What were the three principles of judicial review established by the Marbury v. Madison decision?

Just to be clear, the power of judicial review is the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws passed by Congress or the states to be unconstitutional.

I would suggest that you consult your text or your class notes for what your teacher thinks are the three principles of judicial review in this case because it's not as if the Court said "here are the three principles..."

That said, here are what I see as the three ideas that the Court uses to justify taking the power for themselves (remember that this power is not given to them by the Constitution):

• The people established the Constitution to limit what government can do


• The Constitution is superior to other laws and so laws that go against the Constitution are invalid


• It is the job of the judicial branch to decide what the law is

So therefore, the judicial branch gets to exercise the power of judicial review because the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and it is the job of that branch to decide what the law says.

What would be a thesis statement for "The Rocking-Horse Winner," and is there a specific one that is important to know?

The parents in the story "The Rocking Horse Winner" are living a life above their means.  They are always discussing the need for money until the boy hears the house state they need more money coming through the walls of his house.  The boy sees not having enough money as a failure based on his mother's words.  To determine a good thesis statement one would need to find a literary idea that can be broken down through use of the wording in the story.  There are several types of thesis statements.  The ones that I have added would be of the argumentative nature.

Some ideas might be:

The boy's parents caused his ultimate death by their living beyond their means spending habits.

The boy in "The Rocking Horse Winner"  is a victim of a capitalist society.

The Uncle in the story "The Rocking Horse Winner" is symbolic of capitalism and the drive to continue to obtain a greater income.

I hope these help.  I added a website that address forming a thesis statement.

What does it mean to say consumers BID UP THE PRICE of goods when there is a shortage, resulting in an increase in the equilibrium price?

When economists talk about markets, they treat them as if every market is an auction.

Think about it this in terms of eBay.  If there's something up for auction there but there are a million of them, there's no shortage of it and people don't compete against each other to buy it -- there are plenty for everyone.  But then compare it with something rare -- the bids go up and up because there is, in essence, a shortage.

Another way to think about it is in terms of great NBA or NFL players.  There's always a shortage of those so the teams will pay them huge amounts when they become free agents.

It doesn't work exactly like that in the market for regular stuff, but it's the same idea.  When firms see that their product sells out all the time, they'll raise the price.  The consumers aren't literally bidding the price up, but the effect is the same.

How does Hawthorne characterize Reverend John Wilson?Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"

Just as he uses true historical figures as characters in his story "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne writes into his narrative of "The Scarlet Letter" the "stern divine" John Wilson, a minister who came to America in 1630.  A strong figure of Puritan intolerance he appears in Chapter III in the first scaffold scene. However, Hawthorne describes him in such a way as to suggest his Puritanical ineffectiveness and punitive nature:

withal a man of kind and genial spirit....an attribute [that] was...a matter of shame than self-congratulation with him....There he stood, with a border of grizzled locks beneath his skull-cap; while his gray eyes, accustomed to the shaded light of his study , were winking, like those of Hester's infant, in the unadulterated sunshine.  He looked like the darkly engraved portraits which we see prefixed to old volumes of sermons; and no more right than of those portraits would have to step forth, as he now did and meddle with a question of human guilt, passion, and anguish.

Alluding to the judges of the witchcraft trials, Hawthorne suggests the Puritanical sanctimony in the Reverend Wilson who admits that he overrides the concern of Mr. Dimmesdale that it is a wrongdoing to question her in "such broad daylight, and in the presence of so great a multitude." But, Mr. Wilson, continues, he has explained to Dimmesdale that the wrongdoing is in the "commission of the sin, and not in the showing of it forth."  He, then, bids the Reverend Dimmesdale to step forward and question Hester.  But, despite his pleas, Hester refuses.  Mr. Wilson cries "more harshly than before,"

Woman, transgress not beyond the limits of Heaven's mercy!

The Reverend Mr. Wilson appears again at the mansion of Governor Bellingham and questions Hester about her right to raise the little girl.  When he asks Pearl who "made thee," Pearl astonishes him by replying that she was plucked from the wild rose bush by the prison.  After this response, the Reverend Wilson feels the child should be taken from Hester, believing the mother wishes to "make a mountain bank of this child."

When Roger Chillingworth suggests that they guess the father of the child, the "good Mr. Wilson" suggests that it would be "sinful" to pursue the matter; better to "pray and fast upon it."  Mr. Wilson does not appear again until the second scaffold scene in Chapter XII, and then he does perceive Mr. Dimmesdale through the darkness even though Dimmesdale barely restrains himself from speaking:

The venerable Father Wilson continued to step slowly onward, looking carefully at the muddy parthway before his feet.

And, finally, in the third scaffold scene, "the venerable John Wison,...stepped forward hastily to offer his support" to Reverend Dimmesdale, but the young minister "repelled the old man's arm."

Symbolic of Puritanism and its ineffectiveness in assuaging the soul, the Reverend Mr. Wilson is part of the tableaux that present the punitive character of Puritanism and its ineffectiveness.

In "The Crucible" what is wrong with Betty?

As far as an actual physical illness goes, there is nothing wrong with Betty.  What is really going on is that she is scared witless, and acting sick in order to not get in trouble.  The night before, her dad, Reverend Parris, discovered her and her friends dancing in the forest.  Dancing, in Puritan communities, was strictly forbidden, and warranted a whipping.  And, not only that, Abigail and others were casting spells and making charms to do harmful things; Betty knows this, and that is even worse than dancing.  That is indicative of witchcraft, whose punishment is hanging.  So, when her dad jumps out and discovers her in the middle of all of this mischief, she gets so scared that she nearly passes out.  She doesn't want to get whipped or hanged, so, she pretends to be ill instead.

If she is "ill," she can't answer any questions about what they were doing that night, and her father will put aside her punishment because he is so worried about her.  So, she pretends to be sick; she refuses to eat or speak, and lies there like she is in a coma.  Occasionally, she'll break out in hysterics, flying at the window to try to "fly."  This bizarre behavior works well to distract her father; concerned, he sends for a doctor, and then for Reverend Hale, just in case witchcraft is involved.  As Abigail tells Proctor in Act One, Betty isn't sick, "she took fright, is all."

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

What does the corpse of the drowned man symbolize?

Excellent question.

Esteban (the drowned man who makes such a difference in a town of complete similarity) symbolizes one word: Inspiration.

It is the same inspiration that drives one person to change his life; the inspiration that motivates people to connect to others; the inspiration that brings ones curiosity, and makes one a better person as a result of it.

Alternatively, he represents change. In a town where people had to look at each other to realize that this man was different, his presence (whether dead or alive) was a change to their lives. He was taller, extremely handsome, the grass growing  on him was different, even his demeanor (on his corpse's expression) was both different and fascinating to them.

The sense of ownership that both the women and other villagers felt was the same sense of ownership one feels when something unique comes our way, changes our lives, and makes us embrace it. This man, whoever he was, made a difference, without making any changes...just by being him.

Hence, Esteban represents a moment in our existence when we are mysteriously touched by a sense of change and want,belonging, love, and inspiration that makes us want to change.....for no reason at all. That is the magic of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his works!

What is theme of "The World Too Much With Us"?

The main theme of this poem is the deadening effect of materialism in the modern world, as encapsulated in the line: "Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers." The poet laments this state of affairs and longs to turn his face away from what he sees as the soulless materialism of his time, to an earlier time when people were more attuned to nature and all its wonders and beauties. To this end, indeed, he declares himself as a kind of pagan, worshiping nature in all its forms.  He ascribes to nature a vibrant spirit and life that is lacking in the modern world, the world of cities and commerce. His feeling of awe and reverence for nature can be labelled pantheism.

The poet is aware that his ideals might appear old-fashioned ("a creed outworn") but that doesn't bother him. Clearly he is deeply depressed and dissatisfied with contemporary life and longs for the comfort that the mystical beliefs of an earlier time would afford him, and make him "less forlorn." He wants to re-discover the sense of wonder in nature that he thinks people used to have, as seen in his invocation of the old nature deities, the sea-gods Proteus and Triton. 

In Wordsworth's time - that is to say, the last decades of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth -  there was an ever-increasing tendency to explain natural phenomena in practical, scientific terms. For Wordsworth and others of a similar romantic temperament, this meant the loss of a sense of wonder and enchantment about the world - an enchantment which he himself wanted to retain at all costs.

Did Patrice Lumumba deserve to be assassinated? Please explain your reasoning.

This brings the supposition that anyone deserves to be assassinated.  For the purposes of discussion here, lets assume that it is morally right to assassinate a person if said assassination would serve to save a significant population of innocent individuals.

Notice all the little caveats there.  What is significant? What does innocent mean?  Is this the best working reference to go with?  I don't know...but let's assume it is okay for our purposes here and get on with it.

Under this definition (or even one more liberal) Lumumba did not "deserve" to be assassinated.  Though his political actions resulted in a bloody civil war and military coup (during which many people died) it was not his intention for these things to happen.  In short, he had no intent to harm anyone through his actions.

He was not popular among Western powers because his actions destabilized his country, but more-so was his way of solving the problem.  When the Western powers would not help him to suppress the rebellion in Katanga (largely instigated by outside forces that had mining interests in the region) Lumumba sought help from the Soviet Union.  With their assistance, Lumumba attempted to invade the renegade province (a move that ultimately failed.)  After this he was hunted by rebel forces and eventually both deposed and arrested.

Nobody knew exactly what to do with him, so the issue was decided when his opponents (and there is some evidence that the Belgians and Americans were complacent in this) drove him out in the middle of nowhere and executed him, thus solving the problem.

So, as you can see, Lumumba did not deserve execution.  He was not a Hitler, or a Stalin, or a Pol Pot.  He was just a man who fumbled the ball when trying to unite his fractured country.  You can find a picture of the man himself here.

