The 3 Republican presidents were lumped together as identical. Is it right to say this or were there personal or political differences?Presidents...

I am assuming that you are asking about the three
Republican presidents of the 1920s.  I have edited your question
accordingly.

There were certainly major similarities
between these presidents.  The most prominent of these was that all of them were
generally pro-business.  They were all opposed to the sorts of reforms that
Progressivism had pushed.

However, they were very
different, especially in personal terms.  Harding, for example was something of a
playboy.  By contrast, Coolidge was known as "Silent Cal" and was a serious family man
(though he did enjoy dressing up as an Indian, of all things, and having his picture
taken).

Politically, Coolidge was the most laissez-faire of
the three.  Hoover, by contrast, felt that government and business should cooperate. 
Where Coolidge thought that government should stay out of the way of business, Hoover
thought the two should work together to improve the
nation.

These three presidents had common attitudes, but
they were certainly not simple copies of one another.

Where in the novel does Golding show inner conflict in the character of Ralph in Lord of the Flies?Lord of the Flies by William Golding

As the boys remain on the island, losing their hold upon
the civilization from which they have been separated, the leaders among them begin to
divide as their designs differ from one another. For instance, Jack simply desires
power; somewhat sadistically, he wishes to control the others.  On the other hand, Piggy
fears such tyranny and wishes that everyone remain rational.  Similarly, Ralph desires
to maintain order through civilized means so that the boys's lives will be structured
and safe with the goal of rescue at the forefront of all
activities.

So, at the end of Chapter Four of
Lord of the Flies, Ralph watches the boys engaged in the mock
killing of the pig at which they have been successful, and he is "envious and resentful"
of Jack.  For, Jack controls the boys while Ralph has been ineffective.  In Chapter
Five, Ralph knows that the assembly which he calls must demonstrate his competence, or
he will lose the position of leader:

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He found himself understanding the wearisomeness
of this life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of waking
life was spent watching one's
feet.

When he reaches the
chief's seat at the triangle where the boys meet, Ralph perceives the place differently
because it is later in the day than is usual for meetings. This change in lighting
causes Ralph to wonder about the appearance and existence of
things: 

If
faces were different when lit from above or below--what was a face?  What was
anything?

Faced with such
existential ponderings, Ralph has "to adjust his values."  Considering himself "a
specialist in thought," Ralph realizes how much better in thought Piggy is than he.  He
knows that he needs to very serious in the assembly and make his argument to the boys a
strong and urgent one.  At this point, Ralph suffers internal conflict as wrestles with
how he will maintain his leadership.

Then, in Chapter
Eleven, as he hides from the hunters, Ralph wrestles inwardly as he faces the savagery
of the boys,

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He had even glimpsed one of them...and ha judged
that it was Bill.  But really, thought Ralph, this was not Bill.  This was a savage who
image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and
shirt.

Further, as he limps
through the trees, Ralph argues unconvincingly to himself until "the fatal unreasoning
knowledge came to him again."

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The breaking of the conch and the deaths of
Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vaopr.  These painted savages would go
further and further....A spasm of terror set him shaking and he cried
aloud,

"No.  They're not as bad as that.  It was an
accident."

Of course, Ralph's
external conflict ends when the naval officer appears and rescues him.  As he stands
before the officer, Ralph cries for "the loss of innocence" and "the darkness of man's
heart," the realization of his inner conflicts.

Chapter Seven states, "Mr. Avery averaged a stick of stove-wood per week." Jem and Scout wonder who made the soap dolls—what does all this...

This quote in Harper Lee's To Kill a
Mockingbird, is a reference to how long it takes Mr. Avery to whittle a piece
of wood. The idea here is that someone working with wood would take a long time to do
it, and would need to be talented to accomplish such a
feat.

Jem and Scout look at the soap figures—that look so
like them—and wonder who could have made the dolls. They are made of soap and show a
great deal of detail which indicates an enormous amount of talent. They can think of no
one who might have done so.

However, this gives the reader
new information: if it is, in fact, Boo Radley who is leaving these gifts, he not only
cares about the children enough to give them gifts, but he is a talented young man in
spite of all the hardship he has experienced. It also makes one wonder what he might
have done had his parents handled his teenage "mistake" more
compassionately.

In terms of form and content, what identifies "The Other Boat" by EM Forster as a post-modernist work of prose?

The question of identity, in particular sexual identity
and status as the other is a major theme in this story.When Lionel gives in to his
homosexual desires with Cocoanut, he is forever changed. He has broken out from the
constraints thrust upon him by a society that views same sex erotic love as unnatural,
and he is forced to confront not only the fact that he has defied the natural order as
it previously existed within his mental framework, but also the fact that he enjoyed the
act and began to feel a closeness and affection for another man.The only escape for him,
in the end, is the destruction of the object that he sees of his unnatural
desire.

Looking at the novel in terms of one of the basic
tenets of postmodernism, there is an emphasis on subjectivity and deconstruction. It is
about ways of seeing that matter, and the ways in which views are shaped by perception.
Lionel's view is shaped by what he sees as natural love when he leaves the room. When he
returns, he cannot confront the fact that what he has experienced does not agree with
what he has been taught to believe. The fragmentation of society and the deconstruction
of belief systems is a major aspect of postmodern literature, as is the emphasis on the
individual and identity. Both are themes that are examined heavily in the
story.

Are the themes in "Miss Brill" similar to those of "The Yellow Wallpaper" when it comes to the treatment of women?

One possible thesis statement for a comparison essay of
the style of "Miss Brill" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" could be that the social
expectations that are placed upon women do not gear toward their empowerment, but toward
the continuation of their sub-serving nature- always serving, always nurturing, and
always providing a service while getting none in
return.

When we look at the character of Miss Brill,
herself, we find a woman who has lived a life of righteousness and prudishness, as she
is expected to live. As a middle-aged, single woman, society has limited her
tremendously  to follow a specific role. In return, she gets the limited joy of a walk
in the park and the humiliation of not being able to expand her femininity as she should
be able to do.

Similarly, the main character of "The Yellow
Wallpaper," is another woman who is trapped by social expectations: A woman with a
tremendous trauma is misunderstood by her husband, and all of those around her, simply
because she is not following the rules of society bestowed upon mothers. She is not the
bouncy, happy, nurturing new mother society expects. Instead, she is a victim of a
severe post partum depression and becomes trapped in a room (instead of liberated) as
her only choice to solve her problem.

Therefore, the thesis
statement that societal expectations may hinder women from achieving their fullest
potential, is because they are obligated to abide by a series of rules that may be
counter-productive to them.

What would be a good way to start a research paper on the Fall of Saigon in the point of view of being someone waiting for an airlift in...

In movies and TV shows, they often do what you are trying
to do by starting with the character in the "present."  The character then goes into a
flashback sequence as a way of showing how he or she got to where they are.  I think
that you could do something like that with this paper.

The
exact way of doing this is going to depend a lot on who you pick for your character.  If
it is a Vietnamese person, you might be able to go all the way back to the time when the
French were ruling Vietnam.  If your character is an American, you could go back at
least to the fall of Dien Bien Phu and the increase in American involvement after
that.

So, if I were doing this I would start with the
person waiting for the airlift and thinking about his or her life.  I would have them
think first about what they are doing "now" and then I would flashback.  Maybe something
like

"As I sit here waiting for the last scheduled flight
out of Saigon, I can't help but wonder how we went so wrong.  When I came to Vietnam as
an advisor for the new country of South Vietnam, I thought things were going to go so
smoothly.  I couldn't have been more wrong..."

I am supposed to write a compare and contrast paper between "Killings" and "The Cask of Amontilado." Can anyone help me with my thesis?

The beginning of your paper comparing the characters of
Montresor and Matt Fowler shows the correct structure for your thesis, but I don't agree
with the original thesis itself.

In
Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," Montresor is presented as a man with the maniacal need
to murder Fortunato. The reader is never given any reason for Montresor's anger, but he
is an evil, calculating man who has planned every step down to the last detail; when he
walls up Fortunato, Montresor has no regrets. Many years go by and no one suspects that
Montresor had a hand in Fortunato's disappearance and death. Montresor has no misgivings
about his actions, feeling perfectly justified.

However,
Matt Fowler is a very different man who is driven to do the unthinkable: to murder his
own son's murderer. His love for his son is what drives Matt to not only contemplate,
but to carry out his plan.

The second part of your thesis,
what you are trying to say, I DO agree with. It could be argued
that by killing Richard, Matt becomes a version of Richard as well: he becomes a killer.
Matt is the devoted father and husband, and it seems impossible to imagine such a man
taking this step. However, you might consider whether he would have found it easier to
live his life knowing that his son's murderer would be released
from jail for that murder when he was forty-six, free to live out his life as he
pleased, or if Matt will be better able to deal with the knowledge that justice has been
served in his eyes: an eye for an
eye.

