In Great Expectations, why is Pip impressed with Mr. Jaggers in chapter 20?

A person's best reference or testimony is often what
others say about them, not what the individual himself boasts. This is the case with Mr.
Jaggers. Reputation impresses Pip. The chapter places Pip
in Jaggers' office alone which has it's own derogatory atmosphere, but when Pip hears
others speak of Jaggers as they too wait for Jaggers, Pip grows interest and respect. He
narrates to us:

readability="7">

These testimonies to the popularity of my
guardian made a deep impression on me, and I admired and wondered more than
ever.

These folks had been
speaking of how efficiently Jaggers works. People only want him for their court
defenses. As the chapter continues, Pip watches Jaggers handle several conversations and
actions at once and Pip continues his admiration. Jaggers, in fact, treats these people
terribly, but they comply with his advice or commands. What Mr. Jaggers wants done, he
gets done.

Analyze criticism of the �Electoral College� system and the alleged advantages and disadvantages of various reform proposals.

The current system of electing the president ensures that
the candidates do not reach out to all of the states. Presidential candidates
concentrate their attention on a handful of closely divided "battleground" states. In
2008, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their campaign events and ad money in
just six states, and 98% in just 15 states (CO, FL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NH, NM, NC,
OH, PA, VA, and WI). Over half (57%) of the events were in just four states (Ohio,
Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia). In 2004, candidates concentrated over two-thirds of
their money and campaign visits in five states; over 80% in nine states; and over 99% of
their money in 16 states, and candidates concentrated over two-thirds of their money and
campaign visits in five states and over 99% of their money in 16 states.

Two-thirds of the states and people have been merely
spectators to the presidential elections.

Candidates have no reason to poll, visit,
advertise, organize, campaign, or worry about the voter concerns in states where they
are safely ahead or hopelessly behind. The reason for this is the state-by-state
winner-take-all rule enacted by 48 states, under which all of a state's electoral votes
are awarded to the candidate who gets the most votes in each separate state.

A candidate has woin the Presidency without
winning the most popular votes nationwide in one of every 14 presidential
elections.

In the past six decades, there have
been six presidential elections in which a shift of a relatively small number of votes
in one or two states would have elected (and, of course, in 2000, did elect) a
presidential candidate who lost the popular vote
nationwide.

The National Popular Vote bill would
guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50
states (and DC).

Every vote, everywhere, would
be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. Candidates would need to
care about voters across the nation, not just undecided voters in a handful of swing
states.

The bill would take effect only when
enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes--that
is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into
effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential
candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).

The bill uses the power given to each state by
the Founding Fathers in the Constitution to change how they award their electoral votes
for president.

The congressional district method of
awarding electoral votes (currently used in Maine and Nebraska) would not help make
every vote matter.  A smaller fraction of the country's population lives in competitive
congressional districts (about 12%) than in the current battleground states (about 30%)
that now get overwhelming attention , while two-thirds of the states are ignored  Also,
a second-place candidate could still win the White House without winning the national
popular vote.

See
http://www.NationalPopularVote.com

What is the mood?

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a story filed with
irony and contradictions. The mood, therefore, is very important to the text as a
whole.

The story opens in this
way:

The
morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day;
the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the
village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten
o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had
to be started on June 2th. But, in this village, where there were only about three
hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten
o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home
for noon dinner.

This leads
readers to believe that the mood is one which is lighthearted given the sunny and clear
day.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.

The mood changes
rather abruptly given one can sense the tension in the air.  The mood then changes from
light conversations and smiles to the following:

readability="17">

When he arrived in the square, carrying the
black wooden box, there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers, and he waved
and called. "Little late today, folks." The postmaster, Mr. Graves, followed him,
carrying a three- legged stool, and the stool was put in the center of the square and
Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept their distance, leaving a
space between themselves and the
stool.

Here, the mood is
defined as tense and worrisome.  The villagers are worried about something. This is
notated by the distance they keep from the box and
stool.

By the end of the story, readers can see the change
of mood.  It transforms from the opening of the text, where the day is described as
clear and fresh, to the end of the text where the stoning of a villager takes place. 
While the scene is depicted as beautiful, the actions depict anything
but.

Why is Hamlet a play about a dead king and an unresolved hierarchy? I'm not sure how to go about answering this. I dont know if it means why did...

What an insightful
question!

The dead king in Shakespeare's
Hamlet, is Hamlet's father, Old Hamlet. (This is the Ghost; he
appears repeatedly, urging Hamlet to avenge his murder by
Claudius.)

The unresolved hierarchy refers to the
Elizabethan's belief in the Chain of Being. This was something that placed all things on
earth in a specific order, like a caste system. God was at the top, then probably
angels, and then the King, followed thereafter by other nobles, commoners, peasants, and
even inanimate objects. The rose is at the top of its chain, the lion is at the op of
its chain, and gold is above all other metals.

When a king
was murdered (as is the case with Old Hamlet, and even Duncan in
Macbeth) there was a disruption to the order of the universe. This
caused strange things to occur. In Hamlet, the Ghost appears. In
Macbeth, there are earthquakes, an eclipse, and unusual behavior
within the animal kingdom.

The Elizabethans believed that
order would not be restored until the rightful king was on the throne, as God ordained
who should be king. In essence, it was a sin against God for a human to remove a king
from the throne: only God could do this. (This idea still existed in the time of King
George who saw himself as a monarch by "divine right," ordained by
God.

Explain violent behavior in children using a modern perspective of psychology.

Violence among children and adolescents is often analyzed
under the two main currents of psychology: Cognitive and behavioral. The cognitive
branch of psychology studies the biological and psychological processes of the child and
focuses on the internal processes that produce behavior.  On the other hand, the
behavioral school of psychology bases its analysis on the environmental factors that may
affect the behavior of children. The environmental factors that play a role in the
behavior of children include the parents, relatives, friends, the home atmosphere,
support services in school, and anything to which the child becomes socially exposed.
  

In a case when a child beats others, is aggressive, and
does not seem to control himself, the psychologist needs to look from the cognitive and
the behavioral perspectives to determine whether the behavior is caused by illness or
just by a reaction to the environment.  Once the causative factor of the behavior is
determined the child would undergo behavioral therapy as well as psychological
counseling.  In the case of bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADD/HD),
oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), or other health impaired (OHI) the child will
receive medication.  If the behavior is caused by socially-learned habits (defiant
behavior, bullying, disrespecting others), then a good behavioral program that involves
reinforcement for making good choices would be the most appropriate
intervention.

Therefore, a modern perspective of psychology
would include both cognitive and behavioral parameters in order to analyze the behavior
of a child. Even today we still see the argument of nature versus nurture in every
aspect of the study of human behavior:  Can good parenting deter inherited tendencies of
violence in a child? Can a condition such as ODD be curbed with behavioral therapy and
without medication? Those questions are part of the premise of modern psychology: That
both nature and nurture are influential in the behavior of a human being.
 

For what values of t does the inequality hold? 5-3l 2t-3l

Given the inequality:

 5 - 3
l 2t -3 l < -16

First, we will solve the way we
solve any equation.

We need to isolate the absolute values
on the left side.

Let us subtract 5 from both
sides.

==> -3 l 2t -3 l <
-16-5

==> -3 l 2t -3 l <
-21

Now we will divide by -3 and reverse the
inequality.

==> l 2t -3 l >
-21/-3

==> l 2t -3 l >
7

Now we have two
cases:

Case(1):

(2t -3 )
> 7

==> 2t >
10

==> t >
5

==> t = (5,
inf)..............(1)

Case(2):

-(2t-3)
> 7

==> -2t +3 >
7

==> -2t >
4

==> t <
-2

==> t= (-inf,
-2)............(2)

From (1) and (2) we conclude
that:

t= (-inf, -2) U (5,
inf)

OR:

t=
R- [ -2, 5]

In The Giver, what is Jonas' perception of the Giver? Why do you think he is so lonely yet so important to the community? Did Jonas's first...

The Giver is lonely because he is one of the only people
in the community with feelings.  Before Jonas joins him, he is the only one.  Jonas does
not expect this when he first meets him.  Since Jonas is already nervous when receiving
his unusual assignment, he is almost frightened of The Giver at first. In their first
meetings he addresses him formally and worries and saying and doing the wrong thing. 
The Giver’s loneliness makes it hard for him to allow Jonas in, but once he does the two
come to understand each other and care for each other deeply.  The Giver teaches Jonas
to love, and opens him up the world of emotions and feelings through the memories he
shares.

What tender gesture does Atticus make while waiting for Helen?

I believe that you are talking about what happens in
Chapter 25.  In that chapter, Atticus, along with Calpurnia, goes to the home of Tom and
Helen Robinson so as to tell Mrs. Robinson that her husband is
dead.