Why is the use of the names Peter and Wendy for the two children in the story "The Veldt" significant?

I would say that the significance comes from the idea that both Peter and Wendy Hadley and Peter Pan do not (at least emotionally) have parents. While the Hadley children do have parents, their parents do not really care enough about them or pay enough attention to them and so they don't feel a strong attachment to their parents.

Because both the Hadleys and Peter Pan don't really know what love is (because of lack of parental love) they have become selfish.  In Peter Pan, the selfishness is relatively harmless, but in The Veldt it certainly is not.

So the significance of the names is that it should point us towards these similiarities.

How many girls are there in the play Hamlet?

There are only two female characters of note in Hamlet: Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, and Ophelia, Hamlet’s potential lover. In their own ways, both women betray Hamlet, and suffer dearly for their duplicity.

Gertrude is the first to betrayal Hamlet.  Shortly after the death of her husband, King Hamlet, she remarried Claudius, King Hamlet’s brother and murderer.  While at first she believes her son to be deranged, she eventually realizes her mistake and dies because of her misplaced trust in her new husband.

Ophelia, Hamlet’s supposed love, also betrays Hamlet.  Instead of doing what her heart tells her, she allows herself to be dominated and manipulated by her father, thus losing Hamlet’s trust.  Eventually, after Hamlet has killed her father, she completely loses touch with reality and drowns.

Compare and contrast lessons learned by Anne Elliot in "Persuasion", Harriet in "Emma", and Elizabeth Bennett in "Pride and Prejudice".

All three of these women are influenced by the opinions of others, and it is much to their detriment throughout the novels.  Anne Elliot is influnced by her friend and mentor to not accept her sweetheart's proposals; her weak disposition and desire to please keep her from happiness for many years.  Harriet is led on a wild-goose chase after a man who would never consider her for a bride, and it almost costs her the man who would consider her.  She listened overly much to Emma's foolish meddling.  Elizabeth, although she did have strong opinions based on her own experiences, relates when people call Darcy rude and cold.  She is influenced by the liar Wickham to form false opinions about Darcy, that keep her from softening towards him for much of the novel.

All three of these characters learn their lesson about being too easily persuaded by others.  They learn to go with their heart and their own instincts eventually.  Another lesson that they share is that they learned they were not too good for their intended mates; that was part of the reason that they rejected them in the first place, because of a false sense of superiority.

Contrasts in the lessons learn stem from the source of their failures--Elizabeth was prejudiced, Anne was weak-willed, and Harriet was mislead.  So, Elizabeth learned that though she claimed to be open-minded and accepting, she was more prejudiced than she would like to admit.  Anne learned that she needed to trust her heart, even if it meant displeasing someone else.  And Harriet learned that setting lofty goals is not necessarily the key to happiness.  Their individual lessons fit the nuances of their individual storylines in all of their different ways.

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

Please give me the summary of Sarojini Naidu's "Bangle Sellers."

The poem "Bangle Sellers" was first published in the year 1912 by Sarojini Naidu in her collection of poems called "The Bird of Time."

A group of bangle sellers is on its way to the temple fair to sell their bangles. One of them is the narrator of this poem. They are an impoverished and marginalized group of people whose income from the sales of their bangles is at the best of times uncertain and very meagre. However the bangles they sell are of religious and symbolic importance: no Indian widow is permitted to wear bangles. Hence the wearing of bangles is considered to be very auspicious and of symbolic value bordering on the religious.

What is of great significance in the poem is that the bangle seller does not say a word about his/her  poverty, nor does he/she  say anything about the profit that he/she intends to make by selling his/her bangles at the temple fair where he/she will certainly do roaring sales. On the contrary he/she only concentrates on the human element of the product he/she is going to sell at the temple fair:

Who will buy these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.

Sarojini Naidu has foregrounded the auspiciousness and the symbolic value of the custom of wearing bangles by repeating "happy."  The 'happy' daughters look forward to their marital bliss while the 'happy' wives are content and glory in the fulfillment which is a result of their  marital status.

Each of the next three stanzas deal with the three stages in the life of of an average Indian woman - a virgin maiden, an expectant bride and finally a mature matriarch.

The bangles are of many colors. However, each stage in an Indian woman's life is described lyrically and appropriately according to the colour of the bangle suitable to that stage:for the maiden virgin who is always dreaming  of a happily married life it is a misty silver and blue, for the expectant and passionate bride it is a golden yellow, and for the mature matriarch it is a "purple and gold flecked grey."

Similarly Sarojini Naidu very poetically describes the longings of an Indian woman according to each stage of her life: the virgin maiden is carrying in her heart countless dreams of her future married life and she is compared to a "bud that dreams." The young bride is described as brimming over with passionate desire although she is nervous about what the future holds for her as she leaves her parental home - "bridal laughter and bridal tear." Finally, she describes the proud and faithful matriarch who has attained  fulfillment by successfully rearing  her sons - "serves her house in fruitful pride -" and hence is permitted to take her rightful place by the side of her husband in all the domestic religious rituals.

What is the summary of the poem "The Frog And The Nightingale" by Vikram Seth?

A frog in Bingle Bog croaked his song at the base of a sumac tree. The other creatures hated his voice, but there was nothing they could do because no matter how they expressed their dislike, the frog just kept on singing.

One day a nightingale perched on the tree and sang a beautiful song. The creatures of the bog, including the frog, were delighted. They encouraged her with their applause to continue singing until the break of day.

The next night the frog approaches the nightingale and says that he owns the tree and has been singing there for a long time. She asks his opinion of her singing, and he tells her that it isn't bad,but it lacks strength. She is impressed with his criticism and tells him that it may not be the best, but it is her song.

The frog then tells her that he can train her and make her great.  She is thrilled that she has someone with so much knowledge and experience to guide her. However, the frog tells her that she will have to pay him for his services.  That night she sings, and the frog charges admission to the other creatures of the bog to listen to her.

The next morning it was raining, but the frog insisted the nightingale practice anyway.  He practiced with her for six hours and when he finished, she was exhausted and her voice was hoarse. However, her voice came back overnight, and the adoring crowd of creatures returned.

Even though he was making money off her songs by charging admission, the frog would scold her and tell her she needed to practice until her voice became strong because he was also charging her for his advice.

She wore herself out with the effort, and soon her song was no longer beautiful, and the creatures stayed away.  She became very sad because  she had grown to enjoy the applause and adoration of the other creatures.  She didn't enjoy singing alone anymore.

The frog got angry and told her she wasn't trying hard enough. She was terrified of failing, and so she tried one last time with all her heart to sing with strength.  She puffed up, burst a blood vessel, and died.

The frog told the others that he tried to help her,but she was stupid and too easily influenced by others. She should have known that your song must be personal and your own.  Then he took his position back at the base of the sumac tree and croaked out his song with all his strength, once again the only voice in the bog.

What is the difference, in Jody's opinion, between the two stories his parents told him during the summer storm of The Yearling?

During a wet summer night with a storm raining down from above, Jody asks his pa, Penny Baxter, to "tell us a tale." Jody always enjoyed his father's stories, so Penny thought hard before coming up with one that hadn't been told before. As Jody "tingled" at the sound of his father's voice, Penny began a tale about an old hunting dog who learned how to double back on his prey and wait for them to arrive. But the dog, Old Dandy, finally met his match when an old twisted-antlered buck outsmarted him.

    (Jody) sighed with relief.  That was a proper tale.  When he thought of it again, he could picture the dog trailing the buck perpetually.
    He said, "Tell another tale like that un, Pa.  A tale has got a answer but no endin'."
    "Now boy, they ain't many tales like that in the world.  You best be content with that un."

Then Jody's mother took her turn at spinning a tale.

    Ma Baxter said, "I ain't much for dogs, but they was a dog oncet I takened a notion to.  It was a bitch and she had the purtiest coat. I said to the feller owned her, 'When she finds pups,' says I, 'I'd like one.'  He said, 'You're welcome, but 'twon't do, for you got no way o' huntin' it'--I wasn't yit married to your Pa--'and a hound'll die,' he said, 'if it ain't hunted.'  'Is she a hound?'
says I, and he said, 'Yessum.'  And I said, 'Then I shore don't want one, for a hound'll suck eggs.'"
    Jody waited eagerly for the rest of the tale, then understood that was all there was to it.  It was like all his mother's tales. They were like hunts where nothing happened.  He went back in his thoughts to the dog that could out-smart wild-cats and foxes, but never caught the buck.

It was simple. Penny's stories were entertaining, with a beginning and an end. His mother's tales were pointless and boring--"like a hunt where nothing happened."

What is a good analysis of "The Bet"?

A good analysis of "The Bet" would include all the aspects of a literary analysis, which requires certain information be included. This information pertains to the literary devices of the text. Literary devices are of two types: literary elements and literary techniques. Literary elements are the devices that are in all literature, whether long or short story fiction. Some literary elements are conflict, mood, point of view.

Literary techniques are options that the individual writer may choose to enhance the story. These optional literary techniques are termed tropes. Some tropes--which are literary techniques in writing that may optionally be employed by the writer--are personification, metaphor, irony, simile. To write a literary analysis, you must include mention of all the elements and the techniques that pertain to the text.
An analysis of "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov must include, in proper essay form, the following literary elements:

Setting: A wealthy banker's estate in November of the year 1870.
Point of View: Third person limited narrator who knows and communicates only the bankers thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Conflict: Man against man; who will win the bet and how will the banker behave toward the younger man.

To continue your analysis, you must answer for the other literary elements of:

Climax;
Mood, which is the feeling of the story built from all aspects of language, setting, characters, details;
Tone, which is the attitude of the narrator, which may be different from the mood, as in a calm narrator telling a horror story;
Symbolism;
Allusion;
Flashback, like the one that occurs in the second paragraph of "The Bet";
Foreshadowing, which is clues or suggestions that indicate what will happen later;
Indirect characterization and direct characterization;
Theme.

