How did this lead to a uniquely American culture? How did this culture lead us to the "counter-culture" of the 1960s?

During the 1950's the American culture was responding to a
war in which we had won and they were feeling an air of confidence and peace.  The baby
boom had occurred and parents were still contained into the conformist world of
religious values and American domicile values.  Black Americans had been granted the
right to vote but still were kept in the place where whites wanted
them.

The population suddenly went from the number one
group being middle aged to them being teens and young adults.  African Americans who had
fought alongside the whites during World War II had come home to the same issues they
had left behind.  The time was right and the energy of the youth helped to spur on the
attitudes that it was time for change.  Television was now bringing everyday events into
the homes of people.

The Vietnam War led to many youths
uncertain of why we were fighting.  They were afraid and they did not want to fight a
war that made no sense to them that was taking so many lives with no outcome in sight. 
The youths began to rally against the political views of their parents.  For the first
time the young people had time on their hands.  Machines had replaced the chores that
they once had to do and many had allowances.  They were customers and not working to
help provide for their families.

All of the things I
mentioned mixed together led to the counter culture that emerged during the
60's.

It should also be noted that the flapper days saw a
counter culture emerge.

What is the message of "The Story Of An Hour"? Does Kate Chopin want women to come out of the shackles of man? I want to know whether Kate had the...

"The Story of an Hour" deals with the role of women in marriage, and this does reflect Chopin's own opinions on the plight of women in society with respect to their roles in marriage. It can certainly be seen that a she might have felt like her protagonist during her marriage. However, the Mrs. Mallard and Chopin's lives are not exactly parallel.

Chopin married a man who adored her independence and had six children, but the family struggled financially. Oscar, Chopin's husband, was not a great provider due to his poor business sense and later became ill, so it can be seen that Chopin might have felt trapped in her marriage with few options available to her. When Oscar died, Chopin was in an even darker financial state, and began writing to bring in an income. Chopin's female characters often struggle with the expectations society places on women, and seem to echo Chopin's own feelings. It would be interesting to know if she felt the relief that Mrs. Mallard does at the supposed death of her husband.

In this particular story, the woman feels a tremendous freedom when she is told her husband is dead, as if she is finally free of the obligations forced on her. Of course, the irony is, it was all a mistake and he was very much alive. This leads to her breakdown, as she thrust back into her prison of expectations.

How does the capitalist and socialist systems produce/distribute goods? And how does it maximize freedom justice+general interest (look below)What...

Under the capitalist system, producers produce the goods
that they think consumers want, then if consumers buy those goods, they make more of
them.  Under a free market, each producer is free to produce what he thinks is needed,
and each consumer is free to buy what he thinks he needs.  Producers receive signals
about what to produce from the buying habits of the consumers.  The market is not always
free; sometimes capitalists get government to creat a captive market, such as the
California wine makers got government to place a 100% tariff on French wine, so that
Americans have to buy the high-priced California wines instead of the lower-priced
French wines.  [They claim we are still free since we can still buy the French wine if
we are willing to pay a lot more for it than the French wine-maker is asking for it. 
This is just a sophism (smoke and mirrors).]

Under the
communist system, producers produce what ever a central, governmental planning board
tells them to produce.  The few people on a planning board can never know nor sift
through all of the information that the free market produces and sifts for the
capitalist producer.  The communist consumers have to buy or reject whatever is put
before them, because the producers are not responding to whether or not the consumers
actually need their products; the producers are only responding to the central planning
board, which cannot know and may not care what the consumers need.  The planning board's
decisions may be driven by factors such as a member of the governing body has a lot of
rubber plantations and wants automobile tires made from natural rubber instead of better
petroleum based rubber.  (This kind of decision can be made under capitalism
too.) 

Guideance for the producer under capitalism comes
from politically powerful individuals and from the market.  Guideance for the producer
under communism comes from the politically powerful and from communist party
ideology.

Ideology is a political doctrine that promises
salvation in the here and now if everybody will just do everything that the ideologist
wants them to do, and if everybody does not want to do these things, then everybody must
be forced to do them, or eliminated (starved, executed, worked to death).  Ideology is
really just the excuse of a power-hungry, and evil person or party of persons to sieze
and hold all political power.

The principle of communism is
to have everything, including production, serve the siezing and holding of
power.

How would you write an introduction to: Compare and contrast Laertes, Fortinbras and Horatio in the action of the play Hamlet.

Fortinbras and Laertes both have fathers killed by either King Hamlet or Prince Hamlet.  Fortinbras takes action to avenge his father's death and reclaim the lands lost by his father to King Hamlet.  Fortinbras uses any means available to him to accomplish this, including in Act 4, sc. 4, fighting and jeopardizing his soldiers' lives in order to get a worthless piece of land.  Laertes immediately returns to Denmark to avenge his father's death.  He wants immediate action taken or he will take action himself until Claudius calms him by telling him of a plan to kill Hamlet (Act 4, scenes 5 and 7).  Both Fortinbras and Laertes are men of action.  Horatio shows action when, in Act 1, sc. 1, upon seeing the ghost of King Hamlet says that they must tell Prince Hamlet and then in Act 5, sc. 2, when Hamlet is dying, Horatio says he wants to kill himself, but instead obeys Hamlet's wish that he live and tell the truth of what's happened.

One similarity among the three characters is their ability to see truth and justice when presented with it.  When Laertes realizes he's been used by Claudius to kill Hamlet in Act 5, sc. 2, he immediately regrets his part and tells Hamlet the truth.  Fortinbras respects Hamlet and justly honors him by having his officers bear Hamlet's body.  Horatio knows what has gone on in the kingdom and honors Hamlet's wishes, telling Fortinbras he will share his knowledge. 

Calculate how much of a 1 gram radium sample will remain after 1000 years? The half life of radium is approximately 1600 years.

Given the half life of any substance the remaining
quantity of any substance remaining after a specified period is given by the following
formula:

Qt =
i*(0.5)^(t/h)

Where:

Qt =
Quantity remaining after time t

Q = Initial
quantity

t = Actual time
elapsed

h = half life

In the
given problem:

Q = 1 gram

t =
1000 years

h = 1600
years

Applying these values to the equation for remaining
quantity we get:

Qt = 1*(0.5)^(1000/1600) = 0.5^(1/1.6) =
0.5^0.625

= 0.6484197 = 0.64842 gram
(approximately)

Answer:

0.64842
gram of radium sample will remain after 1 year.

How does Jack not being able to kill a pig and daring the others to contradict that next time he will mercilessly kill one, show his growing power?

This shows Jack's new character emerging from a choir leader to a savage hunter. He's angry that he didn't kill the pig and is afraid it will be perceived as weakness by the other boys, so he rants and raves about what will happen the next time to make them think he's capable of killing mercilessly. He doesn't want the other boys to doubt him or his abilities as a hunter, especially since they have found no meat. It shows Jack's insecurity, and he swears no mercy the next time as much for himself as he does for the other boys. This scene also begins the split between Jack and Ralph and foreshadows what Jack will become.

What do the marshes represent to Pip throughout Great Expectations?

I would say the marshes can also represent
emptiness. Pip is first at the marshes studying the names of his
family members who have passed away. He does so with a stick poking at their graves.
When the life of the convict comes in contact with Pip, Pip finds the desparation of the
covict almost immediately. When people are in that desparate state, they are empty,
waiting to be filled.

