Why is it so essential to find out who the speaker is in a poem?Introduction to English literature.

First, I think it is important in poetry NOT to assume the
poet is the speaker.  Just as in a novel the author is not
necessarily the narrator, poetry can be told from any perspective.  Perhaps the reason
it is more emphasized is due to the brevity of most poems and their lack of typical
narrative elements.  Even narrative poetry as compared to a novel is going to leave a
lot out.  Many readers tend to default to the author and speaker being one and the same
as it is often the easiest.

Important aspects of the
speaking voice: I think it depends on the poem.  The basics I like to run most poems
through are are male/female, age, cultural background (if present), experience (if
present), and overall feeling.  Again, beware of putting a picture of the author in any
of these.  Often there is not one correct answer to any of these criteria, but by
choosing, it at least gives you a narrower scope through which to analyze the poem.  At
the very least, ask how YOU connect with the ideas in the poem, then put the speaker
through a comparison of yourself.  Do you tend to agree with him or her?  Have you had
similar thoughts/ideas/feelings/experiences?

It is always
interesting when two people read and adequately defend two completely opposite ideas for
who the speaker might be.  I hope this at least gives you a place to
start.

Japans industrialization was greatly helped bya.large mineral deposits in hokkaido b. a growing support for democracy c.a centralize pro-buisness...

Of these, I would say that the best answer is C -- a
centralized government that was friendly to business.

This
centralized government was the government of the Meiji Emperor.  This government held
all power in Japan after the civil wars had ended.  It was very concerned with making
sure that Japan could become a modern country.  Because it was concerned with
modernizing, it helped businesses so that Japan could have an industrial economy that
would allow it to be as strong as the European countries
were.

There were some mineral deposits on Hokkaido, but I
do not believe they were as important as the support of the Meiji
government.

What is ironic about Smiley’s losing?

Well, for one, it's ironic that Smiley looses because Dan'l Webster really IS the better jumping frog, but probably you are referring to the DRAMATIC IRONY element here.

One form of dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows something the characters do not.  We know that the stranger has cheated by filling up Dan'l Webster with birdshot so that he is too heavy to jump.  But Smiley doesn't realize this until he has lost and the stranger leaves with his money.

Calculate the sum 1 + 1/2 + 1/2^2 + 1/2^3 + 1/2^4 + 1/2^5

I have the highest regard for Giorgiana - she answered a
real tough question of mine  in an outstanding
way.

However, I disagree with this
answer.

I have both an algebraic way and a non-
algebraic way to do this.

Note that each sum
gets you half way between a starting point of first starting with 0 and
2

case in point 1 is 1/2 way between 0 and 2 and
you have 1 to go.

add 1/2 to 1 you are half way between 1
and 2 and only have 1/2 to go.

Sum = 2 - 1/2^5 =
1
31/32

-------------

another
way:

consider sum*2 = 2 + 1 +1/2
+.....1/2^4

subtract sum     =      1 + 1/2
+..............1/2^5

2 - 1/2^5 what I just said
a different
way.

---

clearly
the sum is greater than 1 since that is your first term and you add positive numbers to
it.

How does Athena help Telemachus prepare for Nestor and why is it important for the two to meet?

Athena helps Telemachus prepare for meeting Nestor in several ways.  First in her first meeting with Telemachus, she helps to give him the confidence and assertiveness to take action against the suitors and to begin a search for his father.  Secondly, she does obtain the ship, men, and supplies for him to use while making the suitors sleep.  Thirdly, she went with him disguised as Mentor giving him encouragement and advice along the way.  When they arrive at Pylos, Telemachus did not want to leave the ship, and Athena, as Mentor, gives him advice and nearly has to push him off the ship to overcome his diffidence in approaching Nestor.

I think he needs to see Mentor not only because he one of the last to see Odysseus alive, but also because Athena knows the experience of the search and of questioning Nestor as well as hearing his answers will help Telemachus grow and achieve manhood. 

What is the main plot of Beowulf (edited by M. A. Roberts)?

The plot of Beowulf is the heroic quest. In Beowulf's case, that quest is to claim his place in eternity. In Norse mythology, however, to gain admittance to "heaven" (Valhalla), the warrior must die in battle. Hrothgar should be the one to protect his own kingdom, but Beowulf, the outsider, has to do it for him. The fact that Beowulf fights the monster alone and unarmed makes his victory that much greater. You can think of Beowulf as the Viking equivalent of the Greek Heracles or the Roman Hercules.

What was the intent of the Roosevelt administration's New Deal basically about

The intent of the New Deal was to get the United States's
economy out of the Great Depression.  That was really its only
goal.

The thing that made it a "new" deal was that fact
that this was the first time that the government had decided that it needed to help
ensure that the people were able to get by -- that they would not be too
poor.

Up until this point, the government pretty much just
kept out of the way and let the economy do its own thing.  But now, FDR decided that
there should be a new deal -- one where people could expect that the government would
help to protect them from hard times.

