Notes

The simplest comparisons that can be made between these two sagas are the consistent threat of violence throughout the plot and the over-arching theme of revenge. Within Kill Bill Vols. 1&2, the protagonist Beatrix Kiddo (aka The Bride and/or Black Mamba) seeks revenge against the titular Bill (aka Snake Charmer), her former lover and head of the assassination squad of which she was a member. Her quest begins after she awakens from a coma and seeks out her former comrades by any means necessary in order to draw closer to Bill himself. Kiddo finds and kills many of her former compatriots, severing any ties she had to her past as a professional killer. Revenge is her motivator, and thus allows her the closure she seeks. The Nibelungenlied contains many instances of betrayal and revenge. Siegfried's many adventures allow him to obtain wealth and prestige that draw him to the side of Gunther. And though he aids King Gunther of Burgundy in wedding (and weakening) Queen Brunhilde, t...

James McBride's memoir, The Color of Water , weaves together with alternating segments the story of his mother's life and the story of his and his sibling's lives.  The segments about his mother, Ruth Shilsky, are narrated in the first person, so we have her "voice."  The segment entitled "The Old Testament" belongs to Ruth, and in it, she recounts her early years with her family, focusing most on her father, Tateh, which is a Yiddish word for father, quite commonly used in Jewish families even today.  Ruth's father was an itinerant rabbi, moving from congregation to congregation when his contracts expired. Ruth says " he was a lousy rabbi " (McBride 31). The family finally settled in Suffolk, Virginia, where Tateh opened a grocery store, which was a financially successful endeavor. But Tateh was truly a monstrous husband and father.  He was cruel to his wife, who had serious physical disabilities.  He was cruel to his children, forcing the...

Please note that different people might attribute the Allied victory in WWII to different factors.  I suggest that you consult your text and/or class notes to see if your instructor expects a specific answer here.  My own view is that there are at least four main reasons why the Allies were able to win WWII.  These are 1) the population and industrial power of the US, 2) the geographic size and large population of the USSR, 3) the presence of Britain as an Allied land off the coast of Europe, and 4) the mistakes made by the Axis. The Axis made many important mistakes that helped the Allies win the war.  Hitler made a huge mistake when he launched his invasion of the Soviet Union.  One can argue that the Japanese should never have attacked Pearl Harbor, bringing the US into the war.  After the Pearl Harbor attack, the US declared war on Japan, but not on Germany.  Hitler then made another mistake by declaring war on the US, making it certain that the US would start to fight in Europe.  ...

Scrooge changed in a number of ways as a result of his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Present, mainly because of the tactics employed by the spirit.  The Ghost of Christmas Present relies heavily on shock value to get Scrooge to change.  For example, even before he "meets" the ghost, Scrooge is forced to take the first step in changing.  While the Ghost of Christmas Past appeared in Scrooge's room, coming to the old miser, Scrooge must get up out of bed and enter into another room of his home in order to make contact with the Ghost of Christmas Present.  The effort must be Scrooge's.  Upon entering the room, he is shocked by what he sees.  The walls are hung with garlands and mistletoe, a great feast is piled all around, and the fireplaces blazes warmer and brighter than it ever did when tended by Scrooge.   The Ghost of Christmas Present also employs a specific tactic to help Scrooge change.  More than the other spirits, this ghost makes a habit of throwing Scroog...

Human frailty is definitely a major theme in Atonement . One could say it is the most important theme, because ultimately it was Briony's frailty and weakness of character that creates the overarching structure of the novel's story. Briony becomes a writer so that she may recreate reality, and give a more fair and happy ending to the romance of her sister Cecilia and Robbie. But she admits that the happy version of their story was one she made up, and she feels deep regret and sadness for her impact on their lives. Briony's actions kept Robbie and Cecilia apart, because he went to prison after she implicated him in Lola's rape. To get out of prison, he offered to be drafted into the army, and he died on the battlefield. Her sister was killed working in London as a volunteer for the war effort, presumably in support of Robbie. The fates of her sister and her sister's lover might have been completely different if Briony's actions had been different, and her person...

Propaganda is information that a person or group uses to promote its ideology and ideas. Propaganda tends to be biased and/or based upon distortions of the truth. Napoleon uses Squealer to change the commandments and spread lies about Snowball. At the end of Chapter 5, Squealer is giving his justification for some of Napoleon's new policies. He concludes by saying that they are better off under Napoleon than Snowball, the traitor. In truth, Snowball was loyal to the cause of Animalism and certainly was not a traitor. Napoleon and Squealer are using their propaganda to tarnish Snowball's reputation. When the animals counter this by saying that Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed, Squealer replies, "And as to the Battle of the Cowshed, I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball’s part in it was much exaggerated." Squealer attempts to downplay Snowball's heroism. Squealer makes propaganda speeches throughout the novel. Every time Na...

