated to an extraordinary spectacle by these beautiful yellow flowers. 

The unusual use of the word 'host' as a collective noun suggests that the speaker felt like a special guest being provided with a truly marvellous service. The use of metaphor and personification to describe the movements of these exceptional flowers very clearly expresses the speaker's delight.

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

The image is one of a happy occasion, specifically to entertain and enthral the viewer.  

The speaker continues in this positive tone in stanza two. He compares the daffodils with a continuous line of stars shining and twinkling in the night sky. The hyperbole suggests that the daffodils stretched out along the edge of the bay for as far as the eye could see, making the view so much more impressive. The speaker claims that he saw 'ten thousand at a glance' suggesting that if he had looked closer, he would have seen even more. 'Ten thousand' is obviously just an estimate, but the speaker wishes to emphasise that there was a huge number of daffodils spread out next to the bay. Once again, the last line indicates, through personification, what a happy scene it was. The flowers were celebrating by 'tossing their heads in sprightly dance,' suggesting the gentle movement of the flowers, probably created by a breeze blowing through them. This animation makes the whole experience so much more enthralling and delightful.

In stanza three, the speaker continues to show the interconnectedness of nature. Just as the daffodils were similar to stars in stanza two, are they now equated with the waves, which also danced. The daffodils, however, were far superior and happily 'out-did the sparkling waves.' The descriptors remain positive and create a mood of conviviality and suggest a synergy between all things natural. A poet could not help but be happy in such joyful company. The last two lines suggest that the speaker was mesmerised by what he saw, to such an extent that he did not realise what great value he had actually gained from witnessing this tremendously exquisite panorama.   

The last stanza focuses on the remarkable impression that that glorious vista has had on him. He has retained the memory thereof for, whenever he is by himself, thinking or having nothing to do whilst lying on his couch, he thinks about what he had seen. Just the thought of the radiantly exquisite flowers makes him happy and his heart 'dances with the daffodils.' His heartbeat assumes a dancing rhythm which signifies the gratification he derives from such a pleasant memory.   

In Hatchet, what did Brian pull out of the plane?

Brian emerges from the plane wreckage on two occasions in the book Hatchet, once immediately after the crash and again when he goes in search of the survival pack. The question of what Brian pulls from the plane can refer to either the items Brian initially escapes from the plane with or the details of what is in the survival pack.

In chapter five, Brian takes inventory of the items he is able to...

Brian emerges from the plane wreckage on two occasions in the book Hatchet, once immediately after the crash and again when he goes in search of the survival pack. The question of what Brian pulls from the plane can refer to either the items Brian initially escapes from the plane with or the details of what is in the survival pack.

In chapter five, Brian takes inventory of the items he is able to escape from the plane with when he first left the wreckage. These items include his wallet with twenty dollars inside, nail clippers, some change, a digital watch, his hatchet attached to his belt, tennis shoes on his feet and a torn jacket.

In the final chapter of the book, Brian finally manages to obtain the survival pack and get it to his shelter. When he takes inventory of the items in it, he realizes that it is full of many useful items including cooking tools, a sleeping bag, freeze dried food, fire starting implements, fishing gear and a shot gun. There is one electronic item he does not recognize, but he flips a switch back and forth and it ends up being an emergency transmitter. Without his knowledge, he left the transmitter on when examining it. This alerts a nearby pilot and leads to Brian’s rescue.

What is the terrible tragedy of Canterville Chase?

In Chapter One of The Canterville Ghost, Mrs Umney reveals to the Otises the terrible tragedy of Canterville Chase. In 1575, Sir Simon de Canterville murdered his wife, Lady Eleanore, in the library of Canterville Chase. (We learn in Chapter Five that Sir Simon murdered his wife because she was "very plain" and poor at housekeeping). Sir Simon lived until 1584 when the brothers of Lady Eleanore took their revenge and starved him to...

In Chapter One of The Canterville Ghost, Mrs Umney reveals to the Otises the terrible tragedy of Canterville Chase. In 1575, Sir Simon de Canterville murdered his wife, Lady Eleanore, in the library of Canterville Chase. (We learn in Chapter Five that Sir Simon murdered his wife because she was "very plain" and poor at housekeeping). Sir Simon lived until 1584 when the brothers of Lady Eleanore took their revenge and starved him to death, though his body was never found.

The blood stain in the library acts as a visual reminder of this tragedy. No matter how many times Mr Otis cleans it off with his stain remover and detergent, the stain has reappeared by morning. While we later learn that the ghost repaints it each night, its constant presence reminds the inhabitants of the murderous and bloody history of Canterville Chase.

It is only in Chapter Five that this terrible tragedy is rectified, when Sir Simon secures Virginia's aid in praying for his repentance. In return, he receives eternal rest in the Garden of Death and the residents of Canterville Chase are haunted no more. 

How will the equilibrium shift for this reaction if you change the temperature and pressure? Describe this by using your knowledge of Le...

The Haber-Bosch process for producing ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen was invented in Germany during World War I, initially to produce ammonia for military explosives. It's now an important method of producing nitrogen fertilizer for agriculture.

According to Le Chatelier's Principle, if a system at equilibrium is disturbed the position of the equilibrium will shift so as to counteract the affect of the change. For example, if the temperature is increased the equilibrium of an...

The Haber-Bosch process for producing ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen was invented in Germany during World War I, initially to produce ammonia for military explosives. It's now an important method of producing nitrogen fertilizer for agriculture.

According to Le Chatelier's Principle, if a system at equilibrium is disturbed the position of the equilibrium will shift so as to counteract the affect of the change. For example, if the temperature is increased the equilibrium of an exothermic reaction will shift to the left, the direction that favors reactants, because the reverse reaction absorbs heat. The equilibrium of an endothermic reaction will shift to the right, or produce more product, because the forward direction absorbs heat.

The reaction`3 H_2 + N_2 -> 2 NH_3` is exothermic. Therefore a decrease in temperature will result in a shift in equilibrium that favors products. However, this reaction proceeds slowly at room temperature so lowering temperature to shift equilibrium was not a good option. The process is carried out at about 400 *C as that maximizes the trade-off between speed and yield.

The effect of a pressure change is related to the moles of gaseous reactants and products. An increase in pressure shifts the equilibrium to the direction that produces fewer gas particles and a decrease in pressure shifts the equilibrium to the direction that produces more gas molecules.

The reactants are gases and ammonia is produced as a gas at the reaction temperature so there's a ratio of 4 moles gaseous reactant to 2 moles gaseous product. This means that raising the pressure will shift the equilibrium in the direction of the product and increase the yield. High pressure proved to be a challenge in the development of the Haber Process as vessels and pipes had to be very strong to withstand it. The pressure that's used, about 200 atm, is the optimum safe pressure for the best yield.

Raising the temperature (which didn't shift the equilibrium in the desired direction) and raising the pressure didn't produce an efficient enough process. Another application of LeChatelier's principle, condensing and removing the ammonia as it formed, shifted the equilibrium to produce more product and contributed to the successful production of ammonia on an industrial scale. The other important factor was the use of a catalyst, which didn't shift the equilibrium but did speed up the reaction.

If you're interested in learning more about the history of ammonia use and production, I recommend the book The Alchemy of Air by Thomas Hager, published in 2008.

What can you say about Stockton's short story, "The Lady or the Tiger?"

Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger?" is a good story to learn about ambiguity and inference because the ending is not clear. The princess gets caught by her father, the king, dating a man without his permission. The man is thrown into prison and later sent to the arena to choose between two doors. Behind one is a man-eating tiger and behind the other is a beautiful young woman who will be his bride. Under...

Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger?" is a good story to learn about ambiguity and inference because the ending is not clear. The princess gets caught by her father, the king, dating a man without his permission. The man is thrown into prison and later sent to the arena to choose between two doors. Behind one is a man-eating tiger and behind the other is a beautiful young woman who will be his bride. Under no circumstances will the man be able to marry the princess, though. The man's fate is either to marry a beautiful woman he probably does not know, or die a gruesome death. The princess, however, discovers which door the young woman will be waiting behind. She also knows the lady from her court and actually hates her; so, the trial becomes really one for the princess. Should the princess send her lover to his death or allow him to marry a woman she despises?

"The only hope for the youth. . . was based on the success of the princess in discovering this mystery; and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded. . . Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: 'Which?' It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood."

The story does not explicitly say which end the boy receives. The story ends ambiguously; hence, the reader must infer, based on textual evidence, which door the princess would advise her lover to open.

What do you think motivates Dexter to fall in love with Judy in "Winter Dreams"?

Much like F. Scott Fitzgerald himself, Dexter maintains the perception of the rich as possessing some magical quality; thus, he is easily motivated to fall in love with Judy in order to experience such magic.

When he first sees Judy at age fourteen, she is a younger girl, and he notices the "passionate quality of her eyes." Her smile, too. arrests him: it is "radiant, blatantly, artificial--convincing." Later on, Dexter describes this smile to himself...

Much like F. Scott Fitzgerald himself, Dexter maintains the perception of the rich as possessing some magical quality; thus, he is easily motivated to fall in love with Judy in order to experience such magic.