Then you must include discussion of all the literary technique tropes that you can identify. An analysis of "The Bet" might contain a paragraph like the following:

"The premise of "The Bet" is built on a trope called a metaphor. A metaphor compares two things that are not alike but that shed light on the meaning of the one. For instance, it is a metaphor to say, "Matilda is a brick," meaning she is sturdy and dependable. In paragraph two, the banker says, "lifelong imprisonment kills a man slowly." This is a metaphor because imprisonment does not in fact kill, it imprisons. The metaphor sheds light on the true meaning of imprisonment."

Your analysis would go to identify any other techniques Chekhov used in the story. The four classic tropes are metaphor, metonymy, irony, and synecdoche. Metaphor is defined above. Metonymy is the use of a familiar phrase to represent a larger concept, like the White House represents the President of the U.S. and the President's government. In "the Bet," the metonymy "outer world" refers to all human experience.

Irony is when words or situations present something other than what one expects. "The Bet" has irony at the resolution because with all the precautions, in the end, the younger man escapes out the window. Synecdoche is similar to metonymy because a word or phrase is substituted for something else, but in this case, an abbreviation is substituted, such as saying "the U.S." to mean "the U.S. Olympic Ski Team" in "The U.S. won gold medals in cross-country skiing," or using "word" to mean "word of honor."

In chapter 7, Myrtle watches Tom fill the car with gas. What are the two wrong conclusions that she draws?

Thank you for asking.  How exciting to have a new Gatsby question! 

During this time Myrtle is locked away up stairs in the gas station.  Her husband suspects (rightfully so) that she is cheating on him and the only thing he can think to do is lock her away until he can move her out of town.  It is through this upstairs window that Myrtle is able to see Tom, Nick, and Jordan pull up to get gas.

Myrtle draws two erroneous conclusions from looking out that window, though she has no way (and perhaps no desire) to communicate with the people below.  She is actually a little secretive, and it is really only Nick who notices her up there staring down creepily.  Unlike the film, in the book she does not smash the window with her hands trying to get Tom's attention.

The first of her wrong conclusions is that the woman in the car, Jordan, is Tom's wife.  That isn't true.  Jordan is a friend of his, even more so a friend of Daisy's.  If anything she could be considered the girlfriend of Nick.

The second of her wrong conclusions is that the car Tom is driving, a big cream colored beast, actually belongs to Tom.  In fact, it belongs to Gatsby and Tom just happens to be driving it.  This is important because later in the story Myrtle will try to flag down that car, thinking Tom is inside, with disastrous results for everyone involved.

In some ways, it could be said that Myrtle has actually made three wrong conclusions...she has also concluded that Tom actually loves her and that she has some clout to sway Tom away from his wife. I mean, what did she think was going to happen even if she had been able to flag that car down, and Tom had been driving?  That he would have thrown his wife out of the passanger seat and let her in?

Discuss how fear of crime can affect society. You must also explain the role of spin and ideology?

Fear of crime affects different people in different ways but overall most people in a society learn from the media what they should fear.  For example; with the recent advancement of the Internet using a debit card online has become a way for new era crooks to steal from people and to obtain their identity.  This has resulted in an increase in insurance programs that assist people should this happen to them.  Violence in the school systems has increased resulting in the intervention of drug dogs and metal detectors in schools.  Parents are no longer comfortable sending their children to school that were once considered a safe haven for students.

Home invasion crimes have particularly had an effect on the elderly.  Sales for home warning and protection systems have increased and older adults are more apprehensive about going into the community alone.

People are generally more frightened than they were 40 years ago.  The media feeds into people’s fears because people like to watch shows that show crime and murder.  Police shows, forensic science shows, and news presentations of the shows most frequently watched.

If a person is arrested and has a joint or pills on him/her the media tends to spin the story as a drug related crime.

Ideology means;

“A system of social beliefs: a closely organized system of beliefs, values, and ideas forming the basis of a society.”

Society has broken down significantly since the advancement of the media.  If the media is reflective of the state that American society is in, then there is a great reason to fear.  However, there are still those who believe that the American dream is possible despite the calamity presented in the media.

What is the meaning of the title The Glass Menagerie?

Tennessee Williams staged his play "The Glass Menagerie" in the year 1944 in Chicago.  The word 'menagerie' means a collection of wild animals kept privately or for the public to  view.

In the play Laura has her own private collection of glass animal dolls and the play is called "The Glass Menagerie" after Laura's collection of glass animal dolls. In Scene 7 Laura shows Jim the Gentleman Caller this  collection and remarks,

"most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them a glass menagerie!"

These glass dolls are of symbolic importance in the play. They are a source of comfort to Laura who is a cripple and suffers from an inferiority complex because of this. Whenever she is upset or nervous she plays with these dolls to cheer herself up.

What does the following quote mean: "There is no right or wrong only thinking makes it so"?

It is a theory that states that to believe in the essence of right and wrong, one simply has to think about it to make it so. For instance, if I murder somebody and think nothing of it, I could not think it is neither wrong nor right, it is just there. But, on the other hand, if i were to wonder if what i did was right or wrong, then an outcome may happen of being right or wrong.

I also wanted to show the sociological view of the right or wrong approach. In society, there are things called Norms and Transgressions. Norms are the expected behaviors of members of the society, while Transgressions are the breaking or not following of these rules or expected behaviors. A Norm is only created on the belief of right and wrong, so thus it is the societies basis and belief on what they think is right and wrong that they make their Norms.

So, if society did not believe in right and wrong, then there would be no Norms, and surely no Transgressions. Thus said, it is in societies power to dictate what is the right thing to do, and what would be not doing the right thing.

Why did John get interested in Mr. Pignati in The Pigman?

They were making crank phone calls and called Mr. Pignati. They said they were collecting money for a charity. They go to Mr. Pignati's house to collect the money. This is the start of how they get to know him. Eventually they become close friends, sort of, but really it is Mr. Pignati that is willing to become like a father figure for the two. Their parents are unavailable and so they don't really have any guidance in their lives. They really like him because he gives them his time, unlike their parents who either do not have time, in the case of Lorraine's mother who has no husband, or who are mostly interested in making money like in John's case. His father is a stockbroker.

How would you summarize the epic poem The Iliad and explain its significance?

I think a lot of people confuse the main theme of this epic. It is not a tale about the Trojan Warbut rather a tale about the wrath of Achilles. The epic begins with his wrath and ends after his wrath is over. Essentially his wrath ends after he kills the mighty Trojan warrior Hektor.
This epic laid the foundations for many epics to come. It invoces a muse(godess of inspiration) to help the poet tell the story, it begins in medias res(in the middle of things), contains supernatural machinery, is told in elevated language, and describes characters who are larger than life.
This epic has influenced authors throughout history and the tales of the Trojan and Greek warriors become important characters to later literature.

Careful not to confuse the main theme of this epic. It is not a tale about the Trojan War but rather a tale about the wrath of Achilles. The epic begins with his wrath and ends after his wrath is over. Essentially his wrath ends after he kills the mighty Trojan warrior Hektor.
This epic laid the foundations for many epics to come. It invokes a muse (goddess of inspiration) to help the poet tell the story, it begins in medias res(in the middle of things), it contains supernatural machinery, it is told in elevated language, and it describes characters who are larger than life.
This epic has influenced authors throughout history and the tales of the Trojan and Greek warriors become important characters in later literature. For example, Achilles appears again in works like the Odyssey, Aeneid, and Dante's Infernowhile Agamemnon becomes an important character in Greek tragedy. The characters and their stories also become important to Western culture. Helen of Troy becomes a worldwide symbol for beauty while "Achilles' heel" is used to describe an individual's weakness. These, of course, are just a few small examples of the poem's far reaching influence.
To sum up how influential this epic has been, the great Roman Empire borrowed a character (Aeneas) from this story and made him the protaginist for their own national epic: Virgil's Aeneid.

How does Pip feel about Estella's marriage in the book Great Expectations?

Pip is understandably upset--since they were children, Pip has loved Estella and wanted to impress her. And, when he received his inheritance, he assumed that is was from Miss Havisham, for the intentions of bettering his place in society so that he can be worthy of Estella, his hopes soar even higher.  He thinks that the entire purpose of his money is so that he can marry Estella with no sense of shame.

So, not only is he upset that she is getting married--not to him, but he also doesn't like the guy that she gets married to, Bentley Drummle.  When she tells him, he even calls Bentley a "mean brute, such a stupid brute" right to her face.  As it turns out, he is right--Estella does not have a happy marriage, and Bentley treats her horribly.  The news of her engagement to him throws Pip into a serious depression.  He is devastated, and after proclaiming in a very moving speech how much he loves her, he leaves and wanders about in a daze for hours.  Her marriage is news that not only shatters his hopes for marrying her, but also the hope that he was chosen as her future spouse.  He begins to doubt why he received his inheritance from Miss Havisham.

Overall, Estella's marriage to Drummle is very upsetting for Pip, and throws many of his assumptions into doubt.  I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

What is the effect on the Bennet family of Mr. Bennet visiting Mr. Bingley?In chapter 2 Mr. Bennet surprises his family by calling on Mr. Bingley,...

When the Bingleys came to stay at the estate of Netherfield Park, Mrs. Bennet urged her husband to call on Mr. Bingley, the eligible bachelor, to whom she could introduce their marriageable daughters. At least one of the five daughters would have to be married; otherwise, the Bennet home and property would have gone in favour of Mr. Collins, as per the law of entailment. Mr. Bennet, rather cynical and aloof by temperament, was unwilling to visit the Bingleys on a purpose of husband-hunting for the daughters. Mrs. Bennet despaired because it was indecent on her part to initiate the proceedings except through the socialising bid of the father.