The Integral test is applicable if f is positive and decreasing function on the infinite interval `[k, oo)` where `kgt= 1` and `a_n=f(x)` . Then the series `sum_(n=1)^oo a_n` converges if and only if the improper integral `int_1^oo f(x) dx` converges. If the integral diverges then the series also diverges. For the given series `sum_(n=1)^oo 1/n^5` , the `a_n = 1/n^5 ` then applying `a_n=f(x),` we consider: `f(x) = 1/x^5` .   As shown on the graph for f(x), the function is positive on the interval [1,oo). As x at the denominator side gets larger, the function value decreases. Therefore, we may determine the convergence of the improper integral as: `int_1^oo 1/x^5 = lim_(t-gtoo)int_1^t 1/x^5 dx` Apply the Law of exponent: `1/x^m = x^(-m)` . `lim_(t-gtoo)int_1^t 1/x^5 dx =lim_(t-gtoo)int_1^t x^(-5) dx` Apply the Power rule for integration: `int x^n dx = x^(n+1)/(n+1)` `lim_(t-gtoo)int_1^t 1/x^5 dx =lim_(t-gtoo)[ x^(-5+1)/(-5+1)]|_1^t`                             ` =lim_(t-gtoo)[ x^(-4)/(-...

The Duke has apparently invited the representative of the Count upstairs to see part of his art collection. But the real reason was so the two men could meet alone in order to discuss the matter of the dowry the Duke will receive when he marries the Count's daughter. Evidently the Duke does not want to bring up the subject immediately for fear of appearing too mercenary. Instead he invited the visitor to look at a portrait of his last wife. While he is talking about this beautiful girl, now presumably dead, he reveals his true character as a cruel, selfish, arrogant, vulgar man incapable of loving anyone but himself. He makes such a bad impression on the Count's representative that the man jumps up and starts to retreat down the stairs to the room below where the Count himself and and a number of relatives of the Count and the Duke are gathered. It would appear that the Count's representative intends to warn the Count against allowing his daughter to marry the Duke under an...

Paul is often frustrated by his mother's insistence that he is "legally blind." He claims there are actually many things he can see that other people can't. This proves to be true, but not necessarily because his eyesight is better than other people's, but rather because he pays attention to things other people miss. One obvious example of this is the debate over the expensive koi fish that keep disappearing from their development's lake. All the adults in the neighborhood are outraged by the fishes' disappearance, and are convinced a very sneaky burglar sneaks in at night to take their fish. Paul lets this continue for a long time, but finally speaks up and points out the impossibility of this. He explains it must be the ospreys, large fish-eating birds of prey, that live in their area. First, he noticed their gigantic nests around town, and then actually saw them flying by with koi fish in their talons. The adults ask him why he never mentioned it before...

To write your essay, you'll first want to develop enough of a thorough understanding of the themes in the book that you can write your thesis. Below are some thoughts you might consider. Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go is set in a dystopian England in which human clones are raised and harvested for organs. The novel revolves around the theme concerning prejudice since the clones are not treated as human beings, just as the English and many others were very guilty of treating colonists as less than human in the days of imperialism. Yet, the cloned characters see themselves as being fully human and are shocked to learn that others don't see them that way. The theme concerning hope revolves around the characters' hopes for the future , hopes that are completely dashed by the end of the novel. Ishiguro intertwines the theme of hope and suffering to show how futile hope is in the presence of an oppressive government so long as nothing is done to overcome such a govern...

The 2000 presidential election was between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush.  It was a close election, and the results were ultimately decided by the 25 electoral votes belonging to the state of Florida.   Al Gore had a slight overall majority with the national popular vote.  It took over a month, however, to decide which candidate would receive Florida's electoral votes.   According to the original vote count in Florida, George W. Bush led in the results by approximately 2,000 votes.  This margin was so slim that it required a mandatory recount.  This recount, combined with military absentee ballots, showed George W. Bush leading by less than 1,000 votes.  Al Gore requested another recount in some counties, but this was blocked due to a deadline.  The Florida Supreme Court became involved, and the deadline was temporarily pushed back.  The case of Bush vs. Gore  went to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Ultimately, the Supreme Court decided that another recount would be uncon...

We are asked to graph the following function: `y=log_6(x)` The domain is x>0 and the range is all real numbers. The graph is increasing on the domain, and the graph is concave down on the domain. Some points on the graph: (1/36,-2),(1/6,-1),(1,0),(6,1),(36,2) The graph:

Topic questions are those that open various avenues of analysis and discussion. Perhaps, in the process of generating topic questions, the student may wish to consider aspects of the characters around whom the questions will revolve. Take, for instance, Ralph and Jack. Even if Jack is to be the primary focus, the student can gain better insight into his character by contrasting him with Ralph, for instance. Questions in this area of discussion could be something like these: How does Jack effectively demonstrate his leadership over others? What tactics does Jack use to motivate the hunters (i.e. to what does he appeal)? Are others involved in effecting this motivation? How does Jack differ from Ralph in his leadership role? (Jack's leadership involves some intimidation because the boys fear him. This condition is evident in the beginning of the narrative when the choir all march into camp behind Jack after Ralph has blown the conch. Later, when votes are cast for who will be leader,...

In "Shooting An Elephant," the Burmese people are marginalized and silenced by the British in a number of ways. We see this most clearly in the second paragraph when Orwell describes life in Burma under British control. Orwell himself describes the British as the "oppressors" and graphically describes the imprisonment of the locals: The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups. Furthermore, from his description, we learn that the British use extreme violence to discipline these prisoners, as Orwell has witnessed first-hand: The scarred buttocks of the men who had been Bogged with bamboos. Finally, through Orwell's response to the escaped elephant, we see another form of marginalization at play: Orwell patrols the town of Moulmein with his rifle, "an old .44 Winchester." That Orwell and other British officers are armed with such weapons demonstrates that the British are prepared to silence the Burmese using any means necessary.