When he first sees Judy at age fourteen, she is a younger girl, and he notices the "passionate quality of her eyes." Her smile, too. arrests him: it is "radiant, blatantly, artificial--convincing." Later on, Dexter describes this smile to himself as "preposterous." In a way Judy is Dexter's muse; that is, she inspires Dexter to become rich so that he can have a chance with her.

However, because Dexter's vision of Judy is unrealistic, serving only to inspire his own fantasies, his "winter dreams" become illusory and fated as he is "unconsciously dictated to by his winter dreams." While he does attain wealth, the magical quality is lacking, and Dexter is disappointed in his renewed relationship to Judy after he abandons Irene. For, she is

...entertained only by the gratification of her desires and by the direct exercise of her own charm.

Yet, tenaciously Dexter holds his dreams of Judy, and it is only when he learns years later of Judy's loss of beauty and her mistreatment by her husband, that Dexter sadly realizes that she, too, is made of clay. "The dream was gone. Something had been taken from him" when Dexter hears of Judy's mundane life that lacks any animation. Dexter has lost his "winter dreams."

In what ways does Rikki exemplify the curiosity of a mongoose in his first days in bungalow in "Rikki-tikki-tavi"?

When Rikki-tikki-tavi washes up in the bungalow’s garden, he is immediately curious rather than frightened.  We are told that a real mongoose is consumed with curiosity.  Rikki-tikki definitely demonstrates this.  As soon as he recovers from almost drowning, he begins playing around.

The motto of all the mongoose family is "Run and find out"; and Rikki-tikki was a true mongoose. He looked at the cotton-wool, decided that it was not good to eat, ran all...

When Rikki-tikki-tavi washes up in the bungalow’s garden, he is immediately curious rather than frightened.  We are told that a real mongoose is consumed with curiosity.  Rikki-tikki definitely demonstrates this.  As soon as he recovers from almost drowning, he begins playing around.

The motto of all the mongoose family is "Run and find out"; and Rikki-tikki was a true mongoose. He looked at the cotton-wool, decided that it was not good to eat, ran all around the table, sat up and put his fur in order, scratched himself, and jumped on the small boy's shoulder.

Rikki is not afraid of people, and likes to climb on them and sit in their laps.  His biggest concern is whether or not things are edible.  He also wants to inspect the house as soon as possible.  Almost immediately he is looking around rather than sleeping.

Teddy’s father knows that having a mongoose around can be a very good thing when you are in India.  The garden may have snakes, and the snakes may come into the house.  A mongoose is the best defense against snakes.

"I don't like that," said Teddy's mother; "he may bite the child." "He'll do no such thing," said the father. "Teddy's safer with that little beast than if he had a bloodhound to watch him. If a snake came into the nursery now --- "

Rikki-tikki proves to be a very brave mongoose.  In his first encounter with the cobras, they are almost more afraid of him than he is of them.  Rikki-tikki refuses to be backed down, and cannot be tricked.  Rikki is their enemy from then on, and he makes it his goal to remove all snakes from the garden.  It is not easy, but he succeeds in killing Nag, Karait, and Nagaina and the garden is safe for people and animals.

In Inside Out and Back Again, what evidence is there that Ha's life is coming back again?

In Inside Out and Back Again, Ha's life comes back when she learns the true meaning of how to live a life that is "not the same, but not bad at all."

The premise of the question rightly presumes that a part of Ha's life ended when she left Saigon.  The world in Saigon represented so much of her identity.  From the papaya tree to her mother's stories to her academic achievement, Ha's sense of...

In Inside Out and Back Again, Ha's life comes back when she learns the true meaning of how to live a life that is "not the same, but not bad at all."

The premise of the question rightly presumes that a part of Ha's life ended when she left Saigon.  The world in Saigon represented so much of her identity.  From the papaya tree to her mother's stories to her academic achievement, Ha's sense of identity was tied to her life in Saigon.  In having to leave because of war, Ha loses a significant part of her life.

Ha must learn to establish herself in the midst of adversity.  As a result of perseverance, Ha's life returns.  For example, she realizes that in Alabama, her lack of language skills puts her at a disadvantage.  When she was in Saigon, Ha loved to talk.  With her move to Alabama, she lost some of that and, with it, part of her life disappeared because she was relegated to silence. However, in her tutoring sessions with Mrs. Washington, Ha gains greater confidence with her English.  Ha's growing comfort with the language is evidence of how her life, or identity, is returning.  She shouts back against her tormentor, Pink Boy.  She communicates and makes friends with Steven and Pam.  Ha knows that life is different for her in Alabama.  Yet, Ha is able to make a life for herself in America.  She no longer accepts what she used to believe that life in war time Saigon is better than peace in America.  In establishing herself in America, Ha gains her life back because she embraces the internal toughness needed to triumph over adversity.

An essential component to reclaiming Ha's life lies in absorbing two lessons from her mother.  The first is what she realizes after her mother prepares the Americanized version of papaya.  Ha tastes the food and realizes that it's "not the same" as what she knew in Saigon, but it's also "not bad at all."  Ha realizes that her mother's lesson is a way for her to get her life back.  She might not be the girl in Saigon.  However, she can be a wiser and more mature one in Alabama. The second lesson she learns from her mother that helps her get her life back again is in how the Tet New Year means that "luck starts over."  Ha recognizes that she does not have to live a life full of past regrets.  She can get her life back because she can live for today and tomorrow.   It is for this reason that Ha closes the narrative with her beliefs on the "fly kick:"  “This year I hope I truly learn to fly-kick not to kick anyone so much as to fly.”   She previously wanted to learn the martial arts move to defend herself. Now, she appropriates the language of the move to show growth and maturation.  This is evidence of how Ha's life is coming back again.

In The Giver, who created the rules?

The rules are created by committees of elders.

Tradition is very important in Jonas’s community.  There are a lot of rules, and most of them have been in place for a long time.  Rules are designed to keep the community running extremely smoothly.  They regulate behavior very carefully.

Breaking the rules is serious.  If a person breaks a major rule, such as the pilot who accidentally flew over the community, he or she is immediately...

The rules are created by committees of elders.

Tradition is very important in Jonas’s community.  There are a lot of rules, and most of them have been in place for a long time.  Rules are designed to keep the community running extremely smoothly.  They regulate behavior very carefully.

Breaking the rules is serious.  If a person breaks a major rule, such as the pilot who accidentally flew over the community, he or she is immediately released.  “Release” is a euphemism for “killed.”  However, a person can also be released for braking three rules.

The rules say that if there's a third transgression, he simply has to be released." Jonas shivered. He knew it happened. There was even a boy in his group of Elevens whose father had been released years before. No one ever mentioned it; the disgrace was unspeakable. (Ch. 1)

There are many rules in the community.  For example, rules govern the use of language, the telling of feelings and things like riding bicycles.  The rules dictate who can do what and when.  They also govern the ways families are created and when people are born and die.

The rules come from committees of the community’s leaders, known as elders.  It is very hard to get a rule changed.  Rules go to a committee to be studied. 

Rules were very hard to change. Sometimes, if it was a very important rule--unlike the one governing the age for bicycles—it would have to go, eventually, to The Receiver for a decision. The Receiver was the most important Elder. (Ch. 2)

The Receiver of Memory advises on the rules because he or she has access to the memories.  Since no one else in the community knows anything about the community’s past, the Receiver is expected to have more knowledge and wisdom and has the ability to determine if a rule should be changed.

How does the phrase "Literature That Rings True" apply to the "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini?

The phrase "literature that rings true" indicates that readers see in the text something that they can relate to their own lives. Although The Kite Runner depicts characters and events in Afghanistan starting in the 1970s, contemporary readers of all cultural backgrounds can relate to the human story at the heart of Hosseini's novel.

The plot of The Kite Runner follows the friendship of Amir and Hassan, two Afghani boys who are of different religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. In fact, Hassan and his father Ali work as servants to Amir's family. The boys are raised like brothers despite these differences, and Hassan, although he has none of the advantages Amir was born with, is very protective of Amir. Hassan is unfaltering in his loyalty to Amir and Baba (Amir's dad). Amir, however, sometimes feels ashamed of his friendship with Hassan because Hassan is Hazara and a servant and should, socially speaking, be considered "below" Amir. This causes Amir to sometimes be unnecessarily cruel to his friend. The pivotal moment in the plot comes when Amir and Hassan, as a team, have won the kite-running contest, and Hassan goes to run down the kite. When Amir finally finds Hassan, he witnesses Hassan being sexually assaulted by the bully Assef. Amir does nothing and tells no one. He pretends he does not know what happened to Hassan in the alley; however, the guilt eats at Amir. He eventually plants a birthday gift (a watch) that he had recently received in Hassan's room, framing Hassan for theft. Although Baba forgives Hassan and Ali for their supposed transgression, Ali objects to the treatment he receives from Baba and Amir (it is implied later that Ali knows about the assault and know that Amir witnessed it) and Ali and Hassan leave. Amir never sees Hassan again.

