What is the central theme of Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"?

It seems that the narrator is contemplating death on this "darkest night of the year." Not that he is thinking about ending his own life, but he feels the lure of death that will be there later for him. Death looks to him "lovely, dark, and deep." Not scary, not grim, but rather welcoming, almost a relief.

But it is not yet his time, for he has connections with other people, "promises to keep" and a long way to go before the end finally comes..."miles to go before I sleep." Yet, it feels like he is comforted by the thought of the end in the distance. One day, sure, but not right now.

What message from Simon causes Daniel to leave the mountain in The Bronze Bow?

Daniel receives the message from Simon that his grandmother is dying. He rushes to the village and discovers from the neighbors that no one has seen his grandmother leave the house for the last ten days. They have tossed bread through the window to sustain the dying woman and Daniel's sister Leah, who suffers from a traumatic, emotional injury incurred at the age of five when she saw her father crucified. Daniel breaks in the door and finds his grandmother nearly dead. He lights a fire and gives the old woman broth and bread provided by the neighbors. During the night, he shares pleasant memories of his childhood with the dying woman and eases her passage. Now Daniel must remain and care for his sister though he longs to return to the mountain and Rosh's men.

In Hamlet, in the soliloquy that starts with "O that this too too solid flesh would melt," who is Hamlet's anger aimed at why?

The anger in this soliloquy is directed mostly towards his mother, in frustration over her marriage to his uncle.  Hamlet's father had died just two months earlier, and already Gertrude had remarried, to Hamlet's uncle Claudius.  This occurrence is mortifying to Hamlet, incredibly depressing, and incenses him.  He feels that his mother is weak, inconstant, violating his father's honor and memory, and he is angry about it.  He doesn't understand how his mother could

"hang on [his father] as if increase of appetite had grown by what it fed on:  and yet, within a month"

had strayed from her love and married another.  She used to adore Hamlet's father, hang on him, worship and adore him.  And yet, it seems like it was all a ruse, because she so quickly tranferred her affections to another.

As the son of the dead king, Hamlet is furious that his mother would dishonor his father.  Her actions seem to spit on the memory of his father, tarnish his majestic reputation as a powerful king, and say a whole lot of negative things about the faithfulness of women in general.  Her actions make him declare with disgust, "frailty, they name is woman!" and turn against his mother.  Later, he lashes out in rage against her, and other women in his life.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

He says that land speculation is a fever and the spectators are patients in The Devil and Tom Walker. What is he saying about the love of money?

The moral of the story, "The Devil and Tom Walker" is that greed will land a person in hell, which is what happens to the very greedy Tom Walker.  The deal Tom made with the devil was for money and the means to that money was a business that Tom ran and the devil created in which Tom lent money to people who were land speculators, among others.  This was when there was lots of wilderness country and people bought large amounts of land hoping to sell of portions of it at a good profit.  In order to get the money to buy the land, people turned to lenders and Tom Walker was a lender who charged an extremely high rate of interest and foreclosed without mercy for non-payment.  To say that land speculation was a fever means that once the idea of buying land and then selling it to make a profit got in someone's head, they couldn't let go of the idea.  That speculator was sure he was the one who was going to make a huge fortune by subdividing his land.  Sometimes, however, there would be no buyers - the land was not good land or there was just so much of it for sale.  The determination and desperation to sell the land made people to make foolish decisions such as to borrow money from lenders like Tom who were no more than loan sharks. That's why the speculators were "patients" - they were often sick with greed.

Identify a literary device used by Frost which has an impact on this poem(not personification).Explain how this device affects the reader's...

In Robert Frost's poem "Out, Out-" Frost uses various types of literary devices, but the most prominent are metaphors.  Metaphors are when a word or set of words is used to replace the item.  In the poem mentioned Frost uses; "Call it a day" meaning to be done with work;  "He must have given the hand" to mean that the boy's hand went into the saw; "The life from spilling",  the boy's blood ;  "He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath,"  which is his dying breath; and  "No more to build on there", the child's life is over.

Frost could have said things in an ordinary way but he used metaphors which add grace and beauty to his poem.

How did Beowulf die?

In the epic Old English poem Beowulf, Beowulf is a heroic warrior who battles Grendel, a golem like creature.  He goes on to have his own kingdom for years but a dragon comes to destroy it.  Beowulf takes his men and goes against the dragon.  The dragons flames beat him back at first.  Beowulf raises his shield to protect himself from the dragon.  He stabs the dragon with his sword.  However, the dragon remains strong. Beowulfs sword has failed him.  He is surrounded by the dragons fire and his men desert him.  In Episode 11 he fights the beast. Wiglaf returns to help Beowulf. Beowulf again tries to stab the dragon but his sword breaks. Then the dragon bites him.  He pulls out a knife and slits the beast down is belly and kills the dragon.  He dies from the wounds.

He bit Beowulf's neck
with sharp tusks--Beowulf
was wet with life's blood;
blood gushed in waves.

Beowulf is seriously injured in Episode 12 he dies and leaves his rights to throne to Wiglaf.

According to economic theory, why does a business get less profit from lower prices as opposed to higher prices?I MEAN SOMETIMES A LOWER PRICE WILL...

The margin on a sale, otherwise known as the profit, may be very small. The price of anything must include that margin for profit. Minimizing the profit means lowering the price that may result in the price close to what the cost of a good or service might be to the business. If the price is less than or equal to cost, there is no profit and of course the business loses money and is out of business.

Price alters supply and demand. If the price increases, demand may lower. At the extreme, the price can be so high that demand approaches zero -- so there are few sales but large profit.

However, if the price decreases, demand may increase, and at the extreme, the price is so low that demand approaches infinity -- so there are many sales but small profit.

Furthermore, supply will be affected in the first case by having a glut of items; in the second, a scarcity.  But a glut tends to force price down; a scarcity forces it up!

Specifically, your question is contingent upon the item or service itself, and what value the market places upon it. Where cost is cheap -- consider a pencil for sale -- profit is small, but millions are sold.  Where cost is large -- like for a Rolls-Royce -- profit is large, but few are sold.

Explain how information is transferred through DNA on chromosomes when cells divide.

The Central Dogma of genetics--that is, how the information needed to construct all the proteins for cells--is that DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is translated to proteins. If those words sound like words used in reading a foreign language, it is because that is kind of what is happening. DNA is made up of four types of nitrogenous bases: adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine. They are strung in a chain, that makes up DNA. After the DNA is "unzipped" so that it is a single strand instead of a double strand, the DNA is copied by a strand of RNA; only one type of base will attach to the corresponding DNA base. Cytosine attaches to guanine, and adenine, instead of attaching to thymine like it would in a complimentary DNA strand, is instead attached to uracil in RNA. The RNA bases are then "read" in sets of three; each set of three codes for a specific amino acid. The amino acid sequence that results is the specific type of protein coded for by the original strand of DNA.

factorise the following x^3+x^2+1-x

By error you might have given this cubic equation. But having given the equation it has a solution. Since the question is possed by a high school student this may be beyond the syllabus.

In the theory of equations relating to the cubic equations, you can find how to arrive at the roots of a third degree equations.For  any third degree equation , f(x) = x^3+ax^2+bx+c=0 , if  alpha is a root of it,  then f(alpha) = 0. So, (x-alpha) is a factor of f(x) rremainder theorem.

A 3rd degree equation always has 3 roots, alpha, beta gamma, say. Then f(x) = x^3+ax^2+bx+c = (x-alpha)(x-beta)(x-gamma). So, the right side here,you see the factors which you wanted. But for this,you need to find the roots.

For the given expression, x^2+x^2-x+1 , a=1, b=1,c=-1 and d=1, could be expressed like (x-alpha)(x-beta)(x-gamma), if you find the roots, alpha,beta and gamma of the  cubic equation, x^2+x^2-x+1=0. Futher if you are interested you can feed a =1, b=1 c=-1 and d= 2 to any cubic solving calculator and arrive at  the alpha ,beta and gamma as below:

Alpha =   -1.8392867552141612,

Beta  =  0.41964337760708065 + i* 0.6062907292071992 and

Gamma =  0.41964337760708065 - i* 0.6062907292071992,

where i = (-1)^-(1/2) or square root of minus 1.

By calulator

What role does guilt play in Great Expectations?

Guilt does have a role to play throughout many different parts of the book.  After Pip first helps the convict Magwich by bringing him food and supplies, the next weeks are spent wracked with guilt; he is sure that someone will find out, and that Joe especially will find fault in him for helping a prisoner.  Guilt makes Pip jump at small noises, quail in fear when news comes, and it even interrupts his sleep.  Eventually, his guilt over helping the escaped convict does fade to the background, but for quite some time, Pip was ridden with a guilty conscience over the entire thing.

Guilt comes into play again after he has received his fortune and lived in London for a while.  He realizes that he has been treating Joe and Biddy horribly.  He never talks to them, hardly ever writes, and when Joe visits, Pip is awfully embarrassed by Joe's simple ways and embarrassing familiarity.  Pip doesn't treat them very well, and he knows this--it is a constant force, eating away at the back of his mind.  His guilt keeps him from fully enjoying the benefits of his new life, because he feels like he is a bad person, even if he is now a "gentleman."  When Pip does finally return home, and gets sick, he is so driven by guilt that in his feverish ramblings he focuses quite a bit on it.  After that, he repents his bad behavior and learns to treasure his family for the prize that they are.

One last rather unexpected area that guilt comes in is in relationship to Magwich's capture and death.  When Magwich arrives and reveals himself as Pip's benefactor, Pip is, at first, horrified, embarrassed and shocked.  Eventually though, he comes around, feels bad for Magwich, and as the old man is captured, Pip feels guilty for having treated him so horribly and having thought of him in such negative terms.  He stays by Magwich's side until his death; guilt and fondness drive him to be a good friend to him until the end.

Those are a few ways that guilt has a hand in the plot and character development of the novel; I hope that helped.  Good luck!

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, what were Huck's experiences and what does he learn (in Chapters 1-3 and 4-6)?It is a journey with Huck.