At the end of Langston Hughes' short story "Thank You M'am" Roger is virtually left mute when Mrs. Jones ushers him out the front door of her apartment building: "He barely managed to say 'Thank you,' before she shut the door." Certainly Roger had a range of emotions going through his head at this point. He probably wanted to express his profound gratitude to Mrs. Jones for simply recognizing him and treating him like a human being. Apparently, Roger is neglected at home and part of his feeble attempt at stealing her purse could be considered a plea for help. He is quite obviously not skilled at being a thief and definitely not a hard core juvenile delinquent. Fortunately for Roger he ran into Mrs. Jones who, rather than turn him into the police, took him under her arm, literally and figuratively, cooked him dinner and even gave him money for the shoes he claimed he wanted. Therefore, Roger was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to truly tha...

For the butterfly, its evolutionary story began around 30 million years ago, according to the fossil record. Insects evolved wings to get from place to place and to reach more sources of food--in this case, flowers. Butterflies also evolved in order to migrate when Earth's temperatures cooled. Natural selection is the process by which certain members of the population die out and are not able to pass along their genes. This is how traits more fit for a certain environment in a species are able to be inherited. Since butterflies are a prime food for birds, many developed protective coloration, either to blend in or to ward of predators. Some butterflies are able to blend in with leaves or to look like an unopened flower when the insect is still, while others are brightly colored which in the animal world often symbolizes poison. Some butterflies are harmful if eaten by other organisms, while others have simply evolved to have the poisonous colorings. The insects who did not have the...

I assume that you are asking about results that either lie outside a confidence interval, or results during a hypothesis test that lie in the critical region (tail.) When creating a confidence interval we start with a point estimate for the population parameter we are interested in. For example, if we want to know the average height we might assume that the average from a random sample of sufficient size is a decent point estimate. Understanding that the point estimate is not likely to exactly match the population parameter, we introduce an error term. This is added to and subtracted from the point estimate to create a confidence interval. The error term includes the standard error of the measurement, as well as a factor that is derived from the confidence level we want to achieve. (The larger the confidence, the larger the interval will be.) If a secondary test gives results outside this confidence interval, is the result "wrong"? Not necessarily. Suppose the interval was cr...

The tone of "I taste a liquor never brewed" is that of mystical ecstasy. The narrator compares the joy of a summer's day to the joy of being drunk. In the second stanza, she calls herself "an inebriate of the air," meaning she has become drunk from drinking in air. The other words in this stanza, including "debauchee" and "reeling," also convey the sense of utter enjoyment that the narrator experiences in nature. The tone is also mystical because the narrator is so exhilarated by nature that she acquires the supernatural ability to drink more than the bees and butterflies. In addition, in the final stanza, the narrator says that she will continue to drink from the sun even as the angels and saints rush to the windows to see her, adding to the mystical tone of the poem.

At the end of The Giver , it is assumed that Jonas and little Gabriel reach safety in Elseware.  When Jonas first left his community, search planes had frequently flown overhead.  Jonas had to hide whenever he heard or saw one.  Then that changed: ... the frequency of the planes diminished.  They came less often, and flew, when they did come, less slowly, as if the search had become haphazard and no longer hopeful.  Finally there was an entire day and night when they did not come at all ( The Giver, Chapter 21). Jonas began to have less fear of being caught.  He felt confident that searchers were no longer trying to find he and Gabriel.  Instead, he faced new challenges of hunger, thirst, and exhaustion.  Jonas noticed the changes in the scenery.  There were lush forests and refreshing streams.  As Jonas travelled, he "felt that Elsewhere was not far away" (Chapter 23).   Jonas climbed to the top of a hill with Gabriel.  When he reached the top, he could see a house with glo...

Ambivalence can refer to having positive and negative feelings about people or situations at the same time. As a result, someone with conflicting feelings about someone or something might have trouble making choices. Additionally, an ambivalent individual might also say or do contradictory things, thereby sending mixed signals about how he or she feels. Holden certainly demonstrates ambivalence in different situations throughout Salinger's  The Catcher in the Rye . Specifically, just to name a few examples, Holden has conflicting emotions about his brother, the prostitute he invites to his hotel room, and his friend Sally Hayes First, Holden loves and respects his older brother D.B. because he is a good writer. At the same time, Holden despises his brother for ditching a career as an author and going to work as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Holden's ambivalence can be seen in the following passage: [D.B.] used to be just a regular writer, when he was home. He wrote this terrific...

Given `y=e^(x/2)+e^(-x/2), y=0 x=-1,x=2` so the solid of revolution about x-axis is given as `V = pi * int _a ^b [R(x)^2 -r(x)^2] dx` here `R(x) = e^(x/2)+e^(-x/2)` `r(x)=0` and the limits are `a=-1 ` and` b=2` so , `V = pi * int _a ^b [R(x)^2 -r(x)^2] dx` = `pi * int _-1 ^2 [(e^(x/2)+e^(-x/2))^2 -0^2] dx` =`pi * int _-1 ^2 [(e^(x/2)+e^(-x/2))^2 ] dx` =`pi * int _-1 ^2 [(e^(x/2)+e^(-x/2))^2 ] dx` =`pi * int _-1 ^2 [e^x+e^(-x)+2 ] dx` =`pi * [e^x -e^(-x)+2x]_-1 ^2 ` =`pi * [[e^2 -e^(-2)+4]-[e^(-1) -e^(1)+2(-1)]] ` =`pi*[[11.253]-[-4.350]]` =`pi*[15.603] ` =`49.018` is the volume

Life is simply a term that distinguishes animate from inanimate beings. In general, a being is considered alive if it is capable of taking in nourishment and responding to stimuli.  A meaning is properly a characteristic of words, not of beings, and thus one cannot accurately speak of lives having "meaning;" this is a category mistake in popular usage. Many religious, philosophical, and scientific systems seek to find purpose in the lives of individuals and species. While some scientists would argue that trying to attribute purpose to the existence of living beings is a mistake, others would argue that "God does not play dice with the universe" and that our existence and purpose are not random. Evolutionary biologists argue that the purpose of the individual is to propagate the species. Most religions believe living beings exist to fulfill divine will. Some philosophical systems such as Existentialism argue that each person must find his or her own purpose in life v...

