When and where does Capulet arrange for Paris and Juliet to meet?

Juliet's father, Lord Capulet, actually arranges for Count Paris to meet Juliet twice. First, in Act I, he encourages Paris to see Juliet at the party Capulet is giving, and in Act III, after he has decided the two should be married he tells Paris to come to Capulet's on the day of the wedding. The two actually only meet once outside of Friar Lawrence's cell in the opening scene of Act IV. 

In Act I, Scene 2, Count Paris, who is obviously wealthy and a good match for Juliet, asks Lord Capulet for the girl's hand in marriage. It really doesn't matter that she is only 13 years old. Paris says that even younger girls are already having children. It was typical of that time for older men to marry young girls, and in fact, we are told that Capulet had married his wife when she was quite young. Capulet is hesitant to give his permission and advises Paris to get to know his daughter and persuade Juliet to fall in love with him. Capulet says,

But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart; My will to her consent is but a part.

Shakespeare never tells us whether Paris talks to Juliet at the party. Instead the party scene, Act I, Scene 5, is dominated by the meeting between Romeo and Juliet.

In Act III, after the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, Capulet finally gives his consent for Paris to marry his daughter. Of course, Juliet is already married. When Juliet seeks advice from Friar Lawrence in Act IV, Scene 1, she meets Paris, who is under the impression that they will soon be married. Juliet hides her true feelings and attempts to quickly end the conversation.

The last arranged meeting is interrupted by Juliet's supposed death. Paris comes to Capulet's for the wedding but the Nurse has discovered Juliet dead in her room. We realize for the first time how much Paris really loves Juliet when he says,

Beguiled, divorcèd, wrongèd, spited, slain!
Most detestable death, by thee beguiled,
By cruel, cruel thee quite overthrown!
O love! O life! Not life, but love in death!

The last time we see Paris he is confronting Romeo at the tomb. Because he knows nothing of the secret love he thinks Romeo is vandalizing the Capulet vault. They fight and Paris becomes one of the six casualties in Shakespeare's play.

What does Isis have that the white couple lack? What keeps them from having it?

The answer to this question can be found right in the title of the piece:  “Drenched in Light.”  In the story, Isis is a young vivacious black girl in a small town outside of Orlando, Florida – she has an energy and a natural, compulsive will to live, to celebrate life to the fullest, so much so that her actions require no reflection or weighing of possibility or consequences – she simply acts.  In...

The answer to this question can be found right in the title of the piece:  “Drenched in Light.”  In the story, Isis is a young vivacious black girl in a small town outside of Orlando, Florida – she has an energy and a natural, compulsive will to live, to celebrate life to the fullest, so much so that her actions require no reflection or weighing of possibility or consequences – she simply acts.  In the story, Isis is never still, except at the beginning as she sits atop the fence waiting to greet cars that come by, and even then she has a purpose.  She is “drenched” in energy, she is always moving and dancing and fidgeting, changing her mind on a dime and stealing her Grandma’s new tablecloth because she needs a Spanish shawl to dance in at the community festival – an impromptu dance, of course.

And the impetus behind Isis’s natural light is her Grandma, always reprimanding, always keeping Isis on her toes – in the story, Hurston is implying through Isis’s relationship with her relatives that this energy is nurtured by culture, and grows within a family, a community, specifically the African American community, of which the white people Isis meets can never be a part.  Hence their lack of “light,” of such inborn love of life.  When they first see Isis dancing at the community festival they are immediately marked as “other” by their response – they are “suppressing mirth discreetly behind gloved hands.”  The rest of those watching Isis are expressing their enjoyment behind no such veils, but are being open and honest with their reactions.

When the white woman asks Isis’s grandmother if the girl can come with them to dance in their hotel, she offers as explanation, “I could stand a little light today.”  And then, in the final lines of the story, she says, “I would like just a little of her sunshine to soak into my soul.  I would like that a lot.”  But of course, because the white people lack the sort of community felt by their young visitor, they can do nothing but be visitors themselves in the light – they can see it, they can feel its rays, but they cannot create it themselves.

What are four rumors/things the men have heard when discussing that the world is large and different places have different customs?

In Chapter 8, Okonkwo visits his friend, Obierika, in order to take his mind off Ikemefuna's death. Obierika soon informs Okonkwo that he expects him to be part of the negotiations when his daughter's suitor comes to discuss the matter of the bride price.

Later, after the negotiations yield twenty bags of cowries for the bride price, the men eat and drink palm-wine while discussing the different customs of their neighbors. Accordingly, in Abame and...

In Chapter 8, Okonkwo visits his friend, Obierika, in order to take his mind off Ikemefuna's death. Obierika soon informs Okonkwo that he expects him to be part of the negotiations when his daughter's suitor comes to discuss the matter of the bride price.

Later, after the negotiations yield twenty bags of cowries for the bride price, the men eat and drink palm-wine while discussing the different customs of their neighbors. Accordingly, in Abame and Aninta, the titled men do common work; they 'climb trees and pound foo-foo for their wives.' All the men think this is a terrible custom; they prefer their own custom, where only untitled men are supposed to climb the palm trees in order to tap them. Additionally, pounding foo-foo is considered women's work, and no man in the Umuofia clan would be caught dead doing such a thing. Foo-foo is mashed yams and is a staple in West African cultures.

Additionally, people in Abame and Aninta do not decide bride prices with bundles of sticks, as is the tradition in Umuofia. Instead, they haggle over the price as if they were in the marketplace. At this, Obierika's brother pipes up that people in Umunso do not bargain at all. The suitor just keeps bringing in bags of cowries to his in-laws until they are satisfied with the number of bags he presents to them.

Okonkwo agrees that the world is a large place, and that not everyone practices the same customs. He is especially indignant that, in some areas, children belong to their mothers instead of to their fathers. Machi agrees that this sort of custom is a particularly troubling one and as ridiculous as saying that 'the woman lies on top of the man when they are making the children.' It is clear that the men derive their masculine identity from traditional customs and entrenched habits.

The last rumor the men discuss pertains to the white man, who is supposedly as white as chalk and has no toes to speak of. The conversation ends with Machi proclaiming that Obierika should know what a white man looks like and whether he has toes or not. After all, Amadi, the leper, passes by their village frequently. Since the euphemism for 'leper' is 'white skin,' those who know Amadi laugh at Machi's joke.

Hello, I'm having trouble with all the questions here, especially when it comes to plotting supply and demand curves, as I am new to Econ. I need...

The basic idea of a demand curve is that in order to sell more of a good, you must reduce the price so that more people will be willing to buy it. So if we make a graph of the price (P) people are willing to pay as a function of the quantity (Q) they are willing to buy, we will get a downward-sloping curve.

The basic idea of a supply curve is that in order to produce more of a good, you must raise the price to cover the increasing marginal cost of production. So if we make a graph of the price (P) at which companies are willing to sell a good as a function of the quantity (Q) they must produce, we get an upward-sloping curve.

There are many exceptions to both of these general patterns in the real world, but as a general rule, demand curves usually slope downward and supply curves usually slope upward.

The point at which the two curves intersect is the equilibrium; it is the price and quantity for which the amount people want to buy and the amount people want to sell are exactly equal. When buying and selling are equal in this way we say that the market clears.

Supply and demand curves can also shift, due to changes in customer choices or production costs. The curves then move to different places and we get a new equilibrium.

In this specific problem, we are given some figures for prices and quantities that each of these products sold at. If you read carefully, they also give us some hints as to whether it is the supply or the demand that is changing.

"Prices of vegetables nationwide have shot up [...] by as much as 175% due to the wet season."

Those words due to the wet season suggest that this is a supply effect---the rain is making it more costly to produce vegetables.

"the rainy spell had resulted in 40% less production"

This is also a supply effect. So we see that the supply curve has moved in such a way that the new equilibrium has a price 175% higher and a quantity 40% lower.

This is the tricky part: A shift in supply means we are along the demand curve---because it is the demand that hasn't changed. You can also remember this by seeing that price has gone up and quantity has gone down, which means we are on a downward-sloping curve.

The second part of the question gives another cause of price shifts: "since chilies are a literally hot item during festive seasons, [...] a seasonal price which is an extra 50% from the usual price." The change due to festive seasons suggests that this is a demand curve shift.

A demand curve shift means we go along the supply curve, because the supply curve is being held fixed.

I've made a quick sketch to show basically what's happening here. the blue supply curve moves upward due to the supply effect. The red demand curve also moves upward due to the demand effect. The new intersection point is higher than the old one, indicating that the equilibrium has shifted from a lower price to a higher price.

Hopefully that helps with the first part.If you are also having trouble with the later parts about price elasticity of demand etc., I suggest asking separate questions about those parts.

Why is this passage important in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird? "It was just him I couldn't stand," Dill said. […] "That old Mr. Gilmer doin'...

This passage is significant as it draws attention to the thematic concerns of Harper Lee's novel; namely, the social inequities of Maycomb, Alabama, in 1935.

The sensitive Dill, who identifies with Tom as an underdog also, begins to cry sympathetically when he witnesses the cruel and demeaning manner of the prosecutor, Mr. Gilmer, who harshly interrogates Tom Robinson. Consequently, Scout escorts Dill outside, where Scout explains Mr Gilmer's words and tone are as consistent with any prosecutor's. Besides, she adds, Tom is "just a Negro."

Scout's words typify those of many who listen to the trial, and Dill is not satisfied with them. Before he can attempt to articulate his feelings, however, Mr. Dolphus Raymond answers for him, saying, "...it just makes you sick, doesn't it?" He means that things do not seem fair to Tom Robinson, who has done nothing but try to help a girl who is on her own most of the time.

