What are the consequences of following the crowd as shown in "The Lottery"?

Well--this is an interesting ethical and moral question because in actuality, the consequences of following the crowd, as shown in Jackson's "The Lottery," are nill: no consequences are apparent at all--except for one particular person. However, supposing Jackson's characters are capable of true human emotion (which they don't seem to be as their is a deeply distanced separateness: "the men began to gather, surveying their own children, .... [But they] stood together ..."), there may be consequences of sorrow for the family of the lottery winner.

The reason I say there are no consequences apparent except the two above is that Jackson disallows any notion of consequences through her characterizations of the gathering villagers. First, the lottery is timed so that all may return home in time for lunch ("noon time dinner"):

so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.

Second, the lottery is viewed as an interruption to work ("Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you") that must be ended as quickly as possible so that work can be returned to:

"Well, now." Mr. Summers said soberly, "guess we better get started, get this over with, so's we can go back to work.

Third, the comments made by the villagers show no regret or remorse; they mark only the passing of time as all large events mark the passing of time. In other word, the comments made about the lottery may just as easily be made about Christmas and made in the same melancholy tone as a lament about the accumulation of the passing of time:

"Seems like there's no time at all between lotteries any more."

"Seems like we got through with the last one only last week."

"Time sure goes fast."

After such time-oriented, self-centered remarks, the villagers cold-heartedly pick up their stones, courteously getting big ones to make a quick job of it, then roll their sleeves back up and go back to work. No consequences are apparent at all for the community at large (with the exceptions noted previously). Though, on second thought, this may be a consequence in its own right: cold-hearted disinterestedness and callousness, though with Jackson's weak characterizations, it is impossible to clearly determine whether this may be considered a consequence or not.

What is the significance/meaning of El Pachuco's quote in the beginning of the play? (quote starts with "Ladies and gentlemen the play you are...

In this quote, El Pachuco reveals his role throughout the play. He also explains the importance of the archetype "pachuco" in Chicano culture. Essentially, he sets up the ideas of freedom, control, and power that will permeate the narrative.

El Pachuco presides over the entire play, acting as Henry's alter ego. He interrupts the action or speaks to the audience directly, and sings narration at different points. El Pachuco is the consummate Mexican-American pachuco figure, a zoot-suiter who is tough, cool, slick, and defiant. He tells it like it is and is meticulous and vain about his appearance.

The author explained the role of El Pachuco this way: "The Pachuco is the Jungian self-image, the superego if you will, the power inside every individual that's greater than any human institution.... I dressed the Pachuco in the colors of Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of education, the dean of the school of hard knocks." El Pachuco achieves mythic proportions when he is stripped of his zoot suit by the Anglo rioters. Dressed only in a loincloth, he adopts a regal majesty as he exits, walking backward, from the stage. When he returns, he is not content to accept the damning prediction that Henry will return to prison. At his prompting, the other characters recite alternative futures for Henry. He controls the action of the play and embroiders the events of Henry's life.

Can someone PLEASE help me with this Chemistry of Fats and Proteins Lab?!?!?!?!?!?!this is the lab....

You have to be more specific. We will not do the entire lab for you. Here are some hints, though, if you are totally lost:

C=carbon   H=hydrogen     O= oxygen  The first part of your lab is simply counting up the number of times each of these elements appears in the molecule they ask about; this is true when you are asked to give the formula for the compounds, as well. Just add up the number of each type of molecule, and write it as a subscript (that is, the number is slightly below the line the letters are written on.) When it asks if there is a carboxyl group, it shows you what a carboxyl group is; is there one in each of the fatty acids?

You can do this. If you have specific questions, we are happy to help, but we will never just do the lab for you.  Good luck!

What quotes best describe Boxer's traits and importance in Animal Farm?

The most important quotes from Boxer are his two favorite sayings: "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right."  I will include some other important quotations by and about Boxer.

Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work. (ch 1)

This quotation is important because it describes Boxer’s most important traits: his size, his strength, his good standing with the other animals and his lack of intelligence.  All of these traits make Boxer easy to exploit.

"You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds." (ch 1)

Old Major uses Boxer as an example during his speech about how men exploit the animals.  This is important because of its foreshadowing and irony.  Boxer is indeed sold by Napoleon for his meat and bones once he can no longer work.

Their most faithful disciples were the two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover. These two had great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves, but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed everything that they were told, and passed it on to the other animals by simple arguments. (ch 2)

Boxer’s loyalty is key to his importance to the rebellion, but his ability to convince the other animals is also key.

When Snowball says that all animals should go naked, Boxer is one of the first to comply. 

When Boxer heard this he fetched the small straw hat which he wore in summer to keep the flies out of his ears, and flung it on to the fire with the rest. (ch 2)

This is another example of Boxer's immediate obedience and unquestioning loyalty.

[The] pigs with their cleverness and Boxer with his tremendous muscles always pulled them through. Boxer was the admiration of everybody. He had been a hard worker even in Jones's time, but now he seemed more like three horses than one; there were days when the entire work of the farm seemed to rest on his mighty shoulders. (ch 3)

The pigs depend on Boxer not just for his popularity, but his strength.  Since he is well-respected, he sets an example to be followed.

What does Atticus say is the result of naming people after Confederate generals?

In chapter 16, the Finches and Calpurnia are discussing the events of the previous evening regarding Tom Robinson.  Aunt Alexandra states that Mr. Underwood had been at the scene the whole time.  We find out that Mr. Underwood is a racist, nasty man.  Mr. Underwood's father named him Braxton Bragg. which Mr. Underwood has always tried to live down.  Mr. Underwood doesn't like the name because it is the name of a Confederate general.  Atticus states that people who are named after Confederate generals make, ". . . slow, steady drinkers" (chapter 16).

How can you conclude about Montresor's feelings toward those who have allegedly wronged him?A.holding grudges in a waste of time? B.one who must...

Montresor's true feelings about the wrongs, whether real or perceived as real by him alone, is made evident in the first paragraph of "The Cask of Amontillado".  He firmly believes that those who do wrong, specifically when that wrong affects him personally, must be punished and that revenge is his right.  It is important to understand, however, that Montresor does not feel that true justice (revenge) has been done if the vindicator is punished in any way.  In other words, Montresor feels that he must carry out his revenge with no consequences.  The correct answer is "C."

What is a symbol for Jem in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?Harper Lee's novel

In "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Jem certainly does not having something symbolize him in the manner that Lee employs the mockingbird to symbolize Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. However, if the reader must assign a symbol for him, perhaps a storm could represent Jem, whose mercurial nature clearly manifests itself during his puberty.  

Jem is much more emotionally responsive to situations than Scout.  For instance, he is often exasperated with Scout and asks her in brotherly fashion to stay away from him and not talk to him at school.  Always eager to please his father, he also wishes to defend him and overreacts when men come into the front yard one evening before the trial.  When the verdict for Tom Robinson is given, Jem is adversely affected, both emotionally and rationally; he cannot understand how a guilty charge can be given.  This disillusionment brings dark clouds of melancholy upon him, and Jem is greatly disappointed in people. Nevertheless, the clouds of disillusionment part and Jem becomes a wisened and more mature young man.

In "By the Waters of Babylon" why does John set out on his journey?

There are a couple reasons that John takes his journey.  The first relates to the traditions of his tribe.  He is the son of a priest, and all priests, kind-of like some Native American tribes or Aboriginal tribes in Australia, have their sons go on a "spirit walk."  This is where a boy, who is approaching manhood, sets out on his own, to survive by himself, in search of revelation, wisdom, meaning, and tests that will prove that he is a man.  It is a rite of passage, one that will be a step in achieving manhood in the eyes of the tribe itself.  Nowadays, we don't have such extreme rituals--maybe getting your driver's license, or getting your first salaried job would be akin to the same idea--once you've achieved that accomplishment, you can call yourself an adult.  So, that is the first reason that John goes--it is tradition, a ritual in his tribe, and he sets out in search of his wisdom, knowledge, or trials that will prove his strength.

The second reason that John goes is because he has a very intense desire for knowledge.  He is a curious guy, one who wants to know the history of the gods, of his people, and why the world is the way it is.  His desire drives him to his journey, because it filled his dreams.  The dreams drive him closer and closer to the city of the gods.  He wants to know, and despite such journeys being forbidden, he states that "the burning in my mind would not let me have peace."  His burning desire for knowledge drives him forward on his journey, breaking rules and boundaries, and the result is that he does indeed gain great knowledge.  He learns of their origins, that the gos are "men, like us."  He is able to bring that knowledge back to his tribe to benefit them all.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

How does Eliot use myth and imagery in "The Waste Land"?

The Waste Land is a poem full of myth, allusion and imagery. Because of the length of the poem, five sections in total, it would be impossible to answer fully in a short section. Having said that, it would be useful if you read Eliot's own extensive notes on the poem and it would also be helpful if you considered the following.

Eliot cited two books he used writing the poem. These are Jessie L. Weston’s From Ritual to Romance (1920) and Sir James G. Frazer’s The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (1890).The title of the poem is drawn from the myth of "The Fisher King" which tells of a kingdom becoming barren (waste) because of an injury to the king. In order for the kingdom to become fertile again a number of tasks or trials must be completed by a hero. This is the same theme that is prevalent in much of the canon of great world literature, in particular Epic.

The Burial of the Dead This section sets up the main themes of the poem by associating the “Unreal City” of modern London and its living-dead with the loss of any genuine mythic consciousness. Here are some suggestions - look for references to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and images of WWI, the legend Tristan and Isolde, The Punic War and Ovid's Metamorphosis.

The Fire Sermon The title refers to Buddha’s Fire Sermon, in which he preached against the fires of lust and other passions which destroy men and prevent their spiritual regeneration.  .  This section this is a sort of “answer: to the various “seductions” represented in “A Game of Chess.”