The convict's first need is hunger
and he looks to be filled by Pip. Out of fear Pip does help the convict, but I think
it's more than that. Pip has an empty life. This convict at least provided some action
for a time.

The life Pip leads in this small town feels
empty to him. This is why the book (among other reasons) is entitled Great
Expectations. Pip wants something more and this location at the marshes
represents the opposite of more, nothingness or emptiness.

What is the significance of balanced polymorphism?

"Balanced polymorphism is a situation in which two
different versions of a gene are maintained in a population of organisms because
individuals carrying both versions are better able to survive than those who have two
copies of either version alone. The evolutionary process that maintains the two versions
over time is called balancing selection."

readability="15">

"Most plants and animals have at least two
copies of each chromosome, one inherited from each parent. The copies of the genes found
on these homologous chromosomes may be identical or different; that is, the organism may
carry two copies of one allele, or one each of two different alleles. In the first case,
the organism is called homozygous for that gene, and, in the second, it is called
heterozygous."

The
significance of balanced polymorphism can be seen with sickle cell anemia.  People who
carry two copies of the sickle-cell allele suffer horribly and without medical
intervention will die young.  People who carry one copy of of the  sickle-cell allele
and one wild-type allele develop an immunity to malaria.  The two allele balance each
other off and create a benefit for the person.

How do I write about a character? Please be specific.

My answer will be a bit long.
:D

When writing about a character, you must take every part
of them into consideration.  How do they react the world around them: both natural and
material.  What do they like, hate, love, or feel neutral about?  How does their
ethnicity, religion, political views, etc. change their outlook on life?  Are they
serious or carefree?  What do they look like; are they intelligent; are they street
smart?  How do these things add up to their actions, thoughts, and inner psyche?  How to
other characters, readers, and writers view these
characters? 

Most importantly: how does the character move
the plot forward, change the plot, and/or handle the actions of the
story.

Describing a character ultimately stems from your
own perception of them.  What one person may see as a strong and lovable character,
another may see as being weak and boring.  Your opinion matters, but it is also vital to
try and scope out the writer's original intention.  Often this may conflict with your
own theory, and that is when you must decide whether or not to embrace the author's
point of view or stick to your original idea.

For example
(and this is my inner nerd coming out ;)), in Harry Potter, I LOVE
Severus Snape.  I see him as flawed but deeply beautiful: a man as gentle as he is
rough.  J. K.Rowling says that, for all his atonement and love for Lily, he is basically
not a nice guy: even though he is one of her favorite characters.  Now, I choose to
stick to my interpretation of Severus, even though it conflicts with the author's
intent.  That is the kind of thing that will be up to you.  Generally, I think that
author intent is vital, but there are times when one cannot help but see things entirely
different! 

Another example: Some people, even scholars, do
not read the sections of Dante's Vita Nuova that do not include Beatrice.  They feel
that those sections sully the romance and passion of the treatise.  I feel that it's
important to read the entire work.  It is not a work of fiction, and why ignore the
facts?  This is rather ignorant.  I may not like the fact that Dante wrote about women
who were not Beatrice, but it doesn't change
history. 

Overall, be critical and open-minded when writing
about a character.  Pay close attention to details.  Write with honesty and integrity to
your opinion.  Literature is often oh-so-subjective.  Find your
view and make a case for it.  You can't go wrong when you write about a character unless
you don't take the time to analyze them. 

Good luck, and I
hope this helps!

What is the feeling among the white neighbors on Atticus's defeat? ( miss maudie excluded) can be found in chapter 22

This is a rich chapter on how people responded to the trial. 

First, Jem knew at the core of his hear that the outcome was not right. He could not believe the injustice. 

It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain’t right,” he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting.

Aunt Alexandra commiserated with Atticus. She knew the truth as well.

She was in her dressing gown, and I could have sworn she had on her corset underneath it. “I’m sorry, brother,” she murmured.

The black townspeople knew that Tom was innocent and was judged wrongly, but they really appreciated Atticus. They knew that Atticus was a heroic man who sacrificed much. They brought so much food for him in a very touching way. It was their way of honoring him. 

Calpurnia said, “Tom Robinson’s daddy sent you along this chicken this morning. I fixed it.”

We followed him. The kitchen table was loaded with enough food to bury the family: hunks of salt pork, tomatoes, beans, even scuppernongs. Atticus grinned when he found a jar of pickled pigs’ knuckles. “Reckon Aunty’ll let me eat these in the diningroom?”

Calpurnia said, “This was all ‘round the back steps when I got here this morning. They—they ’preciate what you did, Mr. Finch. They—they aren’t oversteppin‘ themselves, are they?”

Finally, Miss Maudie helped Jem to see that there were others in the town who were on Tom's side. She says:

“His colored friends for one thing, and people like us. People like Judge Taylor. People like Mr. Heck Tate. Stop eating and start thinking, Jem. Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident? That Judge Taylor might have had his reasons for naming him?”

So, even if the town was still racist, there were a few good people. 

Describe the author`s diction?

Poe uses a variety of literary devices in his diction.  Poe uses irony in “The Cask of Amontillado.”  The irony that Poe employs foreshadows the imminent death of Fortunato.  In Italian Fortunato means “Fortunate” but it is clear to see that Fortunato was unfortunate at the end of the story. Irony is also used in reference to Fortunato’s cough. Montresor tells Fortunato that he should not go into the vault with his cough and Fortunato tells Montressor that his cough isn't going to kill him.  Montresor tells him that's true because he knows he is plotting his death by burying him alive behind a wall of stone. Visual irony is also evident when Fortunato wants proof that Montresor is a mason and part of the Mason Secret Society. Montresor shows Fortunato his trowel, which indicates his knowledge of construction with stone.  This foreshadows Montresor's planning of Fortunato's entombment and eventual death. Finally, Poe utilizes irony when Montresor keeps asking Fortunato if he would like to turn back. Even though Fortunato is terribly drunk and stumbling, he is determined to keep going. Montresor's final statement to Fortunato, before he delivers his death sentence, being chained to the wall is, “Once more let me implore you to return."  If Fortunato hadn't been so bound and determined to make his trek through the vault, there is a possibility that he wouldn't have met such a terrible fate.

Explain the structure/organization of the national government under the articles of condederation.

Articles of Confederation created a weak national
government with most of the governmental powers retained by the states. The Articles
provided no separation of branches. There was no president or any other independent
executive, nor was there a federal judicial branch. Congress, the legislature, was the
only branch of government. Members elected to congress did not vote as individuals, but
as states. While congress did have some powers, it could not enforce its laws on the
states or the people. The Continental Congress could coin money, but so could the
states, and they didn’t have to ask the Congress for permission. Hence, there was no
unified monetary system. There was no regulation of commerce between the states and
states could even enter into treaties with foreign nations and declare war, "with the
consent of Congress." Congress could not tax the states or the people. . The only ways
in which it could raise money were by requisitioning the states—the same way in which it
raised troops, by borrowing, by selling public lands, and by printing more money. In the
Articles of Confederation, the Continental Congress had only five basic
responsibilities: to conduct foreign affairs by negotiating treaties and by making war
and peace, to control Indian affairs, to set standards of coinage, weights, and
measures, to settle disputes among the states, and to conduct a postal
service.

