DNA divides by a process called ___?

The division of DNA into two daughter cells is accomplished by the process of mitosis.

For life to continue, cells must be able to divide and pass along the DNA blueprint to each daughter cell.

Before a cell divides, it carries out the process of DNA replication which forms two complete copies of the organism's genome.

DNA is found inside of chromosomes which in turn contain hundreds to thousands of genes. The cell cyclefollows...

The division of DNA into two daughter cells is accomplished by the process of mitosis.

For life to continue, cells must be able to divide and pass along the DNA blueprint to each daughter cell.

Before a cell divides, it carries out the process of DNA replication which forms two complete copies of the organism's genome.

DNA is found inside of chromosomes which in turn contain hundreds to thousands of genes. The cell cycle follows the path a cell travels on its journey from interphase to mitotic cell division and cytokinesis. During interphase, there is the Gap 1 stage where the cell produces organelles and proteins, the S phase when DNA replication occurs and the Gap 2 stage where proteins and organelles are produced.

Once a cell passes through all stages of interphase which is where it spends ninety percent of its life cycle,  it will enter the M or mitotic phase. This phase is very brief but at the end, the replicated DNA is divided between two identical daughter cells which will each have the full DNA complement. After mitosis, cytokinesis separates the cytoplasm between the two daughter cells which pinch apart in animal cells or are divided into two cells by the formation of a cell plate in plant cells.

 

What happens to Miss Sullivan's character during The Story of My Life by Helen Keller?

The Story of My Life is Helen Keller's autobiography.  She wrote the book to record the events of her life up until she was in her early twenties and in college.  Annie Sullivan arrived in Alabama to be Helen's teacher and companion when Helen was six-years-old.  This time period means that only about fifteen years of Annie Sullivan's life are covered in the book, which I detail below.

Anne Mansfield Sullivan was sent to Alabama...

The Story of My Life is Helen Keller's autobiography.  She wrote the book to record the events of her life up until she was in her early twenties and in college.  Annie Sullivan arrived in Alabama to be Helen's teacher and companion when Helen was six-years-old.  This time period means that only about fifteen years of Annie Sullivan's life are covered in the book, which I detail below.

Anne Mansfield Sullivan was sent to Alabama from the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston.  Helen described the day that Annie Sullivan arrived as "the most important day [she could] remember in all [her] life."  Ms. Sullivan was determined to teach and train Helen.  She found this challenge to be more than she had expected because of Helen's extreme stubbornness.  After many attempts to teach Helen the manual alphabet by fingerspelling into her palm, they had a breakthrough moment.  One day, Annie Sullivan led Helen to a water pump and let the water flow over her student's hand while spelling the word into her palm.  Helen described that moment in her autobiography, saying that she "knew then that 'w-a-t-e-r' meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over [her] hand."  From this time on, Helen became an eager learner.  Miss Sullivan was Helen's teacher and her companion.  She accompanied Helen as she travelled, met famous people, and attended school.  Annie Sullivan supported Helen and continued to communicate with her using the manual alphabet while Helen went to high school and college.

Who are the characters in chapter 6 of the book Lyddie?

The characters are Lyddie, Ezekial, Mrs. Cutler, and Triphena.

Lyddie is the main character in the book.  Lydia Worthen is a young woman who works at a pub called Cutler’s Tavern to pay off debts incurred by her family farm.

When visiting her family farm on a break from the tavern, Lyddie sees a runaway slave named Ezekial.  At first she is afraid of him because he is a strange man in her house.  He...

The characters are Lyddie, Ezekial, Mrs. Cutler, and Triphena.

Lyddie is the main character in the book.  Lydia Worthen is a young woman who works at a pub called Cutler’s Tavern to pay off debts incurred by her family farm.

When visiting her family farm on a break from the tavern, Lyddie sees a runaway slave named Ezekial.  At first she is afraid of him because he is a strange man in her house.  He is the one who thinks that Lyddie is breaking in.  When he learns who she is, he explains that her neighbor Stevens is allowing him to stay there.  He tells her that he thinks she will be understanding.

"I hope he was not mistaken."  He smiled apologetically. "Here, do come down from there and share a cup of tea with me. You've had a long journey, I'd imagine, and a rude shock, finding your home occupied by a stranger." (Ch. 6)

Ezekial, the fugitive slave, is self-taught and likes to quote the Bible.  He is very kind to Lyddie.  She is so impressed by him that she lends him the money that she had from selling the calf.  It is all the money she has.

Lyddie and Ezekial have an interesting conversation where Lyddie compares her situation to his.

"I couldn't leave my home," she said.

"No? And yet you did."

"I had no choice," she said hotly. "I was made to."

"So many slaves," he said softly.

"I ain't a slave," she said. "I just‐I just‐‐" (Ch. 6)

This is a manta that continues to go through Lyddie’s head as she works at the factory later.  She does not want to think of herself as a slave, even though she often has little control over how much work she has to do.

When Lyddie returns to the tavern, the cruel and strict tavern owner Mistress Cutler immediately dismisses her for being away from her post.  Lyddie feels this is unfair, because she did not know that she couldn’t leave while the boss was away. 

Triphena, the cook and Lyddie’s friend, comments that Lyddie is the best she has ever had.  Lyddie tells Triphena that she is going to go be a factory worker.  Triphena lends Lyddie some money since she gave away all of hers.

`int_0^(2pi) t^2 sin(2t) dt` Evaluate the integral

You need to use the integration by parts for `int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt`   such that:

`int udv = uv - int vdu`

`u = t^2 => du = 2tdt`

`dv = sin 2t=> v =(-cos 2t)/2`

`int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt = t^2*(-cos 2t)/2|_0^(2pi) + int_0^(2pi) t*cos 2t dt`

You need to use the integration by parts for `int_0^(2pi) t*cos 2t dt`  such that:

`u = t=> du = dt`

`dv = cos 2t=> v = (sin 2t)/2`

`int_0^(2pi) t*cos 2t dt = t*(sin 2t)/2|_0^(2pi) - (1/2)int_0^(2pi) sin 2t...

You need to use the integration by parts for `int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt`   such that:

`int udv = uv - int vdu`

`u = t^2 => du = 2tdt`

`dv = sin 2t=> v =(-cos 2t)/2`

`int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt = t^2*(-cos 2t)/2|_0^(2pi) + int_0^(2pi) t*cos 2t dt`

You need to use the integration by parts for `int_0^(2pi) t*cos 2t dt`  such that:

`u = t=> du = dt`

`dv = cos 2t=> v = (sin 2t)/2`

`int_0^(2pi) t*cos 2t dt = t*(sin 2t)/2|_0^(2pi) - (1/2)int_0^(2pi) sin 2t dt`

`int_0^(2pi) t*cos 2t dt = t*(sin 2t)/2|_0^(2pi) +  (cos 2t)/4|_0^(2pi) `

`int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt = t^2*(-cos 2t)/2|_0^(2pi) + t*(sin 2t)/2|_0^(2pi) +  (cos 2t)/4|_0^(2pi)`  

Using the fundamental theorem of calculus yields:

`int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt = (2pi)^2*(-cos 4pi)/2 + 0*(cos 0)/2  + 2pi*(sin 4pi)/2 - 0 +  (cos 4pi)/4 - (cos 0)/4`

`int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt = -2(pi)^2 + 1/4 - 1/4`

`int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt = -2(pi)^2 `

Hence, evaluating the integral, using  integration by parts, yields `int_0^(2pi) t^2*sin(2t)dt = -2(pi)^2.`

Why were European countries interested in exploring the New World?

There are several reasons European nations wanted to explore the New World, but for the most part they can be summed up by economic motivations. 

Exploration of the seas and eventually the New World (the North and South Americas) was initially an attempt to find a sea route for trade with Asia. Asian countries offered valuable goods that Europeans wanted to have access to like spices, silk, and precious metals. Transporting these goods over land...

There are several reasons European nations wanted to explore the New World, but for the most part they can be summed up by economic motivations. 

Exploration of the seas and eventually the New World (the North and South Americas) was initially an attempt to find a sea route for trade with Asia. Asian countries offered valuable goods that Europeans wanted to have access to like spices, silk, and precious metals. Transporting these goods over land was labor intensive and often dangerous as it required long trips through deserts and mountains. A sea route would be both quicker and easier for transporting goods back and forth. 

After Europeans traveled to the New World, they saw much potential for economic (and possibly spiritual) gain. The Americas had a number of animals and resources Europeans hadn't encountered before, and these became very hot commodities on the continent. Colonies were established to exploit the land and resources of the Americas with a secondary intention of Westernizing the native people. Westernization included conversion to Christianity, learning to speak one of the colonial languages, and taking up European customs. Many Europeans felt that it was their duty to Westernize Indigenous Americans because their traditional cultures were savagery and that they lived unhappy lives and would not be safe in the afterlife. 

Europeans also had a sense of wonder and mystery at the unknown lands of the Americas and believed that there may be supernatural places or beings waiting to be discovered. Most famously, many searched for a Fountain of Youth in the Americas, but to no avail. However, some plant, animal, and mineral materials were believed to have special qualities for health and were transported back to Europe for use as medicine.

Which events are important in Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now?

The first important event is the moment Doug meets and starts to become friends with Lilin the opening chapter. They don't hit it off the first time they meet because she thinks he looks like a "skinny thug" and locks up her bike, and he acts like a jerk. The next time she sees him, however, she brings him a coke from her father's deli and challenges him to drink it down in an...