The play Hamlet is full of deceit. Who attempts to deceive whom?

In Hamlet, Denmark is a prison and a
police state full of spies.  The King and Prince vow revenge against each other, and en
entire family gets caught in the crossfire.  The Prince only appears to be mad, but his
girlfriend really is.  There is one true friend of the Prince (Horatio), fake friends
(Rosencrantz and Guildenstern), and friendly players and clowns who tell the truth in
riddles.  In sum, no one is who he appears to be.  Or not to
be.

Some choice lines that deal with
deception:

Hamlet tells R &
G:

I
tell you,
must show fairly outward, should more
appear like
entertainment than
yours. You are welcome: but my
uncle-father and aunt-mother
are
deceived.

AND

Hamlet
tells Ophelia, "I loved you not."  Ophelia
responds:

I was the
more
deceived.

Hamlet
writes to Ophelia:

readability="0">

Doubt truth
to be a
liar;

And
the Player Queen says:

readability="0">

That I
distrust you. Yet, though I
distrust,
Discomfort you, my
lord, it nothing must:
For women's fear and love holds
quantity;
In neither aught, or in
extremity.

• Hamlet
  deceives all by appearing to be mad, even the Ghost.  The Prince was instructed to leave
  Gertrude to heaven, but he still threatens violence against his
  mother.


• Claudius deceives all, except Hamlet.  His
  behavior at the Mousetrap is a confession brought on by art.  "The play's the thing to
  catch the conscience of the king."


• Polonius deceives his
  family by using them as pawns for spying.


• Gertrude is
  deceived all men, even Hamlet.  She thinks he's
  crazy.


• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are deceived by
  Hamlet.  The Prince switches the letter of execution, and they die
  instead.


• Ophelia is deceived by all men, especially
  Hamlet, who misdirects his anger toward his mother onto her in the "get thee to a
  nunnery speech."


• The Ghost deceives Hamlet for a while.
   The Prince cannot tell if he is a demon or a soul trapped in
  Purgatory.

When the money supply increases why do interest rates fall?This is in reference to monetary policy.

The reason for this is that the interest rate is,
essentially, the price of money.  As you know from basic economics, the price of a good
or service is determined by the supply of and demand for that thing.  Money is no
different.

This means that when the supply of money
changes, the price of money will change too (if demand does not change).  When the
supply of something goes up, its price goes down.  When supply goes down price goes
up.

The reason behind that is that if there is more money
available, lenders cannot charge as much because there is more competition to
lend.

Name 3 important and intriguing quotes that refer to noses in Midnight's Children.

In describing his grandfather's nose, Rushdie uses vivid imagery.  This quote also is an example of simile and metaphor - "My grandfather's nose:  nostrils flaring, curvaceous as dancers.  Between them swells the nose's triumphal arch, first up and out, then down and under, sweeping in to his upper lip with a superb...flick".

Grandfather's nose is symbolic of his role as patriarch of a dynasty, and all his descendants bear this identifying mark as well - "Doctor Azia's nose...established incontrovertibly his right to be a patriarch...a nose to start a family on...there'd be no mistaking whose brood they were".

Rushdie also uses some delightful play on words in describing Grandfather's nose - "You could cross a river on that nose...its bridge was wide".

(All quotes from Chapter 1)

In act 4, scene 1 of Macbeth, what four things do the witches show Macbeth, and what does each say?

Macbeth was shown three apparitions by the Witches.

The first one was that of an 'armed head' that warned him to 'beware of the Thane of Fife! Macduff!'. The second was that of a 'bloody child' that told him to 'laugh at the powers of other men' since he had something noone else did. The child told him that no one born of a woman could ever hurt him. The third apparition was that of a crowned child holding a tree in one hand, that said Macbeth would not be defeated unless Birnam Wood comes marching to fight him at Dunsinane Hill.

On further probing regarding the future of Banquo's sceptre's as kings of Scotland, the Witches hesitatingly showed him a procession of 8 kings, the last one holding a mirror, in which were reflected several other king. The last king was also followed by the 'blood-clotted', and smiling Banquo who was 'pointing to' the kings 'as his'.

How might Walter Mitty's personality trigger his last daydream?

Mitty's last daydream is one where he is shot before a firing squad while he is smoking a cigarette. In this daydream he has the ultimate escape from his domineering wife-through his death.  The smoking of the cigarette, which seems to make this death somehow more casual and more macho, underscores Mitty's desire to "be a real man" - an idea which shows up in all of his previous daydreams as well.  It is important to note that his other daydreams are interrupted - only this one where the end is his death, goes all the way to the end. In his imaginary life, Mitty is all those things he cannot be in reality - brave, courageous and the stereotypical male.

What is it that makes "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe an example of pastoral literature?

A major theme of pastoral literature is that true
happiness can be found in rural areas.  The city is a bad place, but the country is pure
and good.  I think you can see this (at least the part about the country being good) in
this poem.