The line that seems to separate the two men is the
question of Matt's morality and Montresor's madness; I do not believe that Montresor has
any morality. He is probably a sociopath in that he feels no guilt and no remorse at
all. Matt's morality will be his judge and jury: the real question
is how well he will fair raising his other children, and living with his wife with the
daily knowledge of what he has done— there in his mind when he awakes and there at last
when he falls asleep. Will he ever be free enough of it to find pleasure in his life?
But was that possible at
all once Frank was murdered?

You have some
wonderful material to work with. In summary, if I have it
right:

Matt
Fowler in "Killings," and Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado," are similar in that
they both are murderers. However, Matt murders because he must find justice for his
son's murder, and Montresor murders most certainly from madness. The main difference
between these two men is that Matt will have to find a way to live with the truth of
what he has done, while Montresor will dismiss it from his
mind.

Shave it down a
little:

Matt
Fowler and Montresor are both murderers, however, whereas Montresor will give his
actions no further consideration, Matt's sense of morality will battle with his need for
justice for the remainder of his
life.

Hope this
helps.

What is the symbolism of the water in the short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury?I have to do a literary analysis paper on the...

Water is one of nature's elements, and it provides a
source of life support for the house and its family. It is used for cleansing, drinking
and watering the plants outside. It also serves as a source of protection, as we find
when the house responds to the fire within. But the water proves to be no match for the
destructive power of fire--another of nature's forces. In a world that has used
technological advancements for comfort, such as in the house, it is this same technology
which has destroyed the town and its people, leaving only the single house standing. In
the end, however, it is nature's elements which fight against each other over the house.
The sprinkler system and the water-spouting mice attempt to save the house, and perhaps
they would have succeeded except for the draining of the house's water reserves. Water,
a combative enemy of fire, can be a deterrent to flames; but unlike fire, which only
grows stronger and hotter as it spreads, water sources have its limits. Like the Sara
Teasdale poem of the same title, the water of soft
rains

Would
scarcely know that we were gone.

Why would Captain Beatty want to kill himself?why would he provoke montage when he had a flamethrower?

In Fahrenheit 451, suicide is
common.  This is revealed by the nonchalance with which the technicians treat Millie
after her overdose.  It is not surprising that Beatty would just as soon die as remain
alive.

Today, we call what Beatty does "Suicide by cop." 
Beatty commits suicide by firemen.

To know why Beatty
commits suicide all you have to do is look at the society in which he lives.  Beatty is
intelligent--he's too intelligent not to know that his existence is
lacking. 

Ironically, Beatty allows himself to be killed
for the same reason Montag begins reading books--his existence sucks. 
 

The world they live in is mindless, superficial,
unemotional, unenlightening, unfulfilling. 

The real
question is:  why would anyone want to live?  

Can duress be used on an assault charge and why?

There are two implications to your question which makes it
unclear, so I will address both.

Duress is not an element
in the crime of assault. It that were the case, every teacher who overloads a student
with work would be guilty of assault. To constitute an assault, there must be an offer
or threat to perform some physical violence upon the person
of another with the apparent ability to inflict that harm. Therefore, if one points a
weapon or even a clenched fist at another, one has most likely committed the offense.
Mere words alone, without the apparent ability or intent, cannot justify a charge of
assault.

As for duress as a defense to a charge of assault,
that doesn't work either. The only defense which would lie would be self defense, in
which instance there would have to be a very real tangible threat to one's physical
safety. Under any circumstances, self defense will not lie unless one uses no greater
force than that to which one is exposed.

Duress would most
likely constitute extortion or some similar offense; however, the mere act of causing
one mental discomfort without a physical presentation of violence would not constitute
assault.

The link below has excellent
information.

Determinate the integers x for which the fraction (3x+2)/(4x+5) can be simplified with 7.

If the fraction can be simplified by 7, taht means that
the numerator and denominator are multiple of 7:

3x + 2 =
7n

We'll isolate x to the left side and we'll keep in mind
that we'll ahve to get an integer value for x:

3x = 7n -
2

x = (7n-2)/3

For x to be
integer, than 7n - 2 has to be divided by 3:

If n = 2
=> 7*2 - 2 = 14 - 2 = 12

12 is divided by 3
=> x = 4 for n = 2

If n = 5 => x =
11

If n = 8 => x =
18...

Also, the denominator has to be multiple of
7:

4x + 5 = 7k => x =
(7k-5)/4

We'll put x = 4 => 16 = 7k - 5 => 7k
= 21 => k = 3

We'll put x = 11 => 44 = 7k-5
=> 49 = 7k => k = 7

We'll put x = 18
=> 72= 7k-5 => 77 = 7k => k =
11

Therefore, the values of x :{4 ; 11 ; 18
....} are the terms of an arithmetical progression, whose common difference is d = 7 and
the first term is 4.

Please explain the symbolism in the plate illustration for "Holy Thursday" from William Blake's Songs of Experience.

In order to answer this question, I encourage you to
identify the images present both in the plate illustration and the
poem itself, then analyze the meaning of these images.

A
few images that stick out in the poem that appear to be presented in the plate as well,
are the following:

• The idea of "A rich and
  fruitful land" as shown by the green fields, water, and trees compared to
  "fields...bleak and bare...eternal winter" as shown by the tree without leaves or
  fruit.


• "children poor," and "land of poverty," as shown
  by the images of people, naked, forlorn, or laying on the ground, compared to the one
  clothed in blue who might be the "cold and usurous
  hand."

To me, the poem is a comparison of a
contradiction, extreme wealth vs. extreme poverty.  The plate seems to depict each
together, so that the extreme of one reveals the extreme of the other.  What do you
think?

Why would it have been impossible for a woman to write Shakespeare's plays according to Virginia Woolf in "A Room of One's Own"?

In this section of her brilliant essay, Woolf shows why it
would have been impossible for a woman to write Shakespeare's works by imagining that
Shakespeare had a very talented sister called Judith. By creating this imaginary sister
and comparing the kind of life and opportunities that both she and William would have
had, Woolf presents a compelling case at how women were and are impoverished by society.
Note some of her arguments:

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But she was not sent to school. She had no
chance of learning grammar and logic, let alone of reading Horace and Virgil. She picked
up a book now and then, one of her brother's perhaps, and read a few pages. But then her
parents came in and told her to mend the stockings or mind the stew and not moon about
with books and
papers.

Although she would
have "scribbled" occasionally, she had to hide her writings in case her parents burned
them. Then she is forced or blackmailed emotionally into marrying someone who is not her
intellectual equal. Even when she flees this situation to pursue her dream of acting,
she is not given any opportunity to do so, and is seduced and, finding herself pregnant,
kills herself and dies frustrated and unsatisfied. Throughout this section of the essay,
the emphasis is on the lack of opportunities that women have compared to men in every
sense of the word.

In The Awakening, what examples can you give of Edna living the duality of inwardly questioning and outward conforming?

This quote captures one of the central themes of the
novel.  At the start of the novel we see several situations where Edna is outwardly
conforming to the expectations of Creole society.  She tries hard to play the role of
good mother and devoted wife.  She takes care of the children; she smiles dutifully at
her husband; she fulfills her social obligations.  But, even after chapter 1, it is
clear that Edna is consumed with inward questioning.  She is annoyed by her children;
she doesn't understand the 'mother-wife' role; she doesn't care if she gets suntanned;
she decides to ignore Leonce's command to come to bed.  By the time she has returned to
New Orleans, she is full rebellion mode.  She questions her marriage and her
responsibilities to her family.  She chooses to spend time away from the children,
especially with Madame Reisz, whom she admires for the way the woman has been able to
live her life on her own terms.  Edna has a romantic attachment to Robert and an actual
affair with Arobin.  She leaves Leonce's house; she lives completely for herself.  Her
questioning of her life and her choices is most frequently seen in her interactions of
Reisz.  She is able to talk with her about the things that really matter to her: art,
music, life, and Robert.  In the end, when she realizes that she can't have the life she
really wants, she ends the duality of her situation by letting herself swim out too far
and drowning herself.

How does loneliness tie in as an overall theme of A Streetcar Named Desire?

Loneliness is a dominate theme in the play "A Streetcar
Named Desire". Almost all of the characters experience loneliness in some fashion or
another.

Blanche is above and beyond the loneliest
character. While she seems to exude the right characteristics used to surround one self
with many friends, one can tell from her past that she has never really found her place.
Blanche was a prostitute. She needed to feel the security of a man simply to feel loved-
even if for one night.  Unfortunately, this "profession" caught up with her and ruined
her one chance at a true relationship.