When he gets there, he finds out she is not home.  He
asks a little boy to go get her.  While he waits, a little girl comes out to the top of
the steps.  She smiles at him but she is too little to walk down the steps alone.  So he
offers her his finger -- she holds on to it and he helps her down the
steps.

In Chapter 4, what might have happened if Ethan's mother had passed in the Spring instead of the Winter?

Ethan doesn't want to face the bleakness of a New
England winter by himself, so he impulsively proposes to Zeena to avoid that fate. 
Winter is traditionaly a season of cold isolation due to the weather conditions --
especially in the time period of this novel.  Ethan wanted to move away from Starkfield
and was busy pursuing a life away from the family farm when he came home to fulfill his
duty as a son to his ailing mother.  If it had been spring and Ethan could have easily
travelled back to school for the following term and life would have been easier, he may
have stayed only long enough to formulate his plan to leave again, but winter loomed
long and he couldn't bear the thought of being alone.  Once he is married to Zeena he
gives up his dreams of college and pursuning a degree.  He tries his best to eek out a
meager existence on the failing farm and he patiently deals with Zeena's hypocondria. 
It is only when Mattie Silver comes to live with them that there is a light in his life
again, but she is a dream that can't be achieved.  Ethan can't bring himself to just
leave Zeena with no means to support herself.  After the failed suicide attempt and the
crippling of Mattie and Ethan there is truly no hope that anything will change.  The
three of them live a quietly miserable existence in the broken down house and we see the
truth of Mrs. Hale's  observation that there is very little difference between the
Frome's in the house and the Frome's in the graveyard.  Ethan's not leaving in the
winter of his mother's death is the seed of all the subsequent misery of these
characters.

The United States calling for neutrality began their policy of lend-lease, where they give military weapons to the allies in exchange for what?

Essentially, the answer to this is "nothing."  The policy
was called "Lend-Lease" mostly to make it sound good, not because there was actually any
serious exchange going on.

Lend-Lease was really a program
of straight lending.  The US was lending money to the Allied countries by giving them
war materiel without requiring them to pay for it up front.  If the Allies won the war,
they would repay the value of the materials that they had been
given.

The act covered itself by saying, for example, that
the US would not be required to pay the rent on some bases that it had on foreign soil,
but the value of this rent was really much lower than the value of the goods sent to the
Allied powers.  So, as the link below says

readability="7">

Although the terms were complicated, Lend-Lease
really meant that Britain could buy American goods—including weapons—on credit and pay
back the money after the war.

In Flannery O'Connor's short story "Revelation," how are the references to hogs and pigs thematically significant?

Flannery O’Connor uses references to pigs, hogs, and even
warthogs in her story “Revelation” in various ways. Here are a number of ways in which
such references are employed:

1. The hogs are among
   the various material possessions in which Mrs. Turpin takes pride. Since pride is her
   crucial flaw (as it is, O’Connor would have said, in all human beings), Mrs. Turpin’s
   pride in owning hogs is just one example of her more general tendency to inflate her
   self-importance. In addition, the hogs are also one example of her general tendency to
   value material possessions over spiritual
   values


2. References to hogs are among the ways by which
   O’Connor satirizes Mrs. Turpin’s pretensions.  When Mrs. Turpin claims, for instance,
   that her hogs are “‘not dirty and do not stink’” (693), most readers will laugh, for
   several possible reasons. In the first place, Mrs. Turpin’s claim is highly unlikely to
   be true. In the second place, if it is true, that fact implies that
   Mrs. Turpin is much too concerned with superficial cleanliness and is insufficiently
   concerned with the kind of spiritual cleanliness that mattered most to O’Connor. Rather
   than devoting so much attention to keeping her hogs clean, Mrs. Turpin (O’Connor
   implies) should be more concerned with the cleanliness of her own
   soul.


3. Mrs. Turpin uses the hogs, at one point, in
   severely judging another human being.  Thus, she says of her hogs, “‘They’re cleaner
   than some children I’ve seen’” (693). This is obviously a snide remark about the dirty,
   unkempt child who is sitting with Mrs. Turpin in the doctor’s office. Mrs. Turpin seems
   to value her hogs more highly than she values a child who is probably physically sick.
   Rather than showing compassion toward the child, she boasts about her hogs. The child
   may be sick physically, but Mrs. Turpin is sick
   spiritually.


4. Later in the story, Mrs. Turpin sprays one
   old sow in the eye with a water hose, paying no attention to the pain of the squealing
   hog (702). This incident epitomizes Mrs. Turpin’s self-absorption, and it may also imply
   her willingness to cause pain to others without really considering what she is doing. A
   little later, in fact, she seems deliberately to jab baby pigs with the stream of water
   – an incident that suggests a malevolence deep in her nature.
   


5. Mrs. Turpin cannot stand the thought that she has been
   compared, by Mary Grace, to a warthog. The accusation has shaken her pride, but it is
   precisely her pride that needs to be shaken. In a sense, Mrs. Turpin must learn that she
   really is little better than a hog, at least in the eyes of God. He cares nothing for
   all her material possessions and her social pretensions.
   


6. The final reference to hogs in the story (703) implies
   that the hogs are actually living lives more in conformance with God’s design for them
   than is true of Mrs. Turpin. The hogs have all settled “in one corner around the old sow
   who was grunting softly. A red glow suffused them. They appeared to pant with a secret
   life.” They are more in harmony with their fellow creatures and with the rest of God’s
   creation than Mrs. Turpin has been for a very long time. Ironically, there is something
   beautiful about this final depiction of the hogs, whereas Mrs. Turpin, for much of the
   story, has been ugly in a wide variety of
   ways.

O’Connor, Flannery. “Revelation.”
The Art of the Short Story. Ed. Dana Goia and R. S. Gwynn. New
York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 689-704.

In Dogeaters, why was the Avila family considered "Communist"?Characters and their political affiliation

The Avila family is a left-ist leaning family. They have
been made this way by the corruption of the Philippine government. The story is supposed
to have taken place during the corrupt rule of the Marcos family. Imelda and Ferdinand
Marcos practically bankrupted the Philippines with their extravagant lifestyle and
disregard for the Philippine people, despite the fact that they claimed they were
motivated by their love for the people. In this novel, Senator Avila, his wife (a
professor) and his daughter, Daisy, all reject the government. They support freedom for
the Philippine people, but at this period of time, that support aligns them with the
“left” and the revolutionary movement. Senator Avila is assassinated and his daughter,
Daisy, runs away to join the revolutionary group fighting against the government. Daisy
is first captured, tortured and raped by General Ledesma, and this further “makes” her
into a guerilla.

Evaluate the indefinite integral of y=x^2(x^3+1)^4.

To evaluate the integral, we'll change the
variable:

1 + x^3 = t

We'll
differentiate both sides:

3x^2dx =
dt

x^2dx = dt/3

We'll re-write
the integral in t:

Int x^2(x^3+1)^4 dx = Int t^4
dt/3

 Int t^4 dt/3 = (1/3)Int  t^4
dt

(1/3)Int  t^4 dt = (1/3)*(t^5/5)
+C

(1/3)Int  t^4 dt = t^5/15 +
C

Int x^2(x^3+1)^4 dx = (x^3+1)^5/15 +
C

In The Great Gatsby, why does Nick have to restrain his laughter when Gatsby says the following?He is "...trying to forget something very sad that...

Gatsby says this important quote to Nick in Chapter 4,
when he tells Nick about the "truth" of his background so that Nick will not be taken in
by the elaborate fictions he has heard about Gatsby and his rise to wealth. However, in
spite of Gatsby's protestations of veracity, it becomes clear that Gatsby is merely
spinning yet another fiction for the ears of Nick. Although Nick is not entirely sure,
what clinches his belief that Gatsby is lying is the following
phrase:

readability="14">

"After that I lived like a young rajah in all
the capitals of Europe--Paris, Venice, Rome--collecting jewels, chiefly rubies, hunting
big game, painting a little, things for myself only, and trying to forget something very
sad that happened to me long
ago."

Note the obvious
rehearsed nature of this sentence. Firstly there is little "big game" in the cities of
Europe, nor are there many rubies to be found, except in shops. Nick has to "restrain
his laughter" because, as he says:

readability="6">

The very phrases were worn so threadbare that
they evoked no image except that of a turbaned 'character' leaking sawdust at every pore
as he pursued a tiger through the Bois de
Boulogne.

Gatsby is so
concerned to perpetuate the mystique that surrounds him and to downplay his humble
origins that he shares this "truth" with Nick in confidence, only to spread yet
more clichés and ridiculous ideas, and it is only later on that Nick finds out the real
truth about Gatbsy's rise to wealth and fame.

"The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thoughtcrime." Explain.Explain, with reference to the Party's beliefs &...

