What are some good topics to focus on as I write a proposal for my MA degree in English curriculum and instruction?

I remember having to do the same thing.  It was not fun.  I ended up submitting three different proposals, because the first two were denied.  

Based on my experience, you need to walk a thin line.  You need to pick a topic that has some research in it already.  That makes sense, since you need information and sources in order to compile something for your master's thesis.  The trick though is that you don't...

I remember having to do the same thing.  It was not fun.  I ended up submitting three different proposals, because the first two were denied.  

Based on my experience, you need to walk a thin line.  You need to pick a topic that has some research in it already.  That makes sense, since you need information and sources in order to compile something for your master's thesis.  The trick though is that you don't want a topic that has a lot of research in it already.  Your professors will likely deny any proposal that is a simple rehashing of many, many studies.  

Off the top of my head, you could go with something bold and confrontational.  Argue that Shakespeare should be removed from the curriculum.  Of course that will upset a lot of people, so you would want to argue that he should be replaced by something else, and prove why.  

Regarding English curriculum in the high school that I teach, I have begun thinking that reading 1984 is outdated curriculum.  I believe that Huxley's Brave New World is much more applicable in today's society.  I also believe that his predictions have come more true than Orwell's predictions.  

Those are both very specific topics.  You could go broader.  "Writing across the curriculum" was a big push in education about fifteen years ago.  It has dropped off of pedagogy radar in recent years.  Perhaps you could research into whether or not writing across the curriculum actually benefited student learners in the way that it was supposed to.  

A possible different broad topic is regarding grammar.  Is teaching grammar at the high school level beneficial to student learners anymore?  There is no shortage of spelling and grammar auto-checking that goes on, and basic sentence diagramming has disappeared from standardized testing.  So should intense grammar teaching be dropped in favor of more writing? Especially since tests like the SAT now have such a huge writing component.  

I wish you luck in the pursuit of your MA.  

Why are white people racist against black people?

Sadly, we cannot go back in history and determine where racism came from.  My own view is that racism is part of our human nature.  It is not something that has to exist, but it is something that comes from the way we are as people.  We should also note that it is not only whites who are racist.  I would argue that all people have the potential for racism in their human nature, but that white people have had the most power so their racism has hurt other people the most.

I believe that all people tend to separate the world into two groups.  There are people who are fundamentally like them and people who are not.  Our propensity to differentiate between these two types of people helps to cause much (if not all) of the conflict in the world.  We would not dream of taking things from people who are like us, but we would happily take from the “other.”  Therefore, we get along relatively well with our own kin, our own townspeople, or our own tribe.  But we fight with people from outside our group as we try to take their resources from them. 

Over the ages, people have gone to war for all sorts of reasons.  They have fought with people from other countries, from other religions, from other political ideologies, and from other ethnic groups.  All of these are conflicts between the people who we think of as “self” and the people we think of as “other.”  The conflict between Catholics and Protestants, Sunni and Shia, and Hutu and Tutsi show us that we do not need race to cause us to hate people who are the “other.”

However, race seems to be a really easy way to determine who is “other.”  If I am Catholic and I hate Protestants, I will have a hard time telling who my enemy is just by looking at them. The same is true if I am a capitalist and I hate communists.  But it is very easy to look at someone who is of another race and to say “that person is not like me.”  People of other races look different from us in ways that are obvious at the first glance and so we can easily classify them as “other,” as people we might potentially hate.

With white and black people in specific, from their first contact, white Europeans looked down on what they saw as inferior African technology. The Europeans could easily defeat the Africans in war and they had much more in the way of material goods due to their technology. This led Europeans to believe that Africans were not just different, but also inferior.

I believe that we humans are wired to separate the world into our group and outsiders.  We do this in many different ways, but race is a really easy way to differentiate between people. Racism, I would argue, comes about because of this innate tendency to prefer people “like us” and to dislike people who are not.

What is the moral of the poem "A Poison Tree"?

The moral lesson is a lesson on the dangers of holding in angry feelings about a person.  

When the poem begins, the narrator of the poem tells his readers that he was angry with a friend. We do not know the cause of the anger, but we know that the narrator spoke to his friend about his feelings. He got his feelings out in the open, he was no longer angry, and the relationship...

The moral lesson is a lesson on the dangers of holding in angry feelings about a person.  

When the poem begins, the narrator of the poem tells his readers that he was angry with a friend. We do not know the cause of the anger, but we know that the narrator spoke to his friend about his feelings. He got his feelings out in the open, he was no longer angry, and the relationship was kept whole.

Contrast that with the second time that the narrator is angry with someone. This time the narrator does not get his feelings out in the open. Instead he feeds those angry feelings, and his bitterness grows. The narrator cultivates his angry feelings in the same way that a person would care for a growing plant. His anger grows so much that it eventually poisons the entire relationship, and the relationship is forever destroyed.