Stella can be seen
as being lonely at certain points in the play as well. While she finds comfort in a
neighbor after being abused by Stanley, her need lies with him- for it is only when she
is with him when she feels complete. Therefore, when she leaves Stanly, even for a
night, she considers herself lonely.

Mitch is another
character who houses loneliness. He has lost a love and finds refuge in his mother. He
knows that his mother will not live forever. He needs to find a woman to love him the
way his mother does. Unfortunately, he thought he had that in Blanche, but he was
wrong.

Many references to music signify loneliness as well.
The lone instruments portray solitude. Another symbol is the Mexican woman sells flowers
for the dead. She is alone and selling flowers to those who have been left as
well.

In the story, "The Most Dangerous Game," were there any flashbacks involved in this story? If so, please identify.

There are no true flashbacks in Richard Connell's classic
short story, "The Most Dangerous Game." The entire story is told sequentially from the
time that Rainsford falls off the boat until he returns to the island to exact his
revenge upon General Zaroff. Both of the main characters think back about earlier
times--mostly about prior hunts--but these reflections are not true
flashbacks.

The very last line of the story could be
considered a flash-forward, however. After Zaroff congratulates Rainsford on his
daring return, he bows and accepts his fate as the newly-hunted prey. The author then
skips forward in time for the final line without describing the new hunt. Instead,
Connell allows the reader to imagine the result for himself before his ending
line:

readability="5.7966101694915">

He had never
slept in a better bed, Rainsford
decided.

In A Raisin In the Sun, which of Walter's traits contribute to the message of the play?

Of the traits the develop the most throughout the play, I
would say that Hansberry's construction of Walter as a family man is what develops with
the most vigor.  In comparison to Walter at the start of the play to how he is at the
end of it, it is evident that he becomes a stronger family man.  Walter seems to treat
his family as a source of weight and burden at the outset of the drama.  There is little
that indicates he understands his role as the head of the family.  However, his
rejection of Lindner's money and his embrace of the possibility of a better life for his
family is a critical change in how he was at the start of the play to how he is at the
end of it.  Walter sacrifices his own desires and his own self- centered notion of the
good in order to become the family man that his wife envisions and his mother hopes him
to be.  It is this critical evolution in which Hansberry's theme that one does not have
to be locked into a role by their social condition resonates the strongly.  To quote the
great Lena Horne, "It is not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." 
Walter's change throughout the play is a representation of this
idea.

In "To His Coy Mistress," the poem can be reduced into if, then, but, and therefore. Can someone help me figure it out? If- Then- But- Therefore-

Marvell's invitational lyric, To His Coy
Mistress, uses the syllogistic structure of if
(then)-but-therefore to work out the ancient Classical theme of
carpe diem to metaphysical transcendence. The speaker addresses his
beloved, who is not prepared to surrender in love, in the form of a syllogistic
argument. The argument is in three parts.

IF
the lovers had enough space and time, they could have gone for all the
paraphernalia of traditional romantic love-making, for they would have been in no
hurry.

BUT in reality,Time
runs fast, and chases every human being as the hunter pursues the hunted. As and when
the beloved dies and lies in the grave, all her love is gone unfulfilled, just as all
the passions of the lover get burnt
up.

THEREFORE, the lovers
should utilize the moment without bothering for eternity. They should make love with all
the strength and energy of 'amorous birds of prey', not as victims but as victors,
running with the sun, united in love.

How did the origins of the Cold War reflect different American and Soviet traditions?

In this answer, I am going to use "traditions" to mean set
ways of thinking that were typical of these two
countries.

The Cold War started because of Russia's
"traditional" suspicion and fear of the West and because of America's "traditional"
belief that people should be able to decide major political questions for themselves. 
Because of the French invasion of Russia in the 1810s and the German invasion in WWII,
among other things, Russians had long been fearful of attacks from the West.  Because of
this, they tried to create a buffer zone of satellite countries in Eastern Europe.  This
reaction to their "traditions" did not mesh well with US "traditions."  US traditions
held that telling other countries (at least other countries populated by Europeans) what
their system of government would be was simply wrong.

In
this way, Russian traditions demanded a protective zone and American traditions caused
the US to perceive Russian actions as wrong and offensive.

What is Randy trying to make Ponyboy understand during their conversation before the rumble in The Outsiders?

Randy has several important points to make when he speaks
with Ponyboy at the Tasty Freeze. First, he tells Pony that he will not be participating
in the rumble that night. He knows that winning or losing the rumble won't really
matter.

readability="5">

"Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will
still be Socs."

People get
hurt and sometimes even die in rumbles, but for the greasers, things will always be the
same. Even if the greasers win, Randy tells Pony, they'll still lose. Greasers will
still be "at the bottom," and Socs will "still be the lucky ones with all the breaks."
According to Randy, the people in the middle are really the "lucky
stiffs."

Pony tells that Randy that he would have gone into
the burning building and saved the kids, just like he did. Pony realizes that
Randy wasn't really a
Soc,

"he's just a
guy."

Is the rocking horse a symbol in "The Rocking-Horse Winner"?

I would definitely want to argue that it is. Throughout
this excellent short story it is the rocking horse that gives Paul his supernatural
ability to predict the next big winner, and, arguably, it is the rocking horse that
takes his life as he rocks ever more frantically on the horse to gain this knowledge.
Note how the mother views her son on his horse for the last
time:

Then
suddenly she switched on the light, and saw her son, in his green pajamas, madly surging
on the rocking horse. The blaze of light suddenly lit him up, as he urged the wooden
horse...

He screams out "in a
powerful, strange voice" and his eyes "blaze" with the effect of the horse. It is clear
that the horse does symbolise some sort of power external to Paul and his mother, yet we
are never given a precise indication as to what. We can, however, come up with a list of
various possibilities. We could say that the horse represents Paul's desire for his
mother's love, an instrument of supernatural forces, temptation or greed. Any of these
possibilities could be argued from the text.

In A Tale of Two Cities, what are some of the dramatic purposes of the scene in which the wine cask breaks, and the wine spills everywhere?Book...

Book the First's Chapter 5, "The Wine Shop," is what is
known as "set piece" because it stands on its own appart from the previous chapters. As
such, it portrays the dire poverty of the peasants with "cadaverous faces" who
frantically mop up every drop of wine from a broken cask and squeeze it into their
infants' mouths.  This chapter also presents a metaphoric tableau of the bloodshed of
the upcoming French Revolution with the symbolic breaking of the cask of wine.  The
"frolicsome embraces, drinking of healths, shaking of hands, and even joining of hands
and dancing" of the people will compare in a macabre way to the forthcoming delight
that The Vengeance and Madame Defarge take in the executions and bloodshed at the
guillotine. And, of course, the wine stains on the streets of Saint Antoine foreshadow
the blood that will flow in the streets of Paris. 

In
nearly an entire paragraph, Hunger is personified in this chapter with rhetorical
parallelism:

readability="8">

It was prevalent everywhere.  Hunger was pushed
out of the tall houses, in the wretched clothing that hung upon poles and lines; Hunger
was patched into them with straw and rag and wood and paper; Hunter was repeated in
every fragment of the small modicum of firewood that the man sawed
off;....

Dickens uses the
metaphor of birds, "fine of song and feather," for the aristocracy which "took no
warning" of the events that presage their disaster:  "For, the time was to come, when
the gaunt scarecrows of that region should have watched the lamplighter...." Thus,
again, there is foreshadowing of the bloodshed to
come.

And, since the wine cask has spilled outside the shop
of Monsieur and Madame Defarge, Chapter 5 introduces this sinister couple to the
narrative.   Madame Defarge, wrapped in fur against the cold, sits with great composure,
knitting.  In an aura of subterfuge whenever people enter she coughs and lifts her
"darkly defined eyebrows over her toothpick by the breadth of a line."  This signals to
her husband to look around the shop.  There enters three Jacques, men who take the
anonymous name as revolutionaries. Then, Miss Manette and Mr. Jarvis Lorry emerge from
the shop and M. Defarge bends on one knee to kiss the child of his old master, taking
her hand to his lips.  Yet, there is a sinister foreshadowing in this act, too, as
Defarge shows no gentleness in his actions.

As Defarge
escorts Mr. Lorry and Miss Manette up the stairs where Dr. Manette is, there are
significantly three men peering through chinks into the room, the "three of one name." 
M. Defarge strikes three times upon the door, and he draw the key across the lock three
times. They enter where a "white-haired man sat on a low bench, ...making
shoes."