The first important event is the moment Doug meets and starts to become friends with Lil in the opening chapter. They don't hit it off the first time they meet because she thinks he looks like a "skinny thug" and locks up her bike, and he acts like a jerk. The next time she sees him, however, she brings him a coke from her father's deli and challenges him to drink it down in an uninterrupted series of gulps. She then offers him a delivery job at her father's deli.

A second major event is the moment Mr. Powell sees Doug pretending to recreate John James Audubon's drawing of the Arctic tern in chapter 2. Mr. Powell recognizes Doug's genuine admiration and interest and offers to teach him how to draw. At first, Doug rejects the offer; however, by chapter 3, Mr. Powell has persuaded him. These drawing lessons become a critical way for Doug to begin overcoming his tribulations. As he notes in the final chapter of the book, Mr. Powell "taught [him] that sometimes, art can make you forget everything else all around you" (Chapter 10). His drawing lessons also help Doug gain confidence, enabling him to tackle problems around him, such as finding ways to return the sold Audubon plates back the book in the library.

Other major events in the story concern Doug's brave pursuits in restoring the sold portraits of the birds to the library. Everywhere he goes, he notes who is in possession of a plate. He then either boldly expresses his opinion that the plate really belongs in the library or negotiates with the person to have the plate returned to the library. For example, Doug witnesses one of Mr. Ballard's employees frame the plate titled Yellow Shank. When Mr. Ballard asks Doug where he thinks the picture should go, Doug very boldly replies, "I think it belongs back in the book" (Chapter 5). Mr. Ballard is surprised but very quickly comes to agree with Doug and orders it to be returned to the library. Doug's boldness with Mr. Ballard and success in achieving his goal shows us how much Doug is beginning to mature. He achieves many other great accomplishments throughout the book due to his boldness.

How does Silas react to the boys disturbing him?

If you are referring to Silas in "Silas Marner", our protagonist reacts to the boys disturbing him by glaring at them in a threatening manner.

In Chapter One, Silas Marner is a linen-weaver who works in his stone cottage near Raveloe. The neighborhood boys are fascinated by the strange sounds emanating from Silas' loom because the sounds do not resemble anything they have ever heard before. Certainly, the sounds are different from those made...

If you are referring to Silas in "Silas Marner", our protagonist reacts to the boys disturbing him by glaring at them in a threatening manner.

In Chapter One, Silas Marner is a linen-weaver who works in his stone cottage near Raveloe. The neighborhood boys are fascinated by the strange sounds emanating from Silas' loom because the sounds do not resemble anything they have ever heard before. Certainly, the sounds are different from those made by a winnowing machine or a manually operated flail.

Filled with both awe and scorn at this strange figure and his equally strange machine, the boys would peep in at Silas during inopportune times. They are actuated by a "pleasant sense of scornful superiority" when they spy on Silas at his loom. This is because most weavers, usually bent over their sedentary work for long hours, appear sparse in build and strength when compared to the heartier field workers. When Silas finds himself tested to the limits of his patience, he usually opens the door of his cottage and glares at the boys menacingly. Of course, this frightens the boys and they take off running. Certainly superstitious stories about Silas circulating in the village add further mystery to his person and contribute to his fearsome reputation.

What are the disadvantages of freedom of expression?

According to the Law Dictionary, freedom of expression is the right to say what you want through any media, as long it doesn't harm the "character of reputation" of another individual. Freedom of expression is protected in the U.S. by the first amendment.

Especially with the rise of the internet, freedom of expression may allow for the easy spread of false information or lies. One example is the idea that vaccines lead to autism, a...

According to the Law Dictionary, freedom of expression is the right to say what you want through any media, as long it doesn't harm the "character of reputation" of another individual. Freedom of expression is protected in the U.S. by the first amendment.

Especially with the rise of the internet, freedom of expression may allow for the easy spread of false information or lies. One example is the idea that vaccines lead to autism, a piece of misinformation that is dangerous and yet does not harm the character of any particular person. While it might be protected speech, it is untrue and can lead to unvaccinated children getting or transmitting preventable diseases.

Further, freedom of expression can often lead to defamation of character. Though perpetrators may later be forced to retract their statements, the damage may already have been done.

Freedom of expression protects speech that some argue can incite physical violence against other groups, such as hate speech towards an ethnic group leading to killing members of that group or violent pornography encouraging violence against women. 

Freedom of expression creates its own paradox: a society doesn't truly have freedom of speech if people are not allowed to make assertions that are distasteful or unpopular to the bulk of the population, yet these statements can be hurtful to others. 

In "All the Years of Her Life," what did the author mean in the last paragraph when he said, "this was the first time he had ever really seen his...

As children, we all grow up with certain preconceptions about our parents, and to a certain extent we believe that they are invincible.  We often don’t perceive until we are nearly adults that our parents are people too; they have feelings and conflicts and stressors in life.  And that they must be strong, even when they don’t feel it, for their children.  When we first see Mrs. Higgins, even her own son is drawn in...

As children, we all grow up with certain preconceptions about our parents, and to a certain extent we believe that they are invincible.  We often don’t perceive until we are nearly adults that our parents are people too; they have feelings and conflicts and stressors in life.  And that they must be strong, even when they don’t feel it, for their children.  When we first see Mrs. Higgins, even her own son is drawn in by her poise and grace, by her calmness in a situation which by all rights should make her angry.  After all, Alfred has been caught stealing, his boss has threatened to call the cops…any mother would be appalled and quick to demonstrate her authority at such a time.  And yet Mrs. Higgins handles the situation in the exact opposite manner her son is used to – he even states that “at home…he knew she would be in a rage and would cry out against him.”

But this is not what the final lines of the story are alluding to.  Rather, this calmness works in conjunction with the description of Alfred’s mother in the last paragraph to paint a picture of a tired, overworked woman whose children have given her so much trouble – Alfred can’t hold down a steady job and is still living at home, even when his younger sister is out and married – a marriage the mother was obviously opposed to.  She sits alone in the kitchen with a cup of hot tea, trembling and saggy, and Alfred realizes at this moment that this trembling had marked her “through all the years of her life,” through all the grief and struggle that comes with raising four children.  And so the final line, “it seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever looked upon his mother,” indicates that he is finally seeing his mother as she truly exists.  He is not seeing the woman who rages against her children’s trespasses, but instead sees the real person that that strong woman concealed.  His youthful blinders have fallen away, and he can see the harshness of life as written in his mother’s fatigue.

What are some examples of poetic devices in "Acquainted with the Night"?

This poem by Robert Frost is a sonnet: 14 lines of iambic pentameter. It uses rhyme and rhythm, sound devices, figurative language, and ambiguity in intriguing ways. 

First, although it is a sonnet, it uses a rhyme scheme that is not typical of the form. It consists of four tercets (three-line stanzas) followed by a rhyming couplet. The rhymes are interlocking: The end rhyme of the second line of each stanza becomes the rhyme of the first line of the following stanza. In this way, each successive stanza turns the poem back on itself in a revolving pattern, matching the way the poem's speaker "walked out in rain -- and back in rain." Ending the poem with the same line as it starts with uses repetition to bring the poem full circle, just as the poem's speaker has made a round-trip journey in the rain.

Although the rhythm is theoretically iambic (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable), in actuality one reads the lines that begin with "I have" with a stress on the "I." This creates a faltering rhythm consistent with the tentative spirit of the poem where things seem "neither wrong nor right."

The sound devices used include alliteration and consonance. The most prominent examples of alliteration (repetition of initial consonant sounds) are: "stood still and stopped the sound of feet," "saddest city," and "neither wrong nor right." The most obvious example of consonance (repeated internal or end consonant sounds) is the liberal use of the "t" sounds throughout the poem, including: acquainted, night, walked, outwalked, city, light, looked, saddest, passed, beat, dropped, still, stopped, feet, interrupted, street, still, height, against, time, right. Other oft-repeated soft consonants like the "s," "l," and "w" sounds give the poem a hushed tone consistent with the quiet, rainy evening the poet describes.

Line 12 contains a metaphor: "One luminary clock against the sky" compares the moon to a clock.

Ambiguity permeates the poem, creating an air of mystery and uncertainty. The cry the speaker hears is "not to call me back or say good-bye," but we are not told what it is. We know the time is "neither wrong nor right," but for what, we wonder. We do not know why the speaker has walked out at this time of night, nor do we know why he would drop his eyes and not want to explain his trek to the night watchman. 

The rhyme and rhythm, sound devices, figurative language, and ambiguity of this poem make it both soothing and haunting.

Should we allow restricted freedom in order to protect "Freedom" overall ?

While many people view the United States as a country with lots of freedoms, there are some restrictions placed on our freedoms. These restrictions are necessary for us to truly have freedom.

If people could do whatever they wanted to do, we would have chaos in our country. We limit our right to freedom of speech so people can’t say false things about somebody that might ruin a person’s reputation. During a war, the government...

While many people view the United States as a country with lots of freedoms, there are some restrictions placed on our freedoms. These restrictions are necessary for us to truly have freedom.

If people could do whatever they wanted to do, we would have chaos in our country. We limit our right to freedom of speech so people can’t say false things about somebody that might ruin a person’s reputation. During a war, the government has limited our freedom by restricting protest activities, or in the case of World War II, by restricting what products we could buy and how much we could buy. We have laws that limit our actions so we can be kept safer. There are speed limits to make our roads safer. There are restrictions and regulations businesses must follow to protect our workers, our consumers, and our environment. We have limits as to what we can take onto airplanes, and we must be screened and searched before we are granted access to the concourses of our airports. These restrictions limit our freedom, but there is a purpose to each of these restrictions that try to make things better for us.