The moral of the poem is to be open and honest with your feelings because nursing your anger will only bring more harm.

Do you include income earned but not received in calculation of GDP using the income approach?

No, because that income is only theoretical at this point. You can see in the definition of each part of the income expression of GDP that it is the amount received, because this is the amount that will actually be spent or saved, and we are after all trying to match the other definition of GDP which is total amount of money spent or saved.In practice, this can get quite complicated. For example,...

No, because that income is only theoretical at this point. You can see in the definition of each part of the income expression of GDP that it is the amount received, because this is the amount that will actually be spent or saved, and we are after all trying to match the other definition of GDP which is total amount of money spent or saved.

In practice, this can get quite complicated. For example, we have to decide whether to count something like a defined-benefit pension (e.g. Social Security) as income "received" or simply income "earned". If you had actually gotten the cash and put it into a savings or stock account, it would be considered income and counted toward GDP. But as a defined-benefit pension, the money you are being forced to save is in a sense not actually there, and won't be until you get it. In practice, we count the "employer contribution" to Social Security as income, but not the net present value of future pension payments due to that contribution. Then when you actually get paid Social Security benefits years later, we count those payments as income. Are we double-counting? Sort of. But that's how we do it.

My personal opinion is that saving in general is misunderstood and overrated. When money is put into an account instead of actually spent on things, it's really not serving its function as money. Yes, in theory money that is saved corresponds to money that is invested; but that's only true if you use a really weird concept of "investment" that includes inventory accumulation, i.e. products piling up on shelves. In reality all real investment is itself spending, just spending on capital goods instead of consumption goods. I think our system of national accounts should be adjusted accordingly. But as they stand, our national accounts include saving as GDP, and therefore need to account for income that is saved.

In Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, how is the fast pace of our protagonists' relationship, ultimately, the reason for the tragedy?

Firstly, the two lovers emphatically believe that they are in love. Their desire for one another is so strong that they believe that living without each other is impossible. This, however, is a naive and immature assessment on their part, for their supposed love is more infatuation than anything else. Juliet has never loved before and Romeo is, to a certain extent, on the rebound. 

It is this infatuation, their immaturity and their circumstances which make the two perform rash and irrational acts. Their passion causes them to act on impulse and they do not apply logic and reason in their choices. 

In Act 2, Scene 2, Juliet does not want Romeo to swear that he loves her. She realizes that things are moving too quickly and fears that she will not enjoy the sweet promise of sharing her love with Romeo. She declares:

Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract to-night:
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say 'It lightens.'

At this point, she is clearly wise and insightful but this moment of illumination quickly disappears when the two lovers realize that it is too difficult to take leave of one another. Once they decide to part, Juliet practically forces Romeo's hand by asking him to marry her if his love is true:

Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,
By one that I'll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite;
And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay
And follow thee my lord throughout the world.

She promises to be ready whenever Romeo chooses and would be at his side wherever he should go. Romeo promises to send for her at nine the next morning. Their cause is not much helped by friar Laurence, who, for all his good intentions, creates more problems than solutions.

In Scene 3 of the same act, when Romeo approaches the friar and requests that he perform the marriage ritual, he is much too obliging and acquiesces to Romeo's request. He agrees because he believes that their union may put an end to the feud between the two warring families.

But come, young waverer, come, go with me,
In one respect I'll thy assistant be;
For this alliance may so happy prove,
To turn your households' rancour to pure love.

This belief soon proves to be a naive and irrational error on the friar's part. He joins the two in matrimony at the end of the final scene in Act 2.

Events succeeding the two star crossed lovers' marriage soon create a crisis. After Romeo avenges Mercutio's death by killing Tybalt, their problems are compounded. Romeo is banished at the risk of execution by Prince Escalus and he cannot, therefore, be with Juliet and consummate their marriage. The friar, however, advises that Romeo visit her secretly that night and then flee to Mantua before dawn. He would then gather friends of the two lovers together and they will then request a pardon. Once it is granted they will publicly make known their love.

Things, however, do not work out as planned, for Lord Capulet has arranged for Juliet to marry the county Prince that Thursday. Once again, the friar finds a way out of the mess he had helped create but, unfortunately, his plans do not entirely work as he so foolishly thought they would. The friar, just as much as the two heartsick lovers, did not consider all their options and things go horribly wrong.

The friar had arranged for Juliet to drink a potion which would put her in a death-like sleep. Her parents, thinking that she had died, would bury her in the family vault. She would awaken later and Romeo would be at her side. The two would then easily escape to Mantua and no one would be any the wiser. Unfortunately, the friar's urgent letter to Romeo setting out the above, never reaches its destination due to an unfortunate event in which the messenger is held captive to avoid the spread of an infectious disease.

Romeo learns, wrongly, that Juliet has died and secretly returns to Verona after having purchased a deadly potion with which to commit suicide. He visits the crypt and sees what he believes is Juliet's corpse. He then kills himself by swallowing the poison. When Juliet awakes she sees his lifeless body, takes his dagger and kills herself.

