How did the colonists win the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783?

There were several factors that helped the Americans win the Revolutionary War. One factor was the Americans were dedicated to the cause for which they were fighting. The Americans were fighting for their independence. There was something very tangible to be gained by winning the Revolutionary War. Some of the colonists were also fighting for their lives. If the colonists lost, some of the leaders could have been tried for treason and killed. Some of...

There were several factors that helped the Americans win the Revolutionary War. One factor was the Americans were dedicated to the cause for which they were fighting. The Americans were fighting for their independence. There was something very tangible to be gained by winning the Revolutionary War. Some of the colonists were also fighting for their lives. If the colonists lost, some of the leaders could have been tried for treason and killed. Some of the British soldiers were hired soldiers. They didn’t have as much at stake in the outcome of the war.

George Washington was a brilliant leader, unlike some of the British generals. Washington helped to develop wise strategies and was able to adjust as needed. Washington knew the longer the war lasted, the less the people of Great Britain would support the war. Having the British chase the colonists around the countryside was a brilliant move as it allowed the war to last longer. The British generals, on the other hand, made many blunders. General Howe didn’t follow the plan for cutting New England off from the rest of the colonies. He went to Philadelphia instead. General Burgoyne moved so slowly because he carried so many luxury items that weren't needed for battle. Washington was able to adjust his plans to take advantage of opportunities. When he realized he could trap the British fleet at Yorktown, he adjusted his plans to take advantage of this opportunity.

The Americans were able to get help from France and Spain who were Britain’s rivals. The money, supplies, and training these countries provided to us were very helpful in leading us to victory.

There were many factors that help lead us to victory in the Revolutionary War.

How does "Harrison Bergeron" convey the conflict between the needs of ideals of society and the realities of individuals?

In Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron," there is a contrast between society's needs and the individual's reality. This is the central conflict in the story. In this story, equality at any cost is the goal of society. everyone must be equal and if they have to wear handicaps to do so, then they must. For the society as a whole, the ideal of equality is appealing and deemed fair and right. So the fast are slowed down...

In Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron," there is a contrast between society's needs and the individual's reality. This is the central conflict in the story. In this story, equality at any cost is the goal of society. everyone must be equal and if they have to wear handicaps to do so, then they must. For the society as a whole, the ideal of equality is appealing and deemed fair and right. So the fast are slowed down with weights, the beautiful are covered with masks, etc. In theory, for this society, the idea is just. However, in reality, individuals suffer by being forced to be equal, and this is Vonnegut's message. The individual's reality of beauty or talent being hidden for the greater good of society is frustrating and miserable. Harrison, as an example, wishes to and eventually does break free of his handicaps to have a moment of individual, self-expression that is separate from society. The results are disastrous, which is to show readers how often the needs of society and the reality of the individual are often in conflict.

What would be good names for the chapters in Gary Soto's novel Buried Onions?

Authors often leave the chapters of their books unnamed. They may not want to give away any details of the chapter or they may not want to influence the reader's impression of what is happening in the book. Great books such as Great Expectation, The Grapes of Wrath and Animal Farm, for example, leave the chapters untitled. On the other hand, both Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels and Miguel de Cervantes in Don Quixote use very descriptive chapter titles. 

In Buried Onions, Gary Soto opts for the former style and leaves each of the nine chapters untitled. But, I have suggested titles that seem representative of each chapter.

Chapter One: Mortuary Students—In the beginning of this chapter Eddie, the protagonist, is contemplating the deaths of the people around him, including his father, two uncles, his best friend from high school Juan and, most recently, his cousin Jesús. It is appropriate then that as he sits on campus at Fresno City College he sees the students who are taking classes to become morticians. He even imagines that the coffee the students drink turns cold as soon as they touch it.

Chapter Two: The Road to Salvation—Eddie goes off to his job painting curbs in this chapter. He hopes that honest work will help deliver him from the grip of poverty and violence he experiences in his Mexican-American neighborhood in Fresno.

Chapter Three: Mr. Yellow Shoes—In this chapter Eddie tails a guy with yellow shoes to a class at Fresno City College. He has been told the guy who murdered his cousin Jesús was last seen wearing yellow shoes. Like many things in the novel it is hearsay, or "chisme." Eddie never discovers who really killed Jesús.

Chapter Four: Buying Onions—Onions are symbolic for the grief which pervades the neighborhood where Eddie grows up. He imagines an onion buried under Fresno which causes the people above to cry. Even Juan's sister Belinda has a tattoo of a tear on her cheek. One of Eddie's best childhood friends, José, has returned home on leave from the Marines. While out for breakfast they are accosted by a man selling bags of onions. José, out of a sense of philanthropy, agrees to buy three bags. Not long afterward he is stabbed by "cholos" while trying to recover a truck which had been stolen from Eddie. The scene seems to represent that José, even though now in the service, can never escape the grief of life in Fresno.

Chapter Five: Queenie—Violence and death haunts the novel and in chapter five Eddie volunteers to help his nina, or godmother, take her old dog Queenie to the SPCA to be euthanized. Appropriately his godmother's eyes are full of tears.

Chapter Six: Barbecue Chips—Because Eddie can't seem to escape his plight by going to college or through working, his playground coach suggests he join the military. When he arrives at the recruiting office he is at first nervous. He is greeted by posters of nuclear submarines and the president. When the recruiter appears, Eddie's nervousness increases as he is asked several questions and told to fill out a form. The formality of the situation is broken when a "stoner" Eddie knew from high school arrives. That and the fact the recruiter is eating barbecue chips in his cubicle leave Eddie unsure about his decision. The military may be no more redeeming than college or work.

Chapter Seven: Cockroaches—While spending time alone in his apartment Eddie discovers several cockroaches have also made his apartment home. He attempts to kill them by trapping them in an ice cream carton. When they return he resigns himself to their presence. They seem to represent the "cholos" like Angel, Lupe and Juan who always seem to be lurking. No matter how hard he tries, Eddie can never escape them.

Chapter Eight: Homeless—While trying to avoid Angel, who he believes is out to get him, he jumps over a fence and is greeted by a little boy who thinks Eddie must be homeless. At this point in the story Eddie is homeless. He can't return to his apartment for fear of confronting Angel and he seems rootless after failure at college and in work.

Chapter Nine: Chisme—"Chisme" is the spanish word for gossip. Much of the violence in the novel, especially the fight between Angel and Eddie, is caused by gossip. Eddie has heard that Angel was really the one who killed Jesús but neither the reader nor Eddie is ever sure.

Was slavery thought of as a moral issue or an economic reality in A Necessary Evil?

A Necessary Evilwas written by Garry Wills, a professor and popular author, in response to the 1994 congressional election. Although he himself is Roman Catholic, and early in his career wrote for many conservative magazines, he saw the Republican Party's "Contract With America", written by Newt Gingrich and Richard Armey, as a triumph of the right wing anti-government faction in the Republican Party, a faction he considered as grounding its policies on a mistaken interpretation of...

A Necessary Evil was written by Garry Wills, a professor and popular author, in response to the 1994 congressional election. Although he himself is Roman Catholic, and early in his career wrote for many conservative magazines, he saw the Republican Party's "Contract With America", written by Newt Gingrich and Richard Armey, as a triumph of the right wing anti-government faction in the Republican Party, a faction he considered as grounding its policies on a mistaken interpretation of United States history.

Slavery is not a major focus of his book, as his primary concern is arguing that government, rather than being a "necessary evil" is a "necessary good." Although his main focus is on the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, and other early developments, he does address the Civil War mainly in terms of how secessionists in the Civil War contributed to the evolution of the anti-government ideology that still dominates much of Southern politics. In this way, he is really thinking about slavery more in terms of how it functioned as the starting point for debates over states' rights than in either moral or economic terms.

In general, though, slavery had been a part of so many societies for so many thousands of years of recorded history, that I suspect people in many parts of the world in the early modern period simply accepted it as a common cultural tradition. However, as the abolition movement grew, it brought into focus that there was a moral component, and as people began to think about that, many began to consider slavery morally wrong.

The theories of Charles Darwin, which emphasized the common ancestry of all people, contributed in many ways to the revulsion against slavery.

What are examples of perseverance in the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling?

In his poem "If," Kipling explains manly virtues in the manner a father might to a son, and chief among those virtues is perseverance:

"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting" advises the reader to persevere in patience.

"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew / To serve your turn long after they are gone, / And so hold on when there is nothing in you / Except the...

In his poem "If," Kipling explains manly virtues in the manner a father might to a son, and chief among those virtues is perseverance:

"If you can wait and not be tired by waiting" advises the reader to persevere in patience.

"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew / To serve your turn long after they are gone, / And so hold on when there is nothing in you / Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'" This is a more literal form of perseverence, one of keeping one's faculties working well into weariness and old age.

"If you can fill the unforgiving minute / With sixty seconds' worth of distance, run." A bit more abstract than his other admonishments, this asks the reader to be ready to strive and persevere, on the shortest of notice, for as long as necessary.

Another related virtue is the ability to distance one's self emotionally from the tasks that might be necessary: "If you can make one heap of all your winnings / And risk it on one turn of pitch-and- toss, / And lose, and start again at your beginnings/And never breathe a word about your loss." He advises us to persevere out of necessity and the satisfaction of being able to do so, not out of some kind of emotional need.

