Why is Foscolo’s Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis relevant in relation to the theme of Italian national identity?

The epistolary novel Last Letters of Jacopo
Ortis (1802) was written in the aftermath of the Treaty of Campoformio (1797)
with which French authorities agreed to leave the independent Republic of Venice to
Austrian forces. Italian patriots like Foscolo, who also had an administrative role in
the Republic, were forced to leave the town. The novel thus reflects a sense of hope
followed by bitter despair, a feeling shared by many Italians of Foscolo's
generation. They had initially seen in Napoleon an ally to defeat the different nations
that occupied Italian soil and that prevented the formation of a unified independent
country.

Modeled after Goethe’s Werther
and Rousseau’s La Nouvelle Héloïse, Foscolo’s novel
intertwines fiction, history and autobiography to show how political contrasts can have
a deep impact on individual emotions. Because of Napoleon’s choice to leave Venice to
the Austrians, Jacopo, like Foscolo, is forced into exile in the nearby area of the
Euganei hills where he can see his beloved Venice from afar. The letters expose the
persecutions of Italian patriots not only at the hands of Austrians, but also of
Italians themselves: “even we Italians, alas, are washing our hands in Italian blood.”
Jacopo falls in love with Teresa whose marriage has however been arranged by her father
to solve his financial problems. Ortis’s letters thus projects this story of unfulfilled
love on a wider political context: the loss of political hopes reflects Jacopo’s
sentimental loss. “The sacrifice of our homeland is complete,” opens the first letter,
“[a]ll is lost.” This first line foreshadows Jacopo’s final choice of taking his own
life. Critics have widely debated the meaning of Jacopo’s suicide, reading it in turn as
a political act to affirm the value of freedom over foreign domination or as the escape
of intellectuals from reality and adverse political circumstances. In either cases, this
tragic conclusion highlights the links between the personal and the political.

How effective is the media code at limiting the media behaviour?

The purpose of the media code of practice is to filter out
unnecessary, speculative, and subjective details from the information that is to be
delivered as news to the community.

The code of practice is
effective as a philosophy because the job of the media is to report, entertain,
persuade, and inform, not to become entangled in dramatic details: That is what
theatrics and drama are for.

As for its actual
effectiveness, the fact is that as of today England's yellow press continues to squeeze
celebrities who love the excessive detail and attention paid to their daily lives just
for the sake of exposure. There are still publications who "leak" information and
publish it, not worrying about the potential repercussions that could
occur.

As of recently, I can think of one effective thing
the code of practice did and it was when 14 years ago the code basically
begged papparazzis that the pictures of Princess Diana's dead body in a crash were not
published in any magazine. And people know that they WERE taking pictures of her and her
crash, who knows if while she was still battling for her
life.

Autopsy pictures, suicide pictures, pictures of dead
children, rape victims, dismembered victims, etc are the primary target to be avoided
for publication.

What is the form or structure of the musical The Phantom of the Opera?

I can't really address this issue in terms of the music,
but I can give you some information that might help in terms of form or structure in a
literary sense.

You don't specify whether you're referring
to the play or the movie, so my answers will be based on the movie, although they may
apply to the play as well.

The movie begins and ends with a
single red rose.  This provides unity and poignancy (a certain quality of specialness). 
You could say that the structure is circular, then, it ends where it begins.  Unity is
also provided by the "music box," if that's what you'd call it, which is purchased at
the auction at the beginning, and listened to by the phantom at the
end. 

Musical repetition also creates the structure, once
again establishing unity.  Songs are repeated often, sometimes with variations in the
lyrics.

Repetition is used in other instances as
well:

• the phantom's mask is removed twice, once
  fairly early and once much later


• the phantom hangs
  someone at least three times in the play


• the idea of
  masks is prevalent the entire work


• the work moves the
  audience to the graveyard twice, including in the
  conclusion

Again, musicals are not my
specialty, but looking at Phantom from a literary point of view, I
hope some of the above helps.

I have a final on Love Medicine, and was wondering what stories to focus on. Any help?

Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine,
offers a diverse group of stories and characters. It is, perhaps, what makes her novel
so worth reading: it describes the complexity of the human condition,
interrelationships, and insights into the reservation life of Native Americans,
specifically the Chippewa.

Trying to imagine what might be
selected for a final test on this novel is difficult because it is a collection of
stories with related (literally) characters, but there is no continuous plot line, and
there is no traditional timeline. Traditionally, when reading a novel we can concentrate
on main characters and significant aspects of plot development and conflict resolution,
but it is very different for this book.

For my
recommendations, though this is in no way written in stone, I would concentrate first on
"The World's Greatest Fisherman," as it is the first story which introduces a wide
variety of characters and the inter-workings of their relationships, as well as some
sense to the culture.

Personally, I especially liked the
stories "Saint Marie," "Wild Geese," and "The Island." "Saint Marie" is a little creepy,
but a fascinating take on good vs. evil. "Wild Geese" seems a continuation of "Saint
Marie," but from Nector's viewpoint. (And some of his questions for Marie we can only
know the answers to having read the previous chapter.) "The Island" steps completely out
of a short sense of timeline to introduce Lulu, who we will "visit" throughout the
book.

