Friday, September 30, 2016

In chapter 11 of the book Lyddie, why is it different for her in the summer?

Summer is different in two ways for Lyddie.  First, there are fewer people around her.  Many of the the girls that work with Lyddie in the factory use the summer time to take time off and visit their families.  Lyddie has two feelings about this.  One, Lyddie is saddened by the fact that she cannot do the same thing.   I'm sure it had to be a bit lonely for her too.  I went to...

Summer is different in two ways for Lyddie.  First, there are fewer people around her.  Many of the the girls that work with Lyddie in the factory use the summer time to take time off and visit their families.  Lyddie has two feelings about this.  One, Lyddie is saddened by the fact that she cannot do the same thing.   I'm sure it had to be a bit lonely for her too.  I went to college a long way from home, and the dorm would clear out for certain holidays.  I didn't have family that lived close, so sometimes I would spend that holiday in the dorms.  There were always a few other people around, but the place felt lonely nonetheless.  Lyddie feels the same way.  The second feeling that Lyddie has about the lack of people around is determination.  With fewer girls working in the mills, Lyddie has the potential to earn extra money.  


The second main summer difference for Lyddie is an emotional/mental difference.  Lyddie is discovering that she has a hunger for reading and learning.  She spends much of the summer improving her literary skills so that she can buy and read her own copy of Oliver Twist.  

In Fahrenheit 451 what quotations in the book show that technology is bad in their society?

I think any quotations that display the state of Montag and Mildred's relationship are good quotes for your question.  Mildred is addicted to the media technology.  So much so that it has destroyed the relationship between Montag and Mildred.  They simply do not interact as a couple anymore, because Mildred would rather spend time consuming media tech than conversing with her husband.  Not only that though, but the technology actually becomes life threatening to Mildred,...

I think any quotations that display the state of Montag and Mildred's relationship are good quotes for your question.  Mildred is addicted to the media technology.  So much so that it has destroyed the relationship between Montag and Mildred.  They simply do not interact as a couple anymore, because Mildred would rather spend time consuming media tech than conversing with her husband.  Not only that though, but the technology actually becomes life threatening to Mildred, because she simply isn't capable of maintaining a healthy life without her pills.  Her problem is that she can't control the amount that she takes.  The technology is destroying her and her ability to operate on anything close to resembling a decent interpersonal relationship with real people.  The following quote is a bit long, but it shows what a hollow shell Mildred has become.  



Without turning on the light he imagined how this room would look. His wife stretched on the bed, uncovered and cold, like a body displayed on the lid of a tomb, her eyes fixed to the ceiling by invisible threads of steel, immovable. And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk coming in, coming in on the shore of her unsleeping mind. The room was indeed empty. Every night the waves came in and bore her off on their great tides of sound, floating her, wide-eyed, toward morning. There had been no night in the last two years that Mildred had not swum that sea, had not gladly gone down in it for the third time.



This next quote is along the same lines, but it definitely shows how Mildred's TV watching habits have come between the two of them. 



Well, wasn't there a wall between him and Mildred, when you came down to it? Literally not just one, wall but, so far, three! And expensive, too! And the uncles, the aunts, the cousins, the nieces, the nephews, that lived in those walls, the gibbering pack of tree-apes that said nothing, nothing, nothing and said it loud, loud, loud. He had taken to calling them relatives from the very first. "How's Uncle Louis today?" "Who?" "And Aunt Maude?" The most significant memory he had of Mildred, really, was of a little girl in a forest without trees (how odd!) or rather a little girl lost on a plateau where there used to be trees (you could feel the memory of their shapes all about) sitting in the centre of the "living-room." The living-room; what a good job of labelling that was now. No matter when he came in, the walls were always talking to Mildred.


What is meaning of the phrase "Man has made of man" in "Lines Written in Early Spring"?

In "Lines Written in Early Spring," the speaker is reclining in a grove, listening to birdsong and enjoying the spring flowers, when he begins to feel rather sad: he cannot help but contrast the beauty and perfection he sees in Nature with mankind’s imperfections. In this way, the poet is describing an imperfect (unhappy) human contemplating an Eden-like scene:


To her fair works did Nature link


The human soul that through me ran;


And much it grieved my heart to think


What man has made of man.



So if Wordsworth is comparing and contrasting the works of Nature (beauty and perfection) with “What man has made of man,” then it stands to reason that he is describing the unnatural aspects of human industry: the wars, strife, and grief which lead to human suffering and unhappiness.


Wordsworth underlines this a little further in the fourth and fifth stanza, when he wonders if these beautiful works of nature are happy:



The birds around me hopped and played,


Their thoughts I cannot measure:—


But the least motion which they made


It seemed a thrill of pleasure.



He concludes that they are:



And I must think, do all I can,


That there was pleasure there.



Ultimately he decides that the happiness of nature must be a “holy plan.” Therefore, if Nature’s holy plan, its divine intention, is happiness, then the suffering, war, and strife created by Man--"what Man has made of Man"--is all the more regrettable:



If this belief from heaven be sent,


If such be Nature’s holy plan,


Have I not reason to lament


What man has made of man?



So our analysis shows that when Wordsworth uses the words, “What man has made of man,” he is referring to the works of Man, which are negative actions such as wars, producing sorrow and conflict, in contrast with the works of Nature--positive creations such as flowers and birdsong, which produce beauty and happiness.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

What makes Roland change his mind and follow Oliver's advice?

The point at which Roland changes his mind and follows Oliver's advice is a pivotal moment in the text. However, it would be inaccurate to say Roland ever followed Oliver's advice, for, when Roland did decide to sound for help, Oliver rebuked him, saying,


Nay, it were foul disgrace On your noble kindred to wreak such wrong; They would bear the stain their lifetime long. Erewhile I sought it, and sued in vain; But to...

The point at which Roland changes his mind and follows Oliver's advice is a pivotal moment in the text. However, it would be inaccurate to say Roland ever followed Oliver's advice, for, when Roland did decide to sound for help, Oliver rebuked him, saying,



Nay, it were foul disgrace On your noble kindred to wreak such wrong; They would bear the stain their lifetime long. Erewhile I sought it, and sued in vain; But to sound thy horn thou wouldst not deign. Not now shall mine assent be won, Nor shall I say it is knightly done. (stanza 149)



Thus, Roland goes against the advice of his close compatriot on two accounts. It is important to recall that when Roland first refused to blow his horn, he had not seen the true extent of Marsilla's forces. He knew of them only through Oliver's description. Thus, he had no certain knowledge of the odds against his small force. It is only after fighting and losing many good men that he realizes the dire situation. He calls for help because he fears defeat at the hands of his enemy and hopes for salvation from Charles' retinue.

Please find 3 quotes in To Kill a Mockingbird for the symbol The Radley House. The theme is judging others is dangerous as it results in immoral...

The Radley house, as viewed by Scout at a very early age, seems to symbolize the haunted house of the neighborhood. And with any haunted house, there must be a ghost and mysterious on-goings within. Nothing is as it seems, though; and because of the stigma associated with the house, rumors, superstitions, and judgmental attitudes tend to add to unnecessary behavior by the community.


The first judgmental person who spreads rumors about the Radley house is...

The Radley house, as viewed by Scout at a very early age, seems to symbolize the haunted house of the neighborhood. And with any haunted house, there must be a ghost and mysterious on-goings within. Nothing is as it seems, though; and because of the stigma associated with the house, rumors, superstitions, and judgmental attitudes tend to add to unnecessary behavior by the community.


The first judgmental person who spreads rumors about the Radley house is Stephanie Crawford. She tells Jem facts about Boo's past life mixed with rumors. The biggest rumor she claims is true is told by Jem as follows:



"He goes out, all right, when it's pitch dark. Miss Stephanie Crawford said she woke up in the middle of the night one time and saw him looking straight through the window at her. . . said his head was like a skull looking at her" (12-13).



This gossiping by Jem not only passes unneeded judgment on Boo, but also incites Dill to do more scheming.


The second example of judging others, and thereby acting inappropriately, is when Jem and Dill try to get Boo to come out by poking and prodding him. They devise a way to send him a note by using a fishing pole! When Atticus comes along and catches them, he gives them the lecture of their life, as follows:



"What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to come out, he would. If he wanted to stay inside his own house he had the right to stay inside free from the attentions of inquisitive children, which was a mild term for the likes of us. . . Furthermore, had it never occurred to us that the civil way to communicate with another being was by the front door instead of a side window? Lastly, we were to stay away from that house until we were invited there" (49).



It's a good thing that someone with a moral compass teaches the kids to respect humanity rather than to degrade it, make fun of it, or exploit it.


Finally, superstition is another way that people can get caught up into making immoral decisions. Because of the rumors, people blamed Boo Radley for their azaleas freezing or any mysterious crimes that may have occurred. The following is a perfect example of prejudice based on misinformation and superstition:



"Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work. Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions. A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked" (9).



Thus, the people of Maycomb pre-judge without following the American motto that someone is innocent until proven guilty. This behavior destroys humanity because it makes people reactive to unknown situations rather than investigative. It's always better to find out all of the facts before passing judgment on other people.

How does Blanche feel about loosing Belle Reve in A Streetcar Named Desire?

