My assignment is to write an essay on Othello by William Shakespeare. I'm required to choose a quote, which I have chosen this one: "Nothing in...

According to a most reliable text, The Practical Writer, the Introduction of an essay should include the following:

1. A motivator, or hook, to interest the reader (This is the quotation)


2. The thesis statement and a blueprint for the essay (The thesis is a general statement that connects to the quote you have chosen and three main points that you will use to prove this general statement.)

Put your thesis statement last in this introductory paragraph. So, switch sentences, having this sentence last:

Othello by William Shakespeare was a play filled with tension between knowledge, ignorance, and lies.

Your 3 points in the thesis statement--that the play is filled with tension from knowledge, close-mindedness, and lies--will generate the topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the essay.

Re:  knowledge - Iago is the character who is the most knowledgeable of what is taking place since he generates much of the action.
Re: ignorance - Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, and Desmonda are all ignorant of much of what occurs around them. Only Iago seems to be in control of information, information that he manufactures in order to manipulate others.
Re: lies - Iago is the only main character who is aware of everything. He exploits the others such as Cassio, who he gets drunk and sends off to fight Roderigo. 

Upon further examination of your question, perhaps the "it" that you have written at the end of these lines does not just refer to the introductory paragraph ( which is the antecedent of it), but, rather to the entire essay.

(By the way, you may want to correct the thesis statement by changing was to is and between to among since the word between is only used with two elements or people)

Here, then, are some ideas and passages you can use for support:

From the beginning Iago, Shakespeare's greatest villain, preys upon the ignorance of the other characters in his frequently motiveless duplicity. Deception, of course, is based upon the ignorance of others. Here are some examples:

• Iago's duplicity keeps the other's from knowing who is truly is; in fact, he admits to generating their ignorance of him in Act I: "I am not what I am" (1.1.65) Later he remarks about Othello, "

The Moor is of a free and open anture
That thinks men honest that but seem to be so (1.3.379-380)

• Iago convinces Othello of Desmonda's infidelity by deceiving him about the handkerchief.


• Iago tells Roderigo if he gives him money--"Put money in thy purse"(1.3.333)--he (Iago) will see to it that Desdemonda is won over to Roderigo. Instead, he preys upon Roderigo's ignorance and simply steals from him.


• Iago manipulates his wife Emilia into stealing the handkerchief given to Desdemonda in the deceptive hope that Iago encourages. For, Emilia believes that Iago will appreciate her act. "I nothing but to please his fantasy," she says as she steals the handkerchief (3.3.343).

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Miss Maudie explain Atticus' role in the community?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss Maudie explains that Atticus Finch is the moral compass for the community.

The day after the trial, Miss Maudie calls to Jem because she is aware of his reaction to the verdict in the trial of Tom Robinson. She invites him, along with Scout and Dill, to have some cake. After cutting a piece for Jem from the large cake meant for adults, Miss Maudie reassures him that "things are...

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss Maudie explains that Atticus Finch is the moral compass for the community.

The day after the trial, Miss Maudie calls to Jem because she is aware of his reaction to the verdict in the trial of Tom Robinson. She invites him, along with Scout and Dill, to have some cake. After cutting a piece for Jem from the large cake meant for adults, Miss Maudie reassures him that "things are never as bad as they seem." Then, she further addresses Jem,

"I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father's one of them.... We're so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we've got men like Atticus to go for us." (Ch. 22)

In other words, Atticus is the spiritual advocate for the community. After all, Miss Maudie points out, it was no accident that Judge Taylor selected Atticus to be the defense attorney for Tom Robinson. Surely, Miss Maudie suggests, the judge knew who would fight for moral justice for the wrongly accused Tom.

Further, when Atticus interrupts the Missionary Tea because he comes home to ask Calpurnia to accompany him to the Robinsons' house in order to inform Helen of Tom's death, Miss Maudie comforts Alexandra in her frustration with the Maycomb community. Miss Maudie asks Alexandra,

"Have you ever thought of it this way? Whether Maycomb knows it or not, we're paying the highest tribute we can pay a man. We trust him to do right." (Ch. 24)

Clearly, then, Atticus sets an example for the Maycomb community.

What does Ralph mean when he says, "I wasn't scared. I was-I don't know what I was." at the beginning of Chapter 10 in the novel Lord of the Flies?

At the beginning of Chapter 10, Ralph and Piggy are having a conversation about what happened to Simon the previous night. Ralph tells Piggy that they murdered Simon. Piggy does not want to take responsibility for Simon's death and tries to rationalize their actions by claiming that it was dark, and they were scared. Ralph says, "I wasn't scared, I was---I don't know what I was" (Golding 156). Ralph is having difficulty articulating...

At the beginning of Chapter 10, Ralph and Piggy are having a conversation about what happened to Simon the previous night. Ralph tells Piggy that they murdered Simon. Piggy does not want to take responsibility for Simon's death and tries to rationalize their actions by claiming that it was dark, and they were scared. Ralph says, "I wasn't scared, I was---I don't know what I was" (Golding 156). Ralph is having difficulty articulating his thoughts and expressing his feelings regarding the incident. Ralph claims that he was not scared, but has difficulty explaining the frenzied, adrenaline rush he felt when he was participating in Simon's murder. Before Simon appeared from the forest, the boys were jumping, chanting, and dancing around, participating in a ceremonial war dance. Ralph became entranced in the ritual dance and felt the overwhelming excitement the boys created. Golding uses this moment to portray Ralph giving into his primitive instincts and losing his rational disposition. In the midst of the excitement, the frenzied boys spot Simon and mistake him for the beast. While the boys are attacking Simon, Ralph feeds into the frenzy and lets his primitive instincts take over. He cannot explain to Piggy the powerful feeling that came over him during the attack, but knows that he did not react out of fear. 

In "The Most Dangerous Game," where does Rainsford finally meet Zaroff?

In Richard Connel's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" a big game hunter named Sanger Rainsford accidentally falls off a yacht heading for South America and swims to a nearby island. On the island he discovers a "palatial chateau" in the middle of the jungle. There he meets General Zaroff for the first time. Zaroff is a Cossack who fled Russia after the civil war. It turns out that, because he has grown bored with...

In Richard Connel's short story "The Most Dangerous Game" a big game hunter named Sanger Rainsford accidentally falls off a yacht heading for South America and swims to a nearby island. On the island he discovers a "palatial chateau" in the middle of the jungle. There he meets General Zaroff for the first time. Zaroff is a Cossack who fled Russia after the civil war. It turns out that, because he has grown bored with hunting animals, Zaroff now hunts men.

When Rainsford refuses to hunt with Zaroff, the general provides Rainsford with a three day head start, a pair of moccasins and a hunting knife. Then Zaroff sets out to hunt Rainsford. Although Rainsford wounds Zaroff and kills the general's servant and best dog, he eventually has to jump into the ocean to escape.

After eluding the general, Rainsford swims across a cove to Zaroff's chateau and hides in the bedroom. Rainsford confronts the general and they duel. The final lines of the story reveal that Rainsford has won:

He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided. 

In "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros, what are the four most memorable quotes and what is their significance?

She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow.  I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be.  Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window. 

The above quote is not my favorite quote from this story, but it is incredibly memorable.  It's memorable because the imagery of the woman sitting by the window is a reoccurring image throughout the story.  It's not a positive image either.  Esperanza interprets that image as showing how trapped women are in their lives in her neighborhood and her culture.  It's an especially sad quote because of how it foreshadows Sally's future, which ends up being worse.  She is not even allowed to look out of the window.  

Identity is a major theme of the novel, and Esperanza spends a lot of time struggling with her personal identity.  

In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing.

Esperanza does not like her name, because it singles her out as different.  Non-Hispanics struggle with the name, and she doesn't see it meaning hope at all.  To Esperanza, her name is further cause for her suffering.  

Related to the theme of identity and loneliness that Esperanza feels about her name is this quote:

I would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do. 

Like all kids do at some point, Esperanza is playing around with different names.  But Esperanza is serious.  She really, really wants a new name in order to more accurately reflect the person that she believes she is.  

I'll stick to memorable quotes about identity.  The following quote focuses on racial identity.  

All brown all around, we are safe. But watch us drive into a neighborhood of another color and our knees go shakity-shake and our car windows get rolled up tight and our eyes look straight.

Esperanza is acutely aware of her ethnicity, and this quote points out that it affects more than just her.  Many members of her community are aware of their race and feeling different in certain parts of the city.  

`(x + 6)/(x^3 - 3x^2 - 4x + 12)` Write the partial fraction decomposition of the rational expression. Check your result algebraically.

`(x+6)/(x^3-3x^2-4x+12)`

To decompose this to partial fractions, factor the denominator.

`x^3 - 3x^2-4x + 12`

`= (x^3-3x^2) + (-4x + 12)`

`= x^2(x-3) - 4(x -3)`

`=(x-3)(x^2-4)`

`=(x-3)(x-2)(x+2)`

Then, write a fraction for each factor. Since the numerators are still unknown, assign a variable for each numerator.

`A/(x-3)`   ,   `B/(x-2)`   and   `C/(x+2)`

Add these three fractions and set it equal to the given fraction.

`(x+6)/((x-3)(x-2)(x+2)) = A/(x-3)+B/(x-2)+C/(x+2)`

To solve for the values of A, B and C, eliminate the fractions in the equation. So, multiply both sides by the LCD.