CHAPTER 1.   The Widow Douglas "adopts" Huck, but he abhors home life and is "so lonesome I most wished I was dead." One night, he hears the "Me-yow! Me-yow!" signal from Tom Sawyer and sneaks out to rendezvous with his pal.

CHAPTER 2.  Huck and Tom play a trick on Jim and then form Tom Sawyer's Gang. The boys take an oath and plan to meet again in one week.

CHAPTER 3.  Huck begins going to school regularly and slowly but surely begins to feel comfortable with Widow Douglas. But Huck's superstitions are working against him, and when he enters his room one night, "there sat Pap--his own self!"

CHAPTER 4.  Pap tells Huck that he's back for Huck's money, and he wants his boy back, too. Pap promises to turn over a new leaf, but Huck knows his father will never change.

CHAPTER 5.  Pap forces Huck to join him in an old log hut after he "took me up the river about three mile in a skiff." Huck enjoys the leisure time at first, but Pap begins to beat him and Huck looks for a way to escape. Huck learns that Pap doesn't think he will win his court case, and that the Widow Douglas will win Huck away from him. Pap comes in one night roaring drunk and, after he passes out, Huck retrieves the rifle and waits for Pap to awaken.

CHAPTER 6.  Huck discovers a "drift-canoe" floating near the cabin and hides it for future use. When Pap leaves for a few hours, Huck saws his way out of the cabin and escapes down river with the skiff and canoe. But before he leaves, he "pulled out some of my hair and blooded the ax good" to fake his death so no one will follow him. He heads to Jackson's Island, where he knows it will be safe for him for a while.

What are some facts in the story "By the Waters Of Babylon" that show that the story is set in the future?

Stephen Vincent Benet uses fragmented or distorted names for what he hopes his readers will identify as places near and within New York City.  For example, John must cross a great river called the Ou-dis-sun by his people.  Benet wants the reader to realize, after the tale is ended, that he was referring to the Hudson River.  Since civilization was destroyed by a great fire (probably bombs, based on his description of John's dream), those who survived may have been affected by radiation or were injured in other ways, leaving them with possible speech impediments.  Over time, "Hudson" might have come out as "Ou-dis-son".  Also, broken buildings and statues from the bombs left fragments of names such as UBTREAS (for the Subtreasury Building) and ASHING beneath a statue of a man who "wore his hair tied back like a woman's" (George Washington).  References to what we call "modern" conveniences (indoor plumbing, elevators, stoves) seem like marvels to John, whose people were descendents of those who survived the blast and all the technology was lost.  All these examples point to the fact that this story takes place in the distant future after the destruction of civilization.

What is the tone in Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant?

The tone in Thanatopsis reflects the narrator's attitude toward the topic. Tone is made more intricate because the narrator ceases to speak for himself and begins to speak for Nature ("Comes a still voice--"). There are many mood shifts as the speaker in Thanatopsis shifts and as the discussion shifts. Overall, the ultimate tone would be drawn from the final set-off stanza ("So live, that when thy summons comes to join"), which represents the last tone shift, and would be summed up as soothing, comforting and uplifting, though the major portion is in Nature's voice and is illuminating and factual.

Prior tones, at previous tonal shifts, are casual and informing ("To him who in the love of Nature holds"); sad and eerie ("...and she glides / Into his darker musings,"); illuminating and factual ("Go forth under the open sky,"); somber ("...yet the dead are there:"); sad but factual ("...and what if thou withdraw / In silence..."); hauntingly final ("As the long train / Of ages glide away,"); soothing and uplifting ("So live, that when thy summons comes to join").

Tone is defined as the speaker's or narrator's voice (or tone of voice). The tone establishes the emotional intent of the poet or author and is delivered by the speaker or narrator and produces the emotional quality of the poem or narrative. Tone differs from mood because tone is conveyed through language alone while mood is conveyed through setting, objects, images, details and words.

In "The Crucible" what struggles does John experience at the end of the play? What does his decision reveal about his character?

John is faced with several very difficult struggles at the end of the play.  First of all, he has been in prison for months, struggling with whether or not he should confess to witchcraft in order to get his life back; if he doesn't he will hang.  He knows that confessing will be a lie, and, as he states to Elizabeth, "It's hard to give a lie to dogs."  But, if he does lie, at least he'll have his life back.  Lying, he feels, fits how he feels about himself more--he feels like a sinner, not "a saint to mount the gibbet" with the likes of Rebecca Nurse.  He compares himself to people like her, who have reputations of piety and honesty, and feels himself unworthy to be hanged next to her.  So, lying would be more suited to his own viewpoint of himself; part of his struggle is that he feels unworthy of noble actions, and still feels like a sinner not deserving of praise or reverence.

Another struggle that he faces is that of making amends with Elizabeth.  When they speak for the last time, he begs her forgiveness.  In an incredibly poignant scene, she says it is not hers to give, but for him and God to work out between themselves, and then tells him,

"I have sins of my own to count...it takes a cold wife to prompt lechery."

She feels horrible because she was critical and unkind, which didn't help as John was tempted by Abigail.  They forgive each other, are reconciled, and have a moment's view of the love they could share if they both lived.  His reconciliation with his wife gives him one more temptation to confess.

However, another issue he must face is the impact that confession will have on his reputation.  He knows that his name will be tarnished in the town, and he knows that his children will have to live with the fact that his father lied, confessing to witchcraft.  It is hard to "teach them to walk like men in the world" when he himself has broken his integrity.

In the end, after almost confessing, he decides not to.  This reveals that at his core, he is truly an honest man filled with courage and integrity.  It also reveals that for the first time in the course of the play, he feels like he is a good enough man to die next to "saints" on the gibbet.  He remarks on this at the end, stating with wonder, "I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor," and Elizabeth doesn't constrain him, realizing that he has finally forgiven himself and feels up to the task of being a good person.  She states, "He have his goodness now; God forbid I take it from him," and he is taken to be hanged, with a clean conscience and confident heart.

I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

What does Becket say exactly about the honor of God, and is it correctly stated in the movie?

In Jean Anouilh’s play” Becket,“ Thomas Becket is a Saxon. He serves in the role for the king as his advisor and is the Chancellor of England. He later becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury which places in a controversial position with the king. He is a man torn between loyalty to the church and the politics of his day. The movie much like the play has the same theme of Becket’s realization of his love of honor of God. Becket does not let his friendship with the king interfere in his role for the church . Becket comes to realize that there is a difference between love of the honor of God And simply loving the honor towards God. He recognizes that his love for God is what is the honor. In the Courts of royalty Beckett finds no one capable of honor and feels that he himself must uphold it. This decision eventually leads to his death.

Becket describes honor as:

“I felt for the first time that I was entrusted with something, that's all—there in that empty cathedral somewhere in France, that day when you ordered me to take up this burden. I was a man without honor. And suddenly I found it—one I never imagined would ever become mine—the honor of God. A frail incomprehensible honor, vulnerable as a boy-King fleeing from danger.”

Honor for Becket became the love he had for God and his willingness to sacrifice himself for the love. By serving the church he felt that he was serving God with love not just experiencing honor by the position. The movie and the book demonstrated this in the same manner. It has been a longtime since I saw the movie but from what I recall both play and movie captured Becket‘s love of church fro God, and his willingness to gain king Henry II his former friend as an adversary.

Can it be found 20 treatments, at least, to combat the "orange peel" appearance of skin?

The name of  "Orange peel" is the equivalent of cellulite.

Cellulite treatments

 1.Massage with sea salt This process helps to strengthen connective tissue in areas with cellulite. Massage with sea salt is made in the shower, after which the entire body surface is rinsed with water thoroughly. Finally, it's recommended to use a moisturizing cream or remove a few slices of fresh cucumber.

2. Physical activity To prevent deposition of fat, water accumulation in the tissues or lymphatic circulation stagnation, 2-3 times a week we have to make time for exercise - cycling, swimming, jogging or even walking are  efficient activities in combating cellulite.

3. Dietary fat Reduce as much as possible the consumption of animal fats. Opt for foods cooked, fried or baked ... and not overdo with the sweets!

4. Massage cellulite This procedure simply "cut" the fat in tissues affected by cellulite. For massage can be used essential oils, such as rose, wheat germ, etc..

5. Packing clay and chamomile Special packing increases skin elasticity and prevent the inflammation. Clay powder is mixed with hot chamomile extract and homogenized until the paste becomes softer. Then, the areas affected by cellulite are covered with the paste,which is let it to dry and after 20 minutes is removed with warm water.

6. Cocktail that burns fat! This beverage is made from skim milk to which are added strawberries and blueberries. In general, berries standardize fat tissues, strengthens the connective tissue, skim milk improves digestion.

7. Beauty captured in cabbage Any healthy diet must include cabbage, because it helps to burn fat and eliminate toxins from the body, thereby helping to treat cellulite.

8. Dry massage These techniques should become as common as oral hygiene.

Dry massage techniques:
a. comfort massage - is done with the whole surface of the fingers or palm. The movements are long and all directed to the chest area.

b. embrocation - is done with fingers and less frequently with all your palm. The movements are slow, in depth, to facilitate relief, muscle relaxation but also the elimination of tension and contraction, or fast and energetic, helping to eliminate toxins and water from tissues.

c. kneading - is performed after a preliminary heating of the tissue with massage movements listed above. Kneading is done like I knead a bread dough.

9. Packing seaweed Some seaweed helps eliminate toxins from areas affected by cellulite, improving the effect of "orange peel".

10. Outdoor walks If you spend too much time sitting, blood circulation becomes poor, because acids are formed that lead to metabolic disorders. So, find time for walking because it is extremely effective!

11. Replace sugar with fruit

12. Secrets of "shower " Alternating hot water with cold in order to water shower  stimulates skin by improving blood flow to tissues.

13. Silicic acid This substance prevents the occurrence of fat, eliminating the appearance of "orange peel".

15. Potato Maybe you did not know, but the potato helps maintain skin elasticity, because it contains potassium which helps eliminate fluids and toxins from the body.