In Act 4, Scene 1 of Hamlet, what are Claudius's chief concerns with regard to the murder?

In this scene, Claudius comes and talks to Gertrude and
finds out that Hamlet has just killed Polonius, who was behind the
arras.

Caludius's main concern is for himself.  The first
thing he says is, essentially, "that could have been me."  He is talking about what
would have happened if he would have been the one
hiding.

Then Claudius starts worrying about what the Danish
people will think of him now that this has happened.  He worries that they will blame
him for not keeping better control over Hamlet when he is obviously a bit crazy.  This
is why he decides to send Hamlet to England -- to get him out of sight and (we learn
later) to kill him on the way.

How does Steinbeck show compassion for Lennie when he is killed?

When George kills Lennie, his dear friend and only true companion, the compassion Steinbeck demonstrates is overwhelming.  George did not want to lose his friend, but he understands that a quick, clean death is much more preferrable than the brutal and torturous death Lennie would face at the hands of the angry mob.  Lennie will die.  That much is certain.  To have the killing be as painless as possible is definitely compassionate.  Before George has to pull the trigger, he makes sure he and Lennie understand one another and his love for his friend, and he gives his friend the gift of their dream one more time:

Lennie said, "I thought you was mad at me George. "

"No," said George.  "I ain't mad.  I never been mad, an' I ain't now.  That's a thing I want ya to know." 

The voices came close now.  George raised the gun and listened to the voices. 

Lennie begged, "Le's do it now.  Le's get that place now."

"Sure, right now.  I gotta.  We gotta." 

And as George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head.  The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied.  He pulled the trigger.

What are three things that are in Mayella's testimony which prove that she is lying?To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

With all due respect to the poster and to the one person
answering so far, I don't see how anything in Mayella's testimony proves that she's
lying. What we have when we read the trial scene in To Kill a
Mockingbird is a set of conflicting first-hand accounts. The fact that Tom
Robinson's account contradicts Mayella's does not prove the she is lying and he is not.
The novel sets us up to side with Tom Robinson; the Ewells have consistently been
presented to us in the narrative as despicable humans and the Robinsons as upstanding
citizens.

My point is not that the two of you are wrong!
Not at all! I simply wish to point out a very clear bias in the narrative that we, as
readers, can resist. There's a very similar bias in the discussion of birds, for
example; "you can shoot all the blue jays you want," we're famously told, "but
remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." In reality (ask a real bird expert!),
mockingbirds can be extremely aggressive and territorial just as blue jays have their
own important ecological niche. Reading as a "resistant reader" is a good way for us to
move past the same, standard interpretations of a literary
work.

To me, Mayella may or may not be lying, but she's
certainly very much aware that she's in a sticky situation and asks repeatedly for
clarifications to Atticus' answers. (I've always wondered, for that matter, about her
comments about her father and Atticus' follow-up questions. Does he avoid bringing up
questions about incest or domestic abuse because he finds them untasteful, or does he
simply not see that as a possibility?)

A review by Elizabeth Rigby,says"Jane Eyre is pre-eminently an anti-CHristian composition"is this true?Is there any part that is christian

I do not agree with Rigby's assertion that Jane Eyre is an "anti-Christian" composition.  I would say that it is rather an anti-church composition. Bronte is disgusted with Christians who do reflect true Christian values.  For example, Brocklehurst, who runs the Lowood institute is hypocritical:  he claims generosity but is really parsimonious,  perverting words of the Bible for his own purposes.  St. John Rivers claims spirituality, and wants to be a missionary but he is very cold and one wonders if he wants to be a missionary to help people and bring them God's Word, or if he wants to go for his own self image and the pride that can be associated with martyrdom. 

Helen Burns, however, does show true Christian virtue and is a complete contrast to most of the other characters.  She is loving, patient, longsuffering, and kind.  She embodies the biblical "fruits of the spirit" found in Galations 5:22-23.  She is a true Christian in Bronte's eyes.  Even Rochester, who is a sinner wanting to involve her in a bigamous marriage, shows more Christian virtue than many other characters.  He is kind, longsuffering, and moved by character rather than riches.  At the end of the novel, he "thanks God" for Jane's return and I think a Christian metaphor can be seen in that he who was made blind, was able to once again see.

What experiences have made Jem change in To Kill a Mockingbird?

To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age novel, with both Jem and Scout learning much through their experiences with Boo and through their father's defense of and the town's reaction to Tom Robinson. Jem also learns from his experiences reading to Mrs. Dubose, although that happens only after Atticus explains to him that he must not lose his temper in a violent way, that he must be kind to people who are not kind to him, and that the mean old lady whom he hated so much was in fact, as Atticus tells him quite clearly, a brave woman. "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." Mrs. Dubose decided to cure herself of her drug addiction before she died, and did. similarly, Atticus knows he is doomed to lose in defending Tom, but he defends him anyway, facing overwhelming odds. It is the facing the impossible that makes him victorious. Through both the incident of a cantankerous old woman and his father's convictions concerning Tom, Jem learns what heroism and character mean.

What is credit recovery for high school?

Credit recovery in my state means that after a high school
student has failed a class that he or she needs to graduate, he uses credit recovery to
retake the class in condensed time.  From what I've observed in my district and from
talking to other teachers in various states, credit recovery is an online program.  I
have never heard of normal face-to-face classes such as summer school being called
credit recovery.

Our school district bought the rights to a
credit recovery program which students can use after school or during the summer.  They
have to be in a designated lab with a "proctor" who ensures that they are the ones
completing the course online.  Students generally can move as quickly as they want
through a course; so many see credit recovery as being advantageous over regular
classes.

I will say this, though, about credit recovery. 
Normally, when a student fails a class, that permanently affects his GPA and record. So,
credit recovery allows a student to get the credit hours he needs for graduation but
does not eliminate the negative marks on his record. Moreover, in my state, students
must pay for credit recovery, and it can get expensive if someone fails more than one
class (one that was free to the student when he took it the first time!). Finally, some
of my students have complained that credit recovery is boring and that they don't
understand a lot of what they are supposed to be learning online.  The proctor in the
lab with them is normally there to answer technology questions and to try to prevent
cheating, but he or she cannot answer questions about all the subjects that students are
studying.

In Chapter 27 of To Kill a Mockingbird, what three incidents concerning the Ewells occur and what is learned about Bob Ewell?

Scout lists three things that happened: first, Ewell "acquired and lost a job in a mater of days; second, Judge Taylor suspects someone is poking around his yard in the night, with the implication that it is Ewell, and therefore pulls out a shotgun and puts it in his lap; third, Ewell harrasses Tom's widow, causing her employer to come to her defense.  We learn from these incidents that Ewell seeks revenge from those that humiliated him in the trial.

What are the advantages of antibiotics?I need a very detailed explanation of antibiotics' advantages, for the sake of my school extended essay....

Antibiotics are substances are obtained from bacteria and
fungi. Antibiotics are used for many different purposes. The most important of these
uses is as drugs to fight various diseases caused by harmful microorganisms. use of
antibiotics has now made it possible to treat many diseases that were fatal prior to
development of antibiotics. A few are used to treat certain
cancers.