Mr. Bennet then decided to call on the Bingleys, and his visit surprised as well as excited his wife and other members of the family. Mr. Bennet anticipated this reaction, and his wife opined that she had expected this action of her husband. However, Mr. Bennet's visit set the ball rolling: the Bennet girls met the Bingleys and their friend, Darcy, at the ball; the elder daughter, Jane, and Mr. Bingley fell into a love at first sight; the love-hate relationship between the second daughter, Elizabeth, and the young aristocrat, Darcy, also got underway.

"To be or not to be," what is the opinion of critics, romantics and Shakespeare of this quote? Why is this quote so popular?

Shakespeare's "To be or not to be" (3.1) soliloquy has permeated the entire cultural fabric of Western civilization. Even people who haven't read the play know where this famous quote comes from!

This soliloquy is at the heart of Hamlet and really carries the essence of the play. We'll need to quote it in order to savour its magnificence:

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune(65)
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'tis a consummation(70)
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep—
To sleep—perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause—there's the respect(75)
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of disprized love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns(80)
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death(85)
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,(90)
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. Soft you now!(95)
The fair Ophelia!

In the first lines Hamlet ponders the essential (existential) plight of being in the world. Literary critics love this selection because you might quote from Sartre, Heidegger, Bloom--nearly any literary critic or philosopher is applicable. This quote is timeless and speaks to everyone across time and space. This speech is asking the essential questions we as on a daily basis: shall I live or die? Shall I give up and end it? Shall i keep bearing the thousand natural shocks and trials that flesh is heir to? And for what? Is there a heaven after this life? Or is this life but a dream? The questions pertain to every human. That is why this quote is so popular and so cherished by many.

In Chapter 1 of Buried Onions, why did Eddie compare himself to an air conditioner?

Eddie does not really compare himself to an air conditioner in Chapter 1, although an air conditioner does play a part in the development of the narrative in the chapter. Eddie is canvassing the neighborhood looking for work when he comes across an old gentleman trying to move an air conditioner on a small dolly. The man is moving the air conditioner to the curb so that he can sell it at a yard sale. Eddie offers to help the man for a dollar, and, taking over the dolly, balances "the bulk of galvanized tin and Freon...and roll(s) it over the lawn to the curb."

Although Eddie does not overtly compare himself to an air conditioner, air conditioning is on his mind a lot in the sweltering heat of the central California summer, and the author may be using the different types of air conditioning available to make a statement about the conditions in which Eddie must live. In Eddie's neighborhood, the people have swamp coolers, which are not as efficient as actual air conditioners. The people who have air conditioners live in the more affluent part of town, which is predominantly white, in contrast to Eddie's neighborhood, which is largely Hispanic. The comparison between swamp coolers and air conditioners emphasize the disparity in wealth between the two areas of town. The Hispanics live in poverty, and can only afford the less effective swamp coolers, while the white population is wealthier, and can enjoy actual air conditioners (Chapter 1).

Who is the narrator of "A Christmas Memory?"

In Truman Capote's novella, "A Christmas Memory," the narrator is seven year-old Buddy.  Buddy is living with relatives and this is a memoir of his time while there.  He tells us about his elderly cousin and there adventures while preparing for Christmas.  The story is told in the first person and Buddy shares his feelings and his love for his Cousin.  This story is humorous, sad and emotional.  It often brings me to tears when I share it with my students.  Buddy is a wonderful character and, according to Capote is loosely based on his own childhood.

"Throughout "A Christmas Memory" the narrator refers to himself only in the first person (I, me, myself), but his friend calls him Buddy "in memory of a boy who was formerly her best friend" and who had died when she was a child."

What is an imaginative recount?lesson plan

An imaginative recount is one way to recount or recreate a story, experience, or an event. Imaginative recounts differ from personal and factual recounts. In a lesson plan that involves an imaginative recount, one would ask the author to take on an imaginary role as he/she describes an event, written piece, or experience. For example, in primary school, a child might be asked to take on the perspective of the Big Bad Wolf to tell the story of The Three Little Pigs. A middle school student might recount the events in the novel Where the Red Fern Grows from the point of view of Old Dan.

The language in an imaginary recount may differ from that of a factual recount but the structure and sequence remain the same. In most cases, the series of events detailing the experience are told in chronological order, although the person doing the imaginary recount may present some background on themselves at the beginning.

When writing a lesson plan for a recount, the objectives could include the use of chronological order, naming specific places, people, or ideas from a written piece, the use of past tense verbiage, and time specific words.

How can the novel, Night, by Elie Wiesel, be connected to the theme of being a "Just Person"?How can social justice, stewardship, liberation...

Elie Wiesel lived the Holocaust experience in the most nightmarish manner.  In the book Night he bears witness to the atrocities of the Jewish Ghettos, the concentration camps, and his own responses as a human and son during his ordeal.  For Wiesel there was no social justice.  He had done nothing wrong, his father had done nothing wrong, nor had his sister and mother, and they still ended up having such horrible injustices bestowed upon them.  In reference to theology Wiesel lost his faith in God after seeing the constant abuses around him and hearing no answer from God and receiving no help or resolution from God during his ordeal.  He could not understand how God could allow it all to happen.  He called out to him and then he shut the door on faith. 

I am the offspring of Holocaust survivors and to me looking at Wiesel and his becoming a just person one needs to look at the book as a testament to social in-justice.  Wiesel could have locked away his life and not shared it with others.  He chose instead to share his story and by doing so found some justification for the horrible experiences he had endured.  At times he did not feel like a just person as he even left his father outside when he could not find him.  His father was becoming delirious and a burden for him.  Right before his father's death his father was moaning for Wiesel but He did not go to his father for fear of retribution in the form of being hit or worse by a guard.  His father was carried out during the night.

Night is darkness brought to light.  In bringing the atrocities to light Eli Wiesel has become a "just person."  He has made his experience become a beacon to show others what should never happen again.  His book became his mantra.

How does Pearl occupy herself while Hester speaks with Dimmesdale?

When I first read the previous poster's comment, I was relunctant to agree. To be honest, I often don't find moralizing in novels all that appealing, and as a reader I suppose I try to see their secret love affair not as a sin in itself but rather as something that is punished by society as a sin. While I think that I don't have to abandon my perspective entirely, I also have to agree with the previous poster's comments.

Here are some details that reinforce the contrast between good and bad, Pearl and the adults, etc. Pearl can chase after and catch the rays of light, but they move away when Hester approaches. Similarly, at one point in his discussion with Hester, Arthur perceives the brook as some sort of division between worlds, separating Hester and him (who are on one side) from Pearl (who is on the other side).

What is the climax of the Face on the Milk Carton?

The climax in the book takes place in chapter 17.  Janie places a summary of the details of her kidnapping in one of the envelopes she had typed her return address onto in typing class.  Later, "feeling spooky," she addresses the envelope to the Spring family.  On her way to her last class, Janie looks for the envelope and finds it is gone.  In a panic, she rushes to find Reeve so she can get his sister Lizzie's phone number.  At the end of the chapter we find out that she intends to have Lizzie call the Spring family before they receive her letter in the mail and call the police.

In The Road, in the part where the son and the father come across the old man, why does the father give in to help him?

Normally, whenever the father and the son encounter a survivor of the rough world that they are living in, the father discourages offering any help whatsoever.  It might seem cruel, but it is really a survival tactic.  First of all, they only have a limited amont of food, and to share any food brings death even closer.  Secondly, the more people they have in a group, the harder it is to hide and remain inconspicuous, which is necessary to survive against the barbarians.  And lastly, the father doesn't know if the survivors that they encounter are barbarians or not; they've been known to lay traps, and he's afraid if they help, it will just bring out barbarians who were lying in wait, watching.   So, the father wisely discourages any form of help. However, that doesn't stop the son from wanting to help.  He still has goodness, faith in human nature, and hope inside of him, and his heart reaches out to others who are suffering.  So, it's a battle between the father and the son every time.

The father agrees to help the old man they encounter for several reasons.  One is is that the old man just looks so pathetic, weak and decrepit.  It was hard not to feel for him--being so old, it would be so hard to survive.  Secondly, the son managed to convince him; he let the son win one battle.  Another reason is that they followed him for quite some time, to assure themselves that he wasn't a planted trap, and was quite alone.  Then, the old man himself is terrified of the father and son; this indicates that he himself is not a barbarian, but afraid of them, just like him.  He is weak, old, almost rotting as he stands, and the father has mercy on him.

Even though the father does agree to help him, he still puts limits on their help; he doesn't let the boy touch him, or give him a lot of their food.  He doesn't let the boy "keep him," as he asks; they just stay with him one night and move on, feeding him what they can.  It's a rough world that they live in, and the father and the old man are wary and suspicious, but come together briefly, for a moment, before they move on in their own struggles.  I hope that helped; good luck!

What is the theme of this book? Explain??all help is good :D

The central theme of Siobhan Dowd's "The London Eye Mystery" is that the solution to our everyday problems can be found if we only take the risk of thinking outside the box and trusting our own instinct. It is also overcoming obstacles through self-sufficiency and self-trust.

The main character is Ted, a child who thinks differently that many other people, partly due to his high-functioning Autism condition, also known as Asperger's syndrome.

Along with his sister, Kat, Ted has to use his unique way of looking at situations, so that people were not quite clear on how he would solve the mystery of his cousin who dissappeared in the London Eye.  Yet, the boy could consistently say "it all depends on how you look at it". This means that he trusted what he was capable of doing, regardless if his abilities were not congruent with those around him. With trust and self-confidence, he solved the mystery and showed everyone that his specific  condition is not an obstacle, but another way to look at life.

What is Curley's wifes personality?In the book Of Mice and Men, what is Curley's wife's personality?