If the two lovers had just practiced patience, none of these unfortunate events might have occurred. However, one can also argue that the actual turning-point in the drama was not so much their marriage, but the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, which changed the course of events completely.  

What is velocity? |

Velocity can be defined as the rate of change of displacement. In other words,

velocity = displacement / time 

In comparison, the speed is defined as the rate of change of distance. That is,

speed = distance traveled / time taken.

Unlike speed, which is a scalar quantity, velocity is a vector quantity. This means that velocity has both a magnitude and a direction. All the laws of vectors (such as vector addition, magnitude, etc.)...

Velocity can be defined as the rate of change of displacement. In other words,

velocity = displacement / time 

In comparison, the speed is defined as the rate of change of distance. That is,

speed = distance traveled / time taken.

Unlike speed, which is a scalar quantity, velocity is a vector quantity. This means that velocity has both a magnitude and a direction. All the laws of vectors (such as vector addition, magnitude, etc.) are applicable for velocity as well.

The commonly used units of velocity are meter per second (m/s), miles per hour (miles/hr), kilometers per hour (km/hr), etc.

Often, people confuse speed and velocity. The difference lies in distance versus displacement. Speed relates to the distance traveled and cannot be zero for a moving object. Velocity, on the other hand, can be zero. Imagine the motion of a car in a perfect circle. For every completed round, the displacement is zero, while a finite distance has been traveled. Thus, the car has finite speed, but zero velocity (for every completed round).

Hope this helps.

When did Malcolm X begin to teach himself?

Malcolm X starts to formally teach himself while in prison.

I think that there are two levels of "self- teaching" that Malcolm X experiences. The first level is the way that Malcolm spiritually elevates his identity. This takes place through his acceptance of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam.  For Malcolm, learning the spiritual basis of Islam was one of the first lessons he taught himself: 

I have since learned—helping me...

Malcolm X starts to formally teach himself while in prison.

I think that there are two levels of "self- teaching" that Malcolm X experiences. The first level is the way that Malcolm spiritually elevates his identity. This takes place through his acceptance of the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam.  For Malcolm, learning the spiritual basis of Islam was one of the first lessons he taught himself: 

I have since learned—helping me to understand what then began to happen within me—that the truth can be quickly received, or received at all, only by the sinner who knows and admits that he is guilty of having sinned much.... The very enormity of my previous life’s guilt prepared me to accept the truth.

Malcolm first starts to teach himself the spiritual basis of his identity while in prison.

Malcolm then moves to the second level of self- driven education by acquiring formal knowledge.  While in Norfolk Prison, Malcolm studies Islam, but also staples of traditional education such as history, science, and the classics.  He also relearns the basis of the English language.  In all of these lessons, he teaches himself about what he sees as the racial bias in formal education. Malcolm teaches himself as a way to broaden his understanding of the world and his place in it.

After Act III, scene i, how does Romeo and Juliet change from a comedy to a tragedy?

In Shakespearean (Elizabethan) times, the dramatic genre of 'comedy' didn't have the same definition as it does today. Shakespeare's plays are considered to fall into three genres: histories, tragedies, and comedies. A Shakespearean history is based on a true story. A Shakespearean tragedy focuses on characters; one main character has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall, and most of the main characters die in a tragedy. A comedy is based more on situations than on characters, and everything usually turns out all right in the end.

Today, a comedy is supposed to be funny. All Shakespeare's plays have comedic elements, and the first two acts of Romeo and Juliet are somewhat light-hearted and fun. These two acts might also be considered more comedic because there is an emphasis on the situation: Romeo is desperately in love with Rosaline until he meets Juliet. Juliet returns his affections, but they can't be together because they are from feuding families. At the end of the second act, the play could continue as a comedy.

In Act III, scene i, however, the elements of tragedy come into play. Romeo's tragic flaw is that he is passionate and a slave to his feelings, and therefore quick to anger. Romeo does not want to fight the Capulets at the beginning of Act III, scene i, but Romeo loses his temper after Tybalt kills Mercutio and chases after Tybalt, shouting, "Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him!" Romeo was saying that, because Tybalt killed Mercutio, he will fight Tybalt until one or both of them is dead. Romeo's tragic flaw leads to his downfall when his rage leads him to kill Tybalt. It is Romeo's angry slaying of Tybalt that starts the action toward Romeo and Juliet's deaths at the end of the play.

In addition, Act III, scene i is the beginning of the tragedy because it is in this scene that the first main characters are killed: Mercutio and Tybalt. In a Shakespearean tragedy, most of the main characters are killed, so this killing off of main characters indicates the play will be a tragedy.

Act III, scene i is an important turning point in the story. If you want to read Act III, scene i with modern English translations and annotations, . 

Explain the factors resulting in the breakdown of social order in the novel Lord of the Flies.