Mr. Raymond tries to cheer up Dill by saying of Tom that "Things haven't caught up with that ones' s instinct now." But, in actuality, Dill sees Tom's situation realistically and knows that the boy is in serious trouble.

Jessica has a bag containing 100 jelly beans. There are 20 red, cinnamon-flavored beans; 25 yellow, lemon- flavored beans; 15 green, mint-flavored...

Odds equal the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of non-favorable outcomes. Notice the difference between odds and probability, which is the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the total number of outcomes.

The are 65 fruit-flavored beans all together: 25 lemon, 30 grape  and 10 pineapple. There are 35 beans that are not fruit-flavored. So the

odds of picking a fruit-flavored jelly bean is 65/35 = 13/7.

To...

Odds equal the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of non-favorable outcomes. Notice the difference between odds and probability, which is the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the total number of outcomes.

The are 65 fruit-flavored beans all together: 25 lemon, 30 grape  and 10 pineapple. There are 35 beans that are not fruit-flavored. So the

odds of picking a fruit-flavored jelly bean is 65/35 = 13/7.

To find odds against picking a cinnamon or mint bean, consider which outcomes would be "favorable". You DON'T want to pick either a cinnamon or a mint, so anything else would be favorable. All other jelly beans are fruit-flavored, so the odds against picking either cinnamon or a mint are the same as the odds of picking a fruit-flavored bean: 13/7.

Odds against picking a cinnamon or mint bean is 13/7.

Theoretical probability of picking a fruit-flavored bean is the number of fruit-flavored beans divided by the total number of beans: 65/100 = 65%.

Theoretical probability of not picking a cinnamon bean is the number of all other beans (100 - 20 = 80) divided by the total number of beans:

80/100 = 80%.

The probability of not picking a cinnamon bean is 80%.

How does the state identify the unknown citizen in the poem's subtitle?

If you are referring to The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden, the state identifies the unknown citizen by the state-allocated letters and numbers, JS/07 M 378, on his marble monument.

Interestingly, the subtitle states that the unknown citizen's marble tomb has been erected by the state. As marble is expensive, we may surmise that this unknown citizen must have distinguished himself in some way when he was alive. Indeed, as the poem explains,...

If you are referring to The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden, the state identifies the unknown citizen by the state-allocated letters and numbers, JS/07 M 378, on his marble monument.

Interestingly, the subtitle states that the unknown citizen's marble tomb has been erected by the state. As marble is expensive, we may surmise that this unknown citizen must have distinguished himself in some way when he was alive. Indeed, as the poem explains, this unknown citizen was the perfect resident. He lived for the 'Greater Community,' purchased life and health insurance according to law, delighted his employers with his work ethic, satisfied social psychologists with his social prowess, held politically correct beliefs during his life, and had the requisite number of children for a man of his station. When he lived, he even purchased every home appliance the modern man should have possessed, on installment plans, of course.

Unfortunately, for all the trouble he took to endear himself to his government, the state only remembers him with a marble monument in the event of his death; he doesn't even have a name, and all traces of individuality have been erased from history. The unknown citizen has become a sad caricature of true humanity.

How does Lady Macbeth change from Act 1, Scene 5, to Act 5, Scene 1?

In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth is confident, decisive, and ruthless.  In this scene, she receives the letter from Macbeth that acquaints her with the Weird Sisters' statements that he would become Thane of Cawdor and king, as well as the fact that he was shortly thereafter named Thane of Cawdor.  After she reads his letter, she immediately resolves that he shall be king: "Glamis, thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promised" (1.5.15-18).  She initially worries that Macbeth's nature "is too full o' th' milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way" (1.5.17-18).  In other words, she never doubts for a moment that Macbeth will be king; she only worries that he may be too gentle to be willing to kill Duncan in order to hurry the process along. 

When she learns from a messenger that Duncan's retinue approaches, she calls his arrival at her home his "fatal entrance," letting us know that she has already, even at this early stage, conceived of a plan to have him killed so that Macbeth can take his place (1.5.46).  She then requests the assistance of those supernatural spirits that "That on mortal thoughts," saying

[...] unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty.  Make thick my blood.
Stop up th' access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th' effect and it.  (1.5.48-54)

Lady Macbeth wants any nurturing, compassionate impulse of hers to be removed so that only her cruel and ruthless tendencies will remain.  She wants to make sure that she will feel no regret so that nothing in her womanly nature might dissuade her from the course of action on which she has resolved.  She requests that she be "unsex[ed]" so that she can be more like a man (or the way in which she and her society conceive of men to be): hard-hearted, implacable, and remorseless.

By Act 5, Scene 1, however, we see a very different Lady Macbeth.  It is clear that her earlier to become immune to "remorse" has not been granted.  As she sleepwalks, she is transported back in time to the night of Duncan's murder.  She imagines that his blood is still on her hands, crying, "Out, damn spot, out, I say!" (5.1.37).  Though she said right after the actual murder that "A little water clears us of this deed," it is clear that she no longer believes it to be so easy to escape one's guilt (2.2.86).  Even the doctor that her servant brings to watch her recognizes that her "heart is sorely charged" (5.1.56-57).  Lady Macbeth clearly feels the heavy weight of self-reproach, and even the doctor knows he cannot help her because her ailment is not a physical one, but an emotional/spiritual one. 

In this scene, she recalls trying to force Macbeth to quickly move on from the guilt he felt immediately after the murder, saying, "What's done cannot be undone.  To bed, to bed, to bed" (5.1.70-71).  There was no point in regretting what they did then because there was nothing they could have done to change it.  By this time in the play, though, it is clear that Lady Macbeth has not successfully managed to keep regret away, that her weaker (and, to her, more feminine) impulses have overcome her desire to be ruthless, and her former decisiveness -- and unwillingness to consider any other course of action -- can now be blamed for her current, sad state.

It is notable, too, that in Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth speaks in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter).  In Act 5, Scene 1, she speaks in prose.  Often, in Shakespeare's plays, when a noble character's speech changes from verse to prose, it is an indication that they have "gone mad."  Such an interpretation certainly seems to fit here given Lady Macbeth's slipping grasp on reality and her later suicide.  Thus, we can also read this change in the way she speaks as further evidence of her character's transformation.

In Chapter 9 of Freak the Mighty, why do Kevin and Max go to the hospital?

At the beginning of Chapter 9, “Life Is Dangerous,” in Freak the Mighty, Max believes they are going on another quest or adventure - like normal. However, this journey, according to Max, was a lot longer than others. He says, “I’ll bet we’ve gone ten miles at least, because my legs think it’s a hundred, and even as light as Freak is, he’s starting to feel heavy” (50). In other words, Max has been...

At the beginning of Chapter 9, “Life Is Dangerous,” in Freak the Mighty, Max believes they are going on another quest or adventure - like normal. However, this journey, according to Max, was a lot longer than others. He says, “I’ll bet we’ve gone ten miles at least, because my legs think it’s a hundred, and even as light as Freak is, he’s starting to feel heavy” (50). In other words, Max has been walking for a VERY long time with Kevin on his shoulders.

Eventually, they end up at their final destination, or “Fortress,” as Kevin refers to it (50). The final destination is a new building that has been added onto the hospital for medical research. After making Max swear that he won’t tell anyone, Kevin finally reveals why they are there. He tells Max, “Inside the research building is a secret laboratory called The Experimental Bionics Unit. The unit’s mission is to develop a new form of bionic robot for human modification” (51).

At first, Max doesn’t quite understand what Kevin is talking about, nor does he really believe him. Kevin expresses his complete honesty by explaining that he has already begun the preliminary tests. He says, “They’re fitting me for a bionic transplant, I’m going to be the first” (52).

While Max still doesn’t quite understand the idea of bionics, he does begin to understand why they walked so far to get here. It turns out that this wasn’t really a quest. The medical research building was something that Freak wanted Max to see. In order for Max to understand his situation, Freak had to be vulnerable and expose his experiences. Freak is expressing the obstacles he has already overcome as well as what lies ahead for him, which is the ultimate show of trust in a friendship.  

Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, is described as “lazy and improvident” in Things Fall Apart. What are the two pastimes that give him pleasure?

In Chapter One, we are told that Unoka enjoyed drinking palm-wine and playing on his flute.

Although Unoka was often in debt when he lived, he often used whatever money he had to purchase gourds of palm wine to make merry with his neighbors. Unoka was a man who believed in enjoying life to the fullest. To that end, he savored the best food and drink his money could buy when he was alive.

He...

In Chapter One, we are told that Unoka enjoyed drinking palm-wine and playing on his flute.

Although Unoka was often in debt when he lived, he often used whatever money he had to purchase gourds of palm wine to make merry with his neighbors. Unoka was a man who believed in enjoying life to the fullest. To that end, he savored the best food and drink his money could buy when he was alive.

He also loved good music, and his happiest moments were spent playing his flute with the village musicians after the yearly harvest. He relished being hired by other villages to play with his egwugwu band and to teach others his tunes. The dry season often saw the end of the rains and the emergence of glorious, sunny days. The first kites would appear then, and children would sing 'songs of welcome' to them. Unoka saw the changing of the seasons as a way to enjoy making more of the music he loved.

In the novel Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, what is the Sylvie's function? What/who does she represent? What themes does she bring forward?...