In order to really be free, there need to be some restrictions or limits to the freedoms we have.

What motivates various characters in the novel Fahrenheit 451?

Various characters are motivated by different factors throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451. Montag, the novel's protagonist, is motivated to find meaning in his life.He is fed-up with his mundane, superficial existence and searches to find meaning and happiness in his life. He quits his job and seeks intellectualism throughout the novel. Mildred, Montag's wife, is content with her emotionless, detached lifestyle. When her husband admits he's stolen books and attempts to persuade her in...

Various characters are motivated by different factors throughout the novel Fahrenheit 451. Montag, the novel's protagonist, is motivated to find meaning in his life. He is fed-up with his mundane, superficial existence and searches to find meaning and happiness in his life. He quits his job and seeks intellectualism throughout the novel. Mildred, Montag's wife, is content with her emotionless, detached lifestyle. When her husband admits he's stolen books and attempts to persuade her in his search for meaning, she calls the fire department on him. Mildred is motivated to go back to living her normal lifestyle. Captain Beatty is motivated to uphold the government's censorship laws by continuing to burn books. He attempts to persuade Montag into believing that books are useless and controversial. Faber, the retired English teacher, is motivated to begin an intellectual revolution by moving to St. Louis to print copies of books. He is also motivated to help Montag understand various texts and escape the government forces throughout the novel. Granger and his band of intellectuals are motivated to preserve ideas, books, and knowledge. They hope that the knowledge they preserve will be the catalyst for a new intellectual movement when society is being rebuil

George is Lennie's mentor. Consequently he looks up to him in Of Mice and Men. What is a quote that shows this?

Chapter 1 in Of Mice and Men features specific examples of how Lennie looks up to George. 

• 
  to look up to (idiom): to perceive someone as worthy of respect and admiration

Lennie's imitation of George is one way that shows how Lennie looks up to--admires and respects--George. Lennie needs George because George shows Lennie how to act and behave. In the first chapter, Lennie imitates George when both of them lay down after walking...

Chapter 1 in Of Mice and Men features specific examples of how Lennie looks up to George. 

• 
  to look up to (idiom): to perceive someone as worthy of respect and admiration

Lennie's imitation of George is one way that shows how Lennie looks up to--admires and respects--George. Lennie needs George because George shows Lennie how to act and behave. In the first chapter, Lennie imitates George when both of them lay down after walking into the brush:  "George lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under his head, and Lennie imitated him, raising his head to see whether he was doing it right." Steinbeck is deliberate in his narration.  He says that Lennie imitates George to make sure he was "doing it right."  Lennie recognizes that George represents the way to behave.  In doing so, Lennie illustrates that he looks up to George through imitating him.

Another way that Lennie illustrates that he looks up to--admires and respects--George is by following the directives that George gives him.  In Chapter 1, George tells Lennie how to act when both men get to the ranch in terms of remaining silent:  "Lennie droned to himself softly, 'I ain't gonna say nothin'...  I ain't gonna say nothin'... I ain't gonna say nothin'..."  When Lennie repeats George's instructions to himself, it shows how Lennie looks up to George because he displays a sincere desire to want to follow George's orders.  Both through imitation and compliance, Lennie shows how much he looks up to George.

In Hans Fallada's book, "Every Man Dies Alone" what forms might resistance take to the totalitarian regime?

Every Man Dies Alone takes place in Berlin, the heart, both symbolic and real, of Nazi Germany. The time is World War II. In this novel, based on a true story, the chief symbols of resistance to the totalitarian regime are the anonymous postcards a working class couple, the Quangels (based on a real couple, the Hampels), drop in stairwells and mailboxes, protesting the war after their son is killed in battle.

The postcards make...

Every Man Dies Alone takes place in Berlin, the heart, both symbolic and real, of Nazi Germany. The time is World War II. In this novel, based on a true story, the chief symbols of resistance to the totalitarian regime are the anonymous postcards a working class couple, the Quangels (based on a real couple, the Hampels), drop in stairwells and mailboxes, protesting the war after their son is killed in battle.

The postcards make statements such as "“Mother! The Fuhrer has murdered my son. Mother! The Fuhrer will murder your sons too, he will not stop till he has brought sorrow to every home in the world."

In Nazi Germany the Quampels' speech acts stand out as blazing, Good Year blimp-like symbols of resistance to the regime that wanted control of every thought. Their postcards are treason. To oppose the Fuhrer, even in words, is to court death: 

“They had failed to understand that there was no such thing as private life in wartime Germany. No amount of reticence could change the fact that every individual German belonged to the generality of Germans and must share in the general destiny of Germany, even as more and more bombs were falling on the just and unjust alike.” 

However, we see other characters in the novel resisting the regime in smaller ways: these include not going to work (the labor shortage is so acute that people can do this without getting fired) and stealing other people's ration cards. These acts undermine the war effort, but fly beneath radar.

In real life, in Nazi Germany listening to BBC radio broadcasts or giving a loaf of bread to a slave laborer were offenses that could lead to the death penalty. The Nazis took to extremes the notion that whoever is not for us is against us. 

Why was the killing of Harrison Bergeron so significant? Did Harrison have to die for the sake of the society?

Harrison Bergeron was born strong and beautiful in a world which is defined by weakness, ugliness, and stupidity. In the society's quest for equality, they have chosen to use handicaps and masks to reduce these qualities to the lowest level across the population. This is done to eliminate competition and jealousy.

George presents society's argument in his conversation with Hazel about removing some metal balls from his handicap bag.

If I tried to get away...

Harrison Bergeron was born strong and beautiful in a world which is defined by weakness, ugliness, and stupidity. In the society's quest for equality, they have chosen to use handicaps and masks to reduce these qualities to the lowest level across the population. This is done to eliminate competition and jealousy.

George presents society's argument in his conversation with Hazel about removing some metal balls from his handicap bag.

If I tried to get away with it, ... then other people'd get away with it-and pretty soon we'd be right back to the dark ages again, with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn't like that, would you?

In this light, inequality leads to competition, and society would "fall apart."

Harrison Bergeron questions that idea. By removing his handicaps and those of the ballerina, he attempts to subvert the idea of equality that society proposes. Their beauty and grace suggest that inequality is more than competition. This idea completely undermines society, which is completely built around the idea of forced equality.

Bergeron must die because he cannot and will not be handicapped, and he encourages others to remove their restraints. His rebellion is not only a threat to authority, but also a display of the possible advantages to inequality. If one person is better than everyone else, society is no longer equal. Killing him is essential to ensure that everyone remains equal.

How are Sylvia and the stranger similar? How are they different? Why did Sylvia not tell the stranger about the heron?

Sylvia and the stranger are similar in that they both have (or claim to have) a real appreciation for the beauty of nature.  Just as Sylvia has a special appreciation for the birds, so does he.  He tells her grandmother, "'I am making a collection of birds myself.  I have been at it ever since I was a boy.'"  Further, he says that he cannot think of anything he'd like better than to find the white heron.

However, Sylvia and the stranger differ greatly in how they express their appreciation of nature.  For Sylvy, who is often compared to a flower, a move to the country from the city was a permanent once because

Everybody said that it was a good change for a little maid who had tried to grow for eight years in a crowded manufacturing town, but, as for Sylvia herself, it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm.

Living in the country has enabled Sylvia to grow and thrive when she could not in the city.  For the hunter, on the other hand, his time in the country is only a "vacation" that he uses to hunt.  While Sylvia's heart "beat fast with pleasure" when she heard the birds singing in the bushes, the hunter intends to "stuff and preserve" them.  The both appreciate nature, to be sure, but the child expresses her appreciation by observing these animals, alive, in nature and the stranger expresses his by shooting them and taking them back to the city.

In the end, Sylvia does not tell the stranger about the heron because

The murmur of the pine's green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together, and Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron's secret and give its life away.

Although the hunter offered her $10 to help him to find the bird -- an awesome sum to her mind -- on some level, this child recognizes that the value of the "pine's green branches" and the "golden air" and the beating heart of the heron who shared her beautiful sunrise are of far greater value than money.

What is Dexter Green's financial status?

Published in 1922, three years before his most famous novel, The Great Gatsby, the short story "Winter Dreams" evokes many of the same themes as that book, including the impetuous nature of the rich, the quest for wealth and social status and the preoccupation with ideal love.

Dexter Green is, in some ways, like Jay Gatsby. He comes from a modest, middle class background. Fitzgerald writes:

"...Dexter Green's father owned the second best grocery store...

Published in 1922, three years before his most famous novel, The Great Gatsby, the short story "Winter Dreams" evokes many of the same themes as that book, including the impetuous nature of the rich, the quest for wealth and social status and the preoccupation with ideal love.

Dexter Green is, in some ways, like Jay Gatsby. He comes from a modest, middle class background. Fitzgerald writes:

"...Dexter Green's father owned the second best grocery store in Black Bear--the best one was "The Hub" patronized by the wealthy people from Sherry Island..."

Also, like Gatsby, Dexter is a self made man. He is not nearly as rich as his college friends, who come from ultra rich families, but he does vey well for himself in the laundry business and by the time he is into his middle twenties Fitzgerald suggests that Dexter is making quite a bit of money. In section II, Fitzgerald writes:

"Before he was twenty-seven he owned the largest string of laundries in his section of the country. It was then that he sold out and went to New York."