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is rich in symbolic and connotative meaning, allowing readers to understand it on many levels, from personal psychology to political commentary. Reflecting on the factors that led to the breakdown of social order in the microcosm of the boys' society on the island can provide insights into the macrocosm of modern international politics, revealing how citizens and nations can come under the thrall of fascism and totalitarian regimes, as happened in World War II just prior to Golding's novel.

First, in Lord of the Flies, the society is unable or unwilling to care for its most vulnerable members. Although Piggy is initially concerned about making a roster of the littluns and Ralph charges him in an off-handed way with doing so, the effort fails, and one of the littluns is lost in the first fire. Thereafter only Piggy and Simon, themselves physically disabled with asthma and epilepsy, seem to give any attention to the littluns.

Next there is a predominating emphasis in the society on satisfying short-term needs rather than planning for the future and considering the consequences of one's actions. Thus instead of building shelters and tending the signal fire, most of the boys pursue fun and hunting in their desire for current pleasure and meat. Ralph and Piggy often feel alone in keeping their focus on rescue, the ultimate need of the boys.

Irrational fear plays a role in the society's demise as the boys fall prey to worries about a "beast from water" and as they are plagued by nightmares. This fear might not have been damaging, however, if it had not enabled the rise of an authoritarian leader. Jack takes advantage of the boys' fears and presents himself as a strong protector since he is a hunter.

The willingness of the boys to follow a strong leader, even though they know he is cruel, shifts the balance of power from reason and order toward totalitarianism. Jack offers the boys meat and protection. That he has shown himself to be a bully by punching Piggy and breaking his glasses and an oligarch by trying to silence the free speech of others at the assembly does not bother the boys as long as they can feel the protection of being part of his tribe. No one in Jack's group seems to mind that they violate a basic law of civilization by stealing Piggy's glasses. This shows the boys have given up the moral order in order to achieve the benefits offered by their leader and tribe. 

Finally, the society governed by Jack fully embraces violence and coercion. Piggy is murdered in cold blood, and Samneric are captured and forced under threat of physical harm to join Jack's tribe. Now the desire to stamp out the "other" is strong, and they hunt Ralph to kill him, even though he cannot possibly pose a threat to them any longer. 

The slide from civilization begins with the unwillingness to protect the most vulnerable members, grows by putting pleasure over long-term good, thrives on irrational fears, and culminates when citizens follow a strong, unprincipled leader in order to gain the benefits of protection and inclusion. Such a society will all too easily descend into theft, coercion, murder and persecution of anything perceived as "other."

What is the significance of Scout being a Ham in the school play?

I wouldn’t say that Scout’s ham costume has special significance. Though To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel filled with symbols, Scout’s ham costume doesn’t have the same emotional resonance for the reader as the mockingbird, a representation of senselessly violated innocence, or Boo Radley, a symbol of Scout’s growing maturity.

I would point you in the direction of juxtaposition, not symbolism. Juxtaposition occurs when an author closely sequences two objects, events, people, or ideas...

I wouldn’t say that Scout’s ham costume has special significance. Though To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel filled with symbols, Scout’s ham costume doesn’t have the same emotional resonance for the reader as the mockingbird, a representation of senselessly violated innocence, or Boo Radley, a symbol of Scout’s growing maturity.

I would point you in the direction of juxtaposition, not symbolism. Juxtaposition occurs when an author closely sequences two objects, events, people, or ideas in order to emphasize their contrasting qualities and heighten dramatic tension.

The chapters before the school’s Halloween festival are filled with serious drama: the guilty verdict, Tom Robinson’s death, and Bob Ewell’s threats against Atticus. Jem and Scout are experiencing the most emotional moments in their lives; both feel betrayed by the world and anxious about the future. In contrast, Harper Lee draws out the comedic aspects of the Finch children’s life during the Halloween festival scenes. They are still children, after all, and sometimes concern about an embarrassing costume or the possibility of being seen together with a younger sibling can take precedence over even the most serious concerns. Consequently, this chapter is filled with slapstick humor. Scout’s ham costume is ridiculous, and when she’s forced to make a grandiose entrance by her overly enthusiastic teacher, things quickly fall apart. It’s a brief return to childhood after harrowing events. It reminds us of the scenes before Tom Robinson's trial, when Scout still had a complete child's view of the world. 

However, the return to innocence doesn’t last for long. These silly and innocent events are followed by Bob Ewell’s attack. Scout’s ham costume makes it hard for her to fight back, and she almost witnesses Jem’s death. Consequently, what was fun and silly turns deadly because of Bob Ewell’s thirst for revenge.

What are some types of figurative language in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling?

The Jungle Book contains many examples of figurative language from the very first page, in both the prose and the songs. In order to spot figurative language, a reader should ask “Is this really, literally true?” This will identify types of figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and hyperbole.

Similes are comparisons between two different things, usually using “like” or “as.” An example is the description of Mother Wolf’s eyes when she confronts Shere Khan...