Sylvie is an incredibly important and complex character in the novel, not only because of her relationships to the girls, but also because of her eccentricities. Sylvie operates as a "transient," which connects her to the larger themes in the novel. She isn't one to settle down and live a conventional lifestyle. In this way, she can be compared to the grandfather, who dies in a train accident after he left home one day in...

Sylvie is an incredibly important and complex character in the novel, not only because of her relationships to the girls, but also because of her eccentricities. Sylvie operates as a "transient," which connects her to the larger themes in the novel. She isn't one to settle down and live a conventional lifestyle. In this way, she can be compared to the grandfather, who dies in a train accident after he left home one day in order to "travel" and explore. This theme of transience is important not only because of the way that Sylvie lives her life, but also because of the emphasis on death and passing in the novel. The girls, Ruth and Lucille, lose every caregiver they ever had: their father, then their mother, followed by their grandmother, and then Nona and Lily. When Sylvie comes along, she is present in their lives, and yet absent at the same time. Her nature as a transient is one of impermanence and constant shifting. Though she offers the girls a connection to their past, and to their mother, she is also increasingly difficult to live with. The girls notice that Sylvie keeps her coat on indoors and she doesn't unpack her belongings for an extended period of time. These aren't her only eccentricities; she also sleeps out on the lawn and then on a park bench in public, and she doesn't turn on the lights for dinner, preferring to sit in the dark. These elements of her character add levels of conflict to her relationship with Lucille and Ruth, and with the town. Lucille, more than Ruth, does not accept Sylvie's oddities and wants her to be a better, more conventional housekeeper. When Sylvie first arrives in town, Lucille becomes angry when Sylvie leaves the house early in the morning and goes to the train station. This is a manifestation of her abandonment issues, as she worries that Sylvie will leave just like their mother did. Sylvie's status as a "transient" and a traveler only further complicates her role in the girls' lives. She is restless and seeks to go out and explore, taking Ruth with her on these adventures into the woods and on train carts. Her actions start to concern the town, and they feel the need to intervene. They don't believe that Sylvie can give Ruth a healthy upbringing, but Ruth seems to enjoy Sylvie's unconventional style. And for her part, Lucille seeks to distance herself from Sylvie's odd lifestyle, and from her sister as a result. What Sylvie brings to the town is change - she shakes up the environment and has lasting effects on all the relationships in the novel.

In chapter 26 of To Kill a Mockingbird, what are two relevant details that show that Miss Gates is a hypocrite?

Chapter 26 takes place after Tom Robinson's unfair trial and subsequent death. Scout is back at school, and her teacher Miss Gates assigns the children a current events article to bring to class.

The first sign that Miss Gates is a hypocrite is when she tries to teach the children about democracy, which Scout says is "equal rights for all, special privileges for none." Her teacher agrees with the definition. However, earlier in the chapter, Scout notices the unfairness...

Chapter 26 takes place after Tom Robinson's unfair trial and subsequent death. Scout is back at school, and her teacher Miss Gates assigns the children a current events article to bring to class.

The first sign that Miss Gates is a hypocrite is when she tries to teach the children about democracy, which Scout says is "equal rights for all, special privileges for none." Her teacher agrees with the definition. However, earlier in the chapter, Scout notices the unfairness of Miss Gates' assignment, noting the discrepancies between the newspapers available to the town children and the "bus children." Scout states that this was another reason the "bus children" felt neglected, meaning that the town children had "special privileges" that they did not. If Miss Gates really did believe in democracy, she would do more to help the poor children have the same opportunities as the town children and would not look down on them. Furthermore, Miss Gates has no problem with the fact that Tom Robinson did not have rights equal to those of a white man. Therefore, she is a hypocrite. 

Later, after a class discussion about Hitler's treatment of the Jews, she speaks to them at length about how wrong it is to persecute anyone, so Scout believes that Miss Gates hates Hitler and what he stands for. On the other hand, Scout recalls hearing her say that "it's time somebody taught (African Americans) a lesson, they were getting way above themselves, and the next thing they think they can do is marry (them)." Scout is utterly confused and asks Jem how Miss Gates can hate Hitler but be "ugly" about the African Americans of Maycomb. The fact that she disagrees with the persecution of the Jews by Hitler but agrees with the persecution of Tom Robinson by the Ewells and Maycomb society makes Miss Gates a hypocrite.

What does MacArthur mean when he says "appeasement but begets newer and bloodier wars?"

There are some who for varying reasons would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis that appeasement but begets new and bloodier wars. It points to no single instance where this end has justified that means, where appeasement has led to more than a sham peace. 

The quote above is from Douglas MacArthur's "Farewell Address" to a joint session of Congress on April 19, 1951.  He...

There are some who for varying reasons would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis that appeasement but begets new and bloodier wars. It points to no single instance where this end has justified that means, where appeasement has led to more than a sham peace. 

The quote above is from Douglas MacArthur's "Farewell Address" to a joint session of Congress on April 19, 1951.  He had just been dismissed by President Harry S. Truman as the commander of American forces in the Korean War . MacArthur was a war hawk, there can be little doubt about that. He was also a fierce cold warrior who wanted to stop communism in its tracks in all corners of the globe.  The passage about appeasement suggests that giving into the enemy or making concessions to the enemy is a policy that will not meet the objective of peace.  He believes that by granting the enemy their way at any point, the end result will be that they will demand more in the future.  MacArthur likens conciliation with your adversary to becoming victims of blackmail.  He believes the rival will keep asking for more until you have no choice but to fight a war that will be more violent.  It will be more violent because you have given the enemy time to recover and your opposition will feel emboldened.  

In Monster by Walter Dean Myers, what are some of the reasons why Steve Harmon is pronounced not guilty/innocent?

There are several reasons why Steve Harmon is found not guilty in the robbery and murder of Aguinaldo Nesbitt. Both Osvaldo Cruz and Richard "Bobo" Evans testify that Steve Harmon was supposed to be the lookout. However, they are both excepting plea bargains for their testimonies and are considered unreliable witnesses. Richard "Bobo" Evans testifies that he did not have a conversation with Steve about Steve's job in the robbery, and Steve did not receive...

There are several reasons why Steve Harmon is found not guilty in the robbery and murder of Aguinaldo Nesbitt. Both Osvaldo Cruz and Richard "Bobo" Evans testify that Steve Harmon was supposed to be the lookout. However, they are both excepting plea bargains for their testimonies and are considered unreliable witnesses. Richard "Bobo" Evans testifies that he did not have a conversation with Steve about Steve's job in the robbery, and Steve did not receive a portion of the stolen money. Evans also says that Steve was supposed to give a signal when he left the drugstore, but did not. The only reliable witness, Lorelle Henry, testifies that Steve Harmon was not in the drugstore immediately before the robbery took place. Steve Harmon testifies that he was walking around the neighborhood looking for a good place to film for his next school project. Mr. Sawicki, Steve's teacher, takes the witness stand and comments on Steve's outstanding character, which distances him from the other individuals involved in the crime. When the jury takes into account Steve's upstanding character, coupled with Henry's testimony that he wasn't present in the drugstore before the robbery, they find Steve Harmon not guilty.

How is Nicholas more clever than his aunt in "The Lumber Room"?

Nicholas is much more clever than his self-appointed aunt because he is skillfully able to manipulate words and actions to his advantage.

• The first instance of how Nicholas's cleverness defeats his aunt occurs at the beginning of the story as he defends his refusal to eat his "wholesome bread and milk" because there is a frog in his bowl. Immediately, his rigid aunt insists that there "could not possibly be a frog in his bread-and-milk." Of course, Nicholas has counted on both her peremptory nature as he has made his declaration, as well as her crassness that prevents her from analyzing his choice of verb. For, without her analysis of the verb which merely states the present condition without any action, Nicholas has established the veracity of his statement. But the crass aunt declares it impossible for a frog to be in his bowl because she seems to have wrongly assumed that Nicholas is declaring that a frog has somehow appeared and jumped into his bowl, rather than his mere pointing out its existence, and not perpetrating a falsehood.

"...the fact that stood out clearest in the whole affair, as it presented itself to the mind of Nicholas, was that the older, wiser, and better people had been proved to be profoundly in error in matters about which they had expressed the utmost assurance."

• A second instance of the clever nature of Nicholas occurs when the aunt metes out punishment to him for his prank of placing the frog in his bowl, making him stay home while the others go to Jagborough Cove. He correctly predicts that his cousins and younger brother will not have fun at the beach while he remains at home because he has noticed that his boy-cousin's boots are too tight while his aunt has ignored the boy's complaints twice. Also, Nicholas may be aware that the tides are at their highest on this day, so the beach has been covered with water when the children arrive, thus preventing any play in the sand, a fact that the aunt has not considered.


• A third instance of Nicholas's superiority comes from his causing the aunt to believe that he wishes to be in the gooseberry garden, which she has forbidden him to enter. As she guards the garden assiduously, Nicholas easily enters the lumber room where he delights in flights of fancy with no worry of discovery.


• A fourth instance of Nicholas's more clever nature occurs after the aunt falls into a rain tank in the gooseberry garden. Unable to climb out, the aunt cries for help, but Nicholas ignores her. Finally, he closes the book of birds that he has been looking at, locks the lumber room, and goes outside to the garden. He asks who is calling him, and the aunt tells him that she has fallen and cannot get out of the rain tank. 

  
  

  "'Your voice doesn't sound like aunt's,' objected Nicholas; 'you may be the Evil One tempting me to be disobedient. Aunt often tells me that the Evil One tempts me and that I always yield. This time I'm not going to yield.'"