We assume that Dexter does equally well in the big city because in the story's final section Fitzgerald writes:

"It took place in New York, where he had done well--so well that there were no barriers too high for him."

While the text never reveals just how rich Dexter has become the reader can assume he has risen to the top, much as Jay Gatsby had done. 

I need to write a speech about dog-fights. How do I make people emotional when they listen to my speech?

The main idea in the speech would be to communicate the negative impacts of dog-fighting. This idea can be supported by numerous points, but to ensure consistency, only a single idea should be communicated.

The speech may begin with logical statements that have the capacity to evoke strong emotions in the audience. For instance, shocking facts and statistics about dog casualties and fatalities attributed to dogfights. This should help in affirming the negative impacts of...

The main idea in the speech would be to communicate the negative impacts of dog-fighting. This idea can be supported by numerous points, but to ensure consistency, only a single idea should be communicated.

The speech may begin with logical statements that have the capacity to evoke strong emotions in the audience. For instance, shocking facts and statistics about dog casualties and fatalities attributed to dogfights. This should help in affirming the negative impacts of dog-fighting. It is important to give actual examples. The best way to do this is through the art of storytelling.

The speech can combine some popular stories and other stories that communicate the situation. Stories will capture the audience’s attention and tap into their emotions. A Google search yielded two compelling stories that are quite evocative. In one of the stories, the dog talked about was a bait dog that was terribly abused by dog-fighting trainers (Dog-fighting survivor). The other story talked of a fighting pit-bull that was injured in the fights (Stallone the pit-bull). The dogs were however rescued and ended up living better lives under responsible caregivers.

When conducting the speech, it is always good practice to take your time by pausing, to create emphasis and enhance the tension.

Make use of visual displays if available, as visual cues work best to drive the point home.

What is the summary of Chapter 15 of The Story of My Life?

Helen Keller writes this chapter about the summer and fall of 1892 and the spring of 1893. She has just endured an episode in which a story she wrote and published in a report of the Perkins Institution called "The Frost King" was found to be quite similar to another already published story. She had not intended to plagiarize the other story, and this incident wounded her greatly. This chapter begins in the summer, as...

Helen Keller writes this chapter about the summer and fall of 1892 and the spring of 1893. She has just endured an episode in which a story she wrote and published in a report of the Perkins Institution called "The Frost King" was found to be quite similar to another already published story. She had not intended to plagiarize the other story, and this incident wounded her greatly. This chapter begins in the summer, as she returns to Alabama and attempts to put the incident of the story behind her. Every time she writes, she is afraid of copying a story that she has heard and that is in her mind, but Ms. Sullivan, her teacher, encourages Keller to write the story of her life to date for a magazine called Youth's Companion. 

Keller also mentions that she attended the inauguration of President Cleveland and details her trip in 1893 to Niagara Falls and to the World's Fair with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell. There, she has permission to touch the exhibits and enjoys the French bronzes. Dr. Graham Bell goes around the fair with Keller and tells her about the new inventions, such as the telephone and phonograph. She feels that looking at these new inventions helps her grow from a child who is consumed by fairy tales to a person with an interest in the real world. 

After the conflict happens in the woods, do Georg and Ulrich become friends in "The Interlopers"? Why?

Having held grudges against each other over land ownership through two generations, the Gradwitzes and the Znaeyms have longstanding animosities. But, when a life-and-death crisis holds them hostage one evening in the controversial woods, they reconsider the value of their hatred, and Ulrich von Gradwitz offers his neighbor friendship.

Having come around the trunk of a huge beech tree as he seeks his enemy, Ulrich comes face-to-face with his mortal enemy, Georg Znaeym. However, their...

Having held grudges against each other over land ownership through two generations, the Gradwitzes and the Znaeyms have longstanding animosities. But, when a life-and-death crisis holds them hostage one evening in the controversial woods, they reconsider the value of their hatred, and Ulrich von Gradwitz offers his neighbor friendship.

Having come around the trunk of a huge beech tree as he seeks his enemy, Ulrich comes face-to-face with his mortal enemy, Georg Znaeym. However, their civilized natures cause them to hesitate momentarily from firing their rifles, and in that split second, the mammoth tree is struck by lightning and crashes to the ground. Now, the enemies find themselves "pinned beneath the fallen mass."
It is at this point that the two men ponder their existential positions. Faced with the possibility of dying alongside his enemy, Ulrich perceives his hatred in relation to the dire conditions in which he now exists. "...Ulrich was feeling the old fierce hatred...dying down." He speaks to Znaeym, calling him "neighbor." Ulrich explains that he has changed his mind and feels that it has been ridiculous to have had a feud over "this stupid strip of forest." Therefore, he asks Georg to help him bury their feud, and he asks Znaeym, "I--I will ask you to be my friend." 

Silent for a time, Georg Znaeym considers the proposal of friendship from Ulrich von Gradwitz. Then, he agrees, wryly remarking on how the whole region "would stare and gabble" if they ride into the market square together. Finally, he says, "Ulrich von Gradwitz, I will be your friend." 

Clearly, faced with imminent death, the two foes reassess what should be valued and what should not: life being the most important thing, and secondly the value of friendship. Grudges are negative factors and, so are worthless; they should be discarded. These reasons are why the two men end their feud.

How does the Dinobryon eat, and what helps termites digest wood?

Dinobryon are a type of Chrysophyceae or golden brown algae that reside in freshwater--specifically temperate lakes. They have two methods of obtaining nutrients. They can ingest bacteria by phagotrophy. They are in turn eaten by copepods and Daphnia (water fleas).  By ingesting bacteria, they are able to incorporate the carbon from these bacteria into the food chain of the lake. They can also carry out phototrophyand can use light energy to obtain carbon...

Dinobryon are a type of Chrysophyceae or golden brown algae that reside in freshwater--specifically temperate lakes. They have two methods of obtaining nutrients. They can ingest bacteria by phagotrophy. They are in turn eaten by copepods and Daphnia (water fleas).  By ingesting bacteria, they are able to incorporate the carbon from these bacteria into the food chain of the lake. They can also carry out phototrophy and can use light energy to obtain carbon in the production of sugar. They fill an important role as both consumer and producer in freshwater lakes and are known as a mixotroph.

Termites are consumers of wood. Because wood contains mainly ligno-cellulose fibers, the digestion of this material requires the presence of specific hydrolytic enzymes. Wood cellulose is a polysaccharide--a carbohydrate consisting of long chains of sugar molecules.

Termites can secrete some cellulose enzymes (cellulases) but they also rely on enzymes from the symbiotic microorganisms residing in their gut to assist with the digestion of their food. One method of breaking down the carbohydrates is fermentation by some of the gut microbes. Others produce methane gas as a by-product of the digestion of wood.

There are many different populations of microorganisms that are responsible for the digestion of lignin and cellulose--some are anaerobic and some aerobic. Different environmental conditions are present in the hind and mid-gut and the residents are separated according to whether they are aerobic or anaerobic. The symbionts living in the termite gut include different types of bacteria, archaea and protozoa.

I have included a link with excellent pictures of the residents inside a termite's digestive tract.

Why does Daniel walk away from Jesus at the beach?

Shortly after entering Capernaum, Daniel visits the harbor where he is generously offered fish for breakfast by a young woman who asks if he has traveled to see the teacher. Daniel then turns and sees Jesus speaking to a group of fishermen on the shore. Daniel walks over to listen to Jesus' preaching and overhears Jesus saying that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who finds one pearl of great value, and sells...

Shortly after entering Capernaum, Daniel visits the harbor where he is generously offered fish for breakfast by a young woman who asks if he has traveled to see the teacher. Daniel then turns and sees Jesus speaking to a group of fishermen on the shore. Daniel walks over to listen to Jesus' preaching and overhears Jesus saying that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who finds one pearl of great value, and sells everything he owns. While Jesus is speaking, Daniel sees two Roman soldiers standing amongst the crowd. He is disgusted at the sight of them and spits on the ground. Jesus continues to preach, and Daniel is outraged that he is standing close to the Roman soldiers. The presence of the Roman soldiers upset Daniel to the point that he walks away while Jesus continues to speak.

In A Christmas Carol, what does this quote mean? "He turned upon the Ghost, and seeing that it looked upon him with a face, in which in some...

This quote is taken from the first stave of A Christmas Carol and, to understand its significance, we must look at its position in the text. At this point, Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past have just revisited some of the most important experiences in Scrooge's early life. Specifically, Scrooge has watched the ending of the relationship with Belle, his former fiancée, and seen a glimpse of her later life, as a happily married...

This quote is taken from the first stave of A Christmas Carol and, to understand its significance, we must look at its position in the text. At this point, Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past have just revisited some of the most important experiences in Scrooge's early life. Specifically, Scrooge has watched the ending of the relationship with Belle, his former fiancée, and seen a glimpse of her later life, as a happily married woman with children. Scrooge is overcome with emotion and unable to bear any more. He says:

"Spirit!'' said Scrooge in a broken voice, "remove me from this place!'' 

The above quote then follows. 

We should interpret this quote as the physical representation of the experiences which transformed Scrooge from a normal young boy into a greedy misanthrope. By seeing these faces in the ghost's, he is forced to confront and accept the fact that his past behaviours have created his own misery. For Scrooge, his only option now is to begin the process of change. We can interpret this quote as a turning point in the book, then, which Dickens highlights through this macabre and rather Gothic description. 

