In Act I, scene 1 of Othello, why does Iago say he hates Othello?

In Act I scene 1, Iago reveals to the discontented
Roderigo that he hates Othello because, although he had three people present his "suit"
to be promoted to become lieutenant, Othello ignored their words, and instead chose
Cassio to be his lieutenant, a man who is younger than Iago and has not seen military
service. Iago thinks that he has much more experience of real battle and therefore
should have received the promotion. The way that Othello has overlooked him in this way
and promoted someone who is "Mere prattle without practice" over him has filled him with
rage and anger. Note what Iago himself says to Roderigo about
Cassio:

A
fellow almost damned in a fair wife

That never set a
squadron in the field

Nor the division of a battle
knows

More than a spinster--unless the bookish
theoric,

Wherein the toged consuls can
propose

As masterly as
he.

Thus, overtly, as we can
see from this scene, Iago hates Othello for the way that he was not selected for
promotion, and instead one who was unworthy was selected. Now, of course, Iago must
serve under Cassio in the chain of command, which would not help his anger and
resentment.

Describe the main compromises that were part of the "Great Compromise."

The Great Compromise is also known as the Connecticut
Compromise.  It was mainly a compromise between the bigger states like Virginia and the
smaller ones like New Jersey.

The two main compromises had
to do with the way that the Congress was to be organized and with how many
representatives each state would have.  First, the compromise created a bicameral
legislature.  This allowed each house of the legislature to be set up in a different
way.

The second compromise had to do with how each house of
Congress was to be set up.  The Senate was set up with each state having the same number
of members, just as the small states had wanted.  The House was set up with each state's
number of representatives determined by the state's population.  This was the way the
big states had wanted things.

In this way, the Great
Compromise allowed both big and small states to be somewhat satisfied with the set up of
the Congress.

Prove: sin A + sin B + sin C >2 if A+B+C=180 A

We'll re-write the
constraint:

A+B = 180-C

We'll
apply sine function both sides:

sin(A+B) = sin(180-C) = sin
C

We'll divide by 2 the
constraint:

(A+B)/2 =
(180-C)/2

We'll apply sine function both
sides:

sin (A+B)/2 = sin (180-C)/2 = sin (90 -C/2) = cos
C/2

Now, we'll manage the left side of the inequality,
replacing sin C by sin(A+B):

sin A + sin B + sin(A+B)
> 2

We'll transform into a product the sum sin A +
sin B:

2 sin [(A+B)/2]* cos [(A-B)/2] + sin(A+B) >
2

We'll use the double angle identity for
sin(A+B):

sin(A+B) = 2 sin [(A+B)/2]* cos
[(A+B)/2]

2 sin [(A+B)/2]* cos [(A-B)/2] + 2 sin [(A+B)/2]*
cos [(A+B)/2]>2

2 sin [(A+B)/2]* {cos [(A-B)/2] +cos
[(A+B)/2]} > 2

sin [(A+B)/2]* {cos [(A-B)/2] +cos
[(A+B)/2]} > 1

We'll transform into a product the
sum cos [(A-B)/2] +cos [(A+B)/2]:

2*sin [(A+B)/2]*cos
[(A-B+A+B)/4]*cos[(A-B-A-B)/4] > 1

2*sin
[(A+B)/2]*cos [(2A)/4]*cos[(-2B)/4] > 1

We'll
replace sin [(A+B)/2] by cos C/2, we'll simplify inside brackets and we'll cancel the
minus sign, since the cosine function is even.

cos (A/2)
*cos (B/2) *cos (C/2)> 1/2

Since the values of the
angles are smaller than 90, then all the angles are located in the 1st quadrant, where
the values of the function cosine are positive.(the direction of the inequality remains
unchanged).

We'll consider the values of the angle A = 60,
B=45 => C = 75, for the sum of the angles to be of 180
degrees.

cos 60/2* cos 45/2* cos 75/2 >
1/2

We'll use the half angle
identity:

cos 45/2 = sqrt [(1+cos
45)/2]

cos75/2 = sqrt [(1+cos
75)/2]

cos 60/2*sqrt [(1+cos 45)/2]*sqrt [(1+cos 75)/2]
> 1/2

We'll raise to square to eliminate the square
root:

3/4*[(1 + sqrt2/2)/2]*{[1+sqrt2/2*(sqrt3/2 - 1/2)]/2}
> 1/4

Computing the left side, we'll
get:

(12 + 3sqrt6 + 6sqrt2 - 3sqrt3 - 3sqrt3 - 3)/4
> 4

25.74/4 >
4

6.435 >
4

Therefore, the identity sin A + sin B + sin
C >2 is verified, under the given
constraints.

Why does the novel begin and end at the pond?

There are several reasons Steinbeck chose to begin and end
his novel at a pond.  For the novels main characters, Lennie and George, the pond
alongside the Salinas River is pure and untainted, a far cry from the dusty ranch where
they would find work--and trouble-- the following day.  The two men share a special bond
and dream of owning their own place.  Since ranch hands typically work alone, this time
between them is one of reflection (especially in light of Lennie's recent "mistakes')
and candid discussion in their quest to seek upward social
mobility.  

readability="10">

"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the
loneliest guys in the world...They got no family. They don't belong no place...With us,
it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about
us"

Because of Lennie's
mental limitations, he is incapable of understanding the consequences of his (past and
future) actions and George, his guardian of sorts, tells Lennie to return to the river
if things get difficult. 

It's only fitting that George and
Lennie meet again at the river, especially when George recognizes that he must shoot
Lennie to save him from lynching.  For Lennie, water is safe, and the commune with
nature is the one place he knows things are 'ok'.  It's also the restorative place where
things for both men were normal.  In light of Lennie's visions, he realizes something's
amiss and wants nothing more than to have his puppy back and have the routine
back.   

Water is also thought to be cleansing and
spiritual, washing away any sins (think baptism), which would work for George's final
decision to shoot Lennie, a man who is like the mice he pets, weak, at the mercy of
society.  For George to refocus and recharge he has to be away from society's
temptations (drinking and Curley's wife) while Lennie, in his childlike state, must be
protected from a cruel world.  The only path to redemption lies at the pond and away
from civilization. 

Another interesting path to explore is
the significance of the water snake/heron at both the beginning and end...there is a
role reversal that might play into your pond idea.

Hope
that helps.

What do Hally's conversations with Sam and Willie reveal about his racial attitude?

In Fugard's Master Harold and the
Boys, Hally is a 17 year white boy living in apartheid South Africa.  Two of
his childhood friends are black men employed at his father's cafe--Sam and Willie.
 Through his conversations with Sam, in particular, we see Hally as a conflicted young
man, who is struggling between his love and shame for his father, an
alcoholic.

This conflict is important because it affects
Hally's relationship with Sam and Willie.  When he hears that his father is returning
home again, Hally takes out his anger on Sam, insisting that Sam call him "master."  Sam
warns him that once Hally plays the race card, things will never be the same between
them.  In this way, we see Hally who is not necessarily racist, take out his frustration
on his black friends simply because, as a white boy, he can.  And he does it in a way
that humiliates the older men.

But we also see a naive boy.
 Earlier in the play, Hally acts as if he is open-minded about race.  He seems oblivious
to the inequalities of apartheid. Sam has to tell him the truth about the day that he
and Halle went kite flying.  When Hally had sat down on a bench, Sam said he had to go
back to work.  Sam confessed that the true reason he left was because the bench was
labelled "whites only."  Sam's role as a loyal friend of the family becomes quite clear
through their conversations, and Hally's treating Sam like a servant or worse comes
across as immature and ungrateful.

In "Hills Like White Elephants," why does the woman say "It isn't ours anymore"?

Let us focus on what precisely is going on here. We are
privileged observers of a terrifying conversation that is going on between a man and his
partner, who is pregnant with his child. As we carry on listening, we can see that the
man wants Jig, his partner, to have an abortion. She does not want one. He exerts every
kind of psychological pressure on her to try and persuade her and to force her to do
this, including threatening to end the relationship if she doesn't. If she does have
this abortion, however, he promises that everything will return to the way it was before
in their relationship: "We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were
before."