16. Standardization of fat deposits Patchy fat deposits can be alleviated by reducing the local hydration. Tincture of birch leaf helps eliminate toxins from the body.

17. Vitamin C

18. Onions - This vegetable is rich in iron, magnesium and calcium - substances that "clean" fats.

19. Regular bowel activity

20. The fight against stress

In "Ender's Game" Graff claims to be Ender's friend. Reflect on his tactics and behavior in light of this. Is he really Ender's friend?

Graff is Ender's friend, even though he may appear to be undermining him and going behind his back in many things. Graff keeps secrets from Ender, plots to challenge him, talks about him behind his back, and manipulates parts of his life.  All of these sound more like traits of an enemy than traits of a friend, don't they?  The key ingredient here is motive.  An enemy, whenever he acts out, does it out of hatred and in an attempt to destroy their opposition.  They manipulate and plot, all with the goal of hurting, offending, thwarting and undermining their enemy.  A friend, however, does things to try to support, encourage, enhance, and boost their friends.  Even if they do things that hurt sometimes (like be brutally honest, or push you too hard), it is all in the name of helping you to reach your potential, and helping you to improve yourself.

Which one of those motives can we assign to Graff?  Does he do these things to Ender to destroy him?  Does he do them to weaken and undermine him?  Hardly.  Instead, everything that Graff does--whether it seems friendly or not--is meant to strengthen Ender, boost him, help him to reach his potential, and to help him to be the happiest, in the end, that he can be.  It is less helpful to look at the individual acts that Graff commits against Ender, and more important to look at the motive behind those acts.  He is Ender's friend because everything he does, he does in the name of helping Ender.  And, he does it at the risk of his own job--he repeatedly angers Major Anderson, breaking rules and code to help Ender.  In the end, he even faces charges for his actions in helping Ender.  Only a friend would risk that.

I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

Classification of epithelial tissues after their function?

The four main functions of epithelial tissue are to provide physical protection, control permeablility, provide sensations, and to produce specailized secretions.  There are eight types of epithelium.

Simple squamous epithelium - found lining heart and blood vesses, lungs etc.  the function is to reduce friction and to absorb and secrete.

Stratified squamous epithelium - found on the surface of the skin and all openings to the body.  The function is physical protection against abrasions and pathogens.

Simple cuboidal epithelium - found in glands and ducts.  The function is secretion and absorption.

Stratified cuboidal epithelium - found lining some ducts it is rare.  Its functions are to protect, secrete, and absorb.

Transitional epithelium - found in the bladder and ureters.  The function is to allow expansion and relaxation after stretching.

Simple columnar epithelium - found in the lining of stomach, intestine, and gallbaldder.  The functions are protection, secretion and absorption.

Pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium - found in the lining of the nasal cavity, trachea, and bronchi.  The function is protection and secretion.

Stratified columnar epithelium- found in the pharynx, epiglottis, anus, and urethra.  Its function is protection.

In Act 2 of The Merchant of Venice, is Shylock a likeable character? 3 points please.

Shylock is not a likeable character in any parts of the play, but he is a sympathetic figure in some of the play's scenes.  Act 2, however, contains a mostly negative portrayal of the usurer.

1. First, in Act 2, Scene 5, Shylock is harsh with the imbecilic Lancelet and cold with his daughter Jessica.  He whines about having to go to a party and has nothing positive to say about anything.

2. Next, in Act 2, Scene 8, Solanio and Solario describe Shylock's horror at finding his daughter gone with his jewels and money.  Instead of bemoaning the loss of his only child, Shylock greedily cries over his lost possessions.

3. Finally, throughout the entire act, it is obvious that characters despise or mock Shylock.  Granted, much of their animosity toward him stems from their prejudice against Jews, but Shylock seems to have done little to win anyone's regard. His own servant quickly jumps at the chance to work for someone else.  His daughter seems to think nothing about leaving her only parent for a Christian and stealing his prized jewels/money at the same time.  Similarly, when the elopement occurs, no one shows sympathy for Shylock as they do for Antonio when it seems that his ships have been lost.

In "The Pit and the Pendulum" what are three different kinds of death the narrator almost faces, and how are they psychological and physical torture?

The first almost-death occurrence is when he stumbles in his dark prison, and comes right up against the vast pit that is in the middle.  He is lucky in this; he was wandering around blindly and happened to trip on his robe and fall, discovering the pit before he wandered into it and died.  If the fall into the pit didn't kill him, the rats, cold and wet down there would have eventually led him to a nasty death.  So fortunately, he discovers that evil before he falls in.  The discovery of the pit itself lets the reader know that his captors plan on not just outright killing him, but on torturing him; this is psychological tortuous in and of itself.  He knows he is doomed, but doesn't know how they will go about it--however, he suspects that it won't be fun.

His captors, once they realize the pit won't work because it has been discovered, move on the plan B:  the pendulum of death.  They tie him to a board and slowly lower a swinging pendulum with a scythe, or long, curved blade, attached at the end.  The narrator realizes that the blade will slowly, oh so slowly, slice through his chest.  This tortures hiim psychologically--the entire way down, he has to sit there and imagine the coming pain.  However, he uses his brains, rubs meat on the ropes binding his hands, and lets the rats eat through the ropes so that he can get out and escape.

Thwarted twice, the captors then set fire to his chamber; he describes, in a rather confusing scene, how he imagines the walls glowing red, and almost melting.  He realizes that he will suffocate and burn to death--he is starting to panic.  The psychological knowledge of that coming pain freaks him out.  Fortunately, he is resuced at the last minute by the French.

I hope that those thoughts helped a bit; good luck!

What are 5 diseases that disturb our sleep?

Sleep disorders may be symptoms of serious medical conditions or psychiatric problems, for which the determination is very important causes, treatment of sleep disorders of long duration without elucidating the causes of diseases can conceal the real reasons.

1) Restless legs syndrome

Restless legs syndrome is a medical condition manifested by intense feeling of discomfort, pain or spasms inside leg. Uncontrolled movements can affect the foot, ankle, knee or thigh.Movement legs and short walks can ease discomfort for short periods.Causes disease are unknown. Symptoms usually occur while a person is sleeping or trying to sleep.Spasms can cause awakening from sleep or cause insomnia, restless sleep and tiredness during the day.

2) Nightmares and sleep walking (Parasomnias)

Nightmares and sleep walking are two types of Parasomnias.Sleep may be difficult for an individual experiencing Parasomnias, because, unconsciously and unintentionally, can move around the room, may scream, rearranged furniture, eating strange food and even to jeopardize his or partners' lives .

3) Narcolepsy

Discovered in 1880 by Jean Baptiste Edouard Gelin, narcolepsy is a rare sleep disorder, manifested by uncontrollable need to sleep during the day and muscle weakness caused by strong emotions (joy or sadness / anger excessive);

The main symptoms are:

- Sudden sleep attacks that can occur during any activity or any time of day: during serving meals, driving, or wearing a conversation. Attacks may occur several times throughout the day and may last from several minutes to several hours.

-Cataplexy

Weakness may affect only certain muscle groups or whole body. Cataplexy is caused in most cases by strong emotional reactions such as crying or laughing.

- Hallucinations appeared after an attack of sleep;

- Loss of ability to move when sleep or awakening (sleep paralysis);

4) Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea defines a number of episodes of interruption of breathing during sleep, lasting as little 10 seconds (apnea episodes). Usually, these episodes are caused by blockage of the airway, when air passing through the mouth and nose is obstructed, breathing is stopped for 10 seconds or more.People suffering from sleep apnea, are usually very loud snorers and are tired during the day.Apnea can affect both children and adults.

5) Insomnia

Insomnia is the medical term that defines the difficulty falling asleep or maintain a sleep.

Insomnia can include:

- Difficulty falling asleep (required more than 45 minutes after the settlement in bed to sleep);

- Frequent waking during the night and inability to return to sleep;- Very morning awakening;

- Feeling tired after a night of sleep;Normally, insomnia is not a problem unless you cause weakness / fatigue during the day, unfortunately, treatments at home improve insomnia occasionally.

What is the size of a 'Clostridium tetani' bacterium and a 'HIV particle'?

Tetanus is caused by Clostridium tetani bacterium.It affects central nervous system. In their active form, these bacteria secrete powerful exotoxins that are responsible for such diseases as tetanus (lockjaw), botulism, PDD syndrome, and gas gangrene. The genus Clostridium consists of relatively large, Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria.The size of clostridium tetani is 4.0-8.0 µm in rod length and o.4-o.6 µm in rod diameter.

The HIV diameter is between100-120 nm for the all particle, the diameterof the core is ± 56,6 nm along the minor axis.

Sources:http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/immuno/1996-November/009099.html

What are the differences you find among the several love relationships in As You Like It?

the relationship between the two characters Rosalind & Orlando . they are two lovers from William Shakespeare play As you like it .  From the beginning ,  Rosalind is the daughter of Duke Senior. Rosalind, considered one of Shakespeare’s most delightful heroines, is independent minded, strong-willed, good-hearted, and terribly clever. Rather than slink off into defeated exile, Rosalind resourcefully uses her trip to the Forest of Ardenne as an opportunity to take control of her own destiny. When she disguises herself as Ganymede a handsome young man and offers herself as a tutor in the ways of love to her beloved Orlando, Rosalind’s talents and charms are on full display. Only Rosalind, for instance, is both aware of the foolishness of romantic love and delighted to be in love. She teaches those around her to think, feel, and love better than they have previously, and she ensures that the courtiers returning from Ardenne are far gentler than those who fled to it.

While Orlando is the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Bois and younger brother of Oliver. Orlando is an attractive young man who, under his brother’s neglectful care, has languished without a gentleman’s education or training. Regardless, he considers himself to have great potential, and his victorious battle with Charles proves him right. Orlando cares for the aging Adam in the Forest of Ardenne and later risks his life to save Oliver from a hungry lioness, proving himself a proper gentleman. He is a fitting hero for the play and, though he proves no match for her wit or poetry, the most obvious romantic match for Rosalind.