Describe the king's system or justice, including both doors, in "The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton.

The so-called "semi-barbaric" king in Frank Stockton's short story "The Lady or the Tiger" has worked out what he thinks is the perfect system of justice. In the king's plan, the accused presents himself before the king and the townspeople in an arena. Inside the arena are two doors, and the accused is told to choose one of the doors.

He has no way of knowing which one to choose. What he does know is...

The so-called "semi-barbaric" king in Frank Stockton's short story "The Lady or the Tiger" has worked out what he thinks is the perfect system of justice. In the king's plan, the accused presents himself before the king and the townspeople in an arena. Inside the arena are two doors, and the accused is told to choose one of the doors.

He has no way of knowing which one to choose. What he does know is that behind one is a tiger, waiting to devour him, and behind the other is a beautiful lady who will become his wife.

If the accused chooses the tiger, he will, of course, be eaten, and iron bells will ring in mourning. Paid mourners will bow their heads and lament that the accused surely does not deserve such a horrible fate, and wails will be heard from the audience.

If, on the other hand, the accused chooses the lady, a priest comes out and marries the two on the spot even if the man is already married to someone else!  Dancing ladies and singers come out and celebrate, brass bells happily ring, and a big party ensues.

What does Montag ask Mildred? What was Mildred's attitude? What is Montag's reaction?

When Montag returns home from work after an eventual, psychologically challenging day, in which he witnessed a woman commit suicide, he stumbles to bed and lays there in silence. As he lays in bed, he faces Mildred, who is zoned out, listening to her Seashell headset on full blast. He begins to view her as a stranger and asks her if she can remember the first time they met, when and where. Mildred says she...

When Montag returns home from work after an eventual, psychologically challenging day, in which he witnessed a woman commit suicide, he stumbles to bed and lays there in silence. As he lays in bed, he faces Mildred, who is zoned out, listening to her Seashell headset on full blast. He begins to view her as a stranger and asks her if she can remember the first time they met, when and where. Mildred says she can't remember, and laughs it off. She says, "Funny, how funny, not to remember where or when you met your husband or wife." (Bradbury 40) Mildred dismisses Montag's question and casually walks to the bathroom to take more sleeping pills. Montag feels a myriad of emotions when confronted with the reality that he can't remember where and when he met his wife. At first, he panics because he can't remember, and then, Montag begins to feel numb to the idea that he has no feelings toward Mildred. Montag contemplates his relationship and begins to feel confused because he doesn't know how he became so empty. Amidst Montag's confusion, he becomes angry at the situation and yells at Mildred. Mildred, the entire time, is detached and oblivious to Montag's thoughts and feelings. 

What is happening in the first four lines of the story "The Pit and the Pendulum"? Describe the dramatic tension that this opening creates.

This question refers to the four-line Latin epigraph that comes at the beginning of the story. The quatrain speaks of the Jacobins, a party of men who ruled France after the French Revolution. Although the Jacobins were moderates at first, they soon became despotic and initiated the Reign of Terror in France, where they killed their enemies wantonly with the guillotine. The quatrain was written in hindsight about the Jacobins, after they were no longer...

This question refers to the four-line Latin epigraph that comes at the beginning of the story. The quatrain speaks of the Jacobins, a party of men who ruled France after the French Revolution. Although the Jacobins were moderates at first, they soon became despotic and initiated the Reign of Terror in France, where they killed their enemies wantonly with the guillotine. The quatrain was written in hindsight about the Jacobins, after they were no longer in power, and was purportedly engraved at the gates of a marketplace that was built on the site of the Jacobin Club House in Paris.

The first two lines of the quatrain translate as:

Here the wicked mob, unappeased,
long cherished a hatred of innocent blood. 

The actions these lines describe, and knowing they refer to the Reign of Terror, create tension in the story by setting up an expectation of a tale of hatred and bloodshed by forces that are as unstoppable as a "wicked mob." They also imply that the person or persons at the receiving end of the mob action are innocent. So from the beginning of the story, readers expect a horrific and unjust scene of violence by unscrupulous perpetrators on an innocent party. This creates tension.

The other two lines of the quatrain look beyond the end of the reign of terror: 

Now that the fatherland is saved, and the cave of death demolished;
Where grim death has been, life and health appear.

Even though this foreshadows a happy ending for the story ("life and health appear"), the reader doesn't know whether that happy ending comes in time to benefit the one or ones who are unjustly attacked. This creates additional tension: Will the salvation come in time? Obviously for many of those killed during the Reign of Terror, it didn't. 

Understanding the meaning of the quatrain and its allusion to the Jacobin Reign of Terror prepares the reader for a story of undeserved violence with an ambiguous hint at a happy ending. 

In the short story "The Lumber Room" by H. H. Munro, what is Nicholas doing in the lumber room?

In the lumber room, Nicholas delightedly unleashes his imagination as he examines the treasures stored away in this dusty room.

Nicholas escapes from his prosaic and supercilious aunt by sequestering himself in the forbidden lumber room after assuring his safety by cleverly assuming "an expression of considerable obstinacy." He does this in order to make the aunt believe that he truly desires to enter the gooseberry garden and will make efforts to do so. With this...

In the lumber room, Nicholas delightedly unleashes his imagination as he examines the treasures stored away in this dusty room.

Nicholas escapes from his prosaic and supercilious aunt by sequestering himself in the forbidden lumber room after assuring his safety by cleverly assuming "an expression of considerable obstinacy." He does this in order to make the aunt believe that he truly desires to enter the gooseberry garden and will make efforts to do so. With this subterfuge, Nicholas ensures that his aunt will occupy herself in "self-imposed sentry-duty for the greater part of the afternoon," and he can safely enjoy himself elsewhere.

Once in the lumber room, Nicholas indulges in flights of fancy as he happily gazes at all the "wonderful things" therein. Among them are quaint objects of interest and delight that absorb his attention:

• candlesticks that are twisted into the shapes of snakes from an exotic world


• an old-fashioned teapot shaped like a china duck whose beak is the pour spout


• a sandalwood box containing small, delightful brass figures of Brahma bulls, peacocks, and mischievous dwarf-like demons


• a large book filled with pictures of exotic and resplendent birds such as wood pigeons, herons, bustards, toucans, scarlet ibises, golden pheasants, and many others

But the object that truly arrests Nicholas's attention is a large tapestry which depicts a hunter who has shot a stag with an arrow. To him it is "a living, breathing story" in which he becomes the narrator. Looking at the scene of the deer impaled with the hunter's arrow and the two dogs "springing forward," having remained at point while the hunter shot, Nicholas engages his imagination as he wonders if the hunter, who has but two arrows left, and the dogs will be able to hold off the four wolves who are stealing upon them:

Nicholas sat for many golden minutes revolving the possibilities of the scene; he was inclined to think that there were more than four wolves and that the man and his dogs were in a tight corner.

His exciting reveries about the deer and the picture-book birds are unfortunately cut short by "the shrill vociferation" of his appointed-aunt's voice calling his name from the forbidden gooseberry garden. Nicholas returns the bird book to its place and leaves the room, locking it, and replacing the key where it had long rested.

In Animal Farm, what promise does Animalism hold for the animals? Does it sound like a good thing? What does it represent?

Animalism offers the animals a utopian existence. A life free from slavery, exploitation and abuse. Essentially, it offers them a life liberated from the tyranny of man. The concept is based on the principles of freedom, equality and brotherhood. Each animal will have the same rights and privileges as any other animal. All animals will be equal and no one animal will be superior to another.

The basic principles of Animalism were contained in Old Major's speech when he addressed the animals and shared the dream he had with them. In essence, he told the gathering that Man was their greatest enemy and that if they should be rid of him, the produce of their labour would belong to them and they would become wealthy and free. He urged the animals to prepare for rebellion and be finally rid of Man's oppression. 

When Old Major taught the animals the lyrics of a song, "Beasts of England," which had come back to him in his dream, it becomes clear how grand a life without humans would be. The song promises 'a golden future time.' that 'the fruitful fields of England shall be trod by beats alone.' All forms of repression and abuse shall disappear and there will be more than enough produce for all to share. The song also urges all the animals to work towards their ideal.

After the Rebellion, the animals worked hard to ensure that the principles contained in Old Major's speech were established and understood. It was essential that every animal knew exactly what was required and, therefore, the pigs, who were the most intelligent and had assumed leadership, formulated seven commandments to which every animal had to adhere. The commandments were created based on the principles of Animalism and were there to ensure that the animals did not adopt Man's vices and to provide safeguards so that they would never experience such oppression ever again.

It is ironic, though, that the pigs did not share the ideals contained in Animalism. They consistently altered the rules and ensured themselves certain privileges, to the exclusion of all others. A good example of this is when they claimed the milk and windfall apples for themselves. They did not perform any physical labor and chose to supervise, instruct, and command.

The pigs eventually lived a life of exclusive privilege whilst the other animals worked even harder than they had done in Jones' time. In fact, they were worse off than before. Only the pigs were much better off. The end result was that Napoleon created a dictatorship once he had gotten rid of Snowball and anyone who challenged his authority was severely punished or even executed.