The section you have highlighted comes towards the
end of the story, when it becomes clear that the battle has been one and Jig sees that
there is no way out of this for her. Jig seems to realise that their relationship is
heading for an unhappy finish, and that having an abortion will only speed this process
along. Note what she says and the dialogue she has with her
partner:

"I
said we can have everything."

"We can have
everything."

"No, we
can't."

"We can have the whole
world."

"No, we can't."

"We
can go everywhere."

"No, we can't. It isn't ours any
more."

"It's ours."

"No, it
isn't. And once they take it away, you never get it
back."

Jig seems to be almost
deliberately confusing the baby inside of her with the future hope of their
relationship, as she replies in a series of negative responses to the encouraging and
soothing phrases of her partner.  She seems to recognise the awful finality of abortion
and the way that you can never go back from that, just as in the same way this step will
have massive ramifications for their relationship.

What are main points in the battle of Poitiers 1356 and Agincourt 1415?

The Battle of Portiers was one of three important English
victories in the Hundred Years War. English troops under Edward the Black Prince were
pursued by a much larger French army. They hid in thickets and bushes and attacked the
French army when it became bogged down. The English longbow (roughly six feet) which
could fire at long distances and cause arrows to rain down on horses and men, proved
decisive. At the end of the battle, King John II of France was captured, and only
released after agreeing to very unfavorable terms.

At
Agincourt, an English army again encountered a much larger French force, but the outcome
of the battle was determined in less than three hours in favor of the English. Again,
the decisive factor was the English longbow. King Henry V led the English forces against
the Constable of France, Charles d'Albret was killed. It was after Agincourt that Joan
of Arc appeared as the savior of the French. In both battles, a superior French force
was defeated by an English force which they should have been able to defeat
easily.

The links below provide more detailed
information.

How to solve the equation cos^2x=1/2 using the formula of difference of two squares.

We'll multiply by 2 both
sides:

2(cos x)^2 = 1

We'll
subtract 1 both sides to create the difference of 2 squares to the left
side:

2(cos x)^2 - 1 = 0

We'll
re-write the difference of squares as a product:

2(cos x)^2
- 1 = (sqrt2*cos x - 1)(sqrt2*cos x + 1)

We'll cancel out
theproduct above:

(sqrt2*cos x - 1)(sqrt2*cos x + 1) =
0

We'll set each factor as
zero:

sqrt2*cos x - 1 =
0

We'll add 1 both
sides:

sqrt2*cos x = 1

We'll
divide by sqrt 2:

cos x = 1/sqrt
2

cos x = sqrt 2/2

x = +arccos
(sqrt 2/2) + 2k*pi

x = pi/4 +
2k*pi

x = - pi/4 + 2k*pi

We'll
set the next factor as zero:

sqrt2*cos x + 1 =
0

We'll subtract 1 both
sides:

sqrt2*cos x = -1

cos x
= -1/sqrt 2

x = pi - arccos (sqrt 2/2) +
2k*pi

x = pi - pi/4 + 2k*pi

x
= 3pi/4

The solutions of the equation are:
{pi/4 + 2k*pi}U{3pi/4 + 2k*pi}.

Look at the self-portraits of Gentileschi, Leyster, and Rembrandt.What do these portraits tell us about the position of women artists during 17th...

Though the scope of this comparison is very narrow, if you
look at examples of self portraits of Artemisia Gentileschi and Judith Leyster compared
to the self portrait(s) of Rembrandt, there is one very obvious difference.  The women
paint themselves painting, whereas Rembrandt paints his portrait as
if he is sitting for himself.

When we think of the
so-called "great" artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, we most likely think of men. 
This is not by accident.  Historically speaking, painting, sculpting, and even music, as
a form of both creative expression and income was a male-dominated
part of society.  Perhaps these women, knowing full well that they were unique as
females in such a role, wanted to be remembered as artists
specifically, and so they painted themselves at work.  Art, in general, was considered
"beyond the scope" of a woman's talent or intelligence at that time.  Any woman artist
from this time period was a revolutionary and could have even been considered a
pre-mature feminist, in a way.

In The Great Gatsby, what does Gatsby tell Nick about his early relationship with Daisy? Why did he tell him?chapter 8

Jay tells Nick that Daisy was the first girl he knew who
wasn't one of loose or questionable morals.  The girls and women Gatsby had known were
ones who were easy for him to get and easy for him to just as quickly discard.  He
didn't intend to fall in love with Daisy, but it happened and Gatsby found himself
committed to her absolutely and for everafter.  In all his previous relationships, it
was Gatsby who made the moves and the decisions.  He was in charge of the affair.  With
Daisy, he soon found that he was not in charge. Daisy was everything, and more, that
Gatsby had ever dreamed of. She was rich, young, beautiful, vivacious, exciting, and
mysterious. And she loved Gatsby, too.   Jay also tells Nick of how he, Jay, had to
leave Daisy because he had to go overseas during the war.  They exchanged letters, but
hers were mostly about how she wished he'd come home and soon, she grew tired of
waiting, and Tom Buchanan came into her life with lots of excitement and pomp.  Add to
that the fact that Jay had no money and was from a completely different social class. 
Jay tries to rationalize Daisy's relationship with Tom in this conversation with Nick. 
He is trying to rationalize it to himself more than to Nick.  He tells Nick all this
because Jay is seeing his fragile world start to crumble.  After the big scene in the
hotel in NYC, a part of Jay must realize that he will never fully get Daisy and that
their affair is probably over.  Jay wants to hang on to whatever scraps remain of his
illusion of a world where he and Daisy are a couple and retelling the story of his and
Daisy's courtship helps Jay to hang on.

Find the limit of (x-4)/x as x --> 4

We need to find the limit of
(x-4)/4

This is a simple direct substitution
question.

All you need to do is substitute with x=
4.

lim (x-4)/x   as x-->
4

First we will use the substitution method and check the
answer.

==> lim (x-4)/x as x--> =  4-4/4 =
0/4 = 0

Then the limit of (x-4)/4 as x approaches 4 is
0.

The answer is : The limit is
0.

In "The StoryTeller," by Saki, what do these words of the aunt mean "You have undermined the effect of years of careful teaching"?

In Saki's "The Storyteller," the aunt is outraged at the
bachelor's "most improper" story that leaves good not only unrewarded, but punished. 
For the bachelor puts an ironic twist onto the aunt's story of the young girl who is so
good that she is rescued because of her moral
character. 

In the bachelor's story, the girl is described
paradoxically as "horribly good" and she is rewarded with three heavy medals which she
wears around her next.  Ironically, also, it is these medals for good behavior that
prove her nemesis.  So, good does not triumph over evil as years of "careful
teaching" have conditioned children to think. This unorthodox method of storytelling in
which good is not rewarded and there is not a happy ending is illustrated in this
passage: 

The
wolf came sniffing among the branches, its black tongue lolling out of its mouth and its
pale grey eyes glaring with rage. Bertha was terribly frightened, and thought to
herself: 'If I had not been so extraordinarily good I should have been safe in the town
at this moment.

Clearly, the
bachelor's story waivers from the paradigm of the classic children's
story.

Hamlet begins and ends with reference to Norway, Denmark's enemy. How is this conflict affected by what happens in the royal bedroom in Hamlet?

References to Norway may frame Shakespeare's
Hamlet, but the conflict between Norway and Denmark is not in any
way central to the play.  The references provide background information in Act I (the
king of Norway's death at the hands of King Hamlet, the threat of invasion, etc.), and
catharthis and cleansing in Act V (the evil is destroyed and Fortinbras will stabilize
the political situation in Denmark).  Fortinbras also serves as a foil to Hamlet, of
course.  But, again, this political and military conflict is not central to the
play.

Thus, you should probably think in terms of what this
conflict contributes to the play as a whole, rather than think of what occurs in the
royal bedroom contributing to this conflict.    

That said,
the one event that occurs in the royal bedroom that does affect the conflict between
Denmark and Norway might be Hamlet's killing of Polonius.  This moves Claudius to send
Hamlet to England and order Hamlet's execution.  The conflict between Claudius and
Hamlet is in the "feeling out" stage before Hamlet kills Polonius.  In other words,
Claudius is not sure Hamlet is out to get him until Hamlet kills Polonius.  The killing
gives Claudius the excuse he needs to get rid of Hamlet, and the opportunity to have him
executed away from Danish soil.  The killing of Polonius might also lesson the high
opinion the Danish people have of Hamlet. 