Blanche loses her mind after losing the family home.


It is clear that whatever mental stability Blanche had cracked when she lost the family homestead, Belle Reve.  It is the last in a long line of personal failures that are too much for Blanche. 


Blanche has two coping mechanisms: denial and blame.  Everything is everyone else’s fault, assuming she acknowledges that it happened at all.  The family home was mortgaged, so it was okay that...

Blanche loses her mind after losing the family home.


It is clear that whatever mental stability Blanche had cracked when she lost the family homestead, Belle Reve.  It is the last in a long line of personal failures that are too much for Blanche. 


Blanche has two coping mechanisms: denial and blame.  Everything is everyone else’s fault, assuming she acknowledges that it happened at all.  The family home was mortgaged, so it was okay that she lost it.  It was the fault of all of the ancestors before her.



There are thousands of papers, stretching back over hundreds of years, affecting Belle Reve as, piece by piece, our improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications--to put it plainly! (Scene 2)



Blanche seems to scarcely acknowledge what happened.  When Stanley asks her if the house was mortgaged, she just responds that this “must've been what happened.”  Blanche exists in a fantasy world where everything is fine until she is confronted with the truth, and then she retreats into herself, not really accepting it.


The loss of the family’s reputation and Blanche’s are intertwined.  She blames Stella for demeaning herself by marrying Stanley, but her own past is hardly praiseworthy.  After finding out that her husband was gay when she was sixteen, and the suicide of that same husband, she lost herself in a sea of sexual promiscuity.   When confronted with this by Stanley and Stella, Blanche blames the loss of Belle Reve.



I wasn't so good the last two years or so, after Belle Reve had started to slip through my fingers. (Scene 5)



As far as Blanche is concerned, losing her husband and losing Belle Reve left her on her own.  Not being “self-sufficient,” she turned to others, apparently a string of others, getting her a reputation.  Having an affair with a student resulted in her getting fired.


By the time Blanche shows up at Stella’s house, she has acknowledged on some level that the game is up, although she hides her pain in judgement of others.  She is unable to cope with what has happened.  When Stanley rapes her, the shell that remained of Blanche cracks.  She descends into madness once and for all.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

In "All Summer in a Day," why did William lock Margot in the closet?

William locks Margot in the closet because the sun is coming out and he does not want her to see it.

The problem between Margot and the other kids is that she is from Earth and they have lived on Venus for all of their lives.  They are jealous of Margot because she has seen the sun, and they do not remember the last time it came out when they were toddlers.  Margot also does not relate well to any of the kids from Venus.


The appearance of the sun brings out the worst in the kids. They are very excited because the sun only comes out once every seven years.



They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes. Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years…



Margot has been on Venus for only five years. She remembers the sun, but the children cannot stand the idea.  They have turned to bullying to deal with the situation, because Margot has not assimilated into Venus life. She does not play their games and has not made friends.



"All a joke!" said the boy, and seized her roughly. "Hey, everyone, let’s put her in a closet before the teacher comes !"



The children do not really think about what they are doing when they put Margot in the closet.  They make it a “joke” even though it is supremely cruel.  When the sun comes out, the children simply forget about her in all of the excitement.  They seem to have intended to pretend to lock her in there so she would miss the sun, but then they actually did it.


This story is a good example of the pointless cruelty of bullying.  If someone is different, then that person becomes a target.  This is even more true with children, who are intolerant of uniqueness and privilege.

How do global factors influence the economy in the US?

This question is a bit ironic, because the United States is almost certainly the one country in the world that is least influenced by the global economy. As the world's technological, military and economic hegemon (not to mention sovereign of the world reserve currency), the United States is one of a handful of countries that actually could afford to shut out other countries and ignore them if we chose to. Other countries depend upon us; but we do not depend upon them.

Actually we might be the only one; while China has as large a GDP as we do and a much larger population, they are more dependent on trade than we are. The European Union as a whole might be able to function closed off from the world, but no individual country within it could afford to do so. The US has one of the lowest ratios of trade to GDP of any country in the world (about 25%, compared to the world average of 60%), which makes sense in terms of the gravity equation because we have a huge GDP and are very far from most other countries.

That said, we are still significantly affected by global events.

The one most people know about is oil prices; because we are so dependent on imported oil, the international price of oil has a strong effect on the US economy in the short run. Actually this is less true than ever; I've linked a graph of our oil imports showing that they have been falling recently due to a combination of reduced consumption (more efficient cars, solar and wind power) and increased production (largely fracking). Yet we are still highly dependent on foreign oil, and have been for decades. Many economists believe that the US recession in the 1970s was caused by OPEC fixing international oil prices.

We also produce an enormous amount of exports and purchase an enormous amount of imports, and if people stop buying our exports or stop selling our imports we would have a problem until we adapted our domestic production accordingly. But again, one of the reasons we are so independent is that we actually could adapt our domestic production (with some loss in efficiency) in a way that a country like Nicaragua or Bangladesh cannot.

The US financial system is also tightly linked with many other financial systems around the world, such that a stock market crash in China or Russia can also cause a drop in markets in the US and slow growth in Europe can also create a drag on US industries.

This is the reason why it's so aggravating to economists when people talk about "shipping our jobs to China" or "staying competitive with Europe"; nations are not in competition with one another. When one nation prospers, others around it do as well. When one nation suffers, we all suffer. We're all in this together.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

What would be a critical appreciation of William Blake's poem "On Another's Sorrow"?

A critical appreciation of this poem by Blake would address both form and content. It would identify what the poet does, and explain how those things relate to what he says.


Formally, then, this is a 36 line lyric poem made up of 9 quatrains. There is a strict rhyme scheme: AABB CCDD, etc. The first two lines of each stanza rhyme, as do the next two. The lines are brief, and have only seven...

A critical appreciation of this poem by Blake would address both form and content. It would identify what the poet does, and explain how those things relate to what he says.


Formally, then, this is a 36 line lyric poem made up of 9 quatrains. There is a strict rhyme scheme: AABB CCDD, etc. The first two lines of each stanza rhyme, as do the next two. The lines are brief, and have only seven syllables per line. Taken in combination, this gives an energetic, youthful feel to this poem, and pulls readers along briskly. There is considerable repetition, especially of rhetorical questions ("Can I..." "Can I...) and evocations or calls to action (the repeated calls to hear things). There are numerous images, but they are simple and familiar. This too makes the poem accessible. You don't have to fight the technique to get the message.

All of this aligns well with the profound message: the narrator cannot bear to see people or beings in pain, and neither can God, who is always there in times of sorrow.

What is the subject of the speech "Attitude" by Margaret Atwood?

Margaret Atwood gave the speech "Attitude" during the commencement ceremony for graduates of University of Toronto on June 14th, 1983. 30-some years later, much of what she says still rings true for graduates of liberal arts schools today. 


In the speech, Atwood discusses many topics. She talks about her own experience at a liberal arts school and uses a humorous tone to describe her many escapades and trials afterwards, finding work and advancing her writing. 


...

Margaret Atwood gave the speech "Attitude" during the commencement ceremony for graduates of University of Toronto on June 14th, 1983. 30-some years later, much of what she says still rings true for graduates of liberal arts schools today. 


In the speech, Atwood discusses many topics. She talks about her own experience at a liberal arts school and uses a humorous tone to describe her many escapades and trials afterwards, finding work and advancing her writing. 


Atwood also discusses the uncertainty that many of the graduates are about to face, saying that "ejection" is a better word for what they are doing, as the students will be ejected from the relative safety of college and thrown into an uncertain real world where they'll have to make their way. As a metaphor, she says, "There are definitely going to be days when you will feel that you’ve been given a refrigerator and sent to the middle of a jungle, where there are no three-pronged grounded plugholes."


Atwood then launches into the story of preparing her speech, giving a few examples of messages she considered leaving the graduates with, most humorous bits of hopelessness, like the uselessness of everything she learned in college and silly theories on writers and writing. 


In the last three paragraphs of her speech, though, Atwood gets to her main message: that the graduates will have a choice as they face the often dismal world. They can choose to look at the negative or positive in life and that choice impacts the world. As she puts it, "You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude towards it, and this, paradoxically, alters reality. Try it and see."

What's the meaning of omniscient narrator?

Literary critics describe the teller of a story as a "narrator". Sometimes the narrator can be a character in the story and sometimes the narrator can be the voice of the author. There are several ways critics distinguish among types of narration.


The first distinction is "person". Most narration is told in either the first person, using the word "I" or the third person, using the words "he" or "she." For example, a third person...

Literary critics describe the teller of a story as a "narrator". Sometimes the narrator can be a character in the story and sometimes the narrator can be the voice of the author. There are several ways critics distinguish among types of narration.


The first distinction is "person". Most narration is told in either the first person, using the word "I" or the third person, using the words "he" or "she." For example, a third person narrator might state: "Elizabeth Bennett dressed carefully in preparation for the ball", but if Elizabeth were narrating in the first person, she would say "I dressed carefully in preparation for the ball."


Narrators are also distinguished by the amount of information they can access. A "limited" narrator can access only certain points of view; for example, most first person narrators can only access what that character might be likely to know through personal experience or conversation. Third person narrators, though, can either be "limited" to certain viewpoints or "unlimited" or "omniscient", meaning able to see into the minds of all the characters in the novel and to know what is happening at all places and times. 