In the end, the animals could not see the difference between the pigs or the humans. Life on the farm had gone full circle. The only difference was that instead of humans being the tyrants, the pigs had now taken over that role. The other animals though, were too stupid to realise that or to remeber how things had been during Jones' time. They had also been fooled and misled so many times in the past by deception, manipulation and the savagery of the pigs that they were utterly confused and unable or too apathetic to rebel.    

What conclusion does Holmes draw? On what basis?

Holmes does not reveal his conclusions until the end of the story. This is typical of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Watson observes Holmes in action and overhears most of what Holmes talks about with other characters, but Watson does not know what Holmes is thinking until Holmes is ready to tell him. Arthur Conan Doyle was very much influenced by the so-called tales of ratiocination of Edgar Allan Poe. Doyle observed that Poe typically explained his protagonist's thinking after the event. This technique can be seen in "The Purloined Letter," "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and "The Gold Bug." Too much explanation at the beginning of a story or somewhere in the middle of the story can be boring. The reader wants to know what happened. Explanations tend to be monologues, and monologues tend to be tedious. Doyle's stories, such as "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," always contain the element of adventure. Readers are interested in action and in meeting unusual characters. They are less interested in a detective's thought processes. Dr. Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" certainly is an unusual character.

In "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Holmes explains his conclusion to Watson after Dr. Roylott is dead and the case is all wrapped up.

"My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to you, to this ventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that I was probably on the right track. The idea of using a form of poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as would occur to a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern training. The rapidity with which such a poison would take effect would also, from his point of view, be an advantage."

This is probably the first time the word "snake" is used in the story. The author used the words "speckled band" in the title and throughout the tale because the word "snake" would give the whole plot away. Julia refers to a "speckled band" when she is dying in Helen's arms. She probably actually saw the snake retreating up the bell-rope but was already delirious and talking incoherently. 

Once Holmes concluded that Dr. Roylott was trying to kill Julia with the same poisonous snake he had used to kill her sister, it was just a matter of waiting in the dark in Helen's room for the snake to appear. Holmes assumed that Dr. Roylott would proceed immediately with his plan to kill Helen, even in spite of the fact that Roylott knew she had consulted a detective--or perhaps even because she had consulted a detective. Roylott may believe that he had better dispose of her quickly because she was getting suspicious and might either move out of the house or get someone to protect her. Time is of the essence because Helen is getting married very soon. She might, in fact, decide to get married without any delay so that she could move out of Stoke Moran and have a husband to protect her. So Holmes expected Roylott to use his snake that very night, even though it would have been prudent for Roylott to wait for at least a few nights until Helen got over her fright. Roylott probably did not expect Holmes to get involved with the case because Helen had no money to pay the detective's fee. But Watson explains in this story, as he does in other stories, that Holmes took cases on a pro bono basis if they interested him.

...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. 

What are the similarities and differences of reflection and refraction? thanks

Reflection and refraction are both behaviors of waves , such as light and sound waves.  

To “reflect” means to “bounce off of”. Reflection of light occurs the best off of smooth, hard, and shiny surfaces. When bouncing off of such surfaces, light reflects in the same angle as it hit the surface. Shiny, rough surfaces cause light to reflect in all directions. This is referred to as the “scattering” of light. Reflection of light...

Reflection and refraction are both behaviors of waves , such as light and sound waves.  

To “reflect” means to “bounce off of”. Reflection of light occurs the best off of smooth, hard, and shiny surfaces. When bouncing off of such surfaces, light reflects in the same angle as it hit the surface. Shiny, rough surfaces cause light to reflect in all directions. This is referred to as the “scattering” of light. Reflection of light decreases on opaque, rough surfaces.

Echoes are reflections of sound waves. Sound echoes the best off of smooth, hard surfaces. This is why your voice echoes well off of the walls and floors of a gymnasium. Sound does not echo well off of a soft, rough surface. This is why your voice does not echo in a carpeted living room.

Refraction is the bending of a wave as it enters a medium that causes the wave’s speed to change. As light enters from a fast medium into a slow medium, the light wave bends toward the normal to the boundary between the two media.

Does Atticus really believe people are created equal, or does he just say this as a strategy to influence the jury? Does he tell the jury this for...

During Atticus' closing remarks, he explains to the jury Mayella's motivation for falsely accusing Tom Robinson of assaulting and raping her and also addresses the significant prejudice against African Americans throughout the community of Maycomb. Atticus concludes his final remarks by commenting on Thomas Jefferson's famous words that "all men are created equal." Atticus mentions that he finds Jefferson's assumption that all men are created equal to be ridiculous. He goes on to say that...

During Atticus' closing remarks, he explains to the jury Mayella's motivation for falsely accusing Tom Robinson of assaulting and raping her and also addresses the significant prejudice against African Americans throughout the community of Maycomb. Atticus concludes his final remarks by commenting on Thomas Jefferson's famous words that "all men are created equal." Atticus mentions that he finds Jefferson's assumption that all men are created equal to be ridiculous. He goes on to say that people vary in different ways from intelligence to opportunity. Atticus then comments that there is one institution where every man is viewed and treated equally. He then mentions that the United States' court system is the only place where all men are considered equal. He goes to say that a court is only as good as its jury and urges each jury member to judge Tom Robinson's case without prejudice.

Atticus mentions that all men are created equal in a court of law to influence the jury's decision. He wants them to treat Tom Robinson equally and not let their prejudiced beliefs get in the way of their judgment.

What does Emerson think of people who call for consistency in thought and action and who fear being misunderstood?

In his essay "Self-Reliance," Ralph Waldo Emerson repudiates those who desire acceptance and who want consistency of thought and action. 

Very much the individualist, Emerson holds the mantra of "trust thyself" rather than surrendering oneself to conformity. For, to conform because of fear of being misunderstood and the need to be accepted is to surrender one's individuality. 

Trust thyself....Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you....Great men have always done so.

Asking such...

In his essay "Self-Reliance," Ralph Waldo Emerson repudiates those who desire acceptance and who want consistency of thought and action. 

Very much the individualist, Emerson holds the mantra of "trust thyself" rather than surrendering oneself to conformity. For, to conform because of fear of being misunderstood and the need to be accepted is to surrender one's individuality. 

Trust thyself....Accept the place the divine Providence has found for you....Great men have always done so.

Asking such questions as "Is it so bad to be misunderstood?" Emerson points to great men who were misunderstood by their contemporaries: Jesus, Pythagoras, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, etc. (Herman Melville once said, "Failure--one's writings not being accepted--is the true test of greatness.") Because they were stalwart in their beliefs and the value of their discoveries, these famous men contributed invaluably to the world. 

Emerson terms those who seek conformity as "cowards," while those who maintain the "integrity of [their] minds" are to be admired because they hold what is truly sacred. Thus, in order to retain one's manhood, one's self-respect, individuals must never surrender themselves to the "joint-stock company" of a society that would take away individual liberties and demand imitation and conformity. Clearly, then, Emerson rails against a person's consistency with others in thought and action from fear of being misunderstood.

Describe the society in which Leonard Mead lives in Ray Bradbury's short story The Pedestrian.

The society in which the protagonist of The Pedestrian resides can best be categorized as dystopian totalitarian. Bradbury, whose later novel Fahrenheit 451 provided one of literature's more compelling depictions of a futuristic dystopian society, in The Pedestrianprovides hints of what was to come. Leonard Mead is something of an anachronism in the society depicted in this story. Unlike all of his neighbors and, presumably, most if not all of the city's three million...

The society in which the protagonist of The Pedestrian resides can best be categorized as dystopian totalitarian. Bradbury, whose later novel Fahrenheit 451 provided one of literature's more compelling depictions of a futuristic dystopian society, in The Pedestrian provides hints of what was to come. Leonard Mead is something of an anachronism in the society depicted in this story. Unlike all of his neighbors and, presumably, most if not all of the city's three million people, Mead remains very much a gregarious individual, longing for human interaction outside the walls of his brightly lit home. The mere fact that his home is brightly lit, in fact, sets him apart from all others. Leonard is fond of walking at night, during which jaunts he gazes at the "cottages and homes with their dark windows." The occupants of those houses, Mead knows, are fixated on their televisions to the exclusion of all else. As The Pedestrian continues, Leonard is clearly an anomaly, whispering to the houses he passes on his walks as if expecting these inanimate structures to respond because he knows the occupants inside will not.

During much of Bradbury's story, the reader learns that this desolation despite the enormity of the city is the norm in the future depicted. Much worse are the intimations of a thoroughly autocratic regime that begin to emerge with the introduction of the city's lone police vehicle, the other such vehicles discarded due to the absence of crime--itself an ironic but accurate suggestion of the "beneficial" aspects of living in a repressive society. Mead's interrogation by the "police voice" suggests such an environment in which freedoms of thought, assembly, and speech have long been discarded in favor of passivity and security--again, themes that would characterize Fahrenheit 451 upon publication two years after The Pedestrian. The final indication that this is the type of society in which Leonard Mead lives is the police response to his request as to where "they" are taking him: the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies. Totalitarian regimes are well-known, especially the former Soviet Union, for interpreting nonconformist tendencies as indications of mental illness; to whit, only an insane person would question the dictates of an all-powerful regime. And such regimes are equally well-known for using all means of mass communication to reinforce the message that utopia exists and that resistance to that utopia is futile. That all of this city's citizens sit passively in front of their television sets rather than engaging each other is a testament to that sentiment.

Over the years of his confinement, what were the reasons for the changes in the lawyer's taste in books?