  
  

  
  
  Nicholas says he does not know the voice is his aunt's, and it may be the voice of the Evil One tempting him. As a test, he asks if there will be strawberry jam for tea. His aunt replies, "Certainly there will be" in order to get him to help her. However, Nicholas cleverly responds, 

"'Now I know that you are the Evil One and not aunt,' shouted Nicholas gleefully; 'when we asked aunt for strawberry jam yesterday she said there wasn't any. I know there are four jars of it in the store cupboard, because I looked, and of course you know it's there, but she doesn't, because she said there wasn't any. Oh, Devil, you have sold yourself!'"

Cleverly, Nicholas has caught his aunt in her previous lie. So, he tells the "Devil" he cannot enter the garden and she remains stuck in the tank until a kitchen maid rescues her. That evening the ingenious Nicholas, who has outsmarted his aunt, enjoys his victory as he luxuriates in his reverie about the tapestry in the lumber room.

What are structural adjustment programs?

Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) are loans given to developing countries that are in the midst of economic crises by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). The loans come with many conditions attached for reforming the country's economy. The conditions attached to the loans all follow neoliberal principles of economic reform. The IMF and the World Bank began giving loans to developing countries in the 1950s, in order to encourage development, retard the spread of communism, and to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) in the developing states. Many of the loans were given specifically to create or improve infrastructure and industry in the countries, such as roads and airports, mining and other industries.

SAPs are most often given to countries that are struggling with overwhelming foreign debt. During the oil crisis of the 1970s, many OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) countries had a lot of money to invest, due to the high price of oil. They began offering loans to developing countries in need, which accepted the loans. After the oil crisis resolved, lending countries raised interest rates on loans, and the struggling developing countries had difficulty making payments. This resulted in an economic crisis for many developing countries in the 1980s. The IMF and World Bank stepped in to offer SAPs, which would consolidate the debt these countries had and attempt to balance trade imbalances. 

The SAP loans come with many structural adjustment conditions the receiving country must make to their economy. All of these conditions follow neoliberal, "free market" economic policy. Some common conditions are: 

• Devaluing the national currency in order to eliminate deficits in payments


• Austerity measures: reducing government spending and raising taxes in order to eliminate governmental budget deficits


• Restructuring/refinancing foreign debt


• Financing government debts via various types of monetary policy


• Raising food prices and eliminating agricultural subsidies


• Raising the price of government-provided (public) services


• Cutting wages, particularly wages paid to government employees


• Enacting laws that favor foreign investors


• Fighting government corruption, improving and professionalizing state governance


• Privatizing state-owned enterprises (many states own certain enterprises, such as copper mining in Chile. This measure requires that the state-owned enterprises be sold off to private companies/investors.)


• Focusing the economy on exports and natural resource extraction


• Opening domestic stock markets

SAPs are highly controversial, due to several factors. First, the infrastructure projects in the developing states allowed developed countries to promote foreign direct investment by their domestic businesses in the developing states. Thus, Western industrialized countries profited via FDI, as their domestic businesses invested in mining, agriculture, infrastructure projects, and other natural resource extraction activities in the developing states. Western states gained great economic benefits from these activities as a result. Second, SAPs strictly follow neoliberal economic policies, which have not been proven to result in long-term economic growth and stability. Third, SAPs greatly reduce the autonomy of a state, rendering the government powerless to enact its own economic policies. Critics say that this threatens the sovereignty of states, as they are unable to control their own policies, and instead delegate that power to an outside international organization. Fourth, the austerity policies prescribed by the IMF and the World Bank have not resulted in economic growth in the affected countries. Rather, economic stagnation has been the norm in most of the countries using SAPs. Because SAPs overemphasize balancing a government's budget, they often prescribe cutting services that, while not directly beneficial to the economy in the short term, are crucial for economic growth in the long term. Government-provided services, such as education, public health, and welfare programs are crucial for long-term economic growth. If a state has a poor education system, it cannot adequately prepare its citizens for the workforce, and will not have valuable contributors to the economy in the long term. Cuts to public health programs can result in the spread of deadly diseases, and dealing with the spread of and effects of these diseases may cost governments more than providing the initial public health services to begin with. Fifth, criticisms of the "one size fits all" nature of SAPs note that policies are often the same with regard to rural and urban areas, which need distinct and separate policies, due to the differing nature of rural and urban economies. Sixth, and most important, SAPs have not been proven to work. Often, the results promised by the SAPs do not materialize, and the economies of the borrowing states stagnate. There is not much empirical evidence to date to support the implementation of SAPs. (Bird, G. "IMF Programs: Do they Work? Can they be made to work better?" World Development vol 29, no.11 (2001))

Should Lyddie have agreed to go to the mass meeting at Woburn on Independence Day in Lyddie?

Lyddie did not attend the meeting because she did not want to get in trouble.

When Lyddie hears about the mass meeting of the “ten-hour movement” on Independence Day, she says she will be busy.  Lyddie does not want to make trouble.  She refused to sign the petition at first, because she believed that it was wrong of the factory girls to organize.

She liked Diana, really she did, yet she found herself avoiding her...

Lyddie did not attend the meeting because she did not want to get in trouble.

When Lyddie hears about the mass meeting of the “ten-hour movement” on Independence Day, she says she will be busy.  Lyddie does not want to make trouble.  She refused to sign the petition at first, because she believed that it was wrong of the factory girls to organize.

She liked Diana, really she did, yet she found herself avoiding her friend as though radicalism were something catching, like diptheria. She knew Mr. Marsden was beginning to keep track of the girls who stopped by Diana's looms. She could see him watching and taking mental note. (Ch. 13)

Lyddie decides for Diana’s sake to sign the petition.  She wants to make a present of it.  When she tells the movement leader that she wants to sign the petition, she is told that it was already submitted and failed, even with four thousand names.

While it may be easy to judge Lyddie, we have to remember that she was in a tough situation.  Her baby sister died, and her little sister was in bad shape.  She felt that her money was the only thing keeping her family afloat.  Her mother wrote to her and asked for money.  Even if Lyddie had signed the petition, it would not have done any good.  The petition still failed.

Being a factory worker is hard work.  The conditions are terrible.  Lyddie works long hours, and she makes less and less per piece even as the amount of work and hours increase.  She makes $2.50 and $1.75 of it goes to room and board.  Clearly the factory takes advantage of its workers.  This is why Lyddie worries about being punished for signing the petition and refuses to sign it.  She knows that the factory owners are watching her.

What was the device called which Faber had given Montag in order to communicate with him?

In Part Two "The Sieve and the Sand" of the novel Fahrenheit 451, Montag travels to Faber's house trying to find meaning in the texts he is reading. Faber is hesitant to help Montag because he fears that the government will arrest him. Montag suggests that they make copies of books and distribute them. Then, Faber makes the suggestion that they should "plant" the books in the homes of firemen to destroy the entire system....

In Part Two "The Sieve and the Sand" of the novel Fahrenheit 451, Montag travels to Faber's house trying to find meaning in the texts he is reading. Faber is hesitant to help Montag because he fears that the government will arrest him. Montag suggests that they make copies of books and distribute them. Then, Faber makes the suggestion that they should "plant" the books in the homes of firemen to destroy the entire system. Faber tells Montag he is only joking, and then admits to him that he is a complete coward. Before Montag leaves, he asks Faber if there is any way he can help him with Captain Beatty. Faber opens his bedroom door and leads Montag down a small hallway to a room with tools, gadgets, and various mechanical devices. Faber gives Montag his two-way listening device called the "green bullet." The green bullet resembles a Seashell radio and allows Faber to not only communicate with Montag but also listen to his conversations. Later that night, Faber reads Montag the book of Job via the green bullet.

What sentences will help me find out the purpose of "Thank You, Ma'am?

To find the purpose of the short story “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes look for sentences in which Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones lets the young man know that she is going to teach him something or shows him that she trusts him. For example, when she refuses to let him go after he runs into her and attempts to steal her purse she says,

But you put yourself in contact with me,” said...

To find the purpose of the short story “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes look for sentences in which Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones lets the young man know that she is going to teach him something or shows him that she trusts him. For example, when she refuses to let him go after he runs into her and attempts to steal her purse she says,

But you put yourself in contact with me,” said the woman. “If you think that that contact is not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.

At that point in the story, he is not sure what she is going to do with him, but she is not going to let him go.

When she takes him back to her room, she determines the reason he tried to steal her purse through a series of questions before instructing him to get washed up and get ready to have a good meal. She confides in him that she did things in the past in order to let him know she understands his situation. At no time did she try to embarrass or mistrust him and made unquestioning small talk with him while they ate.

After the shared dinner, she gives him the money to buy the shoes he wanted imploring him to behave.  

Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But I wish you would behave yourself, son, from here on in.

Imagine that a certain animal's fur length is determined by three genes. The genotype for long fur is AABBCC and aabbcc for short fur. A cross...

In order to draw a Punnett square showing a cross between two of the F1 generation, you will have eight different types of gene possibilities from the mother as to type of egg cell, and eight from the father for type of sperm cell. I can't draw it here due to limitations of what I can put in this answer box, but I can tell you what to put across the top of your Punnett...

In order to draw a Punnett square showing a cross between two of the F1 generation, you will have eight different types of gene possibilities from the mother as to type of egg cell, and eight from the father for type of sperm cell. I can't draw it here due to limitations of what I can put in this answer box, but I can tell you what to put across the top of your Punnett square, and what to put down the side.

