Notes

In Chapter 3, Miss Caroline is teaching when suddenly a tiny bug jumps out of Burris Ewell's hair. The small bug scares Miss Caroline who steps back and begins to scream. Initially, the students find her reaction amusing, and Little Chuck Little informs her that it is only a "cootie" before getting her a cool glass of water. A "cootie" is simply a slang term for a small bug, in particular, a head louse. Scout goes on to mention that Burris Ewell is the dirtiest person she has ever seen. Miss Caroline finally settles down and tells Burris that he needs to go home and wash up. Burris then disrespects Miss Caroline and begins to call her rude names before he leaves the classroom.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. This speech occurred less than three months before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and approximately 5 years before Dr. King, himself, was assassinated.  In Dr. King's famous address, he repeats the phrase, "I have a dream" a total of eight times. In some of these instances, he listed specifics about his dreams. Three of the most-quoted "dreams" include the following: • "I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." • "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.'" • "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia th...

The answer to your question and the title is revealed in the last part of the story when the servant digs a grave long enough to bury Pahom. The grave, which was six feet long, stretched from his head to his heels, and it turned out to be all the land he needed. Pahom believed all his troubles would be over with enough land. He claimed that he would not fear the devil if he had enough land. Unfortunately, the devil heard Pahom’s statement and set out to destroy him. The devil made it possible for Pahom to acquire some land, but Pahom faced administrative challenges and opted to relocate. In his quest for better conditions, Pahom became greedy and wanted more land. The devil took advantage of Pahom’s weakness and led him to his grave.

The poem discusses the poet's desire for fulfilling conversation. To him, good conversation is like a finely tuned quartet or orchestra. No one tries to talk over anybody else, and everyone is allowed to add to the conversation. There is no disharmony and no conflict when friends converse respectfully with each other. In fact, the poet contends that a conversation isn't likely to flourish "When sales technicians come trolling for customers,/ Office-holders for votes, preachers for converts." Here, the poet suggests that religion, politics, and the competitive marketplace are often areas fraught with conflict and strife. He says that, even though there are likely "good people among such talkers," their conversation can never match the well-tuned and disciplined musical discourse of a harmonious quartet. In a good quartet, voices/musical instruments are never at odds; they are never pulled away from their true purpose of giving pleasure to listeners. The poet ...

In "The Birds," the birds symbolize the uninhibited and unbridled power of nature . This is shown most clearly in their violent and repeated attacks on humans. In one incident, the birds attack Nat Hocken's house in the middle of the night, and Nat is forced to fight them off using a blanket: He felt the thud of bodies, heard the fluttering of wings, but they were not yet defeated, for again and again they returned to the assault, jabbing his hands, his head, the little stabbing beaks sharp as pointed forks. What is most terrifying about these attacks is how sudden and unexpected they are. Moreover, the human population is completely incapable of fending off the birds. The BBC news broadcasts offer little in the way of practical advice, and the government appears to have no clear strategy. To exacerbate the problem, guns do not provide an effective defense against the birds, as we see through the tragic deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Trigg. By employing this symbol, Du Maurier se...

Setting refers to the time, place, and circumstances in which the action of a literary work occurs. This obviously also affects the writing's atmosphere and tone. As far as place is concerned in The Merchant Of Venice , the setting shifts from one location to another. The action at the beginning unfold in the streets of Venice, where Antonio and his friends converse and where we are also introduced to the Jewish moneylender, Shylock. The scene then moves to Belmont, the home of the beautiful and wealthy heiress, Portia, a much-desired woman with whom Bassanio, Antonio's best friend, has fallen in love.  The mood in the two scenes are in direct contrast. Venice is a bustling hive of activity since it is a merchant city, whilst Belmont exudes an aura of peace, romanticism and general conviviality. Venice is all about business, while Belmont, it seems, is about love. Since these two settings form the major backdrop of the play, it is obvious that the scenes will flit from one area...

The summer of 1887 was when Helen first learned to communicate using the manual alphabet.  Helen became desperate to learn all about her surroundings.  She was thrilled to be able to communicate, and she called this time her "soul's sudden awakening" (Chapter V).  Helen no longer lived in a world of isolation.  Though she still could not see or hear, she experienced life in a new and exciting way. Helen had already loved being out in nature before Miss Sullivan came.  She had used her senses of touch and smell to enjoy the flowers, leaves, and trees.  When Miss Sullivan was able to communicate with Helen, she told her young student all about animals, the sun, and the rain.  Before Helen learned academic subjects, her teacher "taught [her] to find beauty in the fragrant woods, in every blade of grass, and in the curves and dimples of [her] baby sister's hand."  Helen developed a new appreciation for everything around her with Miss Sullivan's help. Helen w...

