What is the meaning of the 4th stanza of Eliot's Preludes, especially the lines "I am moved by fancies...Infinitely suffering thing".

A century old this year, T.S. Eliot's
Preludes raises the curtain on his great modernist masterpieces,
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste
Land and The Hollow Men. In essence four poems rather
than one, Preludes can be described as vignettes which span a
single day, and which in their differentiated images reveal the contemptible,
soul-stunting conditions of modern life. These four fragments of a (failed) vision,
themselves point to the theme not only of the poem itself, but virtually all of Eliot's
early work: Western culture is a broken thing. Its human survivors live a rootless,
alienated existence in the modern city.  Only in the fourth vignette does the poet
glimpse a meaning beyond the futility and meaninglessness he
experiences:

I am moved by fancies that are
curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely
gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.

At the close
of the day, as "the skies...fade behind a city block", and the streets darken, filled
with the sound of "tramping feet", the poet is left alone to reflect on another tedious
evening of "fingers stuffing pipes" and small-minded "certainties". Yet in a moment his
ennui is changed; he is moved by the inrushing epiphany of a transcendent perception.
For an instant he sees the 'inscape' behind these dreary images, a Christ-like
"infinitely suffering thing" that can save him.

But such a
'prelude' to a transfigured existence is laughable. With a coarse "wipe across your
mouth" the poet returns to his unbelieving way of life where world both visible and
invisible tediously "revolve like ancient women/Gathering fuel in vacant
lots".

Give examples of when Macbeth equivocates in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth.

An href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equivocator">equivocator is
someone who lies and tells half-truths, or says something ambiguous to mislead another.
In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, the witches are generally
considered the "great" equivocators in the play in the play. (In the second set of
predictions they deliver in Act Four, they tell half-truths to trick Macbeth.) However,
we can see instances, also where Macbeth is no better than the witches for telling
lies.

The first instance where Macbeth
outright lies is when he says he killed Duncan's guards because he was so upset over
Duncan's murder at their hands. He actually kills them so they cannot raise doubts in
anyone's mind that they were "framed."

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MACBETH:

O,
yet I do repent me of my fury,

That I did kill them.
(II.iii.117-118)

He excuses
his behavior, wondering how anyone could be levelheaded in the face
of such horror: seeing his beloved King murdered.

Another
instance is when Macbeth speaks to Banquo, ostensibly to ask him if he will be gone long
when he goes riding—to remind him not to be late for dinner because Macbeth wants to
speak to him. Macbeth is actually making plans to have his friend murdered because
Banquo heard the witches' initial predictions that told Macbeth he would be king, and
Banquo has told Macbeth that he will not be swayed from what he
believes to be morally correct.

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MACBETH:

We
should have else desired your good advice,

Which still hath
been both grave and prosperous

In this day's council; but
we'll take tomorrow.

Is't far you ride?
(III.i.23-26)

Later in the
same scene, Macbeth meets with the men he has hired to murder Banquo. They are not
professional killers, but simply common men whose lives have taken a turn for the worse.
Macbeth has told the men that Banquo is to blame for their dire
circumstances—when they had originally thought it was Macbeth. (The truth is that it
was Macbeth who had beggared
them.)

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MACBETH:

...Know

That
it was he, in the times past, which held you

So under
fortune, which you thought had been

Our innocent
self?

...“Thus did Banquo.” (81-84;
89)

Macbeth goes on to ask
these men (much like his wife asked him with regard to Duncan) if
they are kind-hearted enough to ignore what Banquo has "done," or if they will
be man enough to do something about it.

Of
course, the men believe Macbeth (as most of his peers do at the beginning), never
expecting that this new King of Scotland is lying to them. He tells them that
he could kill Banquo easily himself, but that he doesn't want to
offend important men who are mutual friends to Macbeth and
Banquo.

Macbeth does all he can not only to take the throne
from Duncan, but to make sure it remains in his possession.

In regard to the following statement, how necessary is bureaucracy?If we can agree that individuals need rules and regulations to live together,...

Bureaucracy is the method of creating and insuring the
application of those rules and regulations that are needed in order for individuals to
live together. Bureaucrats are the writers, administrators, evaluators, and enforcers of
the policies and procedures established by society.

In an
ideal world, I suppose bureaucracy would not be needed because people wouldn't need
rules and regulations. If all people were willing to cooperate and share and respect
each other all the time, we could dispense with the need for creating and enforcing
expectations regarding how people should treat one another in all the situations that
arise in communities. Since we don't live in a utopian setting, we need the bureaucracy
that provides a framework of guidelines for coexistence.

In examining the film version of Hamlet by Branagh, what are some of the comparisions and contrasts between the film and the text?A...

This is rather a difficult question to answer, because you
need to remember that any production of a Shakespeare text involves a creative
interpretation of what at the end of the day is just a set of lines on the page. You
would do better to compare two different versions of this
play.

Having said this, you might want to think about what
Brannagh adds to this excellent tragedy and why he does this. One of the most notable
things that he adds which is clearly not in the original text is a sex scene between
Hamlet and Ophelia, which is used as a flashback at various points during the play to
highlight the tragedy of what happens to Ophelia (and to Hamlet) and also to indicate
that they were both very much in love with each other. In the text, it is never clear if
Hamlet ever truly loved Ophelia, and we are left to decide this for ourselves. The film
makes it clear that, were it not for events beyond his control, Hamlet would have
married Ophelia and they would have been happy
together.

Secondly, another aspect that is different is the
way that Brannagh chose to stage the famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy in Act III
scene 1. The cunning use of two-way mirrors means that Hamlet can deliver this intensely
introspective soliloquy to himself whilst being watched from the other side of the
mirror by an eavesdropping Claudius and Polonius. This helps present Elsinore as a place
where you are never sure who is listening in on you.

How to simplify sqrt(2 + sqrt 3) + sqrt(2 - sqrt 3)?

To calculate this expression, we'll have to use the
identities:

sqrt[a+(sqrtb)] = sqrt{[a+sqrt(a^2 - b)]/2} +
sqrt{[a-sqrt(a^2 - b)]/2}

sqrt[a-(sqrtb)] =
sqrt{[a+sqrt(a^2 - b)]/2} - sqrt{[a-sqrt(a^2 - b)]/2}

Let a
= 2 and b = 3

sqrt[2+(sqrt3)] = sqrt{[2+sqrt(2^2 - 3)]/2} +
sqrt{[2-sqrt(2^2 - 3)]/2}

sqrt[2+(sqrt3)] = sqrt(3/2) +
sqrt(1/2) (1)

sqrt[2-(sqrt3)] = sqrt{[2+sqrt(2^2 - 3)]/2} -
sqrt{[2-sqrt(2^2 - 3)]/2}

sqrt[2+(sqrt3)] = sqrt(3/2) -
sqrt(1/2) (2)

We'll add (1) and (2) and we'll
get:

sqrt[2+(sqrt3)] + sqrt[2-(sqrt3)] = sqrt(3/2) +
sqrt(1/2) + sqrt(3/2) - sqrt(1/2)

We'll eliminate like
terms:

sqrt[2+(sqrt3)] + sqrt[2-(sqrt3)] =
2*sqrt(3/2)

The requested result of the
expression is sqrt[2+(sqrt3)] + sqrt[2-(sqrt3)] =
2*sqrt(3/2).

Why might privatization of jails be a good idea?

If privatization is done correctly, it can be a good
thing.  However, it can potentially be dangerous as
well.

Private companies are, of course, looking to make as
much profit as possible.  This will mean that they will look for ways to cut costs when
they run prisons.  This could be a good thing if their cost-cutting is limited to areas
where it is safe to cut costs.  If this happens, they will still deliver vital services
while saving the government money by cutting back on
extras.

However, it could be that prison companies will cut
costs in areas that are inappropriate.  They might be less worried about providing a
safe environment for prisoners.  They might be less worried about doing anything to
rehabilitate the prisoners.  These are things that might be important but might also be
ignored by a for-profit company.

Therefore, privatization
could be good so long as the government makes very clear what services must be provided
and at what level of quality.  If that is done, private companies can probably save the
taxpayers money.

What are some of the most significant settings in Elizabeth Geogre Speare's novel The Bronze Bow?

Elizabeth George Spear’s novel The Bronze
Bow features a number of significant settings. In general terms, the novel is
set in Roman-occupied Judaea during the time of Jesus (first century C.E.). The youthful
protagonist, Daniel Bar Jamin, is specifically described in the book’s opening
paragraphs as a Galilean:

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A proud race, the Galileans, violent and
restless, unreconciled that Palestine was a conquered nation, refus[ed] to acknowledge
as their lord the Emperor Tiberius in far-off
Rome.