After some time, Amir and Baba move to California to escape the turmoil in Afghanistan. Eventually, an old family friend and father figure to Amir (Rahim Khan) contacts Amir when he is an adult (actually this happens at the start of the start of the novel and then Amir goes back and narrates his childhood) and tells him "there is a way to be good again." Amir embarks on quest to rescue Hassan's son Sohrab, who has fallen into the hands of the Taliban and Assef, after Hassan's death (which Amir learns about in a letter). Along the way, Amir is told that Baba was Hassan's father and that he and Hassan were actually half-brothers, making Sohrab Amir's nephew. This raises the stakes for Amir, who already feels like he owes Hassan for the betrayal when they were children. Amir eventually, after a long and complicated process, adopts Sohrab and brings him back to the U.S., achieving some measure of redemption.  

This story of guilt, regret, and ultimately, redemption, is one that almost any reader can relate to. Even though the experience of reading about Amir's betrayal of Hassan can cause readers to lose sympathy for Amir, we also see him struggle and suffer so much as a result of that decision that he ultimately becomes sympathetic again. Readers want to see him redeem himself and exorcise the ghosts of his past. 

`x + y + z = 5, x - 2y + 4z = 13, 3y + 4z = 13` Solve the system of linear equations and check any solutions algebraically.

You may use the substitution method to solve the system, hence, you need to use the first equation to write x in terms of y and z, such that:

`x + y + z = 5 => x = 5 - y - z`

You may now replace `5 - y - z` for x in equation` x - 2y + 4z = 13` , such that:

`5 - y - z - 2y + 4z = 13...

You may use the substitution method to solve the system, hence, you need to use the first equation to write x in terms of y and z, such that:

`x + y + z = 5 => x = 5 - y - z`

You may now replace `5 - y - z` for x in equation` x - 2y + 4z = 13` , such that:

`5 - y - z - 2y + 4z = 13 => -3y + 3z = 8`

You may use the third equation, `3y + 4z = 13` , along with  `-3y + 3z = 8` equation, such that:

` -3y + 3z + 3y + 4z = 8 + 13 => 7z = 21 => z = 3`

You may replace 3 for z in equation `3y + 4z = 13:`

`3y + 12 = 13 => 3y = 1 => y = 1/3`

You may replace 3 for z and` 1/3` for y in equation `x = 5 - y - z:`

`x = 5 -1/3 - 3 => x = 2 - 1/3 => x = 5/3`

Hence, evaluating the solution to the given system, yields `x = 5/3, y = 1/3, z = 3.`

What is the correct term for someone that does not believe in a god but instead believes in science?

There are several different terms representing specific forms of belief or disbelief. One of the things that makes the terminology somewhat complicated is that the modern English term "belief" actually can refer to two different concepts, belief in the existence of a god and worship of that god. 

The term "atheist" is used to refer to people who are absolutely certain that no gods of any type exist and who also do not worship any gods.

"Agnostic" is the term which applies to people who are not certain about whether gods exist or not or, if they do exist, what their nature might be. These can include people who are undogmatic atheists but also may include religious or spiritual people who believe that it is not possible to have certain knowledge about the nature or existence of gods. 

The term nontheistic can apply to a range of people who do not believe in the existence of personal gods and even certain religions such as Buddhism or Unitarian Universalism.

Most people in the modern western world accept that science describes many aspects of the world correctly. This means that they "believe in" science to the degree of believing that certain things stated by certain scientists are correct. No scientist would believe that every single scientific hypothesis ever advanced was correct; in fact, one measure of scientific thinking is that one is constantly checking one's assumptions by means of research and experimentation rather than holding dogmatically to a single set of assumptions. The other sense of belief, namely "worship" or "faith", is one really opposed to scientific thinking. 

In philosophy, the belief that all phenomena can be explained by material causes (and thus that there is no explanatory need for a god) is called "materialism". 

One group of atheists, sometimes called the "New Atheists", of whom the most notable is Richard Dawkins, do seem, though, to treat science almost as a religion, looking to it for solutions to all the problems of the world.

How do you convert between the volume of a gas at STP and the number of moles of the gas?

Whenever you perform a mole conversion calculation, you will need to use a mole conversion factor. The three mole conversion factors are:

1 mole = 22.4 liters (for ideal gases)

1 mole = molar mass (grams)

1 mole = `~6.02 x 10^23` particles (molecules or atoms)

Since our problem is a conversion between moles and volume, we will use the first conversion factor. The volume in this conversion factor is in liters. If the volume...

Whenever you perform a mole conversion calculation, you will need to use a mole conversion factor. The three mole conversion factors are:

1 mole = 22.4 liters (for ideal gases)

1 mole = molar mass (grams)

1 mole = `~6.02 x 10^23` particles (molecules or atoms)

Since our problem is a conversion between moles and volume, we will use the first conversion factor. The volume in this conversion factor is in liters. If the volume in your question is in mL, you will need to convert to liters before you use this conversion factor. 

To use a conversion factor in a calculation, we must write it as a ratio, i.e. 1 mole/22.4 L OR 22.4 L/1 mole. Always write the conversion factor with the given unit on the bottom.

To calculate your answer, just multiply the "given amount" times the conversion factor.

Example 1: Convert 2.00 moles of `~O_2` gas to liters.

2.00 moles is the given amount and unit.

(2.00 moles)(22.4 L/1 mole) = 44.8 L

Since the given unit was moles, we write the conversion factor with moles in the denominator so that the units cancel out.

Example 2: Convert 6.22 L of `~O_2` gas to moles.

6.22 L is the given amount and unit.

(6.22 L)(1 mole/22.4 L) = 0.278 moles

Since the given unit was liters, we write the conversion factor with liters in the denominator.

What was FDR's role as President during the Great Depression and the New Deal? Were his New Deal measures positive or negative for the US in terms...

Historians disagree over whether President Franklin Roosevelt’s programs were economically successful.  However, there is a consensus that they were generally helpful in terms of improving the morale of the American people.

Many historians say that FDR’s New Deal policies brought America’s economy back from the depths of the Depression.  They say that the New Deal gave more jobs to more people as well as giving relief funds to people who could not get jobs.  By...

Historians disagree over whether President Franklin Roosevelt’s programs were economically successful.  However, there is a consensus that they were generally helpful in terms of improving the morale of the American people.

Many historians say that FDR’s New Deal policies brought America’s economy back from the depths of the Depression.  They say that the New Deal gave more jobs to more people as well as giving relief funds to people who could not get jobs.  By doing these things, the New Deal increased the amount of money that Americans had to spend.  When Americans had more money to spend, there was more demand for goods and services and more people had to be hired to meet that demand.

However, there are some who say that the New Deal really didn’t do that much.  They point out that the US economy did not get back to anywhere near pre-Depression levels until WWII brought a need for more weapons and other goods for the military.  They argue that the Depression could have ended sooner if FDR had not intervened as much as he did in the economy.  Examples of these arguments can be found in the link below.

Even though many historians do not think the New Deal was good economic policy, they do agree that it was good for the morale of the vast majority of Americans.  Americans had felt very discouraged because they felt President Hoover did not care enough about them to have the government do much to help.  When FDR took office, they felt that he was trying his hardest to help them.  This raised morale among average Americans.

In these ways, we can see that the New Deal was clearly positive for American morale while its effects on the economy are a more controversial issue.

What happens to a magnet if you cut it in half?

When we cut a magnet in half, we obtain 2 magnets, each with its own set of north and south poles. We can keep on cutting the resultant magnets in halves and each time, we will obtain 2 new magnets, each working independently as a magnet (with its own north and south poles and its own magnetic field and lines). 

One can think of a magnet as a loaf of bread. Each time we cut...

When we cut a magnet in half, we obtain 2 magnets, each with its own set of north and south poles. We can keep on cutting the resultant magnets in halves and each time, we will obtain 2 new magnets, each working independently as a magnet (with its own north and south poles and its own magnetic field and lines). 

One can think of a magnet as a loaf of bread. Each time we cut the bread, we end up with a slice of bread, which is smaller in size, but is still bread. Similarly, magnets can be cut into a large number of smaller magnets, each of which will act like an independent magnet, with its own magnetic field. One can also think of a magnet as made up of a large number of smaller magnets. 

Hope this helps. 

Why is weather an element of Gothic literature?

In Gothic literature, the weather is often used to convey the feelings and emotions of its character, in a technique called 'pathetic fallacy.' Using the weather in this way is also useful in setting the mood and developing the atmosphere in a particular scene. 

In Jane Eyre, we see many examples of the weather being used in this way. In chapter one, for instance, the "cold winter" and "clouds so sombre" reflect Jane's mood and...

In Gothic literature, the weather is often used to convey the feelings and emotions of its character, in a technique called 'pathetic fallacy.' Using the weather in this way is also useful in setting the mood and developing the atmosphere in a particular scene. 

In Jane Eyre, we see many examples of the weather being used in this way. In chapter one, for instance, the "cold winter" and "clouds so sombre" reflect Jane's mood and also build atmosphere in preparation for the next scene, in which we learn of Jane's "inferiority" to the Reed family with whom she lives. 

Interestingly, we also see the weather used in a way which contrasts with a pathetic fallacy. When Lowood is overcome with typhus and consumption, for example, the springtime weather is portrayed as sunny and warm. Similarly, a "livid, vivid spark leapt out of a cloud" when Mr Rochester proposes marriage to Jane and this is, perhaps, an omen of the bad events which are to follow. 

