Saturday, January 31, 2015

What aspects of upperclass society might Dickens be satirizing in his portrayal of Camilla?Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

When Miss Havisham calls for Pip to assist her in her
walk around the macabre table with rats and a decaying wedding cake in Chapter XI of
Great Expectations, Pip notices what he calls "toadies and humbugs"
who sit nearby.  Pip describes Camilla,


readability="15">

They all had a listless and dreary air of
waiting somebody's pleasure, and the most talkative of the ladies had to speak quite
rigidly to repress a yawn. This lady, whose name was Camilla, very much reminded me of
my sister, with the difference that she was older, and (as I found when I caught sight
of her) of a blunter cast of features. Indeed, when I knew her better I began to think
it was a mercy she had any features at all, so very blank and high was the dead wall of
her face.



This description is
part of Dickens's satire of what he considered a trivial upperclass that concerned
itself only with superficialities and appearances.  Camilla Pocket is so vacuous and
frivolous that she must suppress a yawn as she bores herself.  Dickens's facetiously has
Pip observe that she reminds him of his sister--a remark that is, indeed, insulting to
Camilla who prides herself upon being refined and aristocratic.  That her face is "a
dead wall" connotes the overbreeding of these aristocrats; all the refinements have been
lost.


Camilla voices her opinions about Matthew Pocket who
did not keep up appearances when Tom's wife died and the children did not wear the
"proper" attire.  Her derogating Matthew Pocket is a ploy to ingratiate herself better
with Miss Havisham, who is believed to be out of favor with Matthew Pocket.  Then, in
her "toady" way, she tells Miss Havisham that she has "habitually thought of you more in
the night that I am quite equal to."  This servile remark which is ironically insulting,
evinces a strong retort from Miss Havisham, "Then don't think of me." Servilely, Camilla
cries that it is a weakness to be so affectionate, but she cannot help
it. 


When there is no reaction from Miss Havisham, Camilla
then recommences her rue about Matthew Pocket:


readability="7">

"There's Matthew!....Never mixing with any
natural ties, never coming here to see how Miss Havisham
is!"



This remark of Camilla's
also backfires, for it causes Miss Havisham to abruptly stop and correct her.  She
informs Camilla that Matthew will come to see her, and his place will be at the head of
the table. Then, Miss Havisham orders them,


readability="5">

"Now you all know where to take your stations
when you come to feast upon me.  And now
go!"



Further, Dickens's
satire is even more evident as Cousin Raymond, who is Camilla's husband, underscores the
frivolousness of Camilla's speech.  For, when she complains about her leg pains that
come from her anxiety of those she loves, Raymond says in a most consolatory and
complimentary voice,


readability="8">

“Camilla, my dear, it is well known that your
family feelings are gradually undermining you to the extent of making one of your legs
shorter than the other.”


Comparing John Donne's "Songs and Sonnets" with John Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi", what are some main similarities and differences ?

Although detailed comparisons and contrasts between
Donne’s Songs and Sonets [sic] and Webster’s The Duchess
of Malfi
would take far more space than is available here, a few suggestions
can nevertheless be offered.  Consider, for instance, the episode in the play in which
the Duchess indicates her desire to marry Antonio (Act I, Scene 3).  Aspects of this
episode resemble aspects of Donne’s poetry in a number of ways, including the
following:


  • Antonio’s admiring reference to "the
    sacrament of marriage" (1.3.93) resembles the celebration of married love found in
    various poems by Donne, such as “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.” To the extent that
    this scene in Webster’s play celebrates true love, it resembles similar celebrations in
    many of Donne’s poems, such as “The Good Morrow.”

  • The
    dialogue between Antonio and the Duchess is often laced with witty sexual innuendo, as
    in Antonio’s clever references to coupling in sheets (1.3.96). Neither Donne nor Webster
    shies away from sexual wit.

  • Webster, like Donne, enjoys
    paradoxical language, as when the Duchess gives Antonio her ring to help his bloodshot
    eye and thus restore his eyesight. He then paradoxically replies, “You have made me
    stark blind” (1.3.114). Consider, too, the Duchess’s later paradoxical words to
    Antonio:

readability="5">

. . . Go, go
brag


You have left me heartless; mine [my heart] is in your
bosom . . .
(1.3.151-52)



  • The
    lines just quoted exemplify another trait that this scene from Webster's play shares
    with many poems written by Donne: a penchant for general witty cleverness, not just
    sexual wit.

  • Webster employs clever metaphors, as Donne
    also does.  One example occurs when the Duchess refers to the top of Antonio’s head as
    his “goodly roof” (1.3.120).

  • All in all, the scene
    between the Duchess and Antonio is witty, humorous, and unconventional, traits also
    often found in Donne’s poetry.

However, several
key differences between Donne’s poems and this scene of Webster’s play are also worth
mentioning.  They include the following:


  • In the
    play, the Duchess has a great deal to say.  In Donne’s poems, however, almost all the
    talking is done by males.

  • In the play, it is the Duchess
    who courts Antonio, rather than vice versa; in Donne’s poems,
    however, it is almost always men who court women.

  • Few of
    the women presented in Donne’s poems are as open as the Duchess is in expressing what
    she calls “violent passions” (1.3.148).  Usually, in Donne’s poems, such passions are
    almost always expressed by men.

Many other
similarities and differences between Donne's poems and Webster's play might be explored,
but there is insufficient space to do so here.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Why did McCandless discard his identity and past life without a backwards look in Into the Wild?

First, his past identity and life troubled him.  He had an
estranged relationship with his father, and could see little point in living his life
according to the formula others had given him.  By the time he has the small ceremony
and burns his license, social security card and money, he is firmly dedicated to this
idea of being completely free.


In other words, this isn't a
rash and spontaneous act on the part of Chris McCandless, it is the next logical step to
someone who is both literally and figuratively stepping of into the wild.  Rather than a
troubling event, it seems as though he found it quite
liberating.

Why by 1861 was the compromise between the North and South no longer possible?

There are a number of reasons why this was the
case.


First, all sorts of compromises had already been
tried and had failed to end sectional tensions.  This meant that there were not really
any more ideas out there for how to create another
compromise.


Second, this first problem was partly due to
changes in law.  The Dred Scott decision had made it so Congress
could no longer make laws about slavery in the
territiories.


Third, the North and South had completely run
out of good will towards one another.  As the years went by and various fights over
policy had occurred, the North and the South came to trust each other less and less. 
Compromise is more possible when some level of trust exists between the two sides.  By
1861, there was no trust left, only animosity.


For these
reasons, compromise was no longer possible by 1861.

In The Merchant of Venice, in what ways may Portia's subjection to her father's will be regarded as parallel to Antonio's subjection to Shylock's...

While Portia's situation is different from Antonio's in
that she had no say in her father's devising the casket riddles/test for her future
mate, both she and Antonio are bound to someone else because of their "bonds" or
"contracts." If Portia does not abide by her father's wishes, she loses everything; so
she is bound to her deceased father in that way. Similarly, if she does subject herself
to her father's requirements for her mate, then she is bound to her future husband to
whom Belmont will be entrusted. Antonio is also under another person's control because
of his contract with Shylock. If he does not fulfill his part of the contract, his life
is in Shylock's hands.


Additionally, one person stands to
benefit from both Portia's and Antonio's bonds--Bassanio. If Portia follows her father's
will and Bassanio chooses correctly, then he will inherit all of Portia's wealth and
power. By Antonio entering into the bond with Shylock, Bassanio gains access to the
funds that he needs to impress Portia and win her over.

What poetic devices does Wordsworth use in "Nutting" to convey his experience in the woods?

William Wordworth's poem, "Nutting," is an
autobiographical poem that recalls an event from his childhood while going into the
woods to collect hazelnuts. (Wordsworth lost both parents very young, but lived—along
with his brothers—with Ann Tyson, who allowed him to spend his free time out of doors,
whenever his scheduled allowed it.)


The first literary
device is personification, which gives human characteristics to non-human things. The
first thing he personifies is the day, with the human qualities of life and
death:



One of
those heavenly days that cannot
die...



We see it again in the
line: "with tempting clusters hung" which refers to hazelnuts that cannot tempt as this
is a human action.


We next see a metaphor, when the poet
refers to a part of the wood untouched, calling it a "virgin scene." Onomatopoeia is
present in this lovely piece of imagery where "murmur" creates the sound of the water:
"Where fairy water-breaks do murmur on..."


The author uses
a simile in describing the scattered mossy stones, comparing them to
sheep:


readability="13">

...with my cheek on one of those green
stones


That, fleeced with moss, under the shady
trees,


Lay round me, scattered like a flock of
sheep...



Personification is
used again, giving "pleasure" the ability to "pay
tribute:"


readability="5">

...when pleasure loves to
pay


Tribute to
ease...