Express `f(x) = x^2 - 4x + 9`  as  `x^2 - 2*x*2 + 2^2 - 2^2 + 9 = (x - 2)^2 - 4 + 9 = (x - 2)^2 + 5.`  We used the formula  `(a - b)^2 = a^2 - 2ab + b^2`  in the reverse direction. We see that this function is always positive for real  `x,`  therefore it cannot be factored using real coefficients. But it can using complex numbers:  `-5 = (i sqrt(5))^2`  and `f(x) =(x - 2)^2 + 5 =(x - 2)^2 -(i sqrt(5))^2 = (x - 2 -i sqrt(5))(x - 2 + i sqrt(5)).` Here we used the formula  `a^2 - b^2 = (a - b)(a + b).` The answer is impossible for real coefficients and  `(x - 2 -i sqrt(5))(x - 2 + i sqrt(5))`   for complex coefficients .

I am not a physician, so my input should not be taken as medical advice. In fact, if you are concerned about the color, size, or shape of any moles or freckles on your skin, I urge you to speak to a dermatologist or your general practitioner. I can tell you a few ways that some people  have successfully removed their moles at home, but I suggest you check with your general practitioner before attempting any of these home remedies. One thing you will need to consider is whether the moles on your skin are raised or flat. If you have a raised mole, this remedy uses apple cider vinegar to essentially "dry out" the mole until it falls off. This method also works on skin tags. Do be warned that apple cider vinegar is an acidic solution, and can cause some irritation. If the process is painful, give your skin a break for a day or two. Another option would be to try to fade the coloration of the moles with a clay-based mask. Fuller's earth (also called multani mitti) has been ...

Because Hawthorne used so many allusions in the novel, the only way not to miss any is to read a well-footnoted edition such as the Norton Critical Edition. I will give you two examples from chapter one to get you started. The second paragraph in the novel alludes to Sir Thomas Moore's 1515  Utopia , a fictional work with which both the colonists Hawthorne writes about and his readers in the nineteenth century would have been very familiar. Moore mean to contrast English or European society with what an ideal society would be like. Hawthorne's narrator points out the irony that a theocratic colony, a Utopia (ideal society), has decided one of its first buildings should be a prison.  Another allusion—this one in the chapter's final paragraph—is a reference to Anne Hutchinson. Hawthorne's narrator speculates that the rose bush that grows beside the prison door "sprung up under [her] footsteps" as she entered the prison. Anne Hutchinson, like the fictional Hester...

The text of The Giver lays out points that can be used to support the idea that Jonas's selection is not a punishment, but an honor. Let's look at three of these and then discuss how to write an essay based upon them.  At the Assignment ceremony, the Chief Elder explains to Jonas and the community the reasons Jonas has been selected as the Receiver. She states that Jonas has been found to be intelligent, honest, and courageous. The Chief Elder says the Elders have "observed him meticulously" throughout his childhood, looking for these qualities, and Jonas never disappointed them (Lowry 62). While the life Jonas is about to begin will be painful and upsetting, it is meant to honor his positive qualities, not punish them.  To write a three-point essay using those points, you need to create a five-paragraph essay structure. The first paragraph should be an introduction that introduces the story and author and gives a very brief overview of the setting, characters, and p...

Given , `y'= tan^(-1) (x/2)` we have to get the y so , => `y = int (tan^(-1) (x/2)) dx` By Applying the integration by parts we get the solution so, let` u=tan^(-1) (x/2) => u'= (tan^(-1) (x/2) )'` let` t= x/2 ` => `u' =(du/dt)*(dt/dx) = (d ((tan^(-1)(t))/(dt))(d/dx (x/2))` =`(1/(t^2+1))*1/2` =`(1/((x/2)^2+1))*1/2` =`(4/(x^2+4))*1/2` =`2/(x^2+4)` and `v'=1 =>v =x` now by Integration by parts , `int uv' dx= uv-int u'v dx` so , now `int (tan^(-1) (x/2))dx` `= xtan^(-1) (x/2) - int 2x/(x^2+4)dx` let `x^2+4 = q` => `2x dx= dq` so , `int (2x)/(x^2+4)dx = int 1/q dq = ln(q)+c =ln(x^2+4)+c` = ` x(tan^(-1) (x/2)) -ln(x^2+4)+C`

Perhaps the best adjective to describe Julius Caesar would be strong-willed, or  determined . He was notable for getting whatever it was he wanted to get and doing whatever he wanted to do. Crossing the Rubicon River to take his army to Rome was a famous example. The many years he spent conquering Gaul were perhaps his greatest achievement. He would have spent even longer if necessary. This characteristic was what made men admire and fear him. Caesar was also exceptionally  intelligent, resourceful, courageous, bold, self-confident, proud, ambitious,  and cunning .  He seemed to have a genius for dealing with men, not only with his soldiers who idolized him, but with the general populace and with upper-class Romans. Perhaps the best adjective to describe this character trait would be  charismatic .   One of the synonyms offered on the internet for "charismatic" is "larger than life." It is interesting that Cassius says of Caesar: Why, man, he doth bestride the narro...

