Do you think there really was a raven in the speaker's chambers? Why or why not? What is your explanation for what happened on that "midnight...

That is an interesting question.  I've never imagined questioning whether or not the bird was actually a real bird.  I have always thought it was a real bird that actually flew into the speaker's room and sat on the bust.  I think it was a real bird, because I have no reason to doubt that a raven could have flown into his house.  Just this year, I have had two different birds fly into my...

That is an interesting question.  I've never imagined questioning whether or not the bird was actually a real bird.  I have always thought it was a real bird that actually flew into the speaker's room and sat on the bust.  I think it was a real bird, because I have no reason to doubt that a raven could have flown into his house.  Just this year, I have had two different birds fly into my classroom and land on my upper cabinets.  All learning pretty much ceases as a classroom of 25 seventh graders try to shoo a bird out that has no intention of leaving.  If a bird can enter my classroom, I have no reason to doubt a raven could enter the speaker's chamber.  

As for the raven "speaking," I think the speaker was hearing what he wanted to hear from the raven.  I have pets at home.  I'm not going to lie, the dog and I have conversations depending on the type of bark that comes out of her mouth.  I know I'm not the only person to have ever done such a thing, so I don't feel overly odd.  I have no reason to doubt that in the speaker's tired state (after all, he was "nearly napping"), he imagined the bird's caw as a human word.  From there, the speaker is simply having a conversation with the bird, but the speaker is filling in all of the meaningful dialogue of the raven.  It's no different than listening to my four year old carry on conversations with his Lego guys.  He is mentally performing both sides of the conversation, but I only hear his version.  The speaker in the poem is hearing all sorts of meanings and implications from the raven's caw, and he is carrying on a conversation that coincides with it.  It is sad that the one sided conversation does drive the speaker into a deeper depression over the lost Lenore though. 

Briefly summarize major ideas that appeared during the Industrial Revolution.

One major idea that appeared, or at least flourished, during the Industrial Revolution was laissez-faire capitalism. Emerging during the early Industrial Revolution in Great Britain through the writings of political economists like Adam Smith, the idea was that governments could best manage business and industry within their borders by essentially leaving them alone. Smith was referring mostly to mercantilist attempts to protect business through tariffs and other means, but by the late nineteenth century, many...

One major idea that appeared, or at least flourished, during the Industrial Revolution was laissez-faire capitalism. Emerging during the early Industrial Revolution in Great Britain through the writings of political economists like Adam Smith, the idea was that governments could best manage business and industry within their borders by essentially leaving them alone. Smith was referring mostly to mercantilist attempts to protect business through tariffs and other means, but by the late nineteenth century, many theorists believed that the government ought to steer clear of any type of regulation of economic activity, including workplace safety regulations, anti-monopoly laws, and minimum wage legislation. Many business leaders did, however, advocate government assistance for business, including railroad subsidies. 

Another major idea that appeared was Social Darwinism. Social Darwinists applied the theories of natural selection and survivial of the fittest used to explain the evolution of species in the natural world to human relations. They argued that the industrialists who had become wealthy due to the Industrial Revolution had become so because they were better suited than others to the cutthroat world of business. They also believed that the enormous poverty that was a consequence of industrialization was a result of the laziness and lack of moral fiber (the weakness, in other words) of the poor. Attempts to help the poor, they thought, would only encourage their weakness. 

A third influential idea that emerged during the Industrial Revolution was the ideological concept of socialism. There were a wide range of socialists, ranging from Karl Marx's revolutionary socialism to the utopian socialism of Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier, but all socialists agreed that the Industrial Revolution had ushered in an ethos that was contrary to humanity. Most also believed that it created the opportunity by which people could cooperate instead of compete, and that society could be structured in a way that would allow all people to benefit from the wealth generated by industry. From the central strains of socialism came other theories, including anarchism and communism.

There were many other ideas that emerged in response to the Industrial Revolution, but these three perhaps stand out as the most significant. 

Trees predominantly release which type of gases at night?

Trees, generally, release the same gases that we do, during night. In other words, trees release carbon dioxide at night, just like human beings and other animals do throughout our life. This carbon dioxide is a result of cellular respiration taking place within the plant at night. Chemically, we can represent cellular respiration as:

`C_6H_12O_6 + 6 O_2 -> 6 CO_2 + 6 H_2O + ATP`

In this reaction, glucose molecules are broken down, in...