When the narrator provides some exposition, it is clear that Georg and Ulrich have inherited this family quarrel. However, they have taken that inheritance and channeled it into their own mutual hate for one another. When they first meet in the forest, that hate is present.  Each had a rifle in his hand, each had hate in his heart and murder uppermost in his mind.  But in the following sentences, the narrator adds that the men are not absolute savages in regards to their mutual hate. In fact, Georg and Ulrich show a fleeting moment of civilized behavior:  But a man who has been brought up under the code of a restraining civilization cannot easily nerve himself to shoot down his neighbor in cold blood and without a word spoken, except for an offense against his hearth and honor.  This hesitation suggests that both men are capable of civilized behavior. This hesitation also allows just enough time for the tree to fall on both men, pinning them to the ground. It is in this predicament, fa...

One of the first reasons that Custer lost the battle had to do with incorrect intelligence estimates of the enemy forces. He and his men were operating under the assumption that there were fewer than 1000 hostile Native Americans operating in the area when in fact the numbers were likely somewhere between 1500-2500. One of the other factors had to do with the fact that Custer's force had been effectively split when he sent Reno to attack the village and both Reno's troopers and Bentee's men were unable to rejoin Custer's main group before they were crushed by the Native American forces. Although it is impossible to know exactly what happened because of the various accounts and the fact that none of the men directly under Custer's command survived, there are also indications that the men had panicked and were not responding to orders during the onslaught by the Native Americans. Though there is some evidence that officers were able to reassert some control prior to t...

A thesis statement has two aims, to state your main idea, which is your thesis, and to list the points you will make to support that idea.  These are combined into one sentence that should be placed at the end of your introduction. The starting point is to decide what your main idea is for your essay, what you want the reader to take away after reading your essay.  In this particular story, there are any number of main ideas you might want to focus on.  For example, your main idea might be that Madame Loisel is a particularly unlikable person.  Or your main idea could be that Madame Loisel is a dishonest woman.  You might also think that Madame Loisel learned a lesson in this story.  What lesson might that be?  It is up to you to settle on one main idea, and then you can decide how to support it.  Let's suppose for the moment that you have decided your thesis is that Madame Loisel is quite unlikable.  Three ways to support that idea are to show that she is vain, never satisfied, an...

"The Explosion" by Philip Larkin was written in response to accounts of mining disasters. There are actually two sources Larking used, a BBC documentary on mining aired in December 1969 and a song, “The Trimdon Grange Explosion” by Thomas “Tommy” Armstrong, about a disaster at Trimdon, a coal mine near Durham, England on 15 February 1882, in which 74 people were killed. The main theme of the poem is the contrast between everyday life and disaster. The instant before the disaster, there is no sense, as there would be in a heroic epic, of impending doom. Instead, the miners are going about their ordinary business, mainly concerned with foraging for extra food. The environment surrounding the mine appears cheerfully pastoral, with larks and cows.  The explosion occurs in a single, almost transcendent instant, connecting the ordinary with tragic grandeur. At such moments, the poem suggests, only religion contains the necessary iconography and language to respond to the situation....

In Chapter 8, it begins to snow. Scout has never seen snow before, so she thinks something horrible is happening. According to Eula May, it hasn't snowed since 1885, so Scout would never have had the opportunity to encounter it. Jem and Atticus know enough to know what snow is, but they don't have experience with it either.  Atticus says, "Looks like all of Maycomb was out tonight, in one way or another," because he realizes that it was Boo Radley who put the blanket on Scout without her noticing. Everyone else in town was helping to tame the spreading fire at Miss Maudie's, including Nathan Radley. Jem and Scout were standing in front of the Radley property, which means they were in prime position for Boo to see how cold they were through his window.  The "Absolute Morphodite" is how Miss Maudie refers to the snowman in the Finch's yard. Morphodite is another word for hermaphrodite, meaning something that has traits of both sexes. The snowman was or...

The  Harry Potter books are full of spells that are learned and used by the various characters. The spells were all invented by J.K Rowling, though many of their roots are related to Latin and English. Here are five of the most important spells used in the series with their meanings and some context for when they were used: Alohamora-this spell is used to unlock doors. Hermione was the first to use it in the first book of the series when she, Ron, and Harry were sneaking around Hogwarts. Wingardium leviosa-this is a levitation spell, to make things float and fly. Professor Flitwick teaches it to the class, which includes Hermione, Ron, Harry, Neville, and the other Gryffindors. Their first task is to make a feather levitate. Hermione is the only successful one at first; she says it's because the others are pronouncing it incorrectly. Expelliarmus-this spell is used to disarm one's opponent and take away their wand. It is a fairly simple spell, but it gains fame because Harry u...