Byatt's narrator in The Virgin in the Garden is an omniscient third person narrator. For example, the narrator describes thoughts of a character in the third person from the character's viewpoint in the following passage:



There was a moment during this time, when his face was on hers ... He thought: skulls separate people.



Why did the students from The Freedom Writers Diary decide to call themselves The Freedom Writers?

The Freedom Writers named themselves after the Freedom Riders, who were black and white college students who determined that they were going to attack segregation in the South during the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties.  They all rode together on the bus, which was illegal in the South, since public transportation of all forms was segregated, with black people being required to sit in the back of the bus and white people in the...

The Freedom Writers named themselves after the Freedom Riders, who were black and white college students who determined that they were going to attack segregation in the South during the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties.  They all rode together on the bus, which was illegal in the South, since public transportation of all forms was segregated, with black people being required to sit in the back of the bus and white people in the front section. They were attacked for riding together like this, and at least one person was badly injured. 


As Erin Gruwell and her class were getting started on a writing project to fight injustice, one of the students was inspired to name their group after the Freedom Riders, since it was a great play on words and both groups had the same mission.  In the student's diary, the student says,



I feel that I finally have a purpose in this class and in life. That purpose is to make a difference and stand up for a cause (154).



For this group of students, this was a meaningful and powerful name, evoking the history of civil rights and the power of the pen. 

Monday, September 26, 2016

What factors led up to Germany becoming an industrial power?

Germany started its move towards industrialization by increasing food production. This led to an increasing rate of rural to urban migration. This translated into increased labor supply in the industrial towns.


Germany enforced an advanced level of protectionism through the Zollverein. The Zollverein, which was basically the Customs Union, was responsible for tariff regulation within territories formed by the coalition of German states. The Zollverein eliminated trade barriers in a variety of industries. This started...

Germany started its move towards industrialization by increasing food production. This led to an increasing rate of rural to urban migration. This translated into increased labor supply in the industrial towns.


Germany enforced an advanced level of protectionism through the Zollverein. The Zollverein, which was basically the Customs Union, was responsible for tariff regulation within territories formed by the coalition of German states. The Zollverein eliminated trade barriers in a variety of industries. This started with the textile industry, which led to its growth.


Germany made investments in its transport infrastructure by building a robust railway network. This expanded the market for the country’s products and services. An increasing market size led to the increasing need for more energy to drive the vast economy. This forced Germany to increase investments in coal production to provide the highly needed energy.


The end of feudalism and serfdom in parts of Germany, especially the southern side of the Rhine Valley helped end restriction to industry and commerce. This was achieved by liberating access to resources essential for industrialization.


Germany also developed a robust banking system that offered essential monetary services and general financial guidance to the emerging industries.

Name four methods that can be used to separate mixtures?

Individual components of a mixture can be separated out by a number of methods. These are:

  • gravity separation: If the various components of the mixture have different gravity, they will form different layers (when shaken and allowed to settle). This way they can be separated out.

  • Filtration: Particles of different sizes can be separated out by filtering them through different size sieves or filters.

  • Chromatography: is used to separate the materials on the basis of differential partitioning of individual components between mobile and stationary phase. The different components will travel different distances and hence will be separated out.

  • Magnetic separation: Magnetic components can be separated from non-magnetic components by use of a magnet. We can simply move a magnet through the mixture. All the magnetic materials will attach to the magnet, while the non-magnetic substances will be left behind.

Some other separation techniques include, evaporation, distillation, extraction, crystallization, etc.



Hope this helps. 

What is surprising and ironic about the ending of "The Interlopers"? What did you expect to happen, and what happens instead? Irony is what we...

The ironic reversal for which the reader is unprepared in "The Interlopers" is the appearance of the wolves, an occurrence which neither Georg and Ulrich have anticipated. The reader expects one of the two parties of men to arrive and rescue at least one of the foes.


When the two foes are pinioned beneath the large branches of the old beech tree, each man threatens the other with the arrival of his men, who will...

The ironic reversal for which the reader is unprepared in "The Interlopers" is the appearance of the wolves, an occurrence which neither Georg and Ulrich have anticipated. The reader expects one of the two parties of men to arrive and rescue at least one of the foes.


When the two foes are pinioned beneath the large branches of the old beech tree, each man threatens the other with the arrival of his men, who will help him but punish the other. Ulrich tells Georg, 



“When my men come to release us, you will wish, perhaps, that you were in a better plight than caught poaching on a neighbor’s land, shame on you.”



And Georg threatens Ulrich,



When they drag me out from under these branches, it won’t need much clumsiness on their part to roll this mass of trunk right over on the top of you. 



However, as the two enemies must remain trapped together, Ulrich begins to consider the peril in which they lie, and he decides to end their feud because it seems rather foolish to him now. After giving Ulrich's offer some thought, Georg agrees, and they share the warming wine from Ulrich's flask. Now,



...each prayed a private prayer that his men might be the first to arrive, so that he might be the first to show honorable attention to the enemy that had become a friend.



At this point, then, the reader anticipates the arrival of one of the rescue parties and the shock of these men when they find their master in such a perilous state. The reader is utterly surprised by this new amity of von Gradwitz and Znaeym, who have so quickly reconciled. It is with even greater surprise, then, to the reader that wolves comprise the surprise ending.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

List all the characters in Doris Lessing's "Mrs. Fortescue" and pick out key words/phases that are used to describe each one.

Doris Lessing's short story "Mrs. Fortescue" revolves around the sexual awakening of a young man and the emotional displacement he feels as the result of his older sister outpacing him on the journey to adulthood.

The protagonist of the story is the aforementioned boy, Fred Danderlea, who is sixteen years old and described quite simply as a "loutish schoolboy." Most of our understanding of Fred comes from his commentary on and perspective of the characters which surround him. As we will soon discover, he is desperate to understand his sexuality and manhood and to contextualize the knowledge of these parts of himself against the behaviors and appearances of others...


Fred's sister, Jane Danderlea, is seventeen years old and no longer in school. A pretty girl who is wholly concerned with her own pursuits and newly discovered adulthood, Jane is "far from being [Fred's] friend and ally," and in fact seems "positively to hate him." Jane serves as a proxy for Fred's sexual urges, and he watches her rather lasciviously, even taking the time to spy on her as she dresses: "She slipped over her still puppy-fatted white shoulders a new dressing-gown in cherry-red and buttoned it up primly..." She is irritated by her brother's presence and speaks to him in "this new, jaunty voice... she used as a weapon against all men."


In our first description of Fred's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Danderlea, we learn that Fred "disliked [them], because they told lies." The couple manages a liquor shop (which they also live above) for Sanko and Duke; on the whole, they don't seem to be particularly remarkable, aside from the fact that Fred believes that "they pretended not to know what he meant" when he tries to inform them of his sexual urges. Mr. Danderlea is described as having a "dome of a stomach," most likely from his voracious appetite. Mrs. Danderlea seems irritated by her husband's lack of table manners, when she passive-aggressively asks him, "What's wrong with the spoon?" after he sloppily tries to eat his dinner with a hunk of fried bread. We later learn that Mr. Danderlea has been unfaithful to his wife and visits Mrs. Fortescue for sexual services.


Mrs. Fortescue is the older woman who is employed as a prostitute and lives in the room above the Danderlea family. She dresses extravagantly, often leaving the house wearing furs and "a small hat... with a veil that was drawn tight over her face and held with a bunch of flowers." She is described as having "dark, made-up eyes" and a "small old reddened mouth." Fred ends up losing his virginity to her, but regards her with a certain aggravated disgust:



"This old, rather kind face... was like a mask held between the cherry-red gown over a body whose shape was slim and young, and the hair, beautifully tinted a tactful silvery-blond and waving softly into the hollows of an ancient neck."



Fred's final remarks on her appearance, delivered directly to Mrs. Fortescue after he has sex with her, also seem to come from a rather hyper-masculine, self-aggrandizing perspective: "Look at yourself, look at yourself then... Filthy old whore, disgusting, that's what you are disgusting!" That such a statement would come out of a young man's mouth is perhaps the best textual characterization of Fred. 

Am I on the right path when I move the supply curve up?

Yes, you are absolutely on the right path!  In this scenario, supply is dropping.  Paradoxically, a decrease in supply is shown by moving the supply curve upward, or to the left.


As you probably remember, supply can be defined as the amount of a good or service that producers are willing and able to produce at a given price. The scenario that you have been given says that there has been a drought that has...

Yes, you are absolutely on the right path!  In this scenario, supply is dropping.  Paradoxically, a decrease in supply is shown by moving the supply curve upward, or to the left.


As you probably remember, supply can be defined as the amount of a good or service that producers are willing and able to produce at a given price. The scenario that you have been given says that there has been a drought that has affected the strawberry crop.  A drought will tend to make the strawberries grow more poorly, resulting in a smaller harvest.  When this happens, producers will be able to produce fewer strawberries at any given price (because they are producing fewer strawberries overall).  To show this, you have to move the supply curve upward, or to the left, which is what you have done.


