In City of Ember, Chapter 3, how far underground are the Pipeworks Doon works in and what advice does his father give him about working there?

The Pipeworks are about fifty feet underground, with "tons of earth and rock and buildings" up above.  As he descends into the area withhis supervisor Arlin on his first day of work, Doon Harrow comes to this estimation by calculating that the distance from the river to the ceiling of the main tunnel must be "thirty feet or so", and that above that, the storerooms occupy a layer "at least twenty feet high".  Altogether, that comes to about fifty feet.

Doon had wanted to work in the Pipeworks because he knew that he would have access to the generator there.  Doon is aware that the generator, which provides electricity for the entire city of Ember, is failing, and he wants to fix it.  Knowing that he has been gifted with exceptional intelligence and mechanical ability, Doon had thought that patching up the machine would be an easy thing, and that just by looking at it, he would be able to figure out what to do.  When he finally sees the generator, however, he realizes that it is much more complicated than he could have ever envisioned; he has no idea how it works, and that there is no one who can teach him.  Frustrated and angry, Doon explains the situation to his father, who wisely tells him just "to pay attention" for now.  Mr. Harrow tells his son,

"You'll think of something.  You're a clever boy.  The main thing is to pay attention.  Pay close attention to everything, notice what no one else notices.  Then you'll know what no one else knows, and that's always useful" (Chapter 3).

How did the creature persuade to hear his story?

"How does the creature persuade us or Victor to hear his story?"  Regardless, the answer may be the same.

The creature, like most of the characters in the novel, uses dramatic monologue, or long speeches filled with emotional and poetic language.  This, of course, is not how people talk, but Shelley's elevated style breathes life into the monster.  Despite his hideous appearance, the monster learns to become human first and foremost through language.

The creature's appeals to Victor center around identity and existence: he wants to know who he is and why he was created.  Since he is the only one of his kind, he wants his creator to make him a mate; like Adam in the Garden, he is lonely.  His dramatic monologues are thus filled with the rhetorical appeal of pathos (emotional arugment) aimed at Victor and the reader to empathize with his existential confusion:

How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein: I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity: but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hop can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me. The desert mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge. I have wandered here many days’ the caves of ice, which I only do not fear, are a dwelling to me, and the only one which man does not grudge. These bleak skies I hail, for they are kinder to me than your fellow-beings. If the multitude of mankind knew of my existence, they would do as you do, and arm themselves for my destruction.

Shelley's husband was a poet, and she knew how to fill her prose with poetic conventions.  Notice the imagery, the apostrophe (address to a person), rhetorical questions, and alliteration.  Such poetic rhetoric is enough to illicit sympathy from even the cruelest hearts.

What feeling permeates the first part of Act III, scene 1 of Hamlet?

In the beginning of this scene, Hamlet’s mom, Gertrude, and his uncle, King Claudius, are inquiring of Hamlet’s behavior to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  There is a concern about Hamlet’s supposed depression, but the two men claim they do not know what is bothering Hamlet.  They do, however, inform the king that Hamlet seems very excited to see the play that is supposed to be performed that evening.  This is something the king and queen find hopeful, and they are pleased to hear it.  After dismissing everyone, Claudius and Polonius, Ophelia’s father, hide in the room to spy on Hamlet.  After Hamlet enters, he delivers his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy.

I would say that there is a feeling of concern that permeates this scene, but when looking at the character of Hamlet, the reader can see feelings of contemplation, depression, and self-doubt, as Hamlet is grappling with whether or not life is worth it.

What is the summary of Robert Herrick's "Delight In Disorder?"

Robert Herrick (1591-1674)  is classified as a 'Cavalier Poet,' that is, he belonged to a group of poets who supported King Charles I during the Civil War. During the Civil War on account of  his support to  the Royalist cause he fell out of favour with the government, but after King Charles II was restored to the throne the King honored him and made him the Vicar at Dean Prior at Devonshire.

During his student days at Cambridge and as a budding poet he was a great admirer of the Jacobean dramatist and lyricist Ben Jonson (1572-1637) and was a member of the group of admirers of Ben Jonson  called the Sons of Ben. At the same time he was a contemporary of the Metaphysical Poets like George Herbert (1593–1633).

The lyric "Delight in Disorder" is from his collection of lyrics "Hesperides" published in 1648.  The gist of the poem is that the poet narrator finds a woman who has dressed carelessly more attractive and seductive than a woman who has dressed very correctly. The following adjectives foreground the lack of attention by the woman to the various articles of her dress: "disorder,"  "distraction,"  "erring,"  "neglectful,"  "confusedly," "tempestuous"  and "careless." She has worn every article of her dress carelessly, however it is this complete lack of attention to her dress which makes her look sexy ["wantonness"]  and "bewitches" him all the more.