Macbeth's most important character trait is his ambition. Ambition, in and of itself, stands as value neutral. It can either lead to positive results by motivating a person to work harder to attain higher achievements or can lead to negative outcomes by motivating one to put personal gain ahead of ethical or moral considerations. As the play opens, we realize Macbeth is ambitious because of his excitement about the witches' prophecy that he will be king. He is also pleased to be named Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan. In fact, one of his reasons for not wanting to kill Duncan is to bask in the glow of that achievement. Despite his high level of ambition, Macbeth draws back from murdering the king, feeling on second thought that it would be a great wrong to do so, especially since Duncan is his guest. This shows that Macbeth still takes moral considerations into account. He has to be goaded into the act of murder by his wife. However, once Macbeth crosses the line and kills the ki...

Sexual reproduction, something that is more familiar to humans as it is how humans replicate, requires two parents (or gene sources) contributing genetic information to an offspring that will be unique. Gametes are the cells involved in this. The offspring, while having traits from both parents, will also have unique traits on the basis of genetics. Meanwhile, some species reproduce asexually. A key difference between sexual and asexual reproduction is that the offspring resulting from the latter is genetically identical to the parent - i.e. it is a genetic clone of the parent. An advantage of asexual reproduction has been in agriculture. It allows for larger and faster production, and since the resulting offspring are identical to the parent, parents with desirable traits can be cloned. However, this can be disadvantageous in the case of a mutation as the entire set of clones can be terminated. There are various ways to reproduce asexually. There is binary fission, budding, spore, fra...

Howard Zinn's popular text  A People's History of the United States,  attempts to be what the title claims it as--a people's history.  Released in 1980, it was meant to include women and minorities in American history since they were often left out of mainstream works, especially for undergraduates.  Zinn gathered material for the book over a twenty-year teaching career and he wanted something that was not only relevant to the young men and women in his class, but something that would get mainstream historians' attention.  Zinn's work has been considered controversial especially given his liberal politics, but the book remains popular in that its a history of America which serves all.  Just like Zinn's undergraduate classes, it does not pretend to be neutral.  Zinn's work popularized using race and gender issues to study American history and today many textbooks at the high school and university level have more material about these issues.  

In “The White Man’s Burden,” Rudyard Kipling describes indigenous people in very negative terms.  He says that they are not fully human in the way white people are.  He says that they foolish and lazy and destructive.  He says that they are ungrateful.  All of these attributes are reasons why it is such a burden for the white people to have to out and civilize them. Early in the poem, Kipling portrays the indigenous people as less than fully human.  People who are fully human can be true adults. The indigenous people cannot.  This is why, in the first stanza, Kipling calls them “half-devil and half-child.”  They are perpetual children who will never grow up to adulthood.  If this is the case, they cannot be fully human, or at least not fully equal to white people. Kipling then goes on to say that the indigenous people are foolish and lazy.  Again in the first stanza, he calls them “fluttered folk and wild.”  These are people who cannot be serious and hard-working like white people can ...

There are a number of instances in Toni Cade Bambara’s story “Raymond’s Run” in which Squeaky demonstrates her ability to be empathetic. An empathetic person has the ability to understand the emotions and feelings of others in a variety of situations. Squeaky shows her empathy for her disabled brother Raymond. She does not allow anyone to demean him. If they do, they have to deal with Squeaky’s wrath. Prior to Squeaky becoming Raymond’s caregiver, her older brother was in charge. He did not live up to his younger sister’s expectations for their brother’s safety and well-being. And a lot of smart mouths got lots to say about that too, especially when George was minding him. But now, if anybody has anything to say to Raymond, anything to say about his big head, they have to come by me. Another example of Squeaky showing empathy occurs when Raymond runs through the people who are out enjoying the sunshine in the city. His running disrupts their newspapers and lunches as he causes the pige...

Piggy has a number of excellent leadership qualities, despite the fact that most of the boys don't like him and mock him. Piggy has the ability to envision courses of action that other boys miss. This is evident from the first chapter when he suggests to Ralph that he use the conch to summon the other boys on the island. When Ralph feels beaten because the "beast" is preventing them from having a signal fire on the mountain, Piggy suggests moving the fire to the beach: "Only Piggy could have the intellectual daring to suggest moving the fire from the mountain." Piggy also seems to have a natural gift for administration and organization. He is the one who attempts to learn the names of the littluns, and he is the most vehement in enforcing the rules of the conch.  Piggy is also surprisingly clear-headed. When Ralph begins to falter in his dedication to keeping the signal fire lit, Piggy keeps reminding him of the necessity of the fire to achieve their end goal of...

Scanning a line of poetry or an entire poem means that you are being asked to mark out the rhythm and meter of the poem. Any line of poetry is going to have words that contain stressed and/or unstressed syllables. Many poets will try to pick a syllable pattern and repeat it throughout each line in the entire poem. The repetition of that syllable pattern creates rhythm. Each unit of rhythm is called a "foot." The question states that "To My Dear and Loving Husband" is written in iambic pentameter. That is correct, although line 10 does slightly deviate. That means each line of the poem contains the iambic foot. An iambic foot contains an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Some common iambic words are the following: behold, awake, destroy, and employ. Each line of "To My Dear and Loving Husband" is a repetition of the unstressed/stressed syllable pattern. That is the poem's meter. Each line of the poem contains five iambic feet, which i...