In turn, Hamlet
discovers the assassination plot and overtly returns to avenge his father.  Thus, the
king is preoccupied.  He is worried about Hamlet, not Fortinbras.  Claudius appears
politically astute in the early acts of the play, but later he never considers that
Fortinbras will disobey his orders and invade Denmark anyway.  By the time Fortinbras
invades, Denmark offers little resistance. 

Other than
that, the unseen sex between Claudius and Gertrude and the appearance of the Ghost
probably do not directly affect the conflict between Denmark and Norway.  Hamlet also
berates his mother in her royal bedroom, but this has nothing to do with
Norway. 

If you must connect the royal bedroom with Norway,
Polonius's death is probably your best bet. 

what are the roots of the equation: 2x^2-5x+1=0

Given the quadratic
equation:

2x^2 - 5x + 1 = 0

We
will use the quadratic formula to find the
roots.

==> x = [ -b +- sqrt(b^2 -
4ac)]/2a

==> a = 2    b= -5      c =
1

==> x1= [ 5 + sqrt(25-8)]/ 4 = [ 5+
sqrt17]/4

==> x2=
(5-sqrt17)/4

Then the roots
are:

x = { (5+sqrt17)/4   ,    (5-sqrt17)/4
}

What is x if 4 | 2x-6 | + 8 = 12

We'll solve the absolute value equation as it
follows:

4 | 2x-6 | + 8 =
12

We'll first subtract 8 both sides in order to isolate
the absolute value to the left side:

4 | 2x-6 |  = 12 -
8

4 | 2x-6 |   = 4

We'll
divide by 4:

| 2x-6 |  =
1

We'll get 2 cases to
solve:

1) We'll impose the constraint of absolute
value:

2x-6>=0

2x>=6

x>=3

Now,
we'll solve the equation:

2x-6 =
1

We'll add 6 both sides:

2x =
7

x = 7/2 = 3.5 > 3

The
value of x belongs to the interval of admissible
values:

[7/2 , +inf.)

2)
2x-6<0

2x<6

x<3

Now,
we'll solve the equation:

2x-6 =
-1

We'll subtract 6 both
sides:

2x = 5

We'll divide by
2:

x = 5/2

Since the value of
x belongs to the interval of admissible values, x = 2/5 is also a root of the given
equation.

Since both values of x respect the
constraints of the modulus, they represent solutions of the equation: {5/2 ;
7/2}.

Discuss the basic features of Mesopotamian culture as reflected in its literature and art.

Mesopotamian culture was not entirely monolithic, as the
geographic region included multiple linguistic and cultural groups. One striking feature
of Mesopotamian cultures was the degree to which it was urbanized and centralized. The
two inter-related institutions of place and temple were socially, culturally,
religiously, and visually the centres of the early city states and later kingdoms. Their
strikingly massive monumental architecture, which celebrated the power of monarchs and
gods, reflected the centrality of these institutions within the society. Much of
Mesopotamian literature is concerned with the institution of kingship and the nature of
the gods. Unlike the squabbling nobles of Homer's Iliad, even the Mesopotamian elites
were clearly subordinated to central authority.

The early
Mesopotamian government was strikingly bureaucratic, with elaborate written law codes
and systems of taxation. The orderliness of the society is reflected in the geometrical
organization of the art, especially in the way figures in bas reliefs are symmetrically
organized into ranks.  

Discuss the lyrical beauty of Blake in "The Lamb."

Lyrical poetry is a term that is used to refer to poetry
that is more interested in exploring thoughts and feelings than telling a story. This
poem concerns the admiration of "the lamb" and as the speaker asks who made the lamb, we
are told that it was Christ the Redeemer. The speaker identifies himself as a child,
linking his own innocence and that of the lamb to the larger symbolic innocence and
purity of Christ. Note the way in which the poem creates an emotional response of joy,
protectiveness and tenderness. Consider the following section from the
poem:

Gave
thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, wooly,
bright;

Gave thee such a tender
voice,

Making all the vales
rejoice?

Little Lamb, who made
thee?

Dost thou know who made
thee?

The imagery that is
employed, such as describing the lamb's wool as "clothing of delight / Softest clothing,
wooly, bright," and the "tender voice" of the lamb and the image of the vales that
"rejoice" all help to create the emotional response of childlike joy and
protectiveness.

Can anyone either find me a huge summary on these books or has anyone read these books because I need to write a book report on it by tonight. I...

E-notes has an extensive collection of study guide
materials on a wide range of topics.  Although I did not check every book that you
listed in your question on E-notes, I did locate The Fifties by Halberstam
on the site.  After reading through several portions of the summary guide as
well as information about the author, I am sure that you will be able to utilize the
information provided by E-notes to assist you in writing your report.  Moreover, I have
always found that if I did some outside research on the topic of a non-fiction book it
helped when writing my final analysis. E-notes can also help you here if you choose to
do so.  The links are provided below. Good Luck!!!

According to Guns, Germs, and Steel, what influences caused technology to differ from place to place?

Diamond argues that geography is the major influence that
causes levels of technological achievement to differ from place to place.  He notes four
major geographical factors that influence this.  Those factors
are:

• Area


• Population


• Ease
  of diffusion


• Onset of food
  production

The first two of these have to do
with the number of people and societies that are available to serve as potential
innovators.  The larger the area and the more people there are, the more inventions can
be discovered.  If diffusion is easy, the technology can be shared.  Finally, early
onset of food production means that A) people can have more time to devote to inventing
things and B) a complex society requires more
technology.

These factors help to determine which places
have high levels of technological development and which do not.

How do I turn this question into equations and then solve the system? Bachelle wants to know the density of her bracelet, which is a mix of gold...

The following method does not use a system of two or three
equations but rather a work/mixture approach:

Since the
volume of gold is twice the volume of the silver, we can use the ratio of 2G/1S to
calculate the overall density. 

The
d of G is 19.3g/cc and the d
of S is 10.5g/cc.  So now I take 2G=2*19.3=38.6 and then add 10.5 to get a total of
49.1g/cc. 

But this is 3 times the total density, because
we added the densities of two golds and one silver.  So, dividing 49.1 by 3, we get
16.36666... or, rounding to two decimal places, 16.37
g/cc.

Make sure not to confuse mass and
weight.  Weight takes into account the force of gravity; mass does
not.

What could be done to improve the burglary clearance rates?

There is most likely very little that can be done to
improve clearance rates for burglaries unless more resources are made available to the
police.  Outside of that, the best way to improve clearance rates is probably to enact
community policing-type programs.

The best way to clear
burglary cases is to have the police notified of them as they are happening or to have
the police be given usable information about the burglars.  This can best be
accomplished by having people in a neighborhood be more observant.  If the police can
work with citizens to create effective neighborhood watch programs and the like, they
are more likely to get the sorts of tips that they can actually use to clear their
cases.

In this way, the best hope for clearing burglary
cases is to use the public as a resource.

How can a^2 - 36b^2 be factorized?The expression given is a squared - 36 b squared

Remember that a^2 - 36b^2 is the same as a^2 + 0ab -
36b^2.

Then factor like any such
polynomial:

(a + __) (a - __)   -- a being the square root
of a^2. Also, the negative sign before the third term tells you the signs are different
(+ and -).

(a + 6b) (a - 6b) -- 6b being the square root of
36b^2. Since 6ab and -6ab cancel each other out, there is no need to figure out which
one is positive and which negative.

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian resolves to change his life on three occasions. What are these occasions?

Firstly, we see Dorian's desire to change the course of
his life after he is so cruel to Sibyl Vane after her lacklustre performance at the
theatre. Being shocked by the slight change in the portrait that he can see, he
determines to be better and to end his relationship with Lord
Henry:

He
would resist temptation. He would not see Lord Henry any more--would not, at any rate,
listen to those subtle, poisonous theories that in Basil Hallward's garden had first
stirred within him the passion for impossible
things.

However, of course,
he is defeated by the death of Sibyl, who, in anguish, committed suicide. After this, we
move towards the end of the novel when Dorian tells Henry he has determined to "be good"
and cites his refusal to seduce a country girl as
evidence:

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"Suddenly I determined to leave her as flowerlike
as I had found her."