Look at what the shepherd is offerring.  It is
all pretty much rural stuff.  The only thing that doesn't sound rural is the buckles of
gold for the slippers.

In general, then, the idea seems to
be that the shepherd and his love can be made happy by all this rural stuff.  This
implies that rural life is good and satisfying.

How is Catcher in the Rye a serious novel?

Despite it's clear ironic humor, how is Catcher
in the Rye NOT a serious novel?  It epitomizes the tragic rebellion and
ultimate depression of an overprivledged teenager who has finally hit the ceiling on his
dislike for "the system."

After working in both public and
private schools, I've seen that Holden Caulfield is not entirely unique (a fact which,
had he realized it, might have helped him).  He certainly isn't common, but too many
kids stuck in a private education feel the pressure of school administrators, parents,
and peers for so long, they forget, or worse, never come to know their own
identities.

This is Holden Caulfield in a nutshell.  While
the book is written from his own sardonic view of his world, the seriousness lies in the
truth behind his emotions, which are largely due to an upbringing he neither asked for,
nor had any support in.

How does Amir's infertility relate to the theme of fatherhood in The Kite Runner?

Through-out the book the relationship between Amir and his
father has been a significant theme.  Amir loves his father but can find no approval
from him until he is an adult and in college. 

Amir had
spent his whole life trying to be like his father.  In a way his inability to have a
conceive a child reflects as another way that Amir is not able to be the man or son his
father wants him to be.  His father often looked at Amir as being different from him ad
not living up to his expectations of him.

Baba was prolific
and had been able to have two sons, but Amir can not produce one.  It is only through
taking on the child of his half brother, and his father's sin, that he is able to become
a parent and also redeem his own soul.

how is miss emily dysfunctional?i am writing a literary analysis comparing a rose for emily with a present for a good girl and one of my...

In addition to Rene's answer, I would say that Emily probably suffers from some parental anxiety issues.  Her father, the famous Confederate war hero, has left his daughter with a legacy to which few can live up to, for which his offspring are resented and for which Emily arguably does not deserve. 

Further contributing to her "dysfunction" is the alienation she experiences as a refult of her father's legacy.  Emily, from birth, is identified as "the other" as "not us."  This distinction makes it nearly impossible for Emily to develop real friendships; it is an "us" and "them" mentality over which poor Emily really has no control.

The one way she dysfunctionally tries to gain control is through her captivation (quite literally) of Homer.  Rat poison and sleeping with your lover's corpse is not generally considered the picture of mental health...but nothing in Emily's existence has allowed her to experience life as her townspeople do...

What one animal makes the connection between squealer's acts and the commandments?

After Squealer is found near the barn with paint everywhere, obviously drunk, the animals wonder about the commandment forbidding alcohol. But when they check it, it has been amended to say that animals cannot drink to excess.

Benjamin is the only animal to realize that the commandments change whenever Squealer has an "incident".

He refused to read the sixth commandment at the beginning of this chapter because he did not think it was any of his business and not his place.

But it is apparent that Benjamin has known all along what is really happening on Animal Farm, and has just made the decision to not say anything.

What does Mrs.Dubose say about the children's mother? How does Jem feel about this ?chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird

She insults the Finches. On page 102 as Jem and Scout are walking home, Mrs. Dubose begins hurling commentary at them. Lee observes, " . . . we were followed up the sidewalk by a philippic on our family's moral degeneration, the major premise of which was that half the Finches were in the asylum anyway, but if our mother were living we would not have to come to such a state" (102). This is just too much for Jem, who has already put up with Mrs. Dubose telling him that his father is no better than the black people he defends. When Mrs. Dubose implies that Atticus is doing a poor job as a parent and that his mother would never let him defend Tom Robinson, Jem loses it.

What is a good essay topic that will explain the heroic story of Beowulf?

Consider as well, instead of identifying the details of an epic hero, identifying the details of an epic and developing an essay in which you explain how Beowulf fits the definition of an epic.

The definition of an epic can be found here: 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_poetry

You could make a critical essay in which you explain why Beowulf is a good epic hero or why he is an unsuccessful hero.

what's your definiton of a hero? do you think the three boys prove themselves heros accodring to your defintionthe three boys are dally ponyboy and...

In my mind, a hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice himself with no hesitation for the good of someone else.  I do believe that each of the three characters named qualifies as a hero.

Even despite any other events that take place in the book, the boys' reactions to the fire at the church near Windrixville qualifies each of them as heroes.  Ponyboy charges into the burning church based on the sheer knowledge that there are children inside, which is heroic even if he feels responsible for the disaster.  Johnny follows Ponyboy into the fire, then shoves him toward the window, putting himself last, when the building begins to collapse.  Dally first puts out the fire on Ponyboy's back, then goes into a collapsing, burning building to save Johnny, and gives no thought to his own well-being.  Those three individual acts make each of the boys a hero.