The eight possibilities of genotypes from the mother are ABC, ABc, AbC, aBC, Abc, aBc, abC, and abc. The genotypes for the father are the same. You will need a square with eight spaces across the top, and eight down the side, for 64 total possible offspring boxes for the F2 generation. There will be some duplications in the 64 boxes. For example, AbC (mother) crossed with aBC (father) will give the same genotype as aBC (mother) crossed with AbC (father). In each case, the offspring will be AaBbCC.

Why was it so difficult for the rules to change in The Giver?

In any society it can be difficult to change traditions, rules, or beliefs that have been in place for a long time. This is especially true when no one questions them or the reason they are in place, which is the case in The Giver. The members of the community do not question the rules and therefore are not motivated to change them.

Aside from Jonas, we really do not see anyone else in the...

In any society it can be difficult to change traditions, rules, or beliefs that have been in place for a long time. This is especially true when no one questions them or the reason they are in place, which is the case in The Giver. The members of the community do not question the rules and therefore are not motivated to change them.

Aside from Jonas, we really do not see anyone else in the community questioning the rules. It is only after Jonas so vehemently reacts to the video of his father releasing the newborn and then refuses to go home again, that the Giver realizes things must change and he needs to do anything he can to help facilitate that change. 

"having you here with me over the past year has made me realize that things must change. For years I've felt that they should, but it seemed so hopeless" (CH. 20).

The Giver has felt this because he knows so much more about the world and about how the community used to be prior to Sameness. The other members of the community do not have this knowledge, however, so they have not become "hopeless" about the current situation and its inability to change. It is only with knowledge, the kind that the Giver and Jonas possess, that the members of the community can begin to understand a different type of world without the rules they currently live under. Without Jonas escaping, the rules probably would not change because there is no motivation for the members of the community to change.

Is a computer virus alive or not?

In terms of being a living, breathing, alive organism, the answer is no.  To qualify as a life form, it must have carbon as part of its chemical makeup.  It also has to be composed of cells, either unicellular or multicellular.  It also has to have a method of energy production, cellular respiration for animal cells and plants, or photosynthesis for plants only.  Finally, it must be able to reproduce, either asexually through binary fission...

In terms of being a living, breathing, alive organism, the answer is no.  To qualify as a life form, it must have carbon as part of its chemical makeup.  It also has to be composed of cells, either unicellular or multicellular.  It also has to have a method of energy production, cellular respiration for animal cells and plants, or photosynthesis for plants only.  Finally, it must be able to reproduce, either asexually through binary fission or budding, or sexually through mitosis, fertilization, or conjugation.

In living organisms, viruses only meet the last qualification, reproduction.  They must invade a host cell, take over its DNA, replicate within the cell, then go on to invade other cells.  They has none of the other qualifications of living organisms so some scientists consider them to be nonliving entities.

In computers, computer viruses serve a similar function.  They can not exist on their own, so they take over a host computer's files and internal operating system.  They slow down the operation of the computer and interfere with it's normal day-to-day processes.  The definition remains consistent, even though we are talking about a machine and internal memory drives.

Even though the definition of a virus and computer virus is constantly being reevaluated, currently both are considered nonliving entities.  There are those in the scientific community who think that standard should be revised, and that computer viruses reclassified as organisms that possess some of the qualities of living organisms.

In which centuries were 2012 BCE and 1 CE?

Trying to figure out what to call a century can be pretty tricky, especially when we make a distinction between BCE and CE. The way we mark time is based upon a fixed date presumed to be the birth of Jesus Christ. Although this way of marking time is based in religious calendar systems, it is increasingly secularized. Some people use the terms BC ("Before Christ,") and AD ("After Death," or anno domini, "in the year of our Lord,"), but most scholarly publications will use BCE (Before Current Era) and CE (Current Era) to distinguish between these times. 

In all that came after the beginning of the Common Era, we count time in a progressive manner moving forward. Every year, we simply add one year onto the date we were using previously, and every century we add one in the hundreds place. Simple enough, right? Well, it gets tricky when we are trying to figure out what to call a century. At first reckoning, we might think that the 1st Century refers to the years 100-199 CE. It's easy to make this mistake because the number one is in the hundreds place and there is no number in the thousands place. When we say the 1st Century, though, we're actually referring to the years 1-99 CE. This means the year 1 CE came during the 1st Century CE.

In determining how to call a century from before the shift to the current era, we must work "backwards!" Think of BCE time as a countdown to point zero. Though a year zero never existed, for the purposes of this question we could consider the moment of transition between BCE and CE to be "point zero." The farther back we go in BCE time, the greater temporal distance from point zero, and so the larger the number. Just like with dating centuries in CE, the number of the century is not really representative of the number in the hundreds place. The 1st Century BCE is still the years 1-99 BCE; not 100-199. This means that the year 2012 BCE took place in the 21st Century BCE.

A handy way to figure out "when" years and centuries occurred and how to call them is to add or subtract one from the hundreds place.

For example, if you have the year 1492 and want to know what century this occurred in, add one to the hundreds place. This tells us that 1492 occurred during the 15th Century.

Similarly, if you know that something occurred during the 15th Century, but you're not sure what years this might have been, just subtract one from the hundreds place. This tells us that the 15th Century occurred during the years 1400-1499.

What are some historical events in "The Sign of the Beaver"?

"The Sign of the Beaver" takes place in 1769 in Maine. It is during this time in Colonial America that conflict between the British and colonists begins to escalate. The French and Indian War had ended five years prior. The British needed to raise money to keep troops in America. At the time of this story, various tax acts were imposed on the colonists to raise the money to keep the troops in America, which...

"The Sign of the Beaver" takes place in 1769 in Maine. It is during this time in Colonial America that conflict between the British and colonists begins to escalate. The French and Indian War had ended five years prior. The British needed to raise money to keep troops in America. At the time of this story, various tax acts were imposed on the colonists to raise the money to keep the troops in America, which further escalated the conflict between the two groups. 

In addition to a time of conflict between the British and colonists, and more central to the novel's storyline, there is the ongoing conflict between Native Americans and the white settlers who continue to expand their territory. As the white move into Native American lands, they take land from the Native Americans using unfair treaties the Native Americans cannot read. In the novel, one reason Saknis wants Matt to teach Attean to read is so that Attean can read the white treaties and avoid Native Americans being cheated.

I am supposed to write a feature story on any interesting topic of my choice and I was interested in looking at teenage pregnancies and abortions....

It may be difficult for you to find an angle on teenage pregnancy and abortion that hasn't been covered before, as this is a highly controversial issue which has prompted lots of public attention and media coverage. 

Some alternate ways of looking at the subject of teen pregnancy and abortion might be:

• The effects of the availability of birth control (including hormonal birth control) on rates of teen pregnancy and abortion. How has the criminalization...

It may be difficult for you to find an angle on teenage pregnancy and abortion that hasn't been covered before, as this is a highly controversial issue which has prompted lots of public attention and media coverage. 

Some alternate ways of looking at the subject of teen pregnancy and abortion might be:

• The effects of the availability of birth control (including hormonal birth control) on rates of teen pregnancy and abortion. How has the criminalization of abortion affected teen pregnancy rates? How has wide availability of birth control affected teen pregnancy rates, especially when birth control is offered at reduced or no cost? How has the defunding of public services like Planned Parenthood affected teen pregnancy and abortion rates?


• What effect does sex education have on teen pregnancy and abortion rates? What kind of sex education has been offered and/or received prior to the pregnancy? Was it compulsory school-based sex education, social education (as in learning from friends), information given by physicians, or "the talk" from parents? What do teens know about sex, pregnancy, and abortion?


• Who is getting pregnant and having, or not having, abortions? What age(s) are these teens? What is their socioeconomic status? What is their family unit like? Are they involved in other high-risk activity like the use of drugs and alcohol? How have these demographics shifted over the past ten, twenty, fifty years?

I hope these ideas help you develop your article. I would also like to suggest doing some reading on the subject and making notes on what catches your eye- are there any interesting statistics or stories that you could ask more questions about?

In the 1800's, what was important in the story?

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was a short story published in a collection called The Sketch-Book in 1819 and 1820 in installments.  Washington Irving brought forth the popularity of the American short story with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the 1800s.

The story itself took place in the late 1790s.  There were several important happenings in the story.  One was that Ichabod Crane became infatuated with Katrina Van Tassel.  He visited her often and...

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was a short story published in a collection called The Sketch-Book in 1819 and 1820 in installments.  Washington Irving brought forth the popularity of the American short story with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the 1800s.

The story itself took place in the late 1790s.  There were several important happenings in the story.  One was that Ichabod Crane became infatuated with Katrina Van Tassel.  He visited her often and tried to woo her.  He went to a party at her father's farm, seeking to impress her.  Instead, he heard Brom Bones tell a story of the Headless Horseman who was said to haunt the area.  Ichabod was already superstitious, and he nervously rode his horse home later that night.  Suddenly he came across what appeared to be the Headless Horseman.  He was chased away and never heard from again.

Who first found Maniac in the buffalo pen in Maniac Magee?

Maniac is discovered in the buffalo pen by Grayson, the zoo caretaker.

After leaving the Beale house, Maniac finds himself living in the buffalo pen at the zoo.  One day the zoo's caretaker finds him.

The old man was bumping through the zoo in the park pickup when he spotted the body clumped out- side the buffalo pen.  He wheeled over, got out. "A kid!" … The mother came lumbering over, nodding, as if to confirm: "A kid." (Ch. 22)

He thinks Maniac looks terrible.  His clothes seem to be only rags, and his body is “bony and dirty and scratched.”  He manages to pull him out of the pen into the truck and takes him to the baseball-equipment room, even though he feels he should be taking him to a doctor.

