What happens at a Confirmation?

Of course, the word “confirmation” has a general meaning, “to verify or witness to the truth” of something. In a religious context, it is the fourth sacrament in the Catholic canon, after Baptism, Confession, and Communion. Each of these first sacraments deepens the individual’s commitment to the Catholic religion, and the fourth “confirms” those declarations. It comes at the Age of Consent, when the individual is intellectually and emotionally responsible for his/her spiritual condition, usually...

Of course, the word “confirmation” has a general meaning, “to verify or witness to the truth” of something. In a religious context, it is the fourth sacrament in the Catholic canon, after Baptism, Confession, and Communion. Each of these first sacraments deepens the individual’s commitment to the Catholic religion, and the fourth “confirms” those declarations. It comes at the Age of Consent, when the individual is intellectually and emotionally responsible for his/her spiritual condition, usually around 13 years of age. It is a publicly declared testament of one’s faith and belief in the religion’s tenets, including the Catechism; it takes place in a church, is administered by a priest, and usually is a mass ceremony, in which a whole class of children, after extensive lessons, receive the sacrament together. The next two sacraments, Matrimony and Holy Orders, are mutually exclusive; the final sacrament, Extreme Unction, is administered at the close of the soul’s life on Earth.

What factors helped cause the rise in anti-democratic governments after WWI?

The rise of anti-democratic governments after World War 1 can be traced back to the Treaty of Versailles. World War 1 ended with the surrender of the Central powers to the Allies. The Treaty weighed heavily on Germany.

Germany was required to take full responsibility for all the damage caused during the war, including destruction caused by its allies. Germany was required to pay reparations to the countries forming the Allies powers. The country was...

The rise of anti-democratic governments after World War 1 can be traced back to the Treaty of Versailles. World War 1 ended with the surrender of the Central powers to the Allies. The Treaty weighed heavily on Germany.

Germany was required to take full responsibility for all the damage caused during the war, including destruction caused by its allies. Germany was required to pay reparations to the countries forming the Allies powers. The country was asked to disarm and, as a result, this weakened the nation’s military. Germany and some of her allies were forced to make territorial concessions.

Italy, which joined the Allies powers against the Central powers, did not acquire territories promised by her allies in the Treaty. The countries that participated in the war suffered economically. The economic situation led to the rising threat of communism, especially among the peasants. Existing governments failed to meet the needs of the people after the war, and this created a vacuum in leadership.

To address these issues, Benito Mussolini of Italy founded Fascism, a totalitarian, single-rule type of government. The same was applied in Germany by Adolph Hitler and in other countries such as Spain. They promised to improve the economy, restore their countries pride and military strength and reclaim their territory. However, these dictators restricted the freedoms and rights of their citizens and avoided democracy at all costs.

Who is Faber in Fahrenheit 451?

In Fahrenheit 451, Faber is a retired English professor who was "thrown out" of his college 40 years before the story takes place. This happened as a result of low student numbers and a general disinterest in university study. Faber describes himself as a "coward" because he realized the inherent dangers in book-burning but never protested against it because he was afraid.

Since then, Faber has hidden away from the world and spent his...

In Fahrenheit 451, Faber is a retired English professor who was "thrown out" of his college 40 years before the story takes place. This happened as a result of low student numbers and a general disinterest in university study. Faber describes himself as a "coward" because he realized the inherent dangers in book-burning but never protested against it because he was afraid.

Since then, Faber has hidden away from the world and spent his time "fiddling with electronics." For example,  he has created a device that enables two-way communication and which he gives to Montag to use against Captain Beatty.

After Montag kills Beatty, Faber is his only ally as he flees the city. Faber directs him along the abandoned railroad tracks towards a group of "Harvard degrees" who have been cast out from society and might give sanctuary to Montag. In the meantime, Faber plans a trip to St. Louis to see a retired printer who might help them create some new books. Meeting Montag gives Faber the courage to stand up to the government's censorship.

When the city is destroyed by a bomb, Bradbury suggests that Faber has indeed made it to St. Louis, but his fate beyond that remains a mystery.

Krakauer's version of thhe Chriss McCandless story unfolds in chapters and follows a a sequence of events that is not linear and that incorporates...

I have to admit that I was very thrown by your question.  I've read Krakauer's account of Chris McCandless, and I know that Corinne McCandless has published a book that details her interpretation of Chris and what happened to him; however, I did not know that any book about McCandless had been written by a person named "Penn."  Then I remembered that the 2007 movie was directed by Sean Penn, and the screenplay was also...

I have to admit that I was very thrown by your question.  I've read Krakauer's account of Chris McCandless, and I know that Corinne McCandless has published a book that details her interpretation of Chris and what happened to him; however, I did not know that any book about McCandless had been written by a person named "Penn."  Then I remembered that the 2007 movie was directed by Sean Penn, and the screenplay was also written by Sean Penn.  I am going to assume that is the "Penn" that your question is referring to.  

I'll start with this.  I really enjoyed Krakauer's book.  But there were parts of it that really annoyed me as a reader.  I didn't like the constant flashback interruptions, and I didn't like the break from McCandless for two entire chapters while Krakauer narrated about other men that McCandless was similar to in various ways.  I understand what Krakauer did, and I appreciated the comparisons, but it still annoyed me a lot as a reader.  I like chronological story telling.  I understand the concept of flashbacks, but I usually don't enjoy them, because it always seems that the story is being broken and new plot lines and characters are being introduced.  