Antibiotics cure diseases by their property of
being selectively toxic to microorganisms. When administered to a patient, they damage
certain types of cells in the patient's body, but do not damage others.  Antibiotics
used as medicines are harmful to the cells of disease-causing microorganisms, but not
normally not harmful for the normal body cells. Such antibiotics are used to treat a
variety of bacterial diseases.  A small number of antibiotics, have also been developed
to  attack human cells for treatment of cancer.  They are able to cure cancer by only
damaging cells that are in the process of
dividing.

Antibiotics are also used to treat infectious
diseases in animals and to control bacteria and fungi that damage fruit and grain. 
Sometimes small amounts of antibiotics are added to livestock feed to stimulate the
animals' growth.  Small quantities of antibiotics are also used as food
preservatives.

What were each of the characters sin and their salvation?What other meanings does the Scarlet Letter "A" have throughout the story? What does the...

To answer your other questions, the scarlet letter changes in meaning throughout the novel.  At first it means adultery, but then as the novel progresses, some people in the town begin to think it means 'able' because Hester is known throughout the town as one who sits by the bed of the sick and helps the needy.  She goes about these tasks silently without every asking for payment of thanks, and the townspeople eventually notice and some change their opinion of Hester.  In one other part of the novel, when Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl are standing on the scaffold at night, a letter 'A' shows up in the sky from a meteor.  Dimmesdale feels that is a symbol for his adultery, but many of the townspeople interpret it to mean 'angel' because the Governor had just passed away.

The term 'Black Man' is a term used by the Puritan people to mean the devil.  'Black' was referring to soot on his face from hell as well as an indication of evil.  The term in the story is used to refer to Chillingworth after he begins to torture Dimmesdale.  Little by little, as he seeks revenge, Chillingworth becomes more and more evil looking, and is described as looking like Satan himself. 

Who are the characters in "A Jury of her Peers"?

The characters are:

John and Minnie Wright: John's murder (his wife is the main suspect) is what sets the story in motion. Neither of them actually appear in the story.

Martha Hale: The only character to appear in the entire story, she is sympathetic to Minnie and helps conceal evidence.

Sheriff Peters: The lawman who wants to close the case and doesn't listen to the women in the story.

Peters' Wife: She is also sympathetic to Minnie Wright and helps Martha.

Lewis Hale: Considered the principal witness, he also misses clues as to what really happened.

George Henderson: He is the lawyer whose job it is to convict Mrs. Wright.

What does the grandmother mean when she says, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children"?

O’Connor’s apocalyptic fiction attempts to show her readers their limitless need for God’s mercy. In "A Good Man is Hard to Find," she does this through the interaction of the grandmother and the Misfit. We would normally expect that a grandmother should represents goodness while a serial killer should represent evil. O’Connor, however, seems to hold precisely the reverse in this case. Similarly, we would expect the old woman to represent life and the Misfit death; again, O’Connor suggests the opposite, believing that life without spirituality is a living death, and through meeting the Misfit -- even though the meeting is fatal -- the old woman gains a chance of attaining salvation. In saying, "Why, you're one of my babies!" she recognizes his cosmic function. Like the old woman’s children, the Misfit has been raised without spirituality; and without spirituality, as the Misfit remarks himself, one might as well "enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can -- by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him." In effect, the Misfit has said that if a person is not willing to accept God, then he or she might as well throw propriety to the winds, and go out and become a serial killer. In O’Connor’s view, to reject God’s love in small ways is just as sinful as rejecting his love in big ones, because without God there is no value system left. 

How do black people show their appreciation to Atticus after the trial? Why are they doing this?

In chapter 22, Tom's father sends a chicken over to
Atticus on the morning after the trial. Calpurnia cooks it and Atticus remarks that they
don't even eat chicken for breakfast in the White House. Cal then informs him that
Estelle from the hotel sent over rolls, too. When Atticus looks surprised, she shows him
the kitchen table, which is loaded with "hunks of salt pork, tomatoes, beans, even
scuppernongs," pickled pigs' knuckles, and more on the back steps (213). Calpurnia
translates for Atticus:

readability="8">

"They—they 'preciate what you did, Mr. Finch.
They—they aren't oversteppin' themselves, are they?"
(213).

Atticus tears up and
says that he is grateful, but they shouldn't do that again because there's a depression
happening in the country and the black community has it harder than anyone
else. 

Tom's family and friends were like most everyone
else during the Great Depression. They may have had some food that they grew or
harvested on their own, but no one had money to pay for legal services. Atticus never
asked for anything, but as Cal said, they appreciated the honest effort that he put
forth for Tom's sake and wanted to show him this in the best way they knew
how.

What are some personal qualities of the three characters Ichabod, Brom, and Katrina from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?

Ichabod is awkward, bookish, and attracted to the prospect of wealth. He thinks he is manly in a reserved kind of way, and the town think he is "a kind of idle gentleman".

Katrina is self-involved and flirtatious. She loves the attention from men, and does not discourage Ichabod until he professes his intentions.

Brom is popular, manly, good-natured skilled, and mischievous. The people believe him to be "the hero of the country round, which rang with his feats of strength and erudition".

why does brutus decide to go along with the conspiracy?why did he finally make the choice to go against julius?

Brutus has listened to Cassius and has been given evidence that Caesar is an ambitious man who craves power--he denies the crown, but it is made obvious to the crowd and to Brutus that Caesar does crave the position and the power.  It will only be a matter of time before Caesar is Rome's Emperor when Rome had always been ruled by a group of men in order to prevent power from overwhelming and tempting a single man into dictatorship.

Brutus is at war with himself since he has no ill will toward Caesar.  However, with the best interests of Rome at heart, Brutus agrees that Caesar is dangerous with the following quote:  “And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg, / Which, hatched, would, as his kind, grow mischievous, / And kill him in the shell.”  Therefore, he deserves to die, and he agrees to join the conspiracy to rid Rome of its poisonous serpent. 

In Othello, why does Iago want to destroy Othello, Desdemona and Cassio, despite the fact that he already got Cassio fired?

Iago particularly wants to destroy Othello to seek revenge
for Othello's naming Cassio as lieutenant.  Iago felt certain that Othello would give
the title to him, so when Othello names Cassio instead, Iago is full of rage.  Further,
Iago thus becomes jealous of Cassio because he is now of a higher rank and is young and
handsome to boot.  Desdemona gets wrapped into Iago's evil plotting by mere
circumstance--Iago knows that Othello values Desdemona and their relationship above all
else, so Iago uses Desdemona as a tool in his plan. 

Iago
becomes overtaken by his own jealousy and rage, so he continues with his plans even
after Cassio is fired.  By this point in the play, Iago is no longer trying to get the
rank--he is almost obsessed with seeing Othello's fall.

How is the setting of The Sun Also Rises symbolic?

All of the places in the novel show the difference between meaningless and empty values. The novel opens in Paris, and this city represents a difference in the value of work and idleness. The Left Bank of Paris consists of those who do nothing except make a mess of their lives. The Right Bank is the people who work, are realistic, and tough-minded.

The Pyrenees Mountains where Jake takes his friend on a fishing trip symbolizes the true beauty of nature, peace, and tranquility. It's the opposite of Paris, for it's a healing experience, and a place where Jake is able to sleep, unlike Paris.

Roncesvalles is a Spanish town with a medieval monastery that turns into a pilgrimage for Jake and Bill. This becomes a place where the value of friendship is shown, that it can have real worth and meaning.