When discussing race today, colorblindness seems to exemplify the dominant etiquette or accepted behavior. This stems from the fact that colorblindness has a strong moral appeal. It envisions a world where race ceases to be a point of contention and where everyone is perceived to be equal. It also has a practical appeal in the sense that it is seen to encourage equality through the process of limiting discussions about race. Additionally, colorblindness appeals to white Americans who fear the minefield of race discussions. Thus, avoiding debates on race allows white Americans to feel more confident about how they are perceived by minorities. As a rule, most white Americans do not want to come across as bigoted or ignorant. So, adopting a colorblind approach is both personally empowering and satisfying to sincere whites. However, Lopez maintains that colorblindness actually promotes what he calls dog-whistle politics, where a subgroup of the population interprets the notion differently ...

Sir Ralph the Rover was utterly upset when his ship struck the Inchcape Rock. He was in anguish and regretted what he did because his malicious scheme caught up with him. Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock, “Oh Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!” Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair, He curst himself in his despair; (Inchcape Rock, Robert Southey) The Inchcape Rock posed a major threat to seafarers plying the coast of Scotland. The rock was partially submerged, making it invisible to the ship’s crew. The situation was worse during rough seas because any attempts to steer the ship to the coast would result in the destruction of the ship, which would be ripped apart by the rock. The Abbot of Aberbrothok decided to install a bell that would provide an audible signal to the seafarers. The bell helped to save many lives, until Ralph maliciously destroyed it. However, on his return trip, the sea was rough, and the signal he destroyed was unavailable to guide him to safety. Ralph’s shi...

Though Sir Thomas More's Utopia was written hundreds of years ago, it has become very fashionable to explore aspects of Utopian society within modern day popular culture. In his book, he explores what it would be like to have a "perfect" society, one which is devoid of anything that currently plagues us in modern society. There is no greed, because there is no personal property, for instance. These ideas were inspired by freedom of knowledge, discovery, and the revolution against the monarchy, the catholic church, and the nobility, which is symbolized by wealth. While the idea of such a society is alluring to many, More's book is both idealistic and unrealistic in many ways. Still, the idea of a Utopian society is reflected in modern-day movies, T.V. shows, books, and even in real life. One real-life example of an attempt at Utopian society is a popular music festival known as Burning Man. Far from being just a music festival, it is a two-week long, immersive event in...

Given to solve, `int (1+cos(alpha))/sin(alpha) d alpha` let `alpha = x` (just for convenience) so, `int (1+cos(alpha))/sin(alpha) d alpha` = `int (1+cos(x))/sin(x) dx` = `int (1/sinx)dx +int cos(x)/sin(x) dx` =` int cscx dx+ int cot(x) dx` we know from the general formulas that `int cscx dx = ln(tan(x/2))` and `int cot(x) dx = ln(sinx)` so , `int cscx dx+ int cot(x) dx = ln(tan(x/2)) + ln(sinx) +c` but `x= alpha ` so, `int (1+cos(alpha))/sin(alpha) d alpha` `=ln(tan((alpha)/2)) + ln(sin(alpha)) +c`

Since mercury can mean either the element mercury or the planet mercury and since the question does not specify element or planet, I will give an answer to both. Mercury (element): Mercury is a metal and has an atomic number of 80 and a atomic mass of 200.6 amu. It is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature; all the other metals are solid at room temperature. One of the key features of mercury is its density, which is about 13.6 gram per ml. In other words, mercury has a specific gravity (the ratio of density to that of a standard liquid, generally water). We can also state that it is 13.6 times heavier than water. It is this property (specific gravity) that makes mercury useful in manometers and barometers for pressure measurement. Mercury is also commonly used in thermometers, although nowadays we prefer mercury-less thermometers. Mercury is a toxic element. Mercury (planet): Mercury is one of the planets in our solar system. In fact, Mercury is the closest planet to the su...

On the night before the play begins, Betty Parris and her cousin, Abigail Williams, as well as some other local girls, went dancing in the forest with Reverend Parris's Barbadian slave, Tituba.  Apparently, Mrs. Putnam sent her daughter, Ruth, to Tituba to ask the slave to conjure the spirits of her dead babies in order to figure out who might have been responsible for their deaths.  Mrs. Putnam's terrible luck -- seven out of eight of her children died shortly after birth -- has led her to believe that one or more of her midwives must be a witch, and she is desperate to learn of some reason for her children's deaths.  In addition, Abigail also drank a charm to kill Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of Abigail's former lover, and one of the girls danced naked.