There are other examples throughout the novel that provide more material upon which to base the belief that Dally, Johnny, and Ponyboy are heroes.

How many murders were committed in Macbeth, and were all of them Macbeth's fault?

*Macbeth kills King Duncan

*Macbeth kills Duncan's two doormen

*Macbeth hires three murderers to kill Banquo

*Macbeth hires the murderers to kill Lady Macduff

*Macbeth hires the murderers to kill Macduff's son along with his other children (unknown how many he had)  (this can be determined because Macduff asks if all his pretty chickens were killed which indicates the presence of more than one child)

*Macbeth also killed Young Siward

*Lady Macbeth killed herself (committed suicide)

*Last but not least Macduff kills Macbeth

So more than 9 murders were committed in Macbeth

and all but two of them were Macbeth's fault (Lady Macbeth's death and Macbeth's own death)

What insight is the reader given into the social and cultural implications of the New York Metropolitan Opera House?My need for information is more...

The part of the novel to which you are referring is
Chapter One, when Madame Nilsson's appearance in the Opera House has drawn a
"particularly brilliant audience", in the words of the society pages.  There is much
discussion of the habits and behaviors of the very wealthy and high-born people of New
York at that time -- not the least of which is their eagerness to leave their amusements
"even more
quickly than they want to get to
it."

The American "aristocracy" arrive in their personal
coaches, or in a respectable hired carriage from Brown's.  They sit in boxes high above
the orchestra floor, which not only gives them the advantage of a superior viewpoint per
the crowd of relative rabble below, but also gives them a better view of the action
onstage and, most importantly, of the comings and goings and activities of
each other.  The boxes provide a level of privacy, if engaged by a
small group, family, a club (such as Newland Archer's) or an individual, and they also
allow a level of publicity to this privacy, because everyone has opera glasses (fancy
binoculars) to peer at each other.  Every aspect of dress, appearance, and behavior is
noted and commented on in this elite group.

The main
character, Newland, arrives late, because it was not "the thing" to arrive on time to
the Opera in New York in those days.  "and what was or was not "the thing"
played
a part as important in Newland Archer's New York as
the
inscrutable totem terrors that had ruled the destinies
of his forefathers
thousands of years ago."

Newland watches the opera,
arriving at his favorite moment, and the arbitrary nature of the rules that governed
some of the social conventions of Newland's class are commented on my Wharton: "since an
unalterable and unquestioned law of the musical world required that the German text of
French
operas sung by Swedish artists should be translated
into
Italian for the clearer understanding of English-
speaking
audiences."

This commentary on the scene and the people
continues throughout the chapter, especially when the arrival of Countess
Olenska causes a stir.  She is an example of an exception to all the social rules,
primarily because she has a strong family behind her to flout convention.  Newland, who
up until this moment had been a slave to the conventions of his class, becomes
fascinated with the Countess, and the main conflicts of the novel stem from this moment
of her appearance at the Metropolitan Opera.

Source: 
Literature Network href="http://www.online-literature.com/wharton/innocence/1/">http://www.online-literature.com/wharton/innocence/1/  

1.What mistake do Fili and Kili make when finding a cave for shelter? 2.What is Gollum's birthday presents?3.Why were the Wargs and goblins...

First, the mistake that Fili and Kili make is that the cave in which they seek shelter when a storm approaches has a passage that opens in the back and through the passage, goblins capture the dwarves.

Second, Gollum's birthday present, as he calls it, is the ring - the ring the renders the wearer invisible.  Bilbo stumbles upon the ring when he is in Gollum's lair and he isn't aware, at first, of the ring's power.

Third, the goblins and the Wargs meet before they join forces in the battle of 5 armies.  They are in opposition to the dwarves, the men and the elves.

Which countries had the Axis Powers, Germany and Italy, taken over by 1939?

If you are using a textbook for this, I would strongly
advise you to consider the information in this source before all else.  With that in
mind, I would suggest that much of the European continent remained in Axis control at
the point of 1939. In looking at a map of Europe, the Allied powers of England and
Russia bookended a great deal of Axis control.  Moving from West to East, France,
Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Finland, the Baltic
Nations, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria were all under allied control.  Spain and
Portugal were neutral, although the former was under the control of the dictator Franco,
and Sweden, Switzerland, and Ireland were neutral.

What happens at the end of "The Most Dangerous Game"?

At the end of "The Most Dangerous Game", Rainsford wins the game.  Although the hunt was the initial challenge, when the two men come face to face in Zaroff's bedroom, he issues another challenge to Rainsford.  This time, the winner gets to Zaroff's comfy bed, while the loser will be fed to Zaroff's hungry dogs.  At the very end of the story, Rainsford is obviously sleeping in Zaroff's bed.

What type of literary devices are used in "Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon" and "Parting is such sweet sorrow"?They are both in Act II.