What do you think about Atticus' comments about the KKK in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

This quote/KKK reference happens during Chapter 15, or what I like to call the "mob scene" chapter. There are two sort of "mobs" during this chapter. This first is a group of concerned friends and neighbors who visit Atticus to collectively warn him about the danger in following through on representing Tom Robinson (which likely relates to the social danger or damage to Atticus's reputation). As Jem and Scout watch Atticus talk to the men, Jem thinks the mob has come to hurt Atticus, but Scout soon realizes that there is no threat as these are men the Finches interact with daily.

This sets up a second "mob" scene, which happens when a group of armed men arrive at the jail, seemingly to lynch Tom Robinson in order to serve vigilante justice (in their mind, he is guilty even before the trial begins because he is black). Atticus predicted this possibility and stands between the mob and Tom in order to prevent the attack. However, it is the emergence of Scout (who thinks this group of men is safe because of her and Jem's previous misinterpretation of the first mob) which truly breaks up the lynch mob. Unlike the first mob, the second is made up of drunk strangers from the outskirts of town who truly intend violence. When Scout recognizes one of the mob members as the father of one of her classmates, she reminds the men of their individual humanity. Unable to harm a fellow dad in front of his children, the mob disperses.

To explain the significance, Atticus offers some insight on mob mentality, reminding the children that mobs are always made up of people. Between the two mob scenes, Jem expressed his concern that the first mob was a KKK group who had come to harm Atticus, and Atticus responds:

"Way back about nineteen-twenty there was a Klan, but it was a political organization more than anything. Besides, they couldn't find anybody to scare. They paraded by Mr. Sam Levy's house one night, but Sam just stood on his porch and told 'em things had come to a pretty pass, he'd sold 'em the very sheets on their backs. Sam made 'em so ashamed of themselves they went away." (Lee 196)

While the initial context of this scene suggests that Atticus is trying to comfort Jem and to tell him that he was worried over nothing, the broader context of the chapter and the two mobs reveals a deeper significance.

First, the statement is historically inaccurate. There was a KKK in 1920's/1930's Alabama (just as there still is a Klan today); however, Atticus is suggesting that the evil of these types of groups is a collective evil, and that the collection is made up of individual members who might otherwise be good and productive members of society. While it's easy to label the KKK as "bad", it's harder to label an individual community member and parent as patently bad.

So, as Harper Lee does so often in this book in this chapter and related to Atticus's KKK quote, she's suggesting the issue is not black and white. What's far scarier than a polarized, racist group like the KKK committing violence and fear tactics against upstanding Alabama citizens is the idea that the institutional racism of the time period was strong enough that normally "good" people would participate in subtle racism (like the first mob) or more significant violent racism (like the second mob). It would be too easy to have the KKK be one (or both of these mobs) and much easier to dismiss as a fringe hate group. It's much more interesting (and scary) to have those mobs made up of everyday Maycomb County friends and neighbors.

What parenting style does Aunt Alexandra have in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Aunt Alexandra rules a household rather imperiously and is stringent about adhering to the heritage of the Finch name. 

An early reference to her aunt by Scout in Chapter 9 describes her as "cold and there" only. Later, when Aunt Alexandra arrives in order to take charge while Atticus busies himself with the trial of Tom Robinson and to bring feminine influence upon Scout as she is maturing, Scout finds her essentially the same:

"Put...

Aunt Alexandra rules a household rather imperiously and is stringent about adhering to the heritage of the Finch name. 

An early reference to her aunt by Scout in Chapter 9 describes her as "cold and there" only. Later, when Aunt Alexandra arrives in order to take charge while Atticus busies himself with the trial of Tom Robinson and to bring feminine influence upon Scout as she is maturing, Scout finds her essentially the same:

"Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia," was the first thing Aunt Alexandra said. "Jean Louise, stop scratching your head," was the second thing she said.

In this same chapter, Aunt Alexandra instructs Jean-Louise--she refuses to call her Scout--in more ladylike behavior and dress:

Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn't supposed to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra's vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add-a-Pearl necklace she gave me when I was born; furthermore, I should be a ray of sunshine in my father's lonely life. 

It is not long before Aunt Alexandra assumes her place as matriarch of the Finch family. She directs social activities such as the Missionary Tea, she has Scout wear dresses, she instructs the children on the shortcomings of others and the superiority of the Finch lineage as she is very preoccupied with the importance of heredity and the caste system of the South. She is adamant that Jem and Scout live up to their family name and preserve the dignity of their heritage. So, she insists that Scout speak to any of her lady friends who come to tea or to visit. And, she objects strongly to the influence of Calpurnia on the children, disapproving of their close relationship with this maid, their accompanying Calpurnia to her church, and other interactions with her. In fact, she speaks to her brother, suggesting he dismiss Calpurnia, implying that her relationship with the Finch children is inappropriate. 

Clearly, Aunt Alexandra comes to the home of her brother, with her imperious style, with the intention of correcting the lack of decorum and of making Jean-Louise into a little lady and the children and even Atticus more aware of their heritage.

What does Paris do when he sees Romeo outside Juliet's tomb?

The final scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Julietopens with Count Paris and his page outside Capulet's tomb where the body of Juliet, supposedly dead, has recently been placed. Paris tells his page to go under the nearby trees, lay on the ground, and listen for anyone approaching. Paris then busies himself with spreading flowers and sweet water outside the tomb. When the page signals that someone is coming, Paris "retires" from the scene as...

The final scene of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet opens with Count Paris and his page outside Capulet's tomb where the body of Juliet, supposedly dead, has recently been placed. Paris tells his page to go under the nearby trees, lay on the ground, and listen for anyone approaching. Paris then busies himself with spreading flowers and sweet water outside the tomb. When the page signals that someone is coming, Paris "retires" from the scene as Romeo and his servant Balthasar come on stage. Romeo dismisses Balthasar and then begins opening the door of the tomb with a "mattock" and "wrenching iron." Paris witnesses this and believes Romeo must be there to vandalize the tomb. He says,

This is that banished haughty Montague
That murdered my love’s cousin, with which grief
It is supposèd the fair creature died,
And here is come to do some villainous shame
To the dead bodies. I will apprehend him.

In a case of dramatic irony, Paris knows nothing about the marriage between Romeo and Juliet, so he jumps to the conclusion that Romeo is a "villain" and must be put to death because he is in Verona after being sentenced to banishment by the Prince. When he attempts to stop Romeo from opening the tomb, the two men fight, and Romeo kills him.

What do Lyddie and Triphena overhear the two men talking about when they come into the inn in Lyddie?

Lyddie overhears two men discussing rewards for escaped slaves.

Lyddie overhears two hired men discussing escaped slaves one day in the tavern.  She usually enjoys listening to the hired men because they talk as they work, and she finds the conversations interesting.  On this day, she is curious about the escaped slaves.  One of the men says “another slave up near Ferrisburg" was caught.

"The legislature can say all they want to about not giving up runaways, but as long as them rewards are high, somebody's going to report them." (Ch. 4)

The problem is that slavery is legal in some parts of the country, and not in others.  The southerners practice slavery, while it is illegal in the north.  Ultimately, this creates some confusion if runaway slaves are escaping to the north.

The men use the example of owning a horse, comparing owning slaves to owning other property.

“ …Man buys a horse fair and legal, he sure as hell going after it if it bolts. You pay for something, it's yours. If the law says a man can own slaves, he's got a right to go after them if they bolt. Ain't no difference I can see." (Ch. 4)

According to Otis, slaves are property, and if you turn one in you deserve to collect the reward like any other property.  Clearly these men would turn in a slave if they found one.

Lyddie has never seen a black person, but she sympathizes with them.  She feels trapped herself, sold into a kind of servitude by her family to pay off their debts.  She considers what to do, based on the price of the reward.  Turning in a slave would allow her to pay off her debts and return home.

Lyddie will have to face this choice soon, when she encounters her first slave, Ezekial.  However, she does not turn him in to collect the reward.  She helps him instead.  This shows that while Lyddie can be selfish, she also has a good heart and is capable of making selfless gestures.

What happens at the beginning of "The Masque of the Red Death"?

The first paragraph of the story describes the disease which has been sweeping through the country ruled by Prince Prospero, a disease called "the Red Death" because "Blood was its Avatar and its seal -- the redness and the horror of blood." In other words, the disease caused such a profusion of blood to leak out of its victim that the color of blood has been chosen to be a part of the disease's name....

The first paragraph of the story describes the disease which has been sweeping through the country ruled by Prince Prospero, a disease called "the Red Death" because "Blood was its Avatar and its seal -- the redness and the horror of blood." In other words, the disease caused such a profusion of blood to leak out of its victim that the color of blood has been chosen to be a part of the disease's name. It is a truly frightening disease that moves quickly and is always fatal: "No pestilence had ever been so fatal," and the whole progress of the disease from one's contraction of it to one's death lasted only about thirty minutes.  

Some scholars believe that the Red Death is symbolic of tuberculosis, an often fatal disease that eventually causes its victims to spit and cough up sometimes copious amounts of blood. Tuberculosis took Poe's mother when he was only three years old (he actually watched her die of the disease), as well as the beloved woman who took him in after his mother's death, Mrs. Allan, and eventually, his young wife.

Prince Prospero is ironically described as "happy and dauntless and sagacious" -- his actions hardly paint him as brave and perceptive -- and when half the people in his country had been taken by this disease, he invited one thousand friends to hole up in his castle with him and basically have a giant party until the disease had run its course outside the castle walls. Party-goers felt that "The external world could take care of itself." The story begins about five or six months into their isolation.