By moving the supply curve upward, you have created a new equilibrium point.  At this new equilibrium, the quantity supplied and demanded will be lower and the price will be higher.  This is why a decrease in supply is a bad thing for consumers.

What is the meaning of Sharper than serpents tooth is ungrateful child from King Lear?

This quote comes from Act 1, scene 4 of William Shakespeare's King Learas the titular Lear laments that his children, more specifically his daughter Goneril, are inherently ungrateful. Lear abdicates power to his daughters, only for them to disregard his wishes. He poignantly uses the image of a serpent's tooth and bemoans the fact that his power hungry children have no sense of gratitude or familial loyalty. While Lear is referring directly to Goneril...

This quote comes from Act 1, scene 4 of William Shakespeare's King Lear as the titular Lear laments that his children, more specifically his daughter Goneril, are inherently ungrateful. Lear abdicates power to his daughters, only for them to disregard his wishes. He poignantly uses the image of a serpent's tooth and bemoans the fact that his power hungry children have no sense of gratitude or familial loyalty. While Lear is referring directly to Goneril and attacking her lack of character, the metaphor extends to his squabbling family. Lear wants his family to be respectful, and their general apathy toward his well being in conjunction with their greed for power make them ruthless entities. Therefore, he compares them to dangerous serpents, which carries an additional evil connotation in that the serpent in Western culture is often associated with Satan.  

Martin Luther King, Jr. describes life one hundred years after the signing the Emancipation Proclamation in his "I Have a Dream" speech. What...

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial one hundred years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. At the beginning of his speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. brings up the fact that he is speaking one hundred years after the signing of the proclamation, and he describes how life is for African Americans one hundred years later. The examples...

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial one hundred years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. At the beginning of his speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. brings up the fact that he is speaking one hundred years after the signing of the proclamation, and he describes how life is for African Americans one hundred years later. The examples show that life is not better for African Americans.


Martin Luther King, Jr. says that African Americans are still not free in America. African Americans are still held down by segregation and discrimination in America. African Americans live in poverty while everyone else in the country prospers. African Americans are pushed to the outside of society and it feels like African Americans are exiled in their own lands. 


Below is the paragraph you are referring to:



But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.


Friday, September 23, 2016

What are the positive qualities in Frankenstein's relationship with the monster?

Sadly, the positives that can be drawn from their relationship could be described as the way Victor Frankenstein is influenced to behave as a result of both his desire to create the monster and his desire to destroy the monster.


Victor initially sets to to create the monster in an attempt to find a way to stave off death. In this way, his relationship to the monster begins even before its creation.He puts great...

Sadly, the positives that can be drawn from their relationship could be described as the way Victor Frankenstein is influenced to behave as a result of both his desire to create the monster and his desire to destroy the monster.


Victor initially sets to to create the monster in an attempt to find a way to stave off death. In this way, his relationship to the monster begins even before its creation. He puts great care into building the monster and even remarks, 



"His limbs were in proportion. I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! - Great God!" (CH. V).



He worked for close to two years to bring this being to fruition, so the positive quality we could see in this part of their relationship is that the desire to create the monster drove Frankenstein, with good intentions, to attempt something never attempted before. Had the creature not been so hideous, Victor might have realized what an accomplishment the monster was and that all of his hard work was actually successful.


Later, Victor so hates and fears the monster, that he hunts him all over Europe. Again, the monster has brought out in Victor a focus and determination to accomplish something, even if it is the death of the creature. That is not the positive quality, though. The positive quality could be seen as Victor's loyalty to his family and perhaps renewed appreciation of them as a result of the danger that the creature has put them in. In this way, the relationship with the creature has caused the very positive quality  of loyalty in Victor to shine.

Describe how nuclear fusion and other processes in stars have led to the formation of all the other chemical elements.

Nuclear fusion is the process in which smaller nuclei fuse together to form larger nuclei. An example is the process of nuclear fusion that place in our Sun. Here, hydrogen nuclei fuse together to form helium nuclei. It is believed that the Big Bang (which is the most widely accepted model of the origin of our universe) itself created light elements such as hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, etc. These lighter elements fuse to form heavier...

Nuclear fusion is the process in which smaller nuclei fuse together to form larger nuclei. An example is the process of nuclear fusion that place in our Sun. Here, hydrogen nuclei fuse together to form helium nuclei. It is believed that the Big Bang (which is the most widely accepted model of the origin of our universe) itself created light elements such as hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, etc. These lighter elements fuse to form heavier elements, up to iron. For a significant fraction of its life, a star generates energy by fusing hydrogen to helium. During its later years (and depending on its mass), fusion may create other elements. Helium fuses to form carbon in many stars. In case of heavier stars, oxygen and other elements (such as magnesium, silicon, etc.) are also formed. These reactions are exothermic. However, formations of heavier elements, beyond iron, are generally endothermic processes (they require energy input). These elements (trans-iron) were formed when a star went supernova. This is the phase in the life cycle of a star when the outer expanding layer of a star is thrown out. This explosion generates enough energy to fuse elements and form trans-iron elements. 


Such processes have formed 92 naturally occurring elements. The rest of the elements are man-made and have short lives.


Hope this helps. 

Thursday, September 22, 2016

How are the novels Beloved and Dracula similar and different in their presentation of the supernatural?

While both Dracula and Beloved deal with the supernatural, their approaches to the subject/genre are very different.  With Dracula, Bram Stoker tells a chilling story of an evil entity driven to consume mankind, while Morrison's Beloved presents a ghost that devours because it doesn't know any better. 

Dracula's titular character consumes everything in his path in order to survive.  After luring Jonathan Harker to his castle, he imprisons him and feeds off Harker repeatedly as he prepares to travel to England.  Dracula then leaves Harker behind in the care of thralls and continues to England, feeding upon the crew of the Demeter along the way, using his supernatural powers of strength, concealment, and shape-shifting to remain undiscovered.  By the time the ship reaches shore, there is no living creature left aboard.  He then moves through England, turning Lucy Westenra into a vampire and biting Mina Harker (Jonathan's wife) and attempting to convert her to vampirism as well.  His ultimate plan is to settle in various houses throughout the country to expand his feeding grounds, consuming at will.  He is shown to be a great evil to the world, using his powers to kill and control nearly at will.  When he is finally destroyed, Mina is freed from his grasp, the remaining characters are able to begin the process of healing, and England (and perhaps the world) are saved.

Beloved, on the other hand, also deals with a nearly all-consuming supernatural character in the form of the ghost that shows up to 124 Bluestone Road.  Beloved, the ghost, does consume and draw the life out of those closest to her (Sethe, primarily, and Denver), but unlike Dracula she is not bent on destruction.  Rather, Beloved is in one way the manifestation of a baby killed 18 years before, when pride caused communal bonds to shatter. 


Upon showing up at 124 Bluestone, Beloved behaves in much the same way that a baby would.  She falls asleep regularly, she has trouble controlling her body, and she is always hungry and often short-tempered.  Her existence would not be possible without the influence of the supernatural.  The title character embodies the spirit of a baby trapped in a woman's body.  She isn't driven by malice but rather the fear of being separated from her mother again.  She spends the majority of the book physically monopolizing Sethe's time while supernaturally consuming Sethe's being.  Beloved also succeeds in driving wedges between Sethe and her relationships with Denver and Paul D, until finally Denver is forced to go out into the community to ask for help.  Once the community begins to understand what is happening, they come to 124 to confront the ghost and, through love, forgiveness, and acknowledgement, succeed in driving Beloved out and saving Sethe.

While both novels seemingly deal with greedy, all-consuming entities, it is important to note the reasons for the consumption.  While Dracula's thirst for blood was a symbol for his greed and desire for conquest, Beloved's desire to initially occupy all of Sethe's attention and then all of Sethe's existence is the result of the baby's loss of that attention eighteen years before.  The supernatural is a major part of both of these novels.  Without the presence of the supernatural, the fantastical plots and resolutions could not occur.  However, whereas in Dracula the supernatural is employed as a vehicle with which to consume society, in Beloved the supernatural exists as a means to heal a community.

You throw a baseball directly upward at time t = 0 at an initial speed of 13.9 m/s. What is the maximum height the ball reaches above where it...

We can use the equation of motion to solve for this problem.


Since the ball was thrown upwards, the gravity of Earth will affect its motion. The initial velocity, u, of ball is 13.9 m/s. At the maximum height, the velocity of the ball will be 0 m/s (else it will continue moving upwards).


Using, `V^2 = U^2 + 2as`


where, u is initial velocity, v is final velocity, a is acceleration and s is the...

We can use the equation of motion to solve for this problem.


Since the ball was thrown upwards, the gravity of Earth will affect its motion. The initial velocity, u, of ball is 13.9 m/s. At the maximum height, the velocity of the ball will be 0 m/s (else it will continue moving upwards).


Using, `V^2 = U^2 + 2as`


where, u is initial velocity, v is final velocity, a is acceleration and s is the distance,


0^2 = 13.9^2 + 2 (-9.8)s


or, s = (13.9^2)/(2 x 9.8) = 9.86 m.


Thus, the ball will reach a maximum height of 9.86 m.


Half of this height is 4.93 m.


We can use, s = ut + 1/2 at^2


and solve for time. Here, s = 4.93 m, u = 13.9 m/s, a = -9.8 m/s^2


Solving for time, we get t = 0.42 s.