This would have to be a matter of opinion based on Shakespeare's characterizations of the three men, which were based on his reading of Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans , written over a hundred years after the events depicted in Julius Caesar . Brutus seems to be the man who would have been the best ruler because of his high moral character. He was highly esteemed by everyone, including by Julius Caesar himself. Mark Antony actually did become one of the rulers of Rome, along with Octavius. No doubt Antony had many of the qualifications of a good ruler, including his extensive military experience and sound judgment. However, as Shakespeare shows in his Antony and Cleopatra , Antony was notoriously hedonistic and extravagant. He was quite different from Cassius, who was sober, serious, and conservative. But Cassius was also selfish and dishonest. He would have been a corrupt ruler. When he and Brutus are having their violent quarrel in Act 4, Scene 3 of Julius Cae...

During lunchtime, Miss Caroline notices Walter Cunningham Jr. doesn't have a lunch and offers to lend him a quarter to buy one. Walter Cunningham timidly refuses Miss Caroline's quarter. Miss Caroline, unfamiliar with Walter's family background, offers him the quarter again. Again, Walter refuses to accept the quarter. Scout gives insight into why Walter will not accept the quarter by saying, "The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back—no church baskets, and no scrip stamps. They never took anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have" (Lee 14). Walter's parents are self-reliant and have integrity. He is influenced by their moral character and does not accept Miss Caroline's quarter because he knows he cannot pay her back. In Chapter 3, a small bug crawls out of Burris Ewell's hair, and Miss Caroline tells him to bathe before he comes back to school tomorrow. Burris rudely responds by saying, "You ain’t sendin’ me home, m...

The Mechanical Hound scratches and sniffs around the Montag house while Montag reads aloud to Millie. At first, Montag freezes and tells Millie to be quiet in what appears to be paralyzing fear. But that moment is soon followed by a grim resolve on Montag's part to resume reading once he thinks the Hound has moved on. "Let's get back to work," said Montag quietly. (page 72) Montag attempts to resume reading, but he has lost Millie's attention and interest. Montag begins to think about the occurrences he observes in the world around him, such as the constant roar of jet bombers heard overhead, and the fact that: "We've started and won two atomic wars since 1990!" (page 73) He begins to realize that he takes these major events for granted and wonders why. When the telephone rings, Mildred is quick to snatch the phone and answer, becoming instantly distracted, as usual, by a shallow conversation about a television program. Bradbury cleverly provides the...

In “Harrison Bergeron,” George is the title character’s father. George was born with higher than average intelligence, and it is for this reason the Handicapper General, Diana Moon Glampers, makes him wear a small radio over his ear. Every twenty seconds the radio emits a loud sound, making George forget what he was thinking about. George doesn’t have a choice whether or not to wear the handicap. The radio is legally required by the U.S. Constitution, and taking it off would make George guilty of a federal crime. Even when he watches his son Harrison attempt to overthrow the government, for not one second does George consider taking off the handicap. For the government’s benefit, the handicap causes George to forget about Harrison shortly after after Diana Moon Glampers kills him with a shotgun.

Historians believe that the Renaissance developed in Italy partly in reaction to the Black Plague in 1348. The plague resulted in the deaths of an estimated 75 million to 200 million people, and many historians believe that the death people witnessed during the plague made them more interested in the affairs of life rather than in the afterlife. In addition, following the plague, the working class in Italy was in a better position than they had been previously, as the price of food and land dropped. As people lived better lives, they devoted themselves increasingly to matters that were not directly connected to mere survival. The heroic ideal and the cult of beauty arose as part of the development of humanism, or the focus on human beings over spiritual matters, in Italy and other areas. Interest in Greek and Roman antiquity was part of this movement. The heroic ideal was the perfect person, and, as West writes in "Spenser and the Renaissance Ideal of Christian Heroism," the ...

The guns are (literally) weapons that cause injury, death, and destruction. Symbolically, they represent violence. In the first paragraph, the narrator says the guns "roared" and follows with this description: Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. The guns "roared" and "barked" as if they were living things. Here, the narrator uses a kind of zoomorphism. This is when people or objects are given qualities usually reserved for animals. The guns are not whimpering and whining. Rather, they are illustrated with these more aggressive animal calls. This shows the predatory nature of the guns and the potential violence characteristic of a predator. Near the end of the story, after the main character has killed the enemy sniper, he becomes sickened by his violent act. He throws the revolver down in anger. Once again, the revolver acts as if is a predatory animal with...

Firstly, we certainly see a great deal of "romantic love" in Twelfth Night. The play explores unfulfilled romantic desire in the play's love triangle between Orsino, Olivia, and Viola/Cesario. At the end of the play, we see the fulfillment of romantic love with the coupling of Orsino and Viola and Olivia and Sebastian. The most true romance we see between two characters, however, might be in the flirtatious and seemingly truly mutually affectionate relationship between Maria and Sir Toby that does, ultimately, end in a report of marriage. The play also explores sibling or familial love. We see the grief caused by the loss of a sibling for both Viola and Sebastian—who believe the other drowned—and for Olivia, who is mourning the death of her brother at the play's beginning. The ties between family are further explored in the relationship between Olivia and Sir Toby—it is a tense relationship as Toby's drunkenness and brawling are problematic in Olivia's househo...