A Game of Chess The title refers to Thomas Middleton’s (1580-1627) A Game of Chess . In our age, Eliot suggests, sexual reproduction (a metaphor for cultural reproduction) has been reduced to a game of conventional moves, like a game of chess

Death by Water Like the water imagery in Joyce’s Portrait the “water” in this section of the poem can be taken in two ways: a) as the “drowning” the reader has been experiencing in these unrelated bits an pieces that Eliot had deliberately jumbled together from modern life and from history; and b) as a sacrificial, baptismal immersion in Culture and History that has been made possible by purging the “Self”

What the Thunder Said The thunder’s message, “Datta,…” is from the Upanishads, the Hindu Sacred Texts, and means: “Give, sympathize, control.

Why was Ebenezer Scrooge given a second chance to change his actions when not everyone gets that opportunity?"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

Readers do themselves injustices if they dismiss the significance of the title of a literary work, for it often holds the key to the theme of that work as well as the intent of the author in writing the work.  In the case of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," the author relates the tale of a miserly man who supports the Poor Law of 1834, much like the contemporaries of Dickens in order to serve as a lesson to his society.  For, as an advocate for the poor, Dickens was concerned about the evils of this law and uses his novella as a criticism of the economic system of England. 

In the singing of Christmas carols, people are warmed by the lyrics and music of the songs, they are enlightened by some lyrics, and they are often encouraged to some charitable action or feelings by these carols.  Likewise, in the reading of "A Christmas Carol" much emotion is evoked from the readers.  Often people feel more charitable towards others after its reading; they also conduct some soul searching of their own and examination of conscience regarding their own choice of priorities.  Thus, the character of Ebenezer Scrooge sits on the pages before readers as an extreme example of a man who has lost his hold on that which is truly valuable.  Unlike the "foolish children" of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," who are wise and realize that love is the greatest gift, Scrooge has forsaken what is truly meaningful--his love in his youth, his family with his nephew, his loyal employees with Bob Crachit, and, most of all, the plight of the needy.  Dickens's lesson is presented to all the readers of his novella in order that they, too, may be afforded a second chance and do good deeds and bring "peace to men of goodwill" as one Christmas carol goes.

Why were the British not able to take Boston after the battles at concord and Lexington?

Wow... well... I have no idea.  Boston was held by the British until March of 1776, almost one year after Lexington and Concord.

At the start of the war, the British held Boston.  The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought so they could have nearby Charlestown also.

Then the Continental Army besieged Boston.  After the Continentals got cannon after defeating the British at Fort Ticonderoga, they brought the cannon down and put them on hills around Boston.  This made it so the British had to leave.

But as far as right after Concord and Lexington, the British had Boston.

What does Annie ask of Captain Keller when he compliments her on what she has done with Helen in The Miracle Worker?What greeting does James...

When Captain Keller compliments Annie on what she has done with Helen, she asks one thing of him - to not undo what she has accomplished.

When Captain Keller and his wife return after giving Annie the time she requested to work with Helen alone, they are astonished to find that their daughter has learned how to keep herself clean, to participate quietly in meaningful activities, and to spell with her hands.  Captain Keller expresses his gratitude to Annie, telling her she has "taken a wild thing, and given (them) back a child".  Annie laments that although she has taught Helen to obey, she has been unable to teach her to understand, but Captain Keller tells her that for he and his wife, that is enough.  Annie then asks for the Captain's help.  She entreats him not to undo progress Helen has made by "letting her have her way in everything" again.  Annie wants the Captain and his wife to hold Helen accountable for her actions, and not to encourage unacceptable behavior by giving in to her when she throws tantrums.

When James greets Annie, he pats her hair and says, "Evening, general".  He is complimenting her on her tenacity, comparing her to General Stonewall Jackson in an allusion to a discussion he had earlier in Act 2 with his father concerning the intrepid victor of the Battle of Vicksburg (Act 3).

y= e^(2x)-e^(x) sketch a curve by using derivative

y=e^(2x)-e^x or

y=e^x(e^x-1).

y=0, when e^x=0  , when x approaches minus infinity on the left lower quadrant(3rd quadrant).

y=0, when e^x =1 or x = 0. So, the origin,(0 , 0) is a point n the curve.

y'=2e^(2x)-e^x= e^x(2e^x-1) =0. And y'' = 4e^(2x)-e^x.

Setting y' = 0 gives,  2e^x-1=0 for which x value is e^x=(1/2) or x = log(1/2). Also  y'(log(1/2)) = 0.5, wich is positive. Therefore, at x= log(1/2) , the function e^(2x)-e(x) has the minimum of (1/2)^2-1/2 = 0.25 at log(1/2) = -0.693(nearly).

As x--> minus infinity , y approaches to 0 from the minimum value of  -0.25  at x = -0.693 or log(1/2) .

Also , The area between x axis and the curve from -infinity to 0 is:  integral e^(2x-e^x)dx  between x=-inf to x = 0. is equal to:

[ e^2x/2-e^x] between x=-inf to x=0 .

=[((1/2)-1) - (0-0)] = -1/2..................(1)

Whereas,the area between 0 to 10 = [(1/2)e^20-e10]-(1/2-1) = 2.42456*10^8...............(2)

From (1) and (2) , we can see the curve approaches to 0 or wery narrow to x axis from x=0 to x=-infinity . And comaparatively it diveges suddenly  for  x > 0, covering large and larger area.

Thus y=0  or X axis is an asymtote to the curve.

Why is the driving age an issue?I'm doing a persuasion essay on why the driving age should be changed....

The minimum permissible age for driving restrictions are imposed for ensuring the safety of the people who drive as well as other users of the road.

The ability to drive with reasonable standard of safety is related closely with physical abilities such as height, strength, physical dexterity, as well as the the degree of judgement, caution and responsibility that can be associated with mental development with age.

While deciding the right driving age the consideration of safety need to be balanced with that of individual need to drive.

When we think seriously about these issues a few things are quite clear. Very young people do not have either the physical or mental capacity to drive safely. Further we can say that very young children also don't have that great need to drive.Once we agree on this, it becomes clear that some kind of minimum age limit for driving is justified. The only thing that remains to be settled is the right age for this. The only reasonable open issue in this matter is, "what is the right age limit for driving?" and not "If there should be a minimum age limit for driving?"

Ideally this age limit should be fixed on objective information on the relationship between the age and the driving ability and need. The exact age limit may differ from society to society depending on:

1. Physical and psychological development characteristic of people. In some regions people may mature at younger age than others.


2. The need for driving. In some regions automobiles are not used that extensively and people have alternate means of transport. In other regions people are dependent heavily on driving for their day to day activities also.


3. The traffic condition. If the traffic conditions are not bad. Plus with advance of automobile design, it is easier to drive safely than it is possible to have lower age limits.

In what ways does Pip have "Great Expectations"?

Pip expects himself to become a gentleman.  In doing so, he hopes to be wealthy, scholarly, mannerly, and deserving of Estella's love and admiration.

In another sense, others place great expectations upon Pip.  Magwitch sponsors Pip's education in London because he expects Pip to learn to be a better gentleman than Compeyson who was born a gentleman.  Likewise, Joe has great expectations for Pip because he tries to raise him to be hard working and kind. Biddy, at first, expects Pip to be able to do great things with his intelligence, until she sees him begin influenced by Miss Havisham and Estella.

Other characters in the book have expectations for Pip, but not necessarily "great" or "good" ones for the innocent protagonist.

How did Attean cheer up Matt at the end of Chapter 11 in Sign of the Beaver?

At the end of Chapter 11, Attean offered Matt a treat that Indians enjoy. As they made their way through the forest,

"...he stopped, whipped out his knife, and neatly sliced off two shining gobs of dried sap froma nearby spruce. He grinned and held out one of them like a peace offering."

Popping one of the pieces into his own mouth and chewing "with evident pleasure," he ordered Matt to do the same. "Gingerly," Matt complied, and found that the gob fell to pieces between his teeth, filling his mouth with a bitter juice. Repulsed, he wanted to spit the mess out, but since Attean so clearly liked it, he doggedly kept chewing. Matt found that, after the initial taste of bitterness, the bits came together into "a rubbery gum" with "a fresh piney taste." The effect was quite pleasing, and the two boys forged on through the forest, enjoying their treats.

Matt had been feeling resentful because although Attean didn't really mean to, he had been making Matt feel stupid with his imperious manner in teaching him how to better navigate in the forest. Sensing that Matt was not happy, Attean had offered the treat, and Matt had to admit that Attean had, with all good intentions, shown him "another secret of the forest."

What is the biggest animal in the world?The biggest, the most loving.

    Of course, the blue whale would have paled in comparison to some of the dinosaurs that roamed the earth. The Bruhathkayosaurus (Titanosaur), estimated at 144 feet long and 220 tons, had a humerous--the forearm from shoulder to elbow--nearly seven feet long. The Seismosaurus (Diplodocid) was estimated at 148 feet or longer. The Supersaurus (Diplodocid), 131 feet long, was lighter at only about 50 tons. The Argentinasaurus (Titanosaur), 120 feet long, weighed in at about 100 tons. The Paralititan (Titanosaur), 114 feet long, was estimated at about 80 tons. The Brachiosaurus was the tallest at 43 feet high.
    The most loving? Why, that would be my little dachshund, Zoe (pictured).

What is the difference between amarked theme and an unmarked theme in clauses?

Language structure can be very complex and confusing.  When discussing marked theme and unmarked theme we are talking about clauses.  A clause is a grammatical unit,which constitutes a group of words consisting of a subject and a verb. Theme is always what comes first in an English  clause.  It provides the context of the words.  A marked theme tells one directly what a clause is about. 

A marked theme has an initial presentation such as "We could eat those berries!"  An unmarked them would not have the we in it and would be presented as "Could eat those berries."  An unmarked theme consists of the process only.  The unmarked theme is that which can also be a person who does something in a clause.  For example; "Wayne hit his brother on the head."  The theme in this case that we are asking is who hit his brother.  We did not set out to make two themes but the nature of the clause makes the secondary theme.  One knows that the other theme is that the brother was hit.   Both are unmarked themes.  A marked theme tells one directly what a clause is about.