(when we solve the quadratic equation, we will get two values of time, one for upward motion and other for downward motion of ball).


Hope this helps.


What techniques did the Nazis use to appeal to the public?

The use of propaganda and silencing dissent were two techniques that the Nazis used to appeal to the public.


"Propaganda" is biased or skewed information intended to advance a particular political cause.  In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazis, wrote about the power of propaganda.   He wrote that "Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them...

The use of propaganda and silencing dissent were two techniques that the Nazis used to appeal to the public.


"Propaganda" is biased or skewed information intended to advance a particular political cause.  In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazis, wrote about the power of propaganda.   He wrote that "Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea." Hitler understood that being able to "work on the general public" to embrace his ideas had to be an essential part of Nazism's appeal.  


With the help of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, Hitler was able to spread a variety of messages that the German public found appealing. Films, posters, and speeches were all aimed at the public's dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I, and the presence of "outsiders" in Germany.  The message was that these "outsiders" wanted to see Germany fail.  It appealed to national identity, a vision of the past, and the belief that German future could be better if the public mobilized behind the strength of Nazism.  These were essential components of the public's attraction to the Nazi propaganda message.


Another way that the Nazis appealed to the public was through their display of strength in silencing dissenting voices.  For example, in the early 1930s, Hitler and the Nazis used tactics such as physical intimidation and violence to silence Communists.  Later on in the decade, Hitler and the Nazis focused their attempts to marginalize the Jewish population.  For example, in 1935, Hitler issued a decree to forbid the selling of Jewish newspapers in public. A year later, Jewish people were not allowed to vote in parliamentary elections. In 1938, the Nazis orchestrated the Kristallnacht demonstrations to attack Jewish businesses and homes.  These techniques sought to silence Jewish voices that would have disagreed with the Nazis.  As a result, many members of the German public believed in the strength and authority of the Nazis because they were not able or allowed to hear alternative points of view.  In this way, the silencing of dissenting voices helped to increase the appeal of the Nazis to the public.

What are some of the long-term impacts of environmental problems, and how can some of these be solved?

There are many long-term effects of environmental degradation, many of which have serious global consequences.


The most worrisome long term issue at the moment is global climate change. A rise in average global temperature of over 2 degrees centigrade is considered by most experts a tipping point. The effects of global warming include melting of polar ice caps and an accompanying rise in sea levels which will put at risk many coastal cities such as...

There are many long-term effects of environmental degradation, many of which have serious global consequences.


The most worrisome long term issue at the moment is global climate change. A rise in average global temperature of over 2 degrees centigrade is considered by most experts a tipping point. The effects of global warming include melting of polar ice caps and an accompanying rise in sea levels which will put at risk many coastal cities such as New York and Miami and possibly submerge some island nations. Changing global climate will also cause massive species migrations and extinctions, and change the latitudes at which many food crops are viable, leading to problems in many agricultural areas. Increased temperatures are also correlated with more frequent extreme weather events. The main way to solve this is to reduce carbon footprints to slow global warming.


Another major issue is the degradation of water supplies and depletion of aquifers. Many countries and regions are polluting and depleting aquifers by intensive farming. Two possible solutions are organic farming which does not pollute water as much and fair market pricing of water.


Finally, deforestation is a major issue contributing to climate change and soil erosion. This can be countered by providing economic incentives to preserve forests.

What character traits can be found for Doug Swieteck's brother in chapters "November" and December"?

Whenever Holling mentions Doug Swieteck's brother (never referred to by his first name), it's usually to point out his bad behavior. The primary character trait that becomes attached to Doug Swieteck's brother is that of the misbehaving "bad boy." (Let's call him "D.S.B." for short.)


In the "November" chapter, Holling mentions D.S.B. several times. Once, he compares the curses Caliban uses in The Tempest to him:


Even Doug Swieteck's brother couldn't cuss like that—and he could...

Whenever Holling mentions Doug Swieteck's brother (never referred to by his first name), it's usually to point out his bad behavior. The primary character trait that becomes attached to Doug Swieteck's brother is that of the misbehaving "bad boy." (Let's call him "D.S.B." for short.)


In the "November" chapter, Holling mentions D.S.B. several times. Once, he compares the curses Caliban uses in The Tempest to him:



Even Doug Swieteck's brother couldn't cuss like that—and he could cuss the yellow off a school bus.



Holling uses more language from The Tempest to describe the way D.S.B. frightens other children on the playground:



At lunch recess, Doug Swieteck's brother lurched across the field, sixth graders scurrying out of his way as if he was a southwest wind about to blister them all over.



Holling also observes that D.S.B. smells of cigarette smoke.


In "December," D.S.B. gets a mention when Holling is describing why his school uses plastic Christmas decorations: "…because last Christmas Mr. Vendleri had seen what Doug Swieteck's brother did to the glass ones."


What do cussing, scaring small children, smoking, and (presumably) smashing glass decorations have in common? Well, they're not the actions of a perfect angel—pretty much the opposite. It's clear that, based on how often Holling brings up D.S.B. as the do-er of all bad things, Holling sees him as the baddest of all bad boys.


You can read more about the characters in The Wednesday Wars .

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Why does Mistress Hibbins appear in two special moments involving Hester and Dimmesdale Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter?

Mistress Hibbins first appears just after Hester learns the magistrates are considering taking Pearl away from her.  Reverend Dimmesdale speaks on her behalf, leading to Hester being allowed to keep Pearl.  As Hester and Pearl leave the governor's house, Mistress Hibbins peeps out a window to invite Hester to come with her to a witches' meeting with "the Black Man" (the devil) in the forest that night.  Hester, with a "triumphant smile," declines the invitation,...

Mistress Hibbins first appears just after Hester learns the magistrates are considering taking Pearl away from her.  Reverend Dimmesdale speaks on her behalf, leading to Hester being allowed to keep Pearl.  As Hester and Pearl leave the governor's house, Mistress Hibbins peeps out a window to invite Hester to come with her to a witches' meeting with "the Black Man" (the devil) in the forest that night.  Hester, with a "triumphant smile," declines the invitation, claiming that if Pearl had been taken from her, she'd be happy to join the witches.  


The next time Mistress Hibbins appears is during the procession, when she makes comments to Hester that indicate her awareness of Hester and Dimmesdale's trip to the forest as well as their original affair.  Her words foreshadow the book's end when she says that the minister has something similar to Hester's scarlet "A," something that he conceals.  Moreover, she says that when the Devil sees someone like this, someone who hides his sinfulness, "he hath a way of ordering matters so that the mark shall be disclosed in open day-light to the eyes of all the world!"  Mistress Hibbins explains she doesn't need proof to know all of this; she can tell by the way Dimmesdale acts.


Both of these instances show just how perceptive Mistress Hibbins is; she seems to intuitively know the contents of another's heart.  The majority of Puritans may be utterly blind to such a possibility, and this is another criticism Hawthorne launches at them.  Mistress Hibbins senses Hester's heart rebels against the community, though she seems to conform and accept her punishment with equanimity.  She later senses Dimmesdale's guilt, despite his attempts to conceal his sin.  It is interesting this supposed witch actually knows more about the human heart than many of the rigid, judgmental Puritans do.

Compare and contrast the Carbon dioxide and Oxygen cycles.

The carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle represent a true "win-win" scenario in the earth today.  All green plants produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis.  The carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is an essential part of that process.  Light energy from the sun is combined with water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air.  This produces glucose, a simple sugar, and releases oxygen back into the atmosphere as a waste product.


...

The carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle represent a true "win-win" scenario in the earth today.  All green plants produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis.  The carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is an essential part of that process.  Light energy from the sun is combined with water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air.  This produces glucose, a simple sugar, and releases oxygen back into the atmosphere as a waste product.


All animals (and plants, at night) make energy for their cells through a process called cellular respiration.  This process takes the glucose that was initially produced by the plants and combines it with oxygen from the atmosphere.  This manufactures free energy, in the form of ATP, with water and carbon dioxide as waste products.  The water and carbon dioxide are released back into the atmosphere.


Oxygen is the second most plentiful gas in the atmosphere, at 21%.  Carbon dioxide has traditionally been under 1%, with other trace gasses.  Recent manufacturing processes have stepped up production of carbon dioxide, resulting in a phenomenon known as global warming.  Increased levels of carbon dioxide cause a rise in temperatures world-wide.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Calculate the percentage of oxygen in Al2(SO4)3?

To calculate the percentage of oxygen in aluminum sulfate, `Al_2(SO_4)_3`  , we need to determine the molar mass of this salt. The atomic masses of aluminum (Al), sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) are 27, 32 and 16, respectively.


Thus, the molar mass of aluminum sulfate = 2 x 27 + 3 x 32 + 4 x 3 x 16


= 342 gm/mole


The mass contributed by oxygen = 4 x 3 x 16 = 192...

To calculate the percentage of oxygen in aluminum sulfate, `Al_2(SO_4)_3`  , we need to determine the molar mass of this salt. The atomic masses of aluminum (Al), sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) are 27, 32 and 16, respectively.