Personification is
used again especially with "heart luxuriates," "indifferent things", and "Wasting its
kindliness:"


readability="9">

The heart luxuriates with indifferent
things,


Wasting its kindliness on stocks and
stones,


And on the vacant
air.



Again Wordsworth uses
personification to describe how the trees "act" when he "harvests" the hazelnuts, and
their "patience:"


readability="7">

Of hazels, and the green and mossy
bower
Deform'd and sullied, patiently gave up
Their quiet
being



Wordsworth next uses a
metaphor, comparing the sense of riches the speaker feels in retrieving the hazelnuts to
the wealth of kings:


readability="5">

...rich beyond the wealth of
kings...



The last example of
personification is found in the poem's closing line, that gives the woods a spirit,
which (as far as we know) cannot exist in trees, bushes,
etc.



...for
there is a Spirit in the woods...


Thursday, January 29, 2015

what is the setting of Indian camp

The setting of Indian Camp is an Indian Reserve in America
I want to say after World War 1. The father and son are coming onto the plantation (by
canoe) to help with the delivery of a baby, and if i can recall it is early morning
because I don't think the sun was up yett when they were coming
in.

Who is the "you" that Montresor refers to in the first paragraph--who is the story of "The Cask of Amontillado" being told to?The Cask of Amontillado

Although the "you" is never identified, we can assume that
the narrator, Montresor, is revealing his ghastly secret many years in the future.
Montresor seems to be telling the story to either a
confidante,


readability="6">

You, who so well know the nature of my
soul...



or a relative. We do
know from the final paragraph that Montresor's secret has never been
discovered.


readability="5">

For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed
them. In pace
requiescat!



So,
Montresor not only successfully implemented the perfect crime, but he was able to hold
his tongue about his misdeed for 50 years. Montresor is an old man when he finally tells
his tale, and it could be as a sort of confessional before he dies himself. Though there
is no evidence of it in the story, I have always felt as if Montresor was revealing his
dreadful secret to another younger family member, passing down his act of revenge to the
next generation.

Write a detailed essay plan for a question about "Her First Ball" that asks to discuss the theme of alienation and isolation.

I think if I were responding to the question I would want
to refer to how Leila feels isolated at the beginning of ball through her lack of
experience and then feels isolated again and alienated after her dance with the old man
and the unwelcome reminder he gives her of the ephemeral nature of
youth.


At the very beginning we see that Leila is presented
as isolated as she goes to the ball. She is "in her own little corner of " the cab, and
her isolation in terms of experience is clear when we discover that this is her first
ball due to the way that she lived 15 miles from her nearest neighbour. She likewise is
presented as isolated because she is an only child and stares enviously at the
Sheridans:


readability="13">

Oh, how marvellous to have a brother! In her
excitement Leila felt that if there had been time, if it hadn't been impossible, she
couldn't have helped crying becaused she was an only child and no brother had ever said
"Twig?" to her; no sister would every say, as Meg said to Jose that moment, "I've never
known your hair go up more successfully than it has
to-night!"



Seeing the sibling
love of the Sheridan's makes Leila feel even more isolated and alienated than she felt
before.


The second moment you would have to talk about
comes after the old man who dances with Leila reminds her that her youth and grace is
just temporary, and that before long she will be a chaperone on stage. His words make
her want to stop dancing:


readability="8">

But Leila didn't want to dance any more. She
wanted to be home, or sitting on the veranda listening to those baby owls. When she
looked through the dark windows at the stars they and long beams like
wings...



The reminder of the
brevity of her youth produces a desire within Leila for solitude and makes her embrace
isolation, as the little girl inside of her wants to throw "her pinafore over her head"
and cry.

What is the Alternative Life Style of the Family?Please give me definition, meaning and importance of my (question) Alternative Life Style of Family.

An "alternative life style" for a family could mean any of
a number of differences from what the culture in which the family lives considers to be
a "normal life style". If the normal pattern requires that a family has a male and a
female as parental figures, any family that has only one parent, has two parents of the
same sex, or has a grandparent, sibling or other non-parental figure as the head of the
family would be considered as living an alternative life style. In cultures that have
certain expectations regarding what roles within the family are to be fulfilled by
family members of a certain sex or age, families following other patterns would be
living an alternative arrangement. Alternative life styles are neither good or bad in
and of themselves, but may be considered disturbing or threatening by those who feel
society should remain static and not deviate from the "normal" or established
pattern.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Why doesn't Atticus help carry out Maudie's furniture in To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird
we find ourselves during a chaotic time in the story: The weather is
inconsistent, and people are demonstrating signs of superstition as to why so many
strange things are going on. Among the strange things that happen is the burning of Ms.
Maudie's house.  Ms. Maudie is a resident of Maycomb who leaves her stove burning
overnight in order to protect her plants and keep them warm during a long, cold,
winter.


However, during the recovery of Ms.
Maudie's possessions Atticus Finch DID help carry on the furniture. From the very
beginning of the novel we encounter over and over that Atticus Finch is somewhat like
the last gentleman standing. Even questioning whether Atticus would help someone in need
seems sacrilegious. Therefore, the answer to your question is that, on the contrary,
Atticus did help Ms. Maudie precisely because he knew that those were her only
possessions, and because Atticus is a man given to help those who need it the
most.

What three omens does Casca describe in Act 1 of Julius Caesar?

Superstitions abound in the Rome of Julius Caesar. In
fact, the chaotic state of human affairs is reflected in the many omens of Shakespeare's
play.  A key figure in helping Cassius sway Brutus to feel that it is necessary to rid
the republic of the tyrant Julius Caesar, Casca describes for Cassius what he has heard
and seen in Act I, Scene2.  Then, in Scene 3, Cicero asks Casca what he has observed in
the storm of lightening and thunder. 


Casca, visibly
shaken, replies that he has seen four omens: 


  • a
    common slave whose left hand was caught on fire, but it "remained
    unscorched."

  • a "surly" lion who was in the center of
    Rome; it stared at him and passed by without
    attacking him.

  • A hundred ghostly women, huddled together,
    who in their fear swore that they had seen men on fire, walking up and down the
    streets.

  • An owl (seen the day before) who was
    incongruously out at noon, "hooting and
    shrieking."

After hearing Casca, Cassius, who
has disputed fate previously with Brutus, berates Casca for his fears, telling him that
he, Cassius, bared his chest in the aim of the flash of lightening, daring it to hit
him.  Unlike Casca, who perceives these omens as warnings from the gods, Cassius sees
them as warnings against Caesar.

How do you relate the 2007 movie Hairspray to identity?

I think that the concept of identity is an important
element to the film.  On one hand, Tracy has a firm conception of herself and what her
passions are.  She goes to school, and then she and her friend, Penny, live to watch the
Corny Collins show and love to dance.  Throughout the film, Tracy's identity changes in
terms of recognizing the social injustice of racism and seeking to remedy a structural
problem through local action.  Tracy's sense of identity becomes linked to this cause,
and in the process, she both recognizes and represents that which is right in the face
of practices that are wrong.  Tracy actively seeks to fight for the cause of racial
equality and integration as part of her identity. The individual carving of identity has
become something larger and more universal in Tracy's evolution.  Her passions have
become merged with this larger component, and this is something that she expects out of
the people around her.  In the end, her "dream" of racial integration accomplished,
Tracy's identity is displayed as something that proves to be both self affirming as an
adolescent and one that is representative of the strong sensibilities of a democratic
order.

What are some quotes that reflect the topic of "throwing stones" in Lord of the Flies?

Perhaps the most significant quote that sets up Golding's
premise of 'throwing stones' occurs in chapter four, when Roger throws stones at young
Henry, but chooses to miss:


readability="8">

"Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to
throw them.  Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into
which he dared not throw"
(62).



According to the
narrator, Roger's arm has been conditioned by society.  He undoubtedly got into trouble
at some point in his former, civilized life for bullying other small children and now is
very careful.  In many ways, this scene with Roger and the stones reveals him for the
predator he is.  He waits until Henry is alone, carefully selects the stones,  and then
checks to make sure nobody is watching.  Golding uses the scene with Roger to
characterize him as a former bully, who is testing the boundaries and restrictions of
his new environment to see what he can get away with.  He will soon enough realize that
those old boundaries are gone, and next time he aims with a stone, he will not
miss.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Discuss the gender issue in A Midsummer Night's Dream.List some instances of Shakespeare's sympathy for women in the play?

Shakespeare showed us the plight of women in a patriarchal
society by showing us the anguish they went through after the men around them either
dominated or took advantage of them.


Let's start with
Hippolyta. She was the Queen of the Amazons...a ruler in her own right...and yet she was
kidnapped and forced to wed the Duke of Athens as part of the spoils of war. She had to
give up her power and control and bend to the will of a more powerful
man.