What quote from Lord of the Flies shows that Ralph's government was focused on looking after the littluns?

In Chapter 4, the littluns are given a fairly lengthy description. This first quote shows how the littluns obeyed and respected Ralph as an adult authority figure: 

They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority; and partly because they enjoyed the entertainment of the assemblies. But otherwise they seldom bothered with the biguns and their passionately emotional and corporate life was their own. 

They were not very useful with building or hunting. They were often eating, playing, or crying. So, they spent most of the time in their own world. But Ralph and other reasonable boys like Piggy are concerned for their welfare. 

In Chapter 5, Ralph calls an assembly to settle the matter on what the "fear" is. Ralph wants them to address the fear for the sake of the littluns and the older boys. When the littluns begin to cry in unity, Maurice makes them laugh to forget their fear: 

Maurice saved them. He cried out. “Look at me!” He pretended to fall over. He rubbed his rump and sat on the twister so that he fell in the grass. He downed badly; but Percival and the others noticed and sniffed and laughed. Presently they were all laughing so absurdly that the biguns joined in. 

It is mostly Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Maurice (in this last instance) who show concern for the littluns. Maurice is acting in this spirit of concern for the littluns. In Chapter 6, Ralph and Jack argue over them. Ralph shows concern and Jack could care less: 

“Let’s be moving,” said Jack relentlessly, “we’re wasting time.”

“No we’re not. What about the littluns?”

“Sucks to the littluns!”

“Someone’s got to look after them.”

“Nobody has so far.”

“There was no need! Now there is. Piggy’ll look after them.” 

In Chapter 7, the boys go to investigate the cliff, leaving Piggy with the littluns. Again, Ralph is the one who shows concern for them and Piggy. Jack dismisses this concern and continues to voice his annoyance and hate for Piggy: 

By now, Ralph had no self-consciousness in public thinking but would treat the day’s decisions as though he were playing chess. The only trouble was that he would never be a very good chess player. He thought of the littluns and Piggy. Vividly he imagined Piggy by himself, huddled in a shelter that was silent except for the sounds of nightmare. 

The concern for the littluns comes largely from Ralph's leadership and the concern of considerate boys like Piggy and Simon. 

In The Giver, why did the community want to control the stirrings? What things were they trying to prevent and why? How where they able to...

The community controls the Stirrings to keep people in continual preadolescence.  People are given pills as soon as Stirrings occur, and the pills block the hormonal change.  This prevents non-approved population and keeps the citizens docile.

Stirrings is a euphemism for puberty.  The community carefully monitors children who are about to enter puberty to prevent it from happening.  At the first signs of puberty, children are given a medication that prevents the Stirrings.

Jonas’s parents are first aware that he is entering puberty when he has a dream of a sexual nature.  The dream shows that Jonas is beginning to have feelings for the opposite sex.  This is when the Stirrings pills start for each child.  For the community, taking the pills is just a normal part of life.

Jonas’s mother explains the procedure for taking Stirrings pills to him.

"But you mustn't forget. I'll remind you for the first weeks, but then you must do it on your own. If you forget, the Stirrings will come back.  The dreams of Stirrings will come back. Sometimes the dosage must be adjusted." (Ch. 5)

It makes sense to control the population by preventing people from wanting to have sex, something that would create unwanted or unplanned babies.  The community has carefully planned each birth.  It makes sure the child will be genetically appropriate and that only a set number of babies are born each year.  This way there can never be overpopulation.

There is another reason for the Stirrings pills though.  They control hormones, but they also seem to control adult thinking.  The citizens of the community are basically kept permanently immature.  The pills limit their access to developments such as rational thinking and emotions.  People’s emotions are kept in check by the Stirrings pills. 

When Jonas goes through his training, he learns about the emotions that most people had in the days before Sameness.  As Jonas learns about the reality of human life, he stops taking his pills for Stirrings.

He had not taken the pills, now, for four weeks. The Stirrings had returned, and he felt a little guilty and embarrassed about the pleasurable dreams that came to him as he slept. But he knew he couldn't go back to the world of no feelings that he had lived in so long. (Ch. 17)

Jonas is aware that no one in his community is capable of a genuine emotion, other than The Giver and now him.  The Stirrings pills are obviously part of the reason why.  If you keep people immature and unthinking, they will never question anything.  It is the cost of perfect obedience and docility.

Although population control is a worthy goal, the community’s method of isolating and preventing emotions in its people is tyrannically abusive.  No one in Jonas’s community is a real, whole person.  No one is ever an adult.  They are more like drones or robots, completely unaware of what is really happening to them.  Jonas’s community is not one without pain; it is one where pain is hidden away and the people are kept too drugged to understand it.

What are the names of some gods in Roman mythology?

When Rome conquered Greece, it incorporated the Greek gods into its own pantheon. So many Roman gods took on the traits and characteristics of the Greek gods. The major Roman Gods became indistinguishable from their Greek counterparts. Jupiter, for example, is essentially Zeus. Cupid (Roman god of love and romance) is nearly indistinguishable from Eros (Greek god of the same).

Over time, the distinctly Roman Gods (those that had no Greek equivalent) became less prominent....

When Rome conquered Greece, it incorporated the Greek gods into its own pantheon. So many Roman gods took on the traits and characteristics of the Greek gods. The major Roman Gods became indistinguishable from their Greek counterparts. Jupiter, for example, is essentially Zeus. Cupid (Roman god of love and romance) is nearly indistinguishable from Eros (Greek god of the same).

Over time, the distinctly Roman Gods (those that had no Greek equivalent) became less prominent. Some faded altogether, their characteristics and powers subsumed by other deities. Dis Pater, Roman god of land for example, was absorbed into Pluto, Greek god of the underworld. 

Not all uniquely Roman Gods fell into oblivion. A number of key Roman deities survived the pantheon clash and continued to be worshiped in their own right. Janus, Roman god of transition, change, beginnings, and endings, was heavily worshiped throughout the Roman empire. Janus was the central deity in many Roman ceremonies marking life transitions. He was prominent in birth ceremonies and funerals, as well as New Year's celebrations and other markers of seasonal change.

Other uniquely Roman Gods without Greek counterparts include: Mithras, patron deity of soldiers; Orcus, punisher of the damned; and the Lares, deities of hearthfire, family, and home. 

What contradictory information does Elizabeth receive from Mr. Darcy's housekeeper in Pride and Prejudice?

Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper that Elizabeth Bennett and the Gardiners encounter when they visit Darcy's estate, Pemberley, has known Darcy since he was an infant. The information she gives is not "contradictory" in the sense of internally inconsistent but rather contradicts the account of Darcy given by the evil Mr. Wickham and Elizabeth's own prejudices and superficial impressions. The housekeeper's credibility is emphasized by her statement:

"I say no more than the truth, and what...

Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper that Elizabeth Bennett and the Gardiners encounter when they visit Darcy's estate, Pemberley, has known Darcy since he was an infant. The information she gives is not "contradictory" in the sense of internally inconsistent but rather contradicts the account of Darcy given by the evil Mr. Wickham and Elizabeth's own prejudices and superficial impressions. The housekeeper's credibility is emphasized by her statement:

"I say no more than the truth, and what every body will say that knows him,'' replied [Mrs. Reynolds] ... "I have never had a cross word from him in my life, and I have known him ever since he was four years old.''

First, the housekeeper asserts that Darcy is an excellent master and well-loved by his servants and tenants, being both fair and generous. Next, she shows that he is a kind brother to his sister, taking great responsibility for her happiness in his role as her caretaker after their parents' death. 

He is shown as kind and "affable" to the poor and a person who takes his responsibilities seriously. What some people might see as pride, according to Mrs. Reynolds, is more a matter of a strong sense of duty and a certain degree of reserve. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the first person point of view of Adult Scout and Young Scout. Explain how the two work together in Chapter 1...

The entirety of To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated by the Adult Jean Louise, looking back on the events of a three year span of her childhood, beginning when she was six years old, and the events of a trial in which her lawyer father, Atticus, defended a black sharecropper named Tom Robinson against the charges of rape. In the very beginning of the novel, the voice of Adult Jean Louise sets the scene:

When...

The entirety of To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated by the Adult Jean Louise, looking back on the events of a three year span of her childhood, beginning when she was six years old, and the events of a trial in which her lawyer father, Atticus, defended a black sharecropper named Tom Robinson against the charges of rape. In the very beginning of the novel, the voice of Adult Jean Louise sets the scene:

When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his [Jem's] accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out. [Chapter 1]

In this passage, the adult narrator is looking back on the inception of the events of the entire novel, which occur during Scout's childhood. The use of the adult voice of Jean Louise narrating events which are in her past gives her a clarity of expression and detail which would not have been possible with a child narrator.

A good example of the two voices working together can be found further along in Chapter 1, during the initial interaction between the children, Scout, Jem, and Dill:

When Dill reduced Dracula to dust, and Jem said the show sounded better than the book, I asked Dill where his father was: "You ain't said anything about him."

"I haven't got one."

"Is he dead?"

"No..."