The Jungle Book contains many examples of figurative language from the very first page, in both the prose and the songs. In order to spot figurative language, a reader should ask “Is this really, literally true?” This will identify types of figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and hyperbole.

Similes are comparisons between two different things, usually using “like” or “as.” An example is the description of Mother Wolf’s eyes when she confronts Shere Khan in order to protect Mowgli: “Mother Wolf shook herself clear of the cubs and sprang forward, her eyes like two green moons in the darkness, facing the blazing eyes of Shere Khan” (page 8). Her eyes are not literally moons, and they do not orbit her head like the moon orbits the Earth, but this description creates a vivid image of Mother Wolf’s eyes, large and round with anger.

Metaphors are similar to similes, but do not use “like” or “as.” An example from “The Song of Mowgli” is when he sings “I am two Mowglis” (page 87). Literally, he is only one Mowgli. However, he says this to express an inner conflict. Part of him feels drawn to the jungle, and the other part of him feels drawn to human society. He is confused, and these two desires seem like two different Mowglis living inside him.

Hyperbole: This is when exaggeration is used to make a point, as when Tabaqui the jackal says “For such a mean person such as myself, a dry bone is a good feast” (page 3). A dry bone is not really a good feast for anyone, but Tabaqui means to show that he is so poor and needy that he can find sustenance from food others find worthless.

There are also other types of figurative language, such as onomatopoeia, when a word is written to represent a sound, as when Father Wolf wakes up from his sleep. “'Augrh!’ said Father Wolf. ‘It is time to hunt again’” (page 2). The word “Augrh” is not a real English word, but is meant to sound like a wolf yawning as he wakes and stretches.

There are many other examples of figurative language. To find it, simply look for language that isn’t literally true or is very colorful!

`1, 5, 9, 13...` Use mathematical induction to find a formula for the sum of the first n terms of the sequence.

`1,5,9,13,......`

Now let's denote the first term` ` of the above sequence by `a_1` and k'th term by `a_k` and let's write down the first few sums of the sequence.

`S_1=1`

`S_2=1+5=6=(2(1+5))/2=(2(a_1+a_2))/2`

`S_3=1+5+9=15=(3(1+9))/2=(3(a_1+a_3))/2`

`S_4=1+5+9+13=28=(4(1+13))/2=(4(a_1+a_4))/2`

From the above sequence it appears that the formula for the sum of the k terms is,

`S_k=(k(1+a_k))/2`

Now the difference between the consecutive terms of the series is 4, so we can write down ,

`a_k=1+(k-1)4=1+4k-4=4k-3`

`a_(k+1)=4(k+1)-3=4k+4-3=4k+1`

`S_k=(k(1+4k-3))/2=(k(4k-2))/2`

`S_k=k(2k-1)`

Now...

`1,5,9,13,......`

Now let's denote the first term` ` of the above sequence by `a_1` and k'th term by `a_k` and let's write down the first few sums of the sequence.

`S_1=1`

`S_2=1+5=6=(2(1+5))/2=(2(a_1+a_2))/2`

`S_3=1+5+9=15=(3(1+9))/2=(3(a_1+a_3))/2`

`S_4=1+5+9+13=28=(4(1+13))/2=(4(a_1+a_4))/2`

From the above sequence it appears that the formula for the sum of the k terms is,

`S_k=(k(1+a_k))/2`

Now the difference between the consecutive terms of the series is 4, so we can write down ,

`a_k=1+(k-1)4=1+4k-4=4k-3`

`a_(k+1)=4(k+1)-3=4k+4-3=4k+1`

`S_k=(k(1+4k-3))/2=(k(4k-2))/2`

`S_k=k(2k-1)`

Now we can verify that it is valid for n=1,

Plug in k=1 to verify,

`S_1=1(2*1-1)=1`

Let's assume that the formula is valid for n=k and now we have to show that it is valid for n=k+1

`S_(k+1)=1+5+9+13........+a_k+a_(k+1)`

`S_(k+1)=S_k+a_(k+1)`

`S_(k+1)=k(2k-1)+4k+1`

`S_(k+1)=2k^2-k+4k+1`

`S_(k+1)=2k^2+3k+1`

`S_(k+1)=2k^2+2k+k+1`

`S_(k+1)=2k(k+1)+1(k+1)`

`S_(k+1)=(k+1)(2k+1)`

`S_(k+1)=(k+1)[2(k+1)-1]`

So the formula is valid for n=k+1 also, 

So the formula can be written as ,

`S_n=n(2n-1)`

Discuss the main concepts of FDR's New Deal.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a program to deal with the Great Depression. This program was called the New Deal. The goals of the New Deal were to provide relief to the American people, recovery to our economy, and reform of our society.

The relief programs were designed to get people back to work and to help them deal with their loans. The Public Works Administration provided money to get people back to work on...