The story is told entirely from the banker's point of view. He cannot tell what is going on inside the lawyer's mind, since he never goes inside the lodge where the prisoner is confined and has no direct communication with him. All the banker knows about the lawyer's changing tastes and interests in reading-- and therefore can guess about his thoughts and feelings in his solitude-- comes from the books the lawyer requests.

In the first year the books he sent for were principally of a light character; novels with a complicated love plot, sensational and fantastic stories, and so on.

In this first year the lawyer is presumably just using books as a way of killing time. He must be preoccupied with getting through one day after another and not really concerned about what he reads. A lot of people are like that. They are discursive readers. They select books by their titles and never really remember them after they have read them. A lot of books are published to make money off such readers. They are trash, "chewing gum for the eyes."

In the second year the piano was silent in the lodge, and the prisoner asked only for the classics.

The prisoner may have read so much trash that he was beginning to see it was trash and to realize that he was wasting his time and could at least be improving his mind. He was growing more serious. He could see that he couldn't stand fifteen years of solitude without focusing on something. Otherwise he could go crazy.

In the second half of the sixth year the prisoner began zealously studying languages, philosophy, and history. He threw himself eagerly into these studies - so much so that the banker had enough to do to get him the books he ordered. In the course of four years some six hundred volumes were procured at his request.

The prisoner was beginning to become mature and serious. He wanted to understand the meaning of life. He read six hundred really profound books in the next four years and had to learn some foreign languages in order to read many of the books. This seems like an excellent way for a person in his situation to pass the time. However, after that period of intense study he read nothing but the Gospels, books on theology, and histories of religion for the next three years. It would seem that he had reached the conclusion that the six hundred books he had devoured did not contain the answers to the questions that preyed on his mind.

In the last two years of his confinement the prisoner read an immense quantity of books quite indiscriminately. At one time he was busy with the natural sciences, then he would ask for Byron or Shakespeare.

Apparently the prisoner had found what he wanted in the religious books he read for several years. After that he continued to read books because reading had become such an addiction and because he had nothing else to do. He must have learned not only to tolerate solitude but to enjoy it. For years he had been using authors as substitutes for friends and acquaintances. Where was the man he could talk to after such an intensive period of reading and meditation? Certainly not the banker! For the rest of his life the lawyer would be a solitary hermit. He had become like many famous men, including Socrates, Jesus, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Diogenes, and so many others, who had decided that money is corrupting. The banker is a good example of a man who has been so thoroughly corrupted by money that he is actually contemplating murdering his prisoner in order to get out of paying him the two million rubles he owes him.

Neither the banker nor the lawyer wins the bet. The story is an unusual one for Chekhov, but the ending is characteristically Chekhovian in that nothing is really solved. The lawyer has attained wisdom, but does wisdom do him or anybody any good? He has sacrificed the best years of his life, and now 

He was a skeleton with the skin drawn tight over his bones, with long curls like a woman's and a shaggy beard. His face was yellow with an earthy tint in it, his cheeks were hollow, his back long and narrow, and the hand on which his shaggy head was propped was so thin and delicate that it was dreadful to look at it. His hair was already streaked with silver, and seeing his emaciated, aged-looking face, no one would have believed that he was only forty.

What happened in World War I?

World War I started in 1914 when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary was upset that a group of Serbian nationals had killed Franz Ferdinand, the next King of Austria-Hungary.

Because of the system of entangling alliances, this two-country dispute quickly escalated into a multi-country dispute. On one side was the Central Powers that consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. On the other side was the Allied Powers that consisted of Great Britain, France,...

World War I started in 1914 when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Austria-Hungary was upset that a group of Serbian nationals had killed Franz Ferdinand, the next King of Austria-Hungary.

Because of the system of entangling alliances, this two-country dispute quickly escalated into a multi-country dispute. On one side was the Central Powers that consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria. On the other side was the Allied Powers that consisted of Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and later Italy, and the United States.

The Central Powers had a plan to win the war. They wanted to control the western front by defeating France and then fight the Soviet Union on the eastern front. However, the Central Powers weren’t able to accomplish this and had to fight a two-front war for a good part of World War I. The system of trench warfare that developed on the western front was a very deadly method of fighting.

The Central Powers also attacked United States ships that were heading to Great Britain and France. The Germans used the submarine. This was a weapon that was designed to strike fear into our merchant marine. The submarine would attack without warning. However, this violated our rights as a neutral nation. We had a right to trade with countries at war as long as we weren't trading war materials. The Central Powers could search our ships, but they couldn’t sink them without warning. When Germany stopped sinking our ships without warning in 1916, things calmed down for a while. However, when Germany resumed sinking our ships without warning and encouraged Mexico to attack us, we declared war and entered World War I.

The United States helped the Allies win the war. There was a great deal of concern when the Soviet Union pulled out of World War I in 1917. However, our troops were well rested, and we provided the Allies with essential supplies. When the Germans tried to break through the trenches on the western front in 1918, they were defeated and had to retreat. The Allies pursued the Germans, and they eventually surrendered.

Eventually, a peace agreement was signed between the Allies and the Central Powers. This treaty, called the Treaty of Versailles, ended the war. It was very harsh on the Central Powers, especially on Germany.

In The Ramayana, what resolution does Ravana make after putting on his armor and summoning his chariot?

Upon donning his armor and summoning his chariot, Ravana resolves to either be victorious by slaying Lord Rama or die doing so.  As part of his resolution, he states that either his wife, Mandodari, or Devi Sita, Lord Rama's wife, will become a widow.

When Ravana makes his resolution, he had received painful news from the war front.  All of his commanders had died at the hands of Lord Rama. According to the R.K. Narayan...

Upon donning his armor and summoning his chariot, Ravana resolves to either be victorious by slaying Lord Rama or die doing so.  As part of his resolution, he states that either his wife, Mandodari, or Devi Sita, Lord Rama's wife, will become a widow.

When Ravana makes his resolution, he had received painful news from the war front.  All of his commanders had died at the hands of Lord Rama. According to the R.K. Narayan translation, Ravana heard "the cries and the wailings of the widows of warriors."  Ravana understood that he must go to the battle front and face Lord Rama himself, saying "the time has come for me to act by myself again."  

Ravana bathes, offers prayers to Lord Shiva, dons his protective armor, and summons his chariot.  He firmly makes his resolution, to be heard by human and heaven alike:

This is my resolve:  Either that woman, Sita, or my wife Mandodari, will soon have cause to cry and roll in the dust in grief. Surely, before this day is done, one of them will be a widow.

Ravana's resolution is extremely important.  It shows the sheer force of Ravana's conviction.  Negotiation is impossible.  Victory over Lord Rama is the only metric he uses for his success. It marks the final chapter for Ravana, an end that Lord Rama will deliver.

Where did Leslie ask Jesse to take her that surprised him?

Jesse is surprised when Leslie wants to come to church with him. This happens in Chapter 8, titled "Easter." Here's their conversation as they're milking the cow together:

"I never knew you went to church."

"Just Easter." He concentrated on the warm udders. "I guess you think that's dumb or something."

She didn't answer for a minute. "I was thinking I'd like to go."

He stopped milking. "I don't understand you sometimes, Leslie."

"Well, I've...

Jesse is surprised when Leslie wants to come to church with him. This happens in Chapter 8, titled "Easter." Here's their conversation as they're milking the cow together:

"I never knew you went to church."

"Just Easter." He concentrated on the warm udders. "I guess you think that's dumb or something."

She didn't answer for a minute. "I was thinking I'd like to go."

He stopped milking. "I don't understand you sometimes, Leslie."

"Well, I've never been to a church before. It would be a new experience for me."

He went back to work. "You'd hate it."

"Why?"

"It's boring."

"Well, I'd just like to see for myself. Do you think your parents would let me go with you?"

As the conversation shows, Leslie has never been to church before, and she thinks it'd be an interesting new experience. Even though Jesse assures her she'll be really bored, Leslie isn't put off--she isn't afraid of having nothing to do or having nothing to think about, apparently. And look at how she says that she wants to see for herself whether it's boring! She doesn't just take Jess's word for it; she likes to explore things and discover them for herself.

The issue, then, reveals Leslie's curiosity, and it also shows us another way in which she and her family are different compared to Jess and his family. Because she has never been to church at all before, you can tell that her upbringing has been different from Jess's. And when Leslie willingly puts on fancier clothes and fancier manners than she normally has, you can also see how she's willing to be flexible (and even willing to be uncomfortable) in order to learn something or have a new experience. 

How does a reader find the figurative language in a poem?

Figurative language is the use of figures of speech to be more persuasive or interesting in writing or speaking. Figurative language includes, but is not limited to, simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, oxymoron, alliteration and punning.

Shakespeare, of course, is widely regarded as the master of figurative language. One of his most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, is often read by high school students who are tasked with the analysis of his figurative language. So,...

Figurative language is the use of figures of speech to be more persuasive or interesting in writing or speaking. Figurative language includes, but is not limited to, simile, metaphor, personification, allusion, oxymoron, alliteration and punning.

Shakespeare, of course, is widely regarded as the master of figurative language. One of his most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, is often read by high school students who are tasked with the analysis of his figurative language. So, how does the reader find the figurative language?

In Shakespeare, it is pretty easy. Rather than saying something in a literal fashion, Shakespeare goes further and attempts to paint a picture with his words. Instead of simply saying that Juliet is beautiful when he first sees her in Act I, Scene 5, Romeo says,

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear—
Beauty too rich for use, for Earth too dear.