Using symbolism, parallelism,
foreshadowing, and metaphor, Charles Dickens employs these dramatic techniques in
Chapter 5 in order to presage important future events in the plot, introduce new
characters and link them with others as well as significant occurrences. Standing on its
own as a set piece, Chapter 5 also is an example of wonderful prose that utilizes
rhetorical devices.

What, according to Jefferson's "The Dangers of Reading Fiction" essay, are the changes associated with reading fiction?

Jefferson claims that when someone sets aside
"instructional" reading for novels, several negative changes will occur in the reader,
such as:

1. Time
lost--Jefferson does not see reading fiction as a wise use of time; he
believes that a person must keep himself "instructively employed." His mentality is
understandable when one considers his era--a period of time-consuming manual labor and
weighty matter of state.

2. A poisoning of
the mind--Jefferson also strongly claims that novel reading becomes
addictive and eradicates one's desire to engage in "wholesome" reading. For Jefferson, a
Rationalist, writing that encouraged one to rely on his feelings and imagination has no
merit. He goes so far as to call fiction a "mass of trash" which has the power to turn
someone completely away from appropriate reading.

3.
Poor judgment--Not only does reading fiction take away
one's quest for logic (according to Jefferson); it also clouds the reader's judgment and
hinders him from performing acts logically, such as business
transactions.

4. Moral soundness and a
development of "taste and style": Jefferson does admit that reading a
little bit of fiction can help someone develop his or her moral compass and that poetry
from the likes of Shakespeare, Pope, and others can shape an appreciation for complex
writing.

What were the major developments in military technology from 1939-1945?

Most of the weapons that were truly important in WWII had
already been invented by 1939.  However, there were some major developments in military
technology during the war.

The most important of these
developments, for the war and for the future world, was the development of the atomic
bomb.  The atomic bombs brought an end to the war without an invasion of
Japan.

Another very important development (though it did
not affect the war) was the German development of jet airplanes.  The Germans did not
perfect them in time to make enough to matter, but this technology became hugely
important after the war.

Finally, there were developments
by the Germans in rocket technology.  The V-2 rockets launched at England were the first
long range ballistic missiles in the world.  This invention helped give rise to the
ballistic nuclear missiles we have today (as well as to rockets used for peaceful
purposes).

How would you discuss the proposal scene between Darcy and Elizabeth?

I assume you are referring to the first proposal, in
Volume II, Chapter 11. Because this scene represents the height of misunderstanding
between Elizabeth and Darcy, it promises to yield much of thematic
importance.

1. One possible topic could involve how both
Elizabeth and Darcy demonstrate the qualities of pride and
prejudice in this scene; how Elizabeth’s prejudice and Darcy’s
pride fuel the hostility of the encounter and the near destruction of their chance for
happiness.

Elizabeth and Prejudice:  It is important to
take note of Elizabeth's state of mind just before Darcy's proposal.  Because of Colonel
Fitzwilliam’s earlier revelation that Darcy had intervened and effectively ended the
courtship between Bingley and Jane, Elizabeth is more disposed than ever to despise
Darcy—to be guilty of prejudice.  She is also blinded by prejudice because of her
ignorance—some might say willful ignorance—of the truth about Wickham’s character.  Near
the end of the scene she admits that “from the very beginning” she had been convinced of
Darcy’s faults and had formed a “ground-work of disapprobation.”  Elizabeth’s prejudice
for him has prompted her to “willfully misunderstand” Darcy, a charge he correctly makes
earlier in the novel.

Darcy and Pride: In this scene,
Darcy’s pride is most evident in his repeated remarks about the inferiority of
Elizabeth’s family.  His confidence that Elizabeth will accept him, despite his
insulting remarks, demonstrates a surfeit of both pride and arrogance.  Moreover, he is
unaware of his own hypocrisy: while accusing Elizabeth of reacting to him out of injured
pride, he goes on to boast about his superior place in
society.

2. After a close reading, you may discover that
neither character is guilty of possessing only one of the flaws alone.  How is each
character guilty of the same fault with which they earlier denounced the
other?

Elizabeth and Pride: Elizabeth’s pride in her own
judgment and wisdom has fed her dislike for Darcy throughout the novel.  It enables her
to carelessly show off her intelligence and to feel justified in aiming her sharp wit at
Darcy, often unfairly.  Elizabeth’s confidence in her judgment also leads to her
unthinking acceptance of Wickham’s story of his treatment by Darcy. In this scene,
notice how Elizabeth’s pride is wounded throughout.  Although her anger is
understandable, observe how it leads to her devastating declaration of rejection near
the end. (Only a short time later, she perceives how premature and reckless some of her
impressions have been, and she continues to make this discovery throughout the rest of
the novel).

Darcy and Prejudice: Darcy’s pride in his
superiority of his situation and character is no doubt grounded in his prejudice against
people beneath his rank. Up until this point in the novel, we have witnessed him
denounce Meryton and its inhabitants on many occasions.  He seems unable to acknowledge
the value of people below his station (except for his own intimate family servants).  In
this scene he seems unable even to credit Elizabeth with the sensitivity to be hurt by
the more offensive features of his proposal.  Not until she makes the accurate
observation that Darcy had failed to act in a “gentleman-like manner” does he seem
cognizant of any wrongdoing on his part, much less the degree to which his words had
provoked her.

Examine the twin themes of dislocation and sense of loss in the novel Ice - Candy Man.

Dislocation and loss are present in Sidhwa's
Ice- Candy Man, or Cracking India.  The idea
that Partition is depicted as an arbitrary force, something that the British and Indian
politicians designed but could never foresee the disastrous results.  The community of
heterogeneous Indians that were present in Lenny's wife are all divided and separated as
Partition becomes a reality in the post- British India.  The onslaught of violence that
accompanies Partition creates situations where families have to leave their homes and
abandon parts of their identity because of threats to the safety:  "Military trucks
arrive in Pir Pindo to evacuate Muslims to safer places but the Muslim peasants are
confused. They can't leave their home, property and harvest all of a sudden."  For
people who are so strongly tied to land and the generations that preceded them in those
areas, Partition is depicted as a modern construction that fails to take into account
how individuals are connected to the concept that Partition ends up breaking:  Land. 
When Ranna has to leave to find an area of safety, it is symbolic of the millions of
Hindus and Muslims that had to do ths ame, experiencing dislocation and loss in the
process.

What is the indefinite integral of 1/x(ln^2x + 9) x > 0 ?

To solve the indefinite integral of the given function,
we'll use the substitution technique.

We'll put ln x =
t.

We'll differentiate both
sides:

dx/x = dt

We'll
re-write the function in t and we'll calculate the indefinite
integral:

Int f(x)dx = Int dt/(t^2 +
9)

We'll use the identity:

Int
dx/(x^2 + a^2) = [arctan (x/a)]/a + C

Comparing, we'll
get:

Int dt/(t^2 + 3^2) = [arctan (t/3)]/3 +
C

The indefinite integral of f(x) is: Int
f(x)dx = [arctan (ln x/3)]/3 + C

How effective are levees as a method of river management?

Overall, I think that levees are effective in being able
to hold back water from communities and other areas.  There has to be a continual
examination and reexamination of levees because erosion due to constant water pressure
can cause them to give way and cause massive calamity.  Given the fact that levees are
the results of engineering and construction with population in mind, for the most part,
they are effective.  Yet, when they fail, it reminds everyone of the need to never take
them for granted.  New Orleans' levee technology in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
is an example of what happens when levees are not properly assessed and reexamined on a
continual basis:

readability="9">

The words levee and levee breach were
brought heavily into the public consciousness after the levee failures in metro New
Orleans on August 29, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina passed east of the city. Levees
breached in over 50 different places submerging 80 percent of the city. Most levees
failed due to water overtopping them but some failed when water passed underneath the
levee foundations causing the levee wall to shift and resulting in catastrophic sudden
breaching.

The
events in New Orleans have brought to light that while levees are overall effective,
like any other solution to natural calamities, they are not perfect and must be subject
to assessment and reassessment in order to be considered a means by which to deal with
the pressures brought on by
water.

Essay topics about Othello's downfall, his suicide, Desdemona, role of race, and jealousy: which topic is best?These are the topics: 1. write an...

I would be torn between answering questions 1 and 5. Each
has some similar elements when discussing so I'll tell you what I think and you can
decide which best fits your understanding.

The changes in
Othello, directly related to his jealousy, are quick, violent, and drastic. The course
of the play spans only a few weeks and when you consider this, that seems even more
incredible.