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a program to deal with the Great Depression. This program was called the New Deal. The goals of the New Deal were to provide relief to the American people, recovery to our economy, and reform of our society.

The relief programs were designed to get people back to work and to help them deal with their loans. The Public Works Administration provided money to get people back to work on construction projects. Roads, bridges, and school were some of the projects that were completed. The Civilian Conservation Corps provided jobs for young unemployed men who went to the west to work on conservation projects. President Roosevelt wanted to lower the unemployment rate, which was as high as 25% at one point during the Great Depression. Another relief program was the Home Owners Loan Corporation. This program helped people who were working to refinance their mortgages. The Farm Credit Administration did the same thing for farmers, allowing them to refinance their loans.

The Recovery Programs were designed to help the economy recover from the Great Depression. The National Industrial Recovery Act brought the government, businesses, and workers together to develop a series of rules and regulations that all parties could accept. The Social Security Act was designed to help elderly people in retirement. This program provided eligible workers with a pension at the age of 65. It also provided help to those who were unemployed. Some of the programs that provided jobs helped the economy recover to some degree from the Great Depression.

The reform programs were designed to prevent another depression from occurring. The Emergency Banking Relief Act closed all banks allowed only the strong ones to reopen. The Glass-Steagall Act prevented commercial banks from investing in the stock market. It also provided insurance to keep savings accounts safe. The Securities Act required companies to give investors accurate information about the companies in which they are going to invest. The Security and Exchange Commission was created to monitor the stock market and to prevent fraud.

The New Deal was designed to help solve the problems created by the Great Depression. Through relief, recovery, and reform programs, the New Deal was able to soften the harsh effects of the Great Depression.

How might I write a paper on this topic? ''The history of English literature is the autobiography of English."

It is important to know that English is a Germanic language. The Celts invited Germanic tribes -- people from present-day Denmark and Germany -- to remove the Romans from their land, what was then Brittania. However, these tribes, most of whom were Angles and Saxons (from which we get the contemporary designation of Anglo-Saxon), decided to stay. By 450 AD, shortly after the Romans had been driven out, the Anglo-Saxons conquered England. In doing so, they also made their language dominant. The Anglo-Saxon tongue was comprised mostly of Middle High German and some Old Norse. From this, we get Old English.

The best known work of Old English literature is Beowulf. Any exploration into the history of English literature and language must begin here. 

The centuries from 1100-1500 are the period of Middle English. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, England became "French." That is, the ruling class of England was comprised of French people from Normandy. A lot of new vocabulary was introduced into English, particularly that which was related to law and government, chivalry (which would become very important in Middle English romances), hunting, cooking, arts and letters, gardening and the organization of landscapes, etc. Much of the Old English pronunciation would remain, but Middle English literature is peppered with many French words and expressions. 

One of the most important pieces of Middle English literature is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This lengthy poem is considered especially important in the canon because of its use of a "bob-and-wheel" rhyme scheme, which is composed of five lines. At the end of a stanza there is a "bob," which is an alliterative line. The bob is followed by a short, four-line wheel -- a group of couplets in an abab rhyme. 

After Sir Gawain, consult Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It is one of the most important works in English literature. It is different from everything that came before, as it is not about courtly life, like other Middle English literature, it is about the common people of London. Sir Thomas Malory's work Morte D'Arthur is the legend of King Arthur has been very popular since its inception. There have been literary revisions of the tale and movies.

By 1500, the English language saw changes in pronunciation that made it more akin to our modern English. Whereas in Middle English, the final "e" on a word was pronounced, that becomes no longer true. Whereas in Middle English, all consonants were pronounced separately, as in German (e.g., knight was "k-nig-ht), now sounds are fused together. This is the Elizabethan Age of literature. The most important authors are Edmund Spenser (The Faerie Queene), Christopher Marlowe (Doctor Faustus), possibly Ben Jonson (depending on whom you ask), and, of course, Shakespeare. The importance of theater in the dissemination of literature and language, particularly at this time when theater-going was an extremely popular form of entertainment, should not be underestimated.

In the seventeenth century, poetry develops as a form, particularly by John Milton (Paradise Lost) and John Donne. 

By the eighteenth century, prose becomes more popular. Samuel Richardson's Pamela is considered to be the first novel, though there is much debate about this. Satire and essays also enter the canon. Jonathan Swift's fantasy novel Gulliver's Travels was very popular, but his essay "A Modest Proposal" is an important piece of political satire. 

Under Samuel Johnson, literary criticism develops as an art form. This would continue in the Romantic period in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in England. William Blake, Mary Wollstonecraft (author of A Vindication on the Rights of Woman, an early feminist tract), Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and William Wordsworth are majorly important here. The latter two are connected to the development of Transcendentalist literature in the United States. 