Grayson makes Maniac some “chicken noodle Cup-a-Soup” and Maniac gulps it down without a spoon, then asks for butterscotch Krimpets.  Grayson tells he ought to know his name. 

When Grayson asks where Maniac lives, he gives him the Beale family’s address.  This confuses Grayson, who checks to see if he really is white since he said he lived in the East End.

“…Don't you want to know what I was doing at the zoo! At the buffalo pen!"

The old man sighed. "Okay, what?"

"I was living there."

"With the buffaloes?"

"Yep, with the buffaloes."

"You like buffaloes?"

"It was dark when I got there. I thought it was the deer pen." (Ch. 22)

Grayson buys Maniac a whole box of Krimpets and takes him home.  Grayson lives at the Two Mills YMCA.  He has Maniac shower and change.  Since he only has his own clothes, he takes Maniac shopping.  Maniac asks for a job, but he asks Maniac about school.  Maniac says that he won’t go. He’ll just keep running.

Since it is quitting time, Grayson takes Maniac to a diner.  He is still hungry.  While he eats, Grayson interrogates him about the Beale family.  Maniac tells him that the Beales are the same as everyone else, except for the color of their skin.

Maniac and Grayson have a good time.  Grayson was an ex-ball player.  Maniac teaches him to read and they are family for each other for awhile.  Unfortunately, he dies right before Christmas, leaving Maniac alone again.

How does advertising help consumers and promote efficiency in monopolistic competition?

In monopolistic competition, advertising helps consumers by allowing them to know about the products being offered. This helps them to know which businesses they would like to patronize.  When this happens, there is greater efficiency because those businesses are encouraged to produce more of their goods or services.

In monopolistic competition, the products made by each firm are differentiated.  That means that they are not all the same.  Some consumers might prefer one type of...

In monopolistic competition, advertising helps consumers by allowing them to know about the products being offered. This helps them to know which businesses they would like to patronize.  When this happens, there is greater efficiency because those businesses are encouraged to produce more of their goods or services.

In monopolistic competition, the products made by each firm are differentiated.  That means that they are not all the same.  Some consumers might prefer one type of good while others prefer another type. For example, one consumer might want a restaurant with a casual atmosphere while another might want one that is more formal.  Advertising helps consumers know which firms are likely to offer the products that they want. This is good for consumers because it makes it less likely that they will be disappointed when they patronize a firm.

Advertising also helps with efficiency.  It does this partly because it steers more consumers to the goods or services that they want.  It also does so by bringing more business to the “best” firms.  Those firms are then forced to produce more of their good or service. Monopolistic competition is inefficient because it does not produce as many goods and services as it ideally would.  Therefore, if advertising helps cause more goods and services to be produced, it will increase efficiency.

Which is more important, liberty or freedom, and why?

There are various ways of distinguishing between liberty and freedom.  I will answer this question using the distinction discussed in the link below as it is the distinction with which I am most familiar.  In my view, freedom is more important than liberty because our freedom protects our liberty and makes it possible.

According to this definition of the two words, freedom can be seen as the state of being free from control by an...

There are various ways of distinguishing between liberty and freedom.  I will answer this question using the distinction discussed in the link below as it is the distinction with which I am most familiar.  In my view, freedom is more important than liberty because our freedom protects our liberty and makes it possible.

According to this definition of the two words, freedom can be seen as the state of being free from control by an outside source.  By contrast, liberty is more positive in that it grants you the right to do something in particular.  For example, if you have the freedom of speech, it means that you are free from attempts by the government to prevent you from expressing yourself.  On the other hand, if you have the liberty to say things that are offensive to other people, it means that you have the right to say those specific kinds of things.  Freedom, then, is a negative thing in the sense that it is the absence of outside control over you.  Liberty is a more positive thing in the sense that it is the affirmative right to do specific things.

Of course, both of these are very important things.  However, I would argue that freedom is more important because we would not have liberties if we did not first have freedom.  Our liberties are very important.  They include our liberty to speak our minds in public and our liberty to worship as we wish.  They include our liberty to disapprove of our government and to speak out against our leaders.  These are things that we should and do value greatly.

However, it is our freedom that makes these liberties possible.  We have freedom from excessive government control of our lives.  This is the most important thing because it means that we live in a society where we can expect the government to leave us alone in many ways.  Before we can exercise our liberty to say that President Obama is a socialist or that Donald Trump is a fascist, we need to have freedom.  Before we can exercise our liberty to belong to our particular churches and worship in our particular ways, we need to have freedom.  Freedom is the overarching condition of being free from control by an external power.  We have to have this freedom before we can have our specific liberties.  Therefore, freedom is the more important of these two things.

Metaphorically speaking, what does it mean to lead a lamb to the slaughter? Given this, who is the lamb being led to the slaughter in the story and...

The title "Lamb to the Slaughter" is both a biblical allusion and a double (or triple) entendre. A lamb being led to a place where it will be slaughtered goes along without resistance because it is so young and ignorant. The biblical allusion is to Isaiah 53:7 in the Old Testament:

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Mary Maloney behaves like a lamb up to the point where she succumbs to her pent-up rage and "slaughters" her husband Patrick with the leg of lamb she happens to be holding. 

Patrick might be compared to a lamb being slaughtered because he has his back turned to Mary and never knows what hit him.

The leg of lamb itself is a lamb going to the slaughter, since it slaughters Patrick.

So the title is intentionally ambiguous and subject to multiple interpretations, while the allusion to Isaiah 53:7 is appropriate in a humorous way because of the three ways in which it applies. Mary is like a lamb. She uses a lamb to kill her husband. Patrick is totally unsuspecting, like a lamb, because he never would suspect that his meek, devoted wife would be capable of such violence. Furthermore, since he has his back turned to her, he doesn't even know she is holding a big piece of frozen meat that could become a lethal blunt instrument.

The title is very appropriate because the whole plot is about how a woman kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and then gets rid of the murder weapon by cooking it and feeding it to the police officers who are investigating her husband's murder. It is the lamb that makes the story unique.

Why does Atticus visit the Radley house?

In Chapter Eight, Atticus visits the Radley house to offer his condolences to the Radley family after Mrs. Radley passes away.

Although Jem and Scout both think that Mrs. Radley died at the hands of Boo Radley, Atticus dispossesses them of this entertaining theory. He tells the children that Mrs. Radley died of natural causes. When she was alive, Mrs. Radley seldom appeared in public; she was only seen when she came out to water...

In Chapter Eight, Atticus visits the Radley house to offer his condolences to the Radley family after Mrs. Radley passes away.

Although Jem and Scout both think that Mrs. Radley died at the hands of Boo Radley, Atticus dispossesses them of this entertaining theory. He tells the children that Mrs. Radley died of natural causes. When she was alive, Mrs. Radley seldom appeared in public; she was only seen when she came out to water her flowers.

Despite Atticus' words, Jem and Scout are still curious about a particular member of the Radley family. They proceed to ask their father the one question that is uppermost in their minds: Did Atticus see Boo Radley when he went to pay his respects at the Radley home? Atticus answers in the negative, however, and this disappoints the siblings.

Although Scout is tempted to ask Atticus to clarify his statement, Jem discourages her from doing so. He thinks that it's wise not to antagonize their father. After all, Atticus may possibly suspect that they weren't actually playing strip poker near Miss Rachel's fish-pool on that fateful night Mr. Radley shot off his gun in his collard patch. Jem doesn't want Atticus to discover that he, Dill, and Scout were on the Radley property trying to get a glimpse of Boo that night.

In The Wednesday Wars, Holling becomes obsessed with practicing specific words from The Tempest. Which words are they, and why does he like them so...

The words in The Tempest that appeal most to Holling are the curses that the character Caliban utters. Holling likes them because they're the most original, interesting-sounding cuss words he's ever come across. As Holling says, "I mean, he really knew cuss words."

Caliban's cuss words aren't the kind that you're probably used to hearing. They're full phrases, such as "The red plague rid you!" and "A southwest blow on ye and blister you all...

The words in The Tempest that appeal most to Holling are the curses that the character Caliban utters. Holling likes them because they're the most original, interesting-sounding cuss words he's ever come across. As Holling says, "I mean, he really knew cuss words."

Caliban's cuss words aren't the kind that you're probably used to hearing. They're full phrases, such as "The red plague rid you!" and "A southwest blow on ye and blister you all o'er!"

Holling decides to practice delivering these curses, choosing to first try out "Toads, beetles, bats, light on you!" because, as he says, it's the one he understands the best.

Holling practices Caliban's curses at home on his parents and sister. He practices some more at school. When he passes Mr. Guareschi in the hallway as he's trying to get the rats out of the ceiling, Holling nicely suggests that instead of the four-letter word Mr. Guareschi lets fly, he could try, "The red plague rid you!"

When Mrs. Baker asks Holling why he's so fond of the curses, he tells her he likes the rhythm of them. As readers, we get the impression that Holling is too good a boy to let loose with the kind of expletives that will normally get a kid sent to the principal's office. But perfecting his delivery of Caliban's curses lets him vent some of his anger and intense feelings in a way that won't get him in trouble, and also in a way that's more expressive than any four-letter word.

For more on Holling and The Wednesday Wars, go 

Summarize chapters 6 and 7 of the novel Lord of the Flies.