When we first meet Othello he is well-spoken,
calm, and assured in the reciprocal love between him and Desdemona. He stands up to her
father, the Duke, and all of Venetian society to defend a marriage that would be
considered taboo and scandalous had any other man tried it. If we are discussing flaws
in his character it is obvious at this point that he is blissfully unaware of the bias
that exists toward him (he is referred to as "thick-lips" and other obvious black
imagery). He is a man who takes everyone around him at face value. At no time does he
sit and wonder if maybe people are more than they seem on the surface. If he were at all
astute he would realize how angry Iago is; Iago's personality is rather obvious to
anyone paying attention.

Another major character flaw of
Othello's is his inability to trust his own judgment. He allows his jealousy (his major
flaw) to overwhelm his common sense. He is ruled entirely by his passions. Any good
leader would be able to temper that intensity with rational thought. You would think
that someone as successful in battle would be able to apply those same principles to
life itself. Instead, he is a man ruled by physical
emotions.

The jealousy is shown in a number of ways. The
most obvious device Shakespeare uses is Othello's repeated "illness". These fits of his
are evidence to the audience of the dangerous physical effects of the jealousy on
Othello. They are conveniently placed at moments in the play when Othello's jealousy
overtakes his common sense. They also obscure for him the obvious. He misses the
handkerchief falling to the ground. He mis-hears the conversation between Cassio and
Iago. He realizes his error when Emilia points out he has been
duped.

Overall, Othello's flaws- his inability to look
beyond surface appearances, his inability to trust his own judgment, and his overweening
jealousy- are direct contributors to his downfall. These elements of his character allow
Iago to successfully manipulate him to do the most awful thing
imaginable.

What is a good quote from The Outsiders that shows Ponyboy or Johnny has grown up during the time they stay in the church?

Prior to their being attacked by the Socs, Ponyboy Curtis
and Johnny Cade sometimes exhibit typically adolescent behavior (especially Ponyboy). 
However, they are forced to grow up quickly in some ways after Bob's death.  Johnny's
reaction to Ponyboy's recitation of the poem in Chapter Five is an excellent indicator
of his maturity.

In Johnny's response to the poem, it is
evident to the reader that he has changed and began to notice see the beauty in life
that he failed to recognize before their time at the
church.

readability="14">

Johnny was staring at me.  "Where'd you learn
that?  That was what I meant."

"Robert Frost wrote it.  He
meant more to it that I'm gettin', though...I always remembered it because I never quite
got what he meant by it."

"You know," Johnny said slowly,
"I never noticed colors and clouds and stuff until you kept reminding me about them.  It
seems like they were never there
before."

By admitting that he
does not understand Frost's message, Ponyboy makes it clear to the reader that he has
not reached the same level of maturity as Johnny.  However, Ponyboy does experience
extreme "growing pains" after the deaths of Johnny and Dally, as well as other
events.

In Part I of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, who or what is the Golem?

A golem is a mystical being that some exceptionally holy
Jewish Rabbis can create from mud and can animate into a semblance of life with special
Jewish incantations. There are several legends of golem. The most famous one, and the
one relevant to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, is the Prague
Golem.

The lengend, though with many versions, says
essentially that during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II of Austria, the
Emperor began a persecution of Jews during which Jews were either expelled from their
homelands or killed outright. Rabbi Loew created a golem in order to protect the Jews of
Prague and animated it with the Jewish word meaning "truth" written across its mud
forehead.

The golem however became increasingly violent as
it grew and turned to killing gentiles as furiously as the gentiles were killing Jews.
The Emperor begged the Rabbi to stop the Golem of Prague and in return the Emperor would
cease the persecution. The Rabbi agreed and erased the first letter of the word "truth,"
which then rendered the Jewish word "death" written across the Golem's forehead. It is
said that the Golem of Prague still sleeps in the attic of the Old New Synagogue awating
a time of further need and that Rabbi Loew also sleeps in the same attic near his Golem.
It is this Golem of Prague that Kornblum and Josef discover and smuggle to San
Frandisco, CA.

Why do we have hiccups??If so what causes it, and what could I do to get rid of them?

The hiccup (also known as
hiccough) usually occurs when the human diaphragm contracts
and allows air to enter the lungs, thus closing the vocal cords, which then produce the
familiar "hic" sound. Medicinally, it is known as synchronous
diaphragmatic flutter; it evolved from the Latin term "singult," which
means "the act of catching one's breath." Causes include extreme excitement or laughter;
hyperglycemia; spicy foods or carbonated beverages; and medicinal side effects, among
others. Hiccups are an involuntary reflex, and in most cases, hiccups will eventually
cease, but they sometimes last for several minutes (or in extreme cases, much longer).
There are many home remedies. I usually solve my own case of hiccups by holding my
breath until they disappear (usually one minute or less). Other remedies include
inhaling and exhaling repeatedly into a paper bag; being suddenly frightened from a
surprise noise; massaging the back of the throat; and eating (ex: peanut butter) or
drinking water or a small amount of vinegar.

What are two major themes in the book and how does the book present them?As you can see, this are two questions but they go along hand and hand so...

A major theme in Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is
freedom. O'Brien explores this topic by telling a tale that might acquire an allegorical
dimension. Thus, the people from the lab would represent the oppressors (those who take
away freedom) and the rats the oppressed (those deprived of freedom). An oppressor
normally acts out of pre conceived ideas that the oppressed are inferior and therefore
they must be manipulated and subdued. This is what happens to the rats of NIMH: the
people from the lab capture them and use them to make their experiments. The rats'
capacity to acquire knowledge equaling that of human beings might imply the message that
the people who are deprived of their freedom through oppression are also human beings
capable of acquiring all the knowledge that the oppressors
possess.

Another major theme in the novel is courage. The
author presents courage as embodied in the character of Mrs. Frisby: she risks
everything (even her own life) in order to save her family. Mrs. Frisby goes through
different situtations in which she has to show an ever increasing amount of courage:
first by going away from home at dusk and running the risk of being captured by the cat,
then by flying on Jeremy's back when she is terrified of heights, and ultimately, by
offering herself to put the sleeping powder in Dragon's food. In this way, we can see
how her experiences led her to gradually conquer fear. Her victories over fearsome
situations enabled her to accomplish those actions required to save those she
loved.  This priorization of others over her own life transforms her into a
heroine.

Explain how Percy Bysshe relates the skylark's song to his own efforts to write poetry in "To a Skylark."

Hail to thee, blithe spirit! 
Bird
thou never wert- 
That from heaven or near it 
Pourest thy full
heart 
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art. 

That first
stanza of Shelley's poem calls the bird's song "unpremeditated art." In other words,
human poets have to premeditate, have to think about what they're going to write. But
the skylark's music pours out naturally without the bird having to think about it ahead
of time. 

Teach us, sprite or bird, 
What sweet thoughts are
thine: 
I have never heard 
Praise of love or wine 
That
panted forth a flood of rapture so divine. 

In that stanza (which
comes much later in the poem, I've skipped over quite a few stanzas) "Praise of love or
wine" means "poems that human artists have written praising the joys of love and the
pleasures of wine." The speaker or this poem, the human poet addressing the skylark, is
saying, "The joy and pleasure that you pour forth in your song is greater than any
expression of joy and pleasure that I have ever come across in any poem by a human
author." 

Chorus hymeneal, 
Or triumphal
chant, 
Match'd with thine would be all 
But an empty
vaunt- 
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden
want. 

A "Chorus hymeneal" is a poem that celebrates a wedding. A
"triumphal chant" is a poem that celebrates a military victory. Shelley's poem is saying
that the joy expressed in a wedding poem or a victory poem sounds like "But an empty
vaunt" (just a meaningless boast) compared to the skylark's song. A "hidden want" is
some lack, some shortcoming that can be felt but can't quite be defined. So the last
line of that stanza is saying that even the most celebratory human poetry seems to be
missing something when measured against ("Match'd with") the bird's
singing. 

Teach me half the gladness 
That thy brain must
know; 
Such harmonious madness 
From my lips would
flow, 
The world should listen then, as I am listening
now. 

In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker says, "If I were
filled with even half as much beauty and magic as you seem to be filled with, I would be
able to create poetry that would grab people's attention and blow people's minds as much
as your song is affecting me right this minute." 

There are other
passages in the poem that talk about how much more wonderful the skylark's song is than
any poem ever written by a human being. I've pointed out some of the highlights, but you
can find more

How many blinds are needed? By how much does the total area of the blinds exceed the area of the window? A 146 cm by 90 cm window has vertical...

I have assumed the window has a vertical dimension of 90
cm and a horizontal dimension of 146 cm. Each blind has dimensions of 90 cm by 10 cm and
when it is placed it overlaps its right adjacent blind by 2
cm.

Let the total number of blinds needed be N. The blinds
at the ends have a non-overlapping area of 90*8. Each of the other binds has a
non-overlapping area of 90*6. Also, there is an area of 90*2 between any two blinds
where two blinds overlap each other.