What is the evidence for the reasons why the first settlers considered America as a God-given haven ?

The evidence for this will mostly come from the Puritan colonies, founded in New England. Settlers in Virginia were not entirely secular in their outlook, but most were not seeking a haven, they were either seeking profit or were brought to labor on the behalf of profit-seekers. Modern historians would describe their motives and experiences as more typical than those of the religious dissenters that founded the New England colonies. Of the New England settlers,...

The evidence for this will mostly come from the Puritan colonies, founded in New England. Settlers in Virginia were not entirely secular in their outlook, but most were not seeking a haven, they were either seeking profit or were brought to labor on the behalf of profit-seekers. Modern historians would describe their motives and experiences as more typical than those of the religious dissenters that founded the New England colonies. Of the New England settlers, two writers, both of whom were leaders of their respective colonies, stand out. The first, William Bradford, is very clear that he views the Plymouth Colony, for all the difficulties encountered in planting it, is a haven provided by God for the benefit of the Pilgrims. His work, Of Plymouth Plantation, is primarily intended to demonstrate how God has provided for the Pilgrims in the new lands they settled. John Winthrop, a leader in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, established shortly thereafter, famously referred to the colony they were founding as a "city upon a hill," not just a refuge but an example of a "Bible commonwealth" that he hoped future generations would emulate. Some historians have cited this conviction as the foundations of an ideology, still seen in political rhetoric today, known as "American exceptionalism". 

What is the tone of the poem "The Poison Tree" by William Blake?

That's a great question.

There is a layered or ambiguous tone to this poem.

The content of a work is, in some works, distinct from the tone. That isn't really the case here. The poem's content is marked by so many angry words--"wrath," "angry," "foe," etc. You can't help but hear part of the tone as, well, angry.

However, the tone itself is calmer, more distant, rational, and measured. The regularity of the rhyme, and the simplicity ("friend" and "end," "foe" and "grow," etc.) makes it more playful and singsong. The combination creates a tone of reflection, but also perhaps of denial and repression.

Take the narrator at his word: he hates this person, and considers him his enemy. If that's the case, then the ability to speak in so calm and measured a fashion means he is fundamentally divided, even hypocritical about his emotions.

Where does Bob Ewell say he hates black people in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Often the diction of people indicates their feelings, rather than any overt declaration. Such is the case with Bob Ewell.

When he is on the witness stand in Chapter 17, Ewell claims that he heard his daughter screaming and he ran to the window of his house only to discover "that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella." Here, Ewell's use of a most pejorative term indicates his attitude toward African Americans. Certainly, the black...

Often the diction of people indicates their feelings, rather than any overt declaration. Such is the case with Bob Ewell.

When he is on the witness stand in Chapter 17, Ewell claims that he heard his daughter screaming and he ran to the window of his house only to discover "that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella." Here, Ewell's use of a most pejorative term indicates his attitude toward African Americans. Certainly, the black people in the balcony recognize the hateful use of a degrading term from Ewell as "there was an angry muffled groan from the colored people," Scout narrates.

Then, in Chapter 23, as Atticus was leaving the post office, Bob Ewell spits in his face. When Atticus wipes his face with his handkerchief, Ewell asks, "Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin' bastard?" but Atticus answers, "No, too old." Here Ewell's diction and its implication suggest that there is something terribly wrong with Atticus for wanting to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, whom Ewell has made the scapegoat for his daughter's behavior of which he disapproves.

Where are each of the five senses addressed/appealed to in To Kill a Mockingbird?

The five senses--sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste--are the foundations upon which all good imagery is built. Authors like Harper Lee use them usually during descriptions of different settings and characters, but they can also be found in dialogue as people experience new and exciting things. Such is the case in this story as Lee describes life through a little girl's eyes.

Sight - One of the biggest mysteries in the novel is who lives in the decrepit old house in the neighborhood. Lee paints a great picture in the following passage:

"The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate-gray yard around it. Rain-rotted shingles drooped over the eaves of the veranda; oak trees kept the sun away . . . [and] johnson grass and rabbit-tobacco grew in abundance" (8).

Notice the mix of colors and other specific adjectives used to describe different pieces of the lot. This is a perfect visual!

Sound - Speaking of the Radley place, part of the lore is that a 33 year-old Boo Radley stabbed his father one day with a pair of scissors. Scout explains,

"Mrs. Radley ran screaming into the street that Arthur was killing them all, but when the sheriff arrived he found Boo still sitting in the livingroom, cutting up the Tribune" (11).

Lee makes it easy to picture an old woman running out into the street screaming for her life in a quiet lazy town. This image would certainly scare little children with images of screaming in their heads. 

Touch/Physical Feeling - After the stabbing incident, the sheriff decides to lock Boo in the courthouse because the jail would be too dangerous for him. But they eventually move him back home because of the following:

". . . some of the town council told Mr. Radley that if he didn't take Boo back, Boo would die of mold from the damp" (11).

The image of "mold" and "damp" covers sight and touch because seeing and feeling mold in an old damp, and probably cold, basement doesn't make one feel very comfortable. 

Smell - A fun image about smell is when Dill stops to analyze the Radley place and the following discussion emerges:

"We had strolled to the front year, where DIll stood looking down the street at the dreary face of the Radley Place. 'I--smell--death,' he said. 'I do mean it,' he said, when I told him to shut up.

'You mean when somebody's dyin' you can smell it?'

'No, I mean I can smell somebody an' tell if they're gonna die" (36).

This is a fun passage because death does smell, but these kids probably don't know what that really is or means.

Taste - For the first snowfall that Scout experiences, she goes out and catches a flake on her tongue:

"I stuck out my tongue and caught a fat flake. It burned.

'Jem, it's hot!'

'No it ain't, it's so cold it burns'" (65).

Imagery is a great way to convey human qualities to textual descriptions. This helps readers to identify  with the story on a deeper level because they have to pull from personal experience to comprehend what characters are experiencing. Luckily, Lee is one of the best at accomplishing this task.

What was the impact of the Enclosure Acts and new farming practices?

The Enclosure Acts were laws passed by the British Parliament to enclose, or fence off, farm land that had been previously open. Many enclosure acts were passed from about 1600 to 1900, thereby shutting off peasants from common lands on which they could formerly graze their sheep and raise crops.

The Enclosure Acts were passed so that landowners could make higher profits from their land and increase agricultural productivity. Farmers began to use techniques that...

The Enclosure Acts were laws passed by the British Parliament to enclose, or fence off, farm land that had been previously open. Many enclosure acts were passed from about 1600 to 1900, thereby shutting off peasants from common lands on which they could formerly graze their sheep and raise crops.

The Enclosure Acts were passed so that landowners could make higher profits from their land and increase agricultural productivity. Farmers began to use techniques that resulted in higher yields and profits. 

In addition, peasants who formerly worked the land were forced to leave rural areas because their labor was not needed. As a result, they flooded into urban areas before and during the Industrial Revolution, often forming part of the new factory working class. They also often immigrated--first to Northern Ireland and then to British colonies in the New World. Therefore, the process of enclosure resulted in augmenting the processes of urbanization, industrialization, and immigration. In addition, many historians cite the process of enclosure as the beginning of capitalism and the end of feudalism, as lands that were formerly held in common (or held by lords and used by peasants) became the domains of individuals who used them to increase profits. 

Explain Dexter's rise to material success.

Dexter Green, the main character in Fitzgerald's short story "Winter Dreams," does not come from a wealthy family, but isn't poor either. In the opening paragraph Fitzgerald tells us that Dexter's "father owned the second best grocery store in Black Bear." From the outset we also learn that the 14 year old Dexter is both industrious and well liked in his part time job as a caddy at the Sherry Island Golf Club. He is...

Dexter Green, the main character in Fitzgerald's short story "Winter Dreams," does not come from a wealthy family, but isn't poor either. In the opening paragraph Fitzgerald tells us that Dexter's "father owned the second best grocery store in Black Bear." From the outset we also learn that the 14 year old Dexter is both industrious and well liked in his part time job as a caddy at the Sherry Island Golf Club. He is praised as the "best caddy I ever saw" who "never lost a ball."

By the time Dexter is twenty-seven he already owns "the largest string of laundries in his section of the country." He parlays his knowledge of golf into success by knowing exactly how the wealthy golfers like their stockings washed. Dexter eventually sells his laundries and moves to New York City where Fitzgerald suggests he increases his success. In section six we discover Dexter "had done well--so well that there were no barriers too high for him."

It's not surprising then that Fitzgerald gives his main character the sir name "Green" because Dexter is very good at making money. But, much like Jay Gatsby in Fitzgerald's famous novel, who is also capable of great earning power, Dexter is unable to secure the ideal love he seeks. 

In Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, what rift is indicated between Ruth and Walter when she says to him, “You mean graft?”, when...