Personification is used in "Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon" as Shakespeare was giving human actions to inanimate objects, the sun and the moon.  "Parting is such sweet sorrow" is antithesis - "sweet" and "sorrow" are antithetical, or opposite to one another, which was a common literary device used by Shakespeare to give more emphasis to the words he is contrasting.

Check the links below for more information on both personification and antithesis, as well as other literary devices.

What is a summary of the book Sarny: A Life Remembered?

Sarny is a sequel to Nightjohn (please see separate entry), also narrated by Sarny. In Nightjohn, Sarny is a twelve-year-old girl who is taught to read and write by an imposing man named Nightjohn. According to Paulsen, he has been asked many times about what happens to Sarny after the ending of Nightjohn, and Sarny is an answer to the questions.

Sarny is an historical novel about the end of slavery in America and the years in the South thereafter, and it is narrated by Sarny, who is ninety-four years old and living in a convalescent hospital to which she committed herself several years before when she realized she could no longer take care of herself. Her story is about the horrors of slavery and the Civil War, yet also fortitude, determination, and intelligence. She is a memorable figure, devoted to her friends, as well as to Nightjohn's mission to bring literacy to African Americans.

What did the positions of the candidates in the 1912 election reveal about the range of progressives reform ideals?election

I agree with the first answer, but I think that a full
answer to the question needs to include the differences between Roosevelt's New
Nationalism and Wilson's New Federalism.

Both candidates
wanted the basic progressive goal of taking power from the rich and the big companies
and giving it to the middle classes.  But the two of them disagreed on the proper way to
do this.

TR believed that big business was a permanent
thing and so there needed to be big government to regulate it.  Wilson believed that big
government should exist only for as long as it took to break big business and create an
economic system that emphasized smaller businesses.

This
shows that there were at least a couple of different ways to pursue Progressive
goals.

How and why did Flavius and Marullus die in Rome, and at what time did they die?This is for a school obituary.

It is assumed that they were executed for having the decorations for Caesar's victory taken down from the statues of Caesar. This is mentioned in Act I, scene ii, when Casca reports:

"I could tell you more news too. Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarves off Caesar's images, are put to silence."

Some scholars believe that "put to silence" means they were imprisoned or forced out of office, including the notes for David Bevington's The Necessary Shakespeare.

The time of day this occurred is unclear. If it was an execution, it would have to have been during the day sometime as it was public enough for Casca to be reporting the news alongside the news of Caesar's thrice refusal of the crown. If it was imprisonment or removal from office, it probably could have occurred at anytime.

Check the links below for more information, and good luck!

When and why does Goodman Brown abandon all faith?

In my own opinion, I believe that through out the story Brown starts to give up on faith. There are many symbolic themes in this story involving religion, the inner self, and death. Each category expands itself in the story. Faith is a symbol in itself. Not only is Faith his wife, but faith is also his belief in good. His name in general young Goodman Brown is also a symbol. One is his innocence because of his youth, but also that he is good natured. Faith is the same. One symbol that must not be overlooked is Faiths pink ribbon. I quote, "My Faith is gone!" cried he, after one stupefied moment. "There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name." This quote shows that in giving up what he loved or desired most, he had lost all faith in himself, while caring only for his love. Thus, his dying hour is truly gloom, because he was never himself again. He had given up on himself, and realized he couldn't change the world and its dangers. He couldn't save his love, and he lost himself. It wouldn't matter what happened after this point, because he had changed. There was no going back to faith, because he had lost his will to resist urges, the devil, and his sanity. This is a sad but powerful realization, that dooms him.

Please please help me and answer that question.Please answer that question too this is a completion: suppose 15 light bulbs were connected and one...

When all the bulbs are connected or wired in parallel,
burning out of fusing of one of the bulb will not affect any other bulbs. The circuit
for other bulbs will still be closed and they will continue to function normally. In
this case it is easy to spot the defective bulb by just switching on the circuit and
observing all the bulbs to find out which one is not lighting
up.

However, when all the bulbs are connected in series
then burning out of any one bulb will cause the entire circuit to become open. In this
case none of the bulbs will light up in spite of the fact that these are still in
working order. IN this case we will need to examine each of the bulb to find out if it
is burned out. Once we locate the defective bulb we can either replace the bulb with a
good one, or directly connect outgoing wire from previous bulb to the incoming wire of
the next bulb. If there are no other defective bulbs in the circuit all the bulbs will
light up when the circuit is switched on.

The examination
of each bulb to locate the defective bulb may be done in several ways. One way is to
visually examine the filament of the bulb to see if it is burnt out or broken.
Alternatively we can test the continuity of the circuit upto each bulb, we can start
with first bulb in the series after the source of electricity and then continue testing
one additional bulb in each test. When test shows continuity of circuit, all the bulbs
included in the test are OK. When the test shows discontinuity, the last bulb included
in the test is defective.

The government spends more on public libraries and individuals buy fewer books at bookstores. Is this crowding out?