This play was first published in 1970. It was therefore written during the time of growing public protest against America’s involvement in the war with Vietnam. Readers, performers, and audiences back then immediately saw the parallels between this script and real life. On May 4, 1970, four students were killed by the Ohio National Guard during a large protest at Kent State University. Individuals at other gatherings and sit-ins were being arrested and were being sent to jail for their anti-war stands and beliefs. Henry Thoreau’s historic experience was almost held as a model for these acts of “civil disobedience.” This new play reflected its time. And yet, since it was written generally enough without specifically mentioning Vietnam, it could serve as a protest against any war, anywhere, at any time. The nightmare scene puts Henry on the edge of a battlefield in or near Mexico. Masses of people – representing mainstream society -- are loudly joining the chants “Learn to kill!” and “Go...

You should, firstly, consider beginning your essay with a strong thesis statement which incorporates the question and clearly indicates the direction your essay will take. Once this is done, you need to construct paragraphs which will obviously deal with the topic and follow on your thesis statement. You need to remember that your discussion requires a critical approach which means that you have to consider using apt references from the text and then make a case for these as evidence in support of your thesis statement. Each of your paragraphs should deal with one aspect or point in support of your statement and should, therefore, each have a topic sentence with supporting quotes and evidence. Ensure that you use connectives to join paragraphs. There must be a logical sequence or flow from one paragraph to the other. If you fail to do this, your essay may seem disjointed and poorly constructed. Finally, your essay should provide an adequate conclusion. The conclusion, in essence, is a ...

`lim_(x->1) (ln(x))/(sin(pix))` To solve, plug-in x = 1. `lim_(x->1) (ln(x))/(sin(pix)) = (ln(1))/(sin(pi*1)) = 0/0` Since the result is indeterminate, to find the limit of the function as x approaches 1, apply L'Hopital's Rule. So, take the derivative of the numerator and the denominator. `lim_(x->1) (ln(x))/(sin(pix)) =lim_(x->1) ((ln(x))')/((sin(pix))') = lim_(x->1) (1/x)/(pi cos(pix)) = lim_(x->1) 1/(pix cos(pix))` And, plug-in x = 1. `= 1/(pi*1*cos(pi*1))=1/(pi*cos(pi)) = 1/(pi*(-1)) = -1/(pi)` Therefore,  `lim_(x->1) (ln(x))/(sin(pix))=-1/pi` .

Warm water usually rises, while cold water sinks. Earth's climates are controlled by ocean currents, and the weather on the Atlantic coast of the United States is controlled by the Gulf Stream. If oceans warm, it could melt more of the ice caps which would increase ocean levels and put many places underwater. Warmer waters could also destroy a lot of the microorganisms that feed small fish, which is problematic because these small fish go on to feed larger fish, such as tuna, that the world needs for its economy and food. When one link of the ocean food chain is removed, all life is affected. This is already noticeable as sea lions migrate further south in California and their food source is not available. Also, jellyfish and sharks are changing their patterns based on warmer ocean currents which affects swimmers.  

The best way to ascertain what architecture represents in  Beowulf  is to closely analyze the poem's most important architectural structure: Heorot, Hrothgar's celebrated mead hall.  Overall, Heorot is described as being an elegant structure built of wood and decorated with gold. It is an important gathering place for Hrothgar and his most trusted allies, and it primarily serves as a space for eating, drinking, celebrating, telling tales, and sleeping. More importantly, it is noted to be a place of light and joy, especially at night, and these latter qualities are ultimately the characteristics that anger Grendel.  In short, we can see Heorot as a valuable community space in which members of a society are (supposedly) safe and secure from the dangerous wilderness. By extension, we can hypothesize that Heorot (and architecture in general in  Beowulf ) represents the safety and security of civilized society set apart from the chaos of the wild. As such, it's hardly surprising...

In section seven, Elie and his father are on their way from Gleiwitz to Buchenwald. Death is all around him as the forced march from Buna to Gleiwitz has taken a heavy toll on the Jews. They have been crowded onto train cars in the bitter cold of winter. In the first paragraph of the section Elie uses a metaphor comparing his brain to a rushing whirlpool where all of the memories of his past life are wasting away. At this point, he is thinking of death and the apathy that surrounds it. He also uses the extended metaphor of night to describe the experience of the concentration camps: Pressed up against the others in an effort to keep out the cold, head empty and heavy at the same time, brain a whirlpool of decaying memories. Indifference deadened the spirit. Here or elsewhere—what difference did it make? To die today, tomorrow, or later? The night was long and never ending. In the next paragraph, Elie uses a simile to describe a pile of dead bodies. It is a scene reminiscent of those ca...

In Walden , Thoreau states that capitalism destroys the working man. He says: "Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day; he cannot afford to sustain the manliest relations to men; his labor would be depreciated in the market. He has no time to be anything but a machine" (page 3 in the Dover edition).  Thoreau believes that capitalism degrades people by making them toil incessantly so that they can no longer exercise integrity or show the marks of their humanity. Instead, their constant need for work makes them into beings who are like machines in their relentless completion of tasks. He compares working in the northern factories and farms to labor that is akin to slavery. He says, "there are so many keen and subtle masters that enslave both north and south" (page 4). The worst situation, he says, is when people become their own slave masters and work themselves into a state of ruin.  Unlike capitalism and the free market, which advo...