When the narrator J. tells us the story of his Uncle Podger in Chapter III, he says that his friend Harris always reminds him of his relative, because he is “so ready to take the burden of everything himself, and put it on the backs of other people.” But we hardly know Harris at this point in the book. So we must have faith that J. can see a similarity between the two men. Later, we have at least two chances to make the comparison ourselves. Go to Chapter VI and read Harris’s own account of how he and his country cousin got lost in the Hampton Court maze. And go to Chapter XI and read about Harris’s attempt to cook scrambled eggs for his friends, on the second day out. In both instances, Harris thinks he knows what he’s doing. He thinks he’s got the job under control. But he has to bring in and involve other people in his process. And in the end, he fails at the task.

The United States government would most likely need to change its voting system drastically for a third party candidate to win the presidency. Known by political scientists as Duverger’s Law, the way officials are elected in the United States creates and continues the country’s two-party political system. The American winner-take-all election system with one legislative seat per district supports—and practically guarantees—having only two dominant parties. This contrasts with the proportional representation systems of most of the world’s democracies. In many countries, citizens vote for a party who receives proportional representation, allowing various political groups with diverse platforms all to have a voice. One way a third party candidate could conceivably win a presidential election is if a large number of voters defected from a traditional party to a new, formerly third, party. There is historical precedence for this sort of action. Abraham Lincoln’s election was the last time a...

In the early part of  To Kill a Mockingbird , Atticus instructs Scout that to understand a person, she must put herself in the "skin" of the other and walk around in it. Scout learns to understand several people by vicariously sharing their experiences during the course of this novel. Mrs. Dubose Scout narrates that she and Jem hate Mrs. Dubose. As it is impossible to go to town without passing her house, they are forced to undergo "her wrathful gaze" and derogatory comments. Finally, Jem becomes so incensed by her insults that he damages her camellias; consequently, Jem must read to her for a month as punishment. As he does so, Scout describes Mrs. Dubose as horrible: "Cords of saliva would collect on her lips; she would draw them in, then open her mouth again." After the month is served, Atticus tells the children that Mrs. Dubose has died, but she was conscious up to the end because she had taken herself off the morphine to which she was addicted. It is...

The Western front existed in eastern France and Belgium between 1914 and 1918. At the beginning of the war, Germany launched a quick strike through Belgium into France to put France out of the war quickly — this was known as part of the Schlieffen Plan, which was Germany's plan to fight a two-front war with France and Russia. France checked the German advance at the Marne, and both sides lost thousands of men due to frontal assaults on elaborate defensive emplacements. Both Germany and the Allies dug in here, and they would remain in elaborate trenches for the next three-and-a-half years with little movement. Trench warfare consisted of sniping, artillery barrages, and horrifying attacks where soldiers would be ordered to go over the top. The trenches would be protected with several hundred yards of barbed wire, which created a "no man's land" between the trenches. Both sides tried to use tanks and poisonous gas to break through the lines, but the generals in charge d...

Most of the factors that Jared Diamond argues cause the collapse of civilizations involve ecology. I should note that this theory is controversial; many historians believe that other causes (such as outside invasion or failed political institutions) are more important than ecological sustainability in explaining civilizational collapse. But given Diamond's theory, there are five things to worry about: 1. climate change 2. hostile neighbors 3. collapse of essential trading partners 4. environmental problems 5. failure to adapt to environmental problems On a global scale, hostile neighbors and trading partners are irrelevant (unless we suffer alien invasion or colonize other planets I suppose). So that leaves only environmental problems and our ability to adapt to them. Is there reason to be concerned about this? Yes, there is. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change releases a report every year about just how bad global climate change is getting, and how much we are contributi...

The transatlantic slave trade was triangular and involved three major steps, linking three continents' economies and resulting in the deportation and sale of about 12.5 million individuals. Ships departed Western Europe (more specifically, from ports like Bristol and Liverpool in Great Britain) bearing manufactured goods that could be traded: tobacco, cloth/textiles, gunpowder, guns, rum, etc. When the ships arrived in Africa, these goods were swapped for human life at various coastal forts and compounds established by trading companies. The slaves were African individuals who had been captured either during raids by European traders or sold by African and African-European dealers who kidnapped them and marched them to the coast.  These slaves were then brought on ships to the "New World" via the Middle Passage. This was an arduous trip which resulted in the death of many slaves who were living in unsanitary, cramped conditions. Upon arrival, the surviving slaves were sol...

This line is spoken by Juliet at the end of Act I, Scene 5. She has just met and fallen in love with a man she has never seen before while at her father's party. After her brief discussion with him, the two part, and Juliet asks the Nurse to find out who he is. After asking around, the Nurse discovers, "His name is Romeo, and a Montague, The only son of your great enemy." Juliet is a Capulet and the Montagues and Capulets are involved in an "ancient grudge," or bitter feud, which sometimes turns quite ugly and violent, as represented by the street brawl in Act I, Scene 1. On hearing his identity, Juliet says, My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me That I must love a loathed enemy. The first line of this short speech illustrates her shock at finding out he is from a family which is at odds with hers. It is ironic and paradoxical that she now loves someone she also hates. Juliet sugge...