This very early
sentence already implies the crucial role that setting will play in this novel. The book
is set during a time and place of great cultural and religious conflict, and so the
stage is already set in the very first paragraph for descriptions of such conflict in
this book.

Other paragraphs early in the book refer not
simply to Palestine in general but to specific places in Palestine and to specific
geographical features, including a “valley,” “terraces of olive trees,” “thickets of
oleander,” and a “brown, mud-roofed town.”  Spear thus goes out of her way, in the early
pages of the book, to suggest that setting will be important in this book and also to
create a vivid sense of setting by using highly precise imagery.  She describes a kind
of landscape that will seem unusual and even somewhat exotic to many of her young
readers, a great many of whom are residents of modern cities and
suburbs.

Various significant places mentioned in the book
include Ketzah, the village of Daniel’s youth; Capernaum, where Joel’s family plan to
move; Nazareth, the home of Jesus; a mountain; a watchtower; a shop; a synagogue;
Jerusalem; a temple; the Lake of Merom; and numerous other places. By emphasizing and
describing such places, Spear makes her book historically credible while not neglecting
to emphasize the trans-historical significance of the events and characters (especially
Jesus) she depicts.

In From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, why does Claudia enjoy planning?

One of Claudia's character traits is her ability to plan. 
To a great extent, her need to plan is to compensate for a certain amount of emptiness
that she perceives in her own life.  Her need to plan is a measure to demonstrate to her
parents and others that she is capable of assuming greater responsibility and
understanding the implications of it.  What planning gives Claudia is a voice and power,
elements that she feels is missing from her parents when they perceive her.  At the same
time, planning is the critical element that will help define her.  Claudia understands
that if she does not plan properly and fail in her running away, her parents will
continue to see her in what she perceives to be a devalued light.  It is for this reason
that planning is so important to her.  It is also for this reason that she enjoys
planning, as it serves to validate her own opinion of herself as being precociously
mature.  Planning gives her this conception of self that is otherwise not apparent
around her in the world.  It is for the reason of voice and power that she becomes an
character who enjoys planning and sees the value in it.

What is the main event in Chapter Six of The Bronze Bow?

Given that this chapter begins as Daniel starts his return
to the mountain after his failure to enlist Joel to support and work for Josh's rebel
group of men, I would argue that the main event of this chapter is Daniel's
confrontation with two Roman soldiers, and how his act of impertinence by splashing
water into one of the soldiers' faces when asked to water their horses leads to Daniel
being wounded. This then necessitates his return to Joel's house to receive aid and care
to heal him, which of course gives him another opportunity to spend time with Joel and
to talk to him about joining the rebel movement and it also gives him more time to spend
with Malthace, which is of course an important relationship in the context of the novel
overall.

Please give an explanation of the following quote from "A Refusal To Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London."And I must enter again the...

This excellent poem by Thomas represents his defiance of
the traditional means of accepting death, and is notable for the way that it reveals
more about the speaker and his own beliefs than we are ever told about the child whose
death triggers off this rumination about mortality.

The
second stanza, which you have quoted, refers to the speaker's belief in the way that,
when we die, our life diffuses into a kind of universal life. Thus it is that when we
die we must "enter again" the "Zion of the water bead" and the "synagogue of the ear of
corn." Note the way that Thomas infuses these examples of nature with religion, using a
metaphor to compare them to places of worship of of religious significance. Death,
therefore, is no more than a return to nature, a means of transforming our selves into
becoming incorporated with nature and life in a different
way.

Only when this process occurs to the speaker will he
then feel free to mourn, as only then will he be able to write about or express the
experience of the child in death and how this child came to become more a part of nature
in his death than he ever did in its life. Thus this stanza refers to the belief of the
poet with regard to what happens with us when we die, and how we become more alive in
our deaths than we do in our life.

How is the Rime of the Ancient Mariner a strange tale?Use examples from the poem to explain the answer

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Coleridge is
“strange” in at least two respects.

Primarily,
there is something unusual in the way in which the Mariner gets the attention of the man
listening to the story.  The listener is on his way to a wedding, to which he has been
invited as a guest.  At first he tries to get away from the Mariner, but he becomes
“hypnotized” by the glittering in the eye of the latter. So he stays and listens,
mesmerized almost against his will.

In another
respect, the tale itself is strange. The Albatross represents the start of the
supernatural events occurring on the Mariner’s ship.  First, it brings good fortune,
even after it is shot.  Subsequently, it is strange when all the crew except the Mariner
himself die.  They then supernaturally return to the ship, after which it sails so fast
that the Mariner goes into a trance.  The culmination of all this is that the Mariner
seeks someone to hear his confession.

The
central strangeness of the poem is therefore the supernatural element, both in the way
the narrator tells his story, and in the story itself.

Make the paragraph below focus on comparison and contrast. Write about the similarities between the two things. Go on to write about the...

From your question, what I think you are after is a list
of ways that you can extend the introduction you have given to construct a comparison
and contrast essay. I have included a link below that should help you with this
question, as it will give you further guidance on how to write such an essay. However,
here are some ideas that you might like to develop in your
response.

Firstly, focusing on the similarities, you might
want to focus on the way that, whether live or watched on TV, baseball is a sport that
has a fixed system of rules and conduct. Secondly, you are able to watch the game and
see the result either way.

However, there are also plenty
of differences. Some would argue that it is much more convenient to watch a game from
the comfort of your own house. You don't need to travel to the stadium or worry about
the whether. You also don't need to buy expensive refershments or pay a lot of money for
a seat. However, others would argue that part of watching a game of baseball is being
part of the excitement of the match, and the way that being part of the crowd adds
another dimension to the enjoyment.

I hope this gives you a
few ideas of how to start. Good luck!

Describe three ways the quote "A person evolves, thus survives, or does not evolve and thus dies" applies to Piggy in The Lord of the Flies.

To evolve means to change or adapt according to the
circumstances.

A first way this quote applies to Piggy is
that for the duration of his life on the island, he does find ways to adapt. He had been
used to the modern conveniences of the society in which he lived, but he learned to do
things differently on the island. No longer did he live with his aunt who owned a candy
store. He had to eat native food from the island. He had to learn to live without an
inhaler for his asthma and eventually one of the lenses from his glasses. Finally, he
had to learn to live without his glasses completely, but this is where we see other
applications of the quote.

A second way this quote applies
to Piggy is through the skills necessary on an island like this one. Piggy was an
intelligent boy with a weak stature. In modern society, he could have been respected for
his mind, but here, he needed to have physical strength. Because he failed to have that,
he lost respect from the other boys that eventually led to his death. Because he did not
evolve from intelligence to strength, he did indeed
die.

A final way this quote applies has to do with social
norms. Piggy refused to jump on the bandwagon when all the other boys began gravitating
towards Jack's tribe. After having been the butt of many jokes before, this further
separated him from the boys making his value even less. Killing him was a simple task
for them because they could have cared less about him.

In Guns, Germs and Steel what is the biggest factor that caused the Maori and the Moriori to evolve differently?

One of the refreshing aspects about Diamond's ambitious
study of world history is the way that he constantly affirms the way that differences in
the level of technology and sophistication in societies are the result not of genetic or
racial differences but a result of differing environments. In Chapter 2, Diamond uses
the case of the Maori and the Moriori as an excellent example of how our natural
environment impacts our level of technological sophistication. Even though the two
societies had only been separated for 500 years, the radically different environment of
the Chatham islands clearly displays the role that environment plays in placing one
nation above another.

Note how Diamond comments on the
context of the Chatham Islands:

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It is easy to trace how the differing
environments of the Chatham Islands and of New Zealand moulded the Moriori and the Maori
differently. While those ancestral Maori who frist colonised the Chathams may have been
farmers, Maori tropical crops could not grow in the Chathams' cold climate, and the
colonists had no alternative except to revert to being hunter-gatherers. Since as
hunter-gatherers they did not produce crop surpluses available for redistribution or
storage, they could not support and feed nonhunting craft specialists, armies,
bureaucrats, and chiefs. Their prey were seals, shellfish, nesting seabirds, and fish
that could be captured by hand or with clubs and required no more elaborate
technology.

Thus is is that
we can see the biggest, overwhelming factor that predicated the difference in the
evolution between these two societies, that formerly were part of the same society, was
environment.

An object is located to the left of a convex mirror whose focal length is -31 . The magnification produced by the mirror is = 0.35.To decrease...

The relation between the distance of the object do,
distance of the image di and the focal length is 1/do + 1/di = 1/f. The magnification is
given by m = -di/do.

Here, the magnification of the object
when it is placed in front of the mirror is 0.35. If the object distance is denoted by
do, we have 1/do + 1/di = -1/31.