"Then if he's not dead you've got one, haven't you?"

Dill blushed and Jem told me to hush, a sure sign that Dill had been studied and found acceptable. Thereafter the summer passed in routine contentment. [Chapter 1]

In this passage, we hear the Adult Scout relating a conversation where the Child Scout has made a tactless inquiry about Dill's absentee father. It is strongly implied though never implicitly stated in the story that Dill is illegitimate, a fact which the Child Scout could not have known or understood; the Adult Scout relates the conversation, and shows, with an efficient use of details ('Dill blushed and Jem told me to hush'), that as an adult she understands that there was more to Dill's situation than the Child Scout could have understood. The dialogue is all the Child Scout's voice; the rendering and implicit analysis of the conversation is very adult.

What is the significance of the noose in "The Flowers" by Alice Walker?

It isn't just the discovery of a human skull that changes Myop. She is “unafraid” and only gives “a little yelp of surprise” having stepped on the skull.

It’s the noose that finally establishes the point that the skull belongs to the man that was lynched to death. As soon as Myop is able to relate “the rotted remains of the noose” with the “frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled” piece of a rope “around an...

It isn't just the discovery of a human skull that changes Myop. She is “unafraid” and only gives “a little yelp of surprise” having stepped on the skull.

It’s the noose that finally establishes the point that the skull belongs to the man that was lynched to death. As soon as Myop is able to relate “the rotted remains of the noose” with the “frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled” piece of a rope “around an overhanging limb of a great spreading oak” and the dead man, the noose acquires a deeper significance.

Now, the noose lies on the ground as a grim reminder of violence and hatred. It's like a lens through which Myop gets an actual glimpse of the world she belongs to. It carries her from her myopic and self-constructed pristine world, consisting only of nature in its beautiful and harmless forms, to the real world of ruthlessness and hatred.

In the story, the noose is a very important and powerful image as it’s through the noose that Myop unmasks the ugly yet true face of the world that surrounds her. It shakes Myop from within and leads her into a complete transformation that she wasn't prepared for. Now, she is out of the non-existent idyllic world and stands stupefied confronting the real world.

Which architecture firm acquires the contract for the new junior high? Do you think Mr. Kowalski does the right thing in the end? Explain your answer.

In the story, Hoodhood and Associates eventually wins the contract for the junior high. Prior to Hoodhood and Associates winning the contract, an unpleasant incident almost destroyed Holling and Meryl Lee's budding romance.

Accordingly, after drawing out a schematic of his father's architectural proposal for Meryl Lee, Holling is horrified to discover that Mr. Kowalski has stolen his father's design ideas. He thinks that Meryl Lee is to blame. However, Meryl Lee asserts that she...

In the story, Hoodhood and Associates eventually wins the contract for the junior high. Prior to Hoodhood and Associates winning the contract, an unpleasant incident almost destroyed Holling and Meryl Lee's budding romance.

Accordingly, after drawing out a schematic of his father's architectural proposal for Meryl Lee, Holling is horrified to discover that Mr. Kowalski has stolen his father's design ideas. He thinks that Meryl Lee is to blame. However, Meryl Lee asserts that she had no knowledge her father would appropriate Mr. Hoodhood's design for his own; she merely shared it because she was so impressed with it. Despite her protests at the unfairness of Holling's accusations, Holling refuses to believe her.

As a result, both young people are at odds with each other. Eventually, Holling has a change of heart when he realizes that Meryl Lee was greatly affected by her father's treachery. He decides to reconcile with her and purchases two Cokes and a rose for Meryl Lee. When he rings the doorbell at the Kowalski home, Mr. Kowalski greets him at the door, and Holling notices that Mr. Kowalski appears a little uncomfortable when he mentions that he would like to see Meryl Lee. However, Mr. Kowalski lets him in, and the two young friends eventually manage to renew their friendship.

The next day, Kowalski and Associates withdraws its bid, and the contract is awarded to Hoodhood and Associates.

On Thursday, before the school board met to decide on its new architect, Kowalski and Associates withdrew its bid for the new junior high school. Hoodhood and Associates was given the contract.

From all indications, Mr. Kowalski does the right thing because the designs he presented before the board weren't his own. Also, from the story, one can infer that Mr. Kowalski might also have been greatly affected by the pain he caused his own daughter due to his lack of integrity. By withdrawing from the contract bidding war, Mr. Kowalski managed to retain his self-respect, his daughter's regard, and perhaps even the greater community's continued esteem.

How can I summarize the poem "Death of a Bird"?

Australian poet A.D Hope's "The Death of the Bird" deals with aging and death, using a bird in migration as the overarching metaphor.

The first line signals the theme of the poem:

"For every bird there is this last migration..."

The line tells us, for this bird, death is near, tells it without sentimentality. The heavy weight of the line foreshadows what is to follow. 

The bulk of the poem introduces us to the inner...

Australian poet A.D Hope's "The Death of the Bird" deals with aging and death, using a bird in migration as the overarching metaphor.

The first line signals the theme of the poem:

"For every bird there is this last migration..."

The line tells us, for this bird, death is near, tells it without sentimentality. The heavy weight of the line foreshadows what is to follow. 

The bulk of the poem introduces us to the inner life of the bird—memories, sensations she has experienced year after year in the same migration she is taking now, but this year, we know, will be different. Indeed, we see the bird hasn't the stamina or faculties she once had.

"Single and frail, uncertain of her place, Alone in the bright host of her companions, Lost in the blue unfriendliness of space."

Finally darkness overtakes the flying flock, and she is no longer able to maintain her flight. Strong winds overcome her, and she falls to her death.

The last lines of the poem summon up the poet's view of the bird's life—in remorseless nature, the passing of the life of a bird is received "without grief or malice," but simply as another of the numberless lives and deaths inhabiting the earth every day.

Yet, the tenderness with which the author presents the life of the bird belies this. The poem itself individualizes the bird, and therefore gives great dignity to its existence. 

What do you learn about "The Secret" in chapters 3-4 of Hatchet?

It is at the beginning of chapter four that Brian reflects on "the secret" and the reader learns what it is about. As he crashes into the water at the end of chapter three, darkness falls and the reader is brought immediately to an account of that day he learned "the secret."

He'd been riding bikes with his friend Terry and he remembered everything perfectly. The clock at the bank read 3:31, the temperature was...

It is at the beginning of chapter four that Brian reflects on "the secret" and the reader learns what it is about. As he crashes into the water at the end of chapter three, darkness falls and the reader is brought immediately to an account of that day he learned "the secret."

He'd been riding bikes with his friend Terry and he remembered everything perfectly. The clock at the bank read 3:31, the temperature was 82 degrees and he couldn't forget the date. He saw his mother in the car and just before he waved hi he noticed that there was a man in the car with her.

The memory is an incredibly painful one for him. He recalls it with a white hot rage that hasn't really diminished. He also notes later in the chapter that it had something to do with his bad luck. If he had good luck, his parents wouldn't have divorced, he wouldn't know the secret, and he wouldn't have crashed the plane into the lake.

How does Shakespeare convey the idea of a "disturbed mind" in Macbeth?

A “disturbed mind” is portrayed frequently in the play Macbeth. It is always due to a character's guilt for either murder or participation in murder. It is shown in characters, specifically Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who took their destiny into their own hands and brought about their fates through evil.

After Banquo’s murder, Macbeth holds a banquet. He keeps seeing Banquo’s ghost sitting at the table. Though the ghost does not speak, it haunts...

A “disturbed mind” is portrayed frequently in the play Macbeth. It is always due to a character's guilt for either murder or participation in murder. It is shown in characters, specifically Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who took their destiny into their own hands and brought about their fates through evil.

After Banquo’s murder, Macbeth holds a banquet. He keeps seeing Banquo’s ghost sitting at the table. Though the ghost does not speak, it haunts Macbeth by its presence, a quiet accusation of murder. Lady Macbeth brushes it away as a momentary illness.

After the deaths of Duncan, his guards, Banquo, and Macduff’s wife and children, even Lady Macbeth begins to lose control of her mental faculties. She walks and talks in her sleep, speaking of the evil that she has done. Her words make others suspicious, even though they do not know for sure her part in all the deaths.

It is the souls of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, blackened with ambition, which open the way for the disturbances of their minds. Without hearts so ready to commit evil, their minds might have overcome the temptations that were placed before them with the revelation of the witches’ prophecies.

How does Dave show growth at the end of the story, "Split Cherry Tree"?

Dave demonstrates growth because he acquires a more mature attitude about his father after Pa comes to the school and meets with Professor Herbert. 

As the first of his family to attend high school in what is most likely rural Kentucky in the 1930's (the story was published in 1939), Dave starts to feel that his father is rather backward in his attitudes about certain things. For instance, he fears telling his father that he has had to stay after school and work to pay for a tree he and others have damaged while on a science class outing, knowing that he will probably get a whipping. Dave knows that his father will not understand what happened, nor will he approve of Dave's staying after school when he has chores to do in the afternoon.

When Dave explains his tardiness, Pa is originally angry with him; however, when he hears that Dave alone stayed late because the others were able to pay for the damages, Pa's sense of pride is ignited,

"Poor man's son, hun,..I'll attend to that myself in the mornin'....He ain't from this county nohow....What kind of school is it, anyhow?