Their relationship is just like an imagery story of man and young woman whom falls in love with each other, although neither of them realizes that their feelings are shared.

Later, they meet under very different circumstances, except now the young woman (by name of Rosalind) has the appearance of a male in his late teens and calls herself Ganymede. The young man (whose name is Orlando) doesn't recognize Rosalind, and believing that Ganymede is a teenage boy, treats him as a male confidant and talks to him about his love for Rosalind. Ganymede teases Orlando about this woman he is in love with and promises to cure Orlando of his love, provided that Orlando courts Ganymede as if he were Rosalind. Orlando agrees to play this game. The first thing that makes is the situation interesting is that although Orlando doesn't see through Rosalind's disguise at all and is completely convinced that Ganymede is male, he finds himself strangely fascinated by the youth, and even attracted to him.

Rosalind clings to the part of Ganymede because of the freedom it allows her. In her boy's disguise, she escapes  the limitations of being a woman the conscious object of Orlando's love. She learns a great deal about herself, about Orlando, and about love itself which she could not have done within the normal conventions of society.

Finally , it is a comedy and love story at the same time . the two of them discovered that they love each other and it ended happily as Shakespeare wanted .

How significant were African Americans in shaping the progress of Reconstruction?

This is a matter of a great deal of debate.  No one really knows for sure.

The most common answer today is that the freed slaves were very important in shaping life after the war.  They are given credit for reestablishing family structure that had been hurt by slavery.  They are given credit for starting black churches that would become a pillar of the black community.

They are not, however, usually portrayed as having had much to do with the government of the South during this time.  This is a backlash against previous views of the subject that said that governments in the South were terrible because they were controlled by blacks who lacked the education and experience to be good legislators.  Today, most historians see Reconstruction as a failure and they tend to lay the blame at the feet of whites, both Northern and Southern.

Some scholars, notably Thomas Holt (himself African American) argue that blacks did have a great deal of influence in government as well.  Holt argues that black elites are to blame for the problems of other blacks because they looked down on the lower class blacks and did not do much to help them.

Overall: most historians give credit to blacks for shaping their own lives but do not blame them for the problems of Reconstruction.  (You can see this approach in the first answer posted here.)  Some revisionist scholars have started to argue that black elites, at least, deserve more blame than they get.

How does withholding the speakers race until the final line affect the poem? What if he was not black but was sympathetic to black poets?

I think that by withholding the speaker's race until the last line, Cullen is able to conceal the main point of the poem and thereby make it more of a surprise.

As a reader goes through the poem, not knowing how it ends, he or she is likely to wonder where the poem is going.  It seems more like a reflection on the ways of the world, and about why God allows what the poet sees as injustice.  But then when one reads the last lines, one is struck dramatically by the fact that the poem is about race.

If the poet were not black, it would sound pretty patronizing and perhaps even racist.  It would sound like why would God make some black person (with the implication that they're inferior) a poet?

What is Chapter 4 in Freak the Mighty about?

Chapter 4 in Freak the Mighty is entitled "What Frightened the Fair Gwen." In this chapter, Max gets acquainted with Freak, who tells him about the characters in the story about King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, and explains his interest in the science of robotics.

When Max takes his new neighbor Freak down into his room, he asks the little boy why he calls his mother "Fair Gwen of Air." Freak explains that what he is really saying is "Fair Guinevere," which is a reference to a character from the legend of King Arthur. Freak's Mom is named Gwen, so he sometimes playfully relates her name to Guinevere, who becomes the queen of Arthur, a "wimpy little kid" who accomplished the amazing feat of pulling a "magic sword stuck in a big stone" when men far bigger and stronger could not do it. Freak likes this story because its main character is a lot like him - a small, weak figure who aspires to do great things.

Freak then explains to Max about how the armor the knights wore had the effect of making them "like the first human version of robots." This leads to a talk about the science of robotics, which amazes Freak because of its perceived ability to overcome "the design limitations of the human body." Again, this is significant because it relates directly to Freak's situation. He is an individual who is trapped in a dwarfed body which cannot begin to allow him to do the things he dreams of doing, and he longs to have a body which can.

The chapter ends when Freak hears his mother, the "Fair Gwen," calling him.  He emerges from Max's room in response to her call, and Max notes immediately that Gwen is afraid of him, her son's large friend.

What are the main ideas of Thomas Traherne's The Salutation?

Thomas Traherne's (1636 or 1637 - 1674) "The Salutation" is a 'metaphysical poem.' After getting his M.A. from Oxford he took holy orders and served the Anglican Church faithfully till his death. He was a very humble and self effacing person whose literary worth was not recognized in his own life time. His poems were published only in 1903 in the "Poetical Works" and in 1910 in "Poems of Felicity."

The theme of his religious metaphysical poem "The Salutation" is about the life cycle of a Christian believer's soul.

Chronologically, the poem begins in the sixth stanza. Traherne tells us that God had created this earth long before he was born and prepared it for him by making it inhabitable and adorned it in a splendid manner. Traherne acknowledges his relationship with God as a true Christian believer by stating that he is "His son and heir."

The previous stanza, that is, the fifth describes what happens to his soul after his death. Since he is a true Christian believer his soul reaches heaven,

From dust I rise, And out of nothing now awake; These brighter regions which salute mine eyes, A gift from God I take.

As soon as he dies and is buried  his body becomes dust but, because of his Christian faith his soul goes to heaven and his eyes are "saluted" that is 'greeted' with the glorious sight of the  "brighter regions" that is 'heaven.' Salvation is a "gift" from God. It is Traherne's reward for his faith in Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world:

From dust I rise, And out of nothing now awake; These brighter regions which salute mine eyes, A gift from God I take.

Real enjoyment of the mundane beauties of this world  is only possible if a person values and longs to reach the "brighter regions" of heaven:

The earth, the seas, the light, the day, the skies, The sun and stars are mine if those I prize.

"Those" refers to the "brighter regions" of heaven.

Stanzas 2, 3, and 4 describe his rapturous joy and amazement at Jesus Christ's grace and mercy in resurrecting his dead body at his Second Coming and taking him with Him to heaven to enjoy the glorious treasures there:

New burnished joys, Which yellow gold and pearls excel!

He reiterates this in the last stanza which describes the status of his soul in heaven by saying that he is simply amazed and awed by the mysterious plan of Christ's salvation for his soul:

A stranger here Strange things doth meet, strange glories see; That strangest is of all, yet brought to pass. Strange treasures lodged in this fair world appear, Strange all and new to me; But that they mine should be, who nothing was,

Traherne's amazement and awe are foregrounded by his repeated use of the word "strange" and the 'play' in the word "stranger."

The first stanza is based on Jesus Christ's declaration, that one cannot enter heaven till he becomes a little child. The first stanza describes Traherne's wonder and amazement at being transformed into a small child in heaven:

These little limbsThese eyes and hands which here I find, These rosy cheeks wherewith my life begins, Where have ye been? behind What curtain were ye from me hid so long? Where was, in what abyss, my speaking tongue?

In the first stanza Traherne asks a series of rhetorical questions the answer to which is found in the middle of the fourth stanza:

Such sacred treasures are the limbs in boys, In which a soul doth dwell; Their organizèd joints and azure veins More wealth include than all the world contains.

Does Hamlet really love Ophelia? What tells us this from the play?

I do not believe that Hamlet loves Ophelia.  I think she is more of a sexual being to him.  She is more in love with him.  He tells her that he does not love, but she continues to believe that he does and that he will marry her.  Ophelia's love for Hamlet eventually leads her to commit suicide.  Ophelia's brother warns her that Hamlet is only playing with her.

"For Hamlet and the trifling of his favor

Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood,"

Hamlet is very cruel to Ophelia and accuses her of whoring around.  He tells her to go to a nunnery, implying she is sinful.  Hamlet dislikes woman perhaps brought on by his mother's affection for Claudius, his father's murder.  In addition, there is some evidence to support that Hamlet may have inappropriate feelings for his own mother.  Therefore, he is not mentally free to love Ophelia. 

Hamlet relates to Ophelia in this manner:

"As if he had been loosened out of hell,  To speak horrors-he comes before me."

What can you infer about Keats's opinion of art?

Keats' opinion of art is paradoxical and multi-layered.

There are many levels to art: the art piece itself, the depiction on the art piece, and the viewer.  Keats seems to be saying that the urn is affected by time differenlty than the viewers: whereas the urn ages slowly (its carved lines fade), the viewers age in real time (grow old).  Obviously, the urn has and will outlive most of its viewers.  It is, in a way, frozen in time.

Paradoxically, the action on the urn is in motion.  It has its own "time" and "movement."  Since an urn is a 3-dimensional object, and since it has a wrap-around type of narration, the urn functions as an early form of "moving image."  The viewer must walk around it and can never see all of it at once.

Much hinges on who says the last two lines:

'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,--that is all / Ye need to know on earth, and all ye need to know.'

Is it Keats speaking here?  A persona?  The urn?  Do the lines mean anything at all?

Dr. Milani (see source below), a CUNY Brooklyn professor, says this:

Some critics feel that Keats is saying that Art is superior to Nature. Is Keats thinking or feeling or talking about the urn only as a work of art? Your reading on this issue will be affected by your decision about who is speaking.

In other words, Keats paradoxically leaves his opinion of art up to us.

What is the charm that helps Grendel defeat Hrothgar's Danes in Beowulf?

In Beowulf, Grendel's skin is protected from being pierced by the Danes' swords.  I'll quote the lines from Burton Raffel's translation:

...All of Beowulf's

Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral

Swords raised and ready, determined

To protect their prince if they could.  Their courage

Was great but all wasted:  they could hack at Grendel

From every side, trying to open

A path for his evil soul, but their points

Could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron

Could not scratch at his skin, for that sin-stained demon

Had bewitched all men's weapons, laid spells

That blunted every mortal man's blade.   (368-378)

The world of Beowulf and Grendel is a world that includes magic.  Epic poems are not known for their realism, and this one is no exception. 

What does Joe teach Pip and how do Pip's sentiments toward Joe at various points in the novel serve as a barometer of Pip's values?"Great...