I would make sure to study "The Red Convertible," as
this is a highly anthologized short story. "Love Medicine," I would think, is a must, as
the concept of "love medicine," introduced in "The Island" is discussed in more detail
here; core Chippewa beliefs are present; and, this is the chapter for which the book is
named.

While it is important to have read and reviewed the
entire book, I would doubt a college professor would concentrate on especially minor
aspects of the novel as much as he/she might on central ideas and characterizations
(different than a high school teacher). With this is mind, I would think it prudent to
make sure to also be familiar with the final two chapters as
well.

I'm not sure if your edition of the book has it
(maybe they all do), but if so, I would study the family tree at the beginning of the
novel. It may help to see how all these characters are connected, especially because
their stories follow no chronology.

Which character exhibits three different traits in Romeo and Juliet?Which character exhibits three different traits throughout the play? And, what...

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet,
although Mercutio has the name most connotative of mood swings, Romeo is the character
who is the most mercurial.  Introduced as a almost Hamlet-like character who bemoans his
fate in life, the victim of unrequited love who speaks in oxymorons, Romeo acquiesces to
his loyal friend Benvolio's attempts to distract him, by attending the feast given for
Juliet Capulet.  Once there, he becomes the quintessential romantic who is dazzled by
Juliet, who "doth teach the torches to burn."  With the bravado of love,
he recklessly, scales the walls of the Capulet orchard just to see "his love," whom he
describes in metaphor and images of light.

Impulsively,
then, after receiving Juliet's declaration of love, Romeo rushes to Friar Laurence's
cell, demanding that the priest perform the marriage of him and Juliet.  This assertive
personality is exhibited later, after Romeo leaves the marriage bed of Juliet only to
encounter the enraged Tybalt. 

At first, Romeo tries to
explain to Tybalt that he no longer harbors antipathy for him, but Tybalt does not
understand and continues his duel with Mercutio, slaying him.  Then, Romeo becomes
disgusted with himself, saying he has become weak and "womanish." Enraged, he kills
Tybalt to avenge the death of his friend Mercutio. However, when he learns that he is
banished by the Prince, Romeo flings himself on the floor before Friar Laurence who
accuses him of acting like a girl as he melodramatically exclaims that he will be in
hell if he cannot be with Juliet.

In the last two acts of
the play, Romeo loses his weakness in acts of defiance against fate as he returns to
Verona in order to be with Juliet, even in death.  Now a desperate man, Romeo slays
Paris, whom he suspects of desecrating Juliet's tomb.  Yet, there is one constant in
this impulsive, mercurial character and that is his fidelity to his love,
Juliet.

What are opportunities and dangers of nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is the study of the controlling of matter
on an atomic and molecular scale. It involves developing materials or devices of the
size 100 nanometers or smaller in at least one dimension. Nanotechnology field is very
diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional physical devices to developing
completely new approaches such as of manufacturing and using materials involving
molecular self assembly.

Nanotechnology can be used to
create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications in fields such
as medicine, electronics and energy production. At the same time, nanotechnology also
raises many concerns, as is usual with any introduction of new technology. Possible
negative impact of nanotechnology include toxicity and environmental impact of nano
materials.

Presently there are about one thousand publicly
available nanotechnology products. Most of these products use passive nano materials
such as titanium dioxide in sunscreen, cosmetics and some food products; carbon
allotropes used to produce gecko tape; silver in food packaging, clothing, disinfectants
and household appliances; zinc oxide in sunscreens and cosmetics, surface coatings,
paints and outdoor furniture varnishes; and cerium oxide as a fuel catalyst. As yet
there are no applications that involve physical devices made by actual arrangement and
manipulation of nano scale components.

However nano
technology may be used for purposes which could pose threats to people and life. For
example, development of untraceable weapons of mass destruction, networked
cameras.

The effect of industrial-scale manufacturing and
use of nano materials could also have many negative effects on human health and the
environment. For example silver nano particles used in socks to reduce foot odor when
released released in the wash may destroy beneficial bacteria that help breaking down
organic matter in waste treatment plants or farms. Researches have found that nano
particles breathed in by rats settle in their brain and lungs, causing significant
health problems Another study indicates that nano particles induce skin aging in
hairless mice.

Looking at these facts, I believe,
nanotechnology is a field with many useful promises for future, and should be developed
further and used. However like all new inventions, it also poses many dangers. We must
adopt adequate caution and care in developing and using this
technology.

In Chapter 9 of Animal Farm, how was the president of the New Republic elected?

In the spring of that year Animal Farm was declared a Republic and so it was put forth that they needed to "elect" a president for it. All the animals voted for their new president, but the circumstances weren't exactly reminiscent of a democratically run government. There was only one candidate however- Napoleon so he won by an obvious unanimous landslide.