In this society, a major goal of the Party is to make sure
that people have no loyalty to anything but the Party.  To accomplish this, one thing it
does is to try to destroy personal feelings  and emotions other than the ones the Party
produces (Two Minutes Hate, for example).

So, if the Party
is trying to get you not to have feelings for other people, then sexual desire and true
sexual intimacy are things that go against what the Party wants (and that makes them
crimes).

Winston says that this is why his life married to
Katharine was not satisfying (emotionally and sexually).  She was too conditioned by the
Party to want to sleep with him.

Why are nursing theories important to nursing?

There was a time when nursing was a two year college
diploma that mainly concentrated on science and mathematics related to health care.
However, nursing has changed over the last ten years or so. More specifically,
curriculum requirements have changed as nurses are being required to fulfill more and
more responsibilities. For instance, you can rarely speak to doctors once you
are admitted into a hospital. The theoretical aspects of the nursing programs are
included into the nursing curriculum to prepare a student for higher level positions
that involve administrative duties. These positions involve writing and communicating
information rather than bed side care of the patients. The academic world includes
theoretical components in all areas; nursing is no different from other programs. Theory
aims to present different perspectives on a particular topic rather than giving a
student a concrete answer to a question.

What does Shakespeare mean in this two lines from As You Like It: His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide And whistles in his sound.These...

These lines are from the famous speech of Jaques, the
"resident sourpuss" in the Forest of Arden from Shakespeare's As You Like
It. After hearing another character mention that the world is "a wide and
universal theatre," Jaques uses the already trite metaphor of "all the world's a stage"
to launch his seven ages of man monologue.

In the last
stage of his life, a man loses much of his muscle since his body does not produce
testerone, which is what creates muscle.  Therefore, the man's hose/stockings that he
wears from his youth will hang on his now withered legs.  Then, because he probably has
lost some teeth, there are small airways made in his mouth.  Consequently, when he
speaks, as his tongue moves with the formation of certain words, there may well be a
whistling sound.  Clearly, in the last stage, the dying process is accelerating in
Jaques speech about life's fate and fortune.

What is another (more interesting) way of saying "creating a leader myth and personality cult"?The topic refers to Napoleon's "job" in Animal Farm....

I would suggest that you could say something like
"appointing himself God."  I have heard people say to one another "who died and made you
God" or words to that effect and I think that this would go well with what Napoleon is
doing in this book.

In the book, he really is setting
himself up as something of a god.  Everything he does is automatically right -- he is
the perfect being.  In addition, he is all-powerful.  Anything that he says must be
done.  The other animals are supposed to look up to him.  They are supposed to call him
by titles just as people often call God by titles.  Napoleon becomes like a god to the
other animals.

So I think that, instead of saying that
Napoleon is creating a leader myth and personality cult, you could say that he is
"appointing himself God."

Can you analyse the effect mobile phones have on society?

The answer to this depends greatly on the type of society
that you are talking about.  The impact of mobile phones on developed, rich societies is
much different than their impact on developing
societies.

In developed countries, mobile phones are mainly
for convenience and entertainment.  In rich countries, people use their mobiles for
playing games and taking pictures and exchanging texts with their friends.  (Of course,
there are many uses for business--people can make business calls while driving, etc.) 
There are good effects (easier communication with family members, more things to do for
fun) and bad (people are never out of touch with their offices and bosses), but the
phones may be seen by some as just a convenience.

In
developing countries, mobile phones can be much more important.  In countries without
good infrastructures, mobiles can be the only real way of communication.  In many
countries, mobiles are starting to be used the way credit cards are in rich nations;
this means there are ways to buy things using your mobile.  There, the functions of
mobile phones are much more vital than the uses of mobiles in rich countries.  In
developing countries, then, the effect of mobiles is to greatly improve people's basic
abilities to communicate and to buy things. These are things that have long been taken
for granted in the rich world.

Who do you think Diamond's audience is in general for Guns, Germs, and Steel?

This book is written for an audience that is not really
expert in any field, but which is at least interested in the questions that Diamond is
posing.

In this book, Diamond touches on issues that come
from academic fields ranging from microbiology (how and why germs cause the illnesses
they do) to political science (how different types of political organizations emerge). 
This means that the book cannot really be aimed at people who are expert in any given
field the way a book could be if it really just touched on one
subject.

The only real prerequisite for reading this book
(other than being able to read at at least a high school level) is interest.  You have
to be interested in why the world has turned out the way it has and, specifically, why
Europeans and their descendants came to dominate the
world.

So this is a book aimed at anyone with a decent
level of education and an interest in the major issue that the book
explores.

What does it mean to "have the blues" as an emotional state? In this poem and many others, Hughes refers to the musical...

Published in 1926, Langston Hughes 's first book of poetry
was entitled The Weary Blues.  Blues music is directly related to the African-American
experience as the blues burgeoned from the work songs of the slaves which had origins in
West Africa.  This musical form emerged out of the shouts and "hollers" of the field
workers and out of spirituals.  Later, with its twelve bars of notes of which the third
and seventh are flatted, the blues became a recognized musical form; and, progessional
singers who sand with bands sang of a range of subjects.  Some of these subjects are
natural disasters, superstitions, jailhouses, locomotives, and, of course, love. 
Unconventional in form and of a very personal nature, many blues lyrics consist of
three-line stanzas.  The second line of the stanza repeats the first, while the third
line is frequently a response to the first two.  This is the "call-and-response" form of
the workers. But, each song may have an individual form that expresses the strong
emotions of the singer.  For many the blues are almost a tangible thing.  Robert
Johnson, for instance writes that "the blues grabbed mama's child" in his song
"Preaching Blues." 

Langston Huges drew on blues and jazz
to create new poetic forms that expressed the reality and vitality of urban black
life. In his poem, "The Weary Blues," for instance, Hughes describes a night in which he
listened to a musician play the blues on Lennox Street.  In imitation of the
call-and-response of the songs, Hughes repeats lines such
as

He did a
lazy sway

He did a lazy
sway

To the tune o' those Weary
Blues.

Huges observes this
musician and understands the pain in his soul as he
notes,

He
played that sad saggy tune like a musical
fool

                 Sweet
Blues!

Coming from a black man's
soul.

                 O
Blues!

In a deep song voice with a melancholy
tone.

Both the speaker and
the musician suffer from the depression that they call the blues.  Hughes's poem
expresses this oppressive emotional state with the exclamations and "melancholy tone" of
the music and of the poem as the piano "moans" and the singers utters, "Ain't got nobody
in all this world."

In Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, why does Mercutio hate Tybalt?Act 3 Scene 1

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, in
Act III, scene i, I think that Mercutio is something of a show-off, and has a lot to say
to mock others, even Benvolio. I don't think that his intent is malicious: he is just
someone who doesn't take too much seriously and loves to stir things up a little.
However, when Tybalt comes along, a member of a noble house, and is rude, Mercutio takes
great offense. He is not someone to be easily pushed around. He also get annoyed when
Romeo will not engage in trading insults with Tybalt. (Of course, Mercuitio does not
know that Romeo is now married to a Capulet, but thinks Romeo is simply acting
cowardly.)

Returning Tybalt's disrespect, Mercutio insults
him:

readability="7">

Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk? [step
aside]...

And then when
Tybalt asks what Mercutio wants with him, Mercutio responds with another insult or
two:

Good
King of Cats, nothing but one of your nine lives that I mean to make bold withal, and as
you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the eight. Will you pluck your sword
out of his pilcher by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be
out.

Mercutio has already
called Tybalt a "rat-catcher," and now he carries on the comparison stating he wishes to
take one of this cat's proverbial "nine lives," and if Tybalt continues to insult
Mercutio, Mercutio will beat up the remaining eight. Then he challenges Tybalt to draw
his sword: quickly or Mercutio will cut off his ears. Tybalt draws
and they commence to fight.

Tybalt is a hot-head, and he
hates the Montagues with a passion: not because he agrees with their dispute—as far as
we know, neither Capulet or Montague remember what this age-old feud is about. But
Tybalt needs little reason for stirring things up; he is a trouble-maker. And Mercutio,
despite his biting wit and over-the-top sense of humor, has no time for this blackguard
(scoundrel). He doesn't have much time for the Capulets, either, but for him it's more
personal: based on how Tybalt directly treats Mercutio simply because he is friends with
Romeo.

It is under these circumstances that Tybalt reaches
around Romeo's body, as he tries to stop the fight, to take a cheap shot at Mercutio
that eventually brings about the young man's death—as he is dying, Tybalt has run
away.

Find the values of sinx, tanx, secx, and cscx if cosx = 0.23

Given cos(x) = 0.23

We need
to find sin(x), tan(x) , sec(x), and (csc(x).

First, we
know that sec(x) = 1/cos(x).