Trees, generally, release the same gases that we do, during night. In other words, trees release carbon dioxide at night, just like human beings and other animals do throughout our life. This carbon dioxide is a result of cellular respiration taking place within the plant at night. Chemically, we can represent cellular respiration as:

`C_6H_12O_6 + 6 O_2 -> 6 CO_2 + 6 H_2O + ATP`

In this reaction, glucose molecules are broken down, in presence of oxygen, and carbon dioxide and water are generated, along with ATP molecules. This process provides energy to the trees and plants. It is the products of this process, that plants and trees release at night.

Interestingly, this process continues throughout the life of plants, yet we do not see much effect during daytime, since photosynthesis is taking place and is consuming these products (of cellular respiration) as reactants. 

Hope this helps. 

Make a prediction about the change in Patrick's behavior. How might his change affect Mary?

I have a feeling that the reader is supposed to answer this question before he or she has read the entire story. I think the question is asking the reader to analyze Patrick's behavior after he first gets home.  

The reader has never met Patrick before, so it's tough to get an initial read on him when he first walks in the door. He is not very talkative, and when he does talk, his...

I have a feeling that the reader is supposed to answer this question before he or she has read the entire story. I think the question is asking the reader to analyze Patrick's behavior after he first gets home.  

The reader has never met Patrick before, so it's tough to get an initial read on him when he first walks in the door. He is not very talkative, and when he does talk, his responses to Mary and short and sweet. There is no way to know if that is odd, though. The first hint that the reader gets about Patrick's change in behavior comes when Mary mentally states that Patrick did something odd.  

"Yes," he sighed. "I'm thoroughly exhausted. And as he spoke, he did an unusual thing. He lifted his glass and drank it down in one swallow although there was still half of it left. He got up and went slowly to get himself another drink.

That right there tells the reader that Patrick normally will only have one drink. Why is he having a second? Also, why did he quickly drink the first instead of savor it? It seems to me that either Patrick had a rough day and wants the alcohol to help him forget it, or, he is quickly trying to get some liquid courage into him. The reader also learns that his second drink is a very strong one.  

For the next few paragraphs, Mary attempts to stand up and get something for Patrick, but he keeps telling her to sit back down. He doesn't want anything from her. Uh-oh. I believe that this moment is when your question is meant to be answered. Patrick's behavior is odd. The text is clear that his behavior is not normal. I've known my wife for 18 years, and I know how I react when she is acting "not normal." I get worried. Inherent in worry is a bit of fear. I believe that Mary is beginning to become worried that something is wrong with Patrick, her, their marriage, or his job.

It turns out that Mary is becoming frightened.  

She stood up and placed her sewing on the table by the lamp. "Sit down," he said. "Just for a minute, sit down." It wasn't until then that she began to get frightened.

Describe Waverly's neighborhood in "Rules of the Game".

Aside from the venues for the chess tournaments, and aside from the private apartment where the Jongs live, their neighborhood is the central setting for this story and its welcoming, vibrant sense of cultural belonging is crucial for Waverly, her brothers, and her mother.

This neighborhood is full of apartments and stores, some indoors and some in an outdoor marketplace, in San Francisco's China Town, where familiar Chinese foods are readily available for Waverly's family,...

Aside from the venues for the chess tournaments, and aside from the private apartment where the Jongs live, their neighborhood is the central setting for this story and its welcoming, vibrant sense of cultural belonging is crucial for Waverly, her brothers, and her mother.

This neighborhood is full of apartments and stores, some indoors and some in an outdoor marketplace, in San Francisco's China Town, where familiar Chinese foods are readily available for Waverly's family, both for purchase and in restaurants. Curio shops and medicinal herb shops are safe places for Waverly to wander. A Chinese bakery sits just below Waverly's apartment and it fills her living space with delicious and familiar smells. Swings, slides, and even back alleys constitute a playground for Waverly and the other neighborhood Chinese children. Old Chinese women feed pigeons; in fact, social life that takes place out of doors is one constant in this neighborhood. Chinese men play chess in the park and welcome Waverly to their games; Lau Po, a player there, calls her "Little Sister" before getting to know her. This kind of welcoming friendliness of a cultural community envelops Waverly and her mother. Mrs. Jong (Waverly's mom) is so comfortable in this environment that she speaks to anyone who even looks at her, introducing her daughter to them proudly.

