Provide examples of dramatic irony in Act I scene 4 of Macbeth and discuss what is revealed about character in these examples.

The examples of dramatic irony in this scene mostly
revolve around Duncan and his praise of Macbeth and trust in him, even as Macbeth is
already contemplating to kill Duncan to seize the crown himself. Let us just remind
ourselves that dramatic irony is when the audience and one (or more) characters know
something that another character or group of characters does not. Surely the most
powerful example of dramatic irony in this scene comes at the end, when Duncan has
announced that his eldest son, Malcolm, will inherit the crown after his death, and has
given him a new title, the Prince of Cumberland. In an aside that reveals his feelings
about this, Macbeth makes it perfectly clear that he is planning to kill Duncan to gain
the power and position that he believes has been promised to him and is part of his
destiny:

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Stars, hide your
fires!

Let not light see my black and deep
desires;

The eye wink at the hand; yet let that
be,

Whic the eye fears, when it is done, to
see.

This is said in an aside
just before he leaves to go to his castle and make preparations for the arrival of
Duncan and his lords. What is ironic about this though is how Duncan closes this scene,
praising Macbeth's character to Banquo:

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True, worthy Banquo: he is full so
valiant,

And in his commendations I am
fed;

It is a banquet to me. Let's after
him,

Whose care is gone before to bid us
welcome:

It is a peerless
kinsmen.

Duncan's assessment
of Macbeth as being "full so valiant" and a "peerless kinsmen" clearly highlights his
naivety and gullibility. He has already in this scene confessed that he is unable to
distinguish between true loyalty and the mere appearance of loyalty in the case of the
former treacherous Thane of Cawdor, and this is only underlined by the way he makes the
same mistake with Macbeth.

Is there a literary work, possibly one assigned to high school students, that contains political undertones?

I think that teaching nearly any work of literature can
inspire a discussion of its political implications.  In order to do this, one has to
make the argument to students that there are political implications and a residue of
politics to any work that is created.  Even works that seek to not be political are,
infact, political, because they seek to be something else than what is around them.  In
teaching students about the political undertones in work, we ask the students to examine
several elements in the construction of work.  The author's background and biography
play a role in this.  The time period in which the work is created is another element in
this study.  What were the prevailing political attitudes of the time period in which
the work was written?  How does the work approach these notions?  Another political
element was the critical and popular reception of the work.  Analyzing this might allow
another examination of a work's political reality to emerge.  It is here where I think
that teachers and students can assess the political state of any work, and not simply
works that deal with political reality.

i would like an analysis of emily dickinson's poem " she sweeps with many- colored brooms", what does purple symbolize in this poem? what does...

The speaker in this poem is talking to a "housewife in the
evening west" - symbolically, talking to the on-coming sunset as it sweeps (with
"many-colored brooms") across the sky from east to west. As the colors of the sunset
progress across the sky and are reflected in a pond, the speaker comments on the
changing spectacle. Purple in the sky and reflected in the water may simply describe one
of the colors of the sunset. Historically, purple was reserved for royalty or very
wealthy individuals, so the speaker may also be considering that someone responsible for
cleaning the evening sky must be very powerful. In the same way, amber and emerald green
may identify other colors seen in the surroundings or may refer to the wealth of natural
riches being observed.

A cat lies on the floor? can you say that no force acts on the cat? or is it correct to say that no net force?

An object has no acceleration if there is no net force on
the object.

The cat is not moving so there is no
acceleration on the cat and therefore no net forces.

I am
assuming the cat is on the earth, and so there is the force of gravity on the cat, and
an equal and opposite force on the cat from the floor the cat is laying on. So it would
be incorrect to say there were no external forces on the
cat.

I hope that helps, the correct answer is no net force
on the cat.

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare is there any significance in Prudence's name?

Prudence's name does have significant meaning.  The word
'prudence' suggests discipline, good judgment, and high moral character.The little girl
Prudence Cruff in The Witch of Blackbird Pond demonstrates these
qualities through her friendship with Kit. Through Kit's secret lessons, Prudence
applies herself to learning how to read and write.  This requires discipline and effort
on her part. 

Prudence Cruff shows good judgment in
befriending Kit and demonstrates courageous loyalty during Kit's trial for witchcraft.
Kit's hornbook has Prudence's name written all over it. Her father is sure it must be a
spell, but Prudence proves otherwise, demonstrating her high sense of morality that she
would help a friend in need. Ultimately, it is Prudence's testimony that helps free
Kit. 

The following paragraph is quite sketchy. Provide additional support for the topic sentence, and revise the whole paragraph.Newspapers are great....

In any type of topic sentence, you probably want to stay
away from those words that involve excessive opinion that cannot really be substantiated
in detail. I would rework the topic sentence here to read, "Newspapers are valuable
sources of information."  It's a bit more clinical and not as emotional as "Newspapers
are great," but it is also geared towards a point that can be supported throughout the
paragraph.  In terms of the support featured in the paragraph, I think that the basic
idea is fairly good, but might need to be refined a bit.  The second sentence could use
a bit of refining along with combining it with the third sentence.  I like, "While some
of the news can be seen as dour, there are news items that are designed in increase
reader interest."  I would move away from the personalized, "Your" in the next sentence
and pivot towards, "Some of the news is locally driven."  The "fascinating" sentence is
not really needed, as you have already addressed interest of the reader.  The "fun"
sentence needs work.  If you are going to "go there," I think you need to expand this
more, if not drop it entirely because "fun" is too difficult to prove.  You might spend
more time explaining this than everything else.

What contrast do we see between Huck and Tom when Tom desires to "play something" om Jim? (chapter 2 of The Adventures of Hucleberry Finn)

There is a very interesting contrast in the characters of
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The contrast is most evident precisely in their
attitudes towards other people. We find in Tom a more angry, vindictive and malicious
persona than what we see in Huck.

Tom is mischievous by
nature and he behaves badly because he enjoys it. Huck is pretty much the follower and
only causes trouble for minor reasons, such as not wanting to do one thing or another.
Together, however, Huck and Tom are dynamite. One leads, the other follows, both do
something. It is certainly one of the most interesting relationships in
literature.

In chapter 2, we see Tom again instigating a
prank against Jim. During the planning and plotting of the prank we see how Tom was sure
of himself, delighted with the idea, and more than willing to bother something or
somebody, namely, Jim. Contrastingly, Huck was a bit more concerned, felt unsure, and
not as willing as Tom. Yet, Huck simply cannot help himself from the spell that Tom's
personality seems to cast over him.

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When we was ten foot off Tom whispered to me,
and wanted to tie Jim to the tree for fun. But I said no; he might wake and make a
disturbance, and then they'd find out I warn't in. Then Tom said he hadn't got candles
enough, and he would slip in the kitchen and get some more. I didn't want him to try. I
said Jim might wake up and come. But Tom wanted to resk it; so we slid in there and got
three candles, and Tom laid five cents on the table for
pay.

This passage is
essential in understanding the huge difference in reasoning between Tom and Huckleberry.
Tom jumps into action without thinking....he even PAYS to make a prank happen! Huck
seems to use his brain more and is slightly more careful than Tom. Even though Huck
always ends up doing as Tom asks, there is enough evidence to point that, to Huck, Jim
is someone he likes. Perhaps he did not want Jim to get hurt by Tom's pranks. In all,
from the two of them, Huck genuinely seems to care more for people, and for his own
safety, than Tom.