Most importantly, Joe in Dickens's "Great Expectations"  teaches Pip the meaning of real love.  From the time that Pip is small, Joe loves him, protecting him from "Tickler," and the wrath of his wife, Mrs. Joe.  Joe takes Pip with him and encourages the boy in his schoolwork. He instills moral values into Pip.  After Pip has told lies about his visit to Satis House, Joe tells Pip,

'There's one thing you may be sure of Pip,,,namely, that lies is lies.  However they come, they didn't ought to come, and they come from the father of lies, and work round to the same.  Don't you tell me no more of 'em,Pip.  That ain't the way to get out of being common, old chap.'

Yet, after scolding Pip, Joe encourages him, too, tell Pip he is "uncommon," not "common" as Estella has insultingly told him. Pip is "an uncommon scholar."

Joe accommodates Pip's wish to have Miss Havisham as his benefactor and dresses up to appear at her mansion.  Obviously, he is very uncomfortable, but he acquiesces to whatever is asked of him because he loves the boy. When Pip becomes a gentleman and Joe's appearance before Herbert embarrasses Pip, Joe tells Pip that he will not come anymore. 

You and me is not two figures to be together in London...I'm wrong out of the forge, the kitche , or off th' meshes.

But, he asks Pip to visit him at home.  Nevertheless, Pip grows to feel himself too high to visit Joe.  Still, the man does not chastise Pip, and when they next meet, Joe is as loving as ever.  In fact, Joe is the greatest friend that Pip has; he is the one who comes to Pip's aid after Pip is burned from rescuing Miss Havisham.  "Ever the best of friends; ain't us, Pip?" Joe comforts him.  Unselfishly, Joe returns to the forge as he is "Not wishful to intrude."

After Joe has come to nurse him, Pip is ashamed of himself.  He is also

'ashamed to tell him exactly how I was placed (financially).  He would want to help me out of his little savings, I knew...and I knew that I must not suffer him to do it.'

Clearly, from Joe Pip has also acquired integrity as well as the meaning of unselfish love.  With this sense of integrity, then, Pip visits Biddy and seeks to make things right with Biddy, asking her to marry him.  However, he learns that Biddy is to be married to Joe.  Unselfishly, Pip tells Biddy that she has "the best husband in the whole world..." and he says the reciprocal to Joe.

Armed with the valuale lessons learned from Joe, Pip assesses his other relationships, as well.  He reflects,

We owed so much to Herbert's ever cheerful industry and readiness that I often wondered how I had conceived that old idea of his inaptitude, until I was one day enlightened by the reflection that perhaps the inaptitued had neer been in him at all, but had been in me.

Out of friendship and love for Herbert--as taught to him by Joe--Pip goes to Miss Havisham and procures a solution to Herbert's financial woes without his friend's knowing, thus saving Herbert his gentlemanly pride.  From Joe, Pip acquires the good character to honor his friends.

Why is Janie considered a feminist if she is silent and waits till the end to decide to fight back?

I'm not sure to what section you're referring. If you're talking about the entire book, I have to disagree with you. Janie stands up for herself at several points throughout the novel. A better argument against her perceived feminism would be that she needs a man (Tea-Cake) in order to fully define herself as a woman. If you consider her killing Tex-Cake "Fighting back", again, I have to disagree with you. She kills Tea-Cake because he is infected with rabies, and is attempting to kill her. It doesn't have anything to do with some awakened self-realization or knowledge of her power as a woman.

However, if you're referring to her life with Joe Starks, then I would argue that yes, she remains silent. But you need to take cultural context into consideration: she is a woman, a black woman, who has no rights to speak of in this society. She imagined that her life with Joe would be free and easy, & to some extent it is. That is the financial aspect of the relationship. Joe is a successful man, and Janie reaps the material benefits of that success. But I think that as soon as Janie realizes what her life has become, & how much Joe hurts her/oppresses her, she stands up for herself. She tells him off, in front of the other men no less. After that, she doesn't let Joe tell her what to do or control her in any way. In fact, the power in the relationship shifts from him to her, and she proves herself a strong woman of the times.

It's importnat not to judge Janie according to our contemporary standards of feminism. We must understand that any attempt to lead an independent life was a strong statement for women in the 1930's.

Why are Romeo and Juliet called "star cross'd lovers?"

The story of Romeo and Juliet, traditionally listed amongst the Tragedies of Shakespeare, more specifically can be considered a "disaster!"  The phrase "star -cross'd lovers" of course refers to them both originating from warring households, that no matter what they felt for each other, the hard politics between their families would impede their love for each other, and cause the disaster of their suicides.  "Disaster" is a Greek word, "Dis" meaning "against" and "Aster" meaning "star...."

To a Shakespearian audience, more versed in astrology and the effects the heavens had upon humans and their affairs than we are, the phrase "star-cross'd" would suggest to them a bit of foreshadowing of the trouble ahead.

What characteristics of two ballads, "Lord Randall” “Get Up and Bar the Door,” show that they were intended to appeal general audiences?

The themes of these ballads are ones to which the general people could easily identify.  For instance, in "Get Up and Bar the Door," the obstinacy of the old married couple would not have been uncommon in Scotland; that the husband and wife are so stubborn as to not close the door, but instead allow two vagrants into their home is humorous in the ridicule of such determined obstinacy.  For, even when the wife's life is threatened, she will not speak in order to win the bet.

Likewise, the loving concern of the mother of Lord Randall is poignant and touches the heart of the readers of this ballad.  Like the ballad "Get Up and Bar the Door,"  "Lord Randall" has much rhyme and rhythmic pattern.  Of course, the refrains of both ballads appeal to many people. And, people enjoyed piecing together the meaning of ballads.  While there is more mystery attached to "Lord Randall," both poems stir emotional responses.

What did Jem do when Mrs. Dubose said Atticus "lawed for niggers?" And what did Jem learn from his encounter with Mrs. Dubose and her following death?

    Neither Jem nor Scout took very kindly to friends, neighbors or relatives who verbally attacked Atticus over his decision to defend Tom Robinson in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Cousin Francis had already felt the wrath of Scout's knuckles, and now it was Jem's turn to vent his anger.
    The children had never enjoyed passing by Mrs. Dubose's house, where she let loose long insults and tirades about many subjects, but they had been taught to be polite, so they rarely responded in an unfriendly manner. But, then one day, the old lady went too far.

    "Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!" 
    Jem stiffened. Mrs. Dubose's shot had gone home and she knew it.
    "... Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!"

After stopping by Elmore's Department Store to buy Scout the baton she had longed for, he took it and "ran flailing wildly up the steps into Mrs. Dubose's front yard." From there,

he did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned...

    Atticus formulated a fitting punishment for Jem, however. Jem would have to read to Mrs. Dubose every afternoon for a month. It was torture at first, but Jem learned to tolerate the old woman, but he never took a liking to her.

    "Thought you could kill my Snow-on-the-Mountain, did you? Well, Jessie says the top's growing back out. Next time, you'll know how to do it right, won't you? You'll pull it up by the roots, won't you?"
    Jem said he certainly would.

Finally, she dismissed him. Some time later, Atticus visited Mrs. Dubose's house one night. When he returned, he announced to Jem that she had died, but that she had kicked her secret morphine addiction that had made her so miserable, so temperamental. And she had left a present for him. It was a perfect camellia--a Snow-on-the-Mountain. She had bested him again, even in death.
    Later, Atticus explained to Jem that despite her slurs against him, "she was a great lady." When Jem angrily questioned his opinion, Atticus explained that it took great courage to kick the addiction, and that Jem's reading took her mind off her pain. Jem learned, as Atticus told him, that "She was the bravest person I ever knew."

What resentments does Richard harbor against the white people for whom he works in Black Boy?

In Richard Wright's autobiography, Black Boy, Richard tells of his attempts to earn enough money so that he can escape the impoverished life he lives.  In all of the jobs that Richard has, he resents the treatment given him by the whites; that is, Richard is incensed by the whites' perception that he is inferior. 

When he goes to work in a brickyard as a water boy, the owner's dog bites him.  After this incident, Richard asks to see the boss, but is told that the man is not in his office.  Later, however, the man walks toward Richard, saying "They tell me my dog bit you."  So, Richard shows the man the bite, but instead of concern, the man makes the flippant statement, "I never saw a dog yet that could really hurt a negroe."  And, in another case, Richard procures a job working for a woman who asks him if he steals; Richards tells her,"No,ma'am,...I don't steal." But, instead of being pleased at this response, the woman turns and says,

'Now, look, we don't want a sassy nigger around here'

As Richard walks home, he ponders on things that he has heard about whites looking upon Negroes as a variety of children, and

it was only in the light of that that her questions made any sense.

The next morning he reports to work, but Richard does not keep the job because the woman scoffs at his dream of becoming a writer.  Richard says that she 

had assaulted my ego; she had assumed that she knew my place in life, what I felt, what I ought to be, and I resented it with all my heart.  Perhaps she was right; perhaps I would never be a writer; but I did not want to hear her say so.

In many jobs, Richard is tense, trying to avoid curses and ridicule, learning to "

observe their every move, every fleeting expression, how to interpret what was said and what left unsaid. 

When Richard procures a job in an optical company run by a Northerner, he has hopes of learning the trade, but the Southern white men will not work with him.  At another job, Richard is tricked into fighting another black boy so that the men can gamble on them.  In another he works at a hospital, but when he expresses interest in the experiments that the doctors are performing with laboratory animals, his interest is repelled.

In all his jobs as a youth, Richard writes that he went to work to "face the whims of the white folks."  He cannot truly be himself; he says, that he "had begun coping with the white world too late," for he cannot make "subservience an automatic part of [his] behavior."

What happened to Dr.Heidegger's fiancee?

Consider how the text presents his former beloved and what it says about her fate:

The opposite side of the chamber was ornamented with the full-length portrait of a young lady, arrayed in the faded magnificence of silk, satin, and brocade, and with a visage as faded as her dress. Above half a century ago, Dr. Heidegger has been on the point of marriage with this young lady; but, being affected with some slight disorder, she had swallowed one of her lover's prescriptions and died on the bridal evening.