Pamplona also represents those who have empty values and those who have meaningful ones. Pedro Romero, the bullfighter, symbolizes the best values because he takes the violence out of a violent sport through his artistry. Brett represents those with empty values, the partygoers who do nothing with their lives.

what is the significance of the storm in act i scene iii

Cassius's reply to Casca's observation about the storm--that it represents the heaven's response to the events about to take place--is significant. Cassius tells Casca that he is "dull," that that "those sparks of life / That should be in a Roman [he does] want." In other words, Cassius says Casca is being foolish in responding to the storm in this way.  In the previous scene Cassius tells Brutus, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars but in ourselves that we are underlings" (140-141) again, as he does with Casca, dismissing "the heavens" as an indicator of or influence on or having responsibility for the events on earth. Cassius is a man of action, and Casca more cautious, here expressing his fear that the conspirators are not doing the right thing.

Modern audiences view Frankensteins monster as a hideous, monstrous being. Who is the real monster in the novel Frankenstein?

While it can seem farfetched at times, Mary Shelley's
narration in the novel is critical to answering your question. The frame of the story is
Walton documenting what he is told by Victor--in many cases this is not only
second-hand, but third-, fourth-, or fifth-hand information. Shelley does this not to
demonstrate Victor's (and the creature's) apparently photographic memory, but to show
different points of view.

Victor's account of events is
rather expected. A terrible creature, over whom Victor apparently has no responsbility
or control, has committed all kinds of terrible crimes, including multiple
murders.

Shelley also includes, however, the creature's
account of events. These differ greatly from Victor's recollections and offer insight
into why the creature behaves the way that he does. Whether truly justified or not, the
creature believes that he is forced to commit crimes because of the way he lived his
early life. This is the classic nature-versus-nurture argument: Victor believes the
creature is inherently evil, while the creature sees himself as the product of a cold,
unfeeling society.

Review chapter ten, in which the
creature speaks to Victor for the first time, saying "All men hate the wretched; how,
then, must I be hated, whom am miserable beyond all living things!" This begins the
creature's justification for his actions and his attempt to place responsibility on
Victor.

Is the creature a "monster" because of his actions,
or is Victor a "monster" because of his irresponsibility and
neglect?

In The Cay, why does Timothy decide to abandon the raft and go to the desolate island that contains no drinking water?

Timothy, as we see as the novel unfolds on the island, is knowledgeable in survival skills. While he does not come out and say directly why he went to the island, he knew that survival for any longer period of time was not going to be possible on the raft no matter what he knew how to do. He also saw how miserable Phillip was on the raft and knew that he needed to be a safer environment. Timothy, weighing his options, knew that survival would be more likely on an island with no drinking water. Considering the region they were in as well, it's safe to assume that Timothy knew that it would rain often enough and he obviously has the skills to capture rain water for drinking. Timothy knew how to survive and he knew he had to take care of Phillip because Phillip was completely and utterly without survival skills when the ship went down.

What are the main themes in Henry V?

I believe that a major theme of Henry V is leadership and
how it relates to morality. As King, Henry has to make decisions that would be immoral
if he were just a common man. He betrays his friends and puts people to death to uphold
the law. But since he is King, he is seen as brave, intelligent and incredibly focused.
He is a great ruler and is able to inspire many men.

I
think another theme is related to the problems within the country and how they may be
forgotten when war is waged against France. When the attention of the people is focused
elsewhere they will forget about the issues at home and Henry knows
this.

In the Odyssey,Odysseus constantly takes credit when things go well. Now,when a tragedy occurs,he blames the gods for making him fall asleep.What...

First of all, congratulations on reading The Odyssey in
the 9th grade!  That's a wonderful achievement!

To answer
your question, Odysseus is just like most humans: taking credit for the good times and
blaming God for the bad.  Why do we do this?  I think that humans reach out to religion
when times get hard, but when life is easy God often takes a backseat because people
don't think they still need guidance.

Homer shows Odysseus
as being flawed, yet who among us is not?  That's the beauty of literature: it exposes
the honesty of humanity; and it reveals to us, through characters, our own
setbacks. 

How is John intellectually and emotionally different from the Alphas of civilized society?

John is innocent and pure of heart. Having been raised by the Indians of New Mexico, he has been taught the values that we all respect today, but these values are taboo in the civilized world of the Alphas. The only books John has been exposed to are those of Shakespeare, and it is Shakespeare's plays and sonnets that have influenced John to think the way he does. He views the world and humanity through these works, but his views are totally opposite of the Alphas. John doesn't understand why the civilized world doesn't value the things he does, but mostly he cannot understand why his father doesn't want him or care about him. John doesn't fit into his father's world and never could. His beliefs and values are too different to ever be reconciled.

What does "horse and foot" mean in paragraph 15 of "A Rose for Emily"?

" Vanquish" is a potent in this story that looks back to the time of the civil war for its context.  To "vanquish" means to overcome, to conquer, and "vanquish horse and foot" resonates with civil war battles that the south ultimately lost. For a woman to vanquish men shows an upset of traditional roles, and indeed Emily, even though she is a traditional, southern lady--in fact, because she is a traditional southern lady-- has power over the town in such a way that they are afraid of her, and it is this distance that enables (or causes) her to deteriorate in the way she does in murdering (vanquishing) Homer and then preserving his body. 

What are the different themes in Hamlet and how would you develop them?

Revenge is the main theme in Hamlet. There are many ways to look at revenge in this play. I would think the fact that Hamlet is grappling with his task of avenging his father, the king's, murder is a good way to go. The ghost implores Hamlet to seek revenge for his untimely death. Yet, in this play, revenge is not carried out rapidly. Hamlet contemplates his task and does not act until the end, and it results in his death, as well.

The theme of death is great to explore, as well. The murder of the king is the first in this play, but certainly not the last. There are many characters whose deaths are intentional rather than natural. Hamlet, his father, Claudius, Ophelia, Laertes, Polonius, and Gertrude all died in this play. (With the exception of the king, that has already happened when the play opens). You could explore the causes and impact of each of their deaths, and relate it to Hamlet's demise.

In Hamlet, what trick is Reynaldo supposed to use to get information about Laertes?

It isn't so much of a trick as just passive-aggressive information gathering.  At Polonious' behest, Reynaldo (who has just thirteen lines in the entire play, by the way) is sent off to Paris to find out if Laeretes is behaving properly, or at least in the way his father has deemed acceptable.  Polonius instructs Reynaldo to inquire about his activites from other Danes ("Danskers") in the city who can provide this information. 

You can view the entire text of Hamlet by following the link below.  The eText provides side-by-side text of the original play and its modern translation. 

Why does Hamlet reveal his plans to trick Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to his mother. Why doesn't his mother tell the king of the plans?act 3...

It is also very possible that up to this point in the play, Gertrude has been completely innocent of the real reason her husband, King Hamlet, has died.  Since there was no CSI in this time period, his death in the garden appears to have a natural cause behind it.  When young Hamlet speaks to his mother in her bedchamber he raises questions regarding the too quick marriage of his mother to his uncle-father and plants the seed that perhaps Claudius has planned this all the while by murdering the former King.  With all this in mind, it stands to reason that Gertrude does not tell Claudius what young Hamlet's plans are not only because she has told him she won't, but also because she is uncertain of Claudius now.  What is to keep him from murdering again?  In fact, we, the reader, know that he has been planning all along to murder young Hamlet as well.  So, with all this in mind, it stands to reason that Gertrude probably fears her current husband and his intent, and so keeps young Hamlet's counsel.