Given ` y'+(2x-1)y=0` when the first order linear ordinary differential equation has the form of `y'+p(x)y=q(x)` then the general solution is , `y(x)=((int e^(int p(x) dx) *q(x)) dx +c)/e^(int p(x) dx)` so, `y'+(2x-1)y=0--------(1)` `y'+p(x)y=q(x)---------(2)` on comparing both we get, `p(x) = (2x-1) and q(x)=0` so on solving with the above general solution we get: y(x)=`((int e^(int p(x) dx) *q(x)) dx +c)/e^(int p(x) dx)` =`((int e^(int (2x-1) dx) *(0)) dx +c)/e^(int (2x-1) dx)` first we shall solve `e^(int (2x-1) dx)=e^(x^2 -x) `      so proceeding further, we get y(x) =`((int e^(int (2x-1) dx) *(0)) dx +c)/e^(int (2x-1) dx)` = `((int e^(x^2 -x)  *(0)) dx +c)/(e^(x^2 -x) )` =`0+c/e^(x^2 -x)` = `e^(x-x^2+c )  ` `y(x) =e^(x-x^2+c) ` to find the particular differential equation we have y(1)=2 => `y(1)=e^(1-1^2+c)` => `e^c =2` => `c = ln(2)` `y(x) = e^(x-x^2+ln(2))`  `y(x) = e^ln2e^(x-x^2)`  So,   `y(x) = 2e^(x-x^2)` 

Liesel and Hans were practicing reading in the basement before Max arrived.  Reading was very important to Liesel.  It was her escape from the war.  She made a dictionary out of the walls.  After Max arrived, Liesel associated him with reading too, and the two of them formed a relationship around words. When Max first arrives, Liesel is fascinated by him.  She does not quite know what to do, because she knows that his presence puts them in danger.  She feels bad for him because he has been relegated to the basement by Germany’s ridiculous policies against Jews. Liesel is also fascinated because in addition to showing up unexpectedly, Max showed up with a book.  The book was Mein Kampf , Hitler’s book explaining his “struggle.”  Liesel tries to ask Max about it. He looked up from the pages, forming his fingers into a fist and then flattening them back out. Sweeping away the anger, he smiled at her. He lifted the feathery fringe and dumped it toward his eyes. “It’s the best book ever.” L...

In Gary Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars , the greatest similarity in background Danny Hupfer and Mai Thi Huong share is that they both come from ethnic minority groups that are persecuted . Danny is Jewish, whereas Mai Thi is a Vietnamese refugee. Despite their background of persecution, or perhaps in part because of it, both prove to be very brave characters . Danny demonstrates bravery by devotedly practicing for and following through with his bar mitzvah. He is terrified of his bar mitzvah because he knows that if he makes a mistake, he'll bring shame to his whole family. Yet, because he knows it is such an important tradition in his heritage and because his friends are encouraging him, he follows through with devotedly practicing . By June, Holling reports that Danny sang at his bar mitzvah brilliantly, as if "God himself [was] leading the music" ("June"). In addition, Danny demonstrates bravery by standing up for Holling when Mickey Mantle insults him, r...

The speaker would prefer not to have the wall since they have to mend it every year and neither neighbor has livestock. The speaker does not like having the wall.  He finds it inconvenient and kind of pointless, since neither of the neighbors have livestock that might cross from one person’s land to the other.  It also needs repair each year, which is annoying. Every spring, the speaker and his neighbor meet for a day to repair the wall.  Its stones need to be replaced. I let my neighbour know beyond the hill; And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each.  The speaker’s point is that there is no real reason to have the wall there at all, let alone to keep it in good repair.  The neighbor claims that good fences make good neighbors.  He clearly prefers some separation between them.  The speaker doesn’t see the point.  He has apple trees, and his neighbor has pine trees.  ...

Marvell uses several types of figurative language in this poem. In the first stanza, he describes the way in which the lover who narrates the poem would pursue love languidly and without rushing if time were no object. The lover compares his love to the slow growth of a vegetable: "My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires and more slow." His love would increase as slowly as empires grow and would become as vast. "My vegetable love" is an example of a metaphor, as is the comparison of the growth of his love to the growth of empires. In the second stanza, he uses other metaphors to explain that time is rapid and forever proceeding. He says that he can always hear "Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near; / And yonder all before us lie Deserts of vast eternity." In these lines, he compares time to a chariot that is traveling quickly by him, as if it were carried by horses, and he says that eternity is a vast desert filled with nothingness. These two id...

Corrie Ten Boom encountered hardships in her life even before she was imprisoned and sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp. As a woman, she had to struggle against misconceptions of her skill as a watchmaker. She persevered, however, and became the first woman watchmaker in Holland. Her ability made her a partner with her father in their shop. Corrie also faced rejection from a man she loved, Karel. His family did not approve of her, wanting Karel to form a marriage connection with a wealthier family. Corrie quietly accepted this decision, though she never formed another relationship, remaining unmarried for her entire life. This loneliness she endured was relieved only by her faith in God and the love of her own family. Her hardships reached unimaginable levels in Ravensbruck. She lost her beloved father, who died in prison not long after their arrest. Beyond the physical and psychological abuse from the camp guards, Corrie struggled with her faith in God. Her sister, Betsie, was fir...