The problem arises often in language translation.  It is difficult for a translator to change the wording to project the same meaning and response when word order directs the clause in different languages.

What are the individual roles of the pigs in the book "Animal Farm?"

Well, it looks as though, based on your examples, you are already on your way to answering the question!  There are not a lot of pigs who are known by name in the book so it is not a hard one to research:

NAPOLEON: Napoleon role is as a authoritarian figure on the farm.  He is the mastermind behind the pig's ability to control the farm.  If you are considering the Russian Revolution, Napoleon represents the "Stalin."  In the end, he is the craftiest of all the pigs.

SNOWBALL: Roughly the "Trotsky."  He is intelligent and passionate about his ideals and the direction he feels the farm should take.  He believes in the ideals of the revolution and acts courageously in battling the humans.  Unfortunately, though he is intelligent and has the best intentions for the animals on the farm, he is not nearly as crafty as Napoleon and therefore is destined to be "driven out."  He, too, is not without flaws...he quickly accepts the idea that the pigs are superior to the other animals.

SQUEALER: I wouldn't call Squealer "the liar."  He is a manipulator of information, not a pathological fabricator.  He shows how, using rhetoric, half-truths, and "spin," it is possible to control people.  His role on the farm is really as minister of propaganda.

OLD MAJOR: The original swine.  He is representative of kind of a mix between Lenin and Marx, in real life.  His role was as the visionary of the revolution.  It was his ideas that started the whole ball rolling. He is the ideological "heart" of the rebellion.   He is an inspiration.  Interestingly enough, Old Major is the animal who, aside from the bird, has suffered the least on the farm.  As a "prize pig" he has lived a pretty spoiled life, yet he is the one who thinks most of the injustices found in the farm.

MINIMUS: His role is kind of minor.  He seems to work with the "propaganda department" and is the one who comes up with the "new and improved" anthem for the farm.

I think that is all the oinkers.  Mmmm....bacon.

Why were the poets expelled from the Republic?

In understanding why Socrates expels the poets from the Republic, I think some background is needed.  The argument here is that the philosopher- king is the only one capable of understanding the forms, or the essence of truth.  It is they alone who comprehend truth and have the responsibility of telling all of us what that truth is.  Socrates sees a danger in having others who perceive to know what truth is assume the role of truth teller.  Socrates argues that poets and poetry tells us images of the truth.  The reason for this is because poets and poetry are more concerned with the lyrical nature of the story and see the truth as nothing more than setting for their tales.  It should be noted that he is aiming his critique at less than competent story tellers, such as novices or others who seek to make a living off of telling stories.  I am not sure Socrates would be able to level this criticism at an Sophocles, Aeschylus, or Homer.  Regardless, due to the fact that the standard storyteller is more concerned with their story and its lyricism or "prettiness" as opposed to the serious and focused pursuit of truth, they pose a threat to the entire kingdom because people will become confused with the truth, as seen through the philosopher's eyes, and the images of the truth, as depicted through the poets'.  It is because of this that Socrates expels the poets.  If we want to take this to a modern application, there are modern artists who would like to confuse us with their pursuit of art as opposed to a more serious and truth- ladened journey towards the form of art.  For example, Beethoven's art should not be considered even close to the same category as Britney Spears'.  The former was driven by a pursuit to expose musical notions of truth, while the latter is driven by something else that might confuse both issues.  If we applied the Socratic method in this setting, he would argue that Spears should be expelled because of the tendency to confuse her presentation of the musical truth as something that could even be close to presented along side Beethoven's. (To any and all fans of Brit, sorry.  Just an example.)

I need a character description of Rainsford in "The Most Dangerous Game" for an essay.

Rainsford is and American who is both a world famous big game hunter and an author of a book detailing how to hunt snow leopards that are found in Tibet. As a hunter, he has been in "tight" places and faced many dangers. As an author, he has a keen intelligence and an appreciation for elevated conversation. He also enjoys the refined things of life that a renowned reputation and riches can provide a person.

Rainsford begins his unfortunate encounter with Zaroff when he hears shots in the distance and falls off a yacht and into the Caribbean Sea. Though Rainsford is a hunter, he is a moral man with well defined definitions of right and wrong. When he and Zaroff meet and converse, he is shocked at Zaroff's human hunting penchant and believes Zaroff to be a murderer. While Zaroff is hunting Rainsford, Rainsford uses all his prodigious knowledge of hunting and the hunt to outsmart Zaroff until at one point Zaroff outwits him.

While Zaroff plays with Rainsford as with a mouse, Rainsford is actually frightened. But in the end, Rainsford wins by capturing the hunter in his bedroom and slaying him there. We know that Rainsford is a moral man with elevated principles and knowledge of right and wrong, yet when Rainsford sleeps comfortably in Zaroff's bed at the end of the hunt that Rainsford has won, some argue that this may be an indication that Rainsford's experience has made him cross his own line and therefore will replace Zaroff as the hunter of men.

Discuss Rev. Hale and his insight into witchcraft. Give an example and page number.dicuss his insight into the law,judges,and the accusers.

It is not clear to me that Reverend Hale really does have any special insight into witchcraft even though he has been called to Salem especially to find out if there is any witchcraft happening there.

What we know of Hale's insight comes from Miller's narrative just before Hale is introduced to the action.  We are told that Hale has studied witchcraft and the supernatural a great deal.  So he at least has book knowledge about the subject.  However, he has never actually dealt with an example of witchcraft because he has only ever investigated one case.  In that case, he decided the suspect was not a witch.

From what we see in Hale's early dealings with the Proctors, he believes that someone might be a witch if they don't go to church enough or if they don't know all the commandments.

Later on, Hale realizes that there is no witchcraft in Salem, but he is not strong enough to do anything to stop the trials.

What are the advantages and disadvantages proceeding in federal criminal as opposed to a state prosecution? What are the advantages and...

One advantage of proceeding in federal criminal court would be that a defendant might expect a trial less influenced by local politics and prejudices. Federal judges are appointed for life by the President of the United States, and thus in theory are free from influence or pressure from state and local political pressure, either from voters or politicians.

One potential disadvantage to the federal system, for a defendant, is that sentencing guidelines are stiffer and less flexible at the federal level. In other words the judge has less personal leeway in how long the sentence will be, and federal sentences, in general, are not subject to "time off for good behavior" and other such sentence-shortening programs.

Who was Night's and Erebus' child?

Erebus (aka Erobos), the son of Chaos, was the primeval god of darkness. His sister-wife was Nyx (aka Night), also born of Chaos, who cast mists throughout the heavens and the earth to create darkness. Their three children were Hemera, Aither and Eros.

• Daughter Hemera--the sister-wife of Aither--was the goddess of the day, dispersing the mists of darkness to create the dawn.


• Aither created the upper atmosphere of blue brightness--the source of the light of each new day.


• Eros was the god of pro-creation who generated new life.

What is the summary of Chapter 18 in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown?

In Chapter 18 of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee two major events transpire. First, Sitting Bull returns to America from exile in Canada. Second, the Ghost Dance religion arises. Two new characters are introduced. They are Buffalo Bill Cody, who is the proprietor of the Wild West Show in which Sitting Bull performs and Kicking Bear, who is the Minneconjou who travels to Nevada where he has a vision of Christ and is taught by the vision about the new Ghost Dance.

After being forced out of the Black Hills and Powder River lands (1876-1877), the Sioux are restrained in a new reservation called the Great Sioux Reservation in Dakota by the Missouri River. Sitting Bull at this time is exiled in Canada where a meeting in 1877 with Army General Terry fails to reach an accord. Then, about four years later, Sitting Bull and 186 of his braves, out of the 3,000 that are with him, return to America, to Fort Buford, to surrender.

Finally, in 1889, a new treaty is signed whereby Sioux reservations are broken into small disconnected parts. As an indirect consequence, the Ghost Dance religion arose eleven years later in 1890.

Kicking Feather saw the vision of the Ghost Dance in Nevada and brought word of a dance and a prophecy to the Sioux Nation. The Dance was founded in Christianity but was opposed to the white men appropriating the lives and property of the Sioux Nation. The prophecy held that the Ghost Dance would induce such a spiritual state in the participants that they would rise above the Earth, and that Earth would then be covered with new soil. The white men would be buried under the soil, but the wild horses and buffalo, the grasses and trees and streams would all reappear. Then the Sioux and the ghosts of their ancestors would inhabit the land in peace.

As a means of squelching the Ghost Dance, General Miles order the arrest of Sitting Bull by two Indian policemen, Red Tomahawk and Bull Head (December 12, 1890). Instead of arresting Sitting Bull, they killed him.

How do materials enter and leave the nucleus?

The nucleus contains a nuclear envelope or membrane surrounding this organelle of the cell. It contains pores that allow transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. During the process of transcription, for example, RNA must be able to copy the genetic code in the DNA and carry out to the cytoplasm to be translated. This is accomplished by passing out of the nuclear pores. The DNA remains inside the nucleus and its membrane is the barrier between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The membrane consists of ribosomes, and its construction is that of a lipid bilayer. The outer layer joins to the rough endoplasmic reticulum tubules which are studded with ribosomes and the inner layer contains proteins.

In the book Anne of Green Gables, what is the climax or major crisis between Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. There are at least 2 incidents...

The scene between Anne and Gilbert in which he calls her "Carrots" and she smashes a slate over his head is the beginning of their conflict.  In a typical plot structure this incident, along with Gilbert's having to rescue Anne, represents the rising action.  The climax or turning point occurs when there is a change in the conflict between the two characters.  Anne really wants to score the highest on the entrance examinations to Queens.  She wants her name to be above her longtime rival.  However, she ties with him, and that seems to be enough, because at this point her thinking about Gilbert starts to change.  She won't admit it to others, but she thinks how pleasant it would be to have a friend like Gilbert who is her intellectual equal. At this point in the novel, she has finally put aside her pride and accepted Gilbert for the intelligent and decent person that he is.

How did the lives of the animals become more difficult in the beginning of Chapter 6 of Animal Farm?