0.35 =
-di/do

=> di =
-0.35*do

1/do - 1/0.35*do =
-1/31

=> do =
13*31/7

Using the procedure used above, if the
magnification has to be made 0.26 we have 1/do - 1/0.26*do =
-1/31

=> do =
37*31/13

Therefore the object has to be moved a distance
37*31/13 - 13*31/7 = 2790/91

The distance that the object
has to be moved away from the mirror is approximately 30.65

In "The Devil and Daniel Webster," how was the trial rigged against Jabez Stone?

There are certainly a number of different elements you
could look to in the story to support this statement. The most important, though, is the
way that after Daniel Webster has cogently argued that Jabez Stone is constitutionally
entitled to a trial with a judge and a jury, the Devil selects a variety of pirates and
other n'er-do-wells to form the jury, and Judge Hawthorne, the infamous judge of the
Salem witch trials to judge the case. Note how they are
introduced:

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One and all, they came into the room with the
fires of hell still upon them, and the stranger named their names and their deeds as
they came, till the tale of twelve was told. Yet the stranger had told the truth--they
had all played a part in
America.

The way in which the
judge enters muttering "Hang them all!" in relation to the witch trials likewise strikes
"ice into the soul of Jabez Stone." To what extent can he expect to have a "fair" trial
with such a jury and with such an unyielding and definant judge, who is famed for
hanging so many innocents? Clearly, the notion of Jabez Stone receiving a "fair" trial
at this stage is clearly laughable.

Is there a resolution in "The Most Dangerous Game," or does Rainsford experience an epiphany with no real end to the conflict?Support the answer...

I believe there is a definite resolution to Richard
Connell's short story, "The Most Dangerous Game." It comes when Rainsford returns to
Zaroff's bedroom and begins a new hunt--one that will fulfill the revenge that Rainsford
has apparently decided to seek. The denouement is described in the final
sentence:

readability="5.7777777777778">

He had never
slept in a better bed, Rainsford
decided.

Whether Rainsford
has an epiphany about Zaroff's style of hunt is another story. Rainsford's decision to
hunt and kill Zaroff is nothing short of murder, since Zaroff had already declared
Rainsford the winner of the hunt. Although Zaroff was himself a murderer, he was also an
honorable man, and there is no reason to believe that he would not have lived up to his
promises. Rainsford would have been safe to remain in Zaroff's home, but he chose to
continue playing Zaroff's game--this time eliminating his foe. Rainsford's contentment
at the end appears to come from more than just the comfortable bed; he seems satisfied
with Zaroff's death and, perhaps, even with being the hunter of human
prey.

What is the cause of Creon's change of heart in Antigone?

The exchange between Creon and Tiresias is compelling
enough for Creon to change over the course of the drama.  Tiresias enters the court and
tells Creon of all that has happened in response to him not honoring the dead son of
Oedipus.  Tiresias enters to help the king, as he has done in the past.  Yet, Creon's
arrogance gets the best of him and he hurls insults to the blind seer, prompting lines
like this to be uttered before he leaves:

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And you—know well that before the sun
has
run a few laps more, you will give one from
your loins, a corpse
for corpses, in exchange
for those you have sent from above the
earth(1075)
to below it, the living soul you have
lodged
dishonorably in a tomb, and the
unhappy, unburied, unholy
corpse
you hold back from the gods below.

The idea of Creon having to
"exchange" a "corpse for corpses" is fairly telling.  The fact that Creon's refusal to
honor one dead will result in multiple is something that dislodges him.  The stunning
rebuke of "you will give one from your loins" points to Haemon, and helps to cause a
change in Creon.  Yet, Tiresias continues:

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....this violence comes from you.
For these things,
however, the destroying avengers
of Hell and the
Furies of
the gods are
lying wait for you, that you may be taken
in these same
evils. Consider also(1085)
if I say these things as a hired
accuser,
for a short time will reveal the wailing
of men and women
in your house.

It is
interesting to note that while Creon has acted in the name of the public, as the king,
Tiresias predicts doom on the personal level.  It is not as king where he strikes, but
rather in the idea of the "wailing of men and women in your house" and that the powers
of the divine have aligned against him, Creon, as a person and not as a king. 
Sophocles' inclusions on this point help to bring out that while the Greek rulers were
seen as kings and political heads of city- states, they broke and feared as human beings
would.  Tiresias' prophecies on this level is what haunts Creon and terrifies
him.

Upon such doomsday predictions, the Chorus, assuming a
fairly active role throughout the drama, but really so here, is alarmed at what Tiresias
has said.  Creon's response demonstrates the first moment of his change and why it has
happened:

I
know, and I, too, am shaking in my
heart,(1105)

This is the
moment when the reader understands that Creon has changed.  The prophecies of doom on a
personal level have caused a shift in Creon's perception of himself and his actions.  He
no longer is willing to identify his own belief system as absolute.  Whether he changes
out of a sense of the sincere and genuine, or if he has changed out of fear in the
predictions of Tiresias, Creon has changed in that he is "shaking in" his "heart."  Here
is where transformation has happened in him, but several moments too
late.

In As You Like It, where and how does Jaques shows his conservative idea about marriage in spite of being a cynic by nature?

I think Act III scene 3 is the scene that you should be
focusing on. In this scene, Jacques overhears the courting of Audrey by Touchstone,
which clearly exposes his own lustful intent and the way he wants to marry Audrey so
that he can possess her sexually. Note how the relationship between Audrey and
Touchstone makes a mockery of the institution of marriage. Touchstone insults Audrey,
calling her a "slut" and predicts she will not remain faithful to him, but yet insists
on carrying on with the marriage. Jacques, after making his disdain clear to the
audience in a series of asides, emerges from his hiding place and shares his distaste
for Touchstone's beliefs about marriage by indicating his own traditional sense of what
marriage is. Note what he says:

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And will you, being a man of your breeding, be
married under a bush like a beggar? Get you to church, and have a good priest that will
tell you what marriage is. This fellow will but join you together as they join wainscot;
then one of you will prove a shrunk panel and, like green timber, warp,
warp.

Jacques therefore
clearly shows his belief in the institution of marriage by insulting Touchstone and
urging him to go to a "good priest" that can help him understand the true meaning of
marriage, instead of going through the sham of the wedding that Touchstone intends to
have.

Does "Precious Words" by Emily Dickinson suggest that a special set of circumstances is required to evoke delight? "Precious Words" by Emily...

One could certainly suggest that Emily Dickinson is
suggesting "that a special set of circumstances is required to evoke delight" in the
poem "Precious Words."

That being said, one could also
justify that the special circumstances, as stated in the poem, are only relevant if the
person is facing similar circumstances as the man depicted in the
poem.

While one would like to see the first being more true
than the second, one must first be willing to admit to the power of religion and
God/god. Without this, one could not read the poem and universalize the specific set of
circumstances, as noted in the poem, as being circumstances which work for
them.

Compare and contrast the language used to describe the Lady of Shallot and her castle with Sir Lancelot in "The Lady of Shallot."

Congratulations on identifying one of the central
contrasts in this incredible poem. Of course, Tennyson seems to hae deliberately created
a whole set of contrasting images that deliberately present the Lady of Shallot and Sir
Lancelot in contrast with each other. Notice how, up until the entrance of Sir Lancelot,
we associate the Lady of Shallot with a world of shadows and greyness. The second
stanza, for example, presents us with a rather bleak, austere and colourless
setting:

Four
grey walls, and four grey towers,

Overlook a space of
flowers,

And the silent isle
imbowers

The Lady of
Shallot.

The Lady of Shallot
herself characterises her life as consisting of "shadows" that she is tired
of.

By contrast, note how Sir Lancelot is
introduced:

A
bowshot from her bower eaves,

He rode between the barley
sheaves,

The sun came dazzling through the
leaes,

And flamed upon the brazen
greaves

Of bold Sir
Lancelot.

We associate his
character with action, movement and colour, compared to the passive nature of the Lady
of Shallot. Note how the sun "dazzles" as it reflects of the "brazen greaves" of Sir
Lancelot, and how he is presented immediately as being associated with speed. Tennyson
thus creates a contrast between life and a pale imitation of life, or perhaps between
life and death.

What could be considered the most important battles of World War I and II?

It is important to remember that these were both massive
conflicts, with hundreds of battles on multiple continents, so "most important" is going
to be a matter of opinion.  But in general, historians often agree on a few that were
critical turning points in both wars.  Here are a few that might
qualify:

World War
I:

Battle of the Somme - This
massive battle in 1916 was important in that it demonstrated what a long, bloody and
futile war it would be.  The British launched this offensive and in the first day lost
60,000 men.  600,000 would die before the battle was
over. 

Chateau Thierry - This
battle in 1918 near the end of the war represented the "last gasp" of the German forces.
Once the attack was stopped, mostly by US troops, the Kaiser had to sue for peace as his
economy and army began to collapse.