`(x-3)(x-2)(x+2) *(x+6)/((x-3)(x-2)(x+2)) = (A/(x-3)+B/(x-2)+C/(x+2))*(x-3)(x-2)(x+2)`

`x+6=A(x-2)(x+2) + B(x-3)(x+2) + C(x-3)(x-2)`

Then, plug-in the roots of each factor.

For the factor (x-2), its root is x=2.

`2+6 = A(2-2)(2+2)+B(2-3)(2+2)+C(2-3)(2-2)`

`8=A(0)(4)+B(-1)(4)+C(-1)(0)`

`8=-4B`

`8/(-4)=(-4B)/(-4)`

`-2=B`

For the factor (x + 2), its root is x=-2.

`-2+6= A(-2-2)(-2+2) + B(-2-3)(-2+2)+C(-2-3)(-2-2)`

`4=A(-4)(0)+B(-5)(0)+C(-5)(-4)`

`4=20C`

`4/20=(20C)/20`

`1/5=C`

And for the factor (x-3), its root is x=3.

`3+6=A(3-2)(3+2) + B(3-3)(3+2) + C(3-3)(3-2)`

`9=A(1)(5) + B(0)(5) + C(0)(1)`

`9=5A`

`9/5=(5A)/5`

`9/5=A`

So the partial fraction decomposition of the given rational expression is:

`(9/5)/(x-3) + (-2)/(x-2)+ (1/5)/(x+2)`

And this simplifies to:

`= 9/(5(x-3)) - 2/(x-2) +1/(5(x+2))`

To check, express the three fractions with same denominators.

`9/(5(x-3)) - 2/(x-2) +1/(5(x+2)) `

`= 9/(5(x-3))*((x-2)(x+2))/((x-2)(x+2)) - 2/(x-2)*(5(x-3)(x+2))/(5(x-3)(x+2)) + 1/(5(x+2))*((x-3)(x-2))/((x-3)(x-2))`

`= (9(x-2)(x+2))/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))- (10(x-3)(x+2))/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))+((x-3)(x-2))/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))`

`=(9(x^2-4))/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2)) - (10(x^2-x-6))/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))+(x^2-5x+6)/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))`

Now that they have same denominators, proceed to add/subtract them.

`= (9(x^2-4) - 10(x^2-x-6) + x^2-5x+6)/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))`

`= (9x^2-36-10x^2+10x+60+x^2-5x+6)/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))`

`=(5x+30)/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))`

`= (5(x+6))/(5(x-3)(x-2)(x+2))`

`=(x+6)/((x-3)(x-2)(x+2))`

Therefore,  `(x+6)/((x-3)(x-2)(x+2))=9/(5(x-3)) - 2/(x-2) +1/(5(x+2))` .

In "Harrison Bergeron," why did Kurt Vonnegut decide to kill the title character?

In “Harrison Bergeron,” the title character is killed by Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General who Harrison attempts to overthrow. There is no fight or even conversation between the characters, only two blasts from Glampers’ shotgun. Vonnegut chose to give Harrison an ignoble death for two reasons.

The first reason is that Harrison’s death is a realistic portrayal of what happens to men and women who defy authoritarian governments. Harrison’s intelligence, strength, and good looks...

In “Harrison Bergeron,” the title character is killed by Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General who Harrison attempts to overthrow. There is no fight or even conversation between the characters, only two blasts from Glampers’ shotgun. Vonnegut chose to give Harrison an ignoble death for two reasons.

The first reason is that Harrison’s death is a realistic portrayal of what happens to men and women who defy authoritarian governments. Harrison’s intelligence, strength, and good looks do not save him from a government official with a gun. Considering that Glampers’ shotgun is the only real weapon depicted in the story, one can assume that the right to bear arms no longer exists in Vonnegut’s depiction of future America.

Secondly, Vonnegut chose to kill Harrison because Harrison would have been no better of a ruler than the government Glampers represents. Harrison proclaims himself an emperor. From the ballerinas he chooses his empress. Finally, Harrison promises that the musicians will be his “barons and dukes and earls” if they play their best. The terms Harrison uses allude to the medieval period in European history, when emperors and kings had absolute power. Harrison clearly sees himself at this sort of ruler. If Harrison had lived to rule, he may have done away with handicaps, but his subjects would have lost all of their remaining political freedom.

How did the geography of Greece play a role in their political structure?

The geography of Greece played a very important role in Greece's ancient political structure. Greece is a very mountainous peninsula. The mountains were very difficult to travel so it acted to separate pockets of people in different areas. The end result of the isolated populations was that the various areas developed independently of one another. This is known as regionalism. As the populations slowly grew, city-states developed that were autonomous of one another. This was...

The geography of Greece played a very important role in Greece's ancient political structure. Greece is a very mountainous peninsula. The mountains were very difficult to travel so it acted to separate pockets of people in different areas. The end result of the isolated populations was that the various areas developed independently of one another. This is known as regionalism. As the populations slowly grew, city-states developed that were autonomous of one another. This was very different than how Egypt developed many centuries earlier.

Another consequence of the barren geography of much of Greece is that farming was difficult. This meant that populations remained relatively small. Representative governments grew in many city-states that otherwise may not have been possible in largely populated states. Athens was able to develop a direct democracy, which would have been very difficult if it had a similar population as Rome.

A bee sting has a pH of 5.5. What could be added to a bee sting to make it better and why?

The bee sting has a slightly acidic pH (a value of 5.5) and hence it can be neutralized by using something slightly alkaline (something with a pH value of more than 7). One can use some baking sodaand rub it on a bee sting to neutralize it. This will provide a soothing effect. In general, the acid in the bee sting causes it to turn orangish yellow. The neutralization of a bee sting by...

The bee sting has a slightly acidic pH (a value of 5.5) and hence it can be neutralized by using something slightly alkaline (something with a pH value of more than 7). One can use some baking soda and rub it on a bee sting to neutralize it. This will provide a soothing effect. In general, the acid in the bee sting causes it to turn orangish yellow. The neutralization of a bee sting by baking soda will cause the color to turn green (as the pH increases to around 7).

In comparison, a wasp sting is almost neutral (pH value of about 6.9). It can be treated with the application of some vinegar on the sting. 

Hence, we can use the acid-base neutralization reactions to our advantage and achieve a soothing effect in the case of a bee sting or wasp sting.

Hope this helps. 

How can you analyze the poem "Blackberry Picking" by Seamus Heaney? What are the attitude, theme, and shifts of the poem?

Like many poems by Heaney, this poem is rich with imagery, and uses that imagery to make evocative observations about the world in which people live.

As far as how we can analyze it, start by reading it a couple of times. First read it simply and literally: what does it say? Then go over it again, observing patterns and techniques.

The first extended stanza looks backward on a shared memory that sounds innocent. The...

Like many poems by Heaney, this poem is rich with imagery, and uses that imagery to make evocative observations about the world in which people live.

As far as how we can analyze it, start by reading it a couple of times. First read it simply and literally: what does it say? Then go over it again, observing patterns and techniques.

The first extended stanza looks backward on a shared memory that sounds innocent. The verb "would ripen" indicates that this experience of picking blackberries was not something that happened once, but something that repeated. The sheer expanse of the descriptions in this stanza paint an almost Edenic (Eden-like) state of pleasant innocence.

There are hints or traces of potential darkness earlier, when the berry juice is like "summer's blood," but the mood really shifts in the final four lines of the first stanza. That's where the imagery turns darker. The berries become like eyes, and the pickers' hands are bleeding and bloody. The pierced hands echo stigmata, but the reference to Blackbeard makes them less victim than criminal.

The darkness accelerates in the final stanza, moving from images of death to images of rot. Here is where the themes really become explicit. This is not just a pleasant memory about a good time. This is a memory of a lesson the poet learned time and again. Time passes, especially good times. You can't save the sweetness of these berries, or of life, against time's power. Time always moves on. Things always rot. This is the lesson of aging, and of humans being powerless against entropy.  As the poet says, "It wasn't fair." And it never is. But it is reality.

Beautiful poem!

How were the Jews restricted in Amsterdam in Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl?

During the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany during World War II, the Jewish residents of the Netherlands faced a unique set of circumstances, ultimate leading to the reduction of the Amsterdam Jewish population from roughly 150,000 to only 35,000 individuals. This loss of Jewish life was particularly high compared to other nations in Western Europe.

At the outbreak of World War II, the Netherlands was the most densely populated nation in Western Europe....

During the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany during World War II, the Jewish residents of the Netherlands faced a unique set of circumstances, ultimate leading to the reduction of the Amsterdam Jewish population from roughly 150,000 to only 35,000 individuals. This loss of Jewish life was particularly high compared to other nations in Western Europe.

At the outbreak of World War II, the Netherlands was the most densely populated nation in Western Europe. Given this dense urban environment and a lack of rural spaces, the Jews of Amsterdam lacked many of the options Jews in more pastoral areas had to hide from the German forces. The Jews of Amsterdam were also collectively poor, making flight to other nations extremely difficult.