The protagonist and narrator of ZZ Packer's short story "Brownies" is Laurel, otherwise known as "Snot," an African American girl attending a summer camp for fourth graders in Atlanta called Camp Crescendo. Laurel is mostly quiet, observant, and disliked by the other girls for her thoughtfulness and common sense. Unlike the rest of her troop, Laurel questions the dynamic between the black girls and white girls of Troop 909. After Arnetta claims that she heard the white girls call Daphne a racial slur, only Laurel ponders whether this event actually happened and if starting a fight with the alleged offenders is a good idea. Laurel manages to mostly evade the pressures of the group's thinking until Arnetta forces her to join in; her agreement to do so seems to reflect her desire to belong and to defend what is valuable to her.  At the conclusion of the story, it is Laurel who connects the story about her father's encounter with a Mennonite family to what t...

The complete stanza reads as follows: Hush! if you saw some western cloud All billowy-bosom'd, over-bow'd By many benedictions—sun's And moon's and evening-star's at once— And so, you, looking and loving best, Conscious grew, your passion drew Cloud, sunset, moonrise, star-shine too, Down on you, near and yet more near, Till flesh must fade for heaven was here!— Thus leant she and linger'd—joy and fear! Thus lay she a moment on my breast. This stanza probably most profoundly expresses the speaker's overwhelming bliss when the mistress, who has rejected him, takes a moment to rest her head on his chest. The feeling of joy he experiences at this point is so overwhelming that he does not immediately share it with the reader. Instead, at the beginning of the stanza, he asks for silence and then leads the reader to the climax of what he perceives as his greatest pleasure. The speaker gradually builds up to the climax by addressing the reader directly. By using im...

Helen Keller, made blind, deaf, and mute at a very young age due to an illness, worked tirelessly throughout her adult life to help other people as she had been helped by her friend and mentor, Anne Sullivan. Some of her contributions included advocating for various social issues affecting women and people with disabilities, helping to establish the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and presenting her life story as both a writer and a motivational speaker to inspire others. Though it wasn't until after graduating from college that Helen Keller began to turn her interests outward to the world, she very quickly proved herself to be a remarkable humanitarian. When she was thirty-five, she co-founded Helen Keller International, an organization charged with combating blindness and malnutrition. Over the next ten years, she also co-founded the ACLU, testified before Congress, and was extensively involved with the American Federation for the Blind. In her adult life, Helen Keller see...

In the book, Bruno's family has to move because his father has been ordered to relocate on the orders of the Fury (the Fuhrer, Adolph Hitler). Essentially, Bruno's father has been promoted to a Commandant position at Auschwitz, and this is why the family has to leave their house in Berlin. Bruno doesn't especially like Auschwitz (which he calls Out-With), as he misses his grandparents and his friends. Also, he yearns for the familiar surroundings of his previous life in Berlin. Bruno's father humors him for a time, but he resolutely expects Bruno to resign himself to the family's new situation. As commandant, Bruno's father has an especially important position, and he must not fail in his tasks. The family's livelihood and survival depend on Bruno's father fulfilling his orders to the letter. So, this is part of the reason why Bruno's father cannot entertain at length any complaints from Bruno. Like everyone else, Bruno's father must submit himse...

According to Jonathan Edwards in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” the only reason that unsaved men (or anyone else) have not been cast down into hell to burn eternally is God’s mercy. These people are only saved from damnation by God’s will. In this sermon, Edwards is trying to emphasize to his listeners that they deserve to be damned. He tells them over and over that their sins are offensive to God. He reminds them that God is very disappointed in them and that he has every right to be. He says that all people “have deserved the fiery pit.” In one of the most famous passages from this sermon, Edwards tells the people that The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times so abomi...

A Doll's House is a humanist text. The main character, Nora Helmer, has spent her entire life adopting the views of other. She has been less of a human and more of a doll, first for her father and then for her husband. She has little opportunity to fully develop a sense of self or to formulate her own views or express them. Nora also cannot work, other than a few odd jobs, as that would be an attack on her husband's "masculine pride." Throughout the play, Nora must hide her true self. Even if she wants to eat a macaroon, she must hide this from her husband. At the end of the play, Nora finally decides to assert herself and chooses to leave her husband and children to discover the world and educate herself. Nora says, "I have to stand completely alone, if I'm ever going to discover myself and the world out there." While her husband believes that her first duties are to her husband and children, Nora claim that her duties to her self are "equally sac...