I'm curious where you found Steinbeck wrote that Curley's wife was a "nice girl," with so much evidence to the contrary on the page. She may be beautiful and a victim of society, but she's anything but pure.

After threatening Crooks with lynching and watching him shrivel, she goes after Candy and Lennie, demonstrating her power over them as well. Remembering her earlier comment about the "weak ones" being left behind, by the end of the scene, she has asserted animal-like dominance over the other three with emotional bullying.

[[  ...She turned at last to the other two.

Old Candy was watching her, fascinated. "If you was to do that (lie about Crooks to get him in trouble), we'd tell," he said quietly. "We'd tell about you framin' Crooks."

"Tell an' be damned," she cried. "Nobody'd listen to you an' you know it. Nobody'd listen to you."

Candy subsided. "No ..." he agreed. "Nobody'd listen to us."

Lennie whined, "I wisht George was here. I wisht George was here."

Candy stepped over to him. "Don't you worry none," he said. "I jus' heard the guys comin' in. George'll be in the bunkhouse right not, I bet." He turned to Curley's wife. "You better go home now," he said quietly. "If you go right now, we won't tell Curley you was here."

She appraised him cooly. "I ain't sure you heard nothing." (meaning nobody would listen to him).

"Better not take no chances," he said. "If you ain't sure, you better take the safe way."

She turned to Lennie. "I'm glad you bust up Curley a little bit.  He got it comin' to him. Sometimes I'd like to bust him myself." She slipped out the door and disappeared into the dark barn. And while she went through the barn, the halter chains rattled, and some horses snorted adn some stamped their feet. (Even the animals sense that she is dangerous.)]]

Steinbeck wrote OMM while married to Gwen, who was emotionally cruel toward him. Elaine, his third wife was a professional in theater and knew that a softer portrayal of Curley's wife would sell more tickets. In the Benson bioraphy, it is discussed how she lobbied John to soften the character for stage and cinema. Benson theorizes that Gwen was a model for both Curley's wife and Cathy (from East of Eden).

What were the important characteristics of Rosa Parks?

What do you consider to be "important characteristics?"

I guess what I would say she must have had two very important characteristics -- intelligence and determination.  The reason I say this is because she managed to become a pretty important person even though she was a woman in a time and place where it wasn't that easy for women to get ahead.

I also say this because most people don't realize that she wasn't just some tired woman who decided not to change seats on the bus.  Parks was already an experienced community activist who was a leader in the civil rights community in Birmingham.  In fact, she had (soon before her arrest) spent several weeks at a school for community leaders.  The civil rights community had been looking for a good way to attack segregation (there had been two teens that same year who had been arrested for not giving up their seats, but they were seen as bad symbols of the black community) and she decided to provide it herself.

So, to get to that kind of position, she must have been smart and determined and I'd say those were her most important characteristics.

What are the key concepts and principles of Carl Rogers's person centred theory?

Carl Roger's 'Person Centered Therapy' or PCT is one of the most popular types of psychotherapy used all over the world. This method is at the heart of all 'humanistic' modes of psychotherapy. It's main technique is to adopt a non-judgmental environment by which the psychotherapist gradually helps the client to find a solution for his/her problem by him/herself. Following are the six core aspect of Carl Rogers' PCT which have been outlined in his book "Client-centered Therapy." (1951).

1. Therapist-Client Psychological Contact: There should be a proper bonding between the therapist and the client.

2. Client Incogruence or Vulnerability: The client's vulnerability and anxiety compel him to continue his relationship with his therapist.

3. Therapist Congruence or Genuiness: The therapist is also deeply involved with his client. He shares his own experiences with his clients.

4. Therapist Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR): The therapist accepts the client unconditionally without passing any judgement on his/her actions,feelings or attitudes.

5. Therapist Empathic Understanding: The therapist feels intense sympathy for his client. He/she genuinely feels or experiences the same feelings and emotions of his/her client.

6. Client Perception: The client perceives at least to a certain extent that the therapist genuinely accepts him unconditionally and understands his feelings.

How did Mr. Underwood, in his editorial on Tom Robinson's death, evoke the symbol of the mockingbird?

    Although the character of newspaper editor Braxton Bragg Underwood does not otherwise fit the bill as one of the "mockingbirds" in the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, his editorial following the death of Tom Robinson does more closely resemble this idea of innocence and purity.
    Underwood, who supposedly was not a lover of Negroes, had silently defended Atticus at the jail when the lynch party showed up to take Tom Robinson away. Now, following Robinson's death, Underwood's editorial borrowed from Atticus's own saying that "it was a sin to kill a mockingbird."

... Mr. Underwood didn't write about miscarriages of justice, he was writing so children could understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples... He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children...

It was a "senseless killing." Atticus had proven without a doubt that Tom could not have been the killer, but

... in the secret courts of men's hearts, Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. 

Can anyone tell me the theme of Tex by S.E. Hinton?

One of the themes of Hinton's work is the idea of moving on and staying behind.  Part of Tex's maturation process is understanding if he is going to be leaving Oklahoma for "bigger and better" things, or if he is going to be staying where he is and demonstrating a certain amount of loyalty to his environment of rural Oklahoma.  Part of the critical element of this setting is the idea that the youth in it understand that there a natural compulsion to leave it for the city.  They, like Mason and Jamie, see it as a vortex, where nothing good can materialize from remaining in the country.  At the same time, Tex understands that this might not be his path.  Confirmed through his conflicts with others, experiences in his own life, as well as the fortune teller, Tex has to endure the difficulty of determining whether he is going to remain or whether he, too, will leave.  This notion of identity development, the crises that accompany it, and the maturation that evolves from it is a critical theme in the work.

How is Parris to blame in the Salem Witch Trials? How could he be held responsible?Thanks

In a way, you could say that Reverend Parris is the main cause of the witch trials that occur in the play.

It is Parris who finds the girls in the woods.  You can't really blame him for that.  But he must have raised his daughter in a pretty strange way if her reaction to being caught doing something wrong is to faint and stay unconscious (or pretend to be) for a long time.  So you can blame him for that.

So once she's like that, what does he do?  He starts to try to protect his own reputation and he starts talking about how the devil must be out there among the people.

So you can blame Parris for setting a tone for his daughter and the people that will make them hysterical.  And you can blame him for trying to point the finger at other people so as to make sure no one blames him for what is going on.

What is Edwards exact words to Bella when he asks her to marry him?Or where is it located and in what book? Please helpmy girlfriend loves the...

Well, Edward made a compromise with Bella. Bella was horror struck because she was raised by her mother to believe that getting married straight out of high school was a small town hick thing to do. She just wanted to be with Edward forever, no strings attached. Bella wanted to have sex with him, she even tried, but Edward stopped her and said that he wanted to do things the traditional way. He wanted her to be his wife before they tried anything sexual. He also wanted to get rid of her truck and buy her a new car...a before and after car. Bella didn't want Edward to spend a dime on her, no new rings, no new cars, no paying for tuition, but Edward evened the odds and said if you marry me, we will try to have sex, and everything else can go your way. He expressed the significance of a compromise. He showed her the engagement ring that was a hand me down, a ring his father had given his mother. He slid it on her ring finger to see how it would look, it was a perfect fit. He stood up, pulling her off the bed with him, got down on one knee and said "Isabella Swan, I promise to love you forever, everyday of forever, will you marry me?" She said yes, he kissed all of her fingers including her ring, and they were officially engaged. The next day, scared of what her friends, family, and neighbors might think, she gave the ring back to Edward and told him that she didn't want all of the evidence of their enagagement in the public eye. It hurt his feelings, which I hate her for, but that's how it happened. Hoped this helped.

What are the various types of comedy?in English literature

There are two types of comedies: high and low.  High comedy has two types: comedy of ideas and comedy of manners.  Farce comedy is a combination of high and low comedy.  Low comedy is low comedy.

There are other variations of these.  Satire, for example, may or may not be comedy, depending on tone.  Horatian satire, a kind of parody, is more comical.  Juvenal satire is more bitter, full of attacks.  Tragicomedy, a.k.a. black comedy, is a humorous view of the dark side of human nature.

From my notes:

Comedy of Ideas (high comedy):

1. Characters argue about ideas like politics, religion, sex, marriage.

2. They use their wit, their clever language to mock their opponent in an argument.

3. This is a subtle way to satirize people and institutions like political parties, governments, churches, war, marriage.

Comedy of Manners (high comedy):

1. The plot focuses on amorous intrigues among the upper classes.

2. The dialogue focuses on witty language. Clever speech, insults and 'put-downs' are traded between characters.

3. Society is often made up of cliques that are exclusive with certain groups as the in-crowd, other groups ( the would-be-wits, desiring to be part of the witty crowd), and some( the witless) on the outside.

Farce(can be combination of high/low comedy):

1. The plot is full of coincidences, mistimings, mistaken identities.

2. Characters are puppets of fate—they are twins, born to the wrong class, unable to marry, too poor, too rich, have loss of identity because of birth or fate or accident, or are (sometimes) twins separated , unaware of their double..

Low Comedy:

1. Subjects of the humor consists of dirty jokes, dirty gestures, sex, and elmination.

2. The extremes of humor range from exaggeration to understatement with a focus on the physical like long noses, cross eyes, humped back and deformities.

3. The physical actions revolve around slapstick, pratfalls, loud noises, physical mishaps, collisions—all part of the humor of man encountering an uncooperative universe.

What does the memory of snow reveal about the community in "The Giver"?In Lois Lowry's 'The Giver.'

In its quest for unilateral sameness, the community has literally lost touch with the beauty of extremes in life. Through Climate Control there are no longer any weather variations; the variations in topography have been flattened out; there is no longer even any distinction of colour. In the attempt to avoid all pain, suffering and even discomfort, the community members have gradually lost the reference points needed to subjectively appreciate contrast and difference.