The Jewish population of Amsterdam also faced additional challenges from the government of the Netherlands. When the war began, the Queen and many government officials fled, leaving an intact governmental infrastructure which was quickly assimilated by German occupation forced. Additionally, the non-Jewish population was largely unaware of the fate Jews were facing in the Nazi death camps. As a result, the Germans experienced a large degree of collaboration and found that identifying and concentrating the Jews of Amsterdam was exceptionally easy.

Nazi forces required that all Jews living in the Netherlands have a large "J" stamped on their IDs, and quickly began moving Jews from other parts of the country into Amsterdam. There Jews were barred from many occupations and largely isolated from many aspects of public life, helping to further disengage them from the general population. A refugee camp that the government of the Netherlands had established in the town of Hooghalen to house foreign Jewish refugees fleeing German forces was converted into the concentration camp of Westerbork, and any Jews not concentrated in Amsterdam were instead relocated there before being moved to death camps more centrally located in Europe.

In Act II of The Crucible, why does Hale not know the meaning behind the poppet?

In Act II, readers find that Hale has visited the Proctor's house on his own terms, and in no connection with the court. Because he is also involved with the proceedings, he is working on his own time to get a better idea of the religious nature of some of the families in Salem. He has specifically focused on the Proctors because Elizabeth Proctor's name was somewhat mentioned in the court proceedings earlier in the...

In Act II, readers find that Hale has visited the Proctor's house on his own terms, and in no connection with the court. Because he is also involved with the proceedings, he is working on his own time to get a better idea of the religious nature of some of the families in Salem. He has specifically focused on the Proctors because Elizabeth Proctor's name was somewhat mentioned in the court proceedings earlier in the day. While examining the Proctor household, Hale observes that the family misses church often and only two out of the Proctors' three sons are baptized. 

Hale is unaware of the poppet for two reasons. First of all, he shows up to the house after Mary Warren has returned home, so he is unaware of the gift (the poppet) Mary gave Elizabeth. Secondly, although Elizabeth's name was brought up in court earlier in the day, Hale was under the impression that the idea of Elizabeth being a witch was quickly swept away as Mary Warren testified that she lived with Elizabeth and could clearly state she was not a witch, nor a woman who would partake in any sort of witchcraft. Furthermore, Hale had no knowledge, at that point, of the stunt Abigail had pulled at dinner when she claimed that a needle was found in her side and she knew the spirit of Abigail had put it there. Even more, Hale had no idea Cheever and Herrick were on their way to arrest Elizabeth. 

Thomas Jefferson Failures

Thomas Jefferson is generally viewed as a very good or even great president. However, there were some shortcomings or failures during his presidency.

One of the failures is that Jefferson owned slaves and didn’t try to bring slavery to an end. It was inconsistent with his words in the Declaration of Independence about all men being equal. As president, Jefferson had the opportunity to try to do something about slavery, but he did nothing to...

Thomas Jefferson is generally viewed as a very good or even great president. However, there were some shortcomings or failures during his presidency.

One of the failures is that Jefferson owned slaves and didn’t try to bring slavery to an end. It was inconsistent with his words in the Declaration of Independence about all men being equal. As president, Jefferson had the opportunity to try to do something about slavery, but he did nothing to try to end slavery.

Jefferson also wasn’t successful in dealing with Great Britain and France interfering with our trade. Great Britain and France were in a war, and they wanted to prevent American goods from reaching their enemy. As a result, each country seized our ships that were heading to their rival. Great Britain seized our ships heading to France while France seized our ships heading to Great Britain. Great Britain also impressed our sailors. Our response was to initially stop all trading with other countries by passing the Embargo Act of 1807. Jefferson was trying to avoid the United States getting dragged into this conflict between Great Britain and France. The Embargo Act of 1807 was a complete failure because our economy depended on trade. The Non-Intercourse Act was passed in 1809 that said we would trade with others, but not with Great Britain or France. We did leave the door open to trading with Great Britain or France if either country agreed to leave our shipping alone. However, so much of our trade was with Great Britain and France, this action also failed.

While Jefferson was mostly successful as our President, there were a few failures that existed.

In the play Twelve Angry Men, how is equality present within Juror 10?

Juror 10 is a man who does not believe in the equality of people of various races and ethnicities. At a few points during the drama, he makes it clear that he paints all people who live in the "slums" as being "all alike." When he first makes such a comment, Juror 5, who grew up in the slums, takes offense and says, "You can probably still smell it on me." Other jurors step in...

Juror 10 is a man who does not believe in the equality of people of various races and ethnicities. At a few points during the drama, he makes it clear that he paints all people who live in the "slums" as being "all alike." When he first makes such a comment, Juror 5, who grew up in the slums, takes offense and says, "You can probably still smell it on me." Other jurors step in to calm things down. Later when Juror 10 brings up the testimony of the eyewitness, Juror 8 asks him pointedly, "How come you believe her? She's one of them, isn't she?" Eventually Juror 10 goes on a bigoted rant, saying that "these people" are always drinking and shooting one another; he says that life doesn't mean to them "what it means to us." In the 1957 film version, jurors get up one by one during his rant and turn their backs to him. When he realizes what they are doing, he says, "What's happening here? You know about them, don't you?" Finally everyone has turned his back or shown his displeasure in the man's bigoted speech. Juror 4 tells him to sit down and not speak again. Juror 8 then sums up the scene by saying that whenever prejudice gets in the way, it is ugly and perverts justice. 

How could Jerome's novel Three Men in a Boat be seen as a modern travelogue?

Traditionally, older-style travel narratives take us on historical trips of discovery and exploration. For example, we can still go to the remote Galapagos Islands with Charles Darwin through the pages of The Voyage of the Beagle(1839). We can get close to his ground-breaking studies of the finches and the tortoises. Most of us will never get a chance to go to the islands ourselves. So we can read about what it was like to...

Traditionally, older-style travel narratives take us on historical trips of discovery and exploration. For example, we can still go to the remote Galapagos Islands with Charles Darwin through the pages of The Voyage of the Beagle (1839). We can get close to his ground-breaking studies of the finches and the tortoises. Most of us will never get a chance to go to the islands ourselves. So we can read about what it was like to be among the few first explorers of the area and to witness its raw nature, back in the 1830s.

Three Men in a Boat is hardly in the same category. First of all, the story is fiction. Jerome K. Jerome indeed went on Thames trips with his real-life friends George Wingrave (aka George) and Carl Hentschel (aka William Samuel Harris). But he merged and fictionalized some of them into the sequence of events we read here. He invented the dog, Montmorency. And this group was not going where no man had gone before. Taking such boat trips along the course of England’s most important river had come into fashion in the 1870s. By the time this book was released in 1889, it was a fad. According to the web site of the Jerome K. Jerome Society:

Boating on the Thames became the latest craze: in 1888, the year in which Jerome wrote Three Men in a Boat, there were 8,000 registered boats on the river; by the following year there were 12,000. Jerome was therefore writing about the “in thing” – the book doubtless swelled the number of boating fans – though the three friends had caught the bug earlier than most.

Additionally, this is a trip that can still be done by nearly anyone today. It is said that many of the same pubs and inns mentioned in the text are still in operation. In summary: this modern travelogue is a work of creative writing and fiction; it travels along relatively familiar and easy-to-reach territory; and it can be replicated. It can inspire new readers to one day make the trip in person themselves.

What is an entire sentence from The Wednesday Wars Chapter 12 with the word "bribe" in it?

"And I knew that my father would never bribe the judge." Chapter: September

"And then I look around the courtroom, and there's my father, and I'm thinking 'Maybe he can bribe the judge,' and he says, 'Is everything alright with Mrs. Baker?' and I say, 'Just swell,' and he says, 'Then what did you do?'" Chapter: October

"The only thing worse would have been if she found a way to bribe them to come." Chapter:...

"And I knew that my father would never bribe the judge." Chapter: September

"And then I look around the courtroom, and there's my father, and I'm thinking 'Maybe he can bribe the judge,' and he says, 'Is everything alright with Mrs. Baker?' and I say, 'Just swell,' and he says, 'Then what did you do?'" Chapter: October

"The only thing worse would have been if she found a way to bribe them to come." Chapter: December

The above three quotes are the only times the word "bribe" is used in the entire novel.  I wish that I could specifically answer your question, but I am confused by what "chapter 12" is referring to.  "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt does not contain numbered chapters.  Chapters are identified by the name of each month.  The book begins with "September," and the final month is "June."  The months identify which part of the school year Holling Hoodhood is in.  The final chapter is called "Okay for Now."  If you numbered each chapter, "Okay for Now" is only chapter 11.  Even if you count chapters by number, there is no chapter 12.  The closest of my quotes to a possible chapter 12 is the "December" chapter quote.  I hope that this is enough information to answer your question.  

What are the sociological reasons for racial discrimination in the United States?

Your question asks about the sociological reasons for racial discrimination, which, before answering, I want to expand upon by distinguishing them from the psychological reasons for discrimination. While psychological reasons for discrimination can be generalized and applied to understanding discrimination of all kinds and against all racial groups, the sociological reasons for discrimination are dependent on context and history, and differ for each racial group.

Psychologicalreasons for discrimination come from built-in human biases. For...

Your question asks about the sociological reasons for racial discrimination, which, before answering, I want to expand upon by distinguishing them from the psychological reasons for discrimination. While psychological reasons for discrimination can be generalized and applied to understanding discrimination of all kinds and against all racial groups, the sociological reasons for discrimination are dependent on context and history, and differ for each racial group.