However,
it is only when he sees that this action, which he hoped would change the portrait for
the better, as blatant hypocrisy, that he realises his best intentions were thwarted. It
is in the last chapter that he determines to destroy the portrait and be
good:

Perhaps
if his life bcame pure he would be able to expel every sign of evil passion from the
face.

Of course, his
determination to destroy the portrait ironically only ends in his own death, and the
reversal of the magic, making his own body foul and restoring the portrait to its
original beauty.

Please discuss gender in Rowlandson's text entitled "The Sovereignty and Goodness of God."

"The Sovereignty and Goodness of God" was written by Mary
Rowlandson after she was taken captive in an Indian attack. The first draft of the work
was private; later she ammended and published it so she could demonstrate God's
sovereignty and goodness even during her harrowing ordeal. This writing is less about
gender than it is about the trials of living through a difficult ordeal; however, it is
the Indians' treatment of Rowlandson which provides a more interesting discussion of
gender in this writing.

Most of the people the Indians took
captive in these kinds of raids were women and children, partly because the men
generally died fighting to save their loved ones and partly because men were more
difficult prisoners. That does not mean, however, that the women and children were
treated with the kindness and generosity which most cultures afford
them.

During the first night of her "grievous activity,"
the tribe camps near a deserted farmhouse; Rowlandson's request to sleep inside is
derisively denied and she has to sleep outside. The next day, after she walked until she
was exhausted, Rowlandson writes that

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they set me upon a horse with my wounded child
in my lap, and there being no furniture upon the horse's back, as we were going down a
steep hill we both fell over the horse's head, at which they, like inhumane creatures,
laughed, and rejoiced to see
it.

Her child is sick, and
Rowlandson listens to her crying and moaning all day without relief;  instead of
offering her help or relief, "sometimes one Indian would come and tell me one hour that
'your master will knock your child in the head,' and then a second, and then a third,
'your master will quickly knock your child in the head.'" This continues for nine
days.

Later in her captivity, Rowlandson is allowed to go
visit her son who was also taken captive, but she is not allowed to stay with him. She
despises the food her captors eat; knowing this, they often deliberately give her the
foods she despises the most. They tell her that her husband has been killed (which is
not true); when they travel, she must wear a pack which is too heavy for her and is
given virtually nothing to eat.

The women of the tribe are
particularly cruel and treat her maliciously at every opportunity. They routinely deny
her food and kick her out of their tepees. One even throws ashes in Rowlandson's eyes in
anger. This is an interesting phenomenon which might be explained by jealousy except
that none of the Indian men made any physical overtures to Rowlandson. A case might be
made that the Indian women, who are also treated rather poorly by their men, take
advantage of the opportunity to mistreat someone even lower in rank than they
are.

These are all examples of the disregard her captors
have for Rowlandson; her gender is meaningless to them in terms of their attitude and
treatment toward her. The balance of power does shift a bit, however, when her captives
need her to do some sewing fine sewing for them. She does the work in exchange for money
or food, and in those exchanges she has the power. In every other kind of exchange
during her captivity, she is powerless and at the mercy of her
captors. 

In short, Rowlandson makes it clear that, while
she was a captive, her gender gained her no benefits from the men, and she was often
treated worse by the women because of her gender. 

What are x and y if 4^(x/y)*4^(y/x)=32 and log 3 (x-y)=1-log 3 (x+y) ?

We'll work on the 1st equation. We notice that the bases
of the multiplied factors are matching, so we'll add the
exponents:

4^(x/y)*4^(y/x) = 4^(x/y + y/x) = 4^[(x^2 +
y^2)/xy]

But 4 = 2^2 and we'll raise to the exponent [(x^2
+ y^2)/xy], both sides:

4^[(x^2 + y^2)/xy] = 2^2*[(x^2 +
y^2)/xy]

32 = 2^5

The 1st
equation will become:

2^2*[(x^2 + y^2)/xy] =
2^5

Since the bases are matching, we'll apply one to one
property:

2*[(x^2 + y^2)/xy] =
5

We'll note x/y = z => y/x =
1/z

2(z + 1/z) = 5

2z^2 - 5z +
2 = 0

We'll determine the
roots:

z1 = [5+sqrt(25 -
16)]/4

z1 = (5+3)/4

z1 =
2

z2 = 1/2

We'll put x/y = z1
<=> x/y = 2 => x = 2y

x/y = 1/2
=> y = 2x

We'll re-write the 2nd equation, using the
product rule of logarithms:

log3 (x-y) + log3 (x+y) =
1

log3 (x^2 - y^2) = 1

We'll
take antilogarithms:

x^2 - y^2 =
3

We'll put x = 2y:

4y^2 - y^2
= 3

3y^2 = 3

y^2 =
1

y1 = 1 => x = 2

y2 =
-1 => x = -2

We'll put x =
y/2:

y^2/4 - y^2 = 3

y^2 -
4y^2 = 12

-3y^2 = 12

y^2 =
-4

y1 = 2i => x1 = 2i/2 =
i

y2 = -2i => x =
-i

Since x and y values have to be real for
the logarithms to exist, we'll accept only the real solutions of the equation. 
Furthermore, the logarithms must be positive and the only solution that satifies all
these requirements is (2, 1)

In Slaughterhouse-Five, what is the author trying to do functionally with Trout's novels?slaughterhouse five, trout's novels

The novels of Kilgore Trout serve to connect Billy Pilgrim
to a particular kind world view (outside the mainstream) and may also be suggestive of
the author's view of himself at the time Slaughterhouse Five was
being written.

The interpretation expressed above does have
textual evidence to support it to some extent, however at the end of the novel the
narrator expresses a qualified belief in Billy's "delusions". This points to a reading
that would see Billy's time-travel as actual, within the context of the novel, so we
would need to come up with another intepretation for Trouts novels that is not connected
to the explanation of delusion. (Also, when this novel was written post-traumatic stress
syndrome did not exist and its precursor, shell-shock, did not have the same associated
symptoms.)

In Slaughterhouse Five,
Billy is distinguished again and again from almost everyone around him. He
simply cannot connect with people. This is true of his relationship to everyone from his
wife to his son to Weary and his daughter. The only person Billy nearly connects with is
Trout, more through his novels than through their
meetings.

Importantly, Trout's novels explore
another way to look at the world, one which is not determined by a collective, by
society, or by logic. The fact that sanity is connected to the same
society that can bomb a city (killing nearly 150,000 people who were not fighting and
have no connection to the war) suggests that sanity might be better defined in another
way.

Billy breaks from the mental conventions of his
society as does the narrator. Both feel that peaceful existence is better than violent
existence. They are in the minority, it would seem, in holding to his opinion. Like
Kilgore Trout, Billy and the narrator are willing to pit their own views against those
of the majority (and, in Vonnegut's case, express them in book
form).

They are willing to appear crazy if believing that
war is unnecessary marks them as insane.

What are some novels that were written in a similar time frame and region to the short story "The Open Window" by Munro/Saki?

Let us remember that Saki wrote the majority of his works
in a turn-of-the-century Edwardian England in the early 20th Century. His fiction is
famous for the way that it satirises Edwardian society with its social mores and
customs. Other British works that were published at a similar point in time that are
worthy of serious attention are Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence,
E. M. Forster's brilliant novels such as Howard's End, A
Room With a View and A Passage to India; To
the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and A Portait of the Artist as a
Young Man by James Joyce. Each of these authors are considered as Modernist
experts in their own right, so you might be interested in reading some of these classics
and looking at Modernism as a literary movement and seeing what unites them. Happy
reading!

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn how does the physical description of Huck's father in chapter 5 also serve to describe his character?

In Chapter 5 of Huckleberry Finn by,
Mark Twain, Huck's father is described as follows:

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He was most fifty, and he looked it. His hair
was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining
through like he was behind vines. It was all black, no gray; so was his long, mixed-up
whiskers. There warn't no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; not
like another man's white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body's
flesh crawl—a tree-toad white, a fish-belly
white.

This first physical
description is indicative of a sick man. However, the most important element about the
way that Huck describes his father is that, prior to the description, he says the
words

I used
to be scared of him all the
time.

The looks of a parent
may bring some disdain in a child, but what Huck felt was terror of him. This, combined
with the father's physical description leads the reader to realize that Huck has been
victimized by his father's alcohol addiction and lack of
self-control.