Lorraine Hansberry play A Raisin in the Sun is not only about the state of race relations in the United States during the1950s. In fact, the efforts of the predominantly white community to which the Younger family hopes to relocate, efforts that Karl Lindner, the representative of that community who is dispatched to the Younger apartment to bribe the African American family to reconsider and stay away, constitutes an underlying theme of Hansberry’s play. The real drama in A Raisin in the Sun occurs within the Younger household, with the conflicting philosophies of Walter and Ruth Younger and the diametrically-opposed perspectives of Travis’s sister Beneatha’s two suitors, George Murchison and Joseph Asagai. Walter is determined to pursue the material trappings that represent “the American Dream,” towards which end he plans to use the proceeds from his deceased father’s life insurance to invest in a liquor store with two friends. As the play progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that those plans, dependent upon Willy and Bobo, Walter’s friends, is a little less than practical given the questionable nature of Willy’s character. Walter, however, is ready to move forward on this business proposal, while his long-suffering wife, Ruth, remains skeptical of get-rich-quick schemes, as she spends her days, when not tending to their small apartment, cleaning the homes of wealthy white families. Ruth believes that only through hard work and careful consideration can her family advance in the world, although she shares Walter’s dream of a bigger house in a better neighborhood. It is Ruth’s more cautious nature and physically- and emotionally-exhausted demeanor that causes her to question her husband’s ethics, evident in the following passage from Act I, Scene I:

WALTER: Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be 'bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each. Course, there's a couple of hundred you got to pay so's you don't spend you life just waiting for them clowns to let your license get approved —

RUTH: You mean graft?

WALTER (frowning impatiently): Don't call it that. See there, that just goes to show you what women understand about the world. Baby, don't nothing happen for you in this world 'les you pay somebody off!

Walter and Ruth love each other, but Ruth’s later consideration of an abortion to terminate her pregnancy is an overwhelming indictment of her feelings regarding her husband’s character. Of the two, Ruth is the one with work ethic necessary to advance properly in the world. Walter, as is noted in Act II, Scene II, lacks his wife’s ethical approach to adult responsibility, failing to show up for work as a cab driver for three days in a row

RUTH: She said Mr. Arnold has had to take a cab for three days . . . Walter, you ain't been to work for three days! (This is a revelation to her.) Where you been, Walter Lee Younger? (WALTER looks at her and starts to laugh.) You're going to lose your job.

WALTER: That's right. . . (He turns on the radio.)

Walter believes the $10,000 insurance payment is his, and his family’s, ticket to success, but Ruth knows otherwise. Ruth, as noted, is a realist; she knows that, as an African American family in the inner-city, the Youngers are getting a raw deal in life, but she knows that no short-cut exists to a better life. She is tired, emotionally and physically, and is at the end of her rope. Walter, though, is also something of a realist. Hansberry’s play takes place in the south-side of Chicago, a city renown for its history of corruption. Ruth’s comment about Walter’s willingness to bribe city officials reflects both her superior moral outlook and Walter’s more hard-edged realism. Both are pragmatists, but in markedly different ways. Their marriage suffers under the strains of their socioeconomic condition, but it is resilient enough to endure.

The half life of radium is 1600 years. After how many years 1 kilogram sample of radium will be reduced to 1 gram?

The half life of radium is given as 1600 years. This means that a sample of 1 kg or 1000 g radium will be reduced to 500 gm in 1600 years. After another 1600 year years, it will be reduced further by another 50% and we will be left with 250 g of radium and so on. In other words,

`(1/2)^n` = fraction of original sample left

where, n is the number of half lives....

The half life of radium is given as 1600 years. This means that a sample of 1 kg or 1000 g radium will be reduced to 500 gm in 1600 years. After another 1600 year years, it will be reduced further by another 50% and we will be left with 250 g of radium and so on. In other words,

`(1/2)^n` = fraction of original sample left

where, n is the number of half lives. Thus, in 1 half life, 1/2 of original sample is left. In 2 half lives, 1/4 or 25% of original sample is left and so on.

In this case, we have to find the time after which only 1 g of sample is left. In other words, we have to find the value of n for which only 0.001 part (= 1 g/1000 g) of radium is left.

Hence, (1/2)^n = 0.001

solving this (hint:take logarithm of both sides and then solve), we get, n = 9.97 half lives. = 9.97 x 1600 years = 15,952 years.

Thus, after a period of 15,952 years, 1 kg of radium will be reduced to 1 g of radium.

Hope this helps.

What is the most significant moment in Stave Two of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens?

In Stave Two Scrooge is visited by the first of the three spirits Marley's Ghost told him would come. The Spirit of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to visit several scenes of his own past and one of his former fiance's past. Many of these events are significant, and we can see Scrooge already beginning to change and soften. The first indication he is softening is when Scrooge looks upon himself as a lonely boy at boarding school. All the other boys have gone home for the holiday, but he is left reading all by himself in the barren, cheerless room. This causes Scrooge to wish he had treated the Christmas caroler who came to his shop the previous evening with more kindness.

Next we see another Christmas where Scrooge is again left alone as a child, but his sister, Fan, comes to invite him home. Although not stated explicitly, we suspect this makes Scrooge think more fondly of his nephew, Fan's only son, since he grows uneasy when the Spirit points out Fan has died, leaving a child.

The next scene is the Christmas party of Fezziwig, Scrooge's former employer. The raucous and joyous event hosted by the munificent Fezziwig stands in sharp contrast to Scrooge's cold and cheerless counting house and his treatment of Bob Cratchit. This event leads him to wish he could speak to Cratchit, presumably to correct some of the unkind things he has said and done toward him.

Next are the scenes of Scrooge's break-up with Belle and her married life after she broke off their engagement. These are the hardest scenes for Scrooge to watch, and he ends up telling the Spirit to torment him no more and, taking the Spirit's hat, tries to snuff him out.

One could argue that the scenes where Scrooge begins to change and have regrets are the most significant, and the one where he realizes he has not been a good employer to Cratchit would seem to be the most important of those because a change in that part of his life would make the most difference since he works almost every day. One could also argue that the scene where he tries to snuff out the Spirit is the most important, for it shows us that Scrooge is not yet tender enough and that the coming Spirits have much more work to do before he truly is able to "keep Christmas in his heart." 

What are some examples of imagery in "The Demon Lover?"

Bowen uses imagery throughout her story, "The Demon Lover." She opens, for instance, with an image of a "steamy, showery" day to depict the hot and humid weather. This is immediately followed by a contrasting image of darkness:

"Against the next batch of clouds already piling up ink-dark."

By creating this contrast, Bowen alters the mood of the story so that it becomes more serious. She also foreshadows the dramatic events to come.

In addition,...

Bowen uses imagery throughout her story, "The Demon Lover." She opens, for instance, with an image of a "steamy, showery" day to depict the hot and humid weather. This is immediately followed by a contrasting image of darkness:

"Against the next batch of clouds already piling up ink-dark."

By creating this contrast, Bowen alters the mood of the story so that it becomes more serious. She also foreshadows the dramatic events to come.

In addition, Bowen uses imagery to describe the interior of Mrs Drover's former home. She mentions the smell of "cold heart," for example, to convey to the reader that the house has been abandoned for some time. This is reinforced by an image of a "film" which covers the furniture and suggests that these items have not been dusted or cleaned for some time. 

Finally, after Mrs Drover has discovered and read the letter, Bowen employs an auditory image of crashing rain. This is effective in adding drama to the scene and creating a sense of suspense as the reader waits to see what will happen next. 

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, what are the effects of isolation on Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Pearl? Provide examples.

The isolation experienced by the main characters of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter brings about significant changes in their positions in the community. Isolation also causes their self-perceptions to become altered.

While it is known that science has found that the brains of lonely people react differently from those with active social networks, Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates an early perspicacity (a keen insight) in this matter in his Introductory to The Scarlet Letter, "The Custom House." From his observations of the isolated role of the Custom-House officer, who does not "share in the united effort of mankind," Hawthorne draws the conclusion that such a single soul loses his own "proper strength" and becomes weakened in his "original nature" and its self-reliance and courage. Further, Hawthorne exemplifies these observations in the characters of the narrative that follows his introduction.

Hester Prynne's scarlet letter and "the innumerable throbs of anguish that had been so cunningly contrived for her" set her strangely apart from the Puritan community. People stare at her prominent scarlet letter or children pursue her with shrill cries, 

Every gesture, every word, and even the silence of those with whom she came in contact, implied, and often expressed, that she was banished, and as much alone as if she inhabited another sphere. (Ch.5)

There are times when she feels that a person looks at her scarlet letter; this look gives her a feeling of "momentary relief--as if half of her agony were shared." Then, too, there are other times that she can not help feeling that "the red infamy upon her breast" lends her "a sympathetic knowledge of the hidden sin in other hearts." At other times,

...a mystic sisterhood would contumaciously assert itself, as she met the sanctified frown of some matron, who, according to the rumor of all tongues, had kept cold snow within her bosom throughout her life....Or once more, the electric thrill would give her warning,--"Behold Hester, here is a companion!"--and, looking up, she would detect the eyes of a young maiden glancing at the scarlet letter shyly and aside, and quickly averted, with a faint, chill crimson in her cheeks....(Ch.5)

These moments of "mystic sisterhood" are sadly short-lived, however, and Hester returns to her life apart from the community. Since she is isolated from the Puritan society, the solitary Hester decides to allow herself more freedom of thought.

 . . The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,—stern and wild ones,—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss. (Ch.18)

Because of her profound alienation, Hester finds herself forced into the role of her own philosopher as she is placed into "a moral wilderness." Later, with no rules or guidance to limit her, Hester later feels confident in hers and the minister's decision to run away to Europe, whereas the Reverend Dimmesdale is uncertain.