They had to work harder.  They started working 60 hours per week.  Then they had Sunday afternoon work too.  It was "voluntary" but if you didn't go, you got your food ration cut in half.  A lot of this work was being done to try to rebuild the windmill.

Even then, things got worse.  The crops weren't producing as well as they should have.  This was because they had not had time to do all the work needed to get them ready.  This meant that it was going to be a hard winter.

So, they're having to work harder and yet they still don't have as much food as they should have had.

In All Quiet on the Western Front, what points is Remarque making about the affect of the military and war on certain people? Chapter 5: ...

Paul and his friends had first encountered Himmelstoss when they were new recruits and he was their drill sergeant.  Himmelstoss, who had been a simple postman in civilian life, was a sadistic and abusive officer, having let the power he received in the military go to his head.  As Kat explains,

"If you give a man a little bit of authority he...snaps at it...The army is based on that; one man must always have power over the other...Let a man be whatever you like in peacetime, what occupation is there in which he can behave (abusively) like that without getting a crack on the nose?  He can only do that in the army.  It goes to the heads of them all, you see" (Chapter 3).

Because of the established order of discipline, the new recruits have little choice but to submit to Himmelstoss' excesses.  On the parade-ground, the consequences will be too great if they were to rebel.

On the front lines, however, things are different.  Himmelstoss is still outranks the recruits, but they, having experienced the worst that war has to offer, are hardened and more uncaring about the consequences of refusing to submit to unreasonable abuses at the hands of their superiors.  A sentence of confinement would almost be a relief if the alternative is continuing on in the horrific fighting on the front line, and if someone were to exact the ultimate punishment from Himmelstoss by shooting him, it is likely that in the chaos of the front there would be no consequence.  In addition, the recruits have earned a measure of respect by virtue of having been in actual battle.  Although Himmelstoss does not hesitate to report the young soldiers' insubordination, military authority on the front lines is less likely to tolerate his pompous posturing.  Things are more equal on the front lines among the soldiers, and Himmelstoss soon learns that "the front isn't a parade ground".  If he doesn't treat his men with decency, his own superiors will not support him unequivocably, and if he persists in his abuses, the reality is that he may have to worry "about getting a shot in the back" (Chapter 5).

In "The Road" what is the source of the father's hope despite the seemingly hopeless conditions of the post-apocalyptic world?I have a 6-8 pg paper...

To be honest, I don't feel like the father has very much hope at all.  He seems to be in mere survival mode most of the time. He sets up transient markers that give him the hope that he needs to move forward each day--like reaching the coast, or heading south.  These goals are temporary landmarks that help him to get up in the morning.  Beyond those, beyond staying alive each day, hope isn't a huge part of the father's day.  He talks more positively to his son than he does to himself; throughout the book, there are numerous scenes where the father, alone, questions God's purposes and motives, and expresses his frustration and hopelessness to God.

The only thing that gives him any form of hope or survival is his son.  He admits to himself something his wife admitted before she left the world, which is that the only reason to survive was for their son.  Eventually, for her, even that wasn't enough.  Because he had a son to take care of and raise, he had to keep thriving, keep surviving.  And, when you are a parent, you are a child's main source for developing a worldview and perspective.  The father has a choice--relay a sense of total desperation and doom, of hopelessness and pessimism, or, try to raise your son with some sense of what is right and wrong in the world, with optimism and hope.  The father decides to give his son some sense of hope in the world, something to live for.  He tells him that they "carry the light," or, humanity's goodness, and they need to keep carrying it.  He teaches him what is right and wrong, tells him about the good things of life before the destruction.

In essence, the source of the father's hope resides in helping his son to grow up to be a good man, despite the world that they are living in.  That is all that he can hope for--he can't hope for survival to any certain degree, he can't hope for comforts, for answers, for peace--but he can hope that his son will be as unscathed as possible by the evil that destroyed the world.  I hope those thoughts help to give you some more ideas.  Good luck!

How does Telemachus know that the beggar is divinely favored in The Odyssey?

I assume you are talking about the part in Book 16 of the Odyssey where Odysseus appears to his son, Telemachus, while he (Odysseus) is disguised as a beggar.  He has been disguised by  Athena.

After talking to Telemachus for a while, Odysseus is told by Athena to reveal his true identity to his son.  When Odysseus does that, Telemachus thinks Odysseus is a god.

Telemachus thinks this because he can't believe that a mere mortal could just go out the door and then come back looking younger and wearing different clothes.

In what way are Native American societies portrayed in American History lessons at the elementary school level?

More so then the lessons, it is the history books from the past that have shown the Native Americans to be savages that were taken over by a more civilized population that was here to help them become apart of the "new" America. Today, History books are getting better with focusing on that fact that Native Americans were pushed off their land and were not given a choice in the matter.  As far as elementary school, I remember lessons really focusing on the culture of the Native Americans and appreciating the good relationship they did have with many colonists.

What is the theme of The Golden Notebook?

One of the central themes in The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing is identity and how trying to define it in terms of one's own personality is fraught with tricky problems. A person's identity depends on so many things such as personality, personal history and baggage and background and education. Anna realises that she has not been precise or accurate enough in trying to define hers, and that her efforts to do so,particulary through her writing, have been misleading to others. She decides to try again but again has great hurdles to overcome in trying to record the truth. So truth is another theme. Her resulting psycholgical distress and gradual unravelling of mental order is another theme. Guilt and culpabilty as themes play a part in this too as Anna contemplates her role in another person's death. Eventually, although partial responsible for Anna's breakdown, the notebooks' cathartic actions mean that they also contribute her new-found self-awareness:

What does Cratchit ask for from Scrooge?Christmas Carol summary

In a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the author has Bob Cratchit ask for a day off on Christmas Day for a reason. Scrooge's reaction will showcase his whole personality to the reader, saving the author a whole lot of work, although of coursde he does go on to expand the character further.

In the novel, Scrooge will have one last chance to show charity and common human kindness before his soul goes to its eternal rest - and reward - or otherwise. Dickens wishes to highlight the money-grubbing,penny-pinching,avaricious,self-serving attitude of Victorian business to the working man. In one answer we see Scrooge show his true colours he refuses a loyal, industrious worker and family man time with his struggling family on Christmas Day - he is economical to the point of extremes and,as he is not poor, he has no excuse.Cratchit only wanted a day off with pay. The mean habit has become so ingrained in Scrooge that he no longer sees himself doing it - or as others see him. This is what the spirits will be sent to show him.

Examples of gene therapy?

Gene therapy is the fairly new method of disease treatment aimed mostly at genetic diseases.  Basically, a normal allele is inserted into a patient's defective cells.  This is a very new approach and most gene therapy is aimed at cancer treatment and hereditary genetic diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy.  These particular genetic diseases are caused by defects in single genes.  Scientists can modify DNA in bacteria fairly easily, however, they have had more trouble trying to modify human DNA because the human genome is much more complex.  There are also ethical concerns with using gene therapy that limit it's use on humans. 

There are 2 main types of gene therapy.  They are germ line gene therapy and somatic gene therapy.  Germ line gene therapy deals with trying to modify the DNA in a patient's germ cells (eggs or sperm).  They focus on what is passed to the patient's offspring.  Somatic gene therapy just treats the patient's other cells and does not have an effect on the patient's offspring. 

What is the equation for the prepartation of bleach?

Bleach is Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl). It is made industrially by the Hooker Process where Chlorine Gas is reacted with Sodium Hydroxide in a cold electrolytic cell following the equation:

Cl2 +2NaOH -->NaCl + NaOCl +H2O

Note that chlorine is both oxidized and reduced.

• It has a 0 oxidation state as Cl2


• A Positive 1 oxidation state in NaOCl


• A Negative 1 oxidation state in NaCl

Chalmers, Louis. Household and Industrial Chemical Specialties. Vol. 1. Chemical Publishing Co. Inc., 1978.

What was suspicious about Julia's room in "The Speckled Band?"

Helen Stoner seeks Holmes' help because she fears for her life as she is convinced that she will die just like how her sister died. Helen and her sister Julia live with their stepfather Dr.Roylott. Two years ago Julia got engaged and just a fortnight before her wedding she died a terrible death under mysterious circumstances screaming, 'Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band!' She had informed Helen earlier that she often heard a 'low clear whistle' at three in the morning.

Now, Helen is in a similar situation. She has been engaged to one Percy Armitage and is to be married in the coming Spring season. But two days ago some repairs were started in her room and she has been compelled to stay in the very same room in which her sister died. Last night when she was sleeping on the same bed in which her sister met her tragic end,to her horror, she heard the same low whistle which signalled her sister's tragic death. So, in sheer fright  she has taken the first train to London and rushed to meet Sherlock Holmes to seek his advice as to how to save her life from impending death.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson visit Miss Helen Stoner at her step father's country manor at Stoke Moran. Holmes makes a careful and detailed study of the room in which Helen's sister Julia died, and where she has been asked to sleep now because some repairs are being carried out in her own room. Holmes' suspicions have been aroused because on examining the room from the outside he discovered that no repairs were necessary to Helen's room and that the repairs were only a pretext to make Helen sleep in the same room in which her sister Julia died:

"Pending the alterations, as I [Sherlock Holmes] understand. By the way, there does not seem to be any very pressing need for repairs at that end wall."

"There were none. I [Miss Helen] believe that it was an excuse to move me from my room."

"Ah! that is suggestive."

Holmes then examines  Helen's room from inside and discovers that there is dummy bell cord hanging just above her bed and a ventilator which opens into the adjacent room which is Dr. Roylott's:

"Very strange!" muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. "There are one or two very singular points about this room. For example, what a fool a builder must be to open a ventilator into another room, when, with the same trouble, he might have communicated with the outside air!"

"That is also quite modern," said the lady.

"Done about the same time as the bell-rope?" remarked Holmes.

"Yes, there were several little changes carried out about that time."

"They seem to have been of a most interesting character -- dummy bell-ropes, and ventilators which do not ventilate.