The kind of language used in English literature does not change significantly until we get to the twentieth-century. As new voices enter, they bring in their different dialects and idioms. Moreover, subject matter becomes raw and grittier. Writers not only focus on the external world, but also on people's inner lives. Profanity, racist language, and talk about sexuality -- all of which had been a part of the lexicon -- now enter print. In the twentieth century, the most important authors to consult are Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, William Butler Yeats, and T.S. Eliot. 

I have omitted American literature because you asked about specifically about English literature. Also, because the American literary canon has developed so richly in the last few centuries, it requires its own conversation. However, depending on the length of your paper and the breadth of subject matter you wish to cover, it might be a good idea to include some American writers.

What is Miss Maudie's view on Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird? What does she think of him, and what are some quotes that show us the...

Miss Maudie holds Atticus Finch in high regard.  She knows him better than almost anyone.  When they were children, they were neighbors out by Finch's Landing.  She has known him for her whole life.  As adults, they became neighbors in Maycomb.

Scout and Jem enjoy talking to Miss Maudie.  She speaks to them as equals and shows them respect.  Sometimes they complain about their father to her.  Miss Maudie always speaks positive words about him....

Miss Maudie holds Atticus Finch in high regard.  She knows him better than almost anyone.  When they were children, they were neighbors out by Finch's Landing.  She has known him for her whole life.  As adults, they became neighbors in Maycomb.

Scout and Jem enjoy talking to Miss Maudie.  She speaks to them as equals and shows them respect.  Sometimes they complain about their father to her.  Miss Maudie always speaks positive words about him.  She tells Scout one day that "Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 5).  She knows him as someone who is authentic.  He does not change who he is for anyone.

Later, Miss Maudie tells Scout and Jem that "if [their] father's anything, he's civilized in his heart" (Chapter 10).  She refers to the fact that he had given up shooting, even though he had immense talent.  Miss Maudie respects Atticus and his decisions.

Miss Maudie and Atticus share a quiet solidarity that comes with knowing someone for many years and through many seasons of life.  The following quote shows this special bond:

"Atticus wheeled around and faced Miss Maudie. They looked at one another without saying anything, and Atticus got into the sheriff's car" (Chapter 10).

Atticus had just shot the rabid dog.  It had been a scene of tension.  Through this, they share a quiet moment of friendship.

Please give me a character sketch of Mr. Keith.

Listed in the book Representative Men and Old Families of Southeastern Massachusetts, Merton Spencer Keith, son of Benjamin Keith, was born on January 27, 1851, in North Bridgewater, which is now the city of Brockton. Keith entered Harvard College in 1868 and graduated summa cum laude in 1872 at the head of his class. His highest honors were in ancient languages.

Merton Keith became a teacher and was a member of the faculty at Professor George W. C. Noble's school in Boston. This school was a preparatory school where he worked for thirteen years. After he left this school, Keith became a private tutor who prepared boys for Harvard. About this fine teacher, one of his peers wrote,

Mr. Keith lives for his profession, his whole heart and soul being in his work, and he takes a deep interest in his pupils and their success. 

In Chapter XIX of Helen Keller's The Story of My Life, Mr. Merton Keith became a tutor for Helen. According to Miss Keller, he was instrumental in clarifying much for her. From February to July, 1898, Mr. Keith came from Cambridge to Wrentham twice a week in order to instruct Helen in algebra, geometry, Greek, and Latin. As he did so, Miss Sullivan interpreted his instruction for Helen.

Algebra and geometry were difficult for Helen to comprehend, partly because in her study of geometry she could not see the diagrams and realize the relation of the different parts to one another—even when she used wires that were pinned into position on a cushion. When Mr. Keith began work with Helen, she improved markedly. Helen wrote in her autobiography that his instruction was invaluable to her:

It was not until Mr. Keith taught me that I had a clear idea of mathematics. (Ch. XIX)

For eight months Mr. Keith worked with Helen. Under Mr. Keith's tutelage, Helen found mathematics interesting. She described her tutor as being able to "whittle" problems down so that she could understand, and he kept her interested. He trained Helen in the reasoning process and prevented her from jumping to answers that were inconclusive. Helen wrote of him,

He was always gentle and forbearing, no matter how dull I might be, and believe me, my stupidity would often have exhausted the patience of Job. (Ch. XIX)

With the expert assistance of this fine tutor, Helen Keller was able to pass all her entrance exams for Radcliffe College.

Additional Source: 

J.H. Beers and Co. Representative Men and Old Families of Southeastern Massachusetts. General Books LLC, 2010.

How can you construct a commentary or literary essay that explains the poem "Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath as a story about history, rebellion and...

To begin crafting a literary essay about the poem "Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath, you should first create an outline. Structurally, outlines will help keep essays organized and the continuity of ideas clear. There should be three main sections in the body of your outline--one each for history, rebellion, and revolution. An introduction will go before the body addressing your controlling purpose of the essay. At the end will, of course, be a conclusion wrapping up...