This phenomenon is definitely the phenomenon called
"crowding out" in economics. Perhaps the phenomenon could have been describes as
something like crowding out, if sale of books had resulted in increasing the prices of
books sold to individuals. However there appears to be no reason to believe that this
actually happens.

I do not have the statistics on value of
sale of books to individuals and to libraries. But if the value of sale to the libraries
is more than the sale to individuals, it simply means that, on average, the value
delivered to ultimate consumer, the reader, by a book kept in library is more than the
same book purchased by an individual. The obvious reason for this is that one copy of a
book in a library is accessed and read by many more people than a copy purchased by an
individual. This difference more than offsets generally higher price of hardbound books
kept in libraries, and the cost and efforts the readers incur for referring to and
borrowing books from libraries.

Another related explanation
of higher volume of sale of books to libraries is that a very large number of
specialized books are published that are costly to be purchased by most individuals.
Frequently one person may only want to refer to a small part of the book. Further, the
total number of books one person may be required to refer  for a specific project or a
task like writing a paper or a dissertation may be too large. A typical person may find
it beyond his or her means to buy and keep all such books. In addition, the the
libraries make a large number of books readily available to the readers, including many
books that may be currently out of print.

Why do people like light-skinned people more than dark-skinned people?

Basically, it comes down to these
facts...

1. The world has been dominated by European people
for the last few centuries

2. Money, power and success are
very important social markers and humans make very quick conclusions about peoples'
wealth and status based on their appearance.

3.
Everyone wants to be associated with
success and wealth.

So, for the last 300 years, Europe and
her descendants have completely dominated the world. Europe's values, preferences and
fashions have been unopposable. For 3 centuries, success has been associated with white
skin.

Also, rich, wealthy succesful people work
indoors and stay pale. Poor people work in the fields and their skin darkens during
their labour. In Europe 100+ years ago, rich women avoided getting a suntan at all costs
because it was associated with the peasantry. In India today, this simplistic division
of social roles still exists (see link below) and dark skinned people spend a lot of
money to bleach their skin.

In essence, everybody wants to
be on the winning team, and, generally speaking, dark-skinned people have not
experienced dominant power for the last few centuries. With the new rise of China as a
super power, perhaps the 'image' of success is about to
change.

href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8546183.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8546183.stm

Methanogens, Halophiles, and Thermoacidophiles are the 3 groups in what kingdom?

Methanogens, Halophiles, and Thermoacidophiles are found
in the Archaea kingdom.  They once believed to be a form of bacteria,
but are no longer classified as bacteria. They live in extreme environments and are stll
sometimes classified under archaebacteria.  They are thought to be the oldest form of
life found on earth.

Halophiles are found in environments
with a high salt count.  They change their structure in order to
survive.

Thermoacidophiles like it acidic and
hot.

Methanogens live in anerobic environments such as
swamps where muck abounds.  They thrive off of conditions that other bacteria would not
be able to live in.

In Into the Wild, how does Chris McCandless feel about his family, and how does Chris' family feel about him? Are there any differences?

In the book, “Into the Wild”, by American writer Jon Krakauer, it is shown that Chris McCandless is essentially indifferent to his family, except possibly for his sister, Carine, one of nine children in the family. His parents were Walt and Billie McCandless.

What is notable, concerning his feelings for his family, is that Chris never really spoke of them. In addition, it is an indication of his thoughts on his family that he concocted a new moniker for himself, “Alexander Supertramp”, deciding to no longer go with the family name as he traveled.

As stated in the first answer above, it is revealed in the book that Chris believed his parents were too controlling. Chris, like his father, had a stubborn streak in him and a penchant for losing his temper. Quite revealing, regarding his feelings about his family is that they held to and practiced middle-class traditional values, while Chris became increasingly antagonistic to these values his family held dear. This is a prime example of a major difference between him and his family. Chris McCandless began to put away materialism and eventually virtually dispensed with it altogetherwhen he hitchhiked to Alaska and walked unaccompanied into its vast wilderness.

Walt and Billie McCandless had high hopes for their son. They believed he would further his life ambitions through enrolling in law school. They wanted the best for their son and no doubt were positive about this hope. Eventually, as Chris’ journey went on and he was not heard of, or to be found, Walt and Billie did engage the services of a private investigator to find Chris. They loved him. Chris, deep down, may have loved them, but did not ascribe to their traditional way of life any longer.

The major difference between Chris and his family was philosophical and based on different world views of what one needs to do to be happy in life.