The reader also gets the feeling that Huck
sees his father from a different perspective now that he has been away from him.
Moreover, Huck is slowly maturing throughout the novel. His observations are now more
analytical, and we even detect a hint of embarrassment when he describes his father's
clothes.

As
for his clothes—just rags, that was all. He had one ankle resting on t'other knee; the
boot on that foot was busted, and two of his toes stuck through, and he worked them now
and then. His hat was laying on the floor—an old black slouch with the top caved in,
like a lid.

This being said,
we can safely argue that Huck's father shows the signs of advanced alcoholism not only
in his behavior, but also in his physique, and in his personal upkeep. He is careless,
raggedy, mean, and irresponsible. Moreover, he is a bad parent who cares very little
about what his son thinks of him. The physical description goes very well with the man's
horrible way of life.

Is the speaker addressing anyone in particular in William Blake's poem, "The Lamb?"

There is no doubt in my mind that William Blake is
addressing an actual lamb, but that he is drawing attention to God and his son Jesus,
the Lamb of God.

It is no surprise that William Blake's
poem, "The Lamb" is religious in nature. When Blake was young, he claimed to have seen
God and angels. When his younger brother Robert died, Blake declared that he had spoken
with Robert after his passing. Blake was also very
religious.

The first part of the poem addresses the lamb,
asking it if it knows who made it, clothed it in soft wool or gave it "such a tender
voice." In the first stanza, he asks the lamb twice:

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Little Lamb, who made
thee?

Dost thou know who made
thee?

This use of the
literary device of repetition shows how important the question is to Blake, and
therefore, to the poem. In the second stanza, "He is called by thy name" alludes to
John's scripture, Chapter 1 (NIV):

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The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and
said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' (verse
29)

And...

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The next day John was there again with two of his
disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!' (verses
35-36)

"He became like a
little child" is an allusion to Jesus being born as a child, and also to scripture in
Matthew 18:3 (NIV):

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And [Jesus] said: 'I tell you the truth, unless
you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven.'

When Blake says "We
are called by his name," he is referring to "lamb" once again...the name of "lamb," as
noted above. Blake then repeats the last two lines, showing once again through
repetition, the importance of the closing sentiment of his
poem:

Little
Lamb, God bless thee!

Little Lamb, God bless
thee!

In this way, I don't
think that Blake is only calling on God to bless simply the lamb he is referring to
literally in the poem, but for all people who are seen as Jesus' sheep or part of his
"flock."

What is the tone for Walt Whitman's poem "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"?

When we think about the tone of a given work of literature
we are referring to the attitude the writer takes about a subject or character, normally
produced by word choice. When we try to work out the tone of a poem such as this one, it
is important to try and establish the theme and message as this obviously helps
us.

Clearly in this poem the tone of the speaker at the
beginning is very frustrated as he listens to this reductionist, rational lecture that
"explains" the cosmos and removes all mystery and wonder from contemplating the night
sky. Words such as "add, divide and measure" perhaps express the frustration of the
speaker as he listens to this lecture that everyone else is enjoying so much. His
emotional reaction is clear when he says "I became tired and sick." As he moves outside,
the tone moves to one of reverence and mystery as he moves into the "mystical moist
night-air" and regards the stars "in perfect silence," in contrast to the lecture of the
astronomer. The reverence implied indicates that any attempt to calculate the cosmos is
doomed to fail, as it robs the galaxy of its mystery.

What are the major themes in Equus and how does Shaffer portray them?

One of the principal themes of this incredible play to my
mind is that of sanity and insanity and how, through Dysart's sessions with Alan, the
play profoundly questions the extent to which such terms as "sanity" and "insanity" are
actually social constructions.

As the play progresses we
see how Dysart is trying to "heal" a boy who has committed an act that, in society's
eyes, makes him insane. Dysart believes that this boy's pain can be alleviated through
treatment with him. Dysart shows himself to be very successful in this sense: he is able
to uncover memories that point towards an eventual healing of Alan. However, what is
fascinating about this play is the way that through treating Alan, Dysart begins to lose
faith in the categories of sane and insane and sees them more as social constructions
that are contextualised and not permanent. He understands how what any given culture at
a given time regards as "sane" and "insane" varies dramatically. At the end, Dysart is
left with the haunting possibility that by "healing" Alan, and making him "sane," he
might actually remove from Alan a passion and a zest for life that the majority of
people are never fully able to experience, and which Dysart himself admits that he is
jealous of. Note the way that Dysart talks about the kind of boring, empty life that
Alan might live after having been "cured" by the end of the
play.

Thus it is that this play profoundly questions our
understanding of terms such as "sanity" and "insanity" and how we apply
them.

What is the best way to title Chapter IV of The Great Gatsby?

When I taught The Great Gatsby, I
never made this assignment, but I like it! To write an appropriate title for each
chapter, you really have to understand its content and purpose in the novel. You are
right about many things happening in Chapter IV. It does seem fragmented, but one
element unifies the chapter--revelations about Gatsby's present life and his
past.

The "party list" that begins the chapter, the names
and descriptions Nick wrote down of the people who came to Gatsby's parties, indicates
the social environment in which Gatsby now lives. The stories of his life that he tells
Nick on the ride into New York seem fabricated, but certain parts of them seem to ring
true. The meeting with Wolfshiem reveals Gatsby's "business connections" and suggests a
dark side to his present life, and the chapter ends with Jordan's memories of Gatsby as
a young lieutenant in love with Daisy Fay in Louisville during World War
I.

The purpose of the chapter seems to be to answer some
questions about the mysterious Jay Gatsby while raising others. These titles might
address that:

• Visions of the Mysterious
  Gatsby


• Gatsby's Mystery
  Deepens


• Glimpses of the Real
  Gatsby


• Bits and Pieces of the
  Truth

I kind of like the last two because each
part of Chapter IV does reveal at least some of the truth about Gatsby and his life.
Hope this helps!

Find the square of cosine function based on the identity 4cosx-sin x=0.

We'll apply one of the 3 forms of fundamental formula of
trigonometry:

(tan x)^2 + 1 = 1/(cos
x)^2

(cos x)^2 = 1/[(tan x)^2 + 1]
(1)

Now, we'll find out tan x from the given
constraint:

4cos x - sin x =
0

We'll isolate cos x to the left
side:

4 cos x = sin x

We'll
divide by cos x both sides to create tangent function:

sin
x/cos x = 4

tan x = 4
(2)

We'll substitute (2) in
(1):

(cos x)^2 = 1/[(4)^2 +
1]

(cos x)^2 = 1/(16 + 1)

(cos
x)^2 = 1/17

The requested square of cosine
is: (cos x)^2 = 1/17.

In Romeo and Juliet, what is the initial conflict?

Before Romeo and Juliet even meet, there are many other
conflicts revealed in the play.  The initial conflict in Romeo and Juliet is a
disagreement between the two families.  Sampson and Gregory are talking when Abraham and
Balthasar approach.  The Capulet's prejudice against the Montague's leads them to insult
Abraham and a fight breaks out.   

These four men begin the fight
because they are from opposite feuding households.  Benvolio and Tybalt join in the
fighting and soon the townspeople are involved as well.  It is almost a riot by the time
the Prince and his people are able to stop the fighting.  The Prince attempts to stop
future fighting (ie resolve the initial conflict) by threatening Lord Montague and Lord
Capulet with death if they persist in the feud.

In "The Tyger," what does the image of the tiger burning in the first line suggest?

One of the most famous poems contained in Blake's
brilliant Songs of Innocence and Experience is "The Tyger," which
begins with the well-known lines:

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Tyger! Tyger! burning
bright

In the forests of the
night,

What immortal hand or
eye

Could frame thy fearful
symmetry?

The first two lines
of the first stanza help create a distinct visual image of the flicker of a tiger's
stripes as seen through the trees of a dark forest. Of course, the intense, burnt orange
colour of the tiger would give it the impression of almost being like a flame as it runs
through the trees and the flickering would be created by the way that the tree trunks
would block the view of the living torch that would be running so swiftly through the
night. The first two lines are actually an example of an implied metaphor, as the tiger
is compared to a flame or a torch that "burns bright" as it runs around at
night.