It is ironic that each night there is a family ritual to talk about each other's feelings as a kind of debriefing from trauma. There is no personal realm of experience left as even this become corporate "property."

When Jonas decides to stop taking pills to repress his sex drive, this is really his first act of revolt against the system. He revindicates both his right to feel and to experience individual choice outside of the sanction of the group.

The Giver imparts the experience of snow to Jonas because he wants to start with a positive experience rather than a negative one, but underneath perhaps he wants him to reappropriate this "difference" which has been lost. It paves the way for Jonas's final choice to flee the community with Gabriel for a life elsewhere, now that he knows that "otherness" is possible.

What is the effect on the vertical height of the mercury column in a barometer of a) using a wider glass tube, b) pushing thetube further into...

Effects of each of the four action on the barometer are discussed below.

a) Using a wider glass tube

Irrespective of the diameter of the barometer glass tube the height of the mercury column in the glass tube above the level of mercury will remain same. This is neglecting the effect of surface tension which, in any case will be negligible with the tube diameters generally used in barometers.

b) Pushing the glass tube further into the bowl

The height of the mercury column in the barometer above the level of mercury in the bowl will remain same irrespective of how deep in the bowl the glass tube is pushed. Of course, if the part of the glass tube above the level of mercury in the bowl is not long enough to accommodate the complete height of the mercury column, the mercury will rise to the top of the tube.

c) Tilting the glass tube at an angle

The vertical height of the mercury in the glass tube remains same irrespective of the angle of tilt of the glass tube. However, it should be noted that length of glass tube occupied by mercury increases with the angle of tilt. This length is minimum when the glass tube is vertical.

d) Taking the barometer to the top of a mountain

The atmospheric pressure at a mountain top will be lower at the mountain top as compared to sea level or at bottom of the hill. Therefore when the barometer is taken to the top of a mountain, the height of mercury column in the glass tube will be less.

Why do some substances react with each other, while others don't?

Atomic theory states that all substances are comprised of atoms.  Something that has all the same atoms is an element; something with a mixture of different atoms is a compound.  Each of these (elements and compounds) have electrons zipping around them; In general, its these electrons that determine if a reaction takes place between two substances.  If conditions are right, a transfer of electrons from one substance to another occurs, and a reaction happens.

Whether or not a reaction takes place is contingent upon the relative electron arrangements of the substances being combined, and how tightly or loosely those electrons are held.

Why do the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh both contain a story about a flood?Which was written first?

A definitive answer to this question is not possible, of course, because we do not always know the motives of the authors of these works, or, for that matter, who the authors were.   We also lack a complete geological or archaeological record.  But two possibilities come to mind.

First, there is a kind of theme in both about God or the gods have not done very well with mankind and having a need to wipe the slate clean and start over.  This is clear in the Bible, but more implicit in Gilgamesh. Thus the point of both stories seems to be that mankind had better get its act together!

Second, while the record is not clear, there is some evidence to suggest that a flood may have occurred somewhere in that part of the world. Since I am neither a geologist nor an archaeologist, it is difficult for me to assess this evidence.  If you decide to do research on this issue, you should be aware that many websites discussing the issue are motivated by a need to "prove" the Bible, which, as a religious undertaking, requires belief, not proof.   

What do you see as the real reason for Young Goodman Brown's journey in "Young Goodman Brown"?By: Hawthorne

This is a good question. The story "Young Goodman Brown" opens with a strange exchange between the title character and his wife, Faith. Faith wants him to stay home, but he replies that he has business in the woods at night:

"My love and my Faith," replied young Goodman Brown, "of all nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee. My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise. What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married!"

Young Goodman Brown clearly has some sort of business in the forest, the reader is told, and this business must take place under the cover of darkness.

To me, Young Goodman Brown's insistence on the necessity of his journey away from the village of Salem at night is what drives the story forward. If he had indeed stayed home, he wouldn't have seen his neighbors and, indeed, even his wife participating in the black mass in the forest. He seems compelled to leave his comfortable home and go looking for trouble.

When Young Goodman Brown meets the devil in the woods, the reader has the sense this meeting was the purpose of the nocturnal journey. He greets the devil with a revealing statement:

"Friend ... having kept covenant by meeting thee here, it is my purpose now to return whence I came. I have scruples, touching the matter thou wot'st of."

Thus, the reader can be fairly certain at this point in the story that the real reason for Young Goodman Brown's journey into the woods at night is to meet up with this strange man with the staff.

Of course, the story doesn't have to be read as a literal meeting between the man and the devil. To me, this story seems very much like a psychological journey within Young Goodman Brown's own conscience. In the course of the journey, he attempts to come to terms with the hypocrisy and moral failing of the world around him. He fails in this attempt, however, and thus becomes very bitter toward the world.

In Act II of "The Crucible" why do Giles Corey and Francis Nurse come to see John Proctor?

In Act Two, it becomes frighteningly apparent that the accusations of witchcraft have gotten out of control.  Elizabeth Proctor tells John at the beginning of the act that "there be fourteen people in jail," but by the time that Mary Warren gets home at the end of the day, that number has increased to "thirty-nine."  It becomes personal when Herrick and Cheever show up at the Proctor's door to arrest Elizabeth, on suspicion of sending her spirit out to stab Abigail in the stomach with a needle. So, Elizabeth Proctor is chained and put in a wagon with a lot of other women, to be taken to the jailhouse.

Francis Nurse and Giles Corey are also victims to the out-of-control accusations that are occuring; the same night that Elizabeth is arrested, their wives, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey are arrested too.  Rebecca is arrested for the "supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies," and Martha Corey for supposedly bewitching a guy's pigs so that they keep dying.  Francis and Giles go to Proctor, because they are seeking help--they want to find a way to get their wives freed.  They had already gone to the jailhouse but they weren't allowed to see their wives, so they come to John's house, desperate to come up with some sort of solution to get their wives released, as they are innocent of any crime.

John wants to help, but tells them to go home that night and that they will "speak on it tomorrow."  He needs time to think, to sort everything out in his head.  The next act shows the three men coming to the courts, and trying over and over to free their wives and friends.  I hope that helps a bit; good luck!

How does Nick's older brother make it hard for Nick to get out of homework in Frindle?

Nick's parents have always had a rule in their family - "Homework First."  That means that right after school, both Nick and his brother James always have always had to finish their homework before they do anything else.  Naturally, Nick and his brother would sometimes wish that they could play or do other things when they get home from school, and would often "groan and grumble," but the rule is firm; "'Homework First' (is) the law from September to June."

Nick's brother is all grown up now and has gone off to college.  During his first semester away, James writes home that his grades "are looking great, because when (he went to college he) already knew how to put first things first."  James' declaration is proof to Nick's parents that their insistence that their boys always do their homework before doing anything else has paid off.  For this reason, they are even more zealous in enforcing the rule, so Nick has little or no chance at all of getting around it. 

Nick actually does not mind his family's rule about homework, because up until he is in the fifth grade, he gets very little work to do at home.  In the fifth grade with Mrs. Granger, however, it is a different story, and Nick really has to discipline himself to get all his homework done so that he will have time to go out and play afterwards (Chapter 4).

Was Greek democracy "democratic"?From the Ancient Greece

By our modern standards, ancient Greek democracy was not very democratic, at least not in most ways.

The one thing that was, arguably, more democratic about their system was the fact that all voters were allowed to give their opinions on (and vote on) various issues.  This was a "direct democracy" as opposed to our "representative democracy" where we only get to vote for the people who make the laws (rather than on the proposed laws themselves).

However, very few Greeks were allowed to vote.  No women were allowed to vote.  Only men who had a certain amount of property were generally allowed to/able to hold office.  It is estimated that something like only 10% of all the people in Athens were allowed to vote.  So in that way it wasn't very democratic.

Do the poetic language and symbols of "little gidding" offer possibilities of hystical experience?How would Eliot view the relationship between his...

There are many examples in the poem that point to mystical experience.For example, in part two:

The first-met stranger in the waning dusk
I caught the sudden look of some dead master
Whom I had known, forgotten, half recalled
Both one and many; in the brown baked features
The eyes of a familiar compound ghost
Both intimate and unidentifiable.
So I assumed a double part, and cried
And heard another's voice cry: 'What! are you here?'

And he: 'I am not eager to rehearse
My thoughts and theory which you have forgotten.
These things have served their purpose: let them be.

He meets a ghost from his past who reminds him that he shared his thoughts and abstract ideas about how to live but he didn't really listen. What Eliot is saying is that the dead cannot really help us. Spirituality and mystical experience has to be found int he now, and only by ourselves.

In the next stanza he says

Whatever we inherit from the fortunate
We have taken from the defeated
What they had to leave us—a symbol:

He he telling us that the dead cannot help us because all they leave behind is a symbol.

In stanza four he says that only by the fire of love can we be redeemed.

In stanza five he talks about how history is a burden. He says it doesn't matter whether we know the history that preceded us or not because we are affected by it in our everyday lives.

In the last part of stanza five he tells us how to be redeemed. He says that at the end we will arrive at the beginning and know it for the first time. We will no longer judge but approach people in love. He speaks of the unknown remembered gate. This is a sort of mystical experience where you recognize an experience as something you have lived through before; however you actually haven't lived through it at all. He says

Quick now, here, now, always—
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)

Eliot means that we must be totally innocent and simple like children to arrive at this mystical experience of living. It is simple but costs us everything. We must give up our intelligence and wisdom and knowledge of the social world and everything we already know about life, to become so simple as to experience life in a mystical way.

In Things Fall Apart, what were the effects of colonialism on the region?