Chapter 6 "Beast from Air": The chapter begins with the descent of a dead paratrooper from the sky after he is shot during an air battle that takes place over the island while the boys are sleeping. His parachute gets tangled in the canopy of the forest and his lifeless body rocks back and forth when the wind blows. When Samneric awake, they see the dead paratrooper and mistake him for the "beast." After Samneric tell Ralph about the sighting, Ralph calls for an assembly where a search party is organized. The boys, armed with spears, travel up the mountain in search of the beast while Piggy and the littluns remain at the base camp. As the boys explore the island they come to an unknown area, where Ralph volunteers to lead the way. The area where Ralph explores will become Jack's base camp later on in the novel, and the boys begin to play in the caves and roll rocks down the side of the hill at this new location. Ralph notices that the signal fire has gone out and reprimands the boys for playing and rolling rocks down the side of the hill. Jack comments that they should stay there and build a fort. Ralph speaks up and reminds the boys the purpose of their expedition. The majority of the boys want to either stay at the "Castle Rock" location or go back to base camp, but Ralph insists they continue up the mountain.

Chapter 7 "Shadows and Tall Trees": At the beginning of the chapter, Ralph notices that his hair has become long, and his body is filthy. Ralph laments at his appearance and realizes that it has become the norm on the island. Simon comforts Ralph by saying, "You'll get back all right. I think so anyway." (Golding 111) Ralph is comforted by Simon's comments, but believes he is "batty." Roger mentions that he's spotted fresh pig feces, and the group decides to hunt a boar. They eventually spot the boar, and it breaks through the forest towards the boys. Ralph manages to wound the boar on the nose, but the pig continues to run and injures Jack before getting away. The boys remain in a frenzy and begin to enact the hunting scene with Robert playing the "pig." The game gets out of hand, and Jack suggests that they use a littlun as a pig the next time they partake in a reenactment. The sun is setting, and the boys discuss whether or not to continue up the mountain or return to base camp. Simon volunteers to go back to the base camp and tell Piggy their location. Simon travels by himself through the forest alone. Ralph, Jack, and Roger begin to climb to the top of the mountain as the sun goes down. Ralph and Roger refuse to climb to the summit, and Jack chastises them for being cowards. Jack continues and sees what he thinks is the "beast," then runs down to tell Ralph and Roger what he saw. The three travel as a group to the summit and view what looks like a great ape with its head between its knees. They freak out and run down the mountain in terror.

Congratulations. You were elected as the head of your neighborhood beach association. Your neighborhoods are panicked because the local beach is...

Dear Coastal Neighborhood Association,

I write this letter today to communicate my concern over the decrease in the size of our beaches over the past several years. The shrinking of our beaches is due to the erosion of the sand. I write this letter in an attempt to identify some causes of the erosion and solutions towards decreasing such.

Many of us enjoy relaxing along the isolated barrier beaches along our coastline. Longshore driftshave...

Dear Coastal Neighborhood Association,

I write this letter today to communicate my concern over the decrease in the size of our beaches over the past several years. The shrinking of our beaches is due to the erosion of the sand. I write this letter in an attempt to identify some causes of the erosion and solutions towards decreasing such.

Many of us enjoy relaxing along the isolated barrier beaches along our coastline. Longshore drifts have helped in creating such barrier beaches. Longshore drifts occur when the ocean current or waves intersect the coast at an angle, instead of parallel. As a result, longshore drifts cause the sand to be carried down shore. Thus, longshore drifts are also one reason for the increased erosion. Therefore, we will be attempting to decrease such drifts in the near future. A groin may help prevent our beaches from being washed away from longshore drifts.

Erosion is not only reducing the size of our beaches, but it is also ruining our sand dunes. The primary cause of the erosion of our sand dunes is human traffic. We ask that all association members, children, and pets refrain from walking on the dunes. Additionally, beach grass will be planted in the early spring. The root system of the beach grass has been shown to hold the sand in place and prevent erosion from occurring.

Warmly,

Association Head

What are three examples of imagery in Acts I-II of Julius Caesar?

Like in all of his writing, Shakespeare uses a plethora of figurative language to bring Julius Caesar to life for audiences orally, as well as physically on the stage. Imagery specifically refers to how people interact with the world using their five senses. Any words or phrases that describe how something feels, smells, sounds, looks, or tastes is imagery, from the crisp cinnamon-scented air, to the dandelions that tickle my ankles as I run...

Like in all of his writing, Shakespeare uses a plethora of figurative language to bring Julius Caesar to life for audiences orally, as well as physically on the stage. Imagery specifically refers to how people interact with the world using their five senses. Any words or phrases that describe how something feels, smells, sounds, looks, or tastes is imagery, from the crisp cinnamon-scented air, to the dandelions that tickle my ankles as I run through a field. As with all figurative language, the purpose of imagery is to bring a scene to life with just words, making audiences feel as though they are in the world of the story. 

Some examples from the play include:

1. In Act 1, Scene 1, Marullus chastises tradesmen who are out on the street awaiting Caesar's return. Marullus is angry that the tradesmen are disloyal to Pompey, who previously co-ruled with Caesar and whose sons Caesar has just defeated. Marullus recalls a past when the commoners used to celebrate Pompey as much as they are now celebrating Caesar: 

   "And when you saw [Pompey's] chariot but appear,
   Have you not made universal shout
   That Tiber trembled underneath her banks,
   To hear the replication of your sounds
   Made in her concave shores?"

   The imagery Marullus is using suggests the strength of the commoners' passion for Pompey – so much that their cheering caused the Tiber river itself to tremble. 



2. In the second scene of Act 1, Cassius uses figurative language to describe the changes he has seen in Brutus's personality and countenance lately, saying:

   "Brutus, I do observe you now of late:
   I have not from your eyes that gentleness
   And show of love as I was wont to have:
   You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand
   Over your friend that loves you."

   Cassius's descriptive imagery of Brutus's eyes that lack gentleness is just the beginning of a conversation that showcases Cassius's attempts to manipulate Brutus in to joining the conspirators. 



3. Another instance of imagery occurs later in that conversation, as Cassius tells Brutus about a fever Caesar had while they were in Spain:

   "And when the fit was on him, I did mark
   How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake;
   His coward lips did from their color fly,
   And that same eye whose bend doth awe the world
   Did lose his lustre: I did hear him groan"

   Here Cassius is using dramatic imagery to paint a picture of a weak, pathetic Caesar for Brutus. Cassius wants to convince Brutus that Caesar is unfit to rule Rome, and is using figurative language to help him do it. 

What is chapter 16 about in Lyddie?

Lyddie gets so exhausted from work and the stress of worrying about Rachel that she gets very ill, but she recovers.

Lyddie has to get her money out of the bank because now she has her sister to take care of.  Her little sister is very small and weak, and Lyddie knows that she will not be able to stay at the factory worker boarding house for long.  Children are not allowed.  Lyddie feels like...

Lyddie gets so exhausted from work and the stress of worrying about Rachel that she gets very ill, but she recovers.

Lyddie has to get her money out of the bank because now she has her sister to take care of.  Her little sister is very small and weak, and Lyddie knows that she will not be able to stay at the factory worker boarding house for long.  Children are not allowed.  Lyddie feels like she got the short end of the stick, with her aunt and uncle benefitting from the whole thing while she pays the price.

What could she do? Where could she turn for help? She couldn't keep Rachel here, and yet she, Lyddie, must live in a corporation house to keep her job. And without her job, what good could she do for any of them? (Ch. 15)

Lyddie has to buy her sister shoes, but she worries that she will lose her job and not be able to provide for her much longer.  Her frustration bleeds into her work, where she loses patience with Brigid.  However, when Brigid tells her that her mother is dying, Lyddie feels bad and gives her money for a doctor.

Trying to get Rachel to open up, Lyddie reads her poetry and makes some up for her.  Unfortunately, Lyddie is so tired that she gets sick.  The doctor tries to take advantage of her weakness and kiss her.

How hot the room seemed. Of course it was always hot and steamy, but somehow . . . Perhaps if she hadn't been burning up she could have kept her head, but she was so hot, so exhausted that Thursday in May, she wasn't prepared, she had no defenses. (Ch. 16)

Lyddie kicks him and leaves.  She misses several days of work, and when she finally awakes she asks Rachel to help her get ready for work.  Rachel is amazed that she’s not dead.

Why are Bill and Sam not afraid of the Red Chief running away?

The story that you are asking about is "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry.  Red Chief's real name is Johnny Dorset, and Bill and Sam have kidnapped him for ransom money.  Unfortunately for Bill and Sam, it's more like little Johnny is holding themhostage.  The reader learns early on that Johnny is not likely to try and escape the cave and his captors, because Johnny thinks that he is having a grand...

The story that you are asking about is "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry.  Red Chief's real name is Johnny Dorset, and Bill and Sam have kidnapped him for ransom money.  Unfortunately for Bill and Sam, it's more like little Johnny is holding them hostage.  The reader learns early on that Johnny is not likely to try and escape the cave and his captors, because Johnny thinks that he is having a grand old adventure with the two bumbling criminals.  

Yes, sir, that boy seemed to be having the time of his life. The fun of camping out in a cave had made him forget that he was a captive himself.

About a page after the above quote, Sam flat out asks Johnny if he would like to go home.  The following is Johnny's response.  

“Aw, what for?” says he. “I don’t have any fun at home. I hate to go to school. I like to camp out. You won’t take me back home again, Snake-eye, will you?”

Johnny is practically begging his kidnappers to keep him kidnapped, because he is having more fun than he does at home.  He gets to camp in a cave, play cowboy and Indian games, and terrorize two men that have to put up with his antics.  Johnny is having the time of his life, so Bill and Sam are quite certain that he will not try to escape.  