Should I use "is" or "was" in the following sentence?The "outlandish parrot," the crockery dog and cat, and the turkey feather fan above the...

I completely agree with mwestwood's answer above, but I
would also add that since it appears that you are writing a literary analysis of a
novel, it is important to always use present tense verbs in this type of writing.  The
thinking is that the action in a story is always happening -- someone, somewhere in the
world is reading the story for the first time, so the action is always happening -- in
the present tense.  Even when you talk about multiple events that happen throughout a
novel, each event should be in the present tense.  For
example:

Jim and Huck travel down the river and eventually
arrive at the farm where Jim is then held captive.

Huck
meets the many people along his travels, but none are more interesting than the Duke and
the King who are actually con men who play off the foolishness of the people they
meet.

It is a good idea to proof read your paper for
consistent present tense verbs.  Once you get good at it, it will second nature to write
literary papers in this way.

Determine [3a-4b].[2a+b], given a and b are unit vectors and the angle between them is 30 degree.

We'll determine the dot product of a and
b:

a*b = |a|*|b|*cos 30 =
1*1*sqrt3/2

We'll use FOIL method to remove the
brackets:

(3a-4b)(2a+b) = 3a^2 + 3ab - 8ab -
4b^2

The angle made by the vector a with itself is of 0
degrees.

a^2 = a*a = |a|*|a|*cos 0 = 1*1*1 =
1

b^2 = b*b = 1

(3a-4b)(2a+b)
= 6 + 3*sqrt3/2 - 8sqrt3/2 - 4

We'll combine like
terms:

(3a-4b)(2a+b) = 2 -
5sqrt3/2

The requested value of the product
is (3a-4b)(2a+b) = 2 - 5sqrt3/2.

What are the salient features of Robert Browning's dramatic monologues?

The dramatic monologue as developed by the Victorian poet
Robert Browning is a genre in which a single character is speaking to either an explicit
(as in My Last Duchess or the Bishop Orders his Tomb) or undefined (when there is no
immediate audience except the speaker, as in Porphyria's Lover or Soliliquy of a Spanish
Cloister). Unlike the soliliquy of a play, the dramatic monolgue stands alone rather
than being part of a larger drama or narrative.

Typically,
whatever the putative subject the narrator discusses, the most significant thing
revealed is the narrator's character, whether casuistical in the case of Bishop
Blughram, cold and calculating in the case of the Duke of My Last Duchess, or insane, as
in Porphyria's Lover. The overwhelming majority of narrators in Browning's dramatic
monologues are unreliable -- as the poems progress, we increasingly begin to doubt the
truth, sanity, or motive of what they say.

What kind of President was Andrew Jackson?

I would say that there are two major ways to characterize
what kind of president Jackson was.

First, he was an
imperious president who used the power of the office more broadly than other presidents
had.  Jackson, for example, vetoed more bills than all previous presidents put together
had vetoed.  Jackson saw himself as the "tribune of the people," feeling that he was
meant to protect them.  This meant that he felt that he, personally, should wield more
power than presidents traditionally had.

Second, he was a
president who felt that he should protect the "common man."  Jackson felt that his job
was to protect the common people from rich and powerful elites.  This can be seen in how
vigorously he fought against the Bank of the United
States.

These are the main ways to characterize Jackson as
president.

What are the characteristics of the graph of the parabola f(x) = – (x – 1)^2 + 4

The equation of the parabola given is : f(x) = –(x – 1)^2
+ 4

The standard form of the parabola y = a*(x - h)^2 + k can be
used to determine all its characteristics.

Here, a is negative,
indicating that the parabola opens upwards.

The vertex is
at (h, k). For the equation given it is (1, 4)

The the axis
of symmetry is x = 4

The x-intercepts are determined by
solving –(x – 1)^2 + 4 = 0

=> x = -1 and x =
3

The x-intercepts are (-1, 0) and (3,
0)

The y-intercept is (0, f(0)) which here is (0,
3)

The domain of the parabola is all the values that x can take for
real values of y. Here it is R.

The range of the parabola is all the
values y can take for x lying in the domain. Here it is [-inf.,
4]

Discuss Madame Schachter’s son in his response to his mother and to others around her in the train in Night.

Madame Schachter starts scream in an uncontrollable manner
about seeing “fire” and forewarns the end of all of those in the car.  It is interesting
to note her son’s reaction.  At first, he, like the other passengers, are trying
desperately to quiet her.  Part of this is out of pure concern for his mother screaming
at a level of volatility.  Yet, Wiesel brutally points out that part of this was done
out of sheer embarrassment.  The son wishes for her to be quiet because it is a moment
of social discomfort and awkwardness for his mother to be screaming as she does.  It is
here where a subtle statement about the Holocaust is being made.  Wiesel’s fundamental
argument about the Holocaust was that it was a moment in history where everyone
dehumanized everyone else.  The Nazis dehumanized those who were Jewish.  Those who were
Jewish dehumanized one another, making it easier to sacrifice others and allowing more
carnage to happen.  This is what is demonstrated with Madame Schachter’s son.  In the
end, the other people in the car physically silence her, muffling her mouth so that her
screams are no longer heard.  The son merely watches.  It could be argued that the son
was overmatched and watched because he had no choice.  Yet, Wiesel might be using the
moment to foreshadow Eliezer’s own betrayal of his father and the fact that the
dehumanization that was such a part of the Holocaust happened on so many
levels.

In Fahrenheit 451, Beatty says, " Heredity and environment are funny things." What does this quote mean?

Captain Beatty is using the example of Clarisse to show
that regardless of the attempts at homogenizing the society a person’s heredity and the
environment can still produce someone who thinks and acts
differently. 

readability="9">

 “Here or there, that's bound to occur. Clarisse
McClellan? We've a record on her family. We've watched them carefully. Heredity and
environment are funny things. You can't rid yourselves of all the odd ducks in just a
few years. The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've
lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from
the cradle."

Even though not
meant to be, Beatty’s statement is one of optimism. People can be different; people can
change regardless of their environment.  The characters of Clarisse and ultimately
Montag give this redemptive view of mankind.

Write a note on Elizabeth's attraction to Wickham in Pride and Prejudice.

As you write the letter, keep in mind that Elizabeth is
polite and respectful, so the letter should reflect that. She is also impressed by
Wickham's kind and pleasant nature, in addition to his willingness to speak openly to
her of his past.  This makes her feel like a confidant, and like she is trusted and
liked.  The letter might go something like this; please look at mine as an example in
order to write your own, with your own ideas and
phrasing:

Dear Mr. Wickham,

I
want to thank you for taking the time to visit with me and my sisters.  We appreciated
your courtesy and conversation.  I am impressed by your easy-going manner, sense of
humor, and your ability to speak frankly about deeply personal and hurtful matters; your
story of Darcy and his callousness stirred me greatly.  I am sorry that you have been
treated so unkindly by a man of such stature, who should by right treat others with
kindness and respect.  I admire your decision to make your way in the world through
joining the army, and I also admire your positive attitude.  Many people would allow
themselves to be overcome by their difficult circumstances, but somehow you have managed
to stay pleasant, take things into your own hands, and keep bitterness out of your
heart.

I look forward to further correspondance with
you.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth
Bennett

"Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights." Was this use inspired by America's declaration for the one in France?

Indeed, this line is heavily inspired from The
Declaration of Independence. The French Revolution's charter was called The
Declaration of the Rights of Man.  Essentially, it was heavily influenced by Jefferson's
writing.  In fact, Jefferson, himself, served as a type of adviser to the writing of the
French charter.  Jefferson "was the US minister in Paris" and was "consulted" in the
composition of the document.  The leaders of the French Revolution were inspired by the
thinking of the Enlightenment as well as the effectiveness of the American Revolution's
interpretation of The Declaration of Independence. The leaders of
the French Revolution believed Jefferson's writing played a vital role in the success of
the American Revolution.  The hope was that drafting a French version of the document
would have had similar results in France.  It ends up that one of the legacies of the
American Revolution was to inspire revolutions in other part of the world, and one of
them was in France.

what does the skiff mean in the old man and the sea what does it mean symbolicly

Santiago's skiff, his fishing boat, is also his entire
world. He obtains his livelihood when fishing from his skiff. He stores tools of his
trade (the fishing lines, the fish to be used as bait, the harpoon, the gaff, the net
and sails) on his skiff when he leaves for a fishing trip. He carries food to care for
himself - frequently caught from the sea and eaten raw - on the skiff. He sleeps on it,
works on it, observes the world around him from it, and takes care of it so it can care
for him.