What is more important is to realize how the three influences-Cavalier poetry, Metaphysical poetry and Ben Jonson's lyricism-are amalgamated in this exquisite lyric "Delight in Disorder." Cavalier poetry is secular and its language and imagery are simple and direct unlike Metaphysical poetry which is characterized by complicated imagery which renders the poem ambiguous. The ambiguity in this poem is, whether Herrick is describing a woman who has dressed carelessly or a painting of a woman who has dressed carelessly - "than when art/Is too precise in every part."  A lyric is  an expression of the poet's own feelings as a response to an external stimulus and Ben Jonson's lyrical influence can best be seen in the last three  lines of the poem:

"I see a wild civility;--
Do more bewitch me, than when art
Is too precise in every part."

Read "A Blessing," by James Wright.Explain 1) What you believe the theme of the poem to be 2) identify an important simile and 3) explain how...

I think the theme could be given away in the poem title 'The Blessing.' It could be read as being about the privilege bestowed on us sometimes by Nature and how we can, and should, not only appreciate it, but give thanks for it.

Perhaps the guys have had a long, arduous, dry dusty road trip. Perhaps they are glad to get out of the acrid, hostile, airless environment and have taken the first opportunity to 'get some air.' They find it is sweet, pure country air that has the fragrance of of twilight grass. Or perhaps it was the horses and the sight of their natural beauty that makes them stop in the first place. Either way, they are grateful for the precious moment to commune with Nature, both to the horses, to nature itself and maybe to God.

'Wet swans' is another simile and makes us think of serenity, the cooling balm of evening dew and silence - the peace and quiet of Nature so different from the frenetic buzz of the highway.

You may like to compare this poem to Robert Frost's 'Two Look At Two.' You can read about that here:

How is Polonius comical when we are intoduced to him in Act I scene iii?

When Polonius first enters, he chides his son, Laertes, for being late for his voyage and for making others wait for him.  He proceeds then to give an extensive 25-line speech that, of course, causes Laertes to be even later.  His speech is fatherly advice in the form of paradoxes:

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar . . .
Beware / of entrance to a quarrel; but being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice . . .

He contines with others, including the advice to listen to the opinion of others but not give his own and to dress richly but not gaudily.  Then he speaks perhaps his most famous line in the play:

This above all:  to thine ownself be true.

Once Laertes exits, Polonius turns his attentions toward Ophelia, being quite nosey about her relationship with Hamlet.  He then proceeds to bestow his bumbling advice upon her as well:

From this time / Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence. / Set your entreatments at a higher rate /  Than a command to parley.

Basically, his advice to her is to play hard to get--strange to hear coming from a father.  He proves in this first scene that he is overly involved in his children's lives and is full of unsolicited advice.

What propels Hamlet-the prince's proud wish to avenge his father's death and assert his rights? A tragic flaw in his character or something else?

I don't think you can purify Hamlet's motives into a single motive.  I think Hamlet's actions are based on a complex mix of his desire to avenge his father's death, his anger at his mother and Claudius, his own ambition, all mixed with his desire for a life of peace and happiness. In Act 1, sc. 5, when Hamlet is first asked by the ghost of King Hamlet to avenge his death, Hamlet swears that he will.  At this point, Hamlet is shocked and quickly agrees to what his father's ghost asks.  Later, in Act 2, sc. 2, Hamlet rails against himself and his lack of action, but says that he needs to be sure the ghost was telling the truth.  Obviously doubt has crept into Hamlet's thinking since Act 1, sc. 5, and Hamlet doesn't want to commit murder without being sure of Claudius's guilt.  If Hamlet was simply driven by a desire to get the throne from Claudius, he wouldn't need to prove the ghost's veracity.  Also, in this speech, Hamlet says, "...And can nothing -no, not for a king / Upon whose property and most dear life / A damned defeat was made."  It is interesting to note that Hamlet puts "property" before "dear life".  This suggests that Claudius's marriage to Gertrude is as heinous to Hamlet as is Claudius's murder of King Hamlet.  In Hamlet's Act 3, sc. 1 soliloquy, Hamlet suggests that fear makes people makes people inactive.  He says that if people could act without fear of repercussion, they'd be more likely to act.  This suggests that Hamlet fears what will happen if he kills Claudius.  Will he go to hell?  Will other penalties fall on him?  Hamlet yearns for a life in which he is free to study, read, and spend pleasant hours with those he loves.  Throughout the play, Hamlet wrestles with his hesitancy and his lack of action in avenging his father's death.  He thinks and overthinks about all his actions which suggests that he would rather have a peaceful life than a powerful one.