At the end of the story Holmes explains to us that the dummy bell rope and the ventilator were necessary for the poisonous snake to slither down and bite its victim who would be sleeping on the bed down below:

My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to you, to thisventilator, and to the bell-rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was clamped to the floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that I was probably on the right track.

Which character in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" changes the most throughout this story and why?What changes occur with this character?

While the title, "Sonny's Blues" would seem to indicate that the story's main character is Sonny, interestingly the greatest change comes in the character of the narrator, Sonny's brother.  And, his change is one of perspective, a change that leads to understanding and fraternal love.

Like many older brothers, the narrator pays little attention to his younger sibling, Sonny, in their youth. In an observation of the boys that he now teaches, the narrator describes them much as Sonny was when he used heroin:

All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness, and in which they now, vindictively dreamed, at once more together than they were ar any other time, and more alone.

The narrator and his brother, paradoxically, are together in a darkness and more alone.  As he listens to the boys, the narrator remarks,

Perhaps I was listening to them because I was thinking about my brother and in them I heard my brother.  And myself.

When the narrator encounters an old friend of Sonny's who tells the brother that he "felt sort of responsible," the narrator begins "to listen more carefully."  Listening to the old friend, the narrator recalls that after he told Sonny about his daughter's death, Sonny had written him, saying how much he needed to hear from his brother.

After this, the narrator stays in touch with Sonny, seeing

the baby brother I'd never known look out from the depth of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light.

And it is the narrator himself who later sits at a table in the dark of the nightclub where Sonny plays the "blues." Like "an animal coaxed into the light," the narrator's spirit connects to the music that Sonny plays.  For, after having suffered the loss of his daughter, the narrator, too, knows the "blues," and he begins to listen again to Sonny and, thus, understand him through the commonality of their suffering:

All I know about music is that not many people ever really hear it.  And even then, on the rare occasions when something opens within, and the music enters, what we mainly hear...are personal, private, vanishing evocations.  But the man who creates the music is hearing something else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air.  What is evoked in him, then, is of another order, more terrible because it has no words, and triiumphant, too, for that same reason.  And his triumph, when he triumphs, is ours.

As he listens to his brother play, the narrator begins to understand his own troubles as he watches his younger brother live and then play "the blues"--his triumph is the narrator's triumph.  At the end of the story, a girl brings a Scotch and milk for Sonny, a drink the narrator describes as "like the very cup of trembling," from the Biblical book of Isaiah.  A a symbol of the suffering and problems that Sonny has experienced, this "cup of trembling" reminds the narrator of his own troubles.  In a moment of truth, the brother comprehends that Sonny, through music, turns his suffering into something of worth.

What happens in Chapter 8 of The Egypt Game?

In this chapter, which is entitled "Prisoners of Fear", Elizabeth turns out to be a perfect addition to the Egypt Game group because she is "just crazy about every part" of it.  The four children have fun in Egypt, with Marshall playing the role of the young pharaoh, Elizabeth being the queen, Neferbeth, and April and Melanie acting as priestesses.  Their play in interrupted, however, when a little girl who lives in the neighborhood is killed, and her body found in the marshland near the bay.  Because the same thing had happened about a year before to a little boy, and the police think the perpetrator might be someone who lives in the area. 

Parents become very frightened as a result of these incidents, and forbid their children from playing outside as much as possible.  People start talking, and suspicion falls upon the Professor.  No one actually knows that the Professor is guilty, or even that he is being investigated by the police, but someone had purportedly seen two policemen going into the Professor's store on the morning after the little girl had been killed, and that is enough to set tongues wagging.  A campaign is undertaken by some neighbors to get the old man to move out of the area, but April, Melanie, Marshall, and Elizabeth believe the Professor is innocent.

Bored, the children decide to make costumes and other things they can use when they are allowed to return to Egypt.  Their parents do not become suspicious because Halloween is coming, and "making costumes (is) a perfectly natural thing to be doing".  As time goes by, people begin to forget about the murders, and children "very gradually...(begin) to play out-of-doors again".  Elizabeth's and Melanie's and Marshall's parents are especially conscientious, however, and they continue to watch over their children closely.  The waiting is particularly hard on April, because, despite the fact that she has written her mother tons of letters, she receives only one back, and it says "nothing at all about April's coming home".  So the days pass, and the children continue to make costumes and things for Egypt, and plan for the day when they will be allowed to return (Chapter 8).

What are the puns used in Macbeth? I know there is one with the porter, but I don't quite understand it and I'm certain there must be others

If you can't find any and if you don't quite understand it, then join the crowd, because even the greatest of critics (see below) differ as to whether or not there are puns in the play at all.

In his other plays, Shakespeare is the king of puns, and he uses them not only for comic effect but as equivocal (deliberately ambiguous) language to heighten the mood of a scene.

The book The Players' Shakespeare: Macbeth reveals the following ways in which puns are used in Shakespeare's plays:

1) to show off intellectual brilliance and verbal dexterity

2) as a simple jest to underscore a point

3) to sharpen the irony of an aside or soliloquy

4) a flash of bitter insight

5) as part of an exchange of witticisms

The Porter soliloquy is often said to be "comic relief," but most good critics will tell you it is not.  They will say the scene is as dark and foreboding as any other scene, that it actually is a mini-version of the play itself, that Macbeth is the "equivocator," that the scene gives Shakespeare's definitive version of hell.  When asked, note critic A. C. Bradley's response:

Q: Is Porter in the play for comic relief?

A: Not really; his speeches are more grotesque than humorous.

So, the only pun that I can see comes after the soliloquy, when Macduff and Lennox enter.  The Porter says  to Macduff:

That it did, sir, i' the very throat on
me: but I requited him for his lie; and, I
think, being too strong for him, though he took
up my legs sometime, yet I made a shift to cast

"Made a shift to cast" could be a pun for "managed to vomit," but it's about as oblique a pun as I've seen.

Famous critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his "Notes on Macbeth," says that Macbeth is so "wholly tragic," that it is absent of any puns:

I merely mention the fact of the absence of any puns in Macbeth, as justifying a candid doubt at least, whether even in these figures of speech and fanciful modifications of language, Shakespeare may not have followed rules an principles that merit and would stand the test of philosophic examination.  And hence, also, there is an entire absence of comedy, nay even of irony and philosophic examination in Macbeth,--the play being wholly and purely tragic.

And there are those who don't believe Shakespeare wrote the Porter scene at all, that it was written by some mob of actors, themselves drunk.

How did Romeo get Juliet's heart?The specific words he used?

You may not like this answer, but this is how I've always looked upon Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." I see it as a story about two young people who are both in great need of "falling in love" in order to escape equally unpleasant situations. Both Romeo and Juliet have something to gain from the new relationship and their union is more a running away from rather than a rushing towards. In the end, this view makes their story even more tragic than is popularly supposed.

First Romeo. As the play begins, we learn that Romeo is sick at heart and deeply depressed because the girl he loves, Rosaline, does not love him in return. He goes on and on with his friend, Benvolio, about the matter. He is deparate and sick at heart. He needs so much to have someone to love and to love him back.

As for Juliet, we also know she has a problem. Her father and mother are pressing her into an arranged marriage with Paris. Even Juliet's nurse and confidant is encouraging Juliet to marry him. But Juliet has "not seen the change of fourteen years." How can she be forced into a marriage at such an early age? She sees her parents' convenient arrangements for her as nothing but cruelty. The poor girl is only thirteen years old! How could she be expected to know about life and love?

So, both Romeo and Juliet have a need to escape, and they do so into each other's arms. Oh, how easy it is to mistake mutual negative needs for a true and mature love.

What two leaders emerge after the rebellion in "Animal Farm?"

In George Orwell's "Animal Farm," the main leaders of the animals after the rebellion are two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball.

These two pigs aren't the ones who came up with the idea of rebelling.  It was another pig, Old Major, who did that.  But Old Major dies soon after starting the rebellion and Napoleon and Snowball come to lead it.

As the story wears on, Napoleon and Snowball become enemies as they fight for control of their revolution.  Eventually, Napoleon wins and Snowball is driven off the farm.

Napoleon and Snowball are meant to represent Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky, respectively.

In "The Pit and the Pendulum" what is an example of foreshadowing?

In "The Pit and the Pendulum," Poe gives little clues along the way that foreshadow coming events; this helps the reader to predict, in a general way, might happen next.  The first time we meet the narrator, he is groggy and being interrogated; he mentions the Inquisition.  This helps the reader to know that he has been accused of a lack of conversion to the Catholic church, and will most likely be killed (if you know anything about the Inquisition, that is).  However, the first bit of foreshadowing comes when the narrator tells us that he does not receive "the dread sentence of death."  This foreshadows the fact that he is not going to die, but, that something else horrible will happen to him.

Foreshadowing also occurs as the narrator regains consciousness in his prison chamber for the first time.  Fears flash through his mind about torture; he states,

"here came thronging upon my recollection a thousand vague rumors of the horrors of Toledo. Of the dungeons there had been strange things narrated—fables I had always deemed them—...Was I left to perish of starvation in this subterranean world of darkness; or what fate, perhaps even more fearful, awaited me?"

This declaration of his fears is in fact foreshadowing of coming torture.  He mentions that he has heard rumors of the awful torture that had occurred at Toledo, and that he fears that too would be his fate.  Granted, we don't know how he'll be tortured, but torture in general is foreshadowed.

A more obvious instance of foreshadowing occurs when we first learn of the scythe attached to the pendulum.  We understand instinctively that the scythe is going to slowly and painfully slice him to death.  How will he free himself?  Earlier in the story, we learned of rats and how they swarmed his food and the chambers; this perhaps was a foreshadowing of the ingenious plan that the narrator uses to free himself from the pendulum.  Those are just a few examples of foreshadowing in the story; I hope that helped!

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what part of the body could be used to symbolize Miss Maudie?