When the skiff is threatened by sharks attacking
his catch, he fights them off to the best of his ability, just as, in life, Santiago
fights off those who would say he is too old and has run out of luck. The skiff allows
Santiago to preserve his pride, showing all those in the village that he is still
capable of catching an incredible animal and surviving a terrible struggle to bring it
home. Despite tremendous difficulties, Santiago and the skiff will return to go fishing
another day.

What are some obstacles that Montag had to overcome in Fahrenheit 451?

In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451,
Montag has a variety of obstacles to overcome.

After Guy
Montag meets Clarisse (his new and unusual teenaged neighbor), his eyes are opened to a
world he has forgotten. She asks important questions rather than just passing from one
place to the next like a robot. This is at first perplexing for Montag: when she asks
him if he is happy, it really catches him by surprise. For him, it becomes an important
question, and along with thinking about it, he considers other things she has pointed
out and decides to embrace a new pathway to self-discovery rather than continuing with
his meaningless, repressed existence in a society that expects no one to ask any
questions—let alone important ones.

Montag starts to save
books and his wife finds out. Rather than running and hiding from this, Montag actually
exposes his secret to Millie's friends by reading poetry to them. He makes a connection
with Faber to align himself more closely with other "book lovers." And when Beatty finds
out from Millie that Guy has books, he goes to Montag's house to burn it down. Montag
has to take a stand—alarmingly, and in an unexpected burst of fury—Montag kills Beatty
who seems almost to taunt his co-worker to his breaking
point.

Finally, when Montag's murder of Beatty is reported,
law enforcement is out to get him—the manhunt to find him is massive. Montag has a
choice: he can give himself up, let the Mechanical Hound take him down, or he can take a
chance and try to find a new life with others who also wish to honor and preserve the
knowledge within books. In an exciting escape, with the robotic dog literally nipping at
his heels, Montag throws himself across the last stretch of ground at the river's edge;
he lands in the water—and the Hound loses Montag's scent. Though his future is
uncertain, he is following the road on a journey he began with Clarisse: he wants to
memorize the contents of books, and work with others to rebuild society. It seems that
for the first time in his memory, Montag actually feels alive.

What poetic elements can you comment upon in "We Are Seven"?

There are a number of poetic elements that can be
commented upon in this excellent poem. I am going to refer to the rhyme and rhythm and
how this relates to the content. One of the aspects of this poem that stands out is the
way in which there is on the whole a regular rhyme scheme of ABAB that dominates the
poem. This is paralleled by a very regular rhythm, which seems to capture the
stubborness of the girl and the incredulity of the speaker as they continue to argue
against each other and insist upon their view being the right one. The regular rhythm
and rhyme thus gives the poem an unrelenting, unyielding tone, which mirrors the
stand-off that is narrated between the speaker and the
girl:

"How
many are you, then, said I,

"If they two are in
heaven?"

Quick was the little Maid's
reply,

"O Master! we are
seven."

Thus rhythm and rhyme
help exemplify the conflict and the clash of different perspectives in the
poem.

What narrative techniques does Jane Austen employ in Pride and Prejudice?

Jane Austen makes use of very many different types of
narrative techniques. One technique she uses is referred to as Free Direct
Speech, in which the author leaves off the dialogue tag, or reporting
clause to show which character is speaking. We see an excellent example of this in the
first chapter when Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have their teasing back and forth exchange about
Bingley taking Netherfield and what it will mean for the girls.

She
also quite frequently uses Direct Speech, in which the
dialogue tag is employed to identify the speaker. Here is one good example: "'Now,
Kitty, you may cough as much as you chuse,' said Mr. Bennet; and, as he spoke, he left
the room, fatigued with the raptures of his wife" (Ch. 2, Vol.
1).

Austen also quite frequently makes use of what we call a
Narrative Report of a Thought Act, in which she shows the
character's thoughts through the standpoint of the narrator. A good example can be seen
when Elizabeth is reading Darcy's letter: "She grew absolutely ashamed of herself. -- Of
neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind,
partial, prejudiced, absurd" (Ch. 13, Vol. 2).

Austen also makes use
of Narrative Report of an Act, in which the narrator tells
us the character's actions. One good example can be seen when Darcy and Bingley return
to Longbourne once the awful business with Lydia has been completed. The narrator
reports: "The colour which had been driven from her[Elizabeth's] face, returned for half
a minute with an additional glow, and a smile of delight added lustre to her eyes, as
she thought for that space of time that his[Darcy's] affection and wishes must still be
unshaken" (Ch. 11, Vol. 3).

During the denouement, Austen even made
use of Direct Thought to show the reader Elizabeth speaking
outloud her agonizing thoughts about whether or not Darcy still loved her: "'Why, if he
came only to be silent, grave, and indifferent,' said she, 'did he come at all?'" (Ch.
12, Vol. 3).

What are the costs and benefits of withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan?

This, of course, is something of a topic of controversy
because we do not know what the costs and benefits would
be.  Some things that might be costs and benefits
include:

The major benefit would be in lives and money that
will no longer be lost.  There is no doubt that the US would have fewer soldiers killed
and less money spent if we withdrew.  A less tangible benefit might be an improvement in
our relations with other countries.  If we were not seen to have a huge presence in a
Muslim country, killing Muslim people, we might be seen in a better
light.

The major possible cost would be the loss of any
control over this area of the world.  If Afghanistan were to once more become a training
ground for terrorists, another terrorist attack might be committed on US soil.  This
possibility is a major cost of withdrawing troops.  One might also argue that a
withdrawal will reduce US prestige because we will be seen to be abandoning our allies
in the area.

Outside of the benefit of less loss of life
and money, these are mere conjecture, though, and arguments can be made against each of
these purported costs and benefits.

Describe some of the sacred rituals that take place along the Ganges River.

The Ganges occupies much in way of significance.  It is
said that a devout Hindu must make at least one pilgrimage to the Ganges river before
they die.  One of the most basic reasons for this is that the ritual of bathing in the
Ganges is considered to be the penultimate action of washing one of all of their sins. 
Located in Varanasi, one of the abodes of Lord Shiva, the Hindu devotees who flock to
the Ganges River do so as a way of seeking to bring some level of peace to their lives. 
Hindus believe that the Ganges River is the Goddess Ganga, herself.  This is why one of
the morning rituals of the river involves blessing the river, itself, with the offerings
of flowers or small oil lights placed upon the water.  The ritual of cupping the water,
holding it to the morning sun, the God Surya, and releasing it back to the water is
another ritual that one can see many Hindus perform in the morning and throughout the
day.  Probably the most powerful ritual of the Ganges River would involve the
disbursement of ashes in the river.  The desire for the soul of a loved one to achieve
moksha, or peach through liberation, is the motivation in this ritual.  As stated in
the Mahabaratha:

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If only the bone of a person should touch the
water of the Ganges, that person shall dwell, honored, in
heaven.

This idea represents
one of the most commonly practiced and revered rites or rituals of Hindus in relation to
the Ganges River.  For a Hindu, the Ganges is one of the most potent sources of both
devotion and salvation on Earth and the rituals practiced reflect
it.

Hi, I am researching about obssessive compulsive disorder and its relation to the neurotranmitter serotonin.I know that patients with OCD showed...

I can tell you from personal experience, and numerous
discussions with my doctor, that OCD is not caused by too much serotonin, but that
SSRI's can, in milder cases, help alleviate some of the anxiety that leads to obsessive
compulsive behaviors.  The trick becomes distinguishing between the different symptoms
and/or what medications work for each individual.  I know people who take SSRI's for
depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive behaviors, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorders.  I also know people, particularly my middle school students, usually boys,
who take other types of medications for the attention deficit/hyperactivity issues. 
While the causes of these chemical imbalances appear to be as varied as the individuals
who report them, my doctor has told me that SSRI's in particular, and
anti-depressants have not been shown to cause levels of these brain chemicals to
increase. 