==> sec(x) = 1/(0.23) =
4.3478.

==> sec(x) =
4.3478.

Now we will use the trigonometric
identities to find sin(x).

We know
that:

sin^2 x + cos^2 x =
1

==> sin(x) =
sqrt(1-cos^2x)

                =
sqrt(1-0.23^2)

                =
sqrt(0.9471)

                 =
0.9732

==> sin(x) =
0.9732.

Now we know that csc(x) =
1/sin(x)

==> csc(x) = 1/(0.9732) =
1.0275

==> csc(x) =
1.0275

Now we know that tan(x) = sin(x)/
cos(x).

==> tan(x) = 0.9732/ 0.23 =
4.2313

==> tan(x) =
4.2313

Why does the Board of Aldermen send a delegation to Miss Emily’s house?

The Board of Aldermen of the town send a delegation to the
home of Miss Emily Grierson because they want her to pay taxes.  She does not pay any
taxes on her home and property and they think that she
should.

In a previous generation (in 1894), the mayor of
the town had said that Miss Emily would not need to pay any taxes.  But later, when a
new generation came into power, they thought that this was not how things should be and
they sent the delegation to ask her to pay (since she had ignored
letters).

How does Hamlet test the conscience of the king?

Actually, according to the text, Hamlet intends to
"catch the conscience of the King." (II, ii, 601)  This is
an important distinction, because in "catching" rather than "testing" the King, Hamlet
demonstrates to the audience that he is no longer wavering over whether the ghost he met
in Act I was, in fact, his father, and the story and challenge of revenge that the ghost
issued him was true.

In Act Three, Hamlet stages a play he
calls The Mousetrap, which is the story of a King who is poisoned
by his nephew as he sleeps in the garden.  The villainous nephew pours poison in the
King's ear -- exactly the method described by the Ghost to Hamlet concerning the method
used by Claudius to kill Hamlet Senior.  This performance is meant to be the means by
which Hamlet catches Claudius.  Here, in Act III, scene ii, just before the play is
performed, Hamlet instructs Horatio in testing for King
Claudius:

readability="15">

There is a play tonight before the
King:

One scene of it comes near the
circumstance

Which I have told thee of my father's
death.

I prithee, when thou seest that act
afoot,

. . .Observe my uncle.. . . Give him heedful
note.

And when Claudius
witnesses the murder in the play, he jumps up, and abruptly exits the room.  Hamlet is
convinced that this is evidence of Claudius' guilt, and ultimately follows Claudius with
the intent to exact the revenge.  He catches Claudius at prayer, however, and refuses to
kill him as he is asking forgiveness of his sins.  This moment is ironic however, as, in
fact, Claudius is not forgiven his sins since he is unable to send his words up to
heaven, but rather they "remain below."

For more on Act
III, scene ii, please follow the links below.

How does Sylvia change from the beginning of "The Lesson" to the end of the story?

Sylvia is a tough girl throughout the story.  She truly
understands the lesson, and this knowledge creates an epiphany in her.  She learns the
lesson of class inequality and unfairness in spite of
herself. 

In the beginning, Sylvia considers Ms. Moore an
enemy.  She exists to interfere with her summer days by providing free "lessons" to the
neighborhood children.   Sylvia says that when Ms. Moore came
around...

And
our parents would yank our heads into some kinda shape and crisp up our clothes so we'd
be presentable for travel with Miss Moore, who always looked like she was going to
church though she never
did.

Sylvia resents having to
dress up to go with a woman that she did not like.  However, her resentment does not
extend beyond having to miss a childhood day in the streets.  By the end of the story,
she learns much more about the effect of her own lifestyle.  She is even more resentful
that her friends are beginning to learn this lesson as well, as evidenced by her
friend's statement:

readability="10">

"I think," say Sugar pushing me off her feet
like she never done before cause I whip her ass in a minute, "that this is not much of a
democracy if you ask me. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the
dough, don't it?"

She learns
that there is a difference between rich and poor and that this different, while not
being fair, is very real.  As a child, Sylvia does not want to recognize her diminishing
ability to dictate her life.  As an intelligent young woman, she has
to.

Describe the circulation of deep ocean water.no

I am going to take a stab at this and assume you meant to
write "deep ocean water."  As it says in the article referenced below, "deep ocean
currents are the result of sinking and upwelling water, and termohaline ( href="../../uxl-science-encyclopedia/temperature">temperature and salinity)
differences."

Not a great deal is currently known about
these deep ocean currents and they are being researched by a number of robotic
submarines to try and get more of an understanding of
them.

They are sometimes referred to as "submarine rivers"
and they flow according to changes in density and temperature rather than according to
wind and other conditions that drive currents closer to the surface.  Once water sinks
low enough, the pressure and other factors can actually cause density to increase which
again, contributes to how that water will then move around deep below the
surface.

Generally deep ocean currents are classified as
those below the firs 400m of water.

How did the play offend the Abbey Theatre audience to the extent of causing the "playboy riots"? Was the production itself partially responsible?

Synge's The Playboy of the Western
World reveals an Ireland in love with violence.  This is the truth the play
reveals.  The characters in the play make a hero out of a man who kills his own dad. 
They put him on a figurative pedestal and celebrate his warped action.  The people of
Ireland have a warped sense of what to value. 

And, of
course, the hero doesn't even really possess courage or ability or anything of the
sort.  He doesn't even finish his dad off, and when the dad reappears, he cowers before
him.

Ironically, the riots caused by the performance of the
play weren't due primarily to the Irish being angry because they are portrayed as so
violent and ignorant in the play.  The riots were primarily the reaction to the swear
words and rough language in the play.  This, too, is
revealing.

Synge reveals the truth about the Irish in
Playboy just as Joyce does in Dubliners.  Of
course, the revelations apply to the rest of us, as well, not just the
Irish.

Use bisection method to find the root for: y = 1.5x/(1+x2)2 - 0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x2) Use xL = 0.1, xU = 2. Do five iterations.

To find the root of y(x) = 1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 - 0.65*atan(1/x)
+ 0.65*x/(1+x^2)  using xL =0.1 and xu = 2 by iteration method
.

We substitute xL = 0.1 in y = 1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 -
0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2)  and get:

y(XL) = y(0.1) = 
-0.7448 < 0.

Similarly we put x= 2 in  y(x)  =
1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 - 0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2)  and
get:

y(xu) = y(2)  = 0.0786 >
0

So y(0.1) and y(2) are opposite sign. Therefore we take
x = (0.1+2)/2 = 1.05 and find y(1.05) by putting x = 1.05 in y(x) = 1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 -
0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2):

y(1.05) = 0.1862 >
0.

So y(1.05) > 0 and y(0.1) < 0. So we take
x = (0.1+1.05)/2 = 0.0575.

Put x= 0.575 in y(x) =
1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 - 0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2) and
get:

y(0.575) = 0.0862 which is > 0. y(0.1) =
-0.7448 < 0. So we take x = (0.1+0.575)/2 =
0.3375.

We substitute x = 0.3375 in y(x) = 1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 -
0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2) and get:

y(0.3375) =
-0.0285 which is < 0. y(0.575) = 0.0862> 0. So we now take x=
( 0.575+0.3375)/2 = 0.45625.

So we put x = 0.45625 in y(x)
= 1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 - 0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2)  and
get:

y(0.45625) = -0.0285 < 0, y(0.575) = 0.0862  is
the nearest positive value. So we take x = (0.45625+0.575)/2 =
0.515625.

We put x= 0.515625 in y(x) = 1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 -
0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2)  and get:

We get
y(0.515625) = 0.0358.

Therefore the the 5h estimate  for x
is 0.515625 . So x= 0.515625 is an estimate of the root of y(x) = 1.5x/(1+x^2)^2 -
0.65*atan(1/x) + 0.65*x/(1+x^2) .

Montresor is proud of his revenge and considers it an act of justice. Does the author mean to share Montresor's attitude?in "The Cask of Amontillado"

Montresor shows no remorse whatsoever for his actions. 
When taking Fortunado down into the vaults, he explains his family's motto "Nemo me
impune lacessit" to him.  This translates to "No one assails me without impunity." 
Because Fortunado insulted him in the past, Montresor will make sure that he gets his
revenge. So, the fact that he considers it an act of justice just fulfills his family
motto.

Poes' stories were always quite chilling.  He wrote
stories of horror naturally and often.  He did this for the purpose that all writers
write--he did it to entertain.  The fact that Poe convincingly portrays his main
characters, and does so in the first person, proves that he wants the reader to believe
that he shares his characters' feelings.  This makes the story even more gruesome and
hard to believe.  Using a character like Montresor, who states at the end of the story
"For half of a century no mortal has disturbed them" (referring to Fortunado's bones),
proves to the reader that Poe wants the reader to see the evil in Montresor.  He kept
his secret for 50 years, and yet he still feels no remorse for his actions.  He only
feels justice.  That makes the reader wonder if he truly supported such actions in real
life.  This in turn makes the story even that more chilling and
effective.