This quote therefore provides us with crucial information regarding Dr. Heidegger as a character. He is clearly a tragic figure, living with the guilt of having killed the one he loved, perhaps not through his own fault, but clearly feeling some kind of responsibility. I don't necessarily think that this quote suggests Dr. Heidegger is incompetent, but it definitely does present us with an incredibly tragic man - how would you live with yourself if on your advice your lover had taken a medicine which ended up killing them? It presents us with a thoughtful, sombre and reflective character who has been driven to explore ways to conquer death and time, but who, following his experiment, is able to recognise the benefits of age.

Explain the economic policy of laissez-faire.

Laissez-Faire is an economic policy that says governments should not interfere with the free market; let the market develop on its own.  This means that the government can not control restrictions, taxes, or businesses.  It essentially means that the economy should be left alone for people to do as they please.

Advocates for laissez-faire argue that individual self-interest and competition should dictate what happens to the market, while those against laissez-faire argue that government taxation and regulation are necessary to protecting the market.

What imagery is found in "The Gift of the Magi"?

When you are looking for imagery, keep your eyes open for any descriptions that use the five senses--taste, touch, sight, sound, or smell--to describe what is going on in the scene.  Imagery uses those detailed sensory descriptions to help the reader feel like they are right there, because they can sense the atmosphere, the sights, sounds, tastes, etc. of the scene itself.  It really enhances the scenes, and draws the reader into the characters and the actions, like they there witnessing it for themselves.

O. Henry uses imagry in "The Gift of the Magi" to enhance the scene, and to help us feel Della's emotions.  He uses imagery to describe the poverty of Della and Jim's situation.  They have a "shabby little couch," which helps us to picture a worn-out, small sofa that has seen better days.  The name of Dillingham on the mailbox is described as

"blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D,"

which helps us to picture a worn through, down-trodden mailbox and nametag, symbolizing their high hopes that had not been realized.

Other great uses of imagery come in describing Della's appearances and emotions.  O. Henry describes her crying fit as "sobs, sniffles, and smiles," helping us to imagine the messy cry that she had over the money.  Then, when she gets her hair idea,

"Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds."

It is easy to picture her shining eyes and pale skin--it paints a picture of sudden excitement, and even a little dread.  Her all-important hair

"fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters."

This beautiful description helps us to picture the absolute gorgeous nature of her hair, which makes the loss of it that much more sad.

O. Henry uses imagery to paint a picture of the Dillinghams' poverty, and of Della's intense desire to make her husband happy.  It effectively draws the reader in, enhances the themes, and adds to the story's charm.  I hope that helped; good luck!

Whar does Nick say is the only compliment he ever gave Gatsby and why does he respect Gatsby?Chapters 8 or 9, Quotes if possible from "The Great...

In Chapter Eight of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," Nick listens to the history of Gatsby's love affair with Daisy, a tale full of melancholy introspection upon Gatsby's part.  As Nick leaves for his train, he comments that he did not want to leave Gatsby; they shake hands, and as Nick starts to leave, he calls back,

'They're a rotten crowd...You're worth the whole damn bunch put together.'

The realization comes to Nick that of all his rich acquaintances  Gatsby is the only pure one.  His romantic committing of himself "to the following of a grail" is, of itself poignant.  But, when Gatsby says that he "took" Daisy and then felt the obligation of marrying her, bespeaks much to Nick of the honor of his friend.

In Chapter Nine, Nick repays this honor and promises his dead friend that he will

get somebody for you...Don't worry. Just trust me and I'll get somebody for you--

In Chapter Nine, Nick, of course, is the only friend who attends Gatsby's funeral; thus, he pays Gatsby the compliment of respect.  The symbolically wise character, "Owl-Eyes," arrives and remarks upon how so many came and went to Gatsby's house, but yet they are not present.  Then, at the end of this chapter, Nick reflects upon Gatsby's having noticed the "green light at the end of Daisy's dock."

He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.  He did not know that it was already behind him...It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...And one fine morning---

Nick compliments Jay Gatsby by admiring his idealism.  A Gatsby, Nick says, is the best that America can produce.

Critically appreciate the essay 'A Piece of Chalk' by G.K.Chesterton?

The essay 'A Piece of Chalk' by G.K. Chesterton was typical of those writings of his which reflected on life's deeper purpose, meaning and facilitation which were brought on by the simplest of life's little daily events - in this case forgetting a white color and picking up a piece of soft rock (chalk) to write with instead. He was not the first to write like this - similar famous reflections include those by St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas (to hold all the world in 'a grain of sand.')

Chesterton was staying in the south of England and went out the chalk downs to draw. He brought all his chalks with him except the most important one - white! He had to pick up a chalky pebble from nearby to finish his work and got to thinking - that England was a piece of chalk.

Some things you might want to crtically appreciate - is that staement true or simplistic? Did he twist the concept to fit his reflections? (England has chalk cliffs in the south-east corner - it also has coal and very many igneous rocks,granite moors and headlands in the west country,slate,shale,London Beds and shale!)

Look for paradox (white can be a color - if it's used on a dark background) is that true? Did Chesterton did have our benefit of science/light technology education?

Look for other 'ordinary' things in the essay (brown paper) and comment on those in the same way.

Discuss how Daniel Defoe achieves verisimilitude in Robinson Crusoe and provide two examples.

First, I would look up the explanation of verisimilitude given in the Robinson Crusoe Study Guide, under "Style." You will find that verisimilitude is a literary technique by which writers used to produce the SEMBLENCE of reality in their works. The very fact that "Robinson Crusue" was formally entitles, "The Life and Strange Adventures of Robinson Crusoe," implies that its author, Defoe, wanted his readers to think of his story as a true story. Many late seventeenth century and early eighteenth century novels were called "history" for the same reason.

So, to answer your question, I would say the WHOLE novel would be the first example of verisimitude. Defoe gives a pseudo-historical account of his protagonist, Crusoe, and the stories that follow, follow in a historical sequence, all the way up to his return to England and settling down once again.

But, of coure, there are also many, many individual examples.

One of the principal examples of verisimilitude is the whole section (or sections) where Defoe describes Crusoe constructing for himself all the things he would need to survive alone in the island: he cooks, creates a shelter for himself and makes a boat. When he discovers that a shipwrecked boat has floated on to the beach, bereft of any survivors, Crusoe makes numerous trips to it in his little boat, to and fro, bringing things he needs to live his life from the boat. To many readers, this part can seem to be awfully tedious and repitative, but the very technique of repitation, inducing the tediousness, is a technique of verisimilitude.

The second example of verisimilitude -- this time a much more interesting one, I think, is his meeting with Man Friday, the man Crusoe rescues. It is interesting because in this story about discovering Friday, civilizing him according to English culture, converting him to Christianity, then rescuing his captive father by waging a war on the cannibals who had captured the "senior Friday" and finally extending the war-effort to capture and eventually become a leader of these natives constitutes a whole model of conquering a foreign, usually a "backward" people, colonizing them and making them do as bid. In the late seventeenth century, Britain was very much into colonizing parts of Africa and Asia (just as the Spaniards and Portugese colonized the Americas). This was considered to be a great achievement on the part of English men, and Defoe's creation of the very process of colonialism through this type of verisimilitude was hugely appreciated by his readers.

I hope this response helps.

Electrons in the third orbital of sulphur are involved in reactions. How many electrons does a sulphur atom have?

Sulphur has 16 electrons about its nucleus.  These orbit around at different energy levels, called shells, the innermost shell being the most tightly bound to the positively charged nucleus. Two electrons orbit around the nucleus in the first shell, 8 electrons orbit in the second shell, and only 6 orbit in the third shell. All atoms tend to react to complete their outer shells; the third shell would like to contain 2 more electrons for a total of 8, and it does this by sharing the electrons of another atom.  This is why sulphur reacts with other atoms willing to share their surplus electrons and form compounds.

What are some examples of verbal irony in The Outcasts of Poker Flat?

Irony exists when what happens or is said is out of keeping with what is expected. For instance, for a nun to win an award from an organization called Atheists International would be ironic because you wouldn't expect a connection between nuns and atheists. Another instance of irony would be for someone to stand in a monsoon with an umbrella and say, "It's a bit damp." This would be ironic because it would be out of keeping with what was actual or expected.

Verbal irony is a literary device (a tool used for a specific purpose by authors) that is a figure of speech. Figures of speech are not meant to be understood literally. They must be understood figuratively: Their real meanings are different from the words' actual meanings. In verbal irony, which may be spoken or written, the writer/speaker expresses an awareness (maybe more of an awareness than other people have) of the contrast between what is and what should be.

Bret Harte makes use of the literary device figure of speech called verbal irony in The Outcasts of Poker Flat. There are several very good instances at the beginning of the story in which Harte employs the literary device of verbal irony to illustrate that the virtuous secret committee isn't really so virtuous. 

One example is the statement:

There was a Sabbath lull in the air, which, in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences, looked ominous.

Harte uses this verbal irony based on the Sabbath to humorously show that the town, whatever it thought of itself, wasn't really a town devoted to doing good.

Another example is the later statement:

It was experiencing a spasm of virtuous reaction, quite as lawless and ungovernable as any of the acts that had provoked it.

This verbal irony uses the idea of virtue to show lack of virtue. It means that the secret committee of Poker Flats may think that they are behaving virtuously but that their behavior is really the same as lawlessness.

There are some other very good examples of verbal irony in The Outcasts of Poker Flat for you to find. One has to do with getting rid of "improper persons" and a reference to a sycamore tree. Another one has to do with "sentiment" and "equity" and "fortune."

To read more about irony, see the Encyclopedia Britannica.

In The Hound of the Baskervilles, what job did Sherlock Holmes assign to the boy Cartwright and why?It is from Chapter 4.

In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, the boy Cartwright is a handy assistant for Wilson, a hotel manager. Holmes had worked with Cartwright on a case to aid Mr. Wilson; it is for this reason that Holmes requests Cartwright's services again.