Jonas experiences feelings of apprehension in the months leading up to the ceremony when he will find out his career assignment.  He is not exactly sure why he has these feelings of uncertainty.  During a conversation with his parents, his father mentions that there is an "element of suspense... with [Jonas'] Ceremony."  His father explains that he did not experience this himself as a boy because he and his parents were fairly confident of what his Assignment would be.  He had gravitated toward caring for newchildren during his volunteer time.  This was "what [his] aptitude was." This sort of aptitude is not something experienced by Jonas.  He does not know what his Assignment will be.  He does not even have "the slightest idea what Assignment the Elders [will] be selecting for his future."  Some of the other children who are the same age as Jonas have been performing their volunteer work at a specific place or in a certain field.  Jonas had "chos...

Hello! The simplest method is to compute the surface area of the cube, its volume and then find their ratio. Denote the length of a side as `b` centimeters. The volume of a cube with the side length `b` is `b^3` (this is the base for defining volumes of more complex figures). The surface of a cube consists of `6` congruent squares: we may call them upper, lower, left, right, front and rear. The surface of each of these squares is `b^2,` thus the surface area of a cube is `6b^2.` So the ratio in question is equal to  `(6b^2)/(b^3) = 6/b.` If `b = 3 cm,` the value of this ratio is  `6/(3 cm) = 2 (cm)^(-1),` which is the answer (yes, the dimension of this quantity is `(cm)^(-1) = 1/(cm)` ).

 In "Shooting an Elephant," the elephant functions as a symbol of imperial oppression. This is demonstrated most clearly through the image of the elephant "chained up" which illustrates the extent of British control over the Burmese people. That the elephant goes on a rampage across the town symbolizes the inner desires of the Burmese to be liberated from their British oppressors Conversely, the officer functions as a symbol of British power and control. Moreover, armed with his gun, the officer represents order in a very disordered and chaotic setting. That the officer has no real desire to shoot the elephant, however, evokes his internal sense of conflict: he realises that he must take action, because the nature of imperialism demands it, but, on a human level, he has no wish to harm the animal. Taken together, then, these symbols illustrate Orwell's central message: that imperialism does not really benefit anybody. It makes the oppressors acts immorally and k...

First, you might want to begin by demarcating the boundaries of your discussion. Most poetry has little to do with social reform, and many theories of poetry emphasize either the way in which oral-traditional poetry sustain cultural traditions or the way poetry should be independent of morality or other practical issues ("art for art's sake"). Many people see prose as the natural medium of calls for social reform and would argue that poetry that explicitly calls for social reform is often merely versified propaganda. Once you have dealt with that introductory issue, you might divide your presentation as follows: Poetry that indirectly illuminates social problems . This category might include poems such as Hardy's "The Ruined Maid," Kipling's "Gunga Din," and Meynell's "Lady Poverty." You can discuss how such poems make us aware of the need for social reform without overtly proselytizing. Explicit poems of social reform . Many twen...

In the first stanza, the shepherd asks his beloved to come and live with him. If she does, he promises to make living with him worthwhile. He tells her that they will sit on rocks to watch shepherds feed their flocks and that they will sit by rivers to listen to birds making beautiful music. He also promises that he will make her beds of roses and a "thousand fragrant posies," a cap of flowers, and a kirtle embroidered with myrtle leaves. Next, he begins to paint a picture of how pretty she will look in the way he means to dress her. She will have a fine, wool gown; gold-buckled, lined shoes; and a "belt of straw and Ivy buds, / With Coral clasps and Amber studs." Furthermore, he promises that the young shepherd lads will sing and dance for her delight every summer morning. The shepherd lays out all these inducements to encourage his lady love to come and live with him.

There are two important kinds of equations that are used when analyzing the effects of curved mirrors... Mirror Equation: `(1/f) = (1/(di)) + (1/(do))` "f" represents  focal length "di" represents image distance (the distance between the mirror and image) "do" represents  object distance (the distance between the mirror and the object) Magnification Equations: `M = ((hi)/(ho))`   OR `M = (-(di)/(do))`  OR `((hi)/(ho)) = (-(di)/(do))` "M" represents  magnification "hi" represents image height "ho" represents object height Since our problem mentions  radius of curvature , it's also helpful to recall the following: `f xx 2 = c` "c" represents center of curvature When solving this type of problem, it's a good idea to start by identifying (1) what information we're given in the problem, (2) what we're trying to find, and (3) an equation that connects everything. GIVEN: do = 30.0cm M = +3.0 FIND: c = ...

This poem uses a first person subjective point of view.  This means that it is narrated by a participant in the story, someone who uses the first person pronoun "I," and that it is narrated in the present tense, as events occur.  Though the duke is telling a representative of the count, whose daughter he now wishes to marry, of some events in the past -- as regards the life of his last duchess who is now dead -- the text occurs in the present, as he is negotiating the terms of his next marriage.  It is, actually, the duke's ability to so blithely pass between a discussion of his now-dead wife to the present that makes him such a chilling figure.  Near the poem's end, he says, "I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands / As if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet / The company below, then."  In other words, dissatisfied with the too-joyful behavior of his former wife, he "gave commands" -- either to her, to stop bein...

There are two turning points for Roger's character in "Thank You, M'am." The first is where Roger chooses to stay with Mrs. Jones and wash his face as told to do: "Roger looked at the door—looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink ." The second turning point provides the resolution of the story where, when Mrs. Jones and he are both overcome with emotion, he can manage only to say "Thank you" as she ushers him out onto her "barren stoop" and the street. "Good-night! Behave yourself, boy!" she said, looking out into the street. The boy wanted to say something else other than "Thank you, m’am" to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door. At the first turning point for Roger's character, Roger rejects running out the open door and instead chooses trusting Mrs. Jones and accepting her offer to share her me...