Dave pleads with his father to not go, but his father vows to "straighten this thing out" and insists upon accompanying Dave to school the next day with his "long blue forty-four" pistol. Fortunately, Professor Herbert remains calm when accosted by Pa and speaks reasonably with the big man. Then, in an effort to explain why the class goes outdoors, Herbert shows Pa around, speaking of incubators, germs, and other things. When Professor Herbert tells Pa that he has a black snake that the class will chloroform and dissect to view his germs, Pa becomes upset:

"Don't do it....I believe you. I just don't want to see you kill the black snake. I never kill one. They are good mousers and a lot o' help to us on the farm...."

Overhearing his Pa, Dave begins to perceive a different side of his father, a kinder part. After school, Dave notices something different about Pa. He sees that his father

...looked lost among us. He looked like a leaf turned brown on the tree among the treetop filled with growing leaves.

Then, when Dave begins to sweep the classroom floor as he works off his fine, Pa comes to his aid, telling Dave that the teacher, Professor Herbert, is a good man. School has changed, he adds, calling himself a "dead leaf," and confirming what Dave has observed. Further, when Herbert tells Pa the debt is "on me" and they can go, Pa refuses, 

"We don't do things like that...we're just and honest people. We don' want somethin' for nothin'....I ain't got much larnin' myself but I do know right from wrong atter I see through a thing."

Pa apologizes to Dave, saying that he has misjudged Dave's teacher and the school; moreover, he encourages Dave to further his education because he can do better than his father. But, he reminds Dave to always be honest and kind to animals.

While Pa has called himself "a little man," meaning he is unimportant in society, Dave realizes that his father is really no "little man." For, he now perceives in his father a reasonableness, a sense of fairness, and a certain dignity in the pride that he takes in being honest and knowing right from wrong. In this new perception of his father, Dave grows in his understanding, of this man as well as in his recognition of those values that really count in life.

What are some words in English that are not pronounced the way they look?

Many words in English are pronounced differently than they would be if they were pronounced according to the letters that appear in the word. This may be the result of letters that were once voiced but have now become silent or the result of importing words from foreign languages. One of the most prevalent patterns in the first category is the "ght" pattern at the end of words such as night, fight, light, sought, bought, fought, thought, caught, and brought. The /gh/ sound was once pronounced as a guttural sound in the back of the throat, but over the years the sound was lost, though the letters remained in the spellings. Sometimes the /gh/ sound changed to an /f/ sound, such as in laugh, tough, rough, and cough. Spellings can get even more confusing when the "gh" spelling is combined with a variant spelling of the long /a/ sound, "ei," resulting in words such as eight, freight, and weight.

Some words that came to English with their French spellings and pronunciations also contain silent letters and letter combinations that are pronounced differently from standard English pronunciations. Words in this category include tableaux, beau, hors d'oeuvre, Bearnaise, and plateau.

Some words begin with silent letters such as gnu, gnat, knee, knife, mnemonic, pneumonia, write, and psalm. 

Other words that contain internal silent letters are doubt, debt, aisle, and muscle.

These are just some of the words in English that are not pronounced the way they are spelled.

Am I going against God's creation for enjoying Surrealism so much?

The Surrealism movement began in Paris in the 1920s and continued through the 1960s, although people still use the word "surreal" frequently to describe artistic work that embodies the principles these artists followed. Andre Breton (who also created Dada, a literary art form employing random collections of words) founded the movement in 1924 when he wrote "The Surrealist Manifesto," but the term "surrealism" was first used by Guillaume Apollinaire, in the review of a ballet created by Pablo Picasso, Leonide Massine, Jean Cocteau, and Erik Satie. These artists, as well as Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Marcel Duchamp, Rene Magritte, Marc Chagall, and Max Ernst were a few of the artists whose work came to be associated with this movement.

Psychoanalysis was being more widely known and read about at this time, and the Freudian concepts of repression and unconscious desire were important to the Surrealists, who believed that people are often encouraged to repress their inner thoughts and feelings out of fear or guilt. There are contemporary artists who are considered modern Surrealists, such as Jacek Yerka, Mark Ryden and Vladimir Kush.

I think your question has to do with Surrealism's representation of unusual beings (chimeras, or creatures who combine parts of different animals) and strange portrayals of humans who do not conform to the so-called "normal" ways we view such things. Interestingly, such creatures are now potentially possible through the wonders of gene-splicing and genetic engineering!

There is a great deal of religious art that has been produced throughout history, and one way of looking at Surrealism is to appreciate the artists' attempts to explore the intimate recesses of the human mind, much as science is a way of exploring human potential of knowledge of the known universe. If your belief system dictates that God created Man in his own image, then the existence of intelligent and creative beings can be seen as something that God is in favor of. Then again, humans do a lot of things that do not seem to agree with what God had in mind...

I think if you enjoy this art and find it stimulating, you can view it as a celebration of the human spirit, an appreciation of human endeavor, and the joy and wonder that creativity can bring to us all.

What are three ways Calpurnia influences Scout?

Calpurnia is the maid who has been with the Finches since their mother died. Jem knew his mother, but Scout did not. Calpurnia is really the only female figure close to Scout before Alexandra comes to live with the Finches during the summer of the Tom Robinson trial. In the beginning of the book, one of the first things Scout learns from Calpurnia is how to be a good hostess. On the first day of first grade, Jem invites Walter Cunningham, Jr. home for lunch and Walter pours syrup all over his meal. Scout vocally questions her guest's choice and Calpurnia scolds her in the kitchen as follows:

"Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!" (24).

Calpurnia thus teaches Scout her first lesson on the guest-host relationship, which is not to say anything rude about your guests--ever!

Another time Calpurnia influences Scout is at the beginning of the summer that Jem turns twelve. He's not wanting to play with Scout as much and Calpurnia explains to her that he will want to be alone sometimes. Cal offers Scout love and companionship by inviting her into the kitchen with her whenever she feels lonely. Scout's impression of this experience influences her to think of herself actually doing things as a girl for the first time, such as in the passage below:

"Calpurnia would do until Dill came. She seemed glad to see me when I appeared in the kitchen, and by watching her I began to think there was some skill involved in being a girl" (116).

Later, Aunt Alexandra wants to let Calpurnia go when she comes to live with the Finches. Alexandra feels she can teach Scout to be a lady without Cal's help; but she doesn't know that Scout has been learning to be a girl as cited above. Atticus tells Alexandra that he won't let Calpurnia go because she is a part of the family and the only mother Scout's known. Atticus shows how Cal has also influenced both Jem and Scout by saying the following to Alexandra:

"Besides, I don't think the children've suffered one bit from her having brought them up. If anything, she's been harder on them in some ways than a mother would have been. . . she's never let them get away with anything, she's never indulged them the way most colored nurses do. She tried to bring them up according to her lights, and Cal's lights are pretty goo--and another thing, the children love her" (137).

Calpurnia has been more of a mother than other hired help, and that is priceless. Add love into the mix, and that's the best influence a person can have in a child's life.

How did Gonzalo's mother in the novel Seedfolks show that she understood Tio Juan's needs?

Gonzalo is an immigrant from Guatemala.  He came with his father and was fluent in English two years later. However, his father, who worked with Mexicans and Salvadorians, did not learn English as quickly or as well.  After they were here a while, they arranged for Gonzalo’s mother, younger brothers, and Tio Juan, his mother’s uncle, to join them.

Tio Juan had been a farmer in Guatemala, but he couldn’t find work in the United...

Gonzalo is an immigrant from Guatemala.  He came with his father and was fluent in English two years later. However, his father, who worked with Mexicans and Salvadorians, did not learn English as quickly or as well.  After they were here a while, they arranged for Gonzalo’s mother, younger brothers, and Tio Juan, his mother’s uncle, to join them.

Tio Juan had been a farmer in Guatemala, but he couldn’t find work in the United States.  In Guatemala he could sit outside in the plaza and talk with his friends.  Here in the United States, especially in their neighborhood, it was not wise to sit outside due to drive-by shootings. He only spoke an Indian language. Since he didn’t speak English or Spanish, he didn’t understand TV.  There was nothing for him to do, so he just wandered around the house, talking to himself.  Gonzalo says,

“Tio Juan was the oldest man in his pueblo.  But here he became a little baby.” (g. 18)

One day he disappeared from the apartment, and Gonzalo found him by the lot trying to communicate with Wendell, who was digging a garden.  That night Tio Juan told Gonzalo’s mother about the lot and how people were gardening.  She was the only one who could understand his Indian language. She also understood his need to dig his hands in the dirt and become a farmer again. 

The next day, she asked Gonzalo to take Tio Juan back to the lot.

“He studied the sun.  Then the soil.  He felt it, then smelled it, then actually tasted it.” (pg. 21)

Gonzalo’s mother bought Tio Juan four packets of seeds.  He couldn’t read the words on the packets, but he could tell from the pictures what the seeds were. 

“He poured them into his hand and smiled.  He seemed to recognize them, like old friends.” (pg 22)

After working the garden with Tio Juan, Gonzalo gains a great deal of respect for him.