In A Farewell to Arms, is Catherine Barkley a round, dynamic, or static character?

A "round" character according to E.M. Forster in his
"Aspects of the Novel" is a character who changes not just physically but
also mentally and emotionally throughout the
novel.

Catherine Barkley is certainly a "round" character
who changes dynamically throughout the course of the
novel.

Most modernist novels are existentialist and are
characterised by the fragmentation of the identity of a single character. Hemingway
reveals to us different facets of the character Catherine in the following
manner:

1. At the end of Ch.5 Frederic tells Rinaldi that
he and Catherine are "friends,"

readability="5">

So you make progress with Miss
Barkley?

We are
friends.

2.
At the end of Ch. 14 they are lovers.

3. In Ch. 18 they are
virtually husband and wife:Catherine says:

readability="5">

"We're really married. I
couldn't be any more
married."

4.
In Ch. 23 Catherine feels like a whore :

readability="5">

"But it isn't nice to
feel like one (a
whore)."

5.
At the end of Ch.23 Frederic quotes two lines from Marvell's "To His Coy
Mistress,"

And
always at my back I hear

Time's winged chariot hurrying
near

Was Frederic hinting
that Catherine was like a mistress to
him.?

6. The novel ends with Catherine's death after she
had given birth to a still born child. The physical changes are: when the novel begins
she is just another woman but after she meets Frederic and falls in love with him she
becomes an unwed mother who gives birth to a still born
child.

So Catherine is a character with multiple facets to
her personality and it is impossible to comprehend her fully: she is  friend, lover,
wife, whore, mistress and  mother of a still born
child.

More research would certainly reveal more complex
facets to Catherine's multiple and dynamic personality and
character.

Does Romeo and Juliet succeed as a romance? Discuss Propp's morphology, ideal romance, ideal hero/heroine, and convention/invention.

I don't know what Propp's morphology is (sorry), so I'm
going with Frye's archetypes (see below).

Romeo
and Juliet is only border-line tragedy, as far as I'm concerned.  I would say
that it's half tragedy, one fourth romance, and one fourth
comedy.

Or, you can break it down by act: Act I and II are
romance and comedy, and Acts III, IV, and V are tragedy.  It's almost too plays in
one.

And, you can break it down by character: Mercutio and
the Nurse are in a comedy/romance, and Romeo and Juliet are in a
tragedy.

According to Frye's archetypal characters, you can
say that the play is a romance and that Romeo and Juliet are on a quest for love, though
I wouldn't say anyone is ideal.

So, the Hero
(Romeo) / Heronie (Juliet) are aided by Helpers on the
Quest (Friar Lawrence /
Nurse).

Enemies of the
Quest are not your typical giants, orgres, or evil madmen.  It is Tybalt,
obviously.  But also Fate ("star-crossed lovers") and the families' Hate, which could be
the same thing, really.

Sprits of nature
are the lark and the nightingale from Romeo and Juliet's bedroom scene
and all of the light, dark, night, and day imagery.  Enough
already!

Realistic
Counter Companion who calls attention to
fear, the jester who deflates romantic ideals is Mercutio, obviously.  His Queen Mab
speech is an attempt to derail or counter the love quest.

Escribe instruccciones para ayudar a alguien prepara comida.?Write some instructions for how to cook any food like spghetti or pizza, or a common...

In addition to the previous
post:

Could you let us know which regional Spanish are you
learning? There are myriads of words that are used differently in most Spanish countries
(do not forget, we are 23 countries total speaking in different dialectical
forms).

If your Spanish is from Spain then the terminology
that we may provide for you may not work if you are from the Caribbean (like me) or from
South America, Mexico.

Hence, for example, if I can tell
you my version of the recipe that my colleague posted, my recipe would sound 35%
different than his because in my particular Spanish dialect we do not use words such as
"bol", nor do we use the metric system.

I include here a
link to delicious Spanish recipes which are easy to follow and to remember. It will
eventually help you in your Spanish learning as well.

PS:
(Cielito Rosado, Chef, is the best!- The link offers some of her coolest breakfast
recipes. MMmmmMMM)

Solve the equation x=1+square root(1+square root x).

First, we'll impose the constraint of existence of square
root;

x>=0

1 +
sqrtx>=0

We'll subtract 1 both
sides:

x - 1 = sqrt[1 +
sqrt(x)]

We'll raise to square both sides, to eliminate the
square root from the right side:

(x-1)^2 = 1 + sqrt
x

We'll expand the square:

x^2
- 2x + 1 = 1 + sqrtx

We'll eliminate like
terms:

x^2 - 2x = sqrt x

We'll
raise to square:

(x^2 - 2x)^2 =
x

[x(x - 2)]^2 - x = 0

We'll
factorize by x:

x[x(x-2)^2 - 1] =
0

x1 = 0

x(x-2)^2 - 1 =
0

We'll expand the square:

x^3
- 4x^2 + 4x - 1 = 0

We'll factorize the middle terms by
-4x:

(x^3 - 1) - 4x(x - 1) =
0

We'll re-write the difference of
cubes;

x^3 - 1 = (x - 1)(x^2 + x +
1)

(x - 1)(x^2 + x + 1) - 4x(x - 1) =
0

We'll factorize by
(x-1):

(x-1)(x^2 + x + 1 - 4x) =
0

x - 1 = 0

x2 =
1

x^2 - 3x + 1 = 0

We'll apply
the quadratic formula:

x3 = [3+sqrt(9 -
4)]/2

x3 = (3 + sqrt5)/2

x4 =
(3 - sqrt5)/2

The solutions of the equation
are: {0 ; (3 - sqrt5)/2 ; 1 ; (3 + sqrt5)/2}.

Does Koba the Dread have anything to say about the theme of celebrity?

I don't think that the novel has anything directly to say
about celebrity.  However, the cult of celebrity is a major argument and point that Amis
makes regarding his fundamental thesis.  Amis argues that the intellectual vanguard in
England were dangerously oblivious or active participants in the desensitizing of Stalin
as a threat and mass murderer.  Amis argues that Stalin essentially received a "free
pass" from the West, and from British intellectuals, in particular.  While there is
swift and brutal condemnation about Hitler and Mao, Stalin is not perceived in the same
camp.  Amis posits several potential reasons as to why this might be the case. 
Celebrity is a part of this in that Stalin was careful to cultivate his image to the
extent whereby his crimes would not be perceived by the outside public.  Amis argues
that Stalin did understand how to cultivate his image, especially in light of the
alliance with America and Britain in fighting Hitler.  The work is not an outward study
of celebrity, but does employ analysis of it in studying its
thesis.

What is a BIG THEME in the book "The Outsiders"?pick a THEME BETWEEN THESE- Loyalty and Love in Relashionships, or Vulnerability and Growing Up,...

Of these, the easiest one to talk about is "think before
you act."

One clear example of this can be seen when Johnny
and Ponyboy run off after Johnny kills Bob Sheldon.  If you really think about it, it is
not really clear that they would be in any less trouble if they run off.  I don't think
they would have been charged with murder anyway -- it was self defense.  And if they run
away, they're sure to be caught eventually.

A second
example of this is when Pony runs off because of his fight with Darry.  This is what
leads to him meeting Johnny and getting in the fight with the Socs.  If he would have
just thought about it, he would have understood what Darry was trying to do and he
wouldn't have run off.

In Native Son, what may account for the difference in the perception that poor whites treat blacks worse than rich whites?

I think that it is a question like this one that allows
for the most powerful levels of Wright's analysis to take hold.  In being both a person
of color and one who was mindful of the role of economic class in social perception
through his work with Communist publications, Wright was able to dissect social reality
through the sharp instruments of both race and class.  In being able to reflect both in
his work, Wright is able to make the argument that both interact and converge within one
another.  Wright is asserting that it is not merely a problem of race that is a
challenge in America, but rather one of class, as well.  For example, the Great
Depression was an instant where both factors were convergent on the experience of
African- Americans like Wright.  Consider that nationwide, the unemployment rate jumped
from 15% in 1929 to 25% in 1933. Between 25 and 40% of all blacks in major cities of the
country were on public assistance. By 1934, 38% of blacks could not find wage earnings
higher than the subsistence provided by public relief.  The Great Depression highlighted
the reality that race and class play formative roles in the experience of American
consciousness.  Rich whites were able to feel secure enough in understanding that
African- Americans were not going to threaten their economic standing.  This could not
be the same for poor whites who were in just as much competition for the same positions
for which people of color could compete.  Wright's accounting for the difference in
treatment comes from the vantage point of economic class as being vitally important in
the experience of American consciousness.