I think the body part that best represents Miss Maudie in To Kill a Mockingbird would have to be her false teeth--her bridgework. Miss Maudie has

... two minute prongs clipped to her eyeteeth...

which Scout loves to see removed from her mouth. Scout "admired them" so much that she hopes to have a pair herself one day. Miss Maudie seems to understand this, and

With a click of her tongue she thrust out her bridgework, a gesture of cordiality that cemented our friendship.

The teeth not only symbolize Maudie's independent and sometimes eccentric behavior, but they also serve to show the words of wisdom that she often presents in the form of advice to Jem and Scout. Like Atticus, she answers the children's questions truthfully; unlike Miss Stephanie, she never resorts to gossip. She faithfully defends Atticus and explains to Jem and Scout why he is the most important man in all of Maycomb.

Could you please give me the summary of "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving?

    Rip is a hen-pecked husband who takes a walk in the woods and falls asleep--for a very long time--in Washington Irving's early American short story, "Rip van Winkle." Set in New York's Catskill Mountains around 1770, Rip is a popular fellow in the village but a terrible farmer. His wife nags him constantly, especially about his lazy streak, so to avoid her complaining, he takes a long walk in the woods overlooking the Hudson River. Suddenly, he hears a voice calling his name. It comes from a tiny little fellow carrying a keg of liquor who leads Rip to a group of men playing ninepins. Rip samples the elixir from the keg and falls asleep.
    When he awakes, he finds a rusty old gun where his own had been. His dog, Wolf, is missing. As he returns home, he fails to recognize any of the passing villagers. The buildings appear different, and his house is now in shambles. He discovers his beard is now much longer. His confusion is evident to others, and he becomes the center of attention. When at last he recognizes a woman's name that is the same as his own, she tells a tale about her father, who disappeared in the mountains 20 years before. Rip discovers that it is his grown daughter, and he realizes that he has just returned from a 20 year sleep.

What is Rev. Parris's attitude towards children in The Crucible?

Reverend Parris has the same attitude about his children as he does regarding preaching and living in Salem.  He feels it is a burden he's been forced to bear and his is angry about it. He is bigger than Salem, and this sinful small town is the beginning of the end for him.  This is the one and only prophesy he has accurrately forseen.  His wife has died, thus making him a single parent parent to Betty and now he has inherited the problem child, his niece Abigail. 

Reverend Parris has been plagued by the problem of women.  He doesn't understand them, he doesn't respect them and, historically, the character that the Reverend Parris was based on kept his Barbados slave Tituba, as his concubine.  Salem was a sesspool of hypocrisy and Parris was not unaffected.  The attitude that the devil could not touch a minister was exploited and the church was out of control.

In the play, while Parris is trying to keep his unappreciative congregation under control, his niece and daughter has been "dancing in the woods like a bunch of heathen".  Instead of solving the problem and chalking it up to "girls going wild", he attempts to hide it because he is more concerned with his own reputation.  The episode explodes into an international (or rather a national) incident.

He does seem to care about his daughter when she is sick and might die, but he continues his methods of bullying and intimidation to obtain is objective.  He doesn't know how to minister his people, and he definitely doesn't know how to be a father to his little Betty.   In the end of the play, his own fears have gotten the worst of him.  The women have made a fool of him.  His life, the lives of so many in the town, the destruction caused, perpetuated by the Reverend himself, has caused irrepairable damage. 

How long does it take to reach its highest point? Answer in units of s. What is velocity when it returns to the level from which it started? ans....

The equation for the velocity for the ball thrown vertically :

v= u+at, where u is the initial velocity a is the retardartion due gravitional acceleration, and t is the time of the motion.

At the highest point the velocity v of the ball is zero.

Therefore, 0=26.3-9.8t or 9.8t=26.3. Therefore, t= 26.3/9.8=2.6837 is the time to reach the heighest point.

The height reached s= ut-(1/2)gt^2 = 26.3(26837)-(1/2)(9.8)(2.6837^2)=35.2903m

Returning tothe ground:

Initial velocity u= 0, final velocity v to be found and acceleraion is the acceleration due to gravitation.The height s=35.2903m

We know that v^2-u^2= 2as

v= sqrt(2as)= sqrt(2*9.8*35.2903)=26.3 m/s towards the earth. It is equival in magnitude to the starting velocity but opposite in direction.

I am confused about Plagiarism. Most things are learnt through reading. Does this mean you are commiting plagiarism because you have read...

This is an important question and needs to be  spelled out. Plagiarism is taking another person's words or thoughts without acknowledgement. The most common forms are plagiarism are as follows:

1. Directly taking a quote from another person's work without direct quotations and acknowledgement.

2. Even if you summarize or paraphrase another person's work in your own words, you need to cite where you got this information.

3. If a person coined a phrase or a word and you use it, you also need to acknowledge this.

4. Finally, if you get idea or concept from another source, you need to acknowledge it as well. If you do not, then you are stealing a person's idea.

What do the hunters discover while out walking in the forest?

The hunters set out to search for the "monster." They see something that looks like an ape or some other monster.  Actually, it's the body of a military pilot who ejected from his plane. The hunters decide to search for the monster, but instead, kill a sow in a violent, ritualistic manner. The sow's head is placed on a sharp spear and planted in the jungle as an offering, of sorts, to the beast.  Later, Simon discovers the head, bloated and covered in flies. Simon mistakes the buzzing of the flies as the voice of The Lord of the Flies--which is a name often given to Satan. Simon identifies this as the real "beast," and that the beast dwells within each of them.  Later, Simon finds the body of the parachutist the only one of the boys to recognize that the "monster" is a dead body.

Describe the characteristics of the "Above the Influence" commerical -- the one with the leeches?for example music , colors, people or events that...

"Above the Influence" public service ads are meant to make young people, mainly high-school-age individuals, think about what they are doing when they take drugs or drink alcohol. The title says it all: rather than being "under the influence" of mind altering or mood changing chemicals, one should fight the temptations of one's in-group and of one's own body and be a real, free individual, unencumbered by dependency.

The particular ad that features the leeches is another excellent example of the ads as a whole. The production values are top-notch and yet simple and straight forward. The message in this one is hard to miss, slyly presented as it may be. Students (actors who are age-appropriate and believable) are engaged in a completely disgusting and bizarre activity, yet they are all drawn to it and ingnorant of its inherent repulsiveness. And they look upon it as completely normal and cool. Just like drug use in school, the authorities are at a loss to explain or control the scourge of this latest dangerous and self-debasing fad.

The message is clear and overwhelming: stop being so stupid and do something productive and good with this one life that is yours and yours alone.

Why is Hamlet considered to have problematic subjectivity?

Yes, there are problems with subjectivity in Hamlet the play, in Hamlet the character, but mainly subjectivity problems with critics writing about the character of Hamlet.

The role of Hamlet is just that.  It's a role.  As Eliot points out in his wonderful essay, "Hamlet and His Problems," critics tend to focus entirely on Hamlet as a psychological puzzle to solve, when psychology was not even a discourse in Shakespeare's era. Eliot calls Hamlet, the play, an "artistic failure," and says not even Shakespeare understood the character: that he superimposed his own language over an already constructed plot, Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy and Ur-Hamlet.

Critics make the mistake, according to Eliot, of interpreting Hamlet in their own image; hence, Coleridge's Hamlet is essentially Coleridge.  Where's the subjectivity there?  Can one speak of subjectivity when discussing an objective thing: a role, a character?  Transference is inevitable.

Hamlet is, more or less, an actor playing an actor playing an actor.  He's not sure who he is, but he knows who he wants to be: an actor.  He comes alive, not when he's been assigned revenge by his father's ghost, but when the traveling actors arrive.  He relishes his role as The Mousetrap's producer/director.  He loves theater, not so much life outside the theater.  So, is there subjectivity in metadrama / metatheater?

You should check out Hamlethaven.com.  I cite the following article:

Amtower, Laurel. “The Ethics of Subjectivity in Hamlet.” Studies in the Humanities 21.2 (Dec. 1994): 120-33.

Amtower says:

the murder of Old Hamlet “is never known in its actuality, but is instead delivered as information, filtered through the suspicious perspectives of the characters, and acted upon accordingly” (124). After gaining “information” about his father’s murder, Hamlet responds to the call for revenge by attempting to “justify the task within the theological and political framework that structures not only his ethical sensibilities, but his very sensibilities regarding who and what he is” (125). “Hamlet is thus placed into a subjective crux within which intersect the exclusive values which frame his very being” (125). But by “believing he acts for a higher agency” (e.g., the Ghost/father) and thus “dismissing the claims of his own integrity,” Hamlet “begins to reinscribe the entities and relationships around him into narratives and texts, to be negotiated and interpreted according to his own absolute gloss” (126). For him, absolutes “become fluid,” and “life is nothing but a language game” (126). Unfortunately, Hamlet is “not just a player of games comprised of words and deceptions, but a product of these games” (128). He feigns madness and manipulates The Mousetrap, all language-based methods, to extract truth from others—but egotistically neglects the fact that “the ‘truth’ he seeks might well be a product of his own discursive devising” (129). Leaving behind humanity and morality, he “appoints himself ‘scourge and minister’” (131) and “perverts the discourse of religious dogma in the pursuit of selfish ends, for the subject at the end of this play is a tyrant, using the discourse of power to justify his abandonment of individual ethics” (132).

Hope this helps...

In All Quiet on the Western Front, how does Mittelstaedt taunt and humiliate Kantorek and is it justified?

In Chapter 7 of All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul's classmate Mittelstaedt torments their former schoolmaster Kantorek.  Kantorek has enlisted as one of the reserve soldiers, and he proves that he is a poor soldier when it comes to combat.  However, Kantorek truly believes in the war effort, and he is the one who has persuaded Paul and his friends to join the army upon graduation; Kantorek continues to encourage boys to enlist as soldiers.  After Paul and his friends fight on the front line, they realize that Kantorek's persuasion is all talk and that Kantorek has no idea what it is really like to be a soldier.  Mittelstaedt sees Kantorek in town and forces him to dress like a clown and parade around humiliated.  One could argue that Mittelstaedt's behavior is childish, crude, and inappropriate; however, from Mittelstaedt's point of view, Kantorek is responsible for sending the boys into unknown horrors on the front line.  The boys think that Kantorek is a fool, so Mittelstaedt makes him dress like one to symbolically represent the misguided notions that drive Kantorek's (and others') patriotism.