William Golding portrays absolute power as being corrupt, dangerous, and harmful. Throughout Jack's tyrannical rule, he uses violence, intimidation, and psychological manipulation to control his tribe of savages. He not only encourages violence but perpetuates the belief in a "beast" which consumes the members of his tribe with fear. He uses their fear to enhance his position as chief, allowing him to give commands without having to explain his decisions. His directives only serve to benefit himself, and he refuses to take into consideration how his choices affect the members of his tribe. Unlike Ralph's democratic group where each individual is given an opportunity to voice their opinion, Jack is the only person whose thoughts and ideas matter. His authoritarian rule results in the deaths of Simon and Piggy, and he even orders his band of savages to hunt Ralph like a pig. The members of Jack's tribe cannot disobey him because they will be severely punished. In C...

After being informed that her father has agreed to give her in marriage to Count Paris, Juliet is desperate. She is, of course, already married to the banished Romeo. In the beginning of Act IV, she goes to Friar Laurence to seek advice. She threatens to kill herself if the Friar does not have a solution. The Friar comes up with a plan which will help Juliet avoid marrying Paris. Earlier in the play, he married Juliet to Romeo, so he cannot marry her again. He also wants Romeo and Juliet to be happy, so the only solution seems to be to reunite the two young lovers. The audience also knows that the Friar is somewhat of a scientist (he speaks of this in Act II, Scene 3) and so it is plausible that he could come up with a plan for Juliet to fake her death. It involves Juliet taking a potion which will make her seem as though she is dead for almost two days ("two and forty hours"). His plot has three important parts. First, Juliet must put on a happy face and tell her father that...

Federalism is a form of government that unites entities, such as states, cities, and counties, under one federal government. At the same time, each state and local government maintains its own separate power . In other words, the U.S. Constitution establishes a federal government in which power is shared by the federal, state, and local governments. Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution establishes the powers of the federal government by laying out the legal rights of Congress. Article VI, clause 2 , called the Supremacy Clause establishes the "supremacy of the federal government," while also granting limited rights to the states. While the early founding fathers, such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, supported federalism, the early politicians debated the role of the federal government. Some, such as Judge Joseph Jones, believed in drawing clear distinctions between state and federal jurisdictions. Other much stronger anti-federalists believed that national...

Martin Luther, the important figure in the Protestant Reformation (not to be confused with Martin Luther King, Jr., the American civil rights leader) died of natural causes.  He was 62 years old at the time and had been in poor health for a while.  He most likely died of a heart attack.  His death occurred in Eisleben, the same city in which he had been born, on February 18, 1546. In the 1500s, health care was not very advanced and people who reached what is now middle age would often have various health problems that were relatively serious.  Luther definitely fell into this category.  He had arthritis and kidney stones and heart problems.  Not long before his death, he wrote a letter in which he mentioned various heart problems he was having and blamed them on his age.  From accounts of his death, it appears that he died of a heart attack, though of course medical knowledge was too limited for his death to have been accurately diagnosed.  At any rate, Luther clearly died of natural c...

At the start of the novel, Ralph has two outstanding traits that change during his experiences on the island.  The first thing we notice is that he is a little conceited toward Piggy.  Ralph seems to instantly determine that Piggy is socially inferior to him, and he acts superior to the asthmatic, overweight boy. We see this as Piggy talks quite a bit when they first meet, but Ralph tries "to be offhand and not too obviously uninterested" as he walks away (8). He won't bother to ask Piggy's name, and laughs at him when the socially awkward boy admits his unflattering nickname. Ralph even tells the other boys the nickname, betraying Piggy's secret.   Ralph also has a great deal of confidence at first, not only in himself, but in the societal rules that adults have taught him and the other boys.  Ralph has no doubt that if they make rules and he leads they boys, they will form a civilized society that can work towards getting rescued. He believes in the adult ways a...

That is a good question. On first glance, it would appear you're right. Since most processes are chronological, a chronological order would be the most common organizational structure. It is not the only organizational structure possible, though. One of the easiest alternative structures to apply, and one that can make a stage or process speech more interesting, is a narrative. You can tell a story that illustrates the stages or processes by vividly recounting actual stories of people going through those stages. Rather than just explaining the steps to become a doctor, you'd tell stories about medical school and residency. A cause-and-effect structure could also apply. If you used this structure, you'd give the causes for following a specific process, and the effects of doing so (and, if you have time, the effects of not doing so). This can be useful for processes with a number of options, like how to plant a garden. A spatial structure is useful if the process has spatial ...

The Element of Characterization Characterization is a literary element that is used by authors to describe a character's personality traits and motivations. Characterization is accomplished by portraying a character's actions, speech or thoughts. Author H. A. Guerber develops the character of Pythias through each of these techniques throughout "Damon and Pythias." Pythias' Character Development In the beginning of the story, the author uses the lens of friendship to develop the character of Pythias. Pythias' friendship with Damon is a central element of his character, and this friendship is illustrated both through Pythias' actions and words and the observations of other characters in the story. Pythias' actions have earned him a reputation as a loyal friend, and his devotion to his friend is well-known throughout the community. The accusation of treason against Pythias serves as the primary source of conflict in the story and works to develop his char...