Psychological reasons for discrimination come from built-in human biases. For example, humans tend to perceive people within their own racial (or other!) group more favorably than those outside of their racial group, and tend to give people within their own group preferential treatment. This bias is called the in-group bias, and is one of many types of biases that lead to racial prejudice--irrational, negative judgments based on stereotypes of people from other racial groups. Prejudice, in turn, leads to discrimination, the preferential treatment of one racial group over another. While prejudice is a mental state, discrimination is an action.

These psychological reasons intersect and combine with the unique historical and sociological circumstances of each oppressed racial group and its oppressors. While the biases that make up the psychological reasons for discrimination might be common across all humans, the sociological reasons for racial discrimination differ between, for example, African-Americans, Latinos, and Jews. In the case of African-Americans, for example, sociological reasons for discrimination are informed by the history of African slavery, Jim Crow laws, class-based rivalry between poor whites and poor blacks, the war on drugs, and the prison-industrial complex. This history provides the backdrop for racial discrimination that continues today.

Each of these groups’ histories, and each of the historical circumstances mentioned above merit their own answers (if not their own books!), so I will attach some further resources for you. Thanks for a great question!

What is whaling? |

Whaling is the industry of hunting or fishing for a number of species of whales, primarily for products which can be harvested from their bodies. Historically, whales were a very valuable source of materials. The blubber (a fatty substance which keeps whales warm) was harvested for use in oil lamps, cosmetics, and to make margarine. Whale bones were once commonly used in constructing garments like corsets and hoop skirts. The teeth of whales (also called...

Whaling is the industry of hunting or fishing for a number of species of whales, primarily for products which can be harvested from their bodies. Historically, whales were a very valuable source of materials. The blubber (a fatty substance which keeps whales warm) was harvested for use in oil lamps, cosmetics, and to make margarine. Whale bones were once commonly used in constructing garments like corsets and hoop skirts. The teeth of whales (also called whale ivory) was used to make decorative ornaments and knick-knacks. Whale meat can be eaten, and has a long history of being one of the primary foods of Pacific Northwest First Nations people. 

Whaling is controversial as the populations of whales in the wild are under stress and losing numbers. Animal activist groups and biologists both attest that whales have social communities, and therefore are feeling beings. We face the ethical question of whether or not whales having feelings means that we should not kill them. The industry of whaling has been outlawed in most countries, but some cultures depend on whales as a staple of their livelihood.

How can you talk about powerful thoughts and feelings portrayed by a poet without going into too much detail and writing too much? How can I write...

The poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney is a relatively easy poem to talk about.

Two things are happening—first, the poet is at his desk, writing, pen in hand. He hears his father working outside the window, digging the the garden, among the flowerbeds. This brings him to a memory of his father working, digging potatoes. Then a second memory follows, of his grandfather working, how hard a worker he was, how he could stop for...

The poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney is a relatively easy poem to talk about.

Two things are happening—first, the poet is at his desk, writing, pen in hand. He hears his father working outside the window, digging the the garden, among the flowerbeds. This brings him to a memory of his father working, digging potatoes. Then a second memory follows, of his grandfather working, how hard a worker he was, how he could stop for a minute to drink a bottle of milk, then immediately return to his work.

The poet then says that though he can deeply appreciate the work both his father and grandfather did, he himself can't do that same work.

"I’ve no spade to follow men like them."

But he can write.

"Between my finger and my thumb

The squat pen rests.

I’ll dig with it."

Each person has their own special gift, something they do well in their work. This is the main theme of the poem. "Digging" isn't a poem which is very hard to understand or needs to be overly analyzed. It speaks in plain terms of human lives, the purpose, dignity and value they have.

The Cold War and the United States. How did the Cold War affect the political and social climate in the United States during the 1950s? In...

World War II was a booming success for the United States economy. Before the war, the economy was wracked with unemployment and a lack of growth, but the beginning of the war saw an almost immediate improvement in both areas. A cynical view of American history would suggest that the Cold War was an attempt to continue to build the economy around militarism and in order to do this, a threat from outside needed to be created. That threat was discovered in the form of the Soviet Union.

Another view of the Cold War would suggest that the Soviet Union was a real threat to the economic and political safety of the United States. After World War II, the Soviet Union had established a buffer zone between itself and Western Europe. It did so by installing communist puppet regimes in places like Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. In doing so, the Soviet Union blocked any opportunity for the United States to foster trade relationships with those nations. With the fall of China to the communists, there was a feeling in the U.S. government that communism needed to be stopped. The United States adopted an official policy of containment of communism to new areas of the world which resulted in proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam among other places.

The Cold War had a profound impact on the lives of Americans. Through speeches and propaganda, the American citizens came to believe that communism was a real threat to the sovereignty of the nation. After the successful development of an Atomic bomb by the Soviets in 1949, Americans believed that civilization itself was in peril. Communities began preparations for nuclear fallout and schoolchildren routinely performed bomb drills in school. Movies were produced that added to the hysteria (see Manchurian Candidate, Invasion, USA). A psychology of fear was created that made the Soviet threat real for Americans. As a result, a new enemy was created and defense spending skyrocketed.

Added to this threat of attack from abroad, was the idea that communists would infiltrate sacred American institutions, particularly the military and government within the United States. Senator Joseph McCarthy used this fear to institute a witch hunt of Congress, Hollywood, and then finally the army. Few Americans dared to speak out against McCarthy because they did not want to be targeted by the witch hunt themselves. McCarthy was eventually censured by Congress after attacking the army but damage had been done to the lives of dozens of Americans by the attack. The fact that McCarthy was able to conduct such a bogus investigation into the lives of Americans pointed to the stark reality that the fear of a communist takeover was real.

Other effects of the Cold War on American society included an increase in consumerism, nativism, and efforts to grant Americans civil rights. Americans started to believe that purchasing goods was patriotic and enhanced a strong capitalist economy. Many believed that if we were to fight for freedom abroad, it would be hypocritical of us to not allow civil liberties to our own citizens, particularly black Americans.

In the area of Civil Rights, two leaders emerged in the struggle. Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X both had the same goal for political and economic opportunity for African-Americans. They did, however, have different means for that goal. Dr. King was more moderate in his approach and included white Americans in the struggle. King called for integration in the United States and advocated a policy of nonviolence and civil disobedience. King's message was tied to the teachings of the southern Baptist church of which he belonged and was a preacher.

Malcolm X advocated a more aggressive approach for African-Americans that called for a complete separation between the races. He was a prominent member of the Nation of Islam which advocated black nationalism. Malcolm X did not necessarily advocate violence but did believe that if the enemy acted aggressively, black Americans should arm and defend themselves.

What are the similarities of the state government and federal government?

There are similarities between the state government and the federal government. One of the similarities is in the structure of government at each level. Both the state government and the federal government have three branches. The legislative branch makes the laws. The executive branch carries out the laws. The judicial branch interprets the laws. There is a separation of powers that I mentioned above as well as a system of checks and balances at each level. For example, the executive branch can veto laws. The veto can be overridden by the legislative branch.

Another similarity is that both governments share certain powers. For example, both the state governments and the federal government can levy taxes, borrow money, build roads, and establish courts. For example, we pay state and federal taxes. Also, the interstate highway system is our federal highway system while the state governments establish state highways.

Both the state government and the federal government take actions that affect our lives. For example, at the state level, the state determines how many school days there will be, and how schools will be funded. The state determines what the state sales tax will be. At the federal level, the government has created programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start to help people. The federal government has drafted soldiers who have fought in wars. There is a federal health insurance law that provides access to healthcare for the American people.

Both the state governments and the federal government play a significant role in our lives. Today, how big a role government should play is a heavily discussed topic at both the state and federal levels.

Why was geography a turning point in the Civil War?

Geography was very important during the Civil War. Because Washington, D.C. was surrounded by southern states, it was essential that President Lincoln keep Maryland in the Union after Virginia seceded. If Maryland also seceded, Washington, D.C. would have been cut off from the North. President Lincoln arrested Maryland lawmakers who might have supported secession. As a result, Maryland stayed in the Union.

The South was very dependent on bodies of water for trade and for...

Geography was very important during the Civil War. Because Washington, D.C. was surrounded by southern states, it was essential that President Lincoln keep Maryland in the Union after Virginia seceded. If Maryland also seceded, Washington, D.C. would have been cut off from the North. President Lincoln arrested Maryland lawmakers who might have supported secession. As a result, Maryland stayed in the Union.

The South was very dependent on bodies of water for trade and for the movement of people and products. The North imposed a blockade on the South that became more effective as the war progressed. The South found it harder to get needed supplies into the Confederacy. They also found it much more difficult to trade with other countries. The Union blockade was quite effective.

The Mississippi River was very important to the South. If the North got control of the Mississippi River, the South would be divided. The states west of the Mississippi River would be cut off from the states east of the Mississippi River. Trade and transportation would be greatly impacted if this occurred. When the Union won the Battle of Vicksburg, the Union had complete control of the Mississippi River. This battle is considered one of the turning point battles of the Civil War.

Geography played a key role in helping to determine the eventual winner of the Civil War.

Steps involved in determining the DNA sequence of a sample.

DNA sequencing refers to determining the order of nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine) in a piece of genetic material. In modern methods much of the work is automated but the steps remain the same.