What are the important pages of George Orwell's book, 1984? With important, I mean the main events in the book, for example, when Julia has sex...

The novel, 1984, is split into three parts and each of these parts contains important events. 

In the first part, for example, Winston's internal fear of the party begins to dissipate and he experiments with the idea of rebellion. We see this in his purchase of the diary, on pages 8-9, and his jaded view of rewriting history at the Ministry of Truth, on pages 40-43.

In Part Two of 1984, Winston's rebellious...

The novel, 1984, is split into three parts and each of these parts contains important events. 

In the first part, for example, Winston's internal fear of the party begins to dissipate and he experiments with the idea of rebellion. We see this in his purchase of the diary, on pages 8-9, and his jaded view of rewriting history at the Ministry of Truth, on pages 40-43.

In Part Two of 1984, Winston's rebellious feelings intensify and this has a profound affect on his outward sense of conformity. This is best illustrated on pages 123-133, in which Winston meets with Julia, his girlfriend, and the pair have sex in the woods, far away from the constant surveillance of the telescreens. Feeling the need for security, Winston rents the room above Mr Charrington's shop, on page 143, and this becomes his and Julia's hideaway.

Later in Part Two, Winston and Julia take their rebellion to the next level. They go to O'Brien's apartment, on page 174, and reveal themselves as party rebels. O'Brien arranges for Winston to receive a copy of Goldstein's book, which he reads aloud to Julia on page 192. But, on page 230, Winston and Julia are arrested by the Thought Police and taken to the Ministry of Love. 

Finally, in Part Three of 1984, Winston is tortured by O'Brien and his reintegration into society begins (page 273). Despite the beatings, Winston remains faithful to Julia, prompting O'Brien to send him to Room 101 where he is confronted by rats, his biggest fear (pages 298-300). Winston does, in fact, betray Julia and is released shortly after, as he is no longer a threat to the party. When he meets Julia again, on page 305, he learns that Julia also betrayed him and the love they once shared is over. All that is left for Winston is to accept that he loves Big Brother and he acknowledges this on the final page of the book, page 311. 

Please note that my copy of 1984 is the Penguin Classics Edition, published in London in 1990, and the page numbers in your copy may differ slightly. 

Are 1984 and Romeo & Juliet stories of love or rebellion? How could I format an essay around this topic?

In both 1984 and Romeo and Juliet, strong evidence exists that the characters are genuinely in love with each other. In both works, the characters risk everything, including their lives, to be with each other. They may be rebelling against the circumstances they find themselves in, but their caring goes far beyond rebellion. 

To structure this essay, first state your thesis very strongly in the first paragraph, saying that the characters love each other.

Then,...

In both 1984 and Romeo and Juliet, strong evidence exists that the characters are genuinely in love with each other. In both works, the characters risk everything, including their lives, to be with each other. They may be rebelling against the circumstances they find themselves in, but their caring goes far beyond rebellion. 

To structure this essay, first state your thesis very strongly in the first paragraph, saying that the characters love each other.

Then, in paragraph 2 illustrate how Romeo and Juliet love each other, using evidence from the play, including quotes. Evidence that they love each other includes their risky secret marriage and the fact that they both commit suicide when they think the other is dead. If they were merely rebelling against their families, they most likely wouldn't be willing to die.

In paragraph 3, illustrate how Julia and Winston love each other, including evidence from the novel, including quotes. What do they say to each other when they are alone together? Note that after he is arrested, Winston resists turning on Julia, even though it means he suffers torture. Find quotes at the end to show how he feels at having betrayed her. 

Finally, write a concluding paragraph, summing up your main points. 

I have a test on vocabulary coming up soon and I need a way to study for it.

There are several ways to prepare for vocabulary tests, some of which will give the best long term results and some of which may help in the short term.

If the test is over a small group of vocabulary words, a tried and true technique for studying them is using flash cards. Take a set of index cards and write the vocabulary word on the front and the definition on the back. Set aside four...

There are several ways to prepare for vocabulary tests, some of which will give the best long term results and some of which may help in the short term.

If the test is over a small group of vocabulary words, a tried and true technique for studying them is using flash cards. Take a set of index cards and write the vocabulary word on the front and the definition on the back. Set aside four 15-minute study sessions during the day, as this is more effective than a single long session.

In the first session, look at the fronts of the cards, read the vocabulary word, and try to remember the definition. Turn over the card to see if your memory is accurate, and if not, read the definition aloud, as you remember more of what you read aloud than what you read silently. Do this for every card. 

In the second session, look at the definitions on the backs of the cards and try to remember the word being defined. In the third session, look at the fronts of the cards again and in the fourth session look at the backs of the cards. 

Over the long term, the best way to develop your vocabulary is reading books written for adults rather than children which use a wide vocabulary and looking up words you don't understand in a dictionary. If you spend an hour or so every day reading, you will develop such a good ordinary vocabulary that you won't even need to study for vocabulary tests because all the words will already be familiar to you. 

What is the meaning of "ruined" in the poem?

Generally speaking, the word "ruined," when applied to young women in Hardy's time, means the women had been morally or sexually "spoiled" by becoming prostitutes or mistresses of wealthy men or by finding some other way of monetizing their sexual desirability. The usage suggests passivity; ruin is something that is done to women by men. It also objectifies women, in that their "ruin" is a fall from an earlier, better state that any (male) outside...

Generally speaking, the word "ruined," when applied to young women in Hardy's time, means the women had been morally or sexually "spoiled" by becoming prostitutes or mistresses of wealthy men or by finding some other way of monetizing their sexual desirability. The usage suggests passivity; ruin is something that is done to women by men. It also objectifies women, in that their "ruin" is a fall from an earlier, better state that any (male) outside observer could see. Hardy calls attention to this usage by the form of the poem and the repetition of the word "ruin" at the end of each stanza.

The poem takes the form of a dialog between the "ruined" woman and a female friend who chances to meet her in London. There is a certain infantile quality to the structure of the poem -- the repetition resembles a nursery rhyme. The friend notices a different thing about the "ruined" girl's appearance in each stanza, about her dress, her speech, her hands, and so forth, and the ruined girl ironically attributes these refinements to being "ruined." The ordinary sense of this is that her "ruination" is a perversion of an earlier, purer state, except that it is pretty clear from the poem that she is, at least materially, much better off now. So, while the poem on the surface appears to condemn her "ruination," at the same time there is a recognition that the only path to prosperity for girls like these lies through "ruin." In this sense, the "ruin" in the final stanza is not something that has happened to the girl, but something she has chosen: 

— "I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown,
And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!"
— "My dear — a raw country girl, such as you be,
Cannot quite expect that. You ain't ruined," said she.

Her friend expresses envy at her coming up in the world, and the reply "You ain't ruined," could mean regret about her state, or it could be a suggestion, along the lines of, "If you like all this, you should become 'ruined' too!" I think it is entirely characteristic of Hardy to mean both things at once.

Who or what is the antagonist in Graham Greene's short story "The Destructors"?

It would be easy, and indeed justifiable, to assume that the antagonist in “The Destructors” is Trevor, who usurps Blackie’s crown and initiates the demolition project; or the entire gang of boys, all complicit in the destruction of an innocent man’s home; or even that innocent man himself, Old Misery, the aging, lonely antithesis to the boys’ youth and cynicism.

It seems, however, that all these people are simply victims of their own circumstance, and...

It would be easy, and indeed justifiable, to assume that the antagonist in “The Destructors” is Trevor, who usurps Blackie’s crown and initiates the demolition project; or the entire gang of boys, all complicit in the destruction of an innocent man’s home; or even that innocent man himself, Old Misery, the aging, lonely antithesis to the boys’ youth and cynicism.

It seems, however, that all these people are simply victims of their own circumstance, and it is this post-war social circumstance that is the real antagonist in the story.  The story takes place amid a period of shifting balance of power; Mr. Thomas’s home represents the wealth of the upper classes; the gang of boys the ire of the destitute; the destruction the unrest of the lower classes and their bid for power within a stratified society bilaterally wracked by hardship.  The lower classes resent the privilege of the wealthy and feel a biting need to fight against it.  One could even argue that the war itself is responsible for leaving the boys broken and cynical and disaffected, intent on disaster and addicted to chaos, and that therefore the severity of wartime is the antagonistic catalyst for the main action of the story.

Interpret the first sentence of Ayn Rand's novel Anthem.

“It is a sin to write this.”

Writing is a very personal experience, especially if you are writing in a diary or journal like Equality is in the opening of the novel Anthem. He is writing down his thoughts and ideas about his discoveries in the tunnel and life in the dystopian society portrayed in Anthem. These are words that only Equality will read; they are not for the public to see because...

“It is a sin to write this.”

Writing is a very personal experience, especially if you are writing in a diary or journal like Equality is in the opening of the novel Anthem. He is writing down his thoughts and ideas about his discoveries in the tunnel and life in the dystopian society portrayed in Anthem. These are words that only Equality will read; they are not for the public to see because it is a sin to express yourself and your individuality.

Equality’s society is what is called a “collective” society, where the group is more important than the individual. Self-expression is denied, and that is why the government in this society controls everything and everyone. Citizens are raised in a dorm setting without love from their parents, they are given jobs that will suppress their talents and abilities, and they are forced to live in ignorance without knowledge of the past. 

In order for Equality to write down his feelings, he must hide from society. He knows that it is a sin, but Equality is intent on expressing his individuality by writing down his thoughts. He doesn’t worry about what will happen to him, for he is compelled to rebel against the system of his society.