World War
II:

Battle of Stalingrad - The
turning point on the Eastern Front, the entire German 6th Army surrendered, and from
that point on, Hitler's forces in the Soviet Union were in almost constant retreat. 
Germany never had much of a chance to win in Russia, but Stalingrad marked the beginning
of their doom.

Battle of Guadalcanal -
This drawn out, six month battle in the Pacific pitted Japanese and
American troops that were both, at one time or another, cut off from supply.  Fought at
about the same time as Stalingrad, this is often considered the turning point of the the
war against Imperial Japan.

A Midsummer Night's Dream and the concept of the heroWho is or are the hero(es) in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream?

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a complex play, one that
truly showcases Shakespeare's expertise as a playwright. There is not one but 4 separate
plots intertwined in the play.

Theseus and Hippolyta are
engaged to be married, and since Theseus is the Duke of Athens he acts as civil
arbitrator. He makes a ruling on the case regarding Egeus' defiant daughter, who wishes
to marry a man who is not the one her father has chosen for her. Meanwhile in the fairy
kingdom in the woods, King Oberon and his Queen Titania are fighting over a child
Titania refuses to hand over. Add in some bumbling actors trying to produce a play for
the Duke's entertainment, and some fairy magic, and the reader must realize why teachers
insist on students taking notes!

Several characters have
heroic qualities: Lysander for his romantic efforts, Nick Bottom for his strange and
magical journey, and Oberon for his winning ways. But perhaps Theseus comes closest to
the general answer of what a hero is. He wins over the woman he loves (for it is clear
she does not love him at the play's beginning), he uses wisdom and clarity to rule over
the case of Egeus' claim over his daughter, he is generous to the well-meaning drama
troupe who entertains the wedding guests, and he is blessed by the fairy king and queen
(with whom he apparently had an affair prior to his engagement to Hippolyta). He's
probably what one would consider "heroic."

What are the major events in lord of the flies?All the key facts, the details

1. the boys arive on the
island

2. Piggy finds the counch and Ralph blows
it

3. The first meeting is held and the boys specify what
is needed for them to survive on the island

4. Ralph is
elected leader(cheif)

5. Jack and his choir form the
hunting party

6. Tension between Jack, the antagonist who
only wants to hunt and kill, grows between Ralph, the progonist who continues to belive
that they must try and survive and try to get off of the
island.

7. Talk of a "Beastie" forms on the
island

8. Jack, sick of Ralph and the society he's created,
forms a new tribe and most of the boys follow him.Jack perclaims himself new
cheif

9. Jack and his hunters viciously kill a mother pig,
cut off its head and leave it as a sacrifice for the
"Beastie".

10. The Jack invites everyone who hasnt joined
his tribe to a feast where the eat the pig.

11.Simon is
murdered by all of the boys after being mistaken for the "Beastie" at the
feast.

12. Samneric(Sam and Eric) are forced to join
jack.

13. Ralph and Jack
fight

14. Piggy is killed by
Roger

15. the counch is destroyed after is
falls

16. Ralph is alone and Jacks tribe sets out to kill
him as the did the pig.

17. A rescue party arrives and
Ralph and the others leave the island at
last.

Hope I helped.
:)

What is the literal meaning of the poem "The Divine Image" by William Blake?

I have to say that it is very hard to ever define a
literal meaning of a poem unless the poem includes footnotes the author alone has
included regarding the meaning. All poetry is subjective- the reader alone can define
meaning behind a poem. That being said, there are typically multiple meanings behind
every poem.  What I can offer you is my interpretation of what the poem means with the
hopes that it will help you to find your own meaning.

What
I will do is dissect the poem line by line so as to decipher the meaning of the poem as
a whole.

"Cruelty has a human heart"- The heart, here, is
personified. Cruelty is given the ability to have functions that only a human can
possess. Cruelty is the pleasure one has in causing pain to others. Many times, those we
love hurt us.

"And Jealousy a human face"- Blake
personifies "jealousy" by capitalizing it. Again, this abstract idea, jealousy, is
transformed to something concrete so that it can be solidified as.

"Terror the human form divine"- Personified once again (an
assumption given terrified occurs at the start of the line and needs to be capitalized,
but assumed since the other abstract ideas have been personified). Blake is, like in the
lines before, concreting the idea of terror for the
reader.

"And Secrecy the human dress"- When a person keeps
a secret, they must change the truth about what they are hiding- basically, they are
maskingthe truth. Dress is something we do to hide our bodies from the world (can be
tied to the Garden of Eden).

"The human dress is forged in
iron"- This references back to the last line of the previous stanza. Blake is stating
that secrets are made of iron. Nothing will break the strength, or should break the
strength of a secret. They should not be made or kept
lightly.

"The human form a fiery forge"- This references
back to the third line of the previous stanza. Fiery forge describes something so hot it
can melt metal. Something as hot as a forge can bring terror to the mind. It could also
be referring to terror as being something that can change a person from who they are to
something very different.

"The human face a furnace
sealed."- This, again, references two different ideas. The human face, much like molten
metals removed from a furnace and left to harden, can become something very different
than what one wishes it to be. Jealousy can can the face of a person; once the furnace
door is closed, there is no returning to change what something has become. It will be
like that until the furnace is reopened.

"The human heart
is a hungry gorge"- Human hearts are boundless to the extent to which one can fill it.
When a person is hurt or angry, our hearts typically become so filled with hated or rage
that it never seems to end. To be honestly cruel takes a person who has no void to the
anger and hatred their heart can hold.

Basically, Blake is
personifying emotions that people feel, and then redefining (creating a metaphor) the
personified body part to a concrete, but not human object. What Blake is creating is a
circular pattern which shows the bitter and cruel path one can fall into when one
becomes cruel or jealous, and/or has feelings of terror, and/or what carrying a secret
can/will do.

What is the significance of conserving water?

Water is essential for life. Without fresh water humans
cannot survive. Though a very large portion of the Earth is covered with water, one
should not forget that most of it is water in the seas and the oceans which is salty and
cannot be used to sustain human life.

The water that we
need for our requirements has to be in the form of unsalted or fresh water, and there is
a very limited amount of that on the Earth.

With an
increase in human population and also an increase in per capita consumption of water,
the amount of water that humans require is very close to approaching an unsustainable
level. This would mean a situation where there is not enough water for everyone to
survive.

This makes it essential for everyone to conserve
water using all the methods that can be adopted. A majority of the ways to conserve
water can easily be adopted by people and they would not require drastic lifestyle
changes or a lot of effort.

In a Tale of Two Cities, why do Miss Pross and Jarvis Lorry destroy Dr. Manette's shoemaking tools, in the second book?

On the morning of Lucie and Charles's wedding in Chapter
XVIII of Book the Second of A Tale of Two Cities, Darnay goes to
speak with Dr. Manette per their agreement in Chapter X.  Shortly thereafter, Darnay and
the Doctor emerge, but it is a pale, albeit composed Manette that Mr. Lorry
witnesses.

After the wedding, the Doctor, Mr. Lorry, and
Miss Pross are left alone.  Mr. Lorry observes the old frightened and absent look upon
his friend's visage; Manette's way of grasping his head and wandering away recalls to
Mr. Lorry his first sight of the Doctor at the wine-shop. Shortly after Manette retires
to his room, Miss Pross and Mr. Lorry hear the pounding of his hammer.  So, Mr. Lorry
ascends to the room and calls to Manette, who does not recognize him; instead, he
continues to fashion the lady's shoe on which he works.  Because of Manette's reaction,
Mr. Lorry determines that the Doctor requires rest.  He and Miss Pross devise a plan to
ensure that he get this rest by writing to Lucie, who is on her honeymoon, that he has
been called away professionally, and by telling others that the Doctor is not
well.

After nine days of Manette's shoemaking during which
Mr. Lorry has closely observed him and tried to draw him away from his tasks, Dr.
Manette continues at his shoemaking in an even more skillful manner. However, on the
next day, Mr. Lorry, who has fallen asleep during his vigil, awakens to find that
Manette has put aside his tools and is reading by the window.  At first, Mr. Lorry
begins to doubt himself, wondering if he has merely imagined that Dr. Manette was thus
engaged?  But, then, after conferring with Miss Pross, Mr. Lorry is convinced of the
reality of Manette's condition.  So, again Mr. Lorry speaks to Manette in his
business-like third person, explaining that there has been a relapse in the man about
whom he has earlier conferred with the doctor.  Dr. Manette
confides,

"I
believe...that there had been a strong and extraordinary revival of the train of thought
and remembrance that was the first cause of the malady.  Some intense associations of a
most distressing nature were vividly recalled, I
think."