After she leaves the Puritan community for England and returns years later, Hester again wears upon her bosom the scarlet letter: "And Hester Prynne had returned, and taken up her long-forsaken shame!" (Ch.24) However, Hester's situation differs because the letter becomes not so much a symbol of ostracism from society as that of sympathy and sorrow set apart for her. 

But...the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence, too. (Ch.24)

The Reverend Dimmesdale feels isolated because of his guilt over his sin of adultery committed with Hester. Because his is a secret sin, Dimmesdale internalizes his guilt and feels isolated from the community in his acts of hypocrisy as their minister. The minister imposes self-flagellation to rid himself of his guilt, but this physical punishment does not allay his feelings of sinfulness. When he tries to proclaim his guilt publicly with the words of his sermons, the members of the congregation believe that he is speaking allegorically, and they find him humble in his acclamations of being a sinner. Finally, his sinful isolation and inability to reveal himself eat away at Dimmesdale to the point that he "loses his own proper strength" as Hawthorne has earlier noted. Weakened by this loss of his "own original nature," the minister dies after he publicly confesses his secret sin and exposes his own scarlet letter upon his chest.

Roger Chillingworth learns of his wife's crime of adultery and watches her as she stands on the scaffold. It is then that he plans his revenge. Operating under the guise of a doctor, or "leech," Chillingworth attaches himself to his victim, the Reverend Dimmesdale. Isolated from everyone else in the community as a stranger, Chillingworth stays with Dimmesdale and focuses on getting the minister, whom he suspects of committing adultery with his wife Hester, to reveal himself.

Because of his isolation from the community and all that is worthy and good, along with his insidious actions and cruel intentions to expose the minister's sins, Chillingworth transforms into a fiend. He becomes

...a chief actor in the poor minister's interior world. He could play upon him as he chose.

One night as the Reverend Dimmesdale sleeps, Chillingworth thrusts open the shirt which the minister wears, exposing the manifestation of guilt: A raised letter A is on the Reverend Dimmesdale's chest.

Later, Chillingworth's plan to expose Dimmesdale fails because the minister asks Pearl to join him and Hester as they stand on the scaffold, the one place where the evil Chillingworth cannot reach them. When the old leech sees the three standing together on the platform, he hurries to them. "Thou hast escaped me!" this fiend tells Dimmesdale. "May God forgive thee!" the minister replies.

Pearl

As the incarnation of the sin between the minister and Hester, and as the "messenger of anguish," Pearl is isolated from the other children of the Puritan community. Since Pearl is "an imp of evil, emblem and product of sin" (Ch. 6), she is taunted by the other children and not allowed to play with them. When they approach her, Pearl throws stones at the children while screaming something like "a witch's anathemas in some unknown tongue." (Ch.6)

Pearl is described as an "elf-child" who "lacked reference and adaptation to the world into which she was born. The child could not be made amenable to rules." She is a free spirit, the incarnation of the love of Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale. Alienated from the Puritan world that demands order, little Pearl is a free spirit who delights in the sounds and sights of Nature.

How do other people in town feel about Miss Emily and her family?

In the short story "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, Emily Grierson is a member of a faded aristocratic southern family. Her family was once great, and the town still treats her with a sense of deference because of her family's history. The townspeople are also curious about her and her mysterious house. The story begins,

When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old man-servant--a combined gardener and cook--had seen in at least ten years.

The men treat her with the courtesy and deference one might pay to a relic of an earlier age or a once-great institution, such as the declining southern gentility. The women are mainly interested in seeing what her house looks like, as few people have entered it in years.

Out of a sense of respect for her social status, the town does not ask Emily to pay taxes. "Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town." She becomes a responsibility of the town, out of a sense of deference for her ancestors. When a strange, strong, and horrid smell starts coming from her house, the town does not do much about it. Instead, they send workers to sprinkle lime around the foundation of the house in the hope the smell will go away. 

The town feels sorry for Emily because many years before, she had fallen in love with a Yankee named Homer Barron, who was working on a construction crew in town. Eventually, he disappears, and Emily is left as a pauper in the disintegrating house that had belonged to her family. It is this sense of pity that enables Emily to buy arsenic, a poison, from a druggist in town. It is only after she dies that the town finds out that she has killed Homer and that his skeleton has long rested on Emily's bed. 

How can your write a "bad news" letter to your employees? What's an example?

There are many different ways one could write an email delivering “bad news” to employees. Some key elements of such an email are that it should: 1) address the employees, 2) notify them of the problem, 3) explain what is being done to fix the problem, 4) say by when the problem is expected to be fixed, 5) inform them what they should do in the meantime, and 6) thank them for their understanding. Of...

There are many different ways one could write an email delivering “bad news” to employees. Some key elements of such an email are that it should: 1) address the employees, 2) notify them of the problem, 3) explain what is being done to fix the problem, 4) say by when the problem is expected to be fixed, 5) inform them what they should do in the meantime, and 6) thank them for their understanding. Of course, you can include more specific details if you wish. Here is an example of a possible email for this situation, but you should feel free to use your own words:

Dear employees,

We are writing to inform you that we are unfortunately having some problems with the Internet connection and are experiencing some downtime.

We understand that an Internet connection is essential to much of the work we do and our IT department is currently working hard to repair the issue. We hope to have everything working properly again as soon as possible.

We will keep you updated as we work to fix this problem. In the meantime, if there are tasks you are able to do without Internet, please prioritize those. Otherwise, you could work from home or from a coffee shop with an Internet connection until such time as the problem is fixed 

Thank you for all the hard work that you do for our company. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

We will inform you as soon as the Internet is fully functioning again.

Best regards,

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

What are some of the internal conflicts in the short story "Through the Tunnel"?

Jerry's mother feels very conflicted in terms of how much freedom she should allow her eleven-year-old son. She would prefer to keep him with her on the safe beach, but she also realizes that she needs to allow him greater independence than she used to because he will require this freedom in order to learn how to operate in the world. She thinks, 

Of course he's old enough to be safe without me.  Have I...

Jerry's mother feels very conflicted in terms of how much freedom she should allow her eleven-year-old son. She would prefer to keep him with her on the safe beach, but she also realizes that she needs to allow him greater independence than she used to because he will require this freedom in order to learn how to operate in the world. She thinks, 

Of course he's old enough to be safe without me.  Have I been keeping him too close?  He mustn't feel he ought to be with me.  I must be careful [....].  She was determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion.  She went worrying off to her beach.

On the one hand, she wants to protect Jerry from the world (and from himself and the possibility that he will make poor decisions). Such a concern seems justified given Jerry's decision to swim through the rock at all costs, a move which nearly kills him. On the other hand, Jerry's mother knows that a child his age needs freedom from her, and she "conscientiously worr[ies] over what amusements he might secretly be longing for which she had been too busy or too careless to imagine."  

Her internal conflict seems pretty typical of any parent of a child this age. Parents want so much to protect their children, but simultaneously realize that their children must experience independence in order to learn how to live in the world. 

What fruits are most effective for maintaining good health and what is a good diet plan for health?

Fruits are very healthy to eat and should be part of our daily diets. Fruits provide our bodies with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, fiber, water, etc. There are some fruits that are generally "better" than others and provide more health benefits. Bananas are high in potassium and help keep our blood pressure low. Berries such as acai, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are rich in antioxidants (they help protect us from free radicals) and help strengthen...

Fruits are very healthy to eat and should be part of our daily diets. Fruits provide our bodies with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, fiber, water, etc. There are some fruits that are generally "better" than others and provide more health benefits. Bananas are high in potassium and help keep our blood pressure low. Berries such as acai, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are rich in antioxidants (they help protect us from free radicals) and help strengthen our cognitive functioning. They also fight heart disease and prevent some forms of cancer. Apples contain natural antihistamines and anti-inflammatory properties that are also great for our bodies. 

Components of a good plan will always consist of eating vegetables and fruits daily, low-fat dairy, and lean meats. It is also just as important to limit saturated fats and any added sugars. Everyone is different so it is always best to consult with a doctor when starting any diet plan. In addition, don't forget about portion control. A good rule of thumb is to divide the plate. One half of the plate should be vegetables and fruits, the rest divided between proteins and starches. 

Why is Helen Stoner concerned that Sherlock Holmes won't take her case?

Helen Stoner is afraid Sherlock Holmes will refuse to help her because she does not have enough money to pay his fee. She tells him:

Oh, sir, do you not think that you could help me, too, and at least throw a little light through the dense darkness which surrounds me? At present it is out of my power to reward you for your services, but in a month or six weeks I shall be married, with the control of my own income, and then at least you shall not find me ungrateful.”

Her stepfather Dr. Roylott controls her capital and her income, but according to the terms of her deceased mother's will, Roylott will have to pay her one-third of the income from her mother's estate every year when she gets married. Holmes will later do some research and learn that this will amount to about 250 pounds a year. And it turns out that Roylott is trying to murder Helen in order to avoid having to pay her that sum of money. Holmes establishes that Roylott murdered Helen's sister Julia two years earlier for the same motive: Julia was engaged to be married and would have been legally entitled to a payment of about 250 pounds a year. Roylott has gotten himself into financial difficulties and would be virtually destitute if he had to pay either of his stepdaughters that much money out of his dwindling income.