Over and over, Danforth says that the good have nothing to fear. What evidence can you give to show that the opposite is true?

The evidence to go against this is pretty clear.  You can see that the statement is not true simply by looking at some of the people who get convicted and executed.

We know that Tituba, at least, sort of "deserves" to be executed because she was really trying to mess around with the supernatural.  But as far as we know, she's the only one who gets executed who actually did something.

By contrast, you have John Proctor executed (and Elizabeth would have been if she hadn't been pregnant).  You have Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey.  None of them ever did anything wrong.

So their executions show that the good really do have something to fear.

What is the moral of the story "The Mark of the Beast"?

I would say that the moral of this story is that taking an empire and trying to rule it (as the British did in India and elsewhere) is nearly impossible to do well and is harmful to the people who take the empire.

In this story, the British characters, and especially Fleete, are completely ignorant of the empire they are supposed to rule.  Because of this, Fleete does something really stupid without necessarily understanding that it was.  It is hard to run an empire when you don't/can't understand the ways of the people you're trying to rule.

It is also clear from the story that power has corrupted the Englishmen.  Because they are the colonizers, they feel that they are so superior that they can do whatever they want.

In the story, ignorance and arrogance lead to terrible consequences.  Kipling seems to be saying that this will be the case in real life as well.

How does Steinbeck employ characterization in "Of Mice and Men"?...especially with George and Lennie

It is significant that most of the characters in "Of Mice and Men" have names that begin with the letter C. Perhaps this letter represents a semi-formed circle, the symbol of completeness and unity, indicating that the men need to unite into the fraternity of man; in this brotherhood they can find meaning and share in friendship, helping one another, working together.

Representing his belief in socialism and author John Steinbeck's motif of the community of man that needs to unite, George and Lennie serve as examples of how sharing with another gives meaning to a man's life against the profound sense of aloneness.  Early in the novella, George Milton [the great poet's name] reflects upon this idea:

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

With these brotherly bonds, Lennie Small and George Milton have someone to help them measure the world.  Against their friendship, however, are the predatory human tendencies. One type of predatory character is Curley's wife who seeks to entice the men into behaving in ways in which they normally would not.  Only Slim, with his "god-like eyes"  and George, who is cynical about women, perceive the Eve-like danger in this women.  Like an innocent animal, Lennie is unaware of the danger and is trapped and, later, destroyed.

Steinbeck's characters are helpless in their isolation. yet in their weakness they seek to destroy one another's happiness.  The pugnacious, insecure Curley wishes to beat the others, while Carlson wants to kill the old swamper's aging dog, the men force the black stabler Crooks to live alone in the barn with the mules.  Crooks tells George,

A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody.  Don't make no difference who the buy is, long's he's with you.

In Soledad--which means solitude in Spanish--the men are alone, powerless, uncertain of the future.  Because of their uncertainty and powerlessness, the men want instant gratification in the face of life's unpredictable nature and become predatory as they seek a place in nature.  Only dreams give meaning to their lives, dreams (dream is mentioned throughout the novella) and friendship, for in dreams human dignity is an integral part. 

Clearly, the characterization employed by John Steibeck in "Of Mice and Men" develops the main themes of his stirring novella.

What do George and Lennie plan to do in Chapter One in Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck?What is their dream in chapter one?- (I really can't seem to...

After the two men arrive in Soledad outside the ranch where they will start work the next day, George and Lennie camp for the night. As George "stared morosely at the water," the reader gleans some insight into the loneliness of this character who has come to a town in Californian named after loneliness as well as the character of the child-like Lennie who cannot remember where they are going, but likes to pet mice. That Lennie is a burden to George is also apparent.

George complains to Lennie that he could have more fun without him, but when Lennie becomes hurt, George tells him he does not want him to leave,

No, you stay with me.  Your Aunt Clara wouldn't like you running off by yourself, even if she is dead.

It is at this point that Lennie asks George to tell him "About the rabbits."  Their dream is to have a ranch of their own:

George's voice became deeper.  He repeated his words rhythmically as thoug he had said them many times before.  'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.  They got no family.  They don't belong no place....With us it ain't like that.  We got a future....Someday--we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and....we'll have a big vegatable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens.  And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in teh stove and set around it an'listen to the rain comin' down on the roof--

This dream is their escape from the cruel reality of being poor, itinerant workers during the Great Depression.  This dream and their friendship is what sets them apart from the others; it is what gives them a greater sense of worth as they share both friendship and a dream.

A ball is thrown vertically upward with a speed of 26.3m/s. How high does it rise? How long does it take to reach its highest point? How long does...

The answer given above is correct. However the problem can be solved using easier method.

The ball is thrown up with velocity u = 26.3 m/s

While travelling up the velocity of ball slows down till it reaches velocity v = 0 at its highest point.

The acceleration of ball due to gravitational pull a = 9.8 m/s^2

Thus total reduction in velocity when the ball reaches its highest point = v.

Therefore time taken to reach highest point t = v/a =26.3/9.8 = 2.6837 s (approximately)

The height to which ball rises s = t*(v + u)/2 = 2.6837*26.3/2 = 35.2093

We do not need to make separate calculations for the return path of the ball from highest point to the point to the starting level, as the velocities are exactly equal and opposite those of the upward journey.

Therefore velocity of ball when it returns to the starting level = -26.3 m/s.

Assuming starting point of the ball was the ground level, the time taken by ball to reach ground after it reaches the highest point = 2.6837 s

What characteristics of mankind does Shakespeare think are immortal in Sonnet 18? The last two lines say poetry is eternal; mankind is immortal.

I suppose there is a problem in the understanding of this poem (sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare) on the part of the question-maker. The poet wants certain qualities of mankind to be eternal but he does not say that they are eternal. These qualities are youth, beauty, temperance and so on. Unfortunately, the flux of nature spares none, not even the beauty of the fair friend--"Every fair from fair sometimes declines". It is with great passion and desire that the poet says--"But thy eternal summer shall never fade". Poetry becomes, to him, a way of accessing this immortality.

In the last two lines, Shakespeare does talk about the eternizing power of poetry; its ability to outlive time and succeed in its acid test but as far as humanity is concerned, I do not think he ensures any note of immortality. What he does is to mark the limits of eternity with the limit of human survival on this earth. As long as there are human beings upon this earth and as long as they are receptive or sensitive enough, the poetical lines would be remembered and in it would survive the beauty of the fair friend. That is his argument.

In the novel 1984, what is the contrast between the Ministry of Truth building and its surroundings? What does it point out about this society?

The contrast between the Ministry of Truth building (and other ministry buildings) and its surroundings is that the Ministry building is huge and new while everything else is old and run-down.

The Ministry building is 300 meters high and pure white.  The surroundings are made up of old buildings, patched and propped up.  There are also all kinds of craters from bombs.

This shows how completely the government dominates the society of Oceania.  Only the government has new and imposing buildings because only the government is seen as important.  The buildings, like the government, completely overshadow the rest of society.

In chapter 12 why does Ralph weep for Piggy, but not for Simon? What is the difference between the officer's language and attitude and...

I think a very strong argument could be made that Ralph does indeed cry for Simon as well as for Piggy.  The sentence reads, "...Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy."  Simon was innocent - in everything he did.  He never had a mean motive, he never sought to do anything but help others, and he was the one who died trying to tell the boys that the beast was actually a dead person.  Piggy was the one boy who was closest to Ralph.  He and Ralph found each other at the beginning of the story before either one found any of the other boys so their friendship was bonded early.  The last paragraph and sentence of the story indicate that the officer did not understand what had transpired on the island.  He assumed that, since the ones inhabiting the island were only school boys, that nothing more serious than a game could ensue.  The officer did not grasp that these were no longer innocent boys with the same thoughts and experiences as most boys their age.  Ralph knows that this officer and all the other adults they will encounter, will not understand the amount of change that occurred in these boys and no one will understand that they are no longer boys, but they are essentially old men with dark pasts.

In chapter 16,The Giver gives Jonas a memory of a special day/event. What was described? What do you think happened to the original event?

In chapter 16 Jonas sees a tree with colored lights inside a room.  In the room are two parents, children, and two older people.  He comes to realize they are grandparents.  A child is passing around gifts and children are opening them.  The feelings evoke warmth, family, and love.  The gift is the memory of Christmas.

Once the memory has been transferred to Jonas it is lost from the Giver.  He no longer has the memory.  The memory was probably his from his childhood.

Grandparents in Jonas' society do not exist.  The older parents are sent to live together away from their raised children.  There are no sets of generations in the home other than the children given to the parental unit and the parental units.

Christmas, like grandparents, has been terminated by the society in which Jonas lives. 

Why must the human body be kept at a pH level of 6.5 to 7.5?

The above answer from "nofret" is correct.  I wanted to add that the structure of enzymes makes it useful, and changes in pH unravel enzyme structure.  These changes in structure are referred to as "denaturing" the protein.  You can denature a protein (enzyme) by changing the pH or raising the temperature.  This is why we can cook foods with both temperature and acids (pickling).

Think of a screwdriver. Its shape makes it useful for putting in screws, where a saw's structure makes it useful for cutting.  Raising the body's pH is equivalent to breaking the tip off of your screwdriver.  Now, it cannot perform its function.

As to why the human body has particular pH levels, the enzymes have evolved in our body to function at these optimal levels.  By keeping body pH fairly constant, these enzymes are able to be specific in their function.

What is the moral of A Tale of Two Cities, and how are the two cities significant?

The introduction to the moral of A Tale of Two Cities begins with the opening lines: 

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."

The moral of the book is that there is duality in the world.  Where there is light, there is also darkness.  Right and wrong have very much to do with who writes the history and what the situation looks like when the blood hits the ground.  Because of this duality, it is important to be wary of whom you trust and causes for which you fight.  