To begin crafting a literary essay about the poem "Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath, you should first create an outline. Structurally, outlines will help keep essays organized and the continuity of ideas clear. There should be three main sections in the body of your outline--one each for history, rebellion, and revolution. An introduction will go before the body addressing your controlling purpose of the essay. At the end will, of course, be a conclusion wrapping up your ideas. 

In terms of history, "Mushrooms" is often analyzed as a poem with a feminist message. Critics argue that Plath was referring to women's rights and women being respected as equal to men. Lines that can be used as evidence include: "Nobody sees us," and "Earless and eyeless, [...] Perfectly voiceless" (7, 15-16). 

The rebellion that echoes throughout the poem sustains the idea that women are coming to the fore of social evolution. Lines that would support such claims include: "Soft fists insist . . ." and "Our hammers, our rams [...] Widen the crannies, Shoulder through holes" (10, 14, 17-18). 

The poem remarks on revolution by stating the change is soon to come. The final three lines of the poem perhaps say this best: "We shall by morning Inherit the earth. Our foot's in the door" (31-33).

What literary devices are there in "Spring" by William Blake?

Blake uses a refrain at the end of each stanza. A refrain is phrase that is repeated in a poem, prayer, or song. Repeating the phrase "Merrily, merrily to welcome in the year" helps to emphasize the point that spring is an uplifting time of year when things are "springing" into life. 

The reference to the "flute" in the first line suggests the songs of the birds (and the children's voices in the second stanza)....

Blake uses a refrain at the end of each stanza. A refrain is phrase that is repeated in a poem, prayer, or song. Repeating the phrase "Merrily, merrily to welcome in the year" helps to emphasize the point that spring is an uplifting time of year when things are "springing" into life. 

The reference to the "flute" in the first line suggests the songs of the birds (and the children's voices in the second stanza). But it is also an allusion to the Greek God Pan who played a flute and was associated with nature and the wild. Pan is also associated with fertility and the spring season. "Sound the flute" is a statement that signifies the start of spring and the allusion to Pan is almost like a request for a blessing from the gods and/or God. 

The "lamb" in the third stanza is an allusion to Jesus. The association between Jesus and the lamb represents innocence. This notion of innocence connects with the children of the previous stanza. The language in this third stanza also suggests sensuality. In that respect, one could say that such language ("lick" and "kiss") is figurative as well as literal. The common link between the themes of innocence and sensuality is the idea of awakening. The spring is a time of awakening and Blake cleverly combines notions of spring, innocence, and sensuality with this concept in mind. 

How does Macbeth interpret the statements of the apparitions in Act 4, Scene 1 of the play?

Macbeth interprets the statements of the apparitions in Act 4, Scene 1 in a very specific way. To Macbeth, the statements are assurances of his safety.  However, closer analysis reveals them to be very specific statements regarding and how he will die.

The first apparition, an armored head, tells him simply to

"Beware Macduff!/ Beware the Thane of Fife!  Dismiss me.  Enough" (81-82). 

In other words, Macbeth should be wary of Macduff.  At first, Macbeth thinks very little about the warning, but after the statements from the next apparition he decides to wipe out Macduff's entire family, which provides even more incentive for Macduff to try to kill Macbeth.  Further, the first apparition's manifestation as an head wearing a helmet foreshadows the military action, led by Malcolm and Macduff, that will march against Macbeth.  Given that the apparition is a disembodied head, it also foreshadows Macbeth's own demise and decapitation during the final battle.  Quite simply, the apparition warning Macbeth could very well be Macbeth's own decapitated head.

The second apparition tells Macbeth,

Be bloody, bold, and resolute.  Laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.

Macbeth takes this to mean he can be as vicious and ambitious as he wants, that he shouldn't fear men because no man of woman born can hurt him.  Here he briefly discounts the warning of the first apparition, feeling he has nothing to fear from Macduff, as every man is born from a woman.  However, Macbeth is too quickly assured.  The second apparition, the bloody child, represents the very man that could (and will) harm Macbeth.  At the end of the play, it is revealed that "Macduff was from his mother's womb/ untimely ripped," meaning that he was not born in the traditional fashion (5.8, 19-20).  He is the product of a Cesarean section, which would result in much more blood than a traditional birth.  Therefore the apparition itself may be manifesting as the infant Macduff himself.

Finally, the third apparition, a child wearing a crown, holding a tree, further assures Macbeth, saying

Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be untilGreat Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane HillShall come against him. (103-107)

Macbeth believes this means he will never die until Birnam Wood, the forest near his castle, Dunsinane, grows the entire way to the castle itself.  This would take a great deal of time, perhaps hundreds of years if the forest was not tended to and kept away.  Once again, Macbeth feels assured by this statement.  However, as Malcolm's army approaches Dunsinane in Act 5, Scene 4, Malcolm orders the men to hew down the boughs of the trees to help disguise their numbers as they approach (6-9).  The image of Malcolm, the rightful heir to the throne of Scotland, hewing down and holding a branch