With Hermia, we see a girl forced (by law) to marry a
man that her father (Egeus) chose for her. She tries to plead her case before the Duke,
but her voice is lost when the Duke invokes the law and tells her she either has to obey
the will of her father, be put to death, be banished, or join a convent. Lost and upset,
she is left to run away with her true love and face dangers in the forest in order to
have the life she wants.


Helena is unkindly played by
Demetrius. First He woos her with jewelry and gifts, but when a better opportunity comes
along (Hermia) he dumps her and chases a new target. When Helena tries to get him back,
he throws insults at her and leaves her in tears.


Even the
fairy king, Oberon, takes advantage of his queen Titania. They both want the changeling
child, but he resorts to magic to trick her. By putting the love potion on her eyes, and
making her fall in love with an ass, he humiliates her...steals the child...and gets his
way.


However, it is through Oberon that we also have a
heart for the spurned Helena and the sad Hermia. Oberon can't take Helena's tears, so he
asks Puck to put the love potion on the eyes of the man she wants so she will be out of
her misery.


And at the end of the play, Oberon gets
everyone back with the person they love for a happy ending, despite the suffering the
women have had.

What is the poet's view of language and metaphor in the poem "You Begin" by Margaret Atwood?

In this well-known poem, Canadian poet Margaret Atwood
contemplates the development of language and how metaphor helps human beings deal with
increasingly abstract concepts. The critical lines from the
poem follow:


The word hand floats
above your hand
like a small cloud over a lake.
The word
hand anchors
your hand to this table,
your hand
is a warm stone
I hold between two words.


Here is
the core of her semiotic argument. When explaining the dynamic relationship of
signified - the hand itself - and the
signifier - the word hand  - the
speaker first resorts to simile (the poor man's metaphor). Thus, "the word hand
floats...like a small cloud" - as if to say, like an insignificant, passing thing.
However, in the next line, the poet invokes the almost magical power of metaphor to
create our understanding of reality. No longer is the word hand
floating, it is anchoring the thing itself to its sign, though the reader perceives that
the two are tethered together - they are not one and the same thing. But in the last two
lines, language performs its semiotic magic act: In a wondrous exchange of meaning, the
physical hand becomes a metaphor - "a warm stone" - while simultaneously retaining its
status as 'word'. Thus signifier and signified, while remaining as they have been,
become one, and language is
born.      



 

Monday, January 26, 2015

Discuss the theme of woman and man in "A Doll's House"

In A Doll's House, there is a theme of woman and man.
These two are distinct in this play. There is the role of the man and role of the woman.
The woman does her best to please her man. She gets her self worth out his possessive
needs. Nora does everything she can to please Torvald. She plays along with his
nicknames for her. She dances for him. She buys things such as fine wines to assure they
are in a upper class setting. She sacrifices her own happiness for the man she
loves.


On the other hand, Torvald thinks he is the sole is
the provider. He is unappreciative of Nora's sacrifices. He keeps her barefoot and
pregnant where he thinks she belongs. He is unwilling to sacrifice his reputation for
the woman he loves. He is only concerned with appearances and is quite happy trying to
keep up with the Jones.


In A Doll's House, there is woman
and man. These two are not as one, as should be husband and wife. These two live
separate lives in terms of affection. Nora tries to play Torvald's games, but she
eventually tires. When she walks out on him, he regrets not keeping her by his side as
his beloved wife.

In "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs," how did Chief Joseph use tone in this speech to persuade his audience?

In "An Indian's View of Indian Affairs," Chief Joseph uses
a tone of heart-felt sincerity to convey his deep desire to come to an understanding
with "the white man."


On the first page, Chief Joseph
speaks about speaking from the heart to find a way to a way for all people to live
harmoniously in America at that time. He says:


readability="5">

I believe much trouble and blood would be saved
if we opened our hearts
more.



Chief Joseph also sets
the tone by sharing the values of the Nez Percés people. Things they believed to be
important included honesty, integrity, the fair treatment of others, and a belief that a
man received in the next life what he had earned in this
life.



These
laws were good. They told us to treat all men as they treated us; that we should never
be the first to break a bargain; that it was a disgrace to tell a lie; that we should
speak only the truth; that it was a shame for one man to take from another his wife, or
his property without paying for it. We were taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees
and hears everything, and that he never forgets; that hereafter he will give every man a
spirit-home according to his deserts: if he has been a good man, he will have a good
home; if he has been a bad man, he will have a bad
home.



Chief Joseph is a man
of peace who has asked that he and his people be left in peace, to
live on the land of their ancestors. He urges his people to follow a path of peace as
well. This accord continues even after white men steal their horses and cattle, and even
move onto their land—but no one stands up for the rights of the people. When the
government sends the military, led by General Howard, there is no respect shown to Chief
Joseph and his people. White men have killed some of the members of their tribe. Howard
is unmoved and demands that the Nez Percés move or suffer the consequences. He will not
even allow the people to remain to harvest their crops so they can survive the winter.
Eventually, some of the younger members of the tribe, with anger in their hearts, attack
and kill four white men.


Chief Joseph is greatly saddened
by what his men have done, but once again he speaks from his heart to explain why they
were driven to violence, even though that is not the path he has chosen for himself or
his people.



I
know that my young men did a great wrong, but I ask, Who was first to blame? They had
been insulted a thousand times; their fathers and brothers had been killed; their
mothers and wives had been disgraced; they had been driven to madness by whisky sold to
them by white men; they had been told by General Howard that all their horses and cattle
which they had been unable to drive out of Wallowa were to fall into the hands of white
men; and, added to all this, they were homeless and
desperate.



In speaking with
honesty and integrity, Chief Joseph sets a tone in this piece of heart-felt sincerity
that does not waver, even in the face of the disgraceful treatment he and his people
experience at the hands of the white government, its military and its people. Chief
Joseph does not rage, make demands or scream for justice: his message continues to show
a desire for peace.

In a transistor an insulator is placed between the plates to increase its capacitivity. Why can't a conductor be used?I am talking about a parallel...

A parallel plate capacitor has two plates which are
oppositely charged. The opposite charge between the two plates allows it to function as
a capacitor and to be used in various applications. A capacitor's capacitance is
inversely proportional to the distance between the plates. The closer they are, the
higher is the resulting capacitance. This makes the dielectric between the plates an
essential component. The sheet of dielectric or insulator that is inserted between the
plates allows them to stay apart while making the distance of separation very
small.


If a capacitor were used instead of an insulator the
charge on the plates would flow from one to the other and both of them would have a
neutral charge. The device would no longer remain a capacitor. This is the reason why a
conductor cannot be inserted between the plates of the parallel plate
capacitor.

I need TI-85 graphing calculator help. Reset it to the factory settings? And then how do I graph the equation of a line, for example y=2/3x + 6?

To reset the TI-85 factory settings you would have to use
the following
keystrokes:


  • 2nd

  • +

  • F3

  • F1

  • F4

F3
is used to indicate that you want to reset. F1 is to choose
everything and F4 is to choose yes for the prompt which
asks if you actually want to reset everything.


This would
clear all stored data, functions, programs and any custom settings you may have made.
The configuration of the calculator is now as it was when you bought
it.


To graph the equation of a line like y = 2/3x +
6


First press GRAPH. Next
press F1 to select <y(x) =>. Then you enter
the equation you want to graph. You would have to use the keystrokes
(, 2,
divide, 3,
), divide,
x-VAR, +,
6


Once the equation is
entered, you could entering a RANGE for the x and y values
that have to be traced or try out the ZOOM and the
TRACE options to view your graph with more
clarity

What were the significant goals of US foreign policy from 1946 to 1965?

The most significant goal of American foreign policy
throught this entire time period was the goal of containing communism.  This goal led to
the most important actions that the US took in foreign policy during this
time.


Almost immediately after the end of WWII, the US
started trying to prevent the spread of communism.  This was the main goal of US foreign
policy at least through 1965.  It led to such US actions as the
following:


  • The Marshall
    Plan

  • The Truman
    Doctrine

  • The Berlin
    Airlift

  • The Korean War

  • The
    overthrows of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran and Jacobo Arbenz in
    Guatemala.

  • The Bay of Pigs
    Invasion

  • The Cuban Missile
    Crisis

  • The Gulf of Tonkin
    Resolution

These constitute the most important
actions that the US took in foreign policy during this time period.  Each one was
motivated by the desire to contain communism.

Who is Bill Oliver, and what does Biff hope to get from him?

In the play Death of a Salesman, by
Arthur Miller, the character of Bill Oliver is an old supervisor for whom Willy Loman's
son, Biff, used to work.


As part of the Lomans' tendency
to imagine situations that they, later on, believe to be real, Biff lives under the
assumption that he is Bill Oliver's best employee and that, in fact, he is a type of
partner of Bill Oliver's business.


This is why Biff goes to
Bill Oliver to ask him for a loan of $10,000 that would be put towards a down payment
for Biff and his brother, Happy, to start a business together. However, during the
restaurant scene of the play, we encounter Happy and Biff discussing that Bill Oliver
does not even remember Biff when he sees him.