What is the status of the dream of the farm after the murder of Curley's wife?

At least in the way that George and Lennie have seen the
dream, it is dead.  There is no way that they are ever going to have that ranch
now.

The reason for that is that Lennie cannot possible get
away with what he has done.  He has not really murdered her, but no one is going to
believe that it was an accident.  He is likely to be arrested, convicted, and at least
put in jail for a long time.

So given that, the dream is
dead.  Lennie is going to be killed or put in prison.  If George wants to continue with
the dream, he needs a new sidekick.

What important roles do Banquo have in the play Macbeth?

You can proceed on the basis of the following
leads:

a) Banquo accompanies Macbeth to victory in the
battle against the rebels and traitors;

b) Banquo
accompanies Macbeth on their way back to the king when the witches appear on the heath.
The witches prophesy about Macbeth's as well as Banquo's future. Banquo notices
Macbeth's awkward responses to the witches'
proclamations.

c) Banquo accompanies Macbeth to appear
before King Duncan who admires both of them, but Macbeth is more profusely rewarded and
acknowledged than Banquo;

d) Banquo accompanies Duncan
during his visit to Macbeth's castle;

e) After the
discovery of Duncan's murder, Banquo mouths pious resolution to 'stand in the hands of
God', but does nothing towards the redressal of the foul crime and injustice
committed;

f) While Macbeth is haunted by the witches'
prophetic soliciting, Banquo is also tempted by the prophecy that his issues would be
the kings of Scotland. He doesn't confront the usurper king, but rather
compromises;

g) Banquo is killed by Macbeth just before the
coronation banquet, but the ghost of Banquo, a hallucinatory product of Macbeth's guilt
and fear, appears at the Banquet to force Macbeth reveal his crime, and to lead him to
the witches for the final round of doom;

h) Banquo is a
foil to Macbeth, a sort of alter image. He is deliberately made an incomplete
characterization.

i) Banquo has been very curiously used by
Shakespeare as a part of the play's elaborate supernatural machinery. Banquo's ghost
proves that dead Banquo is more potent a threat for Macbeth than living
Banquo.

Who is the unnamed narrator in "A Rose for Emiily"?

The unnamed narrator in "A Rose for Emily" is a plural,
first person "we" narrator--the townspeople.  It's a collective or communal "we"
narrator.

That's why, presumably, information comes
haphazardly to the reader.  It's presented in a fragmented way that mimics the way
information passes through a small town.  The narrator gets the information about Emily
buying poison from the pharmacist, presumably.  The narrator gets information about the
inside of the house from someone that was in the group that visited her to try to get
her to pay taxes, presumably.  The narrator hears about problems updating Emily's
house for modern postal delivery from someone who had to hassle with her, presumably. 
The narrator is the townspeople.

This, of course, is all a
construct created by Faulkner to enable him to pull off the surprise ending.  The plot
details, told in chronological order, obviously feature Emily murdering Homer, etc. 
Told chronologically, the feature cannot create a surprise ending.  That is only
possible if the plot details are manipulated.  That's the purpose the "we" narrator
serves. 

State the reasons Bambara may have titled this short story "Raymond's Run."

By giving it this title, the author is letting us know
that the story is about Raymond. In a way, Squeaky runs the race for him and changes the
way she looks at running.  Squeaky (whose real name is Hazel) is the narrator.  Raymond
is her older brother, but he is slow.  Much of Squeaky's time is spent protecting him. 
This includes making sure other kids don't tease him.  Sometimes Raymond can be
embarrassing.  During the race, Squeaky watches him run and realizes that it's ok to be
different.

Squeaky is a good runner, and she wants to win
the May Day race more than anything.  When she first starts, she just wants to beat
everyone else and particularly Gretchen.  Yet when she runs, she notices Raymond running
on the other side of the fence.  In an intense moment of introspection during the race,
Squeaky realizes that running is something Raymond might be able to do, even though he
cannot do everything a regular boy can.

And I’m smiling to
beat the band cause if I’ve lost this race, or if me and Gretchen tied, or even if I’ve
won, I can always retire as a runner and begin a whole new career as a coach with
Raymond as my champion.

Squeaky is happy because she sees
her brother differently, and she realizes that there is something in which they can
understand each other, and an area where they can be equals.

Please comment on the symbolism of the axe in "The Black Cat."

Your question appears to indicate an uncertainty about the
term "symbolism," especially as it is applied to this excellent short story by Edgar
Allen Poe. When we talk about symbolism in literature, we are referring to an object,
event, person or animal that stands for both itself and also for something else.
Consider a very common symbol in our culture: a red rose. It clearly stands for both
itself on the literal level, a red rose, but also has come to symbolise love, devotion
and affection.

When we think of "The Black Cat," therefore,
it is difficult to see how the axe is actually a symbol of anything. Note how its use is
described by the unreliable narrator who so chillingly slaughters his
wife:

readability="13">

Uplifting an axe, and forgetting, in my wrath,
the childish dread which had hitherto stayed my hand, I aimed a blow at the animal
which, of course, would have proved instantly fatal had it descended as I
wished.

It is difficult to
see how the axe itself symbolises anything therefore. Clearly, the action of the
narrator in trying to kill the black cat definitely could be said to symbolise his anger
and the way that the black cat has psychologically dominated and haunted him, but the
axe itself seems to be difficult to attach to a symbolic
meaning.

Discuss the Tense System of English.English lanuage and grammar

As the word tense means
time, Modern English has 6 tenses (3 are simple tenses and 3 are
compound), with 3 forms of these tenses.  These tenses are formed from the 4 principal
parts of verbs: 

1. the infinitive (often called
   the present form)   e.g. to see, to walk


2. the present
   participle   e.g. seeing, walking


3. the past
   form             e.g. saw, walked


4. the past
   participle       e.g. seen, walked ( the auxiliary verbs has, have,
   had, or will have are used with the past
   participle)

In the BASIC form, the 3 simple
(meaning one verb is used) tenses
are

1. Present tense
   (formed by using the infinitive minus "to"-principal part #1) is used to express what
   occurs at the moment [Susie reads well], used to express what one does on a regular
   basis [Susie rides the bus to school],
   and sometimes used to express future action when accompanied by a time word [You know,
   Susie goes to the dentist
   tomorrow.]


2. Past tense -
   (formed by using the past form -principal part #3) is used to express an action that has
   been completed in the past. [Susie
   went to the
   dentist.]


3. Future tense -
   (formed by using principal part #1 plus the auxiliary (helping) verb
   shall or will) is used to express an action
   that will be completed at a later time. [Susie
   will not
   be home
   Tuesday.]

The three compound tenses (the Latin
word perfect means completed)
are

1. Present Perfect
   - (formed by using the past participle (principal part #4 and the auxiliary verb
   has or have) is used to express an action that
   began in the past, but is completed in the present [Susie has
   finished her
   homework]


2. Past Perfect -
   (formed by using principal part #4 and had) is used to express an
   action that occurred and was completed prior to another in the past. [Susie
   had just
   opened the door as the phone
   rang.]


3. Future Perfect -
   (formed by using principal part #4 and will have) is used to
   express an action that will be completed in the future. [By June, Susie
   will have
   completed junior high
   school.]

The PROGRESSIVE form for all the 6
tenses uses the auxiliary verb to be, conjugated in the appropriate
tense, with the present participle.  Thus for the verb to run the 6
tenses would look like this:

1. I am
   running                Present Progressive Tense


2. I was
   running               Past Progressive Tense


3. I will be
   running            Future Progressive Tense


4. I have been
   running      Present Perfect Progr.Tense


5. I had been
   running        Past Perfect Progr. Tense


6. I will have been
   running   Future Perfect Progr. Tense

The
EMPHATIC form is only in the Present tense and the simple Past Tense.  The auxiliary
verb do/does is used with the present form of the main verb for the
Present tense, and the auxiliary verb did is used with the present
form of the main verb for the Past tense.

Present: 
Susie does speak well.  Susie
did speak clearly on the stage.   [Do
not confuse the use of do and did in questions for the Emphatic form.  They are just
auxiliary verbs in those cases in the Basic Form.  e.g.  Didn't Susie speak well
yesterday?]

Compare the process of respiration and photosynthesis in a green plant.