Further, he tells Mr.
Lorry that he does not believe that anything other that the "one train of association"
would renew the illness.  But, when Mr. Lorry suggests that the tools be removed,
Manette explains that there is yet a sense of terror that the tools, which once were the
only comfort to this man during his imprisonment, be removed.  Persistent, Mr. Lorry
suggests that these tools are a reminder of the man's fear.  "I would not keep it." 
Reluctantly, Dr. Manette agrees,

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"In her name, then, let it e done; I sanction
it.  But, I would not take it away while he was present....let him miss his old
companion after an
absence."

Therefore, he and
Miss Pross determine on the fourteenth day while the Doctor visits Lucie and her
husband that it is best to destroy the shoemaking tools, the reminder of Manette's
imprisonment and torture.

Describe the level of the language of the narrator (Sylvia): is she writing the story or speaking it in Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson?"

In Toni Cade Bambara's short story, "The Lesson," the
author uses first-person point of view. This means that the story is being told from a
character's standpoint. As she describes the events of this day going into the city with
Miss Moore on one of her educational trips with the kids, she speaks using the pronoun
"I." The author also uses a dialect for Sylvia, giving her a voice that lends
authenticity to the young girl's tale, as well as her opinions about inner-city living:
Sylvia has street smarts. To my mind, Sylvia is speaking the story. I say this because
she is not telling the story from a future point, but relating it as if it is happening
at that moment, writing in the present tense.

Toni Cade
Bambara has shown us that while Sylvia has street smarts, she is not well-versed in the
ways of the life outside of her neighborhood. She has no clue as to how to maneuver her
way in an adult world that is dominated by whites. Their world is as alien to her as her
world is to the whites: especially those who shop in a toy store where a toy clown that
flips costs as much as a pair of bunk beds.

By the end of
the story, because Sylvia finally "gets" something of what Miss Moore has been trying to
teach the kids, we can assume that she will not be limited to the lives her parents,
neighbors or relatives have been forced to lead. She will leave the inner-city, she will
probably go to college, and she will rise above the circumstances to which she was born.
Assuming this by Sylvia's last line, "...ain't nobody gonna beat me at nuthin," we would
expect that she will look at the world differently, will not act so childishly, and will
not speak as she does now.

If Sylvia were
writing the story, she would probably be doing it some time in the
future, and the intensity of her emotions might not be as strong and her childishness
would probably not be so apparent. And based upon Sylvia's interest in learning
anything, especially from Miss Moore, I somehow doubt she returned
home that night to write a story. As we come to the end of the account of that day,
Sylvia is still trying to figure out what happened to her that day
when:

Miss
Moore looks at me, sorrowfully I'm thinkin. And somethin weird is goin on, I can feel it
in my chest. "Anybody else learn anything today?" lookin dead at me. I walk
away...

We know something is
happening; since Sylvia hasn't figured it out yet, and she's relatively bright, it's
almost as if she is rethinking the day as she walks home.

What were the causes of unrest in the American backcountry in the mid-eighteenth century?have support details.

The majority of the French and Indian War from 1754 - 63
was fought on the frontier--the edge of settlements in the Appalachian Mountains--so
part of the unrest and discontent was caused by the direct threat during that conflict
and how vulnerable those settlements were.

But I would say
that most of the tension and unrest came from long-running conflicts with Native
American tribes, and tension between settlers and the policies of England and the King. 
Most of those who lived on the frontier were Scotch-Irish, who held no love for the King
as it was.  They viewed restrictions on where they could settle or taxes they were asked
to pay as just a continuation of what they had endured back in
Ireland.

What does the following quote show about Bilbo in The Hobbit: "what on earth did i invite him to tea for!" (page 18).

Bilbo's remarks shows he is an unlikely hero, one not
interested in any type of adventure. Gandalf arrives and plainly says he is looking for
someone willing to go on an adventure. However, Bilbo associates such things as almost
scandalous. Bilbo Baggins and his family were considered respectable "because they never
had any adventures or did anything unexpected."

Bilbo also
is a creature of habit. He enjoys his orderly life and the unchanging comfort of his
hobbit hole. He lives by the clock so the last thing he wants is something as terrible
as an adventure to interfere with his routine.

What is the substitution effect in economics?

Substitution goods are those goods which can be used in
exchange of each other without sacrificing the satisfaction level. On the other hand the
Substitution effect is the effect whereby one good is being effected inversly by another
good.

The idea that as prices rise (or incomes decrease)
consumers will replace more expensive items with less costly alternatives. Conversely,
as the wealth of individuals increases, the opposite tends to be true, as lower-priced
or inferior commodities are eschewed for more expensive, higher-quality goods and
services - this is known as the income effect.

Consider Eliezer's feelings for his family, especially his father.What about his father's character or place in the jewish community of Sighet...

Eliezer greatly respects his father and family. Before the
concentration camps, Eliezer and his family are greatly respected by the
community:

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Eliezer's father, Chlomo, is a "cultured, rather
unsentimental man … more concerned with others than with his own family." He is held in
great esteem by the community and symbolizes
Abraham.

Being extremely
religious, Eliezer grew up with a great faith in God. His father was a local grocer or
shop owner. His father was distinguished and held with great esteem by those of the
community. Likewise, Eliezer greatly respected his father. He shows the utmost respect,
even in the face of death. He and his father survived the horrible treatment of the
concentration camps for a while. Then his father developed dysentery. As Eliezer's
father grew sicker, Eliezer did have feelings of resentment towards his father, feeling
that he had become a burden. Survival was even more difficult with a sick father. Still,
Eliezer tried to help his father till the end.

By the end
of the story, Eliezer's father lay dying. At times, Eliezer thought about taking his
father's ration of food, but he could not bring himself to do so. After his father's
death, Eliezer had haunting feelings because he had begun to consider his father a
burden before he died. Overall, Eliezer treated his father with respect. He tried to
honor his main request, which was simply a desire for
water.

Eliezer gave his father his own ration of coffee,
sipping only a little for himself. Eliezer was a loving son who had been taught to
respect his elders. As a young, teenage boy, Eliezer had an amazingly respectful
attitude toward his father. His father died knowing his son loved him
deeply.

How do I solve the following word problem?A botanist watched the growth of a lily. At 3 weeks, the lily was 4 inches tall. Four weeks later, the...

First, assign the
variables.

x: time of growth
(weeks)

y: height of lily
(inches)

Next, use the given information to write two
points.

At 3 weeks, the lily was 4 inches tall.  (3,
4)

Four weeks later, the lily was 21 inches tall.  (7,
21)

Now use these points to calculate the slope of the
line.

m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 -
x1)

m = (21 - 4) / (7 - 3)

m =
17/4 = 4.25

Now substitute 4.25 in for m in the equation. 
Also, select one of the points and substitute 3 in for x and 4 in for y.  Solve for
b.

y = mx + b

4 = 4.25 * 3 +
b

4 = 12.75 + b

-8.75 =
b

The equation that represents the growth pattern of this
plant is...

(a)     y = 4.25x +
-8.75

To find the height of the
lily after 5.5 weeks, substitute 5.5 in for x and solve for
y.

y = 4.25 * 5.5 + -8.75

y =
14.625

At the 5.5 mark, the height of the lily will
be...

(b) 14.625
inches

There is a restriction on
how high the plant will grow.  A plant will not grow to an unlimited height.  For
example, after 75 weeks, the lily would reach a height of 310 inches.  That's over 25
feet tall. 

The equation does not show these restrictions. 
By definition, a linear equation continues indefinitely in both directions.  Lilies grow
to a maximum height of only a few
feet.

(c) Yes, there is a restriction.  No,
the equation does not reflect this restriction.

What literary elements are in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"?

From the opening hyperbole, Edgar Allan Poe employs
several literary elements in his macabre short story, "The Cask of
Amontillado."

Hyperbole

• The
  unreliable narrator, Montesor, opens the narrative discussing the "thousand injuries of
  Fortunato" that he has had to bear.  Yet, he never enumerates any of these
  injuries.

Foreshadowing

• This
  opening paragraph certainly has the suggestion of Montesor's intentions to be avenged
  against Fortunato as he discusses how he will be
  avenged.


• In the third paragraph, Montesor mentions that
  Fortunato has a weakness of considering himself a connoisseur of wine, thus hinting at
  the means that Montesor may use to lure Fortunato.


• The
  setting is dusk in the time of the "supreme madness."  This approaching darkness
  foreshadows the darkness to which Fortunato will be subjected.  And, the noise of the
  celebration can cover any noise that might draw
  attention.


• Fortunato's name is an ironic foreshadowing of
  his unfortunate end. 


• Montesor's mention of Fortunato's
  drunkenness foreshadows the method Montesor will use to lure Fortunato into the
  catacombs.


• Montesor has made plans for the servants to be
  gone by telling them that he will not return to his house until the morrow.  So, with
  the house abandoned, there can be no
  witnesses.