This is the
moment when Biff realizes that his life has been a foolish illusion. This is also the
moment when he feels it is time to stop the fantasy under which the Lomans continue to
live and he decides to confront Willy with the truth about it
all.

Find the lateral area of an equilateral triangle base right prism with base edge 5 and height 9

We are asked to find the lateral area of a right prism
which has an equilateral triangle as a base.  The base edge is 5, and the height of the
prism is 9.


We will use the formula lateral area =
1/2(perimeter)(slant height)


=> A =
1/2pl


First, we will need to find (l) which is the slant
height of the prism.  To do so, we need to apply the
following:


=> The given height is perpendicular to
the base.  This creates a right triangle.  We can use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve
for slant height of the triangle.


=> The slant
height is the hypotenuse of the triangle.


=>
One-half of the edge of the triangular base will be a leg of the right triangle. 
Therefore, 2.5 is one leg of the triangle.


=> We
will use the given height as the other leg.


We substitute
these values into the Pythagorean Theorem and solve for the
hypotenuse.


c^2 = a^2 +
b^2


c^2 = 9^2  + 2.5^2


c^2 =
87.25


c = 9.34


We now use the
formula for lateral area.


LA =
1/2pl


(p) is the perimeter of the triangular base = 3(5) or
15.


(l)= 9.34


LA =
.5(15)(9.34)


LA =  70.05 sq.
units

Find the point of inflection for f(x)=(x-2)/(x^2-3x-4)I need help finding the second derivative

Indeed, to determine the inflection point of the function,
we'll have to find out the 2nd derivative.


First, we need
to find out the 1st derivative and for this reason, we'll use the quotient
rule:


(u/v)' = (u'*v -
u*v')/v^2


f'(x) = [(x-2)'*(x^2 - 3x - 4) - (x-2)*(x^2 - 3x
- 4)']/(x^2 - 3x - 4)^2


f'(x) = [x^2 - 3x - 4 -
(x-2)*(2x-3)]/(x^2 - 3x - 4)^2


f'(x) = (x^2 - 3x - 4 - 2x^2
+ 7x - 6)/(x^2 - 3x - 4)^2


f'(x) = (-x^2 + 4x - 10)/(x^2 -
3x - 4)^2


We'll differentiate now
f'(x):


f"(x) = {(-x^2 + 4x - 10)'*(x^2 - 3x - 4)^2 - (-x^2
+ 4x - 10)*[(x^2 - 3x - 4)^2]'}/(x^2 - 3x - 4)^4


f"(x)
=[(-2x + 4)*(x^2 - 3x - 4)^2 - 2(x^2 - 3x - 4)*(2x-3)*(-x^2 + 4x - 10)]/(x^2 - 3x -
4)^4


f"(x) = [(-2x + 4)*(x^2 - 3x - 4) - 2*(2x-3)*(-x^2 +
4x - 10)]/(x^2 - 3x - 4)^3


f"(x) = (-2x^3 + 6x^2 + 8x +
4x^2 - 12x - 16 + 4x^3 - 16x^2 + 40x - 6x^2 + 24x - 60)/(x^2 - 3x -
4)^3


f"(x) = (2x^3 - 12x^2 + 60x - 76)/(x^2 - 3x -
4)^3


f"(x) = 2(x^3 - 6x^2 + 30x - 38)/(x^2 - 3x -
4)^3


The second derivative of the function is
f"(x) = 2(x^3 - 6x^2 + 30x - 38)/(x^2 - 3x -
4)^3.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

What were the major cultural changes in women's roles in the 1930s?

The Great Depression of the 1930s are not really as well
known for cultural changes as the 1920s were.  However, there were changes because of
the economic collapse that the US experienced.


The major
change was that American families collapsed to some extent.  As men lost their jobs, it
was harder for families to form or to stay together.  Fewer women got married during the
Depression and fewer women had children.  As the link below tells
us,



In 1929
the marriage rate was 10.14 marriages per 1,000 persons but dropped to 7.87 per 1,000
persons by 1932.



Within
families that did exist, women's roles became more important economically.  Women were
expected to do more to make family funds go farther.  This meant that they needed to do
more things like making clothes and canning food for the
family.


In these ways, women's lives did change to some
extent during the Depression.

How does the use of physical and mental impairments help to characterize the personages of Of Mice and Men?in particular, Lennie, Crooks, Candy and...

Physical and mental impairments in Of Mice and
Men
serve to symbolize both the disfranchisement of the "bindle stiffs" and
their tragic yearnings during the Great Depression, the setting of the novel.  In
Steinbeck's work of Social Realism, the dispossessed men of the narrative have little or
no recourse against the fatalistic forces that work against them.  For, Steinbeck
perceives a tragic and problematic relationship between the itinerant workers and the
land that they work, a relationship that he symbolizes with the physical and
psychological impairments of the characters who live as solitary men outside Soledad and
exist outside the real workings of agriculture.


While the
characters George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks are employed at the ranch, they are
completely outside any of the real workings of the place and can easily be deposed from
this ranch.  Candy, for instance, worries constantly that he will be disposed of just
like his old dog because he can no longer be useful in the fields after having lost his
hand. Equally insecure is Crooks, whose back is broken; he inability to
stand erect symbolizes his inability to be perceived and treated as a man because he is
black. Lennie, as Steinbeck himself once wrote, "...was not to represent insanity at all
but the inarticulate and powerful yearning of all men" as he repeatedly asks George to
recite their dream of owning a farm themselves on which they can be independent. And,
although Curley is the son of the boss, he, too, is impaired; his crushed hand
symbolizes the absolute detachment of the large agricultural businesses from those who
work on the land, another impairment to what Steinbeck held as the fraternity of men
necessary for a successful society.


Indeed, the lives of
the bindle stiffs of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men lead lives of what
Thoreau called "tragic desperation" as they are handicapped by the social realities of
the Depression that have left them dispossessed and alone in an uncaring world of
large business-like farms. 

If every collision between reactants lead to a reaction, what determines the rate at which the reaction occurs?

If you assume that every collision leads to a reaction,
then the two main variables affecting the rate of the reaction are the concentration of
the reactants and the temperature.  If the reactants are gases, then the pressure at
which the reaction takes place is also a key variable. Another variable is the use of a
catalyst which can reduce the activation energy needed for the reaction to take
place.


If you increase the concentration of the reactants,
then you increase the probability that the reactants will collide - leading to the
desired product.


Likewise, by increasing the temperature,
you increase the energy going into the system which provides the activation energy
needed for the two reactants to combine to form the desired product. And if the
reactants are gases, the increase in temperature increases their velocity which again
increases the probability that the reactants will collide and form the desired
product.


Keep in mind that for many reactions there is an
equilibrium established between the concentration of reactants and concentration of
products so that every collision in fact does not result in the desired
product.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

What do the teachings of Jesus (Matthew 5-7) and the teachings of the Dao De Jing have in common?

In general Matthew 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount) and the
principles of Dao De Jing promote living selfless lives of virtue. Below are specific
similarities.


1.
Humility--Both philosophies promote being humble and
avoiding self-glory. Jesus promises wealth and power if someone practices humility, and
the Tao selection threatens a fall from glory if someone practices extreme
arrogance.


  • Matthew 5:5 (one of the Beatitudes)
    states that if someone is meek (humbly patient) that he will inherit the
    earth.

  • #9 Hubris from Dao De Jing: "Claim credit and
    honour and you will soon fall."

2.
Avoid Materialism--Throughout both works, the authors
stress the futility of accumulating
possessions.


  • Matthew 6:19-21--Jesus warns
    against clinging to and hoarding earthly things which can be easily destroyed. Instead,
    he advises his listeners to focus on intangible, eternal "treasure" that will
    demonstrate the virtue of someone's soul.

  • Similarly,
    Selection 19 "Simplicity" from Dao De Jing suggests that if humans could do away with
    profit, then theft and corruption would
    disappear.

3. Living in Peace
with Others


  • Several portions of
    Matthew 5-7 discuss forgiving one's enemy, turning the other cheek, loving one's
    neighbor, and going the "extra mile" if someone asks you to go with him or
    her.

  • Dao De Jing is slightly more assertive on how
    important it is for humans to get along with one another. Its teachings argue that if
    humans could rid themselves of their notions of "duty" and "justice," then they would
    live peaceably together because no one would be thinking about how he had been treated
    unfairly.