But Holmes takes Helen's case out of sympathy for the terrified girl. He is also intrigued by the unusual nature of the case. The story is what is called a "locked room murder mystery." Assuming that Helen's sister Julia was murdered, how could the perpetrator have managed it when the girl was sleeping in a room with the door locked and the window-shutters tightly closed and bolted? 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote four Sherlock Holmes novels and fifty-six Sherlock Holmes short stories. He established that his detective would take cases on a pro bono basis because this would enable the author to deal with a wider variety of characters, plots, and settings than would have been the case if Holmes only worked for the affluent class of people who could afford to pay his fee. It enabled Conan Doyle to continue to be creative and extremely popular on both sides of the Atlantic. This unusual altruistic attitude of the great detective can be observed in two of the most popular Sherlock Holmes stories: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" and "The Red-Headed League." Dr. Watson, who is the narrator of most of the stories, frequently explains that Holmes only takes cases that interest him. The detective has become so sought after that he no longer needs to be concerned about money. In one story, "The Adventure of the Priory School," Holmes' client, a wealthy English nobleman, writes him a check for six thousand pounds, which would be equivalent in purchasing power to millions of today's American dollars. Early in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" Dr. Watson states:

...working as he did rather for the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused to associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards the unusual, and even the fantastic. 

In To Kill A Mockingbird, why did Mayella Ewell live a miserable life?

Mayella is the isolated, unattractive daughter of Bob Ewell. She is part of a very poor family considered white trash by the rest of the community. Bob Ewell, an alcoholic, is a violent man who beats Mayella, and spends what little money he has on whiskey. His eight motherless children live in a ramshackle shack with him, and the family relies on poaching to survive. As the narrator states, the Ewell family "had been the...

Mayella is the isolated, unattractive daughter of Bob Ewell. She is part of a very poor family considered white trash by the rest of the community. Bob Ewell, an alcoholic, is a violent man who beats Mayella, and spends what little money he has on whiskey. His eight motherless children live in a ramshackle shack with him, and the family relies on poaching to survive. As the narrator states, the Ewell family "had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations."

While it's clearly miserable to live in a shack with an abusive father and to be an impoverished outcast in the community, Mayella also feels forced to turn on Tom Robinson, a man who has treated her with kindness, simply because he is black. Although she is the one who most likely approached him, and while there is no good evidence he raped her, she has no mechanism for fighting back against a code that insists the racial line cannot be crossed between black men and white women. For the rest of her life, she will have to fight to deny to herself that she wronged an innocent person. 

What is an sn2 reaction and how does it work on this reaction of a hydroxide ion (OH -) (nucleophilic) reacts with a molecule of bromomethane...

Sn2 is an acronym that stands for Substitution Nucelophilic Bimolecular (the 2 d two molecules).  It describes a reaction mechanism whereby one molecules approaches and bonds with another molecule while simultaneously ejecting another atom or group of atoms from the molecule as a replacement.  Let's look at the example you provide with the reaction of a hydroxide anion (OH-) with bromomethane. 

OH- + BrCH3 ---> ?

In this case, the hydroxide anion is a nucleophile...

Sn2 is an acronym that stands for Substitution Nucelophilic Bimolecular (the 2 d two molecules).  It describes a reaction mechanism whereby one molecules approaches and bonds with another molecule while simultaneously ejecting another atom or group of atoms from the molecule as a replacement.  Let's look at the example you provide with the reaction of a hydroxide anion (OH-) with bromomethane. 

OH- + BrCH3 ---> ?

In this case, the hydroxide anion is a nucleophile (literally a lover of atomic nucleii).  This means that it is a negatively charged species that is looking for a positively charged species to interact with.  The bromomethane is the electrophile (literally lover of electrons).  This means that it is a partially positively charged species that is available to react with a nucleophile.  The partially positive charge in bromomethane results from the electronegativity of the bromine atom.  The bromine atom is a highly electronegative atom, meaning that it will pull electron density toward it.  So the electrons in the covalent bond between the carbon and bromine are pulled somewhat toward the bromine atom, thus putting a partial positive charge on the carbon atom.  So when the hydroxide anion approaches the bromomethane for a chemical reaction, this is called the nucleophilic attack since the negatively charged oxygen anion is "attacking" the partially charged carbon atom for the SN2 reaction.  A new covalent bond formed between the nucleophile and the electrophile occurs at the same time that bromine atom starts to lose its bond with the carbon and becomes the leaving group.  This results in a fleeting species called a transition state where the new bond is partially formed and the old bond is partially broken.  This transition state immediately breaks down to for the products, in this case methanol (CH3OH) and the bromide anion

HO- + CH3Br ------> HO--CH3--Br -------> HOCH3 + Br-

So ultimately the bromine atom on the CH3 group is substituted with the hydroxyl group.  The energy diagram for an SN2 reaction is shown in the attachment below.  The energy level of the starting reagents is on the left.  The transition state is formed in the middle which is a higher energy species.  This then goes to the products on the right which is the lowest energy level.  The overall drop in internal energy from the starting reagents to the products is the driving force for the reaction.

What are some of Langston Hughes's achievements during the Harlem Renaissance?

Langston Hughes was one of the most important figures in the Harlem Renaissance, a movement involving African-American literary and artistic achievements and pride in the 1920s based in New York City. One of his achievements was to write poems that reflected the reality and the real language of African-American urban life, though critics often found fault with him for doing so.

His 1924 collection Fine Clothes to the Jewwas roundly criticized, though it captured...

Langston Hughes was one of the most important figures in the Harlem Renaissance, a movement involving African-American literary and artistic achievements and pride in the 1920s based in New York City. One of his achievements was to write poems that reflected the reality and the real language of African-American urban life, though critics often found fault with him for doing so.

His 1924 collection Fine Clothes to the Jew was roundly criticized, though it captured some of the realities of life in Harlem. The title of the collection came from the practice that many African-Americans had of pawning clothes to Jewish pawnbrokers when they were down on their luck. 

While Hughes's poems did not use the abstractions or elevated language common to many esteemed poets of the time, there is no doubt that his work captured the essence of African-American city life. For example, his poem "Theme for English B" reads, in part, "I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem./ I went to school there, then Durham, then here/ to this college on the hill above Harlem./ I am the only colored student in my class." This poem tells the story of an African-American student who must write an essay for a college English class. A later line reads, "So will my page be colored that I write?/ Being me, it will not be white./But it will be/ a part of you, instructor./You are white—/yet a part of me, as I am a part of you./ That’s American." The narrator goes on the suggest that the instructor of the class will learn as much from the student as the student will from the professor, even though the professor is white and "more free." It was this assertion of the value of African-American tradition and of life in Harlem that made Hughes's poetry so powerful.

In addition, Hughes's poetry involves a lot of references to and rhythms from jazz, which he considered the highest expression of African-American life. For example, he began his poem "The Weary Blues" with the following line: "Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,/Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,/ I heard a Negro play." His lines mimic the syncopated rhythm and improvisation of jazz. His work celebrated working-class African-Americans, their music, and their lives and transmitted pride in African-American traditions. 

In the novel Lord of the flies, what are some positive and negative quotes that depict Ralph's leadership?

Ralph displays both positive and negative leadership qualities throughout the novel. His leadership abilities are put to the test when he becomes the elected chief of the boys on the island. Ralph begins by making some good decisions, such as setting ground rules to follow during assembly meetings. Ralph says,

"We can't have everybody talking at once. We'll have to have 'Hands up' like at school." (Golding 33)

Ralph also encourages the boys at the beginning of the novel by saying,

"And sooner or later a ship will put in here. It might even be Daddy's ship. So you see, sooner or later, we shall be rescued." (Golding 37)

Ralph also makes the important decision to maintain a signal fire on top of the mountain to aid in their rescue. Ralph says,

"There's another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire." (Golding 38)

In Chapter 4, Ralph confronts Jack after the signal fire goes out and they miss an opportunity to be rescued. He says,

"You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home---" (Golding 70)

By challenging and confronting Jack about prioritizing hunting ahead of rescue, Ralph displays his role as the boys' chief.

As the novel progresses, Ralph makes some serious misjudgments and loses support from the majority of the boys. In Chapter 2, Ralph begins to forget the rules he put in place about individuals speaking during the assemblies. Piggy is holding the conch attempting to speak and looks at Ralph to support him. When Piggy states that he's got the conch, Ralph says, "What's that?" (Golding 45) In Chapter 5, Jack argues during an assembly and convinces his followers to go hunting. Ralph tells Piggy,

"I ought to give up being chief. Hear 'em." (Golding 93)

Ralph's reaction to adversity is to give up, which is not a positive quality for a leader to have. In Chapter 10, when Ralph is attempting to encourage Samneric to build another fire he says,

"There was something good about fire. Something overwhelmingly good." (Golding 163)

Ralph begins to lose focus on what is important and is unable to motivate the few members of his tribe toward the end of the novel.

What did the Union states believe?

The Union or northern states had several beliefs during the Civil War. The North believed that the power of the federal government was supreme. They felt it was illegal for states to reject laws that they didn’t like. The northern states believed such a system would lead to chaos and confusion. The North didn’t support the states’ rights theory and the nullification concept that the South supported.

The North also believed secession was illegal. They...

The Union or northern states had several beliefs during the Civil War. The North believed that the power of the federal government was supreme. They felt it was illegal for states to reject laws that they didn’t like. The northern states believed such a system would lead to chaos and confusion. The North didn’t support the states’ rights theory and the nullification concept that the South supported.