More details about the sights, sounds, and smells of Waverly's neighborhood can be found near the beginning of the story, from about the fourth through the seventh paragraphs.

Compare and contrast the three main Islamic dynasties (Ottoman, Safavids, and the Mughals) that emerged after the bubonic plague.

The bubonic plague devastated Europe and Asia.  Millions of people died throughout a period of several centuries.  The widespread reach of this disease caused political instability.  Out of this instability, new dynasties and empires emerged.  These included the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires.

The Ottoman Empire expanded from Turkey in the name of Islam, particularly targeting the Byzantine Christian state.  They conquered towns and cities and their empire grew.  Their conquered region reached all the...

The bubonic plague devastated Europe and Asia.  Millions of people died throughout a period of several centuries.  The widespread reach of this disease caused political instability.  Out of this instability, new dynasties and empires emerged.  These included the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires.

The Ottoman Empire expanded from Turkey in the name of Islam, particularly targeting the Byzantine Christian state.  They conquered towns and cities and their empire grew.  Their conquered region reached all the way to what is now Eastern Europe.  They established rules for the running of government and society in the places they conquered.  The Ottomans wanted to acquire land and riches.  They seized control of many important trade routes, giving them an economic advantage.  They were the strongest and longest lasting Empire of the three.  While they wanted to spread Islam, they did allow some of their conquered peoples to continue to practice their own religions.

The Safavid Dynasty were a Persian Islamic group.  They were Shiite Muslims, while the Ottoman sultans were Sunnis.  Realizing that his army was weak, leader "Abbās made peace with the Ottomans on unfavourable terms."  With assistance, Abbās was able to reform his military to make them stronger.  He created and maintained an "efficient administrative system."  As the Ottomans did, they tolerated Christians.  They even allowed missions and churches to be built in the areas controlled by the Safavid Dynasty.  

The Mughals came from northern India.  They were Muslims who wanted to unify the Hindus and Muslims in India.  Leader Akbar helped to establish an empire that would last for almost two hundred years.  He created "political, administrative, and military structures."  The Mughals were both Sunni and Shiite Muslims.  The majority of them were Sunni.  They were not nearly as tolerant of other religions as the Safavids and Ottomans were.

All three dynasties expanded and grew their empires.  They all established administrative systems and spread the Muslim religion.  They used their armies to expand and conquer.  They all established long lasting empires.

The Ottomans and Safavids were somewhat tolerant of other religions besides Islam.  The Mughals were not tolerant.  The Mughals and Ottomans were primarily Sunni Muslims, while the Safavids were Shiites.  The Mughals and Safavids each stayed in one primary area, while the Ottomans expanded over a vast region.

What are some quotes that show that Romeo and Juliet have a physical attraction to each other?

Romeo first spies Juliet at the Capulet's party, in Act I, Scene V. Right away, he finds her beautiful, likening her to a dove surrounded by crows, and wondering if he has ever really known love before her. We do not know from this scene if Juliet feels the same sort of love at first sight that Romeo professes, but she seems to enjoy his witty banter.

In Act II, Scene II, Romeo is lurking...

Romeo first spies Juliet at the Capulet's party, in Act I, Scene V. Right away, he finds her beautiful, likening her to a dove surrounded by crows, and wondering if he has ever really known love before her. We do not know from this scene if Juliet feels the same sort of love at first sight that Romeo professes, but she seems to enjoy his witty banter.

In Act II, Scene II, Romeo is lurking in an orchard and sees Juliet at her window. He says that her eyes twinkle and that her beauty outshines even the moon. Though others such as Nurse comment on how Romeo is handsome (Act II, Scene V,) and Juliet describes his noble brow (Act III, Scene II,) she never really says aloud if she finds him physically attractive. 

It would be safe to say that Romeo is physically attracted to Juliet, and perhaps this is his only requirement for being in love. As for Juliet, she is more likely attracted to Romeo for his conversational skills and that he is an alternate to marrying Paris.