Of course, the philosophies of these
two religious/philosophical texts share many more commonalities because they both asks
adherents to think beyond themselves and the present.

how was each expectation met and why

Ironically, and in spite of it's title, no one's
expectations come to fruitation. Pip expected to become a gentleman and marry Estella.
Though he technically became a gentleman, he lost his money and his status when it was
discovered that his money was ill-gotten. Magvitch expected to give Pip what he never
had (status and acceptance in society, specially the upper class). He made Pip a
gentleman for a few years only to have Pip lose it all when it was discovered that
Magvitch, a criminal, was Pip's benefactor. Miss Havisham expected to have Estella
follow in her footsteps and trample on men in hopes of rectifying the humiliation she
(Miss Havisham) endured on her wedding day. Estella's refusal to hurt men at Miss
Havisham's doing put an end to that expectation, and it was at this point that the
reader learns that Miss Havisham's true expectation was to be loved and accepted;
something she never gets. Hence, no one's expectations (no matter how great) were
met.

In Julius Caesar, why does Brutus believe that they should confront the other army at Philippi?

The answer to this question can be found in Act IV scene 3
of this excellent tragedy, just after Brutus has heard the news of his wife's death.
When Brutus suggests that they meet Antony's forces at Philippi, it is interesting that
Cassius disagrees, arguing that it is better for the enemy to seek them rather than them
seeking the enemy.


However, Brutus gives two reasons for
why they should meet the enemy at Philippi now. Firstly, the people between Philippi and
where they are now support their forces only grudgingly. Brutus fears that the enemy
would gain extra recruits from them if they marched through their land. Meeting them at
Philippi would prevent this advantage to the
enemy.


Secondly, Brutus thinks that his army is at the
strongest point it can hope to be, therefore it is much better for it to fight now
rather than wait for morale and strength to decline. Note what he
says:



We, at
the height, are ready to decline.


There is a tide in the
affairs of men


Which, taken at the flood, leads on to
fortune;


Omitted, all the voyage of their
life


Is bound in shallows and in
miseries.


On such a full sea are we now
afloat,


And we must take the current when it
serves,


Or lose our
ventures.



Brutus thus argues
that he and his troops must seize the day and fight now when they are at their highest
level in terms of strength, courage and bravery, making the most of "the current when it
serves."

What are some of the psychological themes of "The Open Window" by Munro (Saki) compared with A Room With A View by Forster.

If I were you, I would want to answer this question by
thinking about the way that characters in both of these great texts deliberately use and
master the societal norms of Edwardian England for their own purposes to manipulate
others. Clearly, in "The Open Window," it is Vera who perfectly masters the way she is
expected to act and speak in society to devastating effect, weaving compelling tales
that completely ensnare the poor, susceptible Framton Nuttel. Vera is shown to be an
expert of social norms, speaking only "when she judged that they had had sufficient
silent communion" and entertaining the gues while her aunt prepares herself. In
addition, she is quick to sound out this strange guest, identifying his lack of
knowledge about the family before having her fun and telling her
tale.


In A Room With a View, it
appears that how a young lady of social standing is expected to behave is a force that
others use to try and manipulate Lucy Honeychurch. Psychologically, she is under great
pressure from a variety of people, most notably at the beginning of the story by Miss
Bartlett, to conform and learn the ways and manners that will ensure that she "fits in."
Note the way that she has given up swimming in the Sacred Lake and always tries to say
and do the "right" thing. It is only at the end of the novel that she is able to break
free from such pressures and influences and follow her heart's desire rather than her
intellectual and rational thoughts by rejecting Cecil Vyse, the epitome of social
manners, and marrying George Emerson instead.

In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery,” what do the following items symbolize: the black box, the names, and the black spot?

In Shirley Jackson's short story, "The Lottery," the black
box, the names in the box, and the black spot are symbolic elements in the
story.


The color black is associated with death. Pall
bearers often wear black arm bands. People who attend funerals wear black (or navy
blue). For many years, families in England wore black for a prescribed amount of time
while in mourning, especially depending upon one's association to the deceased. (I.e.,
the prescribed time of mourning was different for a brother than for a
spouse.)


The black box may well symbolize judgment and/or
death. In the story, every name of every person in the community goes into that box. No
one is exempt, not even Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves. Death will come to someone whose
name is chosen from that box.


The names are symbolic of
those who will be judged. In the big picture, the name of the person to die comes from
this group of names, so we can surmise that the list represents mankind, for all will
die, and many people believe all will be judged at that
time.


The black spot is a sign of death. There are two
things that come to mind. First of all, during the plague in Europe (called "The Black
Death"), people who were infected developed a large circle on their bodies, often in
several places. These "buboes" became black spots as the symptoms of the disease spread
and, ultimately—for the most part—ended in death. On the other hand, in pirate lore,
specifically after Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island,
the black spot on a piece of paper spelled a summons or doom for whomever received it.
In Treasure Island, two men receive the black spot on a piece of
paper. "The Lottery" is much older, but in one of The Pirates of the
Caribbean
movies, Jack Sparrow discovers a black spot on the skin of his
hand, spelling his doom—this probably also comes from pirate
lore—though probably from Stevenson's time.


In the story,
"The Lottery," the black box symbolizes the judgment of the members of the town. The
list of names represent those who will be judged—one of whom will die. The black spot is
symbolic of the person from the town who is chosen to die. All three items relate to the
story's themes of custom and tradition, violence and
cruelty
, and victim and victimization. As symbols, they
foreshadow the seriousness of this day, which at first is presented as just another
pleasant day when the members of the community get together, laugh and visit—with no
inkling for the reader of the terrible activity they will soon all be involved
in.


In an historical context, the story was written in the
1940s with a backdrop of World War II and man's inhumanity to man. Jackson's husband,
literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman once commented on his wife's
writing.



'Her
fierce visions of dissociations and madness, of alienation and withdrawal, of cruelty
and terror, have been taken to be personal, even neurotic fantasies. Quite the reverse:
They are a sensitive and faithful anatomy of our times, fitting symbols for our
distressing world of the concentration camp and the
bomb.'



While it might seem
that the story was appropriate when written, the sad truth is that not that much has
changed. We still have wars; humans are still uncaring of the plight of others; and,
societies across the globe still demonstrate man's inhumanity to man. "The Lottery" is a
timeless, haunting piece of
literature.


Additional
Sources
:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

Does Adam Smith have anything in common with the Italian Renaissance political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli, the author of The Prince?

One of the most famous phrases from The Wealth
of Nations
is that of "the invisible hand", a metaphor to explain how
a market economy works. This is the partially unintended result of individual actions
and it is not to be ascribed to anyone's rational design. By pursuing his own ends an
individual promotes the improvement of society. Machiavelli too thinks of human actions
as determined by tension between the randomness of circumstances (for which he use the
term "fortuna", fortune) and the human skills to act in the face of this randomness and
control it ("virtù", virtue).


In addition, both thinkers
stressed the importance of a stable and fair government as indespensable conditions to
favor economic growth and development. This link compares two passages on this
topic from The Prince and The Wealth of Nations
to illustrate the similarities between the two
theorists:


href="http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1662">http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1662


In
addition, you can also look at the passages in Smith's writings where he explcitly
quotes Machiavelli:


href="http://adamsmithslostlegacy.blogspot.com/2009/01/adam-smith-and-nicolo-machiavelli.html">http://adamsmithslostlegacy.blogspot.com/2009/01/adam-smith-and-nicolo-machiavelli.html

Friday, January 23, 2015

In The Merchant of Venice, what is another reason apart from racial prejudice that Morroco greeted Portia with the following line?"Mislike me not...

I think it is very important to realise the historical
context of the time regarding issues of skin colour. We are so exposed to a variety of
different skin tones today that we hardly think of it as anything strange, and if there
is anyone who does, we label them a racist, with good reason. However, in Shakespeare's
times, only a minority of white English people would have seen a black person, and so
there was an aura of mystique and wonder about them. Many people actually believed, for
example, that if you gave a black person a good bath and scrub, they would come out
white. Therefore it is important not to jump to conclusions and label Portia as a
racist. Morocco is trying to present himself as a fellow human being to Portia, who
probably would not have travelled that much and may have been scared or nervous about
meeting someone like Morocco for the first time.

A hiker shouts towards a vertical cliff 465 m away. The echo is heard 2.75 s later. The wavelength of the sound is 0.750 m. Whats the frequency...

The velocity of a sound wave is calculated by multiplying
the frequency of the wave by the wavelength.


v = fl   where
f is the frequency in Hz and l is the wavelength in
meters.


In this case, you should first find the velocity of
the wave, then use that to find the frequency. From the frequency you can then calculate
the period.


So, lets find the velocity of the sound
wave.


velocity = distance/time.  You know the distance =
465m, and the time it takes to get to the cliff is 1/2 the time it takes for the shout
to hit the cliff and return.  So the time is 2.75/2  = 1.375
s


therefore the velocity of the wave is 465 m/1.375s =
338.2 m/s


Now use that velocity along with the wavelength
given to find the frequency of the sound.


338.2 = .750 m *
f


then f = 338.2/.75 = 450.9
Hz


Sinc T = 1/f, then T = 1/450.9=
0.0022s

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Find the indefinite integral of the function given by y=5x*e^2x?