The North also believed secession was illegal. They didn’t feel states could leave the country just because they didn’t like a law. The North understood that this was part of the reason for which they were fighting. The North wanted to conquer the South and bring it back into the Union.

The North was also fighting to abolish slavery. The North was concerned that slavery would spread if the South remained in the Union. The North wanted the results of the Civil War to end the debate about and the existence of slavery forever.

The North had very strong beliefs that they were fighting to retain during the Civil War. The North understood for what ideas it was fighting.

To what extent would you agree with the statement, "The appeal of Shakespeare's Hamlet lies primarily in the complex nature of the play's central...

Hamlet is arguably the most complex male character in the English canon. His soliloquies are complicated and filled with contradictions. He is as motivated as he is contemplative. It is hard to deny that he is a difficult character. However, the main appeal of the play comes from Hamlet's interactions with the many levels and systems that exist within the play. Hamlet, on his own, is not the main appeal of the play. Instead, it...

Hamlet is arguably the most complex male character in the English canon. His soliloquies are complicated and filled with contradictions. He is as motivated as he is contemplative. It is hard to deny that he is a difficult character. However, the main appeal of the play comes from Hamlet's interactions with the many levels and systems that exist within the play. Hamlet, on his own, is not the main appeal of the play. Instead, it is Hamlet's interactions with the other characters and situations that have enchantled audiences and readers for centuries.

There are many moving parts in the play that take hold of Hamlet. On a system level, the country has damaged foreign relationships which threaten to harm the country and its citizens. On a familial level, Hamlet has fractured relationships with his mother. Personally, Hamlet is conflicted and often lashing out. Hamlet's interactions and exchanges with these levels are what engage us.

What are the limitation of organic compounds and how can they be overcome?

Organic compounds have become firmly entrenched in our everyday lives.  We eat them for nutrition, we use them to fuel our automobiles, and we use them to both heat and cool our homes. As such, they seem to have no obvious limitations, but in recent years, the availability of organic compounds have been harder to come by.  At some point, we will exhaust our supply of fossil fuels, which qualify as organic compounds, and we...

Organic compounds have become firmly entrenched in our everyday lives.  We eat them for nutrition, we use them to fuel our automobiles, and we use them to both heat and cool our homes. As such, they seem to have no obvious limitations, but in recent years, the availability of organic compounds have been harder to come by.  At some point, we will exhaust our supply of fossil fuels, which qualify as organic compounds, and we will have to employ an energy source that is independent of organic compounds. 

Other limitations would include not fully understanding the full consequences of organic compound usage.  In the resource I have attached, a mention is made of allergic reactions to a pesticide used on an airline in Australia and New Zealand.  What was thought to be an improvement turns into a health disaster for certain people who are susceptible to the influence of a new organic compound.  As is the case with most things, there are benefits and there are liabilities.  There is no panacea, no cure-all, no 100% dead-on bet organic compounds will save the day.

To overcome the shortcomings of organic compounds, more experimentation must be conducted.  There will always be a shortcoming in these situations, the only way to deal with obstructions is to continue exploration in hopes of navigating around it.

How many unpaired electrons are present in phosphorous?

The ground state electron configuration of a phosphorous atom has three unpaired electrons. They're in the 3p sublevel. The electron configuration is:

`1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3` , for a total of 15 electrons. According to Hund's Rule, when a sublevel isn't full each orbital will contain one electron before any contain two. In other words, electrons don't pair up until they have to.

The image below is the orbital diagram for phosphorous. It illustrates...

The ground state electron configuration of a phosphorous atom has three unpaired electrons. They're in the 3p sublevel. The electron configuration is:

`1s^2 2s^2 2p^6 3s^2 3p^3` , for a total of 15 electrons. According to Hund's Rule, when a sublevel isn't full each orbital will contain one electron before any contain two. In other words, electrons don't pair up until they have to.

The image below is the orbital diagram for phosphorous. It illustrates Hund's Rule. Sulfur, for example, which has 16 electrons, will have another electron in the first 3p orbital and therefore only have two unpaired electrons. This is a periodic trend. Elements in the same group have the same number of unpaired electrons.

The opposite directions of the arrows in the orbital diagram represent the Pauli Exclusion principle, which states that a maximum of two electrons can occupy one orbital and they must have opposite spin.

How does Montresor manipulate Fortunato in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor uses Fortunato's own pride against him. Montresor knows that Fortunato prides himself on being knowledgeable about wine, so he comes up with the right kind of bait to trap such a man. First, Montresor mentions that he purchased a cask of what the sellers claimed to be Amontillado, but he was not so sure; he says that he should have asked Fortunato before making the purchase, but he...

In The Cask of Amontillado, Montresor uses Fortunato's own pride against him. Montresor knows that Fortunato prides himself on being knowledgeable about wine, so he comes up with the right kind of bait to trap such a man. First, Montresor mentions that he purchased a cask of what the sellers claimed to be Amontillado, but he was not so sure; he says that he should have asked Fortunato before making the purchase, but he feared losing the deal. Not only does this peak Fortunato's interest (as it is apparently unusual to be able to acquire an entire cask of Amontillado at that time of year), but it starts the inflation of Fortunato's ego. After saying that he should have consulted Fortunato, he immediately takes the opportunity away by saying that he is going to go ask another man, Luchesi, about it instead, thus taunting Fortunato with what could have been. Fortunato rises to the taunts, however, and claims that Luchesi is not as good as he is, so Montresor should forget Luchesi and let him test it out instead. Montresor declines, saying that he does not wish to interrupt Fortunato's partying, and this false refusal only makes Fortunato argue for it even more. Even once they are down in Montresor's vaults, he tries to convince Fortunato to leave, making Fortunato repeatedly say that he wants to stay. Thus, Montresor makes Fortunato believe that it was his own idea to help out Montresor with the Amontillado, when in fact, it was what Montresor wanted all along.

What is the setting of Waiting for Normal?

The main setting of the story, Waiting for Normal, takes place in modern times in Schenectady, New York.  Addie, the main protagonist is moved there by her mother and lives in a trailer.  Times are hard for Addie as she is often left alone by her mother (Mommers) who is bi-polar.  The family is poor, and Addie is often neglected and has to cook, clean, and take care of herself when her mother disappears...

The main setting of the story, Waiting for Normal, takes place in modern times in Schenectady, New York.  Addie, the main protagonist is moved there by her mother and lives in a trailer.  Times are hard for Addie as she is often left alone by her mother (Mommers) who is bi-polar.  The family is poor, and Addie is often neglected and has to cook, clean, and take care of herself when her mother disappears for days at a time.  Addie wants to be part of a family, to live a “normal” life, and throughout the story, she seeks some sort of stability in her life.  She becomes friends with Soula and Elliot who watch Addie when her mother is not around.  Her ex-stepfather, Dwight, also tries to help the situation as much as he can.  All Addie wants is to live with her ex-stepfather and his daughters, and luckily, Addie is able to do that by the end of the novel. 

Waiting for Normal is a testament of a young girl’s ability to survive a difficult situation and come out alive and well.

How is awareness of rank observed in the drinking of the palm wine?

In Things Fall Apart, Achebe presents a number of traditional Igbo customs and rituals in an effort to give the text an authentically Nigerian perspective. Chapter twelve contains one of the most striking rituals in the novel as Achebe portrays Obierika’s daughter’s uri. The families of the engaged the bride and her suitor along with the most important and reputable individuals in Umuofia are invited to the feast; indeed, there are no osu ...

In Things Fall Apart, Achebe presents a number of traditional Igbo customs and rituals in an effort to give the text an authentically Nigerian perspective. Chapter twelve contains one of the most striking rituals in the novel as Achebe portrays Obierika’s daughter’s uri. The families of the engaged the bride and her suitor along with the most important and reputable individuals in Umuofia are invited to the feast; indeed, there are no osu individuals present. After an entire day of cooking and preparing for the uri, the ceremony begins with a presentation of pots of palm wine. Interestingly, even though the ceremony is intended to be centered on the bride and her companions, the official drinking of the palm wine begins when the women retire:

“When the women retired, Obierika presented kola nuts to his in-laws…. The kola nut was eaten and the drinking of the palm-wine began” (117).

Awareness of rank is observed by the group because the top men in the clan drink first:

“As night fell, burning torches were set on wooden tripods and the young men raised a song. The elders sat in a big circle and the singers went round singing each man’s praise as they came before him. They had something to say for every man. Some were great farmers, some were orators who spoke for the clan; Okonkwo was the greatest wrestler and warrior alive” (118).

First, the great men drink wine. Then, the singers who were praising the great men of Umuofia are invited to sit in the circle. This is how rank is observed in the Igbo ceremonial drinking of the palm wine.

What is the difference between a literary text (such as a short story or a novel) and a film?

A short story or novel can be read in as much or as little time as the reader wants to linger over the details. The reader fills in the gaps of the writer's descriptions. A film, by contrast, has a fixed length (We can disregard the opportunities new media give us to play back favorite scenes or fast-forward through others) and the viewer is spoon-fed the visuals. One isn't necessarily better or deeper than the other, but they are not comparable experiences.