Photosynthesis is a process that allows green plants or
producers to manufacture their own food. Carbon dioxide, water and sunlight must be
present to initiate this reaction. Carbon dioxide enters via stomates in the leaves,
water is absorbed by roots and transported to leaves in vascular bundles and light is
absorbed by chlorophyll in the leaves. Carbon fixation occurs and by combining with
water, glucose is an endproduct that is produced. This glucose is a form of chemical
energy that the plant can use when needed. It also forms oxygen gas and water vapor
which both exit the leaves via the stomates. When a plant needs energy for growth and
other life functions, the glucose, which the producer manufactured can be used. The
glucose is combined with oxygen along with enzymes to catalyze the reaction, to form
carbon dioxide and water vapor as waste products, as well as 36 A.T.P. molecules. These
high energy molecules are then available for use by the cells. Plants are basically
self-sufficient because they can re-use the endproducts of both photosynthesis and
respiration to continue their life cycle. A terrarium, which is an enclosed system
containing plants, soil and moisture, is self-sustaining, as, none of the gases or water
vapor from photosyntheis or respiration can exit the system and the plants inside get
all the materials they need to live, as long as they are near a source of
light.

If u=(fog)(x) and v=(gof)(x), verify if u'=v'? f(x)=3x+2,g(x)=x^2+1

The answer is very simple: the derivatives of the
functions u and v are not equal.

Since we know that the
composition of 2 functions is not commutative, then the derivatives of 2 expressions
that are not matching, are not equal.

We'll see how it
happens.

We'll compose (fog)(x) =
f(g(x))

We'll substitute x by g(x), in the expression of
f(x).

f(g(x)) = 3(x^2 + 1) +
2

We'll remove the
brackets:

f(g(x)) = 3x^2 +
5

u(x) = f(g(x))

We'll
differentiate with respect to x:

u'(x) =
6x

Now, we'll compose (gof)(x) =
g(f(x))

We'll substitute x by f(x), in the expression of
g(x).

g(f(x)) = (3x + 2)^2 +
1

We'll expand the
square:

g(f(x)) = 9x^2 + 12x + 4 +
1

g(f(x)) = 9x^2 + 12x +
5

v(x) = g(f(x))

We'll
differentiate with respect to x:

v'(x) = 18x +
12

We can see that the expression of u'(x) =
6x and the expression of v'(x) = 18x + 12 are not
equal.

Find the cubic polynomial f(x) = ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d that has horizontal tangents at the points (-4,5) and (3,2).

We have to determine a polynomial f(x) = ax^3 + bx^2 + cx
+ d given that it has horizontal tangents at the points ( -4,5) and
(3,2).

Now the slope of the tangent at a point on a curve
can be derived from the first derivative.

The derivative of
f(x) = ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d is

f'(x) = 3ax^2 + 2bx +
c.

At the points (-4, 5) and (3,2), the slope of the
tangent is zero.

3*16*a - 2*4*b + c =
0

=> 48a - 8b + c =
0

3*9*a + 2*3*b + c =
0

=> 27a + 6b + c =
0

Also, as the points (-4,5) and (3,2) lie on the
curve

5 = a*(-4)^3 + b(-4)^2 -4c +
d

=> 5 = -64a + 16b - 4c +
d

2 = a*3^3 + b*3^2 + c*3 +
d

=> 2 = 27a + 9b + 3c +
d

So we know have to solve these 4
equations:

27a + 9b + 3c + d = 2
...(1)

-64a + 16b - 4c + d = 5
...(2)

48a - 8b + c = 0
...(3)

27a + 6b + c = 0
...(4)

(1) - (2)

=> 91a
- 7b + 7c = -3 ...(5)

a = 6/343 , b = 9/343 , c = -216/343
and d = 1091/343

Therefore the polynomial is
f(x) = (6/343)x^3 + (9/343)x^2 - (216/343)x +
1091/343.

Why is international trade necessary to maintain a high level of prosperity?

International trade in a simplified argument is necessary
to boost prosperity because it allows nations to use their absolute and comparative
advantages to the maximum extent.

Industries of all nations
can export the products and services that they can deliver at the lowest cost and for
the highest price and can import products and services that other nations can deliver to
them at the lowest price. This benefits all the parties involved in
trade.

International trade forces industries of all nations
to become as efficient as they can, thereby reducing costs. This coupled with the fact
that they have access to markets where their products can give them the highest price
ensures very high profitability.

The increase in
profitability would imply an increase in prosperity.

What are the functions of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)?

One of the organizations contributing to the cause and
aiding in the achievement of the objectives outlined by the United Nations is the Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Below are two of the major functions of the
FAO:

1. Promote feasible farming
techniques. This means that the FAO provides farmers in countries where
the United Nations operates with information to reduce environmental degradation while
farming, improve agricultural farming methods, and increase crop production and yields
for the long-term sustainability of food production and increased food security levels
in these countries.

2. Reduce malnutrition in
a community. Moreover, the FAO may encourage farming in the areas where
it is less practiced in the hope of reducing the dependency of persons living in these
areas on food supplies donated by the United Nations. This is intended to foster
self-reliance among community member so they provide for themselves and their families
more nutritious food so as to lessen the incidents of malnutrition in their community.
 

In The Awakening, what does the parrot say?

This classic story about the position of women in a
patriarchal society begins unforgettably with the words of a parrot which "hung in a
cage outside the door." The words that it keeps on repeating, again and again, can be
translated as: "Go away! Go away! For heaven's sake!" Interestingly, however, it is
important to consider how Chopin might be using the parrot to suggest several themes in
her novel. Note that the parrot is presented in a cage. This has led some critics to
argue that the very beginning of the story introduces such key themes of caging and
freedom through the presence of this parrot. Others have also argued that the parrot,
through repeating the phrase "go away," actually represents the multiple voices in the
novel and perhaps expresses the subconscious feelings of the protagonist towards her
husband. It is clear that a key theme of the novel is the way that Edna is "encaged" by
her husband and society and put on display, just like the
parrot.

How is the significance of outsiders and injustice portrayed in Of Mice and Men?This is not an essay question, it is simply confusing me as I do...

One of the main themes of John Steinbeck is the
disfranchisement and the consequent alienation of those in the lower classes.  Both his
magnum opus, The Grapes of Wrath and his
novella Of Mice and Men present this theme of
alienation. 

This loneliness of the itinerant men in
Of Mice and Men generates cruelty and injustice in others as
exemplified in the characters of Curley and Carlson.  George Milton expresses this
reality as he talks to the man with "God-like" eyes, Slim, the mule
skinner:

"I
seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone.  That ain't no good.  they don't have
no fun.  After a long time they get mean.  They get wantin' to fight all the
time."

"Yeah, they get mean," Slim agreed.  "They get so
they don't want to talk to
nobody."

Much of this
aggression is also generated by fear in their aloneness.  Lennie Small, whose character
Steinbeck wrote represented "the inarticulate and powerful yearning of all men"
certainly becomes aggressive in his fear. 

It is only
through the fraternity of men, through friendship, that a man can measure himself, as
Crooks points out, and, thus, find meaning in his life.  As Ma says in The
Grapes of Wrath, "...if all people who are shoved off the land get mad
together, they can take action." 

Rasicim in Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton.I need it's critical commentry. Will anyone provide it?

Clearly, any reading of this novel identifies racism as a
central theme, but I think that Paton is actually exploring something deeper than the
symptoms of the situation we are presented with. Paton seeks to explore the underlying
cycle of inequality and injustice which itself leads to racism. This is his central
focus and will help you to perhaps concentrate on the causes behind racism rather than
racism itself.

Consider the setting of the city of
Johannesburg - a place with enormous inequalities which, although not excusing the
behaviour of characters such as Absalom and Gertrude, clearly help us to understand the
desperation of such characters and how they are driven to desperate means. Inequality
results in black S. Africans being allowed to have less land than whites, resulting in
over-farming and lack of food. This in turn drives them to seek employment in
Johannesburg. Yet characters such as Gertrude and Absalom are forced to realise that
this emmigration dislocates them from the safety and protection of their tribe, and they
are forced to turn to crime in a context of limited
opportunities.

Of course, their stories are echoed
throughout the novel which is set in a city with massive slum neighbourhoods which are
characterised by violence against whites. Raging against their situation and trying to
gain wealth quickly, blacks rob whites who in turn become paranoid and forces them to
villainise the blacks, robbing them of any sympathy. This in turn makes the conditions
for the blacks worse, making them angrier and more determined to lash out. Thus the
cycle is perpetuated. Both parties justify their actions as natural and reasonable
responses to the stance taken by the other group - Absalom's lawyer, for example, tries
to claim that Absalom is a mere victim of society. Such an approach makes understanding
between these different groups all but impossible and paints a bleak
future.

Provide examples and evidence of Marxism, existentialism, feminism, and Freudian pscychoanalysis in the Oedipus plays.

In Antigone, Sophocles introduces us
to the first great feminist hero, Antigone.  She is
outspoken against a man, the King.  In terms of
psychoanalysis, Antigone follows the gods laws (superego)
and not the need for revenge (id), thereby exposing Creon's self-serving behavior.  In
terms of Marxist theory, Antigone is a hero to the proles
because refuses to marry the prince and live a life of luxury.  Not only that, but she
chooses to defy martial law and bury her brother, knowing that she would receive the
death penalty.  Her existential predicament, though, is
whether or not to commit suicide.  Rather than have her fate determined for her, she
determines her own.