1. DNA is extracted from cells. This is easy to do, and many high school biology classes extract the DNA from fruit such as strawberries using only dish soap, cold alcohol, and a baggie.


2. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is performed...

DNA sequencing refers to determining the order of nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine) in a piece of genetic material. In modern methods much of the work is automated but the steps remain the same.

1. DNA is extracted from cells. This is easy to do, and many high school biology classes extract the DNA from fruit such as strawberries using only dish soap, cold alcohol, and a baggie.


2. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is performed on the sample in order to multiply the number of copies of the DNA. The helix is opened and copied multiple times.


3. The DNA sample is run through gel electrophoresis. DNA has an overall negative charge. The sample is placed at one end of a gel, and electric current is run though so that the sample is attracted to the opposite, positive end of the apparatus. Because the smaller fragments of DNA travel more quickly through the gel, bands form that have the smaller fragments closest to the positive end, and the larger fragments stay closer to the origin; they take longer to travel through the gel.


4. The resulting band patterns are decoded by an automated sequencer, which "reads" the nitrogenous base sequence.

What is the purpose of the boiling point/refractive index experiment?

Properties determined by the two experiments may be used for the purpose of the identification of an unknown liquid. Identification of matter can be achieved through observing their chemical or physical properties. Physical reactions are a better mode of identification because they don’t alter the substance under observation. Chemical reactions alter the chemical composition of a substance thus resulting in a change of the substance under study.

The boiling point refers to temperature at which...

Properties determined by the two experiments may be used for the purpose of the identification of an unknown liquid. Identification of matter can be achieved through observing their chemical or physical properties. Physical reactions are a better mode of identification because they don’t alter the substance under observation. Chemical reactions alter the chemical composition of a substance thus resulting in a change of the substance under study.

The boiling point refers to temperature at which a substance’s vapor pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure around the sample.

The refractive index refers to the ratio of light’s velocity going through a sample compared to the velocity of light going through a vacuum.

Boiling point and refractive index are physical properties and can be used in the identification of unknown pure samples. It is important for the sample to be pure because impurities in the sample will alter its properties readings. Pure water, for instance, has a boiling point of 100 degrees Celsius and a refractive index of 1.3330. Thus, an unknown liquid exhibiting such properties may point to water. Further, determining other properties such as density may help confirm if indeed the sample is water.

When you test a cracker for sugar, it does not test positive. However if you chew up the cracker and test it again, it does test positive. What...

A cracker was made with some kind of flour, which contains a carbohydrate known as starch--a polysaccharide. This means that many glucose monomers are joined to form a complex polymer which is in fact, starch. Therefore, once starch is digested by hydrolytic enzymes in the body, it breaks down to the simple monosaccharide glucose.

When you perform the sugar test, you need to add a few drops of the chemical indicator Benedict's solution.This chemical...

A cracker was made with some kind of flour, which contains a carbohydrate known as starch--a polysaccharide. This means that many glucose monomers are joined to form a complex polymer which is in fact, starch. Therefore, once starch is digested by hydrolytic enzymes in the body, it breaks down to the simple monosaccharide glucose.

When you perform the sugar test, you need to add a few drops of the chemical indicator Benedict's solution. This chemical is a deep blue color and will change colors depending on the amount and presence of sugar. You must heat the test--tube for the color change to occur in the presence of sugar. 

If you do not get a positive result for sugar in the food sample, you can try to chew it for a few minutes. The enzyme ptyalin is present in saliva which begins the process of starch digestion. It is an amylase which acts specifically upon starch and hydrolyzes it into maltose and dextrin. That is why bread or a cracker which is on your tongue for a minute or two, begins to taste sweet--maltose is a sugar.

Place the chewed cracker in your test--tube with the chemical indicator and heat it for a minute. If sugar is present, it turns green first, then it turns orange or even brick red if a lot of sugar is present. 

What is the function of the bicuspid valve?

The bicuspid valve, also known as the mitral valve, is located between the left atrium and left ventricle of the heart. Its purpose is to keep the flow of blood going in the right direction, into the ventricle from the atrium. When the left ventricle is filling, the bicuspid valve is open, allowing blood to flow from the atrium. When the left ventricle pumps, the bicuspid valve must be sealed to prevent the blood from...

The bicuspid valve, also known as the mitral valve, is located between the left atrium and left ventricle of the heart. Its purpose is to keep the flow of blood going in the right direction, into the ventricle from the atrium. When the left ventricle is filling, the bicuspid valve is open, allowing blood to flow from the atrium. When the left ventricle pumps, the bicuspid valve must be sealed to prevent the blood from backing up into the left atrium. This isolates the intense blood pressure of the left ventricle and systemic circulation from the much lower pressure of the pulmonary circulation.

When the bicuspid valve is not working correctly, blood may flow backwards through it when the heart beats in a pathology known as mitral valve regurgitation. This often can be detected externally by a stethoscope through a sound known as a murmur. This condition can be minor and asymptomatic; as much as 3 percent of the population may have some degree of mitral valve regurgitation and not know it. In more extreme cases, it can cause a sense of shortness of breath as it disrupts pulmonary circulation. In some cases it can lead to a general weakening of the systemic circulation.

Students often confuse the bicuspid and tricuspid valves.  A useful memory technique is to remember that the tRicuspid valve is in the Right AtRium, which means the bicuspid valve is in the left.

What is a philosophy used in The Great Gatsby? Provide quotations as evidence for the presence of the philosophy.

Tom Buchanan believes in a racist philosophy based on the superiority of whites, especially northern European whites. Early on in the novel, he tells Nick Carraway about a book he has read called "The Rise of the Colored Empires" by "this man" Goddard. Even though both Daisy and Jordan interrupt him, clearly trying to steer the subject into more comfortable channels, Tom persists in explaining Goddard's theory that the northern Europeans--the "Nordics"-- had developed art and science: "all the things that go to make civilization."

As Tom puts it, "if we don't look out, the white race will be --will be entirely submerged. It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved."

When Daisy attempts to ridicule him, saying "He reads deep books with long words in them," Tom interrupts to repeat: "This fellow has worked the whole thing out. It's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things." 

Tom says that "civilization is going to pieces," and refers to himself as pessimist. 

He identifies Nick, Jordan, and himself as Nordics. "There was something pathetic in his concentration, as if his complacency ... was not enough for him anymore," Nick notes. If Tom was disillusioned, this philosophy provided him with an answer for why the world seemed to be going downhill.

Interestingly, there is "an infinitesimal hesitation" before Tom includes Daisy into the rarefied company of Nordics that Jordan and Nick occupy without any second thoughts. This indicates that Tom could be blaming some of his marriage problems, as he is having an affair, on a vague sense of Daisy's racial impurity. 

While Daisy repeatedly makes fun of Tom's racist philosophy, it affects how Tom deals with Gatsby. Tom never accepts Gatsby as a Nordic, constantly raising questions about where he came from and who he is. It's also important to note that this kind of racist thinking was much less reviled in the 1920s than today and that a Lothrop Stoddard had written a book called "The Rising Tide of Color: The Threat Against White World" Supremacy" that argued for a eugenic separation of the races. 

How do perceived risks impact a consumer's decision process? What are examples of two ways this happens?

Most human beings are risk-averse, meaning that they prefer a sure thing to a risky bet with the same expected return. For example, given the choice between getting $100 for sure or getting $200 or $0 based on the flip of a coin, most people would choose $100. To get them to take the bet, you might have to offer say $250 or $300 on the coin flip instead.

This same principle applies when people are purchasing products.

Suppose we have two brands to choose from: Brand A is familiar, and okay. Not great, but acceptable for our needs. Brand B is new, and could be better--but it could also be worse; we don't know, because we haven't tried it. Many consumers will stay with brand A, because they are afraid to take the risk of trying brand B.

A company trying to sell brand B has two basic options in order to break into this market.

First, they could make a product that is just obviously way better. If there is a good chance that the new product is far better than the original, people will be more likely to take the chance.

The second option, which is probably easier, is to take away some of the risk by offering some sort of guarantee. They could offer a 90-day satisfaction guarantee ("or your money back!"), perhaps; or they could offer to purchase you a product of the competitor's brand if you are not happy with the new brand. Finally, for some products at least, they could offer you a sample for free, so that you can see that you really do like the new product better. That removes most of the risk of trying the new brand.

For example, many people choose a car company to buy from early in life (where my mom grew up in Dearborn, it was always Ford) and always buy from that car company for the rest of their lives. It's the safe bet, the sure thing. They know exactly what to expect from that brand. Some other brand might actually be better---perhaps Honda, or Toyota, or whatever---but they are afraid to take the chance that it might be worse. If car companies were willing to offer money-back guarantees, this might happen less often; though they do already try to offer something like a "sample" by letting people visit for free test drives, and this is apparently not enough.

Risk also influences the way that people choose to shop--whether they go online or visit a store, for example. Buying online is much more convenient, but you can't see and hold the actual product, so you may know less about it. On the other hand, looking up reviews and testimonials online might provide you substantially more information about the product than you could get simply from looking at it in the store. Depending on the product, the lower-risk strategy could go either way (many people buy clothes in stores but electronics online, for example).

Note: I have linked a thorough technical review of studies of perceived risk on consumer behavior. It may be more technical than you're looking for.