To cover the area of
146*90 cm^2 we have 90*8*2 + (N - 2)*90*6 + (N -
1)*90*2.

=> 146 = 8*2 + (N - 2)*6 + (N -
1)*2

=> 130 = 6N - 12 + 2N -
2

=> 130 + 14 =
8N

=> 144 =
8N

=> N = 18

18 blinds
are required to cover the window.

The area of the blinds is
18*10*90 = 16200 and the area of the window is 13140. This difference between the two is
3060 cm^2.

18 blinds are needed to cover the
window. The total area of the blinds exceeds that of the window by 3060
cm^2.

What is one example of dissent groups changing/trying to change a law?

Expanding on one of pohnpei's points, there was an event
yesterday where President Obama was in California attending a fundraiser/rally for
Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat who is up for re-election, and some people in the
crowd started yelling at the stage to repeal the military's "Don't ask, don't tell"
policy against gays openly serving as homosexuals in the
military.

The gay rights movement campaigned for Obama, but
also made him promise to repeal the policy once in the White House, which he did.  He
has already relaxed the enforcement of the policy, and this group was asking them to do
more.

What past events led to Muslims' hatred of Christians?

Not all Muslims hate Christians, in fact on at least two
occasions (the Hapsburg Valois War and the Crimean War) Islamic nations allied with
Christian European nations against other Christian European nations. There has been,
however, a deep distrust between the two religions that has been exacerbated by historic
events.  A tremendous amount of resentment resulted from the First Crusade, when
Christian soldiers slaughtered Islamic men, women and children wholesale. So many were
killed that the horses of the knights lost their footing in the blood.  President George
W. Bush made the mistake of identifying the war on terrorism as a "crusade." Osama bin
Laden picked up on this immediately and has frequently referred to the U.S. as "Crusader
America."

United States support of Israel has also been an
issue; as it is now the Palestinian people--who were in the land before the Jews--have
been dispossessed. Their occupation of the land predates the occupation spoken of in the
Old Testament. Palestine literally is "land of the Philistines." They believe history is
on their side, and the U.S. support of Israel supplants that
history.

Finally, there is the fact that Muslims consider
Christianity an imperfect religion. They believe that the world rejected the message of
God sent by Jesus, so God sent another prophet, Muhammad, as the last true messenger.
Since Christians do not accept Muhammad and his teaching, the belief is that the
Christian religion is incomplete, somewhat similar to Christian attitudes about
Judaism.

What are businsses responsibilities toward the environment?use less energy, less hurmful tools,

There is an ethical and moral responsibility businesses
have, but it is difficult to enforce.  There is also a practical
responsibility.

Businesses, especially those that consume
resources, have an ethical and moral responsibility to use those resources and to
dispose of wastes in a way that does not harm employees or the citizens that live where
that business does.

Businesses that do not do so are
fundamentally unsustainable.  These companies need clean air, clean water, and a healthy
workforce.  The environment affects all of those
things.

From a practical standpoint, businesses will be
more profitable in the long run if they are sustainable in terms of
resources.

How did Rome's republic differ from Greece's democracy? How were they similar?

By Greek Democracy, I assume you mean Athenian democracy.
That government was a true democracy in which all adult free males were citizens and
entitled to participate. Although early on, the aristocrats controlled the government,
Solon arranged for all classes to be represented in the government. Attendance at the
assembly was mandatory for all males who were able to attend, similar to jury duty
today. Slaves were sent into the agora with ropes dipped in red
dye. They marked the robes of any free adult male who was not at assembly, which served
to publicly humiliate him, and also subjected him to a
fine.

In Rome, the old Patrician families had control of
most government functions. They sat as the Roman Senate. The lower
classes, or plebeians, were allowed to elect a Tribune who had the
power of veto over any decisions of the Senate which he considered unfair. There were a
number of other Government officials, such as the Pontifex Maximus, who set the official
calendar and decided which days were appropriate for business; a Censor who prosecuted
those Senators guilty of corruption; and the Concilium Plebis,
comprised only of Plebeians, which eventually had full control over domestic
affairs.

List some of the people and actions Holden sees as phony, and then discuss how he is phony himself in The Catcher in the Rye.

PHONIES.  About the only two
people that Holden does not consider phonies are his sister, Phoebe, and his dead
brother, Allie. Virtually everyone else fits this
label.

• Holden calls the headmaster of Pencey
  Prep a "phony slob."


• Pencey
  Prep


• Lillian Simmons


• Sally
  Hayes.  Holden believes his ex-girlfriend has acquired a snooty, Ivy League
  outlook.


• Mr. Antolini.  Although he is Holden's favorite
  teacher, he is also a phony because Holden believes him to be a
  pervert.


• D. B. Caulfield.  Holden believes his brother
  has sold out for the financial success of
  Hollywood.


• Stradlater.  His "obnoxious" roommate is
  handsome but intellectually lazy.


• Sunny, the prostitute. 
  She accepts payment from Holden, but then returns with her pimp for more money; Holden
  wasted her time by talking instead of having sex.


• The
  Edmont Hotel.  It's full of "perverts and morons."


• The
  Seattle girls.  Their main goal of being in New York is to see
  celebrities.

HOLDEN'S
PHONINESS.  Perhaps the best example of Holden's own phoniness comes when
sister Phoebe claims that he hates "a million things." When Holden tries to disprove
this, the only two things that he can admit to himself that he likes is Phoebe and his
dead brother, Allie. Holden's hatred of virtually everything reveals his own mental
instability: He is the worst phony of them all because he can see nothing good in
anything around him--a world that should provide him at least a few
pleasures. 

However, despite his totally negative attitude
as the narrator, he often pretends to be someone else when he is around
others--particularly females. He always tries to impress them by pretending to be
something he is not.

What part did the Watergae Scandal play in the resignation of Richard Nixon?

In the end, I think that the Watergate Scandal played a
decisive role in the resignation of Richard Nixon.  The event itself, the cover up that
followed, and the revelation of the unsavory nature of the Nixon Presidency all
significantly damaged the President's credibility.  The Watergate Scandal made the
President weak from a political point of view.  The President lacked credibility with
the American public to pass legislation and act as Commander-in-Chief.  Regardless of
the fact that he won a second term with a resounding majority, the Watergate Scandal
took its toll on how Americans viewed their President.  With mounting criticism from the
public and legislative investigations, a Constitutional crisis began to
mount.

Additionally, the perception from foreign nations
was that Nixon would not be able to weather the Watergate storm, making negotiations
with other nations very difficult.  In the end, the Watergate Scandal resulted in the
resignation of the President as criticism began to mount and members of the legislative
branch were preparing to undoubtedly impeach the President.  In avoidance of this fate,
resignation seemed to be the only option.

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, what does this quote by Macbeth mean? It will have blood: they say, blood will have blood. (III.iv.123)

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, my
understanding of this quote has always been that "blood begets blood," or that if blood
is shed, it means more bloodshed will follow.

In Act III,
scene four (a great scene for those who like the supernatural), Banquo's ghost has
visited Macbeth several times. The Elizabethans believed that if a person had met with a
violent end, he might walk the earth. Macbeth is having a banquet and keeps saying he
wishes Banquo were there, and so Banquo shows up, but no one else can see
him.

Macbeth's
comment...

readability="6">

"...the time has been. / That when the brains
were out, the man would die."
(III.iv.79-80)

This is almost
a comical line: it used to be that when you killed a man, he stayed dead. His remarks,
in that he alone sees Banquo, sound
ridiculous.

Macbeth has been a little unbalanced since he
murdered Duncan—of which Lady Macbeth reminds him—so his reaction to ghosts,
most especially something he cannot fight, pushes him to his wits'
ends. He admits:

readability="12">

What man dare, I dare: / Approach like the
rugged Russian bear, / The armed rhinoceros, or the'Hyrcan [wild] Tiger, / Take any
shape but that, and my firm nerves / Shall never tremble...
(III.iv.101-105)

I can fight
the most frightening of animals that any man could face (bears, tigers, the rhinoceros),
but I cannot face ghosts.

Macbeth's
comment "blood will have blood," is followed by a list of unnatural occurrences that
began to take place the night he murdered Duncan. The Elizabethans also believed it a
mortal sin to kill a king because God ordained (decided) who would be king. With
Duncan's death, there is a disruption to the universe: the wrong man sits on the throne.
And until that changes, earthquakes and eclipses will occur; and
gravestones will move and trees will speak.