Like most civilizations, Islamic civilizations expanded their empire through conquest and effective leadership. The Muslim world had several characteristics that aided its expansion. 1) Location, location, location. Because Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula, which is at a crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa, the empire naturally expanded into each of these regions. Many of the nearby civilizations, such as the Byzantine, were weak and unorganized at the time, so Muslim leaders were able to enter and overtake these competing empires and continue with their expansion. Islam gained followers, often supporters who disliked their current lives and leadership and hoped to have access to a new way of life under Arab rule. Fun fact: Islam does not allow leaders to force conversion on others, so most conversion to Islam was completely the free will of the conquered people. 2) The Religion. When Muhammad died, the Muslim religion was a little unclear on who should be leader and how success...

When Jonas is assigned as the next Receiver, the Chief Elder says that he has either demonstrated or will demonstrate integrity, wisdom, intelligence, courage, and the capacity to see beyond. Provided below are examples of each trait as found throughout the book. One character trait of integrity is taking responsibility for one's actions. Jonas demonstrates integrity after he takes an apple home from the recreation area. A public announcement is made to remind him of the rule not to take food home. In chapter three, Jonas takes responsibility for breaking a rule by going to the Recreation Director the next day and apologizing for what he did (23). Jonas took the apple because he was beginning to see beyond. Seeing beyond means that he can see colors and eventually gain wisdom from the memories. While using the apple to play catch with his friend Asher in chapter three, Jonas sees the apple change before his eyes. He doesn't know that he is seeing the color red. He asks the Gi...

Historians aren't entirely sure! He doesn't really seem like a very good choice, and there aren't very good records of why the decision was made when it was. The decision was made all the way back in 1869 by the US Treasury, but their own records do not provide any clear rationale for choosing Jackson. The decision was made in secret, by unnamed bureaucrats, and approved by the Secretary of the Treasury. It may have had something to do with his populist image; he grew up a poor orphan and yet went on to become not only a wealthy lawyer but President of the United States. With his true rags-to-riches story, a lot of people saw Andrew Jackson as personifying the American Dream. Still, it's kind of baffling that he was chosen, because Jackson was strongly opposed to the idea of central banking and paper money! Combine that with the history of grave crimes committed by Jackson (particularly against Native Americans), and he seems a more embarrassing choice all the time.

In chapter three of The Great Gatsby, readers have become familiar with Nick as an honest, unassuming man from the Midwest. His interactions with Jordan in this chapter provide potential for a romance that isn't possible with other female characters. He and Jordan have already been introduced by Daisy in chapter one, when Daisy says she's going to arrange for them to be married.  In fact I think I’ll arrange a marriage. Come over often, Nick, and I’ll sort of—oh—fling you together. You know—lock you up accidentally in linen closets and push you out to sea in a boat, and all that sort of thing—— Nick is interested and inquires about her family and her background. When they encounter one another again in chapter three, it is at one of Gatsby's famous parties. Here, Nick begins to see the "true Jordan." He is grateful to see her not because he has missed her, but because he " found it necessary to attach myself to someone before I should begin to address cordial...

Whelan's Homeless Bird  shows how the experience of being a girl is different throughout the world. Reading about Koly makes us realize that being a girl is not the same throughout the world.  Koly's experience in India is different from a girl of the same age who lives in a place like America or England. For example, Koly's experience as a daughter differs from girls in other parts of the world. She must endure being sent out of her home at an early age for marriage and then have to experience the fact that she will never be able to go back home.  This is something that many girls in the west do not have to endure. Koly moves from a girl to a woman in a strikingly quick amount of time.  She marries early and then becomes a widow at an unnaturally young age.  She is subjected to abuse from her mother-in-law and then must wrestle with social sanctions about how a widow must behave.  Girls in the west do not have to wage such battles.  Koly must think twice about falling in l...

The short answer to this question is that Rousseau believed in government based upon the will of the people and created through their consent. Rousseau is somewhat elusive and contradictory in spelling out what such a government should look like, but in general he thought a direct democracy, operating at the local (city, or canton) level was the best form of government. The crucial thing for Rousseau was that government ought to express what he called the "general will" of the people. This concept, which is different from the notions of "majority rule" or "popular sovereignty" that are associated with representative government, was consistent with his assertion that the sovereign could never really represent the people, but only its own will. But at the same time, Rousseau said that government needed educated, competent men to carry out its basic functions. While he thought these men should be elected, he also realized they would probably gain power over t...

The dramatic irony of O. Henry's short story "One Thousand Dollars" involves Gillian's interpretation of the will's stipulation that he must render "an account of the manner of expenditure of this $1000" that is left him by his late uncle. When Young Gillian is bequeathed one thousand dollars by his wealthy uncle, who has supported him throughout his entire life, he takes a rather flippant attitude about having to make an account of its expenditure. For instance, he goes to the men's club and asks Old Bryson, who dislikes him, "Now what can a man possibly do with a thousand dollars?" With disinterest, Bryson offers a sarcastic suggestion after moralizing on what this money could buy. Bryson's suggestion certainly implies foolishness: "Why, Bobby Gillian, there's only one logical thing you could do. You can go buy Miss Lotta Lauriere a diamond pendant with the money, and then take yourself off to Idaho and inflict your presence ...