Who is NOT released from the community in The Giver?

The Receiver of Memory is not released from the community.

Every citizen is released from the community at some point.  When a person gets old enough that they consider him or her no longer valuable, and they have decided the person has lived long enough, he or she is released.  Of course, you could be released before you get old.  Some are released as infants, and some are released for breaking rules.  The one person who is not released is the Receiver, at least as long as he or she holds the job.  That would result in the disastrous consequence of memories being released to the community.

Release is a part of everyday life in the community.  Citizens of a certain age are no longer valuable.  They spend some time in the House of the Old, and then are released with a ceremony celebrating their lives.  This way, no one ever really experiences the suffering of old age, and the population is controlled.

"They told his whole life before they released him," she said. "They always do. But to be honest," she whispered with a mischievous look, "some of the tellings are a little boring. I've even seen some of the Old fall asleep during tellings… (Ch. 4)

Euthanasia is not reserved for the elderly.  The community also releases infants who do not meet its standards.  Babies who do not grow fast enough, or meet certain milestones, are quietly eliminated.  This is the fate that threatens Gabriel, but Jonas’s father for some reason tries to give him a second chance.

Of course, anyone (other than the Receiver) can be released from the community at any time for committing a crime.  This is what happens to the pilot who accidentally flies over the community.

For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was a final decision, a terrible punishment, an overwhelming statement of failure. (Ch. 1)

If you commit one big blunder, or break three smaller rules, out you go.  The death penalty is widely used against anyone who doesn’t toe the line.

It seems that you can also request release, in essence committing suicide.  This is what happens to Rosemary.  She could not bear the pain of the memories, and requested release.  The community learned then that the Receiver of Memory should never be released, no matter how little training the person has.  Even a few memories are devastating.

This is because the Receiver of Memory contains all of the community’s pain and suffering.  The personal also contains all of the community’s memories of emotions, such as love and happiness.  If something happens to the Receiver, those memories return to the community. 

"The community lost Rosemary after five weeks and it was a disaster for them. I don't know what the community would do if they lost you." (Ch. 18)

The community is not prepared to handle them.  That’s why there is a Receiver in the first place.  For this reason, after Rosemary’s suicide a rule was added that no Receiver of memory can apply for release.  That also means that one will not be released for punishment.  They are given a lot of leeway for following rules anyway.

Once the new Receiver is trained, the old Receiver becomes the Giver.  The Giver slowly gives memories to the Receiver, and then I suppose the Giver can be released.  However, in Jonas’s case he leaves before the training is done, thus returning the memories to the community. The Giver could not be released in this case, because he was needed to help them through it.  Even if the community wanted to punish the old man by releasing him, it would not have dared.

What is the setting of the story in "Lamb to the Slaughter"?

There is no indication to the exact location (as in city or even country) that the story is set.  However, knowing that the author, Roald Dahl, is British, and with the word "Hullo" used instead of "Hello," the reader gets the feel that this story is set in a small town in England.  It is such a small town that Mary knows the grocer, Sam, by name, and can walk there from her house.  She...

There is no indication to the exact location (as in city or even country) that the story is set.  However, knowing that the author, Roald Dahl, is British, and with the word "Hullo" used instead of "Hello," the reader gets the feel that this story is set in a small town in England.  It is such a small town that Mary knows the grocer, Sam, by name, and can walk there from her house.  She also seems to know the detectives who come to investigate the death of her husband.  Setting also includes time, but there is also no indication as to the year when this story took place; there is a mention of a car, so it must be set in modern times at least.

One could also say that the setting is simply the Maloney house, since Patrick's death occurs there as does most of the action of the story.  The only time that the action occurs outside of the house is when Mary goes to the grocer to set up her alibi.

What is the difference between covalent substances and molecular substances?

The terms covalent and molecular are often used interchangeably to describe the same type of substance. However, there is a distinction between the two. The term covalent refers to a type of bonding in which pairs of valence electrons are shared by two atoms. Covalent compounds are those that exhibit covalent bonding. 

Molecular compounds are a type of covalent compound. Molecular compounds exist as individual molecules.They have tend to have low melting and boiling...

The terms covalent and molecular are often used interchangeably to describe the same type of substance. However, there is a distinction between the two. The term covalent refers to a type of bonding in which pairs of valence electrons are shared by two atoms. Covalent compounds are those that exhibit covalent bonding. 

Molecular compounds are a type of covalent compound. Molecular compounds exist as individual molecules. They have tend to have low melting and boiling points because phase changes involve overcoming intermolecular attractions but not breaking covalent bonds.

Here are some examples:

Methane, `CH_4` , is a gas consisting of individual molecules at room temperature.

Ethanol, `C_2H_5OH` , is a liquid consisting of individual molecules at room temperature. When heated the molecules move farther apart and eventually enter the gas phase, but the covalent bonds remain intact.

Paraffin, a wax with the formula `C_31H_64` , is a molecular compound with a melting point of 37ºC. It's a solid at room temperature due to intermolecular forces. When heated the molecules enter the liquid phase but bonds within the molecules aren't broken.

Most covalently bonded substances are molecular.

Covalent network solids are a second type of covalent compound. They're not truly molecular because they exist as a crystal lattice held together by covalent bonds. Their structure is similar to that of an ionic solid in that there are repeating formula units rather than separate molecules of a specific formula. Covalent network solids have very high melting points because melting involves breaking covalent bonds. Examples are quartz and diamond.

In summary, all molecular substances are covalently bonded but not all covalently bonded substances are molecular. 

What are some concrete examples from the text that show, despite the government's extreme efforts, people still aren't equal in this society?

The premise of Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron" is society cannot be successful when trying to create equality by stripping individuality from its people. 

In the short story the government tries to give people who are above average intelligence, strength, or beauty "handicaps" in order to give the illusion of equality. For example, Harrison's father George is given a "little mental handicap radio in his ear" because "his intelligence was way above normal." This radio...

The premise of Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron" is society cannot be successful when trying to create equality by stripping individuality from its people. 

In the short story the government tries to give people who are above average intelligence, strength, or beauty "handicaps" in order to give the illusion of equality. For example, Harrison's father George is given a "little mental handicap radio in his ear" because "his intelligence was way above normal." This radio transmits a "sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains." People must not remove their handicaps, or they will be punished. 

Despite the government's efforts, it is evident the system of handicapping individuals does not work. A prime example of this is the dynamic between George and Hazel (Harrison's parents). While watching television, Hazel is aware that George's transmitter is emitting a sound as she watches him "wince." Although she does not have to wear a handicap, she deals with the emotional burden of watching her husband suffer from having his. She wants her husband to have some respite from the pain the transmitter inflicts on him. She tells him to rest because she "[doesn't] care if [George is] not equal to [her] for a while.” This dialogue indicates that the government's attempts to make people behave and appear as equals does not have an impact on their interactions with one another. Basically, the handicaps are not causing the effect that the government hopes because people still recognize that they are not equal. 

This is further illustrated through the narration of the story. The narrator describes the characters in relation to their handicaps. By doing so, this focuses the reader's attention to the handicaps and what they mask, rather than how the characters are now equal as a result of the handicaps. An example of this is when George and Hazel watch the ballet. The narrator describes the dancers in terms of their handicaps and how the handicaps reveal how talented or beautiful they really are. As they dance, the ballerinas "were burdened with sash weights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face." Rather than detracting from their beauty and talent, the handicaps emphasize and draw attention to their above average qualities. 

Where are the braziers, and how do they add to the atmosphere in "The Masque of the Red Death"?

The braziers are in front of the window in each of Prospero's seven special rooms, add an eerie effect to each of the rooms.

The décor in Prince Prospero’s secluded abbey is designed for effect.  He carefully crafted each room to represent a stage of life, from birth to death.  The rooms are illuminated by windows and fire.

But in the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod,...

The braziers are in front of the window in each of Prospero's seven special rooms, add an eerie effect to each of the rooms.

The décor in Prince Prospero’s secluded abbey is designed for effect.  He carefully crafted each room to represent a stage of life, from birth to death.  The rooms are illuminated by windows and fire.

But in the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that protected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room. And thus were produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances. 

Using a brazier, which is basically a metal bowl for holding the fire, helps create a sense of eerie debauchery.  As entertaining as the palace is, there is definitely a macabre quality to it.  Lighting the rooms with fire adds to the ambiance, and the further you go down the halls, the spookier the rooms get.

But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme …

Basically, that last room creeps everyone out.  It has an ebony clock that seems to transfix them every time it strikes the hour, and the red color also reminds them of death.  They have come to Prospero’s castle to forget their mortality, but here in this room they are staring it in the face.

Prospero seems to have a very twisted sense of humor.  First he secrets away a thousand of his closest friends for a six-month party and ignores the dying in his kingdom, and then he creates these rooms that are designed to remind people that they are going to die.  There is just nothing sane about this guy.  Of course, Prospero cannot escape death.  Even when he doesn't invite Death to the party, he invites himself.

List three places in the body where mitosis takes place.

Mitosis will take place any where in the body except in locations where meiosis is occurring.  Meiosis is the process by which sex cells are created.  In other words, meiosis produces gametes that each have half of a person's genetic information.  

Mitosis doesn't produce haploid gametes.  Mitosis produces diploid copies of existing cells.  You can think of mitosis as cellular cloning.  When your body needs more of a certain type of cell, the cell...