Thus, the molar mass of aluminum sulfate = 2 x 27 + 3 x 32 + 4 x 3 x 16


= 342 gm/mole


The mass contributed by oxygen = 4 x 3 x 16 = 192 gm


% contribution of oxygen = mass of oxygen x 100/ mass of aluminum sulfate


= 192/342 x 100 = 56.14%


Thus, oxygen contributes about 56% of mass to aluminum sulfate. Similarly, sulfur contributes 28.1% (96/342 x 100) and aluminum contributes 15.8% to the total mass of aluminum sulfate. 


This salt is generally sold as alum and is used as a coagulating agent in water treatment process.


Hope this helps. 



What are some examples of personification in Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet?

At the very beginning of the act, the Chorus says, 


Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie,
And young affection gapes to be his heir.
That fair for which love groaned for and would die,
With tender Juliet matched, is now not fair.  (2.1-4)



In these lines old desire is personified, as it is given the ability to lie in a deathbed and die; further, young affection is personified as being ready to become the heir to old desire, which means that young affection is going to replace old desire in Romeo's heart.  It is given the human quality of being an heir and experiencing anticipation.  The beauty that Romeo's love groaned for and would die is personified as experiencing painful emotion and death.  


Then, after Romeo runs away from his friends to scale the wall to Juliet's garden, Mercutio tries to compel him to return or at least confess his purpose.  When Romeo does not answer, Benvolio tells Mercutio that 



he hath hid himself among these trees
To be consorted with the humorous night.  (2.1.33-34)



In these lines, Benvolio personifies night as something with whom one can consort, like a friend with whom one can be in league, and he also calls night humorous, another way of saying that the night is moody.  


Hearing his friend, Mercutio, mocking him, Romeo then says, 



He jests at scars that never felt a wound. (2.2.1)



Emotional scars cannot feel the wound that makes them, and so Romeo personifies scars here as being capable of such conscious feeling.


Further, when he sees Juliet upon her balcony, he says,



Her eye discourses; I will answer it. (2.2.13)



He means that her eyes seem to speak to him and he longs to answer them.  Eyes, obviously, cannot talk in a literal sense, and so he personifies them by suggesting that they can.


He goes on to say,



Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.  (2.2.15-17)



Romeo personifies the stars, suggesting that they have something other than shining to which they must attend, and so they beg Juliet's eyes to take their places until they can come back.

In The Great Gatsby, highlight the faults of the male characters and explain how those faults influence the reader's lack of sympathy for them.

Firstly, please be careful about assuming how any reader feels about a character in a literary work. Responses to literature are varied and complex. That said, I will try to provide an assessment based on your question.


Let's start with Tom Buchanan who, one can generally assume, is the most loathsome character in the novel. He is racist, pompous, a philanderer, a snob, and someone who thinks that his money entitles him to treat people...

Firstly, please be careful about assuming how any reader feels about a character in a literary work. Responses to literature are varied and complex. That said, I will try to provide an assessment based on your question.


Let's start with Tom Buchanan who, one can generally assume, is the most loathsome character in the novel. He is racist, pompous, a philanderer, a snob, and someone who thinks that his money entitles him to treat people disrespectfully. In some ways he operates as a foil for Gatsby. Buchanan comes from money; Gatsby is a "self-made man." Gatsby epitomizes a romantic ideal; Buchanan is the man whom Daisy married out of practicality, as a response to the expectations of a woman of her social standing.


In discussions in which I have participated, readers generally tend to be more sympathetic to Gatsby's faults. He is a man who is holding on to the past and to his love for a woman who is incapable, it seems, of loving anyone. He is also a man who has made the fatal mistake of thinking that, by becoming rich (the ultimate measure of success in American society), people will forget his impoverished upbringing and he will be welcomed into the upper echelons of society. This does not turn out to be true, as both Daisy and Tom remind him that he is of a lower status than they.


There is considerably less focus on Nick Carraway's faults. He is the narrator of the tale. In this novel, his function is that of an observer, so he does not spend much time thinking about his own personality. If the reader is meant to identify with anyone in the novel, it is him. He is the most democratically-minded one of all of them. This is especially true in regard to his final assessment of Tom and Daisy Buchanan: 


"They were careless people...they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..." (179).

What is the conflict that starts the story The Outsiders?

The conflict that is shown in the beginning of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is one between members of the "Socs" standing for "the Socials" and described as "the jet set, the West-side rich kids" (Hinton P2), and the story's main character Ponyboy, a fourteen year old member of the "Greasers" which is used to describe all the boys from "the East Side" (Hinton P2). At the beginning of the story, Ponyboy goes on to describe...

The conflict that is shown in the beginning of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is one between members of the "Socs" standing for "the Socials" and described as "the jet set, the West-side rich kids" (Hinton P2), and the story's main character Ponyboy, a fourteen year old member of the "Greasers" which is used to describe all the boys from "the East Side" (Hinton P2). At the beginning of the story, Ponyboy goes on to describe further the differences between the Socs, who have "editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next" (Hinton P3), and the Greasers, which he describes as "almost like hoods;we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations" (Hinton P3). The conflict between the groups occurs early in the opening pages of the story when a group of five Socs attack and jump Ponyboy as he walks home alone from the movies. This early attack sets up a larger theme of class conflict between the groups that is continually developed through out the rest of the story. Hope this helps!

Can we create a society in which everyone can live long healthy lives? Why or why not?

There are powerful arguments to be made on both sides of this issue. However, there are so many unknowns about the future of society, humankind, and even our planet itself that it’s difficult to answer with any real sense of certainty. Whether or not you believe such a utopia is possible may depend on your sense of optimism or pessimism.


In making your argument, here are some possible topics on both sides of the issue...

There are powerful arguments to be made on both sides of this issue. However, there are so many unknowns about the future of society, humankind, and even our planet itself that it’s difficult to answer with any real sense of certainty. Whether or not you believe such a utopia is possible may depend on your sense of optimism or pessimism.


In making your argument, here are some possible topics on both sides of the issue you may wish to explore—


Reasons why society may not be able to provide everyone with healthy long lives:


  1. Overpopulation may make providing quality food and healthcare to everyone a logistic impossibility. See the work of Thomas Malthus and his dire predictions in the 19th century, which, thankfully, have not come to pass (so far!).

  2. Climate change and environmental degradation will so thoroughly wreak havoc on our planets that healthy, long lives will become impossible.

  3. Rising global income and wealth inequality may not be compatible with universal healthy, long lives.

Reasons why society will succeed in providing healthy, long lives:


  1. Advances in medicine and technology have significantly improved lifespans in industrialized countries. Perhaps these advances can be generalized to all countries and to the poor.

  2. Democratic socialism, a philosophy popular in Scandinavian countries, has been successful in providing its population with excellent health care. This political philosophy might be able to be applied outside of the small and ethnically homogenous populations of Scandinavia.

At the root of this question are essential issues about wealth distribution and poverty, both within countries, and globally. Good luck and keep learning!

Monday, September 19, 2016

In "Battle Royal," Chapter 1 of Invisible Man, what are the reasons the boys are blindfolded? What does it symbolize? How is the narrator different...

The "Battle Royal" is probably the most memorable and pivotal scene in the novel. As you've guessed, the scene operates as a metaphor for a larger idea that Ellison wants to present about how black men, in particular, operate within a power structure in which white men are supreme.

The narrator introduces his memory of the battle by talking about conduct. The narrator learned from his grandfather, "a quite old man who never made any trouble," how to behave (Ellison 17). The narrator had made a reputation for himself as "an example of desirable conduct," a reputation that unsettles him because he suspects that it is the opposite of what white people actually want (17). He surmises that they would actually prefer for him to be "sulky and mean," but he chooses to be upstanding because he is afraid to act any other way (17).


In this recollection, we see that, as a young man, the protagonist's sense of identity is completely determined by the white gaze. There is already a sense of himself as a spectacle. When the white male spectators force the boys to watch a nude, blonde white woman dance, they make a spectacle of black male sexuality. When they force the confused boys to stay in the ring, while threatening them from their seats in the audience, they make a spectacle of their fear and powerlessness. There is a reminiscence here of instances in which slave masters pitted slaves against each other in crude boxing matches, forcing them, at times, to fight to the death.


On the surface, the blindfold may be a plot device that heightens the tension and desperation of the characters in the ring. Metaphorically, the blindfold symbolizes the way in which black men fight against each other in the interest of surviving (in the case of Tatlock) or of achieving recognition (in the case of the narrator) in a white man's world. This desperation is more vividly recreated in a subsequent scene in which the young men crawl around the floor of the ring, picking up coins and greenbacks thrown in by the white spectators.


It is not clear if the narrator is really "different" from the others. The only other fighter who is presented is Tatlock, the narrator's final opponent in the ring:


"I found myself facing Tatlock, the biggest of the gang....His face was a black blank of a face, only his eyes alive -- with hate of me...I wanted to deliver my speech and he came at me as though he meant to beat it out of me" (Ellison 24).


Tatlock is a man who has internalized racism, who sees the narrator as an enemy because white supremacy has taught him that it is another black man who stands between him and the resources that he needs to get along. While the narrator remains focused on his speech (incidentally, inspired by Booker T. Washington's ideas on self-reliance and social responsibility among blacks), Tatlock is one who has eschewed language in favor of physical violence. In other words, he has become the "sulky and mean" brute the narrator is trying not to be. 