Consider Frankenstein. It has been adapted to film on many occasions and some of these films are wonderful art in their own right, but none of them accurately adapts the novel. The 1931 film (probably the best-known) keeps a brisk pace, is set in an era contemporary to that of the viewers, shows a monster with a flat head and bolts in his neck, and gives us a shorthand account of the relationship between Victor and Elizabeth. In the source novel, set in the 1790s, the reader is brought along as the story is told at a leisurely pace. We're given vague and inconsistent physical descriptions of the monster. Victor spends long stretches of time taking "coaching tours" of Europe while considering the practical issues of making a monster, and another one to consider how to craft its bride. From his lab in Ingoldstadt and from his coaching tours, he writes passionate letters to Elizabeth but actually only spends a few days total with her during the course of his adult life. This is ideal for the various ideas and themes Mary Shelley develops, but these elements make for terrible cinema. The action scenes are far apart and only last a few pages each. Frankenstein is difficult to faithfully adapt and it might not be worth the effort to do so. Film and prose are different media with different needs.

Again, one isn't necessarily better than the other. Sometimes the book's author also writes the screenplay for the film, and both are of comparable quality (True Confessions and The Pope of Greenwich Village are examples of this). Sometimes the film version is actually superior to the book (The Godfather, for example, or The Graduate). This usually happens when a strong film director adapts a weak novel or story.

Ultimately, a prose work has a single writer as its sole author. A film is a collaborative effort involving dozens or hundreds of participants. Its primary author is the director, not the screenwriter, and it will involve a lot of compromises from the director's original vision (and even more from the script, or the source story if there is one). A book is generally the purer vision of a single writer. This alone is a huge difference between the two media.

Which President was an activist progressive and which one was more "hand's off and willing to let businesses solve the great depression on their...

There were two presidents who were in office during the Great Depression. They were Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. They had different ideas for dealing with the Great Depression.

Herbert Hoover believed in laissez-faire economic principles. He believed our economy goes through cycles. We will have good times that will be followed by bad times. He believed the government should stay out of the economy and let economic events run their course. He was...

There were two presidents who were in office during the Great Depression. They were Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. They had different ideas for dealing with the Great Depression.

Herbert Hoover believed in laissez-faire economic principles. He believed our economy goes through cycles. We will have good times that will be followed by bad times. He believed the government should stay out of the economy and let economic events run their course. He was confident business owners could figure out ways to help get the economy going again when we were experiencing the bad times. He believed things would eventually get better. For the first year of the Great Depression, President Hoover did very little to help end the Great Depression. Eventually, as things worsened, he did take some government actions to stimulate the economy. The National Credit Corporation and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation are examples of programs developed by President Hoover. However, it was too late and not enough. President Hoover is characterized as a president who did very little to end the Great Depression.

President Roosevelt believed the government must be actively involved in trying to end the Great Depression. He helped to develop various programs that would ease the effects of the Great Depression and would try to fix the factors that led to the Great Depression. There were many job creation programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration. The Glass-Steagall Act and the Securities Act were designed to fix the issues with the banks and with the stock market. Money was provided to help farmers and homeowners. The Agricultural Adjustment Act and the Home Owners Loan Corporation are examples of these programs. President Roosevelt encouraged the businesses, the workers, and the government to work together as part of the National Industrial Recovery Act. President Roosevelt was very hands-on in trying to deal with and end the Great Depression.

Both Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt had ideas on how to deal with Great Depression. These ideas were very different. Hoover’s ideas weren’t successful while Roosevelt had some success with his ideas.

In the book Of Mice of Men, what is Carlson's dream?

Carlson is a laborer on the ranch where George and Lennie come to work. His main purpose in the novel is his killing of Candy's dog with a Luger which foreshadows George's killing of Lennie with the same weapon. If Carlson has a "dream" Steinbeck does not mention it in the book. Unlike Candy and Crooks, he is never part of George's and Lennie's dream of a "little piece of land." 

Carlson doesn't like Candy's...

Carlson is a laborer on the ranch where George and Lennie come to work. His main purpose in the novel is his killing of Candy's dog with a Luger which foreshadows George's killing of Lennie with the same weapon. If Carlson has a "dream" Steinbeck does not mention it in the book. Unlike Candy and Crooks, he is never part of George's and Lennie's dream of a "little piece of land." 

Carlson doesn't like Candy's dog because it is old and smells bad. He tells Candy that killing the dog would be merciful. The reader, however, may feel that Carlson is simply mean and lacks the ability to understand how much the dog means to Candy. In chapter three he takes the dog out and shoots him. Later in the chapter, Candy comments to George:

“I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.”

The stranger was Carlson and George takes Candy's words to heart as he steals Carlson's Luger after Lennie has accidentally killed Curley's wife. He eventually shoots his friend. As with Candy's dog, Carlson does not understand George's actions toward his friend and, at the end, as George and Slim are leaving the scene, Carlson utters the final lines of the novel:

“Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?”

Some may say that Carlson is hard hearted or simply ignorant toward the depth of affection which Candy felt for his dog and George for his friend.

This changes the form of matter, but does not change the original substance into another substance. What is this?

Physical changes may change the form of a substance. However, physical changes do not change the composition of the substance. Thus, no new substances are made during physical changes.

Examples of physical changes are smashing, tearing, and mixing. Additionally, all phase changes are physical changes. An example of a phase change is liquid water freezing. During a phase change, energy is added or removed. When energy is added, the molecules begin to move faster and...

Physical changes may change the form of a substance. However, physical changes do not change the composition of the substance. Thus, no new substances are made during physical changes.

Examples of physical changes are smashing, tearing, and mixing. Additionally, all phase changes are physical changes. An example of a phase change is liquid water freezing. During a phase change, energy is added or removed. When energy is added, the molecules begin to move faster and apart. When energy is removed, the molecules begin to slow down and come closer to one another. Although the distance between the molecules may change during a phase change, the composition of each molecule remains the same.

On the other hand, chemical changes can change both the appearance and chemical composition of a substance. Thus, chemical changes create new substances. Chemical changes involve the breaking of chemical bonds and the formation of new chemical bonds. Examples of chemical changes include fermentation, decomposition, oxidation, and combustion.

The total number of each type of atom within a chemical or physical change is the same before and after the change occurs. Thus, no matter is created nor destroyed during either a chemical or physical change. This concept is known as the law of conservation of matter.

1. Compare and contrast the list of grievances in the American Declaration of Independence with the list of grievances in the Vietnamese...

On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi. He did so in a manner that deliberately referenced the American and French declarations of independence. In fact, the opening sequence is spoken verbatim from the American Declaration of Independence. This was done with the purpose of demonstrating the hypocrisy of the west in that the French and United States feel that liberties should only be reserved for 'civilized'...

On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi. He did so in a manner that deliberately referenced the American and French declarations of independence. In fact, the opening sequence is spoken verbatim from the American Declaration of Independence. This was done with the purpose of demonstrating the hypocrisy of the west in that the French and United States feel that liberties should only be reserved for 'civilized' nations, or, at least, nations that are not communist.

Ho Chi Minh also wanted to communicate his grievances in the same way Thomas Jefferson did. For this reason, there are similarities in the grievances of the Vietnamese towards the French imperialist policies and America's grievances with England. Both declarations speak of unjust laws that are passed onto the colonies without the consent of the governed. Ho Chi Minh discusses how his people are exploited for economic gain in much the same way that Thomas Jefferson does. Both patriots reference the nature of taxation and how it has crippled the economies of their people.

A major difference between the two declarations is that the unfair practices of the French seem to greatly outweigh those of the British. This can be demonstrated in the charge of forcing the Vietnamese to consume alcohol and partake in the use of opium. Ho Chi Minh also mentions the slaughter of citizens by the French, a clear human rights violation that was not mentioned in the American Declaration of Independence. The Vietnamese leader also discusses the recent history of two imperial powers that have colonized Vietnam (France and Japan), while the American colonists were only ruled by one oppressor. Ho Chi Minh also discusses the cultural attack that the French orchestrated on his people. The American colonists were culturally identical to the British.

Any group of people that are unified and armed can impose war as evidenced by the decades-long Vietnamese struggle against France and the United States. Waging peace is more difficult as it requires a decisive military victory over your oppressor.

What are three very important lines pertaining to "The Leap" by Louise Eldrich?

Three meaningful lines in "The Leap" are as follows:

1. "I owe her my existence three times."


2. "My mother once said that I'd be amazed at how many things a person can do within the act of falling."


3. "I know that she's right. I knew it even then. As you fall there is time to think." 

These lines are important because they tie to the theme of making connections and decisions. Connections between the mother and the daughter run throughout the narrative of Louise Erdrich's story, and decisions are often involved.

1. Anna Avalon, whose last name suggests aviary movement, leaps through the air during a terrible storm and grabs a life-saving guide wire, saving her life which enables her to meet her husband and give birth to their daughter, the narrator. 
2. Years after her trapeze flight through the air, Anna tells her daughter that she was able to calculate her chances of survival since she did not grab her husband's ankle and fall to her death with him. Instead, she twisted her body so that she could change directions and grab the wire that saved her life. 
3. The narrator states that after her mother rescued her from her burning bedroom and, holding her in her arms, they jump to the firefighters' net, the narrator was, indeed, able to think as they fell through the air:

I slowly wondered what would happen if we missed the circle or bounced out of it.

She puts her faith in her mother and holds on as they fall to safety.

As these quotes illustrate, this story addresses moments of decision in people's lives and the manner in which they respond to these critical times, brief times which change the course of people's lives and make connections with others.