Mitosis will take place any where in the body except in locations where meiosis is occurring.  Meiosis is the process by which sex cells are created.  In other words, meiosis produces gametes that each have half of a person's genetic information.  

Mitosis doesn't produce haploid gametes.  Mitosis produces diploid copies of existing cells.  You can think of mitosis as cellular cloning.  When your body needs more of a certain type of cell, the cell goes through mitosis.  For example, when you lift weights, you actually tear the muscle fibers.  Your body needs to generate more muscle cells in order to fill in those tears.  

So muscle cells go through mitosis, produce copies of muscle cells, and the muscle tears are filled in.  Your skin is constantly going through mitosis as it generates layer after layer of fresh skin cells.  Your hair does the same thing.  Your digestive system is a high friction environment, so its existing cells are constantly being rubbed away.  The cells are constantly going through mitosis in order to replace the lost cells.  

In Silas Marner describe how George Eliot brings out Silas Marner's despair over the lost money?

To fully understand the choice of language used to express Silas's despair over the stolen gold, let's go back and explore the language used to explain his love for it.

Because of the sad incident at Lantern Yard, Silas felt "cut off" from the life that he loved. Over at Lantern Yard, money was one of the many enjoyable aspects of life. He even shared his money with his church and in "acts of piety." Money was never fully his, but he did not care. By then, money served the purpose of serving others, as well as himself. 

Now, however, he is alone and all the money that he earns is his. For the first time he gets to learn how much money can buy and how powerful he could be by just possessing this money. No longer does he have to feel sorry for himself over the loss of life at Lantern Yard.

that habit of looking towards the money and grasping it with a sense of fulfilled effort made a loam that was deep enough for the seeds of desire[...] it was brighter in the gathering gloom.

Therefore, Silas obviously used the money as a way to soothe his soul, more than anything. He depended on it to remind himself that he was “OK” after all, and that he didn’t need his former life anyway. He was entirely enveloped in the material to solve the immaterial.

And then….it was all gone.

Choice of words

Now that it is clear what the money mean to Silas, let’s look at what happens when this token of subsistence and spiritual healing is unfairly taken away by Dunstan Cass.  Silas has already gone through the suffering of being falsely accused and having his lifestyle and reputation stolen by his “best friend.”  Now, he finds himself in the same situation, only that this time he has absolutely nothing to live on. His earnings, his “strength,” is gone twice over.

It is no wonder why Eliot uses the exact opposite choice of words used from the time Silas got the money to express his anguish of it being gone. The language used is a strong combination of words that elicit in the reader vicarious feelings of:

• 
  Outrage, or the initial shock that sets in when something unexpected takes place

The sight of the empty hole made his heart leap violently

• 
  Denial, or the thinking that such thing could not be possible

but the belief that his gold was gone could not come at once

• 
  Shock, or the freeze-factor thinking that stops us cold

only terror, and the eager effort to put an end to the terror

• 
  Negotiation, or the idea that there may be a way out if it

the idea of a thief began to present itself[…]a thief might be caught and made to restore the gold

• 
  Anger, or the onset of reluctance and wrath

"Robbed!" said Silas, gaspingly. "I've been robbed! I want the constable—and the Justice—and Squire Cass—and Mr. Crackenthorp."

• 
  Grief, when sadness begins to take the place of other emotions

Silas […] was feeling the withering desolation of that bereavement.

• 
  Loss,  or when it is finally clear that it is all over

the fence was broken down—the support was snatched away. Marner's thoughts could no longer move in their old round

• 
  Mourning, missing and trying to take over life again, carrying on the pain of a loss

As he sat weaving, he every now and then moaned low, like one in pain: it was the sign that his thoughts had come round again to the sudden chasm—to the empty evening-time.

Arguably, Silas does go through what we could call in the modern world the “steps to grieving.” They start with shock, disbelief, negotiation and denial, and peak at despair, depression and loss of self.

However, the cycle completes with acceptance, and resignation. At most, redemption may even mercifully show up somewhere in the form of a surprise, charity, or a miracle. Such was the case with Silas with the entrance of Eppie (Hephizibah) in his life shortly after the loss of the gold.

What is the direction of energy in a transverse wave compared to oscillation in a longitudinal wave?

The oscillations of a longitudinal wave occur in the same direction as the direction of energy transfer.

The displacement of the medium through which a longitudinal wave travels is either the same as or the opposite as the direction that the wave travels. This causes the wave to appear to move in a “back and forth” motion. As a result, compressions and rarefactions are present in longitudinal waves. The wavelength of a longitudinal wave is...

The oscillations of a longitudinal wave occur in the same direction as the direction of energy transfer.

The displacement of the medium through which a longitudinal wave travels is either the same as or the opposite as the direction that the wave travels. This causes the wave to appear to move in a “back and forth” motion. As a result, compressions and rarefactions are present in longitudinal waves. The wavelength of a longitudinal wave is the distance between two consecutive compressions, or the distance between two consecutive rarefactions.

Another type of wave is a transverse wave. In transverse waves, the motion of the wave through the medium in which is travels is perpendicular to the direction of displacement. Thus, the wave moves in an “up and down” motion. As a result, crests and troughs are present on a transverse wave. The wavelength of a transverse wave is the distance between two consecutive crests, or the distance between two consecutive troughs.

Can you list all the tragic things happened to Macbeth?

Macbeth is a tragedy, and so by definition, the play will dramatize the protagonist's tragic fall. Macbeth is a flawed man who is easily persuaded by the witches and by Lady Macbeth and who is excessively ambition. These flaws lead him to make a series of decisions that eventually end his reign as King of Scotland and his life.

It is important to remember that the tragedies that befall Macbeth are a result of his...

Macbeth is a tragedy, and so by definition, the play will dramatize the protagonist's tragic fall. Macbeth is a flawed man who is easily persuaded by the witches and by Lady Macbeth and who is excessively ambition. These flaws lead him to make a series of decisions that eventually end his reign as King of Scotland and his life.

It is important to remember that the tragedies that befall Macbeth are a result of his own actions. While it could be argued that Macbeth is tricked or manipulated by the witches, and thus that coming across them on the heath in Act I is a "tragic" event that happens to Macbeth, it is ultimately Macbeth's decision to believe their predictions. This belief leads him to plan, with Lady Macbeth, to murder King Duncan and take his throne. Over the course of the next few Acts, Macbeth goes on to kill Banquo and Macduff's family, along with many others whom he slaughters in battle. As a result of his actions, though, Macbeth tragically loses his sanity. He becomes paranoid and increasingly ruthless. His ambition makes him a lesser person. 

Further, as a result of his greed and paranoia, Macbeth kills his best friend, which also means that he loses (by his own deed, of course) his closest confidant besides his wife. As he continues to plot more murders, Macbeth works alone, leaving his wife out of the plan. As a result, he loses that support system that he had earlier in the play. Lady Macbeth begins to go insane and eventually kills herself as a result of the guilt she feels at what she and her husband have done. At the end of the play, Macbeth is killed by Macduff, thus ending his reign and his life simultaneously. Macduff brings the head of Macbeth to Malcolm, the new and rightful king, as proof and also as an example to the people of Scotland of what happens to a tyrant. Macbeth's reputation will forever be that of a ruthless, traitorous murderer and a corrupt king. The tragedy is that a character who starts out as a respectable and loyal nobleman could rise so high only to fall so far. 

In Act III, Scene 1, why does Cassius argue against allowing Antony to speak at Caesar's funeral? What reasons does Brutus give for overruling him?

Cassius understands men much better than Brutus. He would have liked to see Antony killed along with Caesar, but Brutus overruled him. In Act III, Scene 1, Antony virtually ignores Cassius and very wisely appeals to Brutus to spare his life and allow him to speak at Caesar's funeral. Cassius is appalled when he hears the gullible Brutus give Antony permission to do so. Cassius appeals to Brutus in an aside as follows:

Brutus, a word with you.
You know not what you do. Do not consent
That Antony speak in his funeral.
Know you how much the people may be moved
By that which he will utter?

Brutus is a philosopher and an idealist. He trusts Antony, whereas Cassius knows Antony is deceitful and not to be trusted. Earlier, he calls Antony "a shrewd contriver." Cassius makes the mistake of persuading Brutus to act as the leader of his conspiracy because only Brutus can make the assassination of Julius Caesar seem like a necessary and patriotic action. Brutus goes further than Cassius anticipated. Brutus tries to apply his high-minded principles to the entire enterprise. He shows himself to be impractical and conceited. He refuses to listen to Cassius or anyone else. He replies to Cassius as follows:

By your pardon.
I will myself into the pulpit first,
And show the reason of our Caesar's death.
What Antony shall speak I will protest
He speaks by leave and by permission;
And that we are contented Caesar shall
Have all true rites and lawful ceremonies,
It shall advantage more than do us wrong.