The narrator is not really "different" from the others. His goals may be different but, like the other young black men in that ring, he has no individual identity that is recognized. He must also co-exist with them in a power structure that renders them not only invisible but also desperate and, ultimately, powerless. 

How old is Juliet? |

Juliet in Romeo and Julietis the tender age of 13 during the play.  In the first scene of the play, Nurse tells us Juliet’s age is almost fourteen.  Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet, also tells Paris that she “hath not seen the change of fourteen years.”  This is a shocking age for many modern readers of the play because we are not used to such young people getting married and falling so desperately in love...

Juliet in Romeo and Juliet is the tender age of 13 during the play.  In the first scene of the play, Nurse tells us Juliet’s age is almost fourteen.  Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet, also tells Paris that she “hath not seen the change of fourteen years.”  This is a shocking age for many modern readers of the play because we are not used to such young people getting married and falling so desperately in love like Romeo and Juliet do.  However, back in the Elizabethan times when Shakespeare wrote the play, people did marry earlier than they do now.  Boys were allowed to marry at 14, girls at 12.  Marriages were often arranged between families like we see with Juliet and Paris before Juliet meets Romeo. 


The age of Romeo (16?) and Juliet also demonstrates the intensity of young love and how passionate it can be.  Their inexperience causes them to do drastic things, like kill themselves, something a more mature person might not do.  Even though the idea of marrying at 13 is a little shocking to us today, it was not unusual during the time of Shakespeare.  However, Shakespeare's choice of “star-struck” young lovers as the main protagonists also adds to the tragedy of the play.


In Elie Wiesel's Night, is any progress made towards combating racism?

Elie Wiesel’s Night is a harrowing picture of the Holocaust. The book is punctuated with horrific scenes portraying unimaginable inhumanity. It is hard to believe that the story includes any progress made towards combating racism. Yet Night offers glimmers of hope.


In Night, the Holocaust is portrayed not just as extermination of physical bodies, but the destruction of souls. Elie loses his faith early in the memoir, yet many of his fellow Jews do...

Elie Wiesel’s Night is a harrowing picture of the Holocaust. The book is punctuated with horrific scenes portraying unimaginable inhumanity. It is hard to believe that the story includes any progress made towards combating racism. Yet Night offers glimmers of hope.


In Night, the Holocaust is portrayed not just as extermination of physical bodies, but the destruction of souls. Elie loses his faith early in the memoir, yet many of his fellow Jews do not. Even after a day of back-breaking physical labor, over 10,000 Jews at Auschwitz gather for prayers celebrating the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah. Their prayers are an act of rebellion against the Nazis and symbolize the resilience of the human spirit in the face of horror.


The Nazis viewed the Jewish people as subhuman, people whose elimination would benefit the world. Yet Elie, by trying to keep his father alive, shows the reader that every race of people has the same humanity and worth. Another profound moment comes when Elie briefly considers letting his father, a man who becomes "dead weight," die. Elie proves that human beings, no matter their race, religion, or ideology, have both good and evil aspects to their nature.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

In Romeo and Juliet, what is Benvolio talking about when he says, "I'll know his grievance or be much denied" (1.1.157)?

After the opening fight between the Montagues and Capulets in Act I, Scene 1 Benvolio, a Montague and Romeo's cousin, is talking to Lord and Lady Montague. The subject quickly turns to Romeo when Lady Montague asks if Benvolio has seen her son. She worries that Romeo might have been in the fight. Benvolio tells her that he saw Romeo earlier, before the light of day, in a sycamore grove. Benvolio further reports that Romeo...

After the opening fight between the Montagues and Capulets in Act I, Scene 1 Benvolio, a Montague and Romeo's cousin, is talking to Lord and Lady Montague. The subject quickly turns to Romeo when Lady Montague asks if Benvolio has seen her son. She worries that Romeo might have been in the fight. Benvolio tells her that he saw Romeo earlier, before the light of day, in a sycamore grove. Benvolio further reports that Romeo attempted to avoid him and hid among the trees. Lord Montague explains that Romeo has been depressed lately, crying and hiding away in his "chamber," shutting out the light. Lord Montague is perplexed as to why his son is acting so melancholy. He suggests that he could help Romeo if he only knew the cause of his son's sadness. When Romeo comes into the scene Benvolio tells Montague that he will find out Romeo's problem. He says,




See where he comes. So please you, step aside.
I’ll know his grievance or be much denied.



Basically, Benvolio is saying he'll find out what issue (grievance) is bothering Romeo but he'll be very disappointed (much denied) if he cannot discover Romeo's trouble.

What is Arthur Miller saying about the dangers of sensationalism in the play The Crucible?

Miller is arguing that people get carried away and lose their sense of reason and right and wrong.


In the play, a few young girls turn everyone’s lives upside down when they are caught dancing in the woods.  Before you know it, their simple lie, designed to save themselves, has turned into hysteria.  People actually believe there are witches among them, even though there is no actual evidence.


Proctor, who is caught up in the...

Miller is arguing that people get carried away and lose their sense of reason and right and wrong.


In the play, a few young girls turn everyone’s lives upside down when they are caught dancing in the woods.  Before you know it, their simple lie, designed to save themselves, has turned into hysteria.  People actually believe there are witches among them, even though there is no actual evidence.


Proctor, who is caught up in the problem when his wife is accused by a girl he had an affair with, explains it best.



I‘ll tell you what‘s walking Salem—vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant‘s vengeance; I will not give my wife to vengeance! (Act 2)



Good people who have done nothing wrong are being accused of witchcraft.  Sometimes it is just because someone needs a name, but often it is because someone has a grievance against someone.  They use the court to get revenge on someone they feel has wronged them.


The fact that such horrible things can happen in the name of God is ironic.  The people have grown so afraid of God and the Devil that they are willing to kill each other.  However, the main reason it is allowed to happen is because they let it.  They allow fanatics to guide them, such as Danforth.



Now, children, this is a court of law. The law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible writ by Almighty God, forbid the practice of witchcraft, and describe death as the penalty thereof. (Act 3)



Even while other towns come to their senses and disband their courts, Salem persists.  It is caught up in a mass delusion, and the hysteria is self-perpetuating.  The people are afraid, and out of fear they go along with it.  People confess who are not guilty (of course no one is actually guilty), and they are caught in a trap.  If you confess you are saying you are guilty, and if you don’t confess you are assumed to be guilty.


Arthur Miller was caught up in the mania of McCarthyism because he was accused of being a communist.  In order to send a message, he later wrote this play to demonstrate the real danger of a witch hunt.  He used an actual historical event: The Salem Witch Trials.


How did god and silver affect the Columbian Exchange?

I am not sure if you are asking about “gold and silver” or “God and silver.”  I will assume that you are asking about God and silver. If you are actually asking about gold, no harm done, because the answer for gold is the same as the answer for silver. Both God and silver increased the Europeans’ desire to dominate the New World, thus making the Columbian Exchange more intense and more harmful to the natives of the Americas.

When the Europeans discovered silver (and gold) in the Americas, they became more motivated to explore and to dominate the region. This meant that more Europeans came to the Americas, bringing more of their technology, horses, germs, and cultural practices.  As they spread out across the continents, their presence became more and more overwhelming, submerging or even destroying native cultures.


God (or, more accurately, religion) also intensified the Columbian Exchange. Many Europeans felt that God wanted them to dominate the natives, in part so they could convert those natives to Christianity.  As with the silver and gold, the desire to evangelize caused Europeans to spread out across Latin America, bringing them in greater contact with more natives and helping to spread European ways.  In particular, the desire to convert the natives led Europeans to impose their own religion, thus weakening native cultures.


In these ways, both precious metals like gold and silver and the desire to (as they saw it) please God led the Europeans to dominate the New World more thoroughly, intensifying the Columbian Exchange and changing the lives of natives more radically.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

What are some changes that Asher goes through in Lois Lowry's The Giver?

Asher is a high-energy, happy child who must learn to control his impulses. For the most part Asher does learn to fit into the community by speaking correctly and obeying the rules. One of the first things learned about Asher in Lowry's The Giver is when he runs into class late and must apologize. The society expects an individual to be held accountable to others in order to instill a sense of responsibility for community. A person giving an apology must also give an explanation, whereupon Asher says he became "distraught" when he saw some workmen separating salmon on the way to school. Everyone accepts his apology, but then the teacher corrects his word choice by telling him he should have used the word "distracted" rather than "distraught" (4). 

Language and word choice is important to this society because it helps with effective communication. The better a person can explain his feelings, the more effective communication is achieved. Language is one of Asher's weaknesses that he needs to work on as seen in the following passage:



"Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast and mixed things up, scrambling words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny" (3).



As the text shows, one of Asher's first things to overcome is his accuracy with language. Jonas's father also says that Asher was a baby who giggled and laughed a lot, which says something about Asher's energetic personality from a very early age. Jonas believes Asher must be high-maintenance because Asher's family waited a long time before requesting another baby:



"Maybe, Jonas suspected, they had been so exhausted by Asher's lively foolishness that they had needed a little time" (43).