Mood

• As
  a Gothic story, Poe's tale is dark and foreboding. 
  


• Nevertheless, the mood changes from this darkness to
  comical at times as Montesor describes Fortunato in his tight-fitting harlequin outfit,
  with his cap jingling, tettering in the doorways sputtering "Ugh! Ugh!ugh!ugh!--ugh!
  ugh! ugh!"  He also appears foolish when he ask Montesor if he is not a
  mason.


• Certainly, there is a terrifying mood at thend. 
  Interestingly, Poe subverts the Gothic convention by using human beings for terrible
  deeds.  The horror lies in what they are capable
  of.

Imagery

• There
  is sound imagery with the jingling of Fortunato's fool's bells, as well as his coughing
  from the niter and the foulness of the air.  His screaming of "For the love of God,
  Montresor" is horrifying.


• Sight imagery occurs with the
  costume of Fortunato, the niter-covered catacombs, the bones scattered about, the
  flambeaux, the Montresor coat of arms, and the wall to which Fortunato is
  tettered.

Double
entendre

Montresor makes a play upon the
word mason as he will lay the bricks to imprison Fortunato (bricklayer), but Fortunato
means the Freemason, a secret fraternal
order.

Arabesque

• This
  is a technique that Poe himself named as he has a motif to which focuses upon the
  psychological aspect of a character.  Returning and returning to the illness of the mind
  in the character, certain expressions and attitudes of the character are reiterated. 
  For instance, Fortunato continues to berate Luchesi, he refuses to admit to the affect
  of the niter upon him, and he fails to perceive any
  threats.


• Arabesque also refers to Poe's returning to
  certain characteristics or actions that are
  repeated.


• Montesor returns repeatedly to the idea of not
  going forward because of Fortunato's
  health.

Irony

Dramatic
Irony -

• Fortunato mitigates his
  cough, saying it will not kill him "I shall not die of a cough." Also, Fortunato calls
  Luchesi "an ignoramus."


• Fortunato believes he is safe
  when Montesor plans to kill him.


• Fortunato says, "I
  drink...to the
  buried...."

Verbal Irony

• So
  often Montresor expresses concern for the health of
  Fortunato


• Montresor tells Fortunato he is a
  mason


• Montresor says, "In pace
  requiescat!" meaning really "Good
  riddance!"

What is the theme, setting, and plot in "A Party Down at the Square" by Ralph Ellison?

”A Party Down at the Square” by Ralph Ellison is a
well-written, interesting story.  The subject of the story creates an atmosphere of
disgust and misery. The burning up of a black man in the middle of the town square, the
reactions of the townspeople, and the use of the word “nigger” over and over haunt the
reader of the story.

The setting of the
story is an unknown small town in Alabama sometime in the mid twentieth
century. The narration is first person point of view with a white boy from Cincinnati.
 

There are really only three characters that the reader
becomes involved with as the story
progresses.

The uncle finds
nothing wrong with the scene. In fact, he tells the boy that he will get used to the
event.  Three nights after the initial killing of the black man, the townspeople burn
another black man.  The uncle states that usually two of them have to burn to keep the
other “n…” in their place.

The second character is the
unnamed narrator.  He runs with his uncle to the square for
the party.  What the boy discovers is an execution of a black man.  Everyone standing
around is angry as they poke and prod the black man.  As the boy observes the burning of
the black man, he wants to turn away, but he makes himself watch until the black man
finally burns completely to ashes.  The death is brutal and
repulsive.

The narrator is upset and troubled by what he
sees.  When he vomits after the burning, he hopes to purge the smell and inner turmoil
that he feels.  Despite his revulsion of the event, the boy condemns no one.  He gives
no personal remarks and uses the word “n…” just as much as his uncle
does. 

The last character is the black
man.  The story never supplies the reason why the black man is in
trouble.  He was treated as though he were not a human being.  He was extremely brave as
reflected by the description of the narrator.  The townsmen built a fire around the
black man, strip his clothes off, and pour gasoline on
him. 

He asks for two things as he is
burning.

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“Will one of you gentlemen please cut my
throat?” he said. “Will somebody cut my throat like a
Christian?

And Jed hollered back, “Sorry, but ain’t no
Christians around
tonight.”

It takes  a long
time for the black man to die.  He breaks free when the ropes were burned through;
however, the white men throw more gasoline on him and he burns up completely.  The
narrator comments that he could actually see the black man’s ribs showing through when
he was trying to get away. The boy states that he recalls the scene every time he eats
barbeque. 

The crowd’s response to the killing of the man
brings a form of entertainment to them.  The racism was so ingrained that the people
have no feelings for the man as he burns or asks for help from a
Christian. 

The theme of the story
lies in the prejudice of the people who kill the black man.  Typical of areas of the
south before the civil rights movement, the black people were not considered as a part
of the human race.  The lack of emotion during the killing of the man makes the reader
wonder what would be the stopping point for a crowd capable of enjoying watching a man
burn to death.

The irony of the story
comes from the title of the story.  There was no party at the square on the night of the
plane crash, storm, or burning of the man.  There was only prejudice and cruelty for the
narrator to observe. 

In Chapter 34 of Great Expectations, what is Pip's evaluation of his situation?I really don't get this question if you can answer this, Please do. :D

After living with Herbert for a while in London, Pip
realizes that what Mr. Jaggers has predicted has come true:  "Of course you'll go wrong
somehow, but that's not fault of mine."  Indeed, Pip has gone wrong as he has filled
Barnard Inn with "too much upholstery" and placed "the canary-breasted Avenger at his
[Herbert's] disposal" so that Herbert, too, has spent too much money. For instance, they
have joined a gentleman's club, The Finches of the Grove, where they do little but spend
money.  As Pip assesses his situation, there is a nostalgia for the fire of the forge
and the stalwart friend, Joe.  Pip narrates,

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I lived in a state of chronic uneasiness
respecting my behaviour to Joe. My conscience was not by any means comfortable about
Biddy. When I woke up in the night—like Camilla—I used to think, with a weariness on my
spirits, that I should have been happier and better if I had never seen Miss Havisham's
face....

Pip would take on
Herbert's debt if permitted, but Herbert will not hear of such a thing. So, after
Herbert has spent the day at the banks hoping to find work, they sit down to figure what
they owe and how they will pay it, and to leave a "little margin," but more money is
spent, more debt accrued, and much more action is taken in the computations than in the
paying.  When they were finished Pip would roll his bills into a bundle and tie them. 
And, they are "always more or less miserable" because they do not resolve their
financial problems although they are momentarily soothed by their having put "affairs
into focus" at least temporarily.

What is a possible thesis statement for an essay dealing with Virginia Woolf's short story "The New Dress"?

One possible thesis statement that immediately suggests
itself after one reads Virginia Woolf’s short story “The New Dress” might be phrased as
follows:

Although Virginia Woolf’s short
story “The New Dress” might seem to deal with a character who is almost pathologically
shy and insecure, the fact that the character is female is crucial to an understanding
of her insecurities. Perhaps her feminine insecurities can partly be explained in
Darwinian terms.

In other words, Mabel
Waring might be far less obsessed with the possible shortcomings of her clothing if she
were not a woman but a man.  Of course, the upper-class social circles in which she
moves have much to do with her preoccupation with her appearance, but even more
important is the fact that she is female.  In almost every human society of which we
have knowledge, women have been judged, far more than men, on the basis of their
conformance to (or departure from) certain “ideal” standards of beauty. (Men tend to be
judged more in terms of strength and financial success.) Women have often been
discriminated against because they have fallen short of such supposed standards. Aging
actresses, for instance, often have more trouble sustaining their statuses as movie or
televisions stars than do aging male actors.  Male actors who age are often thought to
have developed interesting “character” traits (think of Sean Connery, Humphrey Bogart,
Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, and numerous others). Female actors who age are often
consigned to bit parts or forgotten altogether.  A few great actresses escape this fate
(Betty Davis might be cited as one example), but on the whole, even today, women are far
more likely to be judged in terms of their physical appearances and fashionable dress
than men.

To say this, of course, is not to say anything
especially surprising, and that is why a Darwinian approach to this theme might make
your argument more intriguing. A great deal of fascinating work has been done recently
about Darwinian explanations of the kinds of prejudices just outlined.  You may want to
take a look, for instance, at the work of David P. Barash (such as his book
Madame Bovarie’s Ovaries: A Darwinian Look at Literature). Barash
will lead you to other important work that might help you place Woolf’s story in an
intriguing larger context. Barash’s book and the studies he cites may help you to give
an unusual explanation of passages in Woolf’s story such as the sentence with which it
opens:

Mabel
had her first serious suspicion that something was wrong as she took her cloak off and
Mrs. Barnet, while handing her the mirror and touching the brushes and thus drawing her
attention, perhaps rather markedly, to all the appliances for tidying and improving
hair, complexion, clothes, which existed on the dressing table, confirmed the suspicion
-- that it was not right, not quite right, which growing stronger as she went upstairs
and springing at her, with conviction as she greeted Clarissa Dalloway, she went
straight to the far end of the room, to a shaded corner where a looking-glass hung and
looked.