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Stones have been known to move and trees to
speak. (III.iv.125)

So
Macbeth believes there is more bloodshed to follow: bloodshed breeds bloodshed. However,
his closing comment for the act promises that he will be personally
responsible for some of this bloodshed:

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...My strange and self-abuse / Is the initiate
fear that wants hard use; / We are yet but young in deed.
(III.iv.14-16)

In other
words, the visions he has seen are simply due to a lack of experience with murder: with
more experience, he'll feel better; and, after all, they've only
just begun.

How do you analyze a poem with as much detail as possible?I don't feel like the poems I have to write an outline for and then a commentary have the...

When I analyze a poem, I look at it several
ways.

First, I read it aloud to see how it makes me feel.
 I do this not only for the meaning, but to find what words and phrases sound delicious
to me.  I find where the sensory imagery is that makes it come alive--tactile,
olfactory, gustatory, visual, and auditory images.

Next, I
look for literary devices--onomatopoeia, alliteration, allusion, et cetera. I formally
find the rhythm and rhyme scheme.  I look to see if the pattern is a closed or an open
one.

Then, I listen to the tone, the overall feeling. I ask
what it means to me.  I look at its historical context, and read about the author.  Does
this change the meaning, deepen it, or leave it unaffected?  If I can find an audio of
the poet reading it, I listen to it and hear how it differs from how I read
it.

Finally,  I decide whether I like it or not and if I
do,  do I want to make it mine and memorize all or part of it.  I take all these pieces,
combine them, and write my analysis.

How and why did the residents of Boston change their attitude toward Hester in The Scarlet Letter?

In between chapter 12 and 13, Dimmsdale offers and sermon
and the people begin to see the benefit of Hester to the town. Hester had not been the
topic of his sermon, but he used an illustration that talked about a meteor he had seen
in the shape of an "A" which made him think of an angel. Of course, this was not in
reference to Hester, but it may have stood to prompt the people to think about the
scarlet letter "A" she wore.

By chapter 13, the townspeople
began quietly and gradually holding Hester in great regard. Many years had past since
her original sin and they valued her embroidery and generosity. Whenever anyone was
sick, Hester gave of herself to help rid of sickness or provide extra food for a family.
She took her life as it was stricken with poverty and offered a great respect and care
for the humanity around her. It was for these reasons that she began to be regarded as a
great "Sister of Mercy". Eventually

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"many people refused to interpret the scalet A by
its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne,
with a woman's
strength."

This influence
grew and grew throughout Boston and instead of having a great disdain for Hester, the
people maintained a great respect for her.

Which elementwould be most reactive with potassium?Calcium,Gallium,Bromine,Krypton Which would be most reactive with...

Elements react with others in such a way to have 8
electrons in their valence shell (the outermost energy level.) Sometimes they form ionic
bonds, in which electrone move from one atom to the other; the atoms are then held
together by the difference in their charges. In other compounds, electrons are shared,
so that both atoms end up with 8 in their outer shells.

In
your examples, potassium has one valence electron, and would therefore react with an
atom that has 7--again, that magic number of 8 is key. Which one of your listed elements
has 7? Bromine. (Krypton is a noble gas; it already has 8, and is very, very
NON-reactive.)

Your second question is about oxygen, which
has 6 valence electrons, so we are looking for the element with
2--calcium.

What challenges faced Europe in the time from the 1960s to the 1990s?By the 1960s, much of Europe had recovered from the effects of World War II....

This is a huge question, well beyond the scope of a good
answer in this space.  Different issues confronted different countries/regions of Europe
at different times in the 40 year period you are asking
about.

I would argue that the two major issues during this
time (depending, again, on the country/region) were issues of economic growth and issues
of Cold War politics.

Economic growth is an issue for all
countries at all times.  It was particularly important in Europe during this time since
Europe was still trying to recover from WWII and break the US dominance of the economic
world.  In Eastern Europe, the problem was more related to communism as the communist
governments tried (and failed) to find a way to give their citizens a decent standard of
living.

Cold War issues surfaced in all areas.  There were,
for example, tensions between Western European countries and the US over things like
nuclear weapons.  There were worries in the Eastern Bloc about how best to protect and
expand their system.

However, there were of course many
more challenges that faced Europe at one or more times and places during this
time.

What are some allusions in The Devil's Arithmetic?

An allusion is a casual reference to a well-known
place,story, book, historical event or work of art.  There are many literary and
Biblical allusions in The Devil's
Arithmetic.

When Hannah first meets Rachel and
the girls at the wedding, she tells them stories  and totally entertains them.  The
stories she tells them are current day movies, stories, and
books. 

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"Stories seems to tumble out of Hannah's mouth,
reruns of all the movies and  books she could think of.  She told the girls about
Yentl and then about Conan the Barbarian with
equal vigor; about Star Wars, which confused them; and
Fiddler on the Roof, which did not.  She told them the plot of
Little Women in ten minutes, a miracle of compression, especially
since her book report had been seven typed pages." (pg
50)

These are literary
allusions since they are about movies and books.  Jane Yolan is alluding to literary
works that she feels the reader will know and make a connection.  Another literary
allusion is

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"'So let me tell you about the Wizard
of Oz' she said.  She couldn't remember which was the movie and which was the
book.  Shrugging her shoulders. she began a strange mixture of the two, speeding along
until the line 'Gosh, Toto, this sure doesn't look like Kansas." (pg
51)

This makes a literary
allusion by not only giving the title of the book and movie but also by giving a famous,
well-known line from the story.

An illusion that comes from
Jewish mythology and deals with God is the story of Lilith's Cave.  According to
mythology, when God first made man and woman, he made Adam and Lilith.  Adam wanted to
govern Lilith, and she rebelled, leaving Adam and taking residence with the demons. She
told the angel that God sent to get her that she was going to kill all the children. The
entrance to the gas chambers was called "Lilith's Cave" in the book as an allusion to
this myth. God then made Eve for Adam.  Fayge tells
Hannah,

"Your
words will fly up to heaven and call down the Angel of Death, Lilith's bridegroom, with
his poisoned sword." (pg
67)

When Reuven is taken to
the gas chamber, Hannah gets upset and feels that all humans are monsters for letting
the Holocaust happen, Rivka tells her,

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"God is letting it happen....But there is a
reason.  We cannot see it yet.  Like the binding of Issac." (pg
142)

This is a Biblical
allusion to the story of Abraham and Issac.  God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son
to him, and Abraham went as far as binding his son to the sacrificial altar until an
Angel of God stops him.  God had a reason for his request, and Rivka believes that God
has a reason for what is happening to them. Rivka also
says,

"You
want to be a hero, like Joshua at Jericho, like Samson against the Philistines." (pg 
142)

Again, these are
Biblical allusions. Joshua, following God's orders, destroyed the city of Jericho and
led his people into the Promised Land.  Samson, to whom God had given unbelievable
strength, was betrayed by Delilah and captured by the Philistines, who cut out his eyes
and made him work for them.  He pulled down the pillars around the Philistines, killing
them and himself.

Finally, there is an allusion to a
Yiddish proverb.  I do not know what it means, but it
says,

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"Afile brenen un bruin....
even if you should be burned and roasted.  Here that is not a proverb to be spoken
aloud." (pg 143)

Could someone please provide one quote that shows prejudice in Chapters 1-6 of To Kill a Mockingbird.

I assume that you are looking for quotes that show that
people in Maycomb during the time the book was set were prejudiced -- not that you are
looking for evidence that Harper Lee herself was prejudiced.  If that is the case, there
are some examples.

Here are a couple of
them:

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The sheriff hadn't
the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was
locked in the
courthouse basement.

That
shows that people did not think that it was right to put a white suspect in with black
suspects.

Then, in Chapter 6, we find that Mr. Radley has
shot at a "Negro" just for being in his collard patch.  Miss Stephanie says Mr. Radley
missed:

Shot
in the air. Scared him pale,
though. Says if anybody sees a white nigger
around, that's the one.

What is the symbolism of the dark haried girl "throwing aside her uniform" in Winston's dream?

I think this represents a couple of
things.

First, you ask about the symbol of throwing off the
uniform. I think this symbolizes throwing off the Party from one's self. She is letting
go of the exterior that she has to maintain to reveal the real self on the
inside.

Second, I think this action is very literal too.
Sex is frowned upon by the party, and Winston allowing his mind to go to the place to
actually long for it is rare, but human. Winston is being a normal and very real man
imagining a woman undressing.

if music is the "food" for the human soul, think about how a "musical diet" can influence human behavior at all stages of life.

Brain research has shown that a baby's brain is stimulated
by music. The proliferation of recordings along the line of "Baby Loves Mozart" reflects
the importance some attach to helping to develop the recognition of patterns and
mathematical relationships of harmonies expressed by
music.