“….I realized that I didn’t know anything about growing food and that he knew everything. “ (pg 22)

Because Gonzalo’s mother understood Tio Juan’s language and his love of farming, she was able to give him back his respectability. 

“He changed from a baby back into a man.” (pg 22)

Why did William Shakespeare choose the name Hamlet?

William Shakespeare's character Hamlet and the play by the same name are heavily based on the Danish mythological figure Amleth. Saxo Grammaticus penned the Sags of Amleth in the twelfth century, and Shakespeare must have either read this story or become very familiar with it by other means. While he could have chosen a different name but retained some of the original themes of the Saga, he chose to Anglicize the name of the Prince...

William Shakespeare's character Hamlet and the play by the same name are heavily based on the Danish mythological figure Amleth. Saxo Grammaticus penned the Sags of Amleth in the twelfth century, and Shakespeare must have either read this story or become very familiar with it by other means. While he could have chosen a different name but retained some of the original themes of the Saga, he chose to Anglicize the name of the Prince of Denmark as Hamlet.

It has also been suggested that Shakespeare chose the name Hamlet in honor of his only son, Hamnet. The two names may have been interchangeable in Elizabethan times, as both are Anglicized versions of the Danish Amleth. Hamnet Shapespeare died in 1596, and the play Hamlet was written sometime between 1599 and 1602. Shakespeare may have also expressed his grief in the play King John, written the same year as Hamnet's death and detailing the grief of a mother who has just lost her son.

Grief fills the room up of my absent child,

Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,

Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,

Remembers me of all his gracious parts,

Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form.

(III.4.93–97)

What did Jim Gallien think about Chris?

Jim Gallien is an electrician who picked up the hitchhiking Chris McCandless and gave him a ride to the Stampede Trail, where McCandless walked into the wilderness. Gallien's experience with McCandless is in Chapter One of Into The Wild.Gallien comes off as a caring person, who nevertheless had his suspicions about McCandless. For one thing, Gallien noted, McCandless did not have enough food or equipment to live in the bush for a long period....

Jim Gallien is an electrician who picked up the hitchhiking Chris McCandless and gave him a ride to the Stampede Trail, where McCandless walked into the wilderness. Gallien's experience with McCandless is in Chapter One of Into The Wild. Gallien comes off as a caring person, who nevertheless had his suspicions about McCandless. For one thing, Gallien noted, McCandless did not have enough food or equipment to live in the bush for a long period. The gear he did have, like his boots and rifle, were inadequate. When McCandless showed him on a map where he intended to go, Gallien tried to talk him out of it, to no avail. Then he offered to drive Chris to Anchorage to get proper gear, and then drive him back to the trailhead, but McCandless refused that offer too. At first, Gallien thought that he had "picked up one of those crackpots" who come to Alaska for a "Jack London fantasy" (p. 4), but McCandless's intelligence and honest enthusiasm and self confidence seemed to win him over. "He was determined. Real gung ho. The word that comes to mind is excited. He couldn't wait to head out there and get started." (p. 6) Gallien gave McCandless his sack lunch and a pair of boots when he finally droped him off, and McCandless gave him his watch and all of his money (about eighty cents). On the way back to Anchorage, he thought about stopping and telling the police about McCandless, but decided that McCandless will probably just walk out of the bush on his own when he becomes hungry. Gallien is one of a number of men McCandless encountered who seem taken by his youthful determination and try to take care of him in one way or another.

What was the most important reason why prohibition was ended in 1933?

There were two important reasons why prohibition ended in 1933. The first reason was that prohibition wasn’t working. Despite the ban on the manufacture, transport, and sale of alcohol, people still got alcohol and drank. People joined private, secret clubs, called speakeasies where they would drink. Even President Harding would drink in the White House with his poker-player buddies. Mayor LaGuardia of New York City was known for saying he would have needed to hire...

There were two important reasons why prohibition ended in 1933. The first reason was that prohibition wasn’t working. Despite the ban on the manufacture, transport, and sale of alcohol, people still got alcohol and drank. People joined private, secret clubs, called speakeasies where they would drink. Even President Harding would drink in the White House with his poker-player buddies. Mayor LaGuardia of New York City was known for saying he would have needed to hire hundreds of thousands of police officers just to police the police that were drinking. Organized crime took over the distribution of alcohol, leading to violent confrontations. While prohibition may have seemed like a good idea, it just wasn’t working. People really didn’t want to give up drinking alcohol. It was time to end the mockery people were making of the 18th amendment. The 21st amendment ended prohibition in 1933.

Another reason why prohibition ended was that we were in the Great Depression. If drinking became legal again, more jobs would be created throughout the alcohol industry. Since we had a record high unemployment rate, anything that would help create jobs would be a good thing. The Great Depression played a smaller role in ending the 18th amendment. Creating jobs was a side benefit to approving the 21st amendment.

How does Odysseus escape the Sirens?

In Homer's The Odyssey, the Sirens are women famed for using their beautiful singing to entrance sailors and cause them to sail their ships into dangerous waters and drown. However, Odysseus is able to escape this treachery through a very simple method. Odysseus orders his men to seal their ears with beeswax, thus protecting them from the Sirens' alluring singing. Indeed, Odysseus alone hears the Sirens' seductive song, although he has his men tie...

In Homer's The Odyssey, the Sirens are women famed for using their beautiful singing to entrance sailors and cause them to sail their ships into dangerous waters and drown. However, Odysseus is able to escape this treachery through a very simple method. Odysseus orders his men to seal their ears with beeswax, thus protecting them from the Sirens' alluring singing. Indeed, Odysseus alone hears the Sirens' seductive song, although he has his men tie him to the mast so that he is unable to respond to the enchanting singing. In successfully navigating this obstacle, Odysseus shows his wisdom and intelligence as a leader. He follows Circe's advice perfectly, and, in doing so, he helps his men escape a treacherous hazard. That said, his men are doomed to die later on in encounters with Scylla, Charybdis, and the cattle of the Sun, so the success of the encounter with the Sirens is somewhat short-lived. 

Imagine a disease kills 85% of the wolf population. How would this affect the other organisms?

In a food web, all the organisms are related to each other and a change in population of one organism will affect the population of others. In a food web, wolves eat herbivorous animals, such as rabbits, deer, etc. These herbivores, in turn, eat plants and grass. Wolves may, themselves, be food for higher carnivores. Thus, if a disease kills 85% of the wolf population, their prey (rabbits, deer, etc.) will have very few predators...

In a food web, all the organisms are related to each other and a change in population of one organism will affect the population of others. In a food web, wolves eat herbivorous animals, such as rabbits, deer, etc. These herbivores, in turn, eat plants and grass. Wolves may, themselves, be food for higher carnivores. Thus, if a disease kills 85% of the wolf population, their prey (rabbits, deer, etc.) will have very few predators and hence will grow in numbers. This herbivore population increase means more consumption of grass and plants. And hence, the population and concentration of grass and plants will go down. Near absence of wolves will also mean that any carnivore who was competing with wolves, will now have less competition and more food (from increased herbivore population) and will grow in numbers. Ultimately, this increase in population of competing carnivores, prey herbivores and decreased population of plants and grass, will force a new equilibrium in the food web. Extra herbivores, that cannot be supported by decreasing food levels, will die or be consumed by higher carnivores, thus bringing their population in check. This will, automatically, ensure a growth of plant and grassy material, thus bringing in a new equilibrium.

Hope this helps.

What is the tone of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"? Explain.

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a poem by Robert Frost consisting of four quatrains. It is told from the point of view of a nameless first-person narrator who is riding his horse along a trail through the New England forest on the longest night of the year, i.e. the winter solstice. 

The narrator thinks that he knows the owner of the woodland surrounding the trail but is not absolutely sure, as no...

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is a poem by Robert Frost consisting of four quatrains. It is told from the point of view of a nameless first-person narrator who is riding his horse along a trail through the New England forest on the longest night of the year, i.e. the winter solstice. 

The narrator thinks that he knows the owner of the woodland surrounding the trail but is not absolutely sure, as no houses are visible from where he is currently riding. The reason he is thinking about this is that he is somewhat concerned about trespassing, although as the owner lives in the village he won't see the narrator out in the woods. Thus the first sense we get of tone is that the narrator is concerned with politeness and also a certain scrupulousness.

Next, the narrator thinks his horse may be confused by his stopping with "no farmhouse near" because that is not something the narrator normally does. This emphasizes that the tone of the narrator is polite and considerate, and also slightly tentative.

The bleak landscape and time of year add a melancholic aspect to the tone, further emphasized by the narrator's desire to stop for some reason not specified in the snow on a deserted road. The sense of the beauty of the woods and the narrator's having things to do which prevent him from staying, and the mention of "miles to go before I sleep" add a melancholic flavor to the tone.

How does the poem "Ozymandias" tell you about the nature of power?

A staunch advocate of personal liberty, Percy Bysshe Shelly strongly despised tyranny exercised either by government or by church. All his major poems including Prometheus Unbound, Queen Mab and The Revolt of Islam are testimonies to his advocacy of personal freedom, social reform and his condemnation of tyranny in any form.

Around 1818, when this poem was first published, there was great public excitement as ancient Egyptian monuments and sculptures were being brought to England.