What impressions of Antony surprise you during Act 4?Antony, Act 4 Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

In Act IV of Julius Caesar, Antony,
who has seemed so loyal to Caesar, and a loving friend, shows himself an exigent man as
he marks Publius, borther of Lepidus, the third member of the triumvirate formed after
Caesar's death.  While Lepidus has agreed to his brother's death, he only does so on
condition that Antony agree to sacrifice his nephew.  This Antony does. Then, Antony
shows that he is willing to use even Lepidus to achieve his political objectives by
having him fetch Caesar's will so that they can reduce some of the legacies that
he mentioned in his funeral oration.  When Lepidus has departed, Octavius accuses Antony
of treachery, saying that he has just gone along with Lepiudus in our "black sentence
and proscription" of Publius.  To this Antony counters that he is older and knows more. 
Lepidus is only given honors so that he will carry out important errands for
them.

This is
a slight unmeritable
man,

readability="13">

Meet to be sent on errands; is it
fit,

The threefold world divided, he should
stand

One of the three to share it?
(IV,i,13-16)

Octavius is
incredulous; he accuses Antony, pointing to his treachery in taking Lepidus's side in
their "black sentence and proscription."  But, Antony dismisses this accusation by
implying that he is wiser by saying he is older,
explaining,

To
ease ourselves of divers sland'rous
loads,

readability="18">

He shall but bear them as the ass bears
gold,

To groan and sweat under the
business,

Either led or driven, as we point the
way...

Then take we down his load, and turn him
off,....(IV,i,22-27)

 But,
Octavius still demurs, telling Antony that he may do what he wishes, but Lepidus is a
"tried and valiant friend."  Heartlessly, Antony
retorts,

So
is my horse, Octavius, and for that

I do appoint him store
of provender.

It is a creature that I teach to
fight,

To wind, to stop, to run directly
on,

His corporal motion governed by my
spirit.

And, in some taste, is Lepidus but
so....

Do not talk of him

But
as a property.
(IV,i,32-43)

After Lepidus
runs the errand Antony has sent him on, Antony will sacrifice him because, he
says, Lepidus is unfit to have so much power.  Ironically, Antony has become what Brutus
was concerned about in Caesar:  hungry himself for power. 

What is Jefferson's last name?

I don't think Gaines gives the character Jefferson a last name in A Lesson Before Dying. His godmother is named Emma Glenn, but she is not a blood relative. I've read the book and several critical essays, but I cannot find a last name. Perhaps that was intentional. One of the things Grant uses as an argument against teaching Jefferson to read is that he has no relationship to Jefferson; he has no obligation to him. By not having a last name, perhaps Jefferson could be said to "belong" to everyone and is everyone's responsibility. Just a thought.

Why did the Vietnam War influence congress to pass the War Powers Act?

The entire war was basically fought under the
authorization of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which, while it passed by a combined vote
of 504 - 2, the members of Congress likely did not envision they were signing off on a
nine year war with nearly 60,000 American deaths and hundreds of billions of dollars in
expenditures.  If they had, they probably would have voted
differently.

At the time the War Powers Act passed in 1973,
the Vietnam War was very unpopular and elected officials were trying to appear against
it as well, even when many of them had already supported it with funding for
years.

Korea and Vietnam also set a dangerous precedent we
still live with that allows Presidents to engage us in wars without exit strategies
without the Constitutional permission of a formal declaration of war, essentially
eroding the Legislative Branch's power.

Why does Michael choose to stay back and retrieve Rachel rather than go with the Sealand woman?

Michael's primary reason for staying back to retrieve
Rachel is that they love each other. While it is a secondary plot line, the romantic
relationships between David/Rosalind and Michael/Rachel have been mentioned throughout
the novel. While David and Rosalind's relationship is more in the forefront of the
novel, there is a lead up to Michael and Rachel's:

readability="16">

Rachel's afraid. She's crying inside. She wants
Michael.'

' Did she tell you that?' I
asked.

Petra shook her head. 'No. It was a sort of
behind-think, but I saw it.'

' We'd better not say anything
about it,' I decided. ' It's not our business. A person's behind-thinks aren't really
meant for other people, so we must just pretend not to have noticed them. (Chap
16)

It could also be argued
that Michael understand he and Rachel have a special bond because of their telepathic
powers and the experience of the group. As we saw Michael explain in chapter
10:

Michael
told her it'd be like pretending to have only one arm because the person one wants to
marry has only one arm. It wouldn't be any good -- and you couldn't keep it up,
either.'

Michael understand
Rachel, loves her, and doesn't want her to suffer
alone.

She's
quite alone,' said Michael. 'Would you leave David alone there, or
would David leave you?'

There was no answer to that. (Chap
17)

Is the benefit of an additional glass of water greater or lesser than an additional 1ct diamond? Why? Water is essential for life and Diamonds...

This depends on the condition a person finds themself in
when this choice is presented to them.  The marginal utility of a thing is solely in the
"eye of the beholder."  Therefore, the marginal utility of these things will vary with
the condition of the "consumer."

For a person who is very
thirsty, the marginal benefit of the water is greater than that of the diamond.  If a
person is truly dying of thirst, the marginal utility of the water is almost infinite
while the diamond would be useless.

To a person who wants
to propose marriage, however, the situation is reversed and the marginal utility of the
diamond is much higher.