So for me as a reader (and in this case movie watcher), I preferred Penn's more chronological story telling.  I do want to note though that Penn's narrative wasn't free from flashbacks.  His movie and screenplay starts the same way that the book started.  It started with McCandless being dropped off a few months before he dies and then flashes back to the sequences mentioned in your question.  I more enjoyed Penn's focus on McCandless as a singular character and showing his journey in a relatively unbroken narrative.  For viewers and readers, I think Penn's version is more accessible than Krakauer's version. 

What is Andrew Jackson's legacy?

Jackson's legacy is complex. He was such an influential figure that many historians still use the phrase "Age of Jackson" to describe the United States between the 1820s and early 1840s. This answer will focus on three aspects of his legacy.

The first is that Jackson and his New York political ally Martin Van Buren very shrewdly took advantage of the new, more popular and democratic politics that emerged in the United States during this period. Most states relaxed or eliminated property restrictions for voting during the 1820s and 1830s, and this empowered ordinary white men to vote in elections for the first time. Jackson's appeal to the "common man" and Van Buren's mobilization of working-class people in New York City in particular would permanently change politics in the United States. After Jackson, active campaigning, the dispensation of government jobs, organized political parties, and the affectation of a popular political style all became essential parts of the new mass politics that was, it turned out, there to stay.

The second part of Jackson's legacy is that he expanded the role of the Presidency. While this, again, was largely a matter of style, Jackson was seen as an activist president, someone who believed that he was put into office to carry out what he believed to be the will of the people. His veto of the (re)charter for the Second Bank of the United States, as well as his decision to ignore the Supreme Court's decision in Worcester v. Georgia, contributed to this legacy. So did his decision to take a hard line against the nullifiers in South Carolina, a stance that put him at odds with many Southerners. That the Whig Party that formed largely in opposition to Jackson's policies took a name that recalled opposition to the King in seventeenth and eighteenth century England says much about how Jackson's political enemies viewed his largely unprecedented exercise of executive powers.

The final part of Jackson's legacy is the most shameful one, but it is tied directly to the emergence of a democratic politics in the United States during his presidency. We have to remember that the democracy Jackson and his followers (the so-called "common man") envisioned a white man's democracy, sometimes termed a "herrenvolk democracy" by historians. The most stark example of this is Jackson's support for the removal of the Southeastern Indians. This policy ranked highest on Jackson's agenda upon entering office, and it resulted in the removal of thousands of Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole Indians from the American Southeast. This process, which we would term "ethnic cleansing" today, also paved the way for the dramatic expansion of slavery into the fertile soils of Alabama and Mississippi, as planters brought thousands, even millions, of slaves to cultivate cotton. So it is important to remember that "Jacksonian democracy" that is so important to Jackson's legacy, and positive portrayals of him in textbooks, was in large part dependent on the taking of Native lands and the expansion of slavery.

What is the physical description of nature?

Let's limit "nature" to the biosphere itself.  The biosphere is not the entire planet Earth.  The biosphere is only the sections of the planet where life can successfully exist.  In miles, the biosphere extends about 5 miles up into the atmosphere and 5 miles below sea level.  Within that biosphere, nature is divided into different biomes/ecosystems.  Those ecosystems include everything that is living and non-living within it that affects the environment.  Living (biotic) factors will be any and all of the the plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and protists that live in the area.  The non-living (abiotic) factors will be things like average temperatures, wind, rainfall, air quality, amount of sunlight, etc.  An entire ecosystem is generally what a person is talking about when referring to the physical "being" of nature.  

In the book Tuck Everlasting why does the man in the yellow suit go to the Fosters' house?

The Man in the Yellow Suit goes to the Fosters’ house to find out about the source of the spring.

The Man in the Yellow Suit is chasing a lead.  He believes that the spring originated somewhere in the area.  He wants to find the spring to exploit it for profit.  He is basically looking for any information from the locals that might prove that the story he has heard is true.

Winnie and her grandmother are not being very receptive to his questions, but then they hear the music from the woods.  Winnie’s grandmother forgets to be cautious and tells the man that the music is from elves.  He gets excited when he realizes that she has heard the music before.

Then the moon rose. The man came to himself and sighed. His expression was one of intense satisfaction. … Then he turned and disappeared down the shadowy road, and as he went he whistled, very softly, the tinkling little melody from the wood. (Ch. 4)

The man believes that he has the source of the spring.  The music clearly means something to him, and so does the fact that Winnie’s grandmother has heard it before.  It is a mysterious sound, and to him it means he is on the right track.

That music comes from Mae Tuck’s music box.  It is one of her most prized possessions. It is clear that Mae has played it near the spring before.  It comforts Mae, and she plays the music absentmindedly when she is distressed.  She tells Winnie that she didn’t realize that others could hear.

When he does find the Tucks, the Man in the Yellow Suit explains why he was fascinated with them based on stories his grandmother told him.

I was fascinated by my grandmother's stories. People who never grew older!  It was fantastic. It took possession of me. I decided to devote my life to finding out if it could be true, and if so, how and why. (Ch. 19)

Of course, the Man in the Yellow Suit is a threat to the Tuck family.  They do not want anyone to know that they live forever.  They also do not want anyone to know about the spring, and the man wants to sell the knowledge.  This turns into disaster when Mae accidentally kills him.  The constable says that she will go to the gallows if the man dies.  This is foreshadowing because she is arrested and should be hanged, but since she would not die, the secret would get out if they tried.  This is why Winnie has to make the choice to break her out.