What are a few Ibo beliefs or practices that Christian missionaries object to in the book, Things Fall Apart?

One of those which comes up in the book is the practice of
forcing mothers to abandon twins, called osu, because they represent evil.  The Ibo
believed that they needed to be sure and distance themselves from these evil beings and
so, in Umuofia, they had to abandon the babies in the evil forest and leave them there
to die.  The missionaries were horrified by this practice and ended up saving the babies
and this was one bone of contention in the story.

The
missionaries also felt that polygamy was an abomination and that it was not
appropriate.  This led to further conflict with the tribe as it was obviously an
integral part of Ibo culture.

In Death of a Salesman how does Arthur Miller use stage directions to further develop the interactions between his characters? Read the text...

The stage directions given here clarify the relationship
between Willy and Linda. We see that Linda is an anxious and loving wife even although
Willy appears rather impatient and abrupt, when he answers her 'with casual irritation.'
She is worried about him but inquires after his health 'carefully', as she doesn't want
to annoy him. This suggests that Willy is rather of a volatile nature, and this is
certainly borne out in the course of the play. As for Linda, she is always thinking of
Willy and worrying about his state of mind, while doing everything she can think of to
support him. This is emphasized with the adverb, 'helpfully'; she tries to shift
responsibility for Willy's car trouble onto to the garage
mechanic.

The stage directions here also give an insight
into Willy's confused, wandering state of mind which becomes ever more obvious as the
play progresses. 'The flute has faded away. He sits on the bed beside her, a little
numb.' The flute, which Willy's dad used to play, functions as a symbol of Willy's
nostalgia for the past, and its music haunts him. When his memories 'fade' and he has to
pay attention to the present, he becomes lost, as underlined here with the reference to
him being 'numb'. It also appears something of an effort to him to gather his thoughts,
as seen when he replies 'after a pause'.

The stage
directions also show Willy and Linda sitting together on the bed. This shows us that
they really are a close and loving couple, although ultimately, and sadly, they are not
really able to help one another. Linda's well-meaning efforts to support her husband do
not prevent him from killing himself at the end of the play; and although grateful for
Linda's love, Willy also feels he has failed her and that she can't really appreciate
what he's going through. There is a certain gap in communication and understanding
between them which is evident even in this short extract.

What is the meaning of the following quote: "It is only in the heart that one can see rightly, what is essensial is invisible to the eye".

The quote is talking about the inability of most adults to be able to believe in things that they cannot see with their eyes. By the time we have reached adulthood, we have lost that child-like quality that allows us to imagine what can't be proven. As adults, we see only the outward appearances of people and things. We no longer see a person's inner beauty, for example, or appreciate the beautiful things in nature. As adults, we have become cynical and have lost our child-like innocence. We concern ourselves with the daily, "serious" subjects of life, such as paying bills, getting a better job, or buying a bigger, better car. The love we feel for other people in our lives is not something we can see, but we know that it's there because we feel it within our hearts. The differences between our childhood and our adulthood are vast. As a child, we use our imaginations and feel wonder at such small things that most of us as adults don't see anymore. The child can see the magic in the world and believe in it. Unfortunately, most of us lose that by the time we have become adults.

What do you mean by correlation coefficient ? Explain.My posted question is related with Research Methodology

In statistics correlation refers to relationship between
two variables. When the value of one variable varies closely with variation in another,
the two variables are said to be correlated. For example if the sale of umbrellas in a
town during the rainy season is found to vary with the the amount of rainfall during the
season than we can say that the sale of umbrella and amount of rainfall are
correlated.

Correlation coefficient is a statistical
measure of how close this relationship is. A correlation coefficient of 1 indicates a
perfect or total dependence between two variables. For example, if we were to calculate
the correlation coefficient between temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius it will be
equal to 1. A correlation coefficient of -1 means the variables are inversely
correlated. For example, the volume of a given weight of different substances is
inversely proportional to their densities therefore the correlation coefficient between
these two will be -1. A correlation coefficient of 0, implies no correlation. But in
reality this only implies that there is no linear relationships. For example some graphs
of two related variable have shapes lie 'U' or 'inverted U'. In these cases the
relationship exists but is not linear. Therefore correlation coefficient is likely to be
close to 0.

What are the main character changes, from Act I to II, for Septimus? I was wondering if in Act II Septimus feels somewhat trapped in the Croon...

Septimus is a romantic.  He believes in the existence of genius and finds beauty in that belief.  He sees life as an adventure to discover and experience all the secrets of the universe -- secrets of the flesh, secrets of the mind, secrets of the heart. 
As the play continues, however, he loses his idealism.  Life at the Croon Estate continues to bring him complications and disappoints.  He becomes bitter about the realities of the world.  This is symbolized in his slow acceptance of Thomasina's mathematical experiment.  He realizes Thomasina is right, and her theory suggests the eventual end of the universe. What he mourns, however, is not the end of life but the loss of innocence. "When we have found all the mysteries and lost all the meaning, we will be alone, on an empty shore,’’ he laments before joining Thomasina in her first, and last, waltz.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, what is the connection between the event of shooting the mad dog and the children's encounter with Mrs. Dubose?I need...

I agree that these two incidents are supposed to show
Atticus' character.  In each instance, the quality that is most prevalent is Atticus'
quiet sense of courage.

He faces the dog and is completely
calm.  He steps up without the confidence of his children and accomplishes exactly what
he plans to do.

Both the children are afraid of Mrs.
Dubose.  Atticus however, is not.  He treats her with the same calm yet deliberate
attitude that he faced the mad dog.  He knows exactly what to do and is confident in the
outcome.

For both the children, these are moments of
witnessing a side of their father that they 1) do not understand, 2) do not wholly trust
at first and 3) allow to boost their confidence and respect in
him.

In the novel 'the pearl' describe the physical traits of the face, hair, eyes, overall appearance,etc juana have ?

The description that Steinbeck uses when characterizing
Juana are scattered throughout the novella.  On the first page of the work, Juana's dark
eyes are described as having made "little reflected stars".  This can mean something
different to everyone, but to me, it makes me think of them as shiny little orbs.  Her
hair is black and long, and in the beginning, she "braided it in two braids and tied the
ends with thin green ribbon."  Steinbeck also makes it a point to describe her feet,
which are "hard".  Obviously, while this woman is physically beautiful, she is also used
to working very hard, and probably does her fair share of manual labor.  She is often
described as having a blue shawl on her head, and quite often, she is watching her
husband, Kino.  At the end of the novella, her face is described
as:

Her face
was hard and lined and leathery with fatigue and with the tightness with which she
fought fatigue.  And her wide eyes stared inward on herself.  She was as remote and as
removed as Heaven.

What is the main theme of Twelfth Night?

Love as a Cause of Suffering

Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and romantic love is the play’s main focus. Despite the fact that the play offers a happy ending, in which the various lovers find one another and achieve wedded bliss, Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain. Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and disruptively. Various characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love, or, rather, from the pangs of unrequited love.

Love is also exclusionary: some people achieve romantic happiness, while others do not. At the end of the play, as the happy lovers rejoice, both Malvolio and Antonio are prevented from having the objects of their desire. Malvolio, who has pursued Olivia, must ultimately face the realization that he is a fool, socially unworthy of his noble mistress. Antonio is in a more difficult situation, as social norms do not allow for the gratification of his apparently sexual attraction to Sebastian. Love, thus, cannot conquer all obstacles, and those whose desires go unfulfilled remain no less in love but feel the sting of its absence all the more severely.