Essentially, the impact of colonization is to break apart the Ibo societal structure. In some ways, this has negative effects: traditions are destroyed, and those who follow Ibo law are suddenly subject to British punishment. Many villagers die or remain in jail because of their adherence to their own rituals and traditions, rather than the recently imposed British structure. Religious conflict is brutal, and both villagers and missionaries die because of their inability to adapt to change.  Okonkwo demonstrates the worst that could happen to someone who is unable to transform when history forces change. His aggressive stance toward the missionaries brings about his own destruction.

There are some positive effects of this interaction however. The Christian missionaries bring a kindness and acceptance that many villagers do not know. The practices of leaving twins to die, or turning out "undesirables" are abhorred by the the missionaries, and many women and disenfranchised members of the tribe find a place within the structure of the church.

How do the tavern knave and publican personify Death in "The Pardoner's Tale"?

Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale” is full of surprises and unexpected twists. In fact, the Pardoner himself, who tells a cautionary tale about the danger of greed, is greedier in a more despicable way than any of his own characters—he tricks people out of their money by capitalizing on their desire to win favor with God.

When the three rioters enter the tavern, they encounter a young employee, the tavern knave. The tavern knave, by his speech, quickly shows that he is not just a kid clearing tables. He seems to be  expecting the rioters and offers them some advice that belies his age, when, speaking of death, he says:

To meet him, sire, be ready evermore.

Although Chaucer does not explicitly say so, it seems that Death has disguised himself as this tavern-knave to get the rioters moving toward their own deaths.

The publican then completes the trap by telling the rioters where they can expect to find death:

This year he’s left for dead

In just one town (a mile from here, I’d gauge)

Both man and woman, child and knave and page—

I think his habitation must be there.

The rioters then head off in a fever to find death, who they encounter on the road, this time personified as an old man.

How does Ralph symbolize democracy?In Golding's 'Lord of the Flies.'

For one thing, Ralph wants to play fair and to have it put to a vote before he or anyone else becomes the leader. In the beginning he wields a natural authority over the boys which he loses little by little to Jack, the more audacious and outspoken of the two. It is his idea too that the holder of the conch is the person who can "be heard out," much after the model of a public forum (or a Congress filibuster, if you like!). Ralph functions by structure and order, and he tries to impose these norms of society for the well-being of all the survivors.

Ralph, in the true democratic spirit, also protects the interests of the more vulnerable, particularly "the littl'uns." He encourages the older boys to protect (instead of bullying) them and to be aware that their needs are not the same as those of the older ones. He is aware, for example, that the  younger ones are susceptible to nightmares and also that their health is more fragile.

Ralph is also democratic in that he doesn't try to do the job alone but seeks the help of Piggy and Simon.  These two characters have their respective weak points (Piggy is nearsighted and Simon suffers from epileptic spells), but Ralph knows he can count on them just the same.

In all these respects, Ralph symbolizes democracy.

If you could connect the North and South poles via a tube and you fell into one of the openings, would you come out the other side?Heat and...

Of course this is a purely theoretical imagination of mine.

I assume that the earth is pure spherical. So the tunnel from NP to SP has to pass through the spherical centre. And the tunnel is  diametrical. When you are vertically sinking (perpendicular to the polar horizontal plane), the gravitational force on you are of from both upper  and lower part of the earth. At a postion at a h kilometer down (or deep ) from the NP, you are pulled by the gravitational force from above and below part of the earth. Of course the partial gravitional force gets cancelled as you are pulled equally by both sides as you are through the diameter, which devides earth symmetrically from all sides parallel to the horizontal plane. So it is vertical force which has  greater  pull from below  than the vertical pull from above till you reach the centre. The centre of the earth is ideal place where gravitational force of pull  is equal from all sides on you. You may feel that from all the directions (from up, from below,from left, from right , and from whatever angle you think in an equal to that but from an opposite angle) you are beeing equally pulled there. And of course the net force on you is zero. By the property inertia and  the velocity you gained  will continue to cross the geocentre with hightest velocity. Now you move from the centre towards SP, till you loose all the velocity and kinetic energy gained  and reach up the SP gaining the potential energy. But if you are not boarding at SP, then you will again go back after completing the diametriacal amplitude and continue your adventurous great simple harmonic motion. In this type of SHM, the force on you is maximum when you are at extremities (i.e, north or south poles) and zero the mean postion at the centre of earth and your velocity is zero at the poles and it is highest at the centre of the earth.

Hope this helps.

In Frankenstein, what is the man's background? (Do we now his name yet? Where is he from?)

One can assume, from the question, that the "man" referred to is found in the four opening letters of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Given that Walton only refers to the man as "the man" or "the stranger," readers are not directly told who the man Walton has found is.

Once the narrative is "given over" to the man (in all actuality, Walton is the sole narrator of the novel--telling the tale of Victor and of Victor telling the creature's tale), readers are only then told that the character is Victor.

Chapter one opens with the stranger telling Walton about the history of his family and their Genevese background. In reality, it is not until chapter three where the name Frankenstein is actually used: "So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein."

In Chapter 6 of Dicey's Song, why were Gram and Dicey pleased that Sammy had had a fight in school?

When Sammy first starts school in Crisfield, he is, as Gram says, "an angel."  His behavior is impeccable; he never gets in any kind of trouble.  Although this would seem like a good thing, Dicey and Gram are worried, because this is completely out of character for the normally pugnacious little boy.  Sammy is a good child, but he has a temper and a tendency to get into scrapes now and then.  For Gram and Dicey to hear that his behavior is perfect in school raises warning flags for them.

When Dicey talks to Sammy, she discovers that he is putting all his efforts into staying out of trouble because he so desperately wants Gram to keep him and his siblings as her family.  Deep down inside he feels responsible for their mother leaving them; he thinks that if he had been better behaved, she might have stayed.  In order to keep himself from running into conflict in school, Sammy has kept himself aloof from the other kids, who "don't like goody-goodies."  He never plays, because he knows he has a temper; he is afraid that if he were ever to get angry, he might explode, causing trouble that might lead Gram to abandon them like their mother did.

Dicey reassures Sammy that his behavior had nothing to do with what happened with their mother, and encourages him to be himself at school.  Sammy takes his sister's advice to heart, and begins to interact with the other children in his class, experiencing the normal conflicts inherent in elementary school friendships.  When Sammy gets into a fight one day on the bus, Gram and Dicey are worried, but they are also pleased in a way.  Sammy is no longer holding everything in; he is back to being his normal, feisty self, and they are glad about that (Chapters 5 and 6).

Who is the most admirable character in "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"?

The wonderful thing about literature is that it is subjective.  Opinion questions like these illustrate this truth.  Here's what I mean:  If you think Mr. Oakhurst is admirable because he is so level-headed and you can prove your claim with quotes from the story, then you are right.  If one of your classmates thinks Oakhurst is a jerk for leaving the women at the end and instead thinks Piney is the most admirable because of her innocence and can prove her claim with quotes from the story, then she is right, too.  So what I'm offering you is ONLY an opinion. 

I admire Mother Shipton the most.  Just as her name implies, she is a mother-figure to Piney in their dire time.  She selflessly saved her rations for Piney even though it cost her her own life.  She didn't even want the credit for doing so, saying

I'm going . . . but don't say anything about it.  Don't waken the kids.  Take the bundle from under my head and open it. . . .Give 'em to the child.

It's hard to believe such a woman just a few days earlier was banished from a town.  Of course, as a single woman on the frontier, her career options were limited; and when the town "experienc[ed] a spasm of virtuous[ness]," she was banished because of her profession of "impropriety."  It seems to me that she, like everyone else on the frontier, just did what she had to do to survive.  While Mother Shipton could have been bitter toward the judgmental attitudes of society, she instead embraced her maternal instincts and tried to provide hope for the younger Piney.

What is the volume of 2400 kg of petrol?

In order to answer this question, you must know the density of petrol.  The reason you need to know this is because the formula that you would need to use to find the volume of petrol is

M = DV  where M is the mass, D is the density and v is the volume.  You have given us the mass and you are asking for the volume so we need to know the density.

One value given for this density is 737.22 kg/m^3  I will use this value.  Using this:

2400 = 737.22*v

v = 3.26 m^3

What is the signifcance of Miller ending the play with the line "the drums rattle like bones in the morning air"?

This line creates a powerful image in the mind's eye. As audience or reader, we imagine the similar sounds that drums and bones make. Miller connects these two images because he is trying to show that our memories of an event like this can be called up by any number of sounds or sensory experiences. The image of bones refers to those innocent people who were killed needlessly. "Bones in the morning air" is a reminder that such a sound memory can return on a daily basis; it is a truth that will never fade and should always be remembered. He wants us (the reader or audience) to recall these events as we would a common sound in nature, since they are a part of our common humanity.

What are some examples of works we read today as poems, but were originally sung, their melodies lost over time?Is a song a poem? What poems were...

You are referring to oral epics. These are commonly-known stories, transmitted from folk to folk through song in absentia of a printing press, literacy, or in need to confer information quick. In this case, oral epics were, of course, told from folk to folk in song in order to a) say the same story twice  b) remember facts  c) nobody could have written it by then.

In Spanish literature you have El Cid Campeador, which is an epic tale just like those in the likes of Beowulf *also once a folk-to-folk sung epic*. The Iliad and the Odyssey were also oral epics sang in song or told like stories.

Some recent examples, however, can be found in African American history and the slave lore, which was nearly entirely based on chant and song.

I am including some links for you to see a diversity of lists available online. Hope it helps!

I have chosen racism in "To Kill a Mockingbird" as my thesis topic. Can you help me develop the thesis?about discrimination between white people...

Since prejudice is the major theme of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," you may wish to build your essay around the character of Mayella Ewell since she is the catalyst for the action of the second part of the novel.  Also, Mayella represents the beliefs and discriminatory views that contribute to the town's persecution of Tom Robinson.