Critically comment on Georgiana Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

Georgiana Darcy is a quintessential young lady. She is a
small foil of Elizabeth in that she is shy, delicate, and almost "breakable". The
adoration that her brother bestows upon her certainly doesn't help her grow into a
strong woman like Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth is a woman ahead of her time by all
standards while Georgiana fits perfectly into her exclusive social circle.Georgiana
also seems to maintain the "little sister" persona, almost as if she were a damsel in
distress.

Being 16, well-formed, tall and very pretty, it
is obvious that men such as Wickham would want to take her as their next "victim." The
fact that she nearly eloped with Wickham before being "saved" by her brother, Darcy,
shows that she does not lack the romantic fantasies and the innocence that are typical
of a teenager of "marriageable" age.  However, we can see a clear difference between her
and Lydia (a peer of her own age) in that maybe Georgiana's upbringing was good enough
to make her the respectable lady she is.

However, Georgiana
remains flat in the story. She blindly accepts whatever plan her brother has for her,
and she never changes her demeanor, her characteristic feebleness, nor her delicate
personality. Hence, Georgiana is one of those characters that are easier to describe by
speculating about them because there is a lack of in-depth information in the
story.

Give I. A. Richards's views on language.pertaining to new criticism

In his study Practical Criticism
(1929), I. A. Richards pioneered the technique of close reading, pointing out
that the language of the single poems could be more significant than information on the
lives and historical contexts of their authors. What scholars of poetry and literature
should study, therefore, is the language of the single work of art which is seen as a
completed whole whose meaning is to be found within itself. The language of the poem,
rather than the author's biography or his historical context, communicate the work's
meaning to the reader. Richards' s approach proved influential until the late 1950s and
became an important influence for New Criticism. It has since been challenged as it cuts
the links between literary production and/or interpretation and the socio-discursive
contexts within which such production and/or interpretation
occur.

What is the total amount of money in any given bank account insured by the FDIC?_____ is the total amount of money in any given bank account...

I think that the answer you are looking for is $250,000. 
Of course, this does not mean that you get $100,000 back if your bank goes broke and you
only had $250,000 in your account.  What it means is that the FDIC will only insure the
first $250,000 in any given bank account.  As the FDIC's website
says,

The
standard deposit insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each
account ownership
category.

The FDIC was set up
so that people could deposit money in banks without having to fear that their deposits
would be lost in the event of a bank failure.  To that end, the FDIC guarantees that
people will get their deposits back so long as those deposits do not exceed
$250,000.

What is symbolic about Santiago stopping 5 times to rest when carrying the mast?

If you subscribe to the theory that there are references
to Christianity throughout the story, the number five could be related to the five
piercings of Christ's body during the crucifixion - two hands, two feet, and in his
side.  The mast, as part of Santiago's boat, was critical to the return of Santiago and
the skeleton of the marlin to port, as the death of Christ is the centerpiece of the
Christian faith.  The carrying of the mast could also be a parallel to Christ carrying
the cross to his crucifixion and the pauses along the way.

What does munificent mean in Wuthering Heights?

This word appears in Chapter Ten of Wuthering
Heights when Nelly Dean explains to Lockwood how she reluctantly left
Wuthering Heights to go to Thrushcross Grange with Catherine when she married Edgar
Linton. She did not want to leave Hareton, especially because of the way in which
Hindley was becoming increasingly dissolute, but her mistress insisted, and Catherine
went to both her husband and brother to aid her in persuading Nelly to leave Wuthering
Heights:

When
I refused to go, and when she found her entreaties did not move me, she went lamenting
to her husband and brother. The former offered me munificent wages; the latter ordered
me to pack up: he wanted no women in the house, he said, now that there was no
mistress...

Edgar Linton
therefore offered Nelly "munificent wages," meaning wages that are generous or
bountiful, as part of his attempt to entice Nelly to join his new wife in Thrushcross
Grange.

How does the title Coolie reinforce the theme of exploitation in Mulk Raj Anand's novel?

The mere title brings to light how the relationship
between the British and the Indians is one of exploitation and domination.  An ardent
patriot to the core and a passionate enthusiast of independence and Gandhi's teachings,
Anand understood that the use of the term as the title of his work would effectively
convey the lack of dignity that Indians suffered at the hands of the British.  In
Anand's eyes, the British control of India rendered all Indians, to a certain extent, as
akin to Munno, the protagonist of the work.  Exploitation was the reality that faces
both the protagonist and the vast majority of Indians under British rule.  In the work, 
Munno leaves his village with hopes of finding financial and emotional success.  Yet,
such hopes are immediately dashed when he has to work in labor intensive as well as
physically demanding jobs that leave him without any dignity and dying of tuberculosis. 
For Anand, the predicament of the "Coolie" is one where Indians work for the benefit of
those in the position of power and have little to show for such toil and struggle.  In
making the main character of his work such a sympathetic figure who cannot find any hope
of redemption because of his exploitation, Anand might be suggesting that Indians will
always be seen as Munno in the eyes of the British, always to be a "Coolie" unless there
is a call to change what is into what should be.  The "Coolie" or Indian worker who
toils and struggles and often dies unrecognized was elevated to a state in Anand's work
where individuals had to recognize their efforts and demands a fundamental shift in the
relationship between the British and the Indians.

Vanitas is a common theme in many Dutch Baroque still-life and genre paintings. Identify one painting and explain how this theme is illustrated.

Vanitas is a symbolic art
form associated with the meaningless nature of life and vanity. Its Latin roots define
it as "emptiness," and its use in the Bible ("Vanitas vanitatum omnia
vanitas") translates to Vanity of vanities; all is
vanity. The themes of vanitas are often found in medieval funeral art and
sculpture. Macabre scenes of death and decay are common motifs that illustrate the
negative aspects of vanity and pleasure and the positive side of morality. Symbolic
objects include skulls, rotten fruit (indicating decay), and hourglasses. Despite its
moral message, vanitas art also includes a sensuous side--another way of defining human
decay and the fleeting nature of life.

The Dutch painter
Harmen Steenwijck (1612-1656) produced many examples of vanitas-style art. His painting
entitled Vanitas (1640) includes objects such as the skull, a
half-burned candle, a seashell, smoking pipes, a wine jug and a dagger; the objects
symbolize several of the themes, including death, personal gratification, and
indulgence.

if f(x)=x^2-4x and g(x)=2x+3, express (fog)(x) in simpliest form?

f(x) = x^2 - 4x

g(x) =
2x+3

We need to find the equation of
fog(x).

We know that fog(x) =
f(g(x)).

We will substitute with g(x) =
2x+3

==> f(g(x)) = f(
2x+3)

Now we will substitute with x= 2x+3 into
f(x).

==> f(g(x)) = g(x)^2 -
4g(x)

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

                    = 4x^2 + 12x + 9 - 8x -
12

Now we will combine like
terms.

==> f(g(x)) = 4x^2 +4x -
3

Then fog(x) = 4x^2 + 4x -3
.

The setting of the story "The Pit and the Pendulum" may be its most unforgettable element. List at least six of its horrible details.

You are right in focusing on how Poe uses the setting of
this terrifying tale to exacerbate the horror of the story. Certainly the following six
details of the setting seem to contribute greatly to the overall atmosphere and mood of
terror and impending doom:

1) When the narrator first
describes the setting when he gains consciousness, refering to the "sabel draperies" and
the "seven tall candles" upon the table which become the source of such a strong feeling
of nausea in the narrator.

2) Clearly, the way in which he
is aware in his state of unconciousness of being borne "down--down--still down" by
shadowy figures until the narrator becomes confused and dizzied by the "interminableness
of the descent" likewise reinforces the horror of the
setting.

3) When the narrator gains consciousness again and
is met by "the intensity of the darkness" that "stifles" him. He has no idea of his
location and his whereabouts.

4) The terrifying discovery
of the pit that he could so easily have fallen into if it were not for a fortunate
accident presents the way that death is always near at hand in this
setting.

5) The way in which the pendulum descends from the
ceiling of this cell and the torture in which the narrator is going to meet his end is
likewise a key moment of terror.

6) Lastly, the way in
which the walls of the cell become hot and move in on the narrator, pushing him towards
the maw of the terrifying pit, represent the last horror of the Inquisition and their
determination to end the life of the narrator.