The book deals with both London and Paris from 1775 forward.  For both England and France, this was a time of revolution.  England (King George III) was experiencing the beginnings of the American Revolutionary War and likewise Louis XVI is dealing with the social unrest of the people in France.  Both George and Louis are alike in their reactions to the situation (that they cannot understand why their sovereignty is being questioned); however, the results of the revolutions are polar opposites.  England emerges from the American Revolution with minimal damage, almost stronger than they were before, while France is fractured socially, morally, and the government is in shambles.    

Dickens’s points out the differences between London and Paris.  England is focused on ghosts and psychics while France is fixated on the religious leaders in order to evade torture and death. He also compares France and England, concerning their justice systems.  France's harsh justice system is mirrored with England's relatively relaxed system.  England finds itself overrun with bandits and rioting prisoners with very little consistency and order in the judicial system.  France on the other hand is strictly ruled through the new justice system the people demanded.  While they claimed that it would be impartial and better than the system before, instead it is the polar opposite.  Dickens does however, point out that even though England’s court system does have its flaws, it is far more stable than France’s justice system and does produce fair rulings.

In the end, the moral of the story is that a person must be responsible for their own choices, the people they trust, and the actions that they take.  Because of the duality that exists in the world, the only truth is in who you are and what you do, yourself.  Everything else is susceptible to corruption.  Because of the duality that exists even in yourself, it is important to weigh and be responsible for your actions.      

Satellite moves in a circular orbit around the Earth at a speed of 5.1 km/s.Determine the satellite's altitude above the surface of the Earth....

We can assume that the altitude of the satellite is x from earth and so it is earths radius R +x  meter distant from the centre of the earth.

The satellites speed is v . We also assume that the gravitational force F is given by:

F = GMm/(r+x)^2 and this is equal to the centrepetal force of the satellite, mv^2/(R+x), where G is the gravitational constant, M =mass of the earth and m is the mass of the satellite. Using the known values, we would detrmine the value of x, the altitude of the satellite.

GMm/(R+x)^2=mv^2/(R+x). Reducinf by m/(R+x) , we get:

GM/(R+x) = v^2 or

R+x = GM/v^2 or

x = GM/v^2 - R

=6.67259*10^-11*5.98*10^24/5100^2  - (6370000)

= 8971056.594 m

=8971.056594 Km.

Explain why "The Road Taken" would not be a suitable title for the poem.

This is an interesting question because most people pay attention to the end of the poem, which talks about the road that the speaker did take...

To me, the reason why "The Road Taken" would not be a suitable title is because the "The Road Not Taken" adds to the meaning of the poem by emphasizing its contradictions and uncertainties.

The poem is talking about how all roads essentially are the same and we only convince ourselves that they are different.  The title of the poem interacts with the text to show us this idea more clearly.  The poem talks about the road the speaker did take, but the title talks about the one he didn't take.

This, to me, adds to the sense of ambiguity about the poem -- the idea that all roads are the same even though they look different to us and we think they are different.  If Frost had called it "The Road Taken," of "The Road Less Traveled" the title would make the poem seem more certain and less ambiguous.

General Lee marched his troops into pennsyvania because he?

At the outset of the Civil War, the Confederacy had many disadvantages, such as an underdeveloped economy, lack of manpower, lack of railroad systems and a lack of supplies.  However, two of its greatest advantages were great military leadership and fighting a defensive war.  Due to these advantages, the South had early success in the eastern theater of the Civil War, but after a brilliant Confederate victory in Chancellorsville, VA, General Robert E. Lee decided to invade Pennsylvania, despite losing his best office General Jackson.  So why would Lee change the Confederate strategy of fighting a defensive war, despite his early success?

Due to the lack of supplies created by the Southern economy and the blockade created by the Union navy, the Confederate army and citizens were suffering.  One way to acquire some of the goods they were lacking was to build an alliance with a foreign power such as Great Britain or France.  However, these countries were not going to risk ruining their trading relationship with the United States after the war by supporting the “losing” side during the war.  Therefore, Confederacy was desperate to provide evidence to foreign investors that they could be victorious in the war provided they received aid from these foreign powers.  A victory on Union soil could be the convincing evidence and General Lee was using an invasion of Pennsylvania as way to achieve that goal.

Another major reason that Lee decided to invade at that time was discourage the Northern citizens’ commitment to the war effort, so as to put pressure on the Union government to withdrawal from the war.  After stunning Confederate victories at Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville there was a growing voice in the North, which supported a withdrawal from the war.  More and more members of the Union felt that the South and North could never be united completely, so allowing the Confederacy to secede was not a bad thing thus allowing the death and destruction from the war to stop.

Fortunately for President Abraham Lincoln and the Union supporters, the Union army had uplifting victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July of 1863, which marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy.  So, despite the damaging effects that resulted in Lee changing the military strategy of the Confederate army, it was a necessary gamble, which he had to take if the Confederacy was to have a realistic chance in winning the war.

In The Scarlet Letter, what clues does Hawthorne provide as the identity of Pearl's father?

Hester left Amsterdam and went to New England to start a new life. She waited for her husband for a long time until she assumed that he was dead. She is then found to be pregnant. She is forced to wear the A for "adulterer" and sit in front of the whole village for 3 hours a day. Reverend Dimmesdale saves her from the gallows be stating that her husband is assumed to be dead.

Then a doctor named Roger Chillingworth comes to visit Hester in her jail cell. We learn that he is actually her husband, but that he will keep that a secret. When he asks to know the identity of Pearl's father, she will not tell him.

After she gets out, the townspeople decide that Pearl should not be allowed to stay with her mother because they are afraid that Pearl will follow in her mother's footsteps. Hester receives word that the magistrate wants to take Pearl away from her. When she arrives at the governor's house, Dimmesdale is there. After he persuades the governors to allow Pearl to stay with her mother, he gives Pearl a kiss on the forehead. This kiss, in addition to his continuing intervention on their behalf, hint at him being Pearl's father.

When Hester and Pearl return from the death bed of governor Winthrop, they join Dimmesdale who is standing on the town's scaffold. Pearl asks him twice, "Wilt thou stand here with mother and me, to-morrow noontide?" She knows that he is her father and she wants him to confess his sin so that they may live peacefully.

On a walk in the woods, Hester and Dimmesdale talk about leaving for England. Dimmesdale again gives a kiss to Pearl, who runs to the brook to wash it off. She is not willing now to accept him.

Does Petruchio love Katharine?

It is difficult for modern Americans to understand the institution of marriage in Elizabethan times.  First, Americans are romantic when it comes to love.  We believe couples are fated to meet: a there is only "one true love."  Also, we are usually economically independent of our parents when we get married, so there is much more freedom of choice.  Lastly, we treat women with much more equality when it comes to decision-making and role in the family.

Elizabethans, most Europeans historically, have married for economic purposes: to secure status, maintain property and wealth.  Women were considered property for the most part and given little choice by their fathers to marry whom they choose.  Fathers were expected to marry the eldest daughter first, and they were married to men usually older than them.

If you've read any of the primary sources of the era, you will see much more inequality between the sexes than in Taming of the Shrew, as hard to believe as that is.  Women were placed in 5 categories: Virgin, Quiet Woman, Good Wife, Wanton Woman, and the Unquiet Woman.  The first three were good: they kept their mouths closed and their chastity closer.  Even when married, they remained silent and coy.  This is Bianca, the perfect daughter.  The last two were considered equally evil: to be a wanton is to be sexually promiscuous.  To be unquiet, like Kate, was considered as equally evil.

So, does Petruchio love Kate?  Can a man love a woman that he places into such disparaging categories?  Can a man even know a woman if society expects her to be silent, submissive, coy, deferential, subject to his every whim?

Shakespeare is being lightly satirical in Taming.  He saw the inequality in marriage, having not been very good at it himself.  He creates a modern woman

Where in 'The Count of Monte Cristo' does physical combat take place and with whom?"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas

In a secret drawer of Monsieur Noitier is a recording of physical violence.  After the death of the Marquis and Marquise de Saint-Meran, Monsieur de Villefort puts into execution the Marquise's last wishes.  Valentine is sent for as he expects M. d'Epinay, his two witnesses and the notary in order to arrange the marriage of his daughter.

However, M. Noitier has other plans.  When the notary arrives, he informs M. d'Epinay that M. Noitier has disinherited her entirely. This having been said,  M. Noitier sends word that he wishes to speak to the Baron d'Epinay. After Valentine and the baron arrive with M. de Villefort, the servant Barrois is instructed to pull from a secret drawer papers that reveal the history of the grandfather of Franz d'Epinay, the proposed fiancee of Valentine. 

A General de Quesnel was invited to a meeting with men loyal to Bonaparte.  Word had it that the general, too, was so devoted; however when questioned, it was discovered that this man was loyal to the monarchy and possibly a spy.  He had attempted to use his own coachman, and to peek under the required blindfold.  Upon his arrival, General de Quesnel declared his loyalty to Louis XVIII.  The President of the Bonapartist Club tells the general,

We have ben acting under a misapprehension; for the sake of promotion and a title, you have thrown in your lot with the new Government , a Government we would overthrow....Now, you understand, it would be too convenient for you to put on a mask to aid you in learning the secret of others and then have nothing further to do than remove the mask to ruin those who put their trust in you.  Uou must tell us quite whether you stand for the king of the moment...or His Majesty, the Emperor.

Because the general declared, "I am a Royalist," he was told  to swear an oath that he would not reveal anyone or anything.  As they prepared to take him home, General Quesnal insulted the President, and he "refused to go a step further without honourable reparation."  The two men travel to the Quai des Ormes and step out of the carriage.

The President and General Quesnel duel; both are wounded in at least three places, but the general is wounded mortally.  Valentine shrinks back, for many a time she has seen the  marks of two sword wounds on her grandfather's arm.  The President was none other than M. Noirtier.  At this knowledge, Franz "sank lifeless into a chair."