Brutus is extremely vain about his rhetorical prowess. He is known as an accomplished orator. He is a reasonable man and believes other men can be persuaded by reason. Antony knows this, and he uses it to manipulate Brutus when he tells him,

Friends am I with you all, and love you all
Upon this hope: that you will give me reasons
Why and wherefore Caesar was dangerous.    III.1

Antony doesn't really care about Brutus's reasons, but Brutus swallows the bait. He is a reasonable man and loves to think and talk about his reasons. Antony fully intends to appeal to the crowd's emotions, not their reasons. He doesn't expect much rationality from ignorant men of the lower classes. They are flattered by Brutus, a distinguished man who addresses them as if they are educated, literate, and high-minded like himself. When Antony follows Brutus onto the pulpit, he shows he understands his audience far better. He has an ace-in-the-hole, which Shakespeare's audience does not know about until he reveals it. Antony has Caesar's will concealed under his tunic. It leaves money and lands to all the Roman citizens. When Antony reads this will in Act III, Scene 2, at the end of his funeral address, it serves to inflame the mob to mutiny, which is exactly what Antony wanted.

ANTONY: Moreover, he hath left you all his walks,
His private arbors, and new-planted orchards,
On this side Tiber; he hath left them you,
And to your heirs for ever; common pleasures,
To walk abroad and recreate yourselves.
Here was a Caesar! When comes such another?

FIRST CITIZEN: Never, never. Come, away, away!
We'll burn his body in the holy place
And with the brands fire the traitors' houses.
Take up the body.

Antony provokes the very opposite of what Brutus wanted, which was peace, harmony, understanding, law, and order. Rome becomes a dangerous place for the conspirators. Antony is soon informed by a Servant who just left Octavius:

I heard him say Brutus and Caesar
Are rid like madmen through the gates of Rome.

In the poem, "As I Grew Older", by Langston Hughes, where is symbolism in it, and what did he symbolize?

Langston Hughes uses two symbols in the poem, “As I Grew Older”, with his imagery of a sun that represents his dreams and a wall that keeps him from obtaining them.  The sun in the poem symbolizes Hughes’ dream for equality and acceptance in a racist society that keeps him from achieving success or opportunities. He had dreams once, but a wall was erected keeping him from finding them.  The wall symbolizes discrimination, prejudice, and...

Langston Hughes uses two symbols in the poem, “As I Grew Older”, with his imagery of a sun that represents his dreams and a wall that keeps him from obtaining them.  The sun in the poem symbolizes Hughes’ dream for equality and acceptance in a racist society that keeps him from achieving success or opportunities. He had dreams once, but a wall was erected keeping him from finding them.  The wall symbolizes discrimination, prejudice, and racism in a society who doesn’t see him as a human being.  The wall keeps Hughes in the “shadows” of society unable to get up and out of his predicament of simply being black. 

The poem is a call for help to society to stop keeping those disenfranchised or discriminated against unable to achieve their dreams. Hughes wants to break down the wall of hatred and racism (symbolized by the night and shadow) and have the same possibilities as anyone in the United States.   Equal opportunity will grant thousands of dreams and bring hope (the sun) to those unable to accomplish their dreams.

At what type of event did Patrick Henry deliver his "Liberty or Death" speech? Was it a political event, a celebration, an observation, a critique,...

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Liberty or Death” speech at the Second Virginia Convention, which was held at Richmond, Virginia. Although he was speaking to the delegation, he personally addressed the president of the Convention, Peyton Randolph of Williamsburg. This would be considered to be a political event.

Although Henry was known for his spontaneous oratorical skills this speech is considered to be his most enduring. While most of the delegates...

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Liberty or Death” speech at the Second Virginia Convention, which was held at Richmond, Virginia. Although he was speaking to the delegation, he personally addressed the president of the Convention, Peyton Randolph of Williamsburg. This would be considered to be a political event.

Although Henry was known for his spontaneous oratorical skills this speech is considered to be his most enduring. While most of the delegates believed that peace with England could be maintained and wanted to wait patiently for the British Crown to answer their concerns, Patrick Henry urged the delegates to put forth a call to arms by establishing a militia in Virginia. He felt the British were already establishing their military strength in the colonies and he wanted Virginia to be prepared as he understood that the Revolutionary War was inevitable.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace - but there is no peace. The war is actually begun. The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!

Congress had no power to regulate interstate or foreign trade. Economic quarrels among the states broke out. There was difficulty in arranging for...

The Articles of Confederation created a federal government that was weak, in comparison to the power of the state governments. The founders did not allocate certain powers to the federal government that are crucial for running a government. An example of a necessary power not allocated to the federal government is the ability to regulate trade. The power to regulate trade includes the ability to tax and apply duties to goods that are being traded,...

The Articles of Confederation created a federal government that was weak, in comparison to the power of the state governments. The founders did not allocate certain powers to the federal government that are crucial for running a government. An example of a necessary power not allocated to the federal government is the ability to regulate trade. The power to regulate trade includes the ability to tax and apply duties to goods that are being traded, thus providing income for the government. 

Additionally, because states could each formulate their own trade policies with foreign nations, conflicts broke out between states. One state on the coast might refuse to trade with England and close its ports to English ships, for example, and the state next to it would see an economic opportunity and open its ports and trade with England, thus profiting at the expense of the neighboring state. These types of conflicts were common, and very bad for international trade. Foreign countries hesitated to trade with the states, due to the uncertain atmosphere. Simultaneously, states would set high duties or tariffs on goods coming in from other states, which resulted in a near freeze in trade between the states themselves. States would retaliate against other states who placed high tariffs on the importation of their goods by placing high tariffs on the goods from the offending state. These are the economic quarrels referred to in your question. 

As a result of the mess created by the inability to regulate trade and the inability to levy taxes, the Constitutional Convention was called, and the Constitution was written to correct these oversights. 

What is the speaker's attitude in "A Poison Tree" by William Blake?

In “A Poison Tree,” the speaker is most certainly vengeful – he speaks of nurturing anger, not of expressing it but of letting it fester within him, allowing it to grow by giving to it the elements of his sinister plotting – “…smiles/and soft, deceitful wiles.” He is thus appearing to a “foe” as if he were a friend, planning all the time a way to get back at this person for some undefined fault.

The contrast should be mentioned between how the speaker reacts to anger at a friend versus anger at a foe – in the first verse he voices his ire at a friend, and the ire therefore dissipates. However, because he doesn’t have the same relationship with his foe as with his friend, he says nothing about his anger and instead allows the nature of their relationship to kick-start this evolution of anger into revenge.

In the third stanza, Blake writes, “And it grew both day and night,/Til it bore an apple bright.” This apple is the physical representation of the nefarious acts born from wrath, and which poisons not only the victim of the revenge, but the tree from which it springs forth – in this case, the speaker himself. This is illustrated definitively at the end of the poem, when the speaker is “glad” to find his “foe outstretched beneath the tree.” If we interpret this to mean that his foe has taken the poisoned apple, has been deceived by the speaker’s cunning vengeful plot, and has been killed as a result, we can then assume that the speaker’s character has indeed been poisoned, for he rejoices in the death of another man -- moreover, a death of the speaker's own invention.

The poem therefore notes the terrible transformation that stems from burying one’s emotions rather than expressing them – by allowing one’s anger to turn to wrath, by nurturing it with guile and negativity, one will not only poison one’s relationships but oneself as well. 

As with most of Blake’s poems, there are many layers of symbolism within “A Poison Tree” – for more, and for the religious and historical context of this poem, check out the

Neap tides occur during which two moon phases?

A neap tide is when there is the least variation between high and low tides. This happens twice in a lunar cycle, when the moon is a first quarter moon and when it is a third quarter moon.

Tides are affected by both solar and lunar gravitational pulls. When the sun and moon are aligned with the earth (a new moon) or when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth (a...

A neap tide is when there is the least variation between high and low tides. This happens twice in a lunar cycle, when the moon is a first quarter moon and when it is a third quarter moon.

Tides are affected by both solar and lunar gravitational pulls. When the sun and moon are aligned with the earth (a new moon) or when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth (a full moon), the tidal forces are accentuated resulting in a large variance between high and low tide. This is called a spring tide. In between these times, especially during the first and third quarter moon, the lunar gravitational pull cancels out some of the effects of the solar gravitational force and the tides are less pronounced. This is the neap tide. 

Why did Caroline move into a new apartment building before April arrived?

Caroline is April's grandmother. When April lived with her mother, she had visited her grandmother in a different apartment--a one-bedroom apartment. When April comes to stay with Caroline because her mother, Dorothea, is "on tour," Caroline has moved into a different apartment building, the Casa Rosada. It is a rather old-fashioned building, which to April is much more appealing than the "tiny supermodern apartment" Caroline had lived in before. The reason Caroline moved is so...

Caroline is April's grandmother. When April lived with her mother, she had visited her grandmother in a different apartment--a one-bedroom apartment. When April comes to stay with Caroline because her mother, Dorothea, is "on tour," Caroline has moved into a different apartment building, the Casa Rosada. It is a rather old-fashioned building, which to April is much more appealing than the "tiny supermodern apartment" Caroline had lived in before. The reason Caroline moved is so that April could have her own bedroom. This perturbs April because she doesn't think she'll be staying long enough with Caroline to need a room of her own. April's mother had told her she'd only be staying with her grandmother "for a little while." The fact that Caroline moved to a larger apartment in order to accommodate April foreshadows that April will be staying there longer than Dorothea has told her daughter, which turns out to be the case. Readers understand that Dorothea had probably told Caroline something different than she told April. This foreshadows to readers that Dorothea is not honest with April and doesn't really want to have April back with her anytime soon.