The task Holmes assigns Cartwright for The Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles is to find a particular page from "yesterday's" edition of the London Times newspaper. Cartwright is to go to the twenty-three hotels near at hand and ask each outside porter (doorman) for permission to look through yesterday's wastepaper, which had been collected from the hotel's wastepaper baskets.

Holmes informs Cartwright that the outside porters would direct him to each hall porter (inside porter). Cartwright was to ask each hall porter the same question. His pretense was to be that he was looking for a misplaced ("miscarried") telegram. He was to keep it a secret that he was really looking for a page of the London Times.

Holmes instructs Cartwright that the odds were that the hall porters would say that the wastepaper had been incinerated but that a few would escort him to the wastepaper bin.

There he will look for the center page of "yesterday's" London Times (a sample of which Holmes hands to Cartwright) that has parts of the page cut out of it. To insure the cooperation of the twenty-three outside porters and the twenty-three hall porters, Holmes gives Cartwright twenty-three shillings twice and an additional ten shillings for emergencies. The purpose of this task is to attempt to find an important clue to the mystery.

In "Lamb to the Slaughter" is Mary Maloney observant and calculating till the end?

Mary shows her observant nature throughout the entire storyline.  We see it first in how she notices that her husband is behaving strangely; he chugs his entire cup of whiskey.  She is so observant that Dahl writes:

"She wasn’t really watching him, but she knew what he had done because she heard the ice cubes falling back against the bottom of the empty glass when he lowered his arm."

Not even looking at her husband, she knows he has downed his drink, which, she notes, is "unusual."  She continues to watch him through the conversation, becoming more alarmed.

Her observant nature continues until the end of the story.  Even as she is sobbing out her story about coming home to discover her husband dead, she takes note of what the detectives say about what the grocer said.  Dahl states that despite "her sobbing she heard a few of the whispered phrases" of the detectives, confirming her alibi and whether they believe it.  As the search for the weapon commences,  she sits in the front room, but listens carefully, and can tell that there were cops everywhere because she could "hear their footsteps."  She even notices as it gets late that the policemen were "growing weary, and a trifle exasperated."  And, as they eat, she listens to their words.  So, she is very observant, from beginning to end.

Her calculating nature comes out more after she commits the crime.  She immediately concocts a plan to cover her tracks, brings the cops into the house, listens to them carefully, and then when they are getting restless, she very carefully manipulates them into taking a drink, and eating the lamb.  Her calculating up through the end of the story works out perfectly, and it is the cops themselves that eat the evidence of the crime.

I hope that those thoughts help; good luck!

In what ways are Montresor and Fortunato alike in "The Cask of Amontillado"? How are they different? Compare and contrast.

Montresor and Fortunato are both Italian gentlemen of high social standing. They are friends, or at least were at some point in the past. Both enjoy wine, and it is this mutual love for the drink that Montresor uses to lure Fortunato into the catacombs. They are also both prideful; an imagined injury to said pride is why Montresor is bent on punishing Fortunato. Fortunato's pride as a wine connoisseur is what keeps him traveling through the catacombs, even when he is unsure of Montresor's intentions. This is where the similarities end.

Montresor is portrayed as cunning and sly, in contrast to Fortunato's rather bumbling drunkenness. He is also obsessed with revenge, revealing a dark side to his nature. Fortunato seems good-natured on the other hand, attempting jokes and seemingly intent on having a good time. He is also guileless and gullible, a bad combination for someone who has crossed Montresor. His jester's costume symbolizes that he will play a fool, while Montresor cape and mask of black silk reveals he will play the executioner.

What is the poem saying in "Ars Poetica" by Archibald MacLeish?

Archibald MacLeish's poem, "Ars Poetica" is about the art of poetry.  In it MacLeish leans heavily toward the idea of concrete imagery.  Each of the 12 couplets that comprise this poem give a simple, concrete definition of poetry that pit images against common things such as stone worn down by many people (sleeves) having rubbed against it or an open, abandoned doorway littered with fallen leaves.  The idea is that these images are clear in the mind of the reader, as clear as they were in the mind of the poet, thus the poetry has succeeded in giving the reader the same feelings the poet had when he wrote the poem.  MacLeish feels that a poem's job is to do just that - recreate in the mind of the reader the same image the poet had as he created the poem.  In that regard the poem could be viewed as an instruction on how to write a poem.

I need help with my book analysis. Ive never written one before. Anyone have some easy tips?

When you analyze something, you take a close look at it, examining its elements and how it's put together. Therefore, in a book analysis, you're taking a close look at various elements of your book and considering how the parts come together as a whole.

I sometimes tell my students to think about what they would say if they were talking to someone who'd never read the book, though without going into a detailed description of the plot; a book analysis does not usually include a detailed plot summary. At a very basic level, you'd need to tell them title, author, date/place/year of publication. Then you'd need to describe what makes up the book: theme(s), focus, or perhaps the purpose of the book. Additionally, you might consider reasons that you think the author might have written it. Reflect on your own opinion about the book and consider whether you think the author was successful in what sh/e was trying to accomplish.

Another way to think about it? Consider how they do "gown analysis" on Oscar night. They pick apart each dress, talking about the designer, fabrics, complementary jewelry, etc. In a similar fashion, you'll "pick apart" your book.

In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, where does Daisy discuss her feelings after giving birth?

Daisy's comment about her little girl appears near the end of Chapter 1.  She tells Nick,

" 'Well, she [Daisy's baby] was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the ether with an utterly abandoned feeling, and asked the nurse right away if it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. ‘all right,’ I said, ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.'"

This comment is another part of the awkward conversation between Nick and his cousin during the Buchanans' dinner party in Chapter 1.  Nick had brought up the subject of Daisy's little girl to try to get Daisy's mind (and the conversation) off of Tom's mistress who was calling.

Daisy's feelings about the birth of her little girl also foreshadow her affair with Gatsby.  Not only does she reveal in her quote, that Tom's cheating is nothing new to her, but she also relays her loneliness and need for someone to idolize her.

Why do managers need the knowledge of economics in business?

Managers need to have a basic understanding of economics to understand the concept of value, for example, product value or service value. Value has a special meaning in economics since nothing has intrinsic value. It is only valuable if it is scarce or has a market value, meaning many people want it.

As far back as 1871, Carl Menger recognized that economic value is given by each person in a society. For example, in contemporary society people value coffee and Starbucks has high reputation for coffee, so it has a high value. However in another society where people do not value coffee, Starbucks would not even exist.  The value for various materials in society such as products, land, and labor used to create consumer goods do not actually increase. They increase only in response to their future value by customers. The famous economist, Menger, highlighted this.

In short, economics in a consumer society such as in the U.S., are based upon value which is essentially subjective. However there are objective ways of measuring the consumer market. Through bidding, consumer values are defined.  Bids for specific products or services define what members of that society think is important. This trickles down to the consumer in the form of prices. What society thinks is most important costs the most. Think of education, a college degree etc. Entertainment--video game players etc.

The manager needs to be informed by these basic principles of economics to "play the market" sort of speaking. He or she needs to understand how critical a role public perception plays in increasing the "subjective" value of a product or service in the minds of consumers. The more the consumer believes they need the product or service, the higher the price they will be willing to pay for it.

In addition, if consumers believe an item to be "in limited supply" they will buy it. For example, a study was done in supermarkets that showed that when the manager writes on the sale sign "limit two per customer", that the customers purchased those items faster. This suggests that the customers think the item is in great demand and that there exists a limited amount. They believe that scarcity affects them personally , in fact, when it does not. The fear imposed by the idea of scarcity depends on whether you really want or need the item, in the first place. If ringworm were scarce no one would know about it; but if some consumer good that everyone considers important became scarce, such as gasoline, the prices would be sky high and evryone would be talking about it as the number one energy problem.

It is critical for a manager to know basic economic theory and how it applies to offering products and services to the public in a market economy, in order for a business to be managed successfully.

In "The Crucible" Mary Warren's testimony is destroyed in the end because she cannot do something. What? How does she explain the problem?

Mary Warren comes the courts in act three to testify that she and the other girls had been faking their testimonies the entire time. They were pretending to faint and be afflicted by witches.  Mary is scared to give this testimony, because, as she says at the end of act two, "they'll turn on me," referring to the other girls.  They will turn on her and accuse her of being a witch if she dares speak up about their theatrics.  But, Mary does go to court, and despite her fear, tries to testify.  However, the judges, and Parris, are skeptical.  They don't get how they girls could be faking.  They say that she herself would faint dead away and be cold to the touch--how did she do that?  She tells them it "were all pretense," and so they say, well, pretend now.  If you can pretend in court, pretend now.  Mary tries, really hard, but can't do it.  You might think it's easy to fake a faint, but she is in a highly pressured situation, with everyone staring at her.  Her life is potentially on the line, she's nervous, and can't do it.  She says that it was easy in court because all of the other girls were screaming and fainting, and she caught the hysteria of it all and went along with it, almost believing it herself. If you have ever started screaming in a crowd of people, simply because others were screaming, or if you've been to a concert and gotten carried away with the crowd, you know what she felt in the courtroom.

So, because she couldn't fake a faint while alone, the judges conclude she must be lying.  Abby helps them along by pulling her own stunt, pretending that Mary is a bird come to tear her eyes out.  In the end, Mary's testimony is weakened at that point, and eventually, she caves, turning on John, and going back to her friends.  I hope that helps.  Good luck.

What good or honorable church people does Chaucer include to balance his satire in The Canterbury Tales?

Chaucer likes the Parson.  In his description of him in the General Prologue, he says that the parson knew his gospel and preached it devoutly.  He gave the church offerings to the poor.  He never neglected a parishoner in need no matter what the weather.  The Parson preached the belief that if the parishoners cannot trust and believe in their parish priest, or any man of God, then the parishoners cannot be expected to lead a good life when they aren't shown an example by their priest.  Chaucer goes on to say that the Parson did not give himself airs nor did he give himself any comforts.  The Parson was completely devoted to serving God and his parishoners.  Clearly this was what Chaucer felt all clergy should be like.  He shows us early in the GP, all the faults of the clergy through characters like the Monk, the Prioress, the Friar and then later, in the tales themselves, with the Canon and those who worked for the church (but were not clergy) - the Summoner and the Pardoner.  There are no other clergy that Chaucer likes and talks about at length besides the Parson.  The nuns who are with the Prioress are barely mentioned and another priest is given a tale to tell but is not described at length in the General Prologue.  Those clergy are given neither a positive nor a negative description.