As an energetic youngster, perhaps jazz would be a
classical equivalent for rock and roll, a musical expression of enormous energy and
enthusiasm for everything. Marches and energetic dance tunes could also shape and
reflect this stage.

Hip hop, rap, and new age music could
serve as representations of the individuality of teen and early adulthood years, as
people learn to express their own unique styles and preferences. Obviously, these
expressions also mean that some individuals will gravitate toward other styles of
music.

At the end of life, many humans may again yearn for
predictable tunes and harmonizations, possibly expressed through the songs of whatever
faith brings reassurance and comfort.

How is the time period in which William Blake wrote reflected in the poem "A Poison Tree"?

“A Poison Tree,” written by William Blake, was published
in the Song of Experience in 1794.  The first
person narration describes two different situations concerning extreme anger.  Blake
expresses the results of holding in this anger and not communicating with the subject of
the fury:

I
was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was
angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did
grow.

An English poet,
painter, and printer, Blake lived and worked in London.  This was a revolutionary time
in England. The American Revolution was done and the country was recuperating
economically.  In 1794, the society in which he lived greatly influenced his writing. 
The French Revolution was inspirational in the sense that ordinary people were able to
seize power.During this era, London became urbanized. 

The
industrial revolution entered Blakes' world in the late
18th century.  Blake did not like the emphasis on machines along with sexually
transmitted diseases.  As Blake matured, his disgust with society grew. The conditions
faced by people allowed society to decay physically, morally, and sexually.  Blake
tended to be pessimistic about London’s progress and almost without hope at this
time.

Another influence on Blake’s
writing was his unusual religious views He rejected established religion,
in part because the Church did not keep children from being forced to work. Child labor
was common and dangerous. Blake discovered that money was spent on church buildings
while children lived in poverty.  To Blake, this made a charade of the love and care
which should be the focus of the Christian religion. Blake believed in the Bible but
despised the Church of England.  

Insurgents like Blake
felt that the Church’s policies smothered the “evil” emotions in people, such as anger
and frustration.  “A Poison Tree” was written to indicate that Blake believed that
suppressing anger based on the teaching of the Church would only enhance the resentment
felt by the person.  The original title of the poem was “Christian Forbearance.  The
English government forbid radical action and began to persecute the
dissenters.

Blake was not popular during his lifetime. 
Only after his death, did critics re-examine his work and place him among the great
English writers.

Discuss the role of two women characters in Sheridan's The School for Scandal.

I find Lady Sneerwell and Lady Teazle the two most
actively engaged women in the intriguing comic plot of Sheridan's The School
for Scandal. Both of them are typical comedy of manners personages, and both
of them possess their respective idiosyncrasies.

Lady
Sneerwell, true to her name, runs the scandal academy in her drawing room, where Lady
Teazle is a frequenter in search of urban elite fantasies. Lady Sneerwell was once upon
a time a victim of slandering, and now she happens to be the queen of scandal-mongering,
ably assisted by her servant, Snake. Lady Teazle, a simple village woman married to Sir
Peter Teazle, is the typical country wife allured by the slanderers, a victim who
finally discovers her errors to find love and trust in her husband. Lady Sneerwell goes
down to discomfiture and disclosure.

Summarize Scout's assessment of second grade.

Scout is, in a word,
disappointed.

She is an intelligent little girl who seems
to be ahead of most of her peers. She can already read and write, but instead of having
a teacher who recognizes this as a positive quality, Miss Caroline tells Scout she is
wrong for learning outside of school and thus invalidates any knowledge she has that
Miss Caroline has not given her. This all happens on the first day of school, so Scout
cannot help but be disappointed at having to put up with an entire year of performing
below her actual skill levels.

In addition, Miss Caroline
seems generally irritated by Scout's perceived meddling, as Scout jumps into the
conversation about Walter Cunningham and tries to explain why he does not have any lunch
and will not be able to accept her offer of lunch money. Altogether, Scout really "gets
off on the wrong foot" on her first day of second grade!

In The Kite Runner, how do you think Hassan's life would have differed if he had not been born to the life of a servant?

This is a very interesting question to consider. it is
very easy to think about what Hassan's life could have been like if Baba had admitted
that he was his son and adopted him for his own. Certainly, in a way, Hassan has more of
Baba's qualities than Amir himself, and this is part of the rivalry between them, that
Amir constantly feels inadequate when compared to Hassan. Amir certainly hates the
affection that Hassan is shown by Baba, and in many ways, Hassan stands as a constant
rebuke to Amir that he is not the kind of son that his father would have liked to have.
Consider Hassan's courage in facing down Assef in the first meeting we are shown betwen
them. Also consider the way that he is able to magically predict where the kite will
fall. It is clear that he has the same courage and bravery of Baba, which would indicate
that he could have been a great and well-respected man, like Baba
himself.

How did the New Deal affect America’s attitude toward the role of government?

The New Deal completely changed Americans' attitudes
towards the role of government.  Before the New Deal, many or most Americans believed
that the government had no real role in maintaining the health of the economy or in
providing for people who were too old to work or who were otherwise unemployed.  The
government was supposed to set tax rates and tariffs and things like that, but it was
not supposed to otherwise intervene in the economy.

After
the New Deal, this all changed.  Americans came to accept the idea that the government
would be responsible for the performance of the economy as well as for the well-being of
the people.  We have come to accept this to the extent that even budget cutters in
Congress say they will not touch Social Security or Medicare.  These are programs that
were unthinkable before the New Deal but which are seen as indispensable by many
Americans today.

In the play The Importance of Being Earnest, explain the theme of manners and morality.

In The Importance of Being Earnest,
by Oscar Wilde, the themes of manners and morality are treated trivially (in
Wilde's own words) because they are interconnected for very shallow and superficial
reasons. That is what gives it the ironic nature that makes the play a comedy of
manners.

Morality is a consistent topic in Wildean
literature. Part of it is because Wilde's own morality (which was a thick topic in
Victorian England) was often questioned, especially after the publication of his only
novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. He was so attacked that he
basically counterattacked by characterizing morality as a superfluous behavior that goes
hand in hand with manners. In other words, he would treat the topic of morality, which
is a deep symbol of character, as a learned behavior that could be disrupted at anytime,
just the same as manners. Hence, if you act like you are highly moral you can be deemed
as a person of good manners. This is meant to be ironic, sarcastic, and
humorous.

In The Importance of Being
Earnest, morality is a game of manners. Lady Bracknell, for example, had the
exaggerated mannerisms that were typical of snobby aristocrats. She turned her nose at
Algernon's friend, Jack, because she did not consider that he or Algernon were
"well-behaved”. However, that immediately left her mind when Jack mentioned his
substantial income and his many properties.

Algernon also
had the most polite and cultivated mannerisms in the play, but he led a life that left
very little to say for morality: He lied to his family, escaped responsibilities, ran
bills that he did not pay, plus he ate and spent excessively. However, Algernon would
place more importance in his dress suit than in his moral life.

Jack was quite polite to Lady Bracknell, showing the most
gentlemanly mannerisms that he could show in order to earn her blessing to marry her
daughter Gwendolen. However, after receiving the ill treatment that he got from her for
not having a "family name", he called her a "gorgon" and many other insults. Algernon
was not upset. In fact, he said that "he loved to have his relatives
abused".

Therefore, we can conclude that mannerisms were
shallow masks of politeness just like morality was a shallow mask of character. They
were both behaviors that were not necessarily inherent to the characters, and could
disappear at any given moment.  

Discuss the motivation for two characters in The Great Gatsby.

This is fairly wide and you do have much from which to
choose.  In the end, I think that you are going to have to select the two characters
with which you feel the most comfort from the novel.  For example, Gatsby's motivation
to win over Daisy is evident.  His obsession with trying to win over Daisy for his own
is something that motivates him, driving him to ends where some level of questioning
might be present for some, but not for him.  Exploring how this motivation drives him to
the highest of emotional highs and the lowest of lows might be something that could
prove to be quite compelling in a paper.  There are many other characters whose
motivation are intensely present in the novel.  One that does not get much in way of
recognition, both in the novel and outside of it, would be George Wilson.  His
motivation to actually be considered a man or to be seen with a modicum of respect by
anyone is something that can be seen.  He represents the lower class of Americans who
are constantly being trampled by those in the position of economic and social power. 
His wife wishes to be one of those people, so she views him with a dismissive eye, and
he is constantly feeling the pressure of being invisible.  His killing of Gatsby is a
desperate attempt to feel some power in a world where people like him have little, if
any, control over their own lives or states of being in the world.  The pulling of a
trigger is something for an instant that he can experience.  It comes as no surprise
that his instant of power was actually aimed at the wrong person.  George proves to be a
character where some level of exploration regarding motivation could make a very
interesting writing sample.