The Uncertainty of Gender

Gender is one of the most obvious and much-discussed topics in the play.Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s so-called transvestite comedies, in which a female character—in this case, Viola—disguises herself as a man. This situation creates a sexual mess: Viola falls in love with Orsino but cannot tell him, because he thinks she is a man, while Olivia, the object of Orsino’s affection, falls for Viola in her guise as Cesario. There is a clear homoerotic subtext here: Olivia is in love with a woman, even if she thinks he is a man, and Orsino often remarks on Cesario’s beauty, suggesting that he is attracted to Viola even before her male disguise is removed. This latent homoeroticism finds an explicit echo in the minor character of Antonio, who is clearly in love with his male friend, Sebastian. But Antonio’s desires cannot be satisfied, while Orsino and Olivia both find tidy heterosexual gratification once the sexual ambiguities and deceptions are straightened out.

The Folly of Ambition

The problem of social ambition works itself out largely through the character of Malvolio, the steward, who seems to be a competent servant, if prudish and dour, but proves to be, in fact, a supreme egotist, with tremendous ambitions to rise out of his social class. Maria plays on these ambitions when she forges a letter from Olivia that makes Malvolio believe that Olivia is in love with him and wishes to marry him. Sir Toby and the others find this fantasy hysterically funny, of course—not only because of Malvolio’s unattractive personality but also because Malvolio is not of noble blood. In the class system of Shakespeare’s time, a noblewoman would generally not sully her reputation by marrying a man of lower social status.

What would be a Marxist approach to Hamlet's act 3 scene 4?

In Act 3 Scene 4 Hamlet murders Polonius hiding behind a curtain, thinking it was Claudius. Then Hamlet attacks his mother verbally for her disloyalty to his father. While he is yelling at his mother, the Ghost appears and reminds him that it is not his job to punish his mother, only to avenge his father's death. Gertrude thinks that her son has lost his mind because she cannot see the ghost so she believes he is talking to himself. The Marxist approach or view of Hamlet's situation might be that his state of mind is a reflection of his position as the avenger to his father's death, a job he never wanted. Marxism holds a belief that people's consciousness of the conditions of their lives reflects these material conditions and relations. Hamlet feels alienated from his family because his mother betrayed his dead father, murdered at the hands of her new husband. In other words, he is aware of his condition in life and so it is a reflection of his relationship now with his mother and his own self.

Why did the political parties develop?please help i need this for tomorrow

This first answer is not
correct.  (I wrote this when the first answer said that the Whigs and
Democrats were the first parties.  She seems to have changed it after I wrote
this.)

The Whig and Democratic Parties were not the first
parties.  The first parties were the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists.  These
parties started up right after George Washington stopped being
president.

The reason that they started up is because the
political leaders had found that they were divided along pretty consistent lines.  In
other words, they found that they did not all agree, but that the all fit pretty well
into two camps.

The main differences were over the power of
the federal government (the D-Rs wanted a weak one), over what kind of economy they
wanted (the D-Rs wanted farming, the Federalists wanted manufacturing) and who they
liked in foreign policy (the D-Rs liked France and the Federalists liked
England).

What qualities make Finny a poor candidate for military service?

One of the most important considerations is the incredible
innocence and naivete of Finny, qualities that would seem to lead straight to disaster
in any kind of combat situation.  He also expresses, with some frequency, attitudes that
go against the prevailing authority, something that is never accepted in military
training or particularly during wartime at the front.

Of
course the final straw is that after his accident, Finny is disabled and would be
labeled as 4-f, unacceptable for military service due to a physical disability.  But
this really only masks the real emotional and psychological conditions that made him a
very unlikely candidate for military service.

What is Holden's view of women/girls in The Catcher in the Rye?I need at least one quote for support.

When tackling this question we must first recognize that
Holden is a lost, confused, and immature teenage boy.

Like
most everyone else in society, Holden sees women as phony. He believes they are only
interested in superficial materialism and image. For example, when Holden takes Sally on
a date, he is disgusted with her when she goes to talk to another boy. He assumes she
only does so because he is "ivy league":

readability="17">

Then all of a sudden, she saw some jerk she knew
on the other side of the lobby. Some guy in one of those very dark gray flannel suits
and one of those checkered vests. Strictly Ivy League. Big deal. He was standing next to
the wall, smoking himself to death and looking bored as hell. Old Sally kept saying, "I
know that boy from somewhere." [...] The jerk noticed her and came over and said hello.
You should've seen the way they said hello. You'd have thought they hadn't seen each
other in twenty years. You'd have thought they'd taken baths in the same bathtub or
something when they were little kids. Old buddyroos. It was nauseating. The funny part
was, they probably met each other just once, at some phony party [...] The worst part
was, the jerk had one of those very phony, Ivy League voices, one of those very tired,
snobby voices.

Holden
believes Sally's only motivation in going to talk to this boy is his social status. He
believes she is drawing attention to herself so other people in the room will see that
she is speaking to a desirable man.

This is just one of
many examples. You may also want to
consider:

• Holden's interactions with the 3 women
  at the bar in chapter 9


• The beginning of chapter 17 as
  Holden sits in the hotel lobby


• His opinion of Sunny, the
  prostitute in chapter 13


• Also, don't forget about Jane.
  However, do note, she is the exception, not the
  rule.

Hope this helps!

how does Jethro change emotionally in Across Five Aprils?From the first half of the book (before the war starts) and during + after the war, how...

One of the biggest changes that Jethro goes through is the
change in his attitude towards the war and towards issues in general outside of the
farm.  From his beginning as the innocent boy who has heard of various events around the
nation but never shown much interest, he changes to a relatively mature and inquisitive
young man.  As he learns more and more about the true nature of things, particularly the
war, he begins to make judgments about the right and wrong of things and be aware of how
events even far away events actually have deep effects on his life there on the
farm.

Please explain the personification in the following quote in Fahrenheit 451: "this special silence that was concerned with all the world."

This passage comes after Montag has killed Beatty and has
managed to escape, with Faber's help, across the river.  The silence refers to the
atmosphere of the campfire with the men (the book covers) around
it.

The reason that it is a silence is that the men are at
peace, I believe.  In the city, no one was at peace.  They were all trying to do stuff,
to listen to the parlour walls or to go out and speed around in their cars or
something.  But they were never just quiet and thoughtful like these men
are.

It is concerned with all the world because this is the
sort of thing that all the world needs.  It needs to have this kind of opportunity to be
quiet and think.

What factor accounted for immigration becoming a global phenomenon during the late nineteenth century?

I'd say there were factors on both sides of the Atlantic. 
Inthe United States, sudden and rapid industrialization during the Gilded Age created a
huge demand for labor at the same time as the Western territories were being secured and
cheap or free land became available.  This was an irresistible magnet to people on in
Europe and Asia as they sought to escape poverty and chaos in their own
nations.

In Europe, economic issues and political upheaval,
especially in Germany and France during that time, led to large numbers of germans,
Poles, Russians, Jews and Italians immigrating in the same 30 year time
span.

In regards to deforestation to make medicinal products, is it possible we could be loosing a resource that will be vital to us in the...