We'll integrate by parts. For this reason, we'll consider
the formula:


Int udv = u*v - Int vdu
(*)


We'll put u = 5x.
(1)


We'll differentiate both
sides:


du =5 dx (2)


We'll put
dv = e^2x (3)


We'll integrate both
sides:


Int dv = Int e^3x
dx


v = e^2x/2 (4)


We'll
substitute (1) , (2) , (3) and (4) in (*):


Int udv =
5x*e^2x/2 - 5Int (e^2x/2)dx


Int  (5x*e^2x)dx
= 5x*e^2x/2 - 5*e^2x/4 + C

Give two examples how to factor x^6-4x^4-3x^2+12.

One way to factor completely the given expression is to
group the first 2 terms and the last 2 terms:


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


We'll factorize by x^4 the first group and
by -3 the second group:


x^4*(x^2 - 4) - 3*(x^2 -
4)


We'll factorize by (x^2 -
4):


(x^2 - 4)*(x^4 - 3)


We'll
recognize that the 1st factor is the difference of 2
squares:


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


So, the result of factorization
is:


x^6-4x^4-3x^2+12 = (x - 2)*(x + 2)*(x^4 -
3)


The other way factor completely is to
group the first and the 3rd terms together and the 2nd and the last terms
together.


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


We'll factorize by x^2 the first group and by -4 the
second group:


 x^2*(x^4 - 3) - 4*(x^4 -
3)


We'll factorize by (x^4 -
3):


(x^4 - 3)*(x^2 - 4)


We
notice that the result of factorization
is:


x^6-4x^4-3x^2+12  = (x^4 - 3)*(x - 2)*(x
+ 2)

Compare and contrast Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie?

I think that both characters are interesting reflections
of one another.  One immediate difference between them is that Amanda emerges as much
stronger than Willy.  This is not merely because of the suicide element.  It is also
because Amanda is forced to endure more because of being a woman in the context in which
she lives.  Due to her social conditions and context, Amanda might blow much in terms of
"hot air," but she recognizes her own limitations.  Her husband left, her disengaged son
will probably follow suit, and her daughter is a shell of the woman that she wishes her
to be.  While Amanda does engage in a nostalgia of the past, it is more benign than
Willy's, whose condition is brutally painful both because of his own delusion and his
own understanding of self and the extraordinary matrices placed upon him.  Whereas
Amanda has to appropriate her own reality in the realm of the private, where some
success could be seen or at least where failure is not has brutally harsh, Willy has to
appropriate reality in accordance to his own subjectivity in both home and work
settings, where challenges in both confront him.  In this light, his condition is even
more challenging than Amanda.  They both have trouble with reality and with the
realistic conditions in which they are immersed.  While both are filled with "hot air,"
I find Willy's predicament more pathetic and more pain- ridden than
Amanda's.

Analysis of Elinor's character in Sense and Sensibility

In Jane Austen's Sense and
Sensibility
, there are three Dashwood sisters: Elinor, Marianne, and
Margaret.


Elinor is the oldest of the three sisters in her
family. Whereas Marianne (the middle daughter) is the passionate young woman who cannot
exercise moderation in either her great happinesses or great sorrows—and is considered
the "sensibility" in Austen's title—Elinor is considered the "sense." Just barely still
a teenager at nineteen, she is particularly advanced mentally and emotionally for her
age. Elinor's "sense" is seen in her practicality, as well as with her tact, and her
strong sense of remaining in control of her emotions. An artistic woman with strong
feelings, she governs herself with rational thought. She sees a kindred spirit in Edward
Ferrars, feeling that they are much the same. Elinor keeps her innermost feelings
private, and she is grounded enough to support her family and hold it together in times
of great distress. She is a source of wisdom to Mrs. Dashwood (her mother) and her
sisters.


readability="6">

Throughout the book, Austen holds up Elinor as a
paragon of virtue.


How did the work of Chuck Close's grid in his work change over time?

I've watched an hour long documentary in my Art History
class this semester about Chuck Close. Before the spinal injury, Chuck Close was a
remarkable painter, being able to paint grandiose photo-realistic paintings of people
depicting different facial expressions. Fast forward a bit with the spinal injury, Chuck
Close has to deal with his lack of muscle control. However, that didn't stop him from
painting on large canvases. He has to have a team of assistants to draw out his pictures
for him on a grid and transfer them onto the canvas and then with his paintbrush, begins
a meticulous journey using his own color theory, to paint realistic portraits of
himself. Although, it seems that he has been restricted from doing photo-realism, his
work with grids, have helped him to learn more about colors and develop his own unique
form of technique to deal with his muscle loss.

What new gifts do Jem and Scout find in the knothole in To Kill a Mockingbird? (There are five.)

In Harper Lee's To Kill a
Mockingbird
, at the start of Chapter Seven, Jem and Scout find other "gifts"
left in the tree.


First, there is a ball of grey twine.
Scout tells Jem not to take it, thinking it is someone's hiding place, but Jem doesn't
think so. Next they find two images or "statues" carved out of soap. One was a boy, and
the other a girl: they could tell because "she" was wearing a "carved" dress. Jem
praises the workmanship, saying he's never seen carving so good. Soon they realize that
the figurines represent them: Jem and Scout. Next an entire pack of chewing gum has been
left in the knothole, and the following week, there is a medal like that given to
winners of a contest, maybe a spelling bee. The next "treasure" they find is a watch. It
doesn't work, but it has a chain with a pocketknife attached to it. The kids consider
this their best prize yet.


This chapter becomes a silent
battle between Jem and Scout, and Nathan Radley. Somehow he
discovers that someone has been leaving things in the hole in the
tree. When the kids return from school one day, prepared with a note to put in the hole,
they find it is cemented up. Mr. Radley says it's because the tree is dying; Atticus
tells them that the tree seems fine to him, but diplomatically explains that Mr. Radley
knows better about his trees than Atticus does.

Is mechanical advantage given by : (length of effort arm)/(length of resistance arm) or (length of resistance arm)/(length or effort arm)?

Simple machines that include the lever, pulley, screw,
etc. are used to increase the force or torque that is applied. The ratio of the output
force or torque and the input force or torque is greater than 1 and is defined as the
mechanical advantage of the simple machine.


There are many
types of levers; the variation is in the location of the fulcrum, where the load is
applied and where the load is placed. In all kinds of levers the mechanical advantage is
equal to the distance over which the effort is applied to the distance over which the
load is moved. By using a lever it becomes possible to apply a small force over a large
distance and the result is a very large force acting for a small distance on the
load.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

When was the last time Malcolm saw Billie Holiday according to The Autobiography of Malcolm X?

Based on his own timeline and his life along with her own
tragic end, I would say that Malcolm's days in New York before he fled to Boston would
have to have been the last time he was able to see Billie Holiday.  Being introduced to
her by his brother and in his experience of the New York and Harlem nightlife, this was
the time when he spent time with her the most.  When he leaves for Boston, it is
unlikely that she went with him.  His time in Boston was interrupted by his prison
sentence.  After Malcolm serves his time in prison, he is released in 1952, at which
time he completely surrenders himself into his work at the Nation of Islam.  While
Holiday was still singing at this time, it is unlikely that Malcolm would have spent
time with her or even seen her as her state of being represented the antithesis of
Malcolm's teachings.  Given where she was as the time in her own life, it is unlikely
that she would have seen or spent time with Malcolm, as well. With her death in the late
1950s, Malcolm was probably too consumed with his work with the Nation of Islam to
notice.  I think that this would make his time as a young person in New York City as the
last time he would have seen her.

Discuss Hamlet's internal and external conflicts. Provide quotes to support your answer.

A list of Hamlet's external conflicts is relatively easy
to generate.  He has conflicts of some sort with nearly every character on the list
except his good friend, Horatio.  The internal conflicts are a bit more complex and
subtle.


Here is quick list of what is creating his conflict
with each of the characters.  You can find quotes to illustrate the conflict by
reviewing the scenes where those characters interact with
Hamlet.


  • Claudius -- the man who killed Hamlet's
    father and very quickly married his mother, making his uncle his father.  Hamlet is very
    disgusted by the marriage and finding out the truth of the murder from the ghost makes
    them mortal enemies.

  • Gertrude -- his mother's quick
    remarriage to Hamlet's uncle is appalling to Hamlet's sense of morality and dignity.  He
    eventually confronts her with what he perceives to be all her wrongdoings at the end of
    Act 3.

  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern -- his supposed
    childhood friends who are only at court at the request of the King and are actually
    serving as spies for Claudius.  Even when they are confronted about their motives, they
    lie to Hamlet.

  • Polonius -- courtier to King Claudius and
    father to Ophelia, he is always trying to spy on Hamlet and he has so little faith in
    Hamlet that he commands his daughter to break things off with
    Hamlet.