Discuss the key traits of the nightingale that lead to her downfall in "The Frog and the Nightingale."

I think that one of the key traits of the nightingale is
loyalty.  She demonstrates herself to be loyal to the audience, for when they appreciate
their singing, she continues on for their benefit.  She really demonstrates herself to
be loyal to the frog.  The frog is able to manipulate this for his own benefit.  He
recognizes that the nightingale sees the frog as a "mentor" or "coach."  It is because
of her loyalty that he is able to manipulate her.  She is so loyal to him that she never
questions the regimen that he puts her through.  She never asks why or to what end it is
to accomplish.  She never objects to the strenuous abuse of her voice to the point where
she ends up dying.  It is her loyalty and her misguided sense of trust that defines the
nightingale in Seth's poem.  It is also this end that allows the reader to understand
that while trust and loyalty are admirable traits in characters, they can be easily
abused and so individuals must exercise these traits with caution and with a sense of
vigilance to not end up like the nightingale.

What are three concepts of revenge during the time when Beowulf was written?

Beowulf exists as a text of the
Anglo-Saxon period. Readers only see one distinct type of revenge in the epic poem:
destruction of sippes/comitatus (sippes: one's clan, kin,
or extended family; comitatus: the friendship between a king and his men). This revenge
is seen twice. First, after Beowulf kills Grendel, his mother goes to Heorot to enact
revenge (destruction of sippes). Then, Grendel's mother murders Aeschere (Hrothgar's
counselor and friend). In an example of destruction of comitatus, Beowulf then, in order
to enact revenge upon Grendel's mother for the murder of Aeschere, murders Grendel's
mother.

Outside of destruction of sippes, Anglo-Saxons
sought revenge based upon feuding and
betrayal. Feuding and betrayal (in any sort or sense) were
both found to be grounded reasons for enacting revenge.

One way to combat, or end, revenge in the Anglo-Saxon
culture was to pay a wergild (the value of a person's life or piece of property). The
Anglo-Saxons defined a value based upon the ranking of all people within the society. If
murdered, the charged party would be required to pay the value of the person's life to
his or her family.

In A Merchant of Venice, is Portia the one who saves Antonio from Shylock's condition to the debt?

To answer your question you need to return to Act IV scene
1 of this great play. This is the famous court scene, where Antonio is taken before the
Duke to hear the case that Shylock has against him and Portia, dressed as the young
learned lawyer, seeks to defend him from Shylock's completion of the debt that he so
foolishly made. Portia shows herself to be incredibly skillful in the wording of the
law, as it is her discovery of the loophole in the bond that Shylock is so determined to
hold on to that effectively allows Antonio to escape his punishment. Note what she says
that saves him:

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Tarry a little; there is something
else.

This bond doth give thee here no jot of
blood;

The words expressly are "a pound of
flesh."

Then take thy bond, take thou thy pound of
flesh;

But in the cutting it if thou dost
shed

One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and
goods

Are by the laws of Venice
confiscate

Unto the state of
Venice.

With these words, it
is Portia, disguised as the lawyer, who saves Antonio from having a pound of his flesh
removed from his body by Shylock, who is intent on vengeance.

How to factor this trinomial 5x^2+3x-14?

5x^2 + 3x - 14

First, set up
your two binomials.  Since the middle term is positive and the last term is negative,
you know one of the binomials contains addition and the other binomial contains
subtraction.

(___ + ___)(___ -
___)

The coefficient of the first term (5) is prime, so the
first terms in the binomials are 5x and x.

(5x + ___)(x -
___)

The last term (-14) can be factored a few
ways:

1, -14

14,
-1

2, -7

7,
-2

Now try out each combination.  Using FOIL, find the
combination that gives you the middle term 3x.

(5x + 1)(x -
14)     middle term = 69x    
no

(5x + 14)(x - 1)     middle
term = 9x     no

(5x + 2)(x -
7)     middle term = -33x    
no

(5x + 7)(x - 2)     middle
term = -3x

That last combination was close, except we need
the middle term to be postive 3x, not negative
3x.  So we switch the + and - signs and try again.

(5x -
7)(x + 2)     middle term = 3x

Use FOIL to
check.

5x^2 + 10x - 7x -
14

5x^2 + 3x - 14

Since this
was your original trinomial, it has been factored
correctly.

Solution:   (5x - 7)(x +
2)

Are there any clues as to the author’s race and gender in the story Bloodchild?

In the Afterword to "Bloodchild" in her collection of
short stories, Octavia Butler says that the story is not about slavery. As a reader,
however, it's hard not to see slavery in it. "Bloodchild" is about humans who for a
reason the author does not tell us have left Earth and have settled on an alien planet
inhabited by a race of insectlike creatures called the Tlic. The Tlic are a parasitic
species; they can only reproduce by depositing their eggs inside the bodies of other
creatures. When they hatch, the larva eat their way out of the host
body.

Before humans arrived, the Tlic used other native
animals to gestate their young, but those animals had developed defenses against the
Tlic. In order to guarantee their own safety, the humans agree to become the hosts for
the Tlic and willingly allow the eggs to be inserted inside their bodies. The Tlic are
very clever. They realize that if they develop friendly relations with the humans, the
humans will more willingly participate in the horrible birth ritual (the hatched larvae
must be removed quickly and the carcass of another animal must be prepared to put them
in or they will consume the host). They also choose to impregnate only males, knowing
that females are needed to reproduce more humans. 

In the
sense that their safety depends on their aiding in Tlic reproduction, the humans are not
free. It is a kind of slavery when you are not allowed to make choices for yourself or
your family.

Other than the element of slavery and the
theme of pregnancy and childbirth, the reader would never know that the author of this
story was an African American woman.

What story can you compare and contrast with "The Yellow Wallpaper?"

I have always liked reading Gilman's story right next to
Chopin's "The Story of an Hour."  I feel that both stories really bring out the
implications of silencing voices. I like comparing the condition of Gilman's narrator
and Chopin's Louise Mallard.  Both characters speak to this idea of seeking power in
their conditions.  They also speak of needing to rebel against this social and
relationship order that precludes wives from having their full will being recognized by
their husbands.  Another interesting condition is comparing the narrator's husband with
Brently Mallard.  Examining how they are both representative of a patriarchal order,
consciously or not silencing the voices of their wives, is something that reflects, to
some extent, how men are a victim of the same order in that they merely accept the
condition that silences women's voices.  They either do not know what to do about it or
lack the vocabulary to understand the need to do something about it.  In this way, a
very compelling discussion emerges on how the issue of women's rights and the
authenticating of experience is something that applies to both
genders.

How do you find the derivative of d/( dx)(y = (3 x-2)/sqrt(2 x+1))?

We have to find the derivative of y = (3x-2)/sqrt(2
x+1))

y = (3x-2)/sqrt(2
x+1))

=> y = (3x-2)*(2x +
1)^(-1/2)

use the product
rule

y' = [(3x-2)]'*(2x + 1)^(-1/2) + (3x-2)*[(2x +
1)^(-1/2)]'

=> y' = 3*(2x + 1)^(-1/2) +
(3x-2)*(-1/2)*2*(2x + 1)^(-3/2)

=> y' = 3*(2x +
1)^(-1/2) - (3x-2)*(2x + 1)^(-3/2)

The
required derivative is 3*(2x + 1)^(-1/2) - (3x-2)*(2x +
1)^(-3/2)

What was the Newlands Reclamation Act?

The Newlands Reclamation Act (also known simply as the
Reclamation Act of 1902) was a law that allowed the federal government to get involved
in creating massive irrigation projects in the Western United States.  The law created
an entity that would come to be known as the Bureau of Reclamation.  This entity was
responsible for creating the huge irrigation projects, using water from dammed rivers,
which have changed the face of the West.

The Newlands
Reclamation Act has impacted the West in many ways.  The most obvious is that it helped
to create the huge dams that have irrigated what used to be desert and have allowed
farms and cities to exist in such places.  At the same time, the Act has given the
federal government a huge role in administering the resources of the
West.

Find the equation of the tangent line to x^2+5 at 2?

The tangent line to a curve, at a given point, represents
the derivative of the function of curve, at that
point.