The middle lines comparing Juliet to a jewel is a simile because Shakespeare is comparing two completely different things to highlight the attributes of the first thing. Similes always use the words like or as in the comparison. Metaphors are like similes without using like or as. In the famous balcony scene Shakespeare again extols the beauty of Juliet, this time with a metaphor:

It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

In this passage Romeo compares Juliet to another bright object, this time the sun. Notice that like or as is not employed in this comparison. Shakespeare extends the metaphor by saying that the moon is jealous of Juliet because the girl is far more beautiful. The scene is played out at night which makes it even more significant that Juliet is, figuratively, shining.

Personification is when the poet gives human qualities to something that is not human. In the preceding passage, Shakespeare not only uses a metaphor but also personifies the sun as a killer and the moon as feeling the very human emotion of grief. Another famous example of personification in Romeo and Juliet comes at the beginning of Act II, Scene 3 when Friar Lawrence gives human qualities to the morning and darkness:

The gray-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night,
Check’ring the eastern clouds with streaks of light,
And fleckled darkness like a drunkard reels
From forth day’s path and Titan’s fiery wheels.

Here, the morning is said to smile on the night. In other words, it is dawn and the sun is rising. Because Shakespeare used very few props, and modern theater lighting had not yet been created, he often describes the setting with his words. Darkness is receding and is compared to a drunkard staggering away.

Allusion, a reference to something from history or literature, abounds in the plays of Shakespeare, and Romeo and Juliet is no exception. Two of the most common sources for allusion in literary works are the Bible and Greek and Roman mythology. Of course, because Romeo and Juliet is a play about lovers, Cupid is invoked in several passages. In referring to Rosaline, the woman he is infatuated with at the beginning of the play and who spurns his advances, Romeo says, in Act I, Scene 1, "She’ll not be hit with Cupid’s arrow." Again, as Romeo's group is on their way to the Capulet's party in Act I, Scene 4, Mercutio invokes the Roman god of love when he tells Romeo, "You are a lover. Borrow Cupid’s wings and soar with them above a common bound." 

An oxymoron is a figure of speech which uses contradictory terms, or words that are literally opposed to each other. A famous oxymoron is the term "jumbo shrimp." In his tirade about how he loves Rosaline, but she could care less about him, Romeo uses several oxymorons in Act I, Scene 1:

Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate,
O anything of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still-waking sleep that is not what it is!

Obviously, love doesn't match hate and, likewise, cold and fire are opposites.

Alliteration, often used by poets and songwriters alike, is the repetition of consonant sounds, as in the famous tongue twisters "Peter Piper...," and "She sells seashells..." Shakespeare uses alliteration in the very first lines of Romeo and Juliet. In the prologue, the chorus says, "From forth the fatal lines of these two foes." Notice the repeating "F" sound.

Punning is one of the most fun and creative uses of figurative language. A pun is a form of word play that highlights the different meanings of words that sound alike. An excellent example of a pun appears in Act I, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet when Romeo, explaining why he won't dance when he gets to Capulet's party, says,

Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes
With nimble soles. I have a soul of lead
So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.

Romeo plays on the words sole and soul. His shoes have soles but they are quite different from his soul, which, at this point in the play, is heavy because he is in love with Rosaline, who does not share his affection.

 

 


  

What is the summary for Finding Zasha by Randi G. Barrow?

This is more than just another story about a boy and his dog. In the tradition of Barrow, it is truly a heroic tale about World War II regarding Ivan (a twelve-year-old boy) and Zasha (his German shepherd). 

The setting is the early 1940s at the beginning of the long German siege on Leningrad when Ivan is sent to live elsewhere for his own safety. The journey to leave Leningrad is long and hard. Even...

This is more than just another story about a boy and his dog. In the tradition of Barrow, it is truly a heroic tale about World War II regarding Ivan (a twelve-year-old boy) and Zasha (his German shepherd). 

The setting is the early 1940s at the beginning of the long German siege on Leningrad when Ivan is sent to live elsewhere for his own safety. The journey to leave Leningrad is long and hard. Even after Ivan leaves, the town he moves into is taken over by the Nazis as well. Unfortunately, it is at this point that one of the Nazi soldiers, Axel Recht, chooses Ivan to work for the Reich. Luckily, Ivan is asked to train the Nazi dogs (Ivan's most beloved kind of animal). 

Ivan turns the Nazi dog-training into a rescue mission (for the dogs) and a sabotage mission (of the Nazis). In short, Ivan trains the dogs not to kill. Meanwhile, Ivan gets close to both Zasha and Thor (two German shepherds he is training). Eventually, Ivan escapes with both dogs, but is hunted down by Axel Recht and his men. 

Ivan experiences many of the World War II battles as he hides from Axel Recht. Zasha and Thor both protect Ivan and need protection. The end to this story is about Ivan's possible reunion with Zasha (after losing him for a while) and with his own mother.

Identify two ways that organisms can be compared to provide evidence of evolution from a common ancestors.

Comparison of genetic material, homologous structures, and fossil records can be used to support common ancestry amongst organisms.

DNA and amino acid sequences can be used support the claim that two organisms share a common ancestor. Simply put, the more DNA sequences and/or amino acid sequences that organisms have in common, the more closely related they are.

Homologous structures are bones or organs that are found in different species that are share anatomical and functional...

Comparison of genetic material, homologous structures, and fossil records can be used to support common ancestry amongst organisms.

DNA and amino acid sequences can be used support the claim that two organisms share a common ancestor. Simply put, the more DNA sequences and/or amino acid sequences that organisms have in common, the more closely related they are.

Homologous structures are bones or organs that are found in different species that are share anatomical and functional similarities. Therefore, organisms that share homologous structures are though to also share a common ancestor. Examples of homologous structures are the arm of a human, the limb of a horse or cat, the wing of a bat, and the fin of a whale.

Fossil records are also used to support the claim that two species share a common ancestor. Fossil records provide evidence of the progression of the formation of organisms over time. Such records may demonstrate divergent evolution. Divergent evolution results when two or more species evolve from a single ancestor. Environmental isolation of subpopulations of a species may result in divergent evolution. The subpopulations will evolve due to natural selection of each environment’s unique characteristics. An example of divergent evolution would be the different finches found the Galapagos islands.

In Treasure Island, how is the central conflict of the novel resolved?A. Jim Hawkins helps Long John Silver and Captain Smollett to treat Ben...

There are elements of truth in each of the options, but C is the only correct answer.

While Ben Gunn hints to Jim that he has already found the treasure, claiming that he's rich, Jim doesn't catch on to this at the time. Because Jim left the stockade to recover and beach the Hispaniola, he wasn't present to learn Dr. Livesey negotiated with Ben Gunn to relocate the stockade group to Gunn's cave, where...

There are elements of truth in each of the options, but C is the only correct answer.

While Ben Gunn hints to Jim that he has already found the treasure, claiming that he's rich, Jim doesn't catch on to this at the time. Because Jim left the stockade to recover and beach the Hispaniola, he wasn't present to learn Dr. Livesey negotiated with Ben Gunn to relocate the stockade group to Gunn's cave, where Gunn had already recovered and stored the treasure. Jim spends most of the remainder of the story confused as to why the stockade was abandoned to the pirates, and the treasure map given to Silver. 

With the exception of Silver, who negotiated with Jim and Dr. Livesey to spare himself, the remaining pirates are marooned on the island, though not without provisions left behind by the doctor. Because most of the original crew is dead, the Hispaniola needs replacements before it can attempt crossing the ocean back to England, and so it travels to the nearest port in the Americas. While there, Silver escapes, and thereby avoids punishment.

Why are tampons and other feminine products taxed as a luxury item in many American states? Should they continue to be?

One reason that tampons and other "feminine hygiene" products are subject to sales taxes in many states is that most laws have historically reflected the overwhelming political influence of males. This is not intended as a feminist indictment of men; it is, however, acknowledgement that the issue of the so-called "tampon tax" has only taken on greater urgency as women have more vigorously asserted themselves in political processes. Exemptions from state sales taxes usually reflect interpretations of what constitutes "necessities" as opposed to "luxuries." Tampons, douches, wipes and other such items are categorized as "personal hygiene" and are treated the same as antiperspirant, mouthwash, soap, toothpaste, haircare products, etc. While one can, and should, argue that toothpaste and certain other personal hygiene items are, in fact, medical necessities, as the failure to use such items does lead to health problems, but this is the fact of the situation. Certainly, deodorant and other items are not "necessities," in that their use is not vital to survival, but tampons in particular are a necessity given the natural, inevitable and often-inconvenient fact of life that is menstruation. Concern about the inevitability of menstruation, however, has historically been unique to the only gender that must endure this monthly condition. Because women were marginalized politically for so many decades, and continue to be underrepresented relative to their proportion of the nation's population, it has taken this long for the issue of the "tampon tax" to be addressed.

Tampons should not be subject to the luxury tax. They are a necessity. It's been a while since the 1989 decision by the Supreme Court for the State of Illinois in Geary v. Dominick's Finer Foods, in which that state's highest court arrived at the following conclusion with regard to the need for tampons by those who use them:

"Clearly tampons and sanitary napkins are necessities of life for a vast number of post-pubescent women. These products are virtually the only ones available to and used by women during menstruation. No reasonable alternative product exists."

This 1989 decision represented an important legal victory for women, but the fact that women continue to have to agitate politically over an issue of such sensitivity illuminates the distance yet to go.