What effect does Frost's use of personification have on our interpretation of this piece? Explain your response with direct reference to the...

Strictly speaking Frost does not use personification at all in his poem "Out, Out - ."  The saw in the poem has not been personified. Throughout the poem Frost uses only the impersonal pronoun 'it' to refer to the saw. Only if he had used the personal pronoun 'he' or 'she' it can be said that Frost has explicitly personified the saw.

What Frost has done is, he has merely attributed human characteristics to an inanimate object like the saw. The 'buzz saw' in the following lines takes on a human attribute -  that is, it could understand the meaning of the word 'supper' just like the boy and leaped or seemed to leap out of the boy's hand:

the saw,
As if it meant to prove saws know what supper meant,
Leaped out at the boy's hand, or seemed to leap -

The technical term for the rhetorical device which Frost has used is known as 'Pathetic Fallacy.' The term 'Pathetic Fallacy' was first coined by the art critic John Ruskin (1819 - 1900) in his work "Modern Painters" (1856).  Ruskin defines 'pathetic fallacy' as  “to signify any description of inanimate natural objects that ascribes to them human capabilities, sensations, and emotions."

The difference between 'personification' and 'pathetic fallacy' is subtle. In 'personification' the inanimate object virtually becomes a human being and it is represented by the personal pronouns 'he' or 'she.'  In 'pathetic fallacy' the inanimate object merely takes on human qualities and is represented only by the impersonal pronoun 'it.'

How far fate is responsible for Macbeth's doom?

I would like to read Macbeth as essentially a Renaissance play dealing with the tragedy of 'vaulting ambition' in a fast-expanding world, in a world in which individual will locked its horns with dark fatality.

If we tend to conclude that Macbeth shows fatal victimhood, it is surely an unjust negation of the worthiness of 'Bellona's bridegroom', of the story of the fall of the brightest of angels in the muddled heaven of Scotland. The fact that Macbeth was an incomparable soldier, a great saviour of Duncan's Scotland, should not be set aside in a bid to prove his victimisation in the hand of Fate, the witches serving as agents of inscrutable fatality.

The story of Macbeth is one of temptation and fall. But did the witches tempt Macbeth? Surely not. The witches' proclamations were but an exteriorisation of the seed of evil already in Macbeth. Macbeth is an example of a self-divided personality, the unlawfully ambitious Macbeth tempting the Macbeth of imaginative conscience and moral scruples. Shakespeare dramatises the theatre in the soul of his protagonist through soliloquies and asides.

'Macbeth' is a Renaissance Morality play, a play that reveals the battle between predestination and free will. Macbeth's fall is chiefly due to his submission to the temptation within himself, rather than any hostile predestination. The witches led a trap; Lady Macbeth stood actively by him; but, after all, it was his own ambition which paved 'the primrose way to everlasting bonfire'.

How does Macbeth react when Duncan declares his son Malcolm heir to the Scottish throne?

In the most basic terms, Macbeth reacts with shock at Duncan's announcement of Malcolm as heir. The Scottish system of ascendancy to the throne was different from England's system of primogeniture (first born son takes the throne). Scotland's system was that of tannistry whereby ascension to a vacated throne was the possible right of any male heir, which, of course, led to considerable blood shed. In effect, the law of tannistry meant that the last heir standing was the new king. Duncan was instituting ascension by rule of primogeniture instead, even though he was fully aware of and appreciative of Macbeth's superior qualities: Duncan recognized a higher good in initiating rule by a bloodless law. Ironically, perhaps Macbeth's ascension under the law of tannistry may have been bloodless because it seems all the other thanes supported him. However, Duncan had one chance and one chance only to initiate a peaceful law of ascendancy in Scotland.

All this eluded Macbeth. He was only shocked and apparently enraged by Duncan's words. Macbeth didn't hear or understand the praise and honor he was being bestowed. He didn't see that Duncan had a greater good in mind for Scotland than the selection of one new king. Again ironically, perhaps it was Macbeth's superior qualities that convinced Duncan it would be safe to institute primogeniture in place of tannistry because he believed he could rely on Macbeth to support him and to see the advantage to the thanes and Scotland. However, Macbeth's ambition and shock led him to embrace the spirit of darkness to conceal his foul plans and deeds and to shield his own eyes from his deed. Since Macbeth consults witches, his primary concern may not have been to evade the eyes of God in the darkness but rather to shield his own sight from his deeds, thus sparing himself some of the horror of his own actions.

For more information on Macbeth's reaction to Duncan's announcement, please read the excellent article written by the San Ramon Campus of Diablo Valley College English 154 Class the content of which is taken from audiotaped lectures about Macbeth prepared and delivered by William Harlan Ph.D.

What does Capulet mean: "When the sun sets, the air doth drizzle dew; But for the sunset of my brother's son it rains down right"?In Act 3, Scene...

In Romeo and Juliet, it is ironic Lord Capulet, who himself has exemplified irrational and impetuous behavior in Act One when, seeing Lord Montague, he shouts for his "long sword" with which to slay his enemy, now in Act Three issues a speech of wisdom as he disparages the excessive emotion show upon the death of Tybalt:

When the sun sets, the earth doth drizzle dew [some cry];/But for the sunset [death] of my brother's son/It rains downright [it seems that everyone is crying]....How now! a conduit [fountain], girl?  what, still in tears? (III,v,132)

Since the first two lines are a rather philosophical reflection upon life in general, any metaphor comparing Juliet does not come until the line after what has been quoted:  "How now! a conduit...." Capulet believes that his daughter's tears, to which he compares a sea, are creating such an emotional storm ("Thy tempest-tossed body" l.140) that a calm needs to settle upon her, even though he was angered at Lady Capulet for her efforts to calm him in Act One.  Thus, he asks his wife if she has told Juliet about her marriage proposal, believing this occasion will be the "sudden calm"  upon "the bark [ship]" (III,v,136) that is Juliet.

In Lord of the Flies, why do you think Piggy tells Ralph about his asthma 'with a touch of pride'?

Throughout Lord of the Flies, we're led to believe that Piggy has never stood out for anything.  He's weak, wears glasses, is overweight -- he's nothing like the athletic, charismatic boys he encounters on a regular basis.  Ralph and Jack both are looked upon highly because of their demeanor and athleticism and strength of character, be it good or bad.  In school, the only reason why Piggy may have received any special attention was his asthma.  He would have needed special care should an attack occur.  So, in the beginning, when he first meets Ralph, he says that he has it with that touch of pride because before landing, he stood out with that.  Little does he realize that it is not necessarily a mark of respect but one of weakness, and it's his weaknesses that are his downfall in the end.

Give an example and analysis of metaphor in A Christmas Carol.

Is not the title itself a metaphor?  Carols at Christmas tell stories about the Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; or, they tell of someone's seeing the star in the heavens, or they relate some other facet of Christmas with lyrical lines that form a narrative.  Thus, A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, his heartlessness and his various experiences which effect a powerful change in the character.

At the end of Dickens's classic tale, Scrooge exudes warmth and kindness, much in contrast to his description in Stave One which is an extended metaphor:

A frosty rime [frost] was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and on his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and he didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas.

Scrooge is so unfriendly, cold-hearted, and cruel that the very air seems to chill with his presence.

What is John Proctor's reaction when Elizabeth is arrested?

When Elizabeth Proctor is arrested in Act II, Scene 4, John Proctor reacts vigorously.

First, he challenges Cheever aggressively. He asks what the evidence is and derides the relevance of the poppet. He pushes Mary Warren to admit that the poppet is hers.  When Cheever arrests Elizabeth anyway, John goes so far as to rip up the warrant for her arrest.

Finally, after Elizabeth is gone, John tries to get Mary to testify that Abigail was the one who stuck the needle in the poppet. He goes so far as to start choking her when she refuses.

Why earthquakes are more common in Japan?

Japan has a lot of earthquakes because there's this giant catfish curled up under the islands and when it moves, earthquakes happen... NO, of course not, but that's an old Japanese myth.

The real reason why Japan has so many earthquakes is because of where it is on the globe.  Japan sits on an area where two tectonic plates meet.  Tectonic plates are, of course, the plates on which the earth's continents and oceans sit.  The plates float on the molten rock below.  When they move, earthquakes can happen.

Japan is on the place where the North American plate and the Eurasian plate meet.  It is also near to the Philippine and Pacific plates.  The first two are more important because they meet right under Honshu -- the main island of Japan.

What is the difference in photosynthesis and respiration in eukaryotic microorganisms and bacteria?

Bacteria are prokaryotes--their genetic material is not contained within  a nucleus. Because they are also so small, it is easier to get the necessary products of photosynthesis and respiration to all parts of the (one-celled) organism, than it is in eukaryotes. In eukaryotic plants, photosynthesis takes place within the chloroplasts, and respiration in the mitochondria. In prokaryotes such as bacteria, it is not necessary to have specific organelles devoted to these functions as, again, the cells are so small. These process instead take place in the cytoplasmic membrane, in extensions or infoldings. The link I attached has a great, simple list of the major differences between eukaryotes and prokaryotes.

Name one holy destination and its importance to the religion for each of the following belief systems.The belief systems are: Christianity Islam...

Christianity -- a major holy destination is Jerusalem.  That is the site of, among other things, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Islam -- the major holy destination is Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.  Mecca is holy because that's where the Prophet Mohammed received his revelations and where he spent the first years after the start of Islam as a religion.

Buddhism -- a major holy site is the tree under which the Buddha is supposed to have attained enlightenment.  That is called the "Bodhi Tree."  It is in the city of Bodh Gaya or Gaya in the state of Bihar in North East India.