We'll determine the 1st derivative of the
function:

f'(x) = 2x

But the
derivative of a function at a point is the slope of the tangent line at that
point:

m = f'(2) = 2*2 =
4

Now, we'll calculate the y coordinate of the point,
located on the given curve, whose x coordinate is 2.

f(2) =
4 + 5 = 9

We'll write the equation of a line that passes
through a point and it has a slope m.

y - y1 = m(x -
x1)

y - 9 = 4(x - 2)

y - 9 =
4x - 8

y = 4x +
1

The equation of the tangent line to the
curve y = x^2 + 5, at the point x = 2, is y = 4x +
1.

In what ways is The Lord of the Flies about the power of symbols?

Throughout the novel, the boys "attach" mentally and
emotionally to various items. For instance, the conch symbolizes a form of stability and
authority, as well as a vague sense of democracy. Whoever is holding the conch is the
only one allowed to speak; when Jack throws out the concept, the boys--particularly
those in Ralph's camp--are shaken.

Piggy's glasses are also
symbolic; as the boy with the clearest head, he has the best understanding of their
situation. He knows they are stranded, that no one knows where they are, and that being
as they have no adults around, they need to elect a leader they can all trust. Shortly
after his glasses are broken, the frenzies begin. Jack begins to revolt and play on the
fear of the younger children, and eventually breaks off with his own
group.

The book itself is allegorical, a symbol of
civilization versus savagery. The boys were from a civilized prep school and once taken
out of their highly-structured environment and dropped into nature, the primal overtakes
them.

Who teaches the sheep to chant “Four legs good, two legs better” in Animal Farm?

The mantra or slogan of "Four legs good, two legs better"
is something seen in the last chapter of Orwell's work.  At this point in the novel, the
pigs have completely assumed full control of life in Animal Farm.  The revolution that
brought them into power is no longer something that is in the memory of most of the
animals.  Clover is one of the few holdovers, while most of the other animals consist of
pigs and dogs, the brains and the brawn of the farm's administration.  With no
foreseeable threat on the horizon, the pigs slowly assume all mannerisms of the humans
that used to control the farm.  One day, Squealer takes the sheep far away from the farm
to teach them a new song, for which he says "privacy is needed."  This coincides with
what Clover and the other animals see in a pig walking on its hind legs.  As the pigs
walk upright, mirroring the humans they once overthrew, Squealer recognizes that this
sight might trigger the former slogan of "four legs good, two legs bad."  It is why at
this moment, the sheep bleat out the new slogan of "four legs bad, two legs better" to
once again legitimize the rule of the pigs, something that Squealer mastered over the
course of the work.  The sheep bleat this on for so long that all potential signs of
dissent are muzzled, indicating the absolute nature of the pigs' rule on the
farm.

Compare and contrast the poems the "Wife's Lament," "The Wanderer," and "The Seafarer."

These three Anglo Saxon works represent the beauty of Old
English literature.  Each of these works is a poem--specifically an elegy.  An elegy is
a lament--an expression of sorrow over a loss or death.  Some of the similarities of
these three works "The Wife's Lament," "The Wanderer," and "The Seafarer" are found in
their tone, form, and subject matter.

The tone of each poem
is melancholy.  In each, the speaker bemoans the loss of a past that was happier than
the present.  The wife remembers happier days with her husband, the wanderer remembers
happier times with his lord, and the seafarer declares that the past, unlike the
present, boasted true kings and warriers.  Each speaker is lonely--in a state of exile,
whether chosen or forced--and is fighting to overcome this exile emotionally.  The wife
has been forced from her home by her husband whose kinsmen plotted against her; the
wanderer is now travelling land and sea after the death of his lord, and the seafarer
feels as if his avocation is sailing the cold, North
sea.

As Anglo Saxon poetry, each follows a specific form.
 The verse is alliterative.  Each line contains a pause, or caesura, in its center; and
kennings--descriptive phrases in place of a common or proper noun-- are used that add
richness to the language.

In subject matter, there are many
similarities as noted above, but there are some differences.  Each is told from a
different perspective, and each provides a different view of Anglo-Saxon life.  We
understand the roles of wives and women from the "Wife's Lament." Likewise we understand
the problems that faced a sailor and a warrior from the other two elegies.  The "Wife's
Lament" is centered specifically on a domestic dispute while the other two involve a
wider range of subject matter--a code of conduct and religious
faith.

From whose point-of-view is Freak the Mighty told?Is it first person or third person and who is it?

Freak The Mighty is told from a first-person point of
view. The narrator's name is Maxwell Kane, an enormous boy with a learning disability.
The other main character is "Freak", also known as Kevin, who is extremely intelligent
but has a physical handicap. The two boys forge an unexpected friendship and find that
their abilities compliment each other.

You can identify
first person point of view when the narrator uses the word "I". Second person point of
view is rarely used and uses "you", as if they were telling you what you did. Third
person point of view uses third person pronouns such as he, she, or
they.

Examples:

First

"I
went to the store and bought a
watermelon."

Second

"You went
to the store and bought a
watermelon."

Third

"Alice and
Rodney went to the store and bought a watermelon."

in what ways does the magna carta still impact law?

Magna Carta has been perhaps the greatest influence on our
system of government and justice for all time. It's primary influence is that it
instituted the principle of "rule of law," that is that the law is above the whim or
will of any one person. Under Magna Carta, the King himself was subject to the law. In
the United States, the President of the United States or any other government official
is bound by the law. Secondly, the principle of trial by a jury of ones peers was
established. Although there are rare exceptions (juveniles, etc.) in almost every legal
proceeding one has the right to a trial by a jury of his peers, even for a simple
traffic ticket. Finally, the idea of parliamentary legislation was introduced, an idea
that is behind our United States Congress. It provides for laws to be passed by the duly
elected representatives of the people, not by a single individual. The importance of
Magna Carta can hardly be overstated.

A man inside an insulated metallic cage doesn't receive a shock when the cage is highly charged. Why?

A man in a metallic cage is not affected even when the
cage is highly charged due to what is known as the Faraday cage effect. In a state of
equilibrium, charges are as far from each other as possible. When charge is introduced
into a conductive sphere, which can either be hollow or solid, the charge moves due to
the forces of repulsion between like charged particles and arranges itself on the outer
shell of the sphere. They are the farthest from each other when arranged in this
way.

Due to this the charge inside a metallic sphere is
always zero. This is also the reason why a person in a charged metallic cage does not
receive a shock. This is the reason behind people advised to stay inside their cars
during a lightning storm. Even if lightning strikes the car the person inside is not
affected by it.

In the anonymous Old English poem Beowulf, what is the tone of Beowulf's speech in lines 365-428 (407-55 in the Seamus Heaney translation)?

The tone of Beowulf’s speech when he first introduces
himself to Hrothgar (lines 407-55 in the Seamus Heaney translation) is revealing in many
different respects, including the
following:

• Beowulf first introduces
  himself not as “Beowulf” but as “Hygelac’s kinsman,” thus showing his modesty and his
  loyalty to his own king (407).


• Along with displaying
  modesty, however, he also makes his heroic qualifications
  apparent:

. . . When I was
younger,

I had great triumphs.
(408-09)

• He shows his respect for wise elders.
  (415-17)


• He is not reluctant to boast a bit about his
  “awesome strength” (418), thus once again suggesting his qualifications as a
  hero.


• In particular, he alludes to his qualifications as
  a potential monster-killer when he mentions how he
  had

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. . . battled and bound five
beasts,

raided a troll-nest and in the
night-sea

slaughtered sea-brutes.
(420-22)

• He makes
  clear that he doesn’t go looking for fights but is happy to help those in need
  (422-24).


• He shows respect and deference toward Hrothgar
  rather than seeming egocentric; he makes a “request” to fight Grendel rather than merely
  announcing that fighting Grendel is what he intends to do
  (427).


• He humbly acknowledges Hrothgar’s authority
  (430).


• He announces that his intent, in killing Grendel,
  is not to increase his own reputation but “to heighten Hygelac’s fame”
  (435).


• He indicates his extreme courage and, implicitly,
  his extreme confidence in God’s providence.


• He explicitly
  shows his deference to God (440-41).


• He shows a kind of
  stoic calmness (even perhaps a bit of humor) in imagining what will happen to him if
  Grendel wins the fight (445-51).


• He shows his practical
  side by making provisions for his possessions if he should be killed
  (452-54).


• He once again shows his loyalty and deference
  to his king (454).


• He acknowledges the power of Fate and
  expresses his ready acceptance of it (455).

In
this speech, therefore, Beowulf displays many traits of an archetypal early Christian
hero.  He is humble, wise, strong, brave, loyal, generous, and extremely articulate.  He
knows his place in the “great chain of being” (the cosmic hierarchy); his reason is
tightly in control of his passions; he avoids pride (the root of all sin); he is aware
that earthly life is mutable; he is equally aware that the prospect of life in heaven
with God promises an escape from earthly mutability; and he attempts to live his life in
ways that will glorify both his earthly king and his heavenly
father.