...

A staunch advocate of personal liberty, Percy Bysshe Shelly strongly despised tyranny exercised either by government or by church. All his major poems including Prometheus Unbound, Queen Mab and The Revolt of Islam are testimonies to his advocacy of personal freedom, social reform and his condemnation of tyranny in any form.

Around 1818, when this poem was first published, there was great public excitement as ancient Egyptian monuments and sculptures were being brought to England.

Among them the most famous was the colossus of Ramses II also called Ozymandias. Shelley and his friend, Horace Smith, wrote sonnets on the same subject matter in a playful poetry contest.

Ozymandias was a military ruler who loved to erect his statues around his empire. To Shelley, he represented a vainglorious monarch who was drunk with power. He stood for what he loathed the most.

Throughout his empire, Ozymandias would get his statues erected in order to enforce his supremacy and instill a sense of fear and respect among his subjects. So, more than spending time and royal treasury in public welfare projects, he would commission his statues to be put up all around as a symbol of his might.

On the pedestal of the statue, he got engraved the following line,

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

It’s highly ironical. All that he was proud of has disappeared from the earth. His flourishing empire has been replaced with a barren desert. Nobody lives to praise him or his work, nor does anybody fears and respects him.  

The irony is none of his “Works” exists any more for anybody to “look on.” The only remnant is the wreckage of his giant statue.

Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies 

Lying in utter neglect, the dilapidated statue of the mighty and conceited king is the testimony to the fact that history doesn't revere and glorify those who misuse power to tyrannize others and indulge in self-pride.

Describe Mercedes and Mondego including their relationship in The Count of Monte Cristo

Both Catalans, Mercedes and Ferdinand Mondego are cousins. Ferdinand is desirous of Mercedes and jealous of Edmund Dantes.

Mercedes and Ferdinand are descended from Spanish and Moorish sailors who settled in the promontory on the Mediterranean Sea, but they did not mix with the French residents of Marseilles. In Chapter III, Ferdinand sits watching Mercedes with vexation and discomfiture. Finally, he speaks to her:

"Tell me for the hundredth time that you refuse my love,...

Both Catalans, Mercedes and Ferdinand Mondego are cousins. Ferdinand is desirous of Mercedes and jealous of Edmund Dantes.

Mercedes and Ferdinand are descended from Spanish and Moorish sailors who settled in the promontory on the Mediterranean Sea, but they did not mix with the French residents of Marseilles. In Chapter III, Ferdinand sits watching Mercedes with vexation and discomfiture. Finally, he speaks to her:

"Tell me for the hundredth time that you refuse my love, which had your mother's sanction. Make me understand once for all that you are trifling with my happiness, that my life or death are nothing to you. Ah, to have dreamed for ten years of being your husband, Mercedes, and to lose that hope, which was the only stay of my existence!"

Mercedes tries to reason with Ferdinand, explaining that a woman cannot be a good wife to anyone if she loves someone else. She urges her cousin to accept the love of her friendship as this relationship is the only thing she can promise him. As a result, Ferdinand feels hatred toward Edmund Dantes, and for this reason, he enters the conspiracy against Edmund which leads to his imprisonment.

Years later, Ferdinand convinces the grieving Mercedes to marry him, and they have a son, Albert. Ferdinand has become an officer and then a count, the Count de Morcerf. He had the letter delivered that implicated Edmund as a Bonapartist, a damning letter which sent Dantes to the Chateau d'If. Many years later, Dantes, as the Count of Monte Cristo, wreaks his revenge upon Ferdinand, exposing his treachery while he was a officer as he betrayed the Pasha of Janina, causing his death. Ferdinand also sold the pasha's wife and daughter into slavery. Disgraced in court and before his contemporaries, Ferdinand commits suicide.

Compare and contrast the views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois on the issue of how best to help African-Americans achieve equality in...

W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were leading African-American thinkers around 1900. Both men had clear views about how African-Americans should achieve equality.

Both men believed African-Americans should have equal rights. They differed on how those rights should be achieved. Booker T. Washington believed African-Americans should first focus on vocational training and securing jobs. Once they had jobs and were more secure financially, Booker T. Washington then believed African-Americans should fight for political equality....

W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington were leading African-American thinkers around 1900. Both men had clear views about how African-Americans should achieve equality.

Both men believed African-Americans should have equal rights. They differed on how those rights should be achieved. Booker T. Washington believed African-Americans should first focus on vocational training and securing jobs. Once they had jobs and were more secure financially, Booker T. Washington then believed African-Americans should fight for political equality. He believed economic equality should be secured before political equality should be secured. This idea was known as the Atlanta Compromise.

W.E.B. Du Bois believed differently. He believed African-Americans should secure all of the rights at the same time. He believed it was unnecessary for African-Americans to wait for political equality. He believed that African-Americans should secure both political equality and economic equality at the same time. He couldn’t understand why there should be a wait for any form of equality to occur. He believed it should all happen now.

Both men want equality for African-Americans. They differed on how and when that equality should be achieved.

What reaction takes place when sodium sulphate is added to an organic compound?

When organic compounds are synthesized, they often contain traces of water. It is important to remove these water molecules so that the organic compound itself can be studied. Drying agents, such as sodium sulfate, can be used to remove water molecules from organic compounds.

Sodium sulfate can exist in two forms:

• 
  Anhydrous sodium sulfate: This form of sodium sulfate exists as a crystal. The crystal structure has several gaps in it which make it...

When organic compounds are synthesized, they often contain traces of water. It is important to remove these water molecules so that the organic compound itself can be studied. Drying agents, such as sodium sulfate, can be used to remove water molecules from organic compounds.

Sodium sulfate can exist in two forms:

• 
  Anhydrous sodium sulfate: This form of sodium sulfate exists as a crystal. The crystal structure has several gaps in it which make it less stable.

• 
  Hydrated sodium sulfate: This form of sodium sulfate has water molecules attached. The water molecules are able to fit into the gaps in the sodium sulfate crystal structure. The addition of water molecules causes the crystal structure to become more stable. The most common sodium sulfate hydrate is sodium sulfate decahydrate, in which ten water molecules are attached to the sodium sulfate crystal structure.

Since the hydrated form of sodium sulfate is more stable than the anhydrous form, anhydrous sodium sulfate will spontaneously take up water molecules when exposed to water. This is why it is used as a drying agent for organic compounds.

Adding sodium sulfate to an organic compound allows chemists to purify the organic compound by removing any water molecules that might be present. Once the water molecules are attached to the sodium sulfate, the organic compound can easily be separated off by decanting from the sodium sulfate hydrate.

In the book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" what impact did the decision to maintain speech authenticity have on the story?

Henrietta Lacks' family had been kept in the dark about Henrietta's cells for over 25 years after Henrietta died of cervical cancer in 1951. Even after they became aware in the 1970s that her cells lived on in cell cultures around the world, they were not kept informed of any of the work involving her cells nor did they benefit from any of the money made from utilizing her cell line. Rebecca Skloot showed a...

Henrietta Lacks' family had been kept in the dark about Henrietta's cells for over 25 years after Henrietta died of cervical cancer in 1951. Even after they became aware in the 1970s that her cells lived on in cell cultures around the world, they were not kept informed of any of the work involving her cells nor did they benefit from any of the money made from utilizing her cell line. Rebecca Skloot showed a very high level of diligence when researching her book, trying to make sure that any information affecting Henrietta's family was shared with them. Skloot discusses in her prologue the painstaking, detailed research she did out of respect for Henrietta and her family. Skloot won the trust of many members of Lacks' family, quotes them directly, and uses primary sources whenever possible. If she had not done so, her book would no doubt not be nearly as complete or personal. Prior to Skloot's research the Lacks' family's contact with researchers and the press had left them highly skeptical of peoples' interest in Henrietta. A mutual respect developed between Skloot and members of Henrietta's family, particularly Henrietta's daughter, Deborah. This made the book both personal and empathetic.

What kind of a teacher is Mr. Chong?

Mr. Chong is a piano teacher. He is not in great shape because of his advanced age. In fact, he is deaf and can barely see. Jing-mei's mother, Suyuan Woo agrees to clean Mr. Chong's house in exchange for him giving her daughter piano lessons. Mother is completely convinced that Jing-mei is very good at something and can take advantage of the American dream. She just does not currently know what Jing-mei's talent is. As...

Mr. Chong is a piano teacher. He is not in great shape because of his advanced age. In fact, he is deaf and can barely see. Jing-mei's mother, Suyuan Woo agrees to clean Mr. Chong's house in exchange for him giving her daughter piano lessons. Mother is completely convinced that Jing-mei is very good at something and can take advantage of the American dream. She just does not currently know what Jing-mei's talent is. As a result, Suyuan Woo is always taking Jing-mei to different activities.

It does not take long for Jing-mei to realize that Mr. Chong's sensory deficiencies may impair his ability to teach piano. The girl is somewhat impatient with her mother's ambitions for her, so she does not take the piano lessons seriously. She takes advantage of Mr. Chong's disabilities during practice. Consequently, Jing-mei has a disastrous piano debut in which only Mr. Chong was impressed.