This passage helps to support the notion that Asher is a high-energy kid who needs to learn to manage his self-control verbally and physically. Jonas even goes so far as to call him foolish, which suggests that Asher also needs to learn wisdom and how to act during different situations. Luckily, Asher does learn how to speak effectively and to obey the rules of the community. His assignment as "Assistant Director of Recreation" also allows him to use that his personality and physical energy for a good purpose (56).

Friday, September 16, 2016

What are some keywords from The Pearl?

A parable is a story that teaches a moral lesson. In The Pearl readers are presented with the idea that things are not always what they seem and greed can impede good judgement.

Song of the Family is the music Kino hears in his head while he is sitting on the beach in the beginning of the novella. It connects him to his past and signifies his contentment/peaceful life.


Song of the Enemy is what Kino hears when his family's wellbeing is threatened. It is ominous and demonstrates fear and evil.


Song of the Whole is the "soundtrack" of Kino's life. It is all the pieces of the song.


avarice: (n) greed



"They knew his ignorance, his cruelty, his avarice, his appetites, his sins..."



bulwark: (n) A strong protective wall



"It is the bulwark against starvation."



reluctant: (adj) Unwilling or disinclined


incandescence: (n) A glowing light



"It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence."



benign: (adj) showing or expressive of gentleness or kindness


leprosy: (n) a contagious skin disease 



"I know I am like a leprosy..."



collusion: (n) a secret agreement



"Go to their offices and show your pearl--or better yet let them come here, so you can see there is no collusion."



petulant: (adj) fussiness or complaining



"The baby was weary and petulant, and he cried softly..."



countenanced: (v) permitted or tolerated

Why is it important to study life science?

Life sciences are concerned with plants, animals, microorganisms, zoology, anatomy, and other living things. Examples of life sciences are biology, molecular biology, cellular biology, and genetics.


Advances in the biological branch of the life sciences are helping in the following ways:


- Create transgenic crops that are resistant to parasitic infections in order to increase crop yields. This will help to increase food production in order to feed people around the world.


- Create plant-based alternative...

Life sciences are concerned with plants, animals, microorganisms, zoology, anatomy, and other living things. Examples of life sciences are biology, molecular biology, cellular biology, and genetics.


Advances in the biological branch of the life sciences are helping in the following ways:


- Create transgenic crops that are resistant to parasitic infections in order to increase crop yields. This will help to increase food production in order to feed people around the world.


- Create plant-based alternative fuel sources in order to decrease the amount of air pollution in Earth.


- Use natural decomposers in order to decrease the amount of waste on Earth.  


Advances in the medical branches of the life sciences are helping in the following ways:


- Use the genomic code to identify genetic predispositions to cancer. In this way, people that have such dispositions can be perform preventative measures before they have full-blown cancer.


- Use stem cells to form organs for transplant purposes.


- Help find cures to infections.  


Additionally, life sciences teach the process of analyzing and applying information. This process is a skill that is beneficial to have all aspects of life.


By no means is this an exhaustive list, but I hope it gives you an idea of the importance of the life sciences!

How does Tituba react to Betty's condition?

When Tituba is questioned by the Reverend Hale about Betty, she is horrified to think that anyone believes she would harm the child. She responds by saying "I love me Betty!" and later says "I don't desire to hurt little children." Abigail is trying to blame Tituba for what happened to Betty, saying Tituba comes to her in dreams, and made her drink blood, even after Tituba tells the truth and says Abigail asked her...

When Tituba is questioned by the Reverend Hale about Betty, she is horrified to think that anyone believes she would harm the child. She responds by saying "I love me Betty!" and later says "I don't desire to hurt little children." Abigail is trying to blame Tituba for what happened to Betty, saying Tituba comes to her in dreams, and made her drink blood, even after Tituba tells the truth and says Abigail asked her for a charm that involved drinking chicken blood. When Hale encourages her to confess, she implicates Goody Good and Goody Osborn. He also encourages her to ask God for forgiveness. Abby imitates Tituba's behavior and, playacting as if she is hysterical, acts like she is also begging for God's forgiveness.


Then in the same heightened emotional state (again, playacting), Abigail starts to chant the names of various women in the village, accusing them by saying she saw them with he devil. Betty stirs from her stupor and also begins chanting that she saw these same women with the devil. The emotional intensity of Tituba's fear at being accused (she knows that as a slave she is very vulnerable) sparks the same emotional intensity in the girls, and this is the catalyst of the hysteria that sweeps through the village.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

According to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet their love was both fate and free will, but can anyone give me evidence of how it was free will please?

It is very difficult to argue that Romeo and Juliet's love was purely based on free will because the Prologue clearly states that their doom is written in the stars. But that doesn't hold the lovers back from attempting to exercise their free will. The phrase "free will" suggests that a person can make a conscious choice on his or her own without the influence of fate or the universe. There are  a couple of times in the play that the lovers seem to make comments or choices based on their own conscious desires in order to fight against fate.

One specific time that Juliet tries to take her destiny into her own hands is when she threatens to kill herself in front of Friar Lawrence. At this point Capulet is forcing Juliet to marry Paris soon, yet she is already married to a banished Romeo. Rather than give herself over to Fate, Juliet desires to end it all with a knife she is holding. She says the following:



"God join'd my heart and Romeo's, thou our hands;


And ere this hand, by thee to Romeo's seal'd,


Shall be the label to another deed,


Or my true heart with treacherous revolt


Turn to another, this shall slay them both" (IV.i.57-61).



When Juliet says "treacherous revolt," she's saying that her "true heart" will betray Fate's decided path for her. Up until this point she has believed that Fortune and Fate have had a hand in bringing Romeo into her life. But she can't take being blindly faithful, now and thinks that she can take control of her Fate by making her own decision.


Romeo has a similar experience when he is pushed too far with frustration. for example, when Balthasar tells Romeo that Juliet is dead, he can't take what life throws at him any longer. He says the following:



"Is it even so? Then I defy you, stars!


Thou know'st my lodging; get me ink and paper


And hire post-horses; I will hence to-night" (V.i.24-26).



Thus, Romeo recognizes that Fate has had a hand in his life, but he believes that he can make choices against it. Just like Juliet, he chooses to end his life rather than live without her. One could argue that this is where he uses free will; but again, it's really difficult because it can be argued the other way as well--that he's just playing into Fate's prophecy from the Prologue.

How do Aboriginal residential schools contribute to ethnic discrimination?

Residential School systems contributed to the ethnic discrimination of aboriginal peoples by design. The primary factor was that the schools removed aboriginal children from the influence of their parents and aboriginal communities. In the isolated environment of the school these children could then be forcibly assimilated into the practices of the dominant culture. As the aboriginal cultural practices were viewed as being inferior, this process was viewed as being for the education and benefit of...

Residential School systems contributed to the ethnic discrimination of aboriginal peoples by design. The primary factor was that the schools removed aboriginal children from the influence of their parents and aboriginal communities. In the isolated environment of the school these children could then be forcibly assimilated into the practices of the dominant culture. As the aboriginal cultural practices were viewed as being inferior, this process was viewed as being for the education and benefit of the children.


The schools themselves benefited from very little funding and generally failed to provide the students with a meaningful education. Children were taught skills to prepare them for a life as menial workers and servants, helping to entrench aboriginal peoples as inferior and subservient to members of the dominant culture.


Abuse at such residential schools was common. Emotional and psychological abuse was a prime means by which the aboriginal culture was struck from the children, and physical and sexual abuse was also frequently suffered by the children. The result of this was to ensure that while the children lost their native culture, they did not make the mistake of thinking they were becoming full members of the oppressive culture. They were not to be afforded the full consideration that those born into the dominant culture could rely upon.


All of these factors worked together to ensure that aboriginal children remained distinct from members of the colonizing society, leaving them prime targets for future discriminatory practices as they left the school and attempted to interface with the communities into which they had been forced.

How much energy do the most productive stars make?

We use the Stefan-Boltzmann law to calculate the total power output of a star. The law states the following for a black body (an idealized object in physics that absorbs all incoming light):


`Power = \sigma A T^4` Where `sigma` is a constant, A is the surface area of the black body and T its temperature. Since luminosity is proportional to the power output of a star, all we have to do is look for...

We use the Stefan-Boltzmann law to calculate the total power output of a star. The law states the following for a black body (an idealized object in physics that absorbs all incoming light):


`Power = \sigma A T^4` 

Where `sigma` is a constant, A is the surface area of the black body and T its temperature. Since luminosity is proportional to the power output of a star, all we have to do is look for the most luminous stars in the universe.


Doing a quick search, we can find a list of such stars (in the references). In the first place is the star R136a1 with a power output of around 1.73x10³³ Watts! This is around 10^7 times the power output of the Sun! In second place is M33-013406.63, with a power output of around 1.612x10³¹ Watts (this value seems to be associated with a high uncertainty, so it could be even higher than it seems)!


So the most productive stars in the universe produce around 10³² Joules per second! For comparison, humans use a total of 10^20 Joules per year! So, in less than a second, those stars would produce enough energy to power all human activities for a year!

What is the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, and Falling Action of "One Thousand Dollars"?

Exposition A "decidedly amused" Bobby Gillian leaves the offices of Tolman & Sharp where he is given an envelope containing $1...