This is because marginal utility is
defined as how much satisfaction a given person gets from consuming the object in
question.  This amount will vary with the situation.

What does Scout see clearly for the first time when she reads Underwood's claim that Tom's death was senseless killing?Chapter 23

The quote you are referring to is at the end of Chapter 25 -

""Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, 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."

Scout understands how deeply the roots of prejudice run.  She sees that you can change the laws and courts and go by all the rules, but unless there is change in the hearts of men, racism and stereotypical behavior will continue.  Tom Robinson outwardly had a fair trial, and Atticus did all he could for him, but because of deeply-ingrained attitudes of inequality in Maycomb, Tom Robinson was doomed from the start.

What is the plot of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe?

Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven is considered a classic of gothic literature.  A man, probably of middle age, sits alone in his well-adorned library one cold, "bleak December" evening, and contemplates the dissolution of his relationship with "the lost Lenore."  He is clearly heartbroken, but becomes uneasy when a mysterious tapping on his chamber door captures his attention.  Attempting to ignore it, the unidentified source of the unwelcome noise continues to distract him.  As he focuses on the possible nature of this disturbance, his mind goes back to the source of his sorrow, "the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore."  Poe's poem continues with its haunting theme, the narrator unable to grasp the meaning of this persistent intruder:

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!” This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”— Merely this and nothing more."

The intruder, of course, is a large black raven, which moves about the library, responding to the narrator's queries regarding its purpose with the phrase "Nevermore."  The raven's continued presence and repetitive use of that phrase proves increasingly maddening to the narrator, who only wants the large bird to leave.  As the bird perches atop a bust of the mythological figure of Pallas, the reader is left to conclude that this bizarre interloper signifies the narrator's emotional demise.

In the poem A child said, what is the grass? from Leaves of Grass, What are examples of metaphor and imagery ?Is there any relation to the...

The speaker’s answer to the child is replete with metaphor and imagery for the speaker finds the question too complex, too philosophical, and yet too simple for a straightforward answer. An example of metaphor: he says a leaf of grass is “the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven.”  Here he compares the grass to himself in that he is part of nature; in being the “flag of his disposition,” it represents who he is, and woven “out of hopeful green stuff” refers to the vitality of nature that always continues through its courses as we see it in life and death as well as the seasons of the year. “Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones, / Growing among black folks as among white” provides a beautiful image of color and equality, allowing us to “see” the green growing naturally, spontaneously, and without effort among black people and white people (and then he goes on to mention other groups of people). Here he uses the blade of grass to create a visual image of equality.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, what is unusual about how long it takes the jury to reach a verdict? Is the verdict predictable or not?

It is very unusual how long it took the jury to reach a verdict because the case involved a black man. Even more, the case involved an attack by a black man of a white woman. The fact that it took as long as it did shows that Atticus scored a few points and made the jury consider all the evidence.

While the jury does convict Tom, in some ways it can be seen as at least promising that they considered the evidence that Atticus presented during the trial.

The conviction  itself is not surprising, because even Atticus knew that he would most likely lose the case. Racial inequality was a theme in this novel, and Tom really never had a chance at a fair trial.

What happens to Macbeth in Act 3 and why?

In Act 3 of Macbeth, a change happens which affects the whole course of the play and leads to Macbeth’s downfall.  The couple begin to drift apart. Together they have achieved a result:

“Nought’s had, all’s spent.” mourns lady Macbeth.

Macbeth invites Banquo to attend his banquet and elicits the information that Fleance will accompany Banquo on his ride that day. He hides his murderous intentions towards them in pleasantries and tells his wife to pay special attention to Banquo, hinting at bloody deeds to come. Now troubled that things are going too far, she tries to soothe him......

“You must leave this...”

But Macbeth is beginning to slide away from her sphere of influence. The banquet displays, for all to see, the divide between them--and Macbeth’s outer representation of madness. Up until now, the couple have worked as a team albeit with one partner more dominant than the other as Lady Macbeth has been the power behind the throne.

Macbeth’s peace of mind is now destroyed however, and guilt-ridden nightmares have stolen his ability to sleep. The restorative properties of a good night’s sleep can soothe a troubled mind but a person who lacks sleep for long enough will surely lose his sanity: he will lose the power of rational judgement.

What impression do you form about astrologer after the study of story by R.K Narayan?

The astrologer really knows nothing about any man’s future
and simply plays the part of a fortune-teller to earn a living. The astrologer developed
strong skills in telling people what they wanted to hear and dressed somewhat
mysteriously to attract customers. To a certain degree, the life he lives is a
lie.

The astrologer, as the narration tells us, should be
living a comfortable life on the family farm.  However, after a fight in which the
astrologer brutally assaulted someone, he had to flee his region. The astrologer
believed that he had killed the man and therefore had to make a new life for himself. At
the end of the story, the astrologer learns his victim did not die all those years
ago.