  • Ophelia -- the girlfriend of Hamlet who breaks up
    with him because her father tells her to.  Later she seems to betray Hamlet by lying to
    him about where her father is when Hamlet suspects that he is actually spying on their
    conversation.

  • King Hamlet -- his arrival as a ghost who
    then tells the story of how Claudius murdered him is both awful and dangerous.  Hamlet
    knows that ghosts may only be the devil in the disguise of a loved one who is trying to
    damn his soul, so he must prove that the ghost is telling the truth.

  • Laertes -- after Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius,
    Laertes' father, Laertes is out for vengeance and plots together with Claudius to bring
    about the death of Hamlet in a fixed sword
    fight.

As for his internal
conflicts:


  • Hamlet is torn between thoughts of
    suicide and God's commands against such an act.

  • Hamlet
    wants to fulfill his father's command for justice yet has a hard time acting swiftly
    because he feels he must have proof.

  • Hamlet is torn
    between thinking and action.  The "To be or not be soliloquy" is essential to this
    point, but it is a theme that runs throughout the
    play.

  • Hamlet wants to think he can control everything in
    his life, but comes to realize that all he really do is be ready -- "the readiness is
    all."

Evaluate the limit of the function y=ln(x^3+2x^2+3)/ln(x^4+x^2+2), x approaches to + infinite.

We'll verify first if by replacing x by accumulation
point, we'l get an indetermination.


y = ln infinite/ln
infinite = infinite/infinite


We'll factorize by x^3 at
numerator and by x^4 to denominator.


y = ln [x^3*(1 + 2/x +
3/x^3)]/ln [x^4*(1 + 1/x^2 + 2/x^4)]


We'll apply the
product rule of logarithms:


y = [ln x^3 + ln (1 + 2/x +
3/x^3)]/[ln x^4 + ln (1 + 1/x^2 + 2/x^4)]


We'll apply power
rule of logarithms:


y = [3*ln x + ln (1 + 2/x +
3/x^3)]/[4*ln x + ln (1 + 1/x^2 + 2/x^4)]


We'll factorize
both numerator and denominator by ln x:


y = ln x*[3+ ln (1
+ 2/x + 3/x^3)/ln x]/ln x*[4+ ln (1 + 1/x^2 + 2/x^4)/ln
x]


We'll simplify and we'll
get:


y = [3+ ln (1 + 2/x + 3/x^3)/ln x]/[4+ ln (1 + 1/x^2 +
2/x^4)/ln x]


We'll evaluate the
limit:


lim y = lim [3+ ln (1 + 2/x + 3/x^3)/ln x]/[4+ ln (1
+ 1/x^2 + 2/x^4)/ln x]


lim [3+ ln (1 + 2/x + 3/x^3)/ln
x]/[4+ ln (1 + 1/x^2 + 2/x^4)/ln x] =
3/4


After evaluation, the value of the limit
of the function y, if x approaches to + infinite, is: lim y =
3/4.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

How does the setting affect the conflict of Ender's Game?

The main setting of Ender's Game is
the Battle School, where gifted children are challenged and prepared to lead armies
against the alien Buggers. This setting is not a warm and friendly school, but a harsh
military environment; the children are largely unsupervised and deliberately pitted
against each other by the teachers. This form of teaching forces the children to create
their own coping skills and methods of survival.


readability="9">

"Most of you aren't worth the price of bringing
you up here to Battle School because you don't have what it takes. Some of you might
make it. Some of you might be worth something to humanity. But don't bet on
it."
(Card, Ender's Game, Google
Books)



Throughout the book,
Ender is subjected to difficult personal tests, some self-imposed (the Giant's Drink)
and some created for him personally (battles against two armies at the same time). He
perseveres because he hates the idea of losing and being broken, and the lessons he
learns make him ideal for leading the real army in the final battle against the
Buggers.

Would you say Tybalt's pride has gotten the best of him in Romeo and Juliet?

I would definitely want to argue this. He is a character
who seems to be obsessed by the feud and is completely unable to let it go, in spite of
the Prince's warning. Note the way that he is defined, to a certain extent, by his words
during the brawl that opens the play in Act I scene
1:



What,
drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word


As I hate hell,
all Montagues, and thee.



Thus
he places himself directly in opposition to Benvolio's more moderate and peace-loving
approach. Tybalt, throughout the play, is a force of anger and rage, as he shows again
during Act I scene 5 when he recognises the presence of a Montague at the Capulet Ball.
Note how he reacts, typically violently:


readability="22">

This, by his voice, should be a
Montague.


Fetch me my rapier, boy. What! Dares the
slave


Come hither, covered with an antic
face,


To fleer and scorn at our
solemnity?


Now, by the stock and honour of my
kin,


To strike him dead I hold it not a
sin.



Note the way tha the has
to be restrained by Lord Capulet from attacking the Montague intruder. Also pay
particular attention to Tybalt's justification for his actions. He quotes the "stock and
honour of his kin" as something that justifies violence and murder. He certainly is a
character that is totally dominated by the family name and pride of the Capulets and
cannot let the feud go, not even for one night of merriment.

In Amy Tan's short story, "Mother Tongue," explain the essence of what "mother tongue" signifies in the story.

Amy Tan's short story, "Mother Tongue," is a wonderful
tale that addresses the substance of languages and how language is not only a tool of
communication, but a sociological tool of measuring individual
worth.


Amy Tan says that she has come to realize that
something unusual goes on with language—at least her own, based upon the Chinese her
mother grew up speaking, the English her mother uses as her "second language," Amy's use
of this special version of her mother's English, and her own perception that her
mother's English was somehow "broken"—at least this is how Ms. Tan
used to feel.


The author notes that
the language her mother speaks is very different than "American English," but that it is
deceiving in that her mother understands more than one might think when listening to her
speak.



You
should know that my mother's expressive command of English belies how much she actually
understands. She reads the Forbes report, listens to Wall
Street Week
, converses daily with her stockbroker, reads all of Shirley
MacLaine's books with ease—all kinds of things I can't begin to
understand.



When Amy Tan
recalls growing up, her mother would have Amy speak on the phone,
pretending to be her mother, so that people would take her more
seriously. One time Amy did this with her mother's stockbroker. More recent to this
story, her mother had been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, but when she went to the
doctor's office, the CAT scan was lost and no one was remotely concerned with her need
to understand her prognosis—having lost a husband and son, both to
brain tumors. Amy's mother refused to leave the office until
someone called her daughter. When this occurred, everyone was much
more cordial with Amy than with her mother: promises were made and apologies graciously
extended. In both cases, the perception based on her mother's "limited" English gave
people the idea that Amy's mother wasn't very bright, or worse, was not worth their
time. This is the sociological aspect of language.


When Amy
first decided she wanted to be a writer, she was not encouraged to do so: English was
her second language, and the peculiarities of the language (which confuse native English
speakers, such as analogies) often confused her. When she began to write fiction, she
made a conscious decision to write to a specific audience: she
decided to write to her mother; as she was writing about relationships between mothers
and daughters in her stories.


It was
most gratifying to Amy Tan when her mother read The Joy
Luck Club
, Amy's first book. Her mother gave her praise that meant a great
deal to Tan:


readability="6">

...I knew I had succeeded where it counted when
my mother finished reading my book and gave me her verdict: 'So easy to
read.'



I believe that there
is a play on words with the title, "Mother Tongue." It literally means one's first
language. If raised in Italy, it is Italian; in France, it is French. This is not to say
that people of other countries do not learn English as well, but generally there is a
language specific to the place where they were born: this is their mother tongue.
However, in Amy Tan's story, I believe she is making a statement about her
mother's form of English: her mother's tongue.
While it may be difficult for some people to understand it, it is part of
who she is, and it does not reflect negatively on her mother
because it is "different." She is just as special a person, despite what language she
uses or how she uses it.

In Hamlet, explain the importance of Act 1, Scenes 4 and 5.

Scenes 4 and 5 of Act 1 are absolutely crucial to the play
because they introduce one of the biggest dilemmas that haunts Hamlet for a large part
of the action: is the ghost real or not?


The scenes, which
present Hamlet going with Horatio and Marcellus to see the Ghost, present us with
important information regarding the state of Denmark, where something is "rotten,"
according to Marcellus. The scenes also reveal the exact way King Hamlet died, according
to the ghost.


These scenes also set Hamlet on his course of
revenge and destruction. Based on the information that he is given about the death of
his father here, Hamlet is honour-bound to revenge his father's
death.


We even see the first element of procrastination in
this play, as Hamlet plans to take on an "antic disposition" rather than acting
directly. Note how Hamlet ends Act I scene 5:


readability="8">

The time is out of joint: O cursed
spite,


That ever I was born to set it
right.



Hamlet here expresses
his sadness and deep sense of unfairness that it is he who must "set it right" and
avenge his father, which foreshadows why he takes so long to accept his position in the
play as avenger.