In Oedipus, we
have the proletariat suffering from the sins of the bourgeoisie
(Marxism): the plague upon the children is brought upon
them by the incest and regicide of the Royal House of Thebes.  Unlike Antigone, we have
Queen Jocasta who follows the patriarchal order to protect her status: she is in denial
of the truth and freedom.  She, therefore, goes against the ideals of
feminism and Marxism.
 However, Joacasta, is in the same existential predicament, for she commits suicide, not
to escape public execution, but because of shame.  She, therefore, is no existential
hero either.  Oedipus is the existential hero: he refuses
to kill himself; instead, he punishes himself and suffers the responsibility of knowing
the truth.

What are the destructions of war expressed in Slaughterhouse-Five?Explore the types of destruction.

The types of destruction caused by war in
Slaughterhouse-Five are physical and
psychological.

The novel describes the physical toll war
takes.  Description of the destruction caused by the bombing of Dresden is explicit in
the novel, as are the haggard states of the suffering soldiers--on both sides.  And
humans have no control over whether or not they suffer.  Good soldiers die and suffer
the same as poor soldiers.  Billy is a terrible soldier, for instance, and suffers
because of it.  But he is just as likely to have suffered had he been a good soldier, as
the execution of Edgar Derby demonstrates.

Billy suffers
from more than physical hardship as a result of the war, however.  His mind is
fragmented, as the collage-like structure of the narrative reveals.  He is passive in
the face of war--how else can one be?  He has no control of his fate.  The only time he
is active in the novel is when he decides to tell the world about Tralfalmadore, etc.,
near the end of his life.  Billy can't face the horrible memories of war, so he escapes
however he can. 

After all, what can one do in the face of
human bone meal and corpse mines?

How do literary elements heighten the impact of a poem?I stumbled upon a website that was all about The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. This question was...

Poe uses literary elements quite effectively to develop
the mood of this poem. Poe is often credited with being one
of the fathers of mystery and of Gothic literature. This particular poem creates a
hysteria and maddening mood that makes us feel that the speaker is going
crazy.

So, what are some of the elements he uses to create
this impact of crazed mystery and hysteria?

The
repetition, rhyme,
meter, and rhythm of each
stanza feels so patterned that it draws the reader in. When authors go to the trouble to
plan out meter and rhyme, it impresses the reading audience and we often wonder what is
next or how the author is going to wrap up a topic or stay on topic while employing all
of those devices at once.

Once upon a midnight
dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of
forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of
some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door— “'Tis some visitor,” I muttered,
“tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing
more.”

Looking at the text of this first stanza,
the internal rhyme of the first line and the napping, rapping, and tapping impress us.
This also follows a story form or plot. We can tell he was
feeling a little creeped out, he was beginning to fall asleep reading a book, and this
all of the sudden, someone knocked on the door. This image
of someone in between sleep and wakefulness also contributes to the mood because we can
all relate to that time, it is like being awake during a dream. Since we relate, the
impact on us is strong. Sometimes our minds play tricks on us during that time. Finally,
Poe uses simile, metaphor and allusion throughout the rest of the poem to again help us
relate to the feelings he is trying to describe. Because these are comparisons, we can
relate. By the end of the poem, we can tell he's been freaked out by this Raven that
must represent something from his past which haunts him. We all have similar moments of
pain in our own pasts that help us relate. It may not be the loss of a loved one, but we
all know pain and can feel his because of these uses of literary
elements.

What quote proves that Daisy wants to stay with Tom and she won't leave him?

In chapter 7 it becomes apparent that Daisy, while she
might love Gatsby, isn't going to leave Tom.  As Gatsby and Tom are having their huge
confrontation in the hotel room over Daisy's feelings, Daisy is just sitting there in a
kind of shock.  Nick as narrator explains, "but with every word she was drawing further
and further into herself, so he gave that up and only the dead dream faught on as the
afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling
unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room."  Then it is revealed
that Daisy's "voice begged again to go." And she says, "Please,
Tom! I can't stand this anymore."  It is important to note that she is pleading with
Tom, not with Gatsby to end the discussion.  It is obvious that she is still connected
with Tom at this point.  As chapter 7 comes to a close and the death of Mrytle is
revealed, it is very significant that Tom and Daisy are in their home, sitting together
over uneaten food, and seeming to be getting along just fine.  Nick says that it doesn't
even look like they are conspiring, and he feels bad that Gatsby is staying outside to
make sure Daisy is OK, but that he is really just "watching over nothing" because Daisy
and Tom aren't going anywhere:  Daisy isn't leaving him; Tom is leaving her or blaming
her or anything else.

In To Kill a Mockingbird from chapters 1-3, are there any situational ironies?

Keep in mind that situational irony
means what happens is not what is expected to happen.  The most obvious example in
chapters 1-3 are on Scout's first day of school.  It is expected that the adult (and the
teacher) would have things in the classroom under control.  It is also expected that the
children in the room would look to her with a general sense of respect for her
position.  Instead, the children pity her.  They know instantly that she is out of
place, therefore, they cannot respect her authority.  But because they are children,
most of them have no idea how to remedy the situation.  It is situational irony that
Scout, likely the most precocious child in the room, must correct and "educate" her
teacher on the social ways of Maycomb.

Certainly, Miss
Caroline herself believes this "lesson" from young Scout to be inappropriate, and
punishes her with several "quick little pats" on the hand with a ruler and a time out in
the corner.  It is again situationally ironic that just before this Scout expects to be
sealing a deal with spit and it takes her a moment to realize she is even in trouble for
what she has done.  The irony continues when she speaks to Atticus about her confusion
of the situation.  Scout, though young, is an old soul.  She does what she believes is
right and acts out of a sense of social intelligence that she is far to young to be
given credit for.

How does Wilde use the country vs city life as examples to show satire against the upper class?

Wilde specifically takes digs at country life versus city
life in the showdown between Gwendolyn and Cecily on Act 2, Part
II.

As Gwendolyn comes from the "fashionable" city of
London to visit her Earnest in his country manor, she feels threatened by Cecily's
presence there, and thinks her to be quite plain and
silly.

Since both women were confused as to which of them
was actually marrying Earnest, they began a sarcastic showdown that went like
this:

readability="39">

Gwendolen. Are
there many interesting walks in the vicinity, Miss
Cardew?

Cecily. Oh! yes! a
great many. From the top of one of the hills quite close one can see five
counties.

Gwendolen. Five
counties! I don’t think I should like that; I hate
crowds.

Cecily. [Sweetly.] I
suppose that is why you live in town? [Gwendolen bites her
lip, and beats her foot nervously with her
parasol.]

Gwendolen. [Looking
round.] Quite a well-kept garden this is, Miss
Cardew.

Cecily. So glad you
like it, Miss
Fairfax.

Gwendolen. I had no
idea there were any flowers in the
country.

Cecily. Oh, flowers
are as common here, Miss Fairfax, as people are in
London.

Gwendolen. Personally
I cannot understand how anybody manages to exist in the country, if anybody who is
anybody does. The country always bores me to
death.

Cecily. Ah! This is
what the newspapers call agricultural depression, is it not? I believe the aristocracy
are suffering very much from it just at present. It is almost an epidemic amongst them,
I have been told. May I offer you some tea, Miss
Fairfax?

This was the way
Wilde showed how the city people viewed the country folk and vice-versa. In the dialogue
the two women had tea, and even the food was a problem that led to another showdown that
went like this:

readability="37">

Cecily. [Sweetly.]
Sugar?

Gwendolen.
[Superciliously.] No, thank you. Sugar is not fashionable any more.
[Cecily looks angrily at her, takes up the tongs and puts
four lumps of sugar into the
cup.]

Cecily. [Severely.] Cake
or bread and
butter?

Gwendolen. [In a bored
manner.] Bread and butter, please. Cake is rarely seen at the best houses
nowadays.

Cecily. [Cuts a very
large slice of cake, and puts it on the tray.] Hand that to Miss
Fairfax.

[Merriman does so,
and goes out with footman. Gwendolen drinks the tea and
makes a grimace. Puts down cup at once, reaches out her hand to the bread and butter,
looks at it, and finds it is cake. Rises in
indignation.]

Gwendolen. You
have filled my tea with lumps of sugar, and though I asked most distinctly for bread and
butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and the
extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too
far.

In general, the
fashionable Londoners always looked down on the country people who chose to live there
instead of just having a home in the city and one in the country. It was understood that
such persons chose not to live in London because they were not sophisticated nor wordily
enough to keep up with the aristocrats, et al. You can see the same form of classicism
in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, in Dickens's Great Expectations, and in Sense and
Sensibility as well.