For one thing, although the Ewells live beside the garbage dump, in the most sordid of homes in which Mayella is a virtual slave herself without friends and subjected to sexual abuse by her own father, the Ewells feel that they must maintain a superiority over a black man.  So, they falsely accuse Tom of inappropriate behavior. Mayella must perpetuate the myth of southern womanhood.

Another contribution that Mayella makes to the persecution of Tom is in her putting Tom into a dangerous situation for a black man.  When she makes sexual advances to him, Tom testifies that he did not push her away because he did not want to hurt her.  After he admits feeling sorry for a white woman, the white males on the jury interpret Tom's behavior as exerting a sense of superiority toward the poor young woman.  This act is unthinkable, and in the men's eyes, it muct be paid for by Tom with his life, if necessary.  Again, the myth of southern womanhood must be preserved as well as the superiority of whites over blacks.

Clearly, the theme of racial attitudes is demonstrated with the character of Miss Mayella Ewell whose testimony underscores the "usual disease of Maycomb," as Atticus has said.

Why did the Scopes "Monkey" Trial attract such widespread national attention? What issues seemed to be at stake?This is a paper im writing for a...

The issues at stake were huge: knowledge, progress, and thinking vs. a fundamentalist viewpoint that religion was the only guide to moral and ethical behavior. Typically, it is referred to as an evolution-creationism debate; or as it's called these days: an evolution-intelligent design debate. It attracted widespread attention because it was controversial. It was illegal (at least in Tennessee where the trial was held) to teach anything that disagreed with the story of Creation in Genesis in the Bible. Both sides saw this as an opportunity to make their case in a national arena (albeit in a small town). So, each hired high profile lawyers (William Jennings Bryan on the religious conservative side and Clarence Darrow on the Darwin/evolution side). Such notoriety increased the already high profile case.

In the end, this trial was more than just a popularization of an ongoing debate. It was a rift between religious doctrine and scientific study, with scientific study being more open to new ideas, developments and 'evolutionary practices' whereas religious zealots stuck to the Bible and all its literal interpretations. It may have, however, led to some religious progress (some Christians accept evolution as a part of Intelligent Design). The trial also may have contributed to the growing political divide between conservatives and liberals: instead of having an open and honest discussion, evolution/creation has been appropriated as a way for each side to mindlessly oppose his/her political 'opposite.'

How do I create a thematic analysis of a movie?

The thematic analysis of a film isn't as complicated as it sounds.  Let's just look at the two parts to this, shall we?

Thematic: the subject of a piece of film (what is the movie about?  What was the point of the author writing it and what do you come away from the movie with?)

Analysis: a detailed examination of elements (looking at something closely to see how it ticks.)

So, in essence, if you have to make a "thematic analysis" of a movie you are trying to figure out what the movie is about by providing some evidence from the plot.  I suppose the first step would be to choose an appropriate film to do your analysis of.  If you are just starting out in practicing this type of thing, I would try to choose a film that has a clear "message" to it.  For example, think about the movie "Rocky."  When you watch Rocky, what feelings do you walk away with?  Well, Rocky is a film about not giving up, about overcoming your station in life, about the value of hard work...you get the idea.  All of those are themes you could write about in an analysis just by providing some examples to back them up.

Well, hope this helped!

In Julius Caesar, how was Antony able to win over the confidence of the mourners at Caeser's funeral?

Antony's masterful funeral speech is largely the reason he is able to gain the support of the mourners.  He has to follow Brutus who gives an effective speech and who has temporarily persuaded the funeral-goers that the conspirators and he assassinated Caesar for the good of Rome. Antony also agreed to follow several stipulations placed on him by Brutus.  He must speak from the same place as Brutus did; he must speak good of the conspirators, and he must go after Brutus.  Antony uses each of those stipulations to his advantage.  The following elements are several key parts to Antony's effectiveness in gaining the mourners' support and trust.

1. He makes statements about Caesar's ambition (for which the leader was supposedly killed) but then shows how that ambition had greatly benefited the people of Rome.

2. He sarcastically repeats "and Brutus is an honorable man," thus fulfilling his agreement to speak only good of the conspirators all while implying that Brutus is the opposite of honorable.

3.  At first, he remains in the same pulpit as Brutus, but then he asks the crowd's permission to come down among them.  This allows the crowd to think of Antony as one of them, someone who is mourning with them.

4. He elicits deep sympathy from the crowd when he points out Caesar's bloody robe and stab wounds.

5. He brings Caesar's will with him, builds suspense by not reading it right away, and then reads it when the crowd pleads with him to do so.  The will reveals that Caesar--even in death--had not forgotten his people.  He left money to each Roman citizen and groves for them to enjoy.

6. Finally, once Antony has the crowd completely on his side, he stirs them into a frenzy and sends them out to get revenge for their beloved Caesar's death.

In Chapter 3 describe Jack.What is he wearing? What looks different now from when he first arrived on the island?

Golding uses the description of Jack at the beginning of Chapter 3 for several purposes.  First, he tells the reader that Jack's hair has grown; it is shaggy and almost covers his eyes.  This of course, connotes the passage of time since the boys first landed on the island.  His clothes are torn and his skin is bronzed from the sun.  Secondly, it is important to note Jack's posture:  He is trailing a pig in a crouched position, almost on all fours.  He is using not only his eyes but also his ears and nose to follow the trail.  Golding is subtly showing the reader that Jack is digressing to a more primitive state, one in which instincts are valued over reason and common sense.  This portrayal sets up the conflict that follows between Jack and Ralph, who is concerned with building a sturdy shelter for the younger boys so they won't be frightened and have nightmares.  Also, Jack carries a stick that has been sharpened to be used as a spear.  As the novel progresses, this stick will eventually be sharpened at both ends, signifying Jack's complete disintegration into savagery.

What does profit equal in a market monopoly?

In a monopoly, it is possible for a firm to make an economic profit.  This is because the firm can sell for a price that is higher than the marginal cost of making the good.

To find the profit in such a case, you take the difference between your total costs and your total revenue at each quantity produced.  The firm will choose to produce at the quantity where this difference is the highest.  At that quantity, it will make maximum profit.

You can follow the link I've provided to see graphs of how to figure profit.

Why does Hindely invite Heathkliff to stay at Wuthering heights after he returns? despite the fact that Hindely does not like Heathclifffrom the...

For all his roughness of birth in the novel 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte - Heathcliffe has the intelligence of the oppressed, the watchfulness of the exploited - he has learned like many mistreated individuals to be an opportunist. These people learn early in life that there is no love, no care and that the only person they have in the world to look out for them is themselves. This is sad but,for some people who become sociopathic, callous and cold as a result - inevitable. Apart from the love he thought Catherine had for him until even she mocked him - he has no love. He learned to watch for opportunities and sees a mega big one in Hindley. He sees his Achilles heel - the dissipating weakness which will empower and enrich himself. He watches the enemy drink and gamble his way to destitution - looking as if he is helping but in reality waiting for the final fatal moment to strike without mercy, winner taking all. Such is the nature of the beast - Heathcliffe!

In 1984, what are some similarities and differences between Winston's life and the life of a Prole?

Similarities exist mainly in the fact that with both Winston and the proles, the party has determined their quality of life.  They both suffer from the rationing, the fact that wealth and luxury are withheld from them, and that the party is the one that is in control, running the show.  They are both subject to the party's propoganda also; they are trained to be war-loving party patriots.  They live rather poor, destitute lifestyles, and have the party to thank for that.

One big difference between Winston and the proles is in the amount of freedom that they have.  Winston is watched like a hawk; everywhere he goes, his movements are analyzed.  The proles, for the most part, are free to go wherever and do whatever--the party doesn't really consider them a threat.  Winston oftened wondered why the proles didn't just rebel, because if they did, they could overwhelm the party with sheer numbers.  The party's philosophy on the proles though was that

"It was not necessary to know much...Left to themselves,...they had reverted to a style of life that appeared to be nature to them, a sort of ancesteral pattern...to keep them in control was not difficult."

They were complacent and apathetic in their lives, so didn't need to be controlled or watched as closely as Winston did.  So, even though both the proles and Winston have miserable lives, Winston's is worse because he has to be careful about every single thing that he says and does.

One last difference is that Winston is more aware of the lies that the party cranks out on a regular basis, because he is the one who helps to create them.  The proles have no access to such information.  Winston knows that the party manipulates information to better their image and control the minds of the population; this knowledge makes his life even more tortuous, because he's aware of the fact that he's being had in an elaborate hoax against mankind.

I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!

Describe the nature of Bassanio's relationship with Portia in Merchant of Venice.Does Bassanio genuinely loves Portia, or is he just after the money?

The relationship between Portia and Bassanio is apparently a stainless romantic relationship in Shakespeare's romantic comedy The Merchant of Venice. But, if one looks closely, there appears to be some scars in it. Critics have also suggested a possible homoerotic communion between Bassanio and Antonio. Does Antonio want to marry Portia for her wealth or is it just a sublime love at first sight situation? The three caskets scene creates an anti-materialistic context for the kind of love he has for Portia, but then, is it not his cunning judgement and a mere display of self-effacing love?

Bassanio also gives Portia's ring to Portia in disguise of the lawyer. Thus, their relation seems to commence on a betrayal, as it were. Looking at it from Portia's side, it is not a neutral relation either. Cunning has a greater role to play in her relation than passion and emotion. The way she makes Bassanio financially dependent, accepting the opportunity of clearing Antonio's debts gleefully, shows her great intelligence. She turns the situation on its head and assumes all power on her own. Even in the courtroom scene, she normativizes the Christian virtue of mercy as a universal human virtue to exclude the Jew. The letter of the law is what she resorts to than the spirit of the law as she dupes Shylock through his own language by literalizing the language of the pact. Some critics also feel, she does all this to show her power over Antonio, in the process estranging the two males. so, as one can see, the Portia-Bassanio relation is strongly driven by self-interest and hidden power-games.