Deforestation for making anything for human use an
activity is non-sustainable/ This means that such activity cannot be continued for very
long period. At some time the deforestation will reach such a level that there will be
no forest left for further deforestation, and in such a situation such an activity will
come to a stop automatically.

However, I am sure that we
can extract medicines from plants without causing deforestation. As a matter of fact,
availability of medicines from plants could be used as a motivation for protecting and
increasing the forest area by plantation of trees that yield
medicines.

If currently some people are destroying forests
to extracts medicines out of plants, such practices are unnecessarily destructive and
clearly against long term interest of humanity. Such activities must be stopped
immediately, and replaced by better methods that yield medicines from plant, and at the
same time protect the forest covers.

Are there any controversial issues in the novel Frankenstein?

And how!  First, the whole idea of playing God is very controversial.  In fact, when she first wrote the novel, her husband, Percy Shelley, burned it because it was so horrifying a story--much less written by a female!  Even so, when she rewrote it from memory, most people still considered Percy to have been the author due to its dark and sinister nature.  Dead things coming back to life, creating life and controlling who dies, etc.  Manipulating science to do the will of man (similar to the controversies today of selecting certain genes for your future baby so he/she will have blue eyes, higher intelligence, no freckles and also the whole cloning thing).  There is also the idea that if and when man plays in the world of God, man loses control since he is without the necessary information to make it work.  For instance, Victor doesn't think beyond his own hubris and fame while he works on his creature.  He never considers where or how it will live, that it will be an outcast, that it will be stronger and smarter (despite the fact that he creates it to be superhuman, 8 feet tall, and chooses the brain of an amazingly smart recently passed person to create his man), and that it will eventually turn on him and seek revenge.

What does Mrs. Murrow suspect is the reason for Holden's going home late on a Saturday night?

Mrs. Murrow asks Holden if he is going home because someone in his family is sick. Holden lies and says that he has to go home because he is having an operation. She is so sympathetic that Holden begins to feel guilty for the lies he has told. Since Holden lies to her, seemingly just for fun, we, as the reader, have to question how much truth he, as the narrator, tells us.

In Act 5, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's Macbeth, what is Malcolm's plan?

In Act 5, scene 4, of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Malcolm (Duncan's oldest son, named to be the dead king's successor) has decided to attack Macbeth at Inverness. Upon defeating the tyrant who murdered his father, Malcolm plans to take back the throne and rid Scotland of its murderous king. In order to accomplish this, Malcolm gives strategic instructions to his men.

As they approach the castle, Malcolm and his army come to a wooded area that Menteith identifies as Birnam Wood. In order to camouflage their numbers and surprise Macbeth (covering the sizable force moving to engage him), Malcolm tells his soldiers to cut branches from the trees and use them to shield themselves. (It is in this way that Birnam Wood appears to move.)

MALCOLM:

Let every soldier hew him down a bough,
And bear't before him: thereby shall we shadow
The numbers of our host, and make discovery
Err in report of us. (V.iv.6-9)

Malcolm's plan is to show Macbeth's lookouts a false front so they will be unable to ascertain the true number of soldiers preparing to attack. The lookouts will provide Macbeth with a number smaller than the actual army advancing on Inverness. By the time Macbeth realizes the mistake, it will be too late for him to defend against such vast numbers, especially because (as Malcolm reports) aristocrats and commoners (everyone with a heart) have fled, abandoning Macbeth to his fate. (15-18)

What changes have been made to the weekly meetings over the last year of Animal Farm?

At first, the meetings are secret.  But then the
revolution happens and they don't have to be held in secret
anymore.

After the revolution, the meetings happen every
Sunday.  At the meetings, any animal can put forward a proposal and they all vote on the
proposals.

Eventually, by Chapter 5, only the pigs put
forward any proposals.  But all the animals still approve or disapprove of these by a
majority vote.  By the end of Chapter 5, though, Snowball has been driven off the farm
and Napoleon has announced that there will be no more regularly scheduled Sunday
meetings.

What is the theme of "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"?

One other theme that could be addressed is just what, exactly, is Arnold Friend?

There are clues sprinkled throughout the story that suggest that not only is he not a Friend, he may not even be human. Pay attention to his shoes/boots. Pay attention to the numbers on his car. And, when all is said and done, what exactly happens to Connie?

OK, I won't leave you in suspense; there's every indication that Arnold ("An old fiend") is the devil.

Dave Becker

What is Winston's job in book 3, chapter 6 of 1984?

Winston's job was to constantly rewrite minor "historical" occurrences so that they reflected the current politics.  Keep in mind that the politics changed rapidly and frequently in Winston's world, so his job security was good.  If a news report had previously said that, for instance, the wheat crop was going to be good and the price of flour would decrease, but with new political shifts in fighting, several flour mills were destroyed, Winston would rewrite this news item so it read that people were going to have to tighten their belts for the good of the party because the price of flour would go up.  Winston's job is an example of sinecure in that it was an easy job requiring little effort, but it was secure, if not lucrative.

In the first chapter, what do the "creepers" symbolize?Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Since the vine-like plants encompass the entire island and
impede the progress of the boys as they explore the pink granite mountain on the
island, they may possibly be symbolic of the difficulties that the boys will experience
now that they are without adults and must fend for themselves.  Like the extending
vines, the conflicts that will develop among the boys may lead to a spiritual
descent that will later, like the creepers, encompass the island and impede the
existence of order and civilized behavior.

That the feral
pig is discovered and entangled in these creepers is further indication of the evil
import of these entangling vines.  For, others may easily become entangled in pervasive
evil and savage ways as their absence from civilization extends in the continuing
narrative of William Golding's Lord of the
Flies.

How does the Trujillo regime portray itself?

The Trujillo regime is a military dictatorship, and while the novel depicts its stanglehold on the country and the fear by which it rules, it more particularly depicts it as patriarchal--ruled by a man by force, reflecting the sort of cruelty and power relationship also seen in a patriarchal marriage.  Trujillo is a womanizer; he uses young women as a way to assert his masculinity and power, which coincides with the way he runs the country. He is vain--he wears make-up for example, and always is over-dressed in his medals and uniform. The novel implicitly compares him to the girls' father, who, like Trujillo, calls Minerva his "national treasure," and who abuses power in his marriage by, in a gentler but still similar way, ruling the girls in the family and having a mistress--just as Trujillo has many mistresses.

What are the problems/conflicts encountered by the main characters in the play As You Like It?

The main problem encountered by Orlando at the beginning of the play is his rejection by his brother Oliver and, as the play continues, Oliver's plot to take Orlando's life.  This is what sends him fleeing into the forest to take refuge there.  Rosalind faces a similar challenge.  Her father has been usurped by his brother and has fled into the forest.  At first Rosalind was allowed to stay at court, then she was also banished and forced to flee into the forest.

 Orlando's situation is complicated by the fact that he has fallen in love with Rosalind and cannot approach her because of his situation.  Furthermore, Duke Frederick was an enemy of Orlando's father and would never approve the match.  When Frederick's daughter disappears with Rosalind, Frederick is sure that Orlando is involved and gets Oliver involved with the search.  As the plot thickens, Oliver falls in love with Celia, Fredericks daughter.

These situations lead to the disguises and games of love that go on in the forest until the situations are resolved and the loving couples in the play all get together as they want.