How does Paris contribute to John Proctor's death in The Crucible?

Parris continues to Proctor's death in that it is his zeal
against him that helps to convict him in the court proceedings.  Parris is so insecure
about his position both in the church and in the community, that he lets his antagonism
against Proctor influence his actions throughout the court proceedings.  In asserting
that Proctor has a "larger agenda," he helps to galvanize the opinion of Judges Danforth
and Hathorne against him.  He also does much to help with the destabilization of Mary
Warren, forcing Proctor to have to confess to his affair with Abigail and helping to
throw him into incarceration.  When Mary accuses Proctor of being the "Devil's man,"
when she obviously has lost her sense of reality, Parris is one of the first to affirm
her with his "Praise God" comment, helping to seal Proctor's fate.  When Proctor
recognizes his defeat with his "God is dead" comment, Parris uses this as evidence
against him.  While Proctor is in jail, Parris does not speak out against his
imprisonment, even though he fully understands that the charges of witchcraft were
ludicrous as he finds that Abigail and Mercy have left and stolen his money.  Instead of
taking this moment to recognize wrong and spare the lives of those accused, Parris
manipulates it into a moment where Hale can garner confessions and "save face."  In
this, Parris helps to contribute to John Proctor's death by wanting him to sign to a
confession that is false, feeding into Proctor's desire to save his name by asking for
death instead.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Determine the total mass of washing soda produced if 3360. kilograms of NaHCO3 reacts completely to produce 360. kilograms of H2O and 880....

First you need the balanced chemical
equation:


2 NaHCO3 --> HOH   +   CO2   + 
Na2CO3


So if you heat two moles of baking soda, you produce
one mole of water, one mole of carbon dioxide and 1 mole of washing
soda.


In your example you have 360 kg HOH = 20 kmol;  880
kg CO2 = 20 kmol


You start with 3360 kg of NaHCO3 = 40
kmol


So you will produce 20 kmol of washing
soda.


20 kmol * 106 kg/kmol = 2120 kg of washing
soda.

whats this about dents in his car??

One of the primary purposes Randy Paush hoped to
accomplish with The Last Lecture was to share with his listeners the insights into how
to live life well that he felt he had gained during his life. His method of sharing
these insights was frequently through the telling of anecdotes that illustrated the
point he hoped to make.


His wife, Jai, was distraught
because she had backed one vehicle into the other, causing dents in Randy's Volkswagen
convertible. She spent the day agonizing and preparing a very special meal to soften the
upset she anticipated when she told him of the
accident.


When the time came and she did tell him what had
happened, his actual reaction was to say that it was not a problem, that the VW was
still drivable and they would continue to use it, complete with dents. His point was
that, in the overall scheme of life, dents in the car were not important or worthy of
consuming time and energy.

Discuss the meaning of 'culture' in the context of 'civilization'.

The term "culture" can have at least two meanings in the
context of civilization.


First, it can refer to the whole
set of learned behaviors that are typical of a given society.  In other words "culture"
could refer to everything from the technologies that a society uses to the religious
beliefs that it holds to the way it treats its children.  Used in this sense, culture is
a vast idea that encompasses pratically everything about a
civilization.


Second, "culture" can refer to what we might
call "higher culture."  In this sense, it could refer to the arts and to intellectual
life.  Used in this sense, we would say that culture makes a civilization more
"civilized."  Culture takes a mere society and makes it into a civlization because
culture shows that a society is interested in things beyond mundane everyday
life.

In Act II, scene i, of The Taming of the Shrew, how does Tranio (as Lucentio) plan to satisfy Baptista's condition to court Bianca?In other words,...

In Act Two, scene one, of Shakespeare's The
Taming of the Shrew
, Tranio arrives at Baptista's home—pretending to be
Lucentio; Lucentio is masquerading as Cambio, an instructor of languages. Lucentio has
come up with a plan to present himself as a teacher to instruct Baptista's daughters.
Knowing that Baptista will only allow teachers in the company of
his daughters, Lucentio gains access in his guise as a schoolmaster. Tranio, presenting
himself as Lucentio, has brought a lute and several books as gifts. Baptista welcomes
Lucentio as Cambio, thanks Tranio for his gifts, and sends "Cambio," along with
Hortensio (also dressed as a musician) and Biondello (dressed as a servant), to instruct
Bianca and Katharina.


Lucentio's plan is to gain extra time
to woo Bianca in his disguise and be that much farther along in capturing her heart than
the other suitors.

What could be a possible alternative ending to A Family Supper?

In my mind, the most immediate area where there could be
an alternative ending proposed would have to be with the relationship between the son
and the father.  One of the most critical issues raised in the book is the gap between
father and son, within generations.  It seems as if the father has made some semblance
of piecing together something that resembles authenticity with how he he asks his son to
stay in Japan.  The son's answer is noncommittal, at best.  This would be where an
ending could be proposed in so far as the son actually begins to piece together the
relationship with his father.  In this ending, generations come together and the theme
of understanding how to configure the past in the face of an uncertain and unclear
future is present.  The opposite of this could be seen, as well.  The father argues that
there " are other things besides work" and with this, the son can become more animated
in his drive to piece together his life after Vicki and away from Japan, once and for
all.  In this, the realization hits the son that he will never be able to say what he
wished to his mother and while his father is making strides to understand a better
present apart from the past, the son has more present and future in front of him.  In
living his own life away from Japan and his own family, the son might be able to
recognize that his own freedom is all that he has and while others might see him in one
light, he might be able to see himself in an appropriate one and this could help to make
all the difference.  In the end, I think that one of two endings on an emotional level
can be present if the son commits to staying with his father, or commits to his own
departure and shows a zeal for life that has been missing thus far in his being in the
world.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Place this character in a situation showing the character's private persona (the real character when no one is watching). As literary enthusiasts...

I hope this helps generate some ideas for your
assignment. This is what I would write, based on "How to Write a Character
Analysis."


The character is Jane (after Jane Austen).
Ethically, she has a well-defined sense of values. She is honest.
She works hard to show her value, but beneath the surface, she knows she isn't perfect;
she has a hard time admitting defeat, and is very critical of herself, in
private.


Wisdom: Jane's world is her
classroom. She tries to learn from her mistakes and those of others. Jane knows
appearances can be deceiving, but in her heart she sometimes repeats the same blunders
in her faulty "reading" of others—because she wishes the world
could be a kinder place. She acts cavalier, but is secretly very cautious, has trust
issues, and fears being
alone.


Motivation: outwardly, Jane is
motivated by completing a task that is as perfect as possible. Privately, she believes
she can only prove her worth to others by working extra hard. She is too tough on
herself—even driven. She will work with passion on a project, but when it is finished,
she must find another—secretly trying to be "good
enough."


Behavior: Jane affects others
in a positive way. She is a good friend. People find her to be a good listener. Even
when things look bleak, Jane has a way of finding "the silver lining." Under her
positive facade, she worries that she may never be happy when so
many others have so much unhappiness in their lives. When she is overwhelmed, she will
make up excuses to stay home alone so no one knows how worried she
is.


Words that describe Jane are:
friendly, unrealistic, insecure, caring, outwardly optimistic, fearful, disorganized,
inscrutable, and "cluttered."


Items
associated with Jane are: #2 pencils, books, a cat, plants, a Mac laptop, photos in her
pocket calendar, a non-descript backpack, articles torn from the newspaper tucked in a
journal she is forever writing quotes or website addresses in, a bottle of aspirin, and
anti-depressants her friends don't know about.


Reading
between the lines with Jane—beneath her friendly, disorganized exterior, there is a
little girl who never imagined how cold and hard life could be. She has some trust
issues, but is trying to have more faith in others. Jane is an expert in disguising her
problems.


Jane is a round character; life has changed her,
and continues to do so; she does not have a lot of self-confidence, but has more
strength than she realizes. She feels she isn't very brave, but is working on
it.


Jane lives in a modern time-period. For me, I feel I
can make Jane more honest based on what I
know.


The "author" thinks Jane has potential. She is not
perfect and may get stuck on the details in life, but she is a decent person who wants
to get along with others, and find a way to be happy. She may be conflicted between her
hopes and the imperfections of the world. She doesn't have enough self-confidence. Jane
represents the traits that many people have (and hide).


One
of the things I have found in writing this is that it is hard to make characters
interesting and three-dimensional. This is not something that can be done in an hour,
but it must be read and reread to provide a continuous thread regarding the many aspects
of your character. Diversity and realism are important I think, and
a decided lack of perfection—perfect people are not nearly as interesting as those who
are flawed. Logically, there should be a visible characteristic and an opposite
"shortcoming."

What accomplishments did Bill Clinton have as president?

Of course, Bill Clinton's presidency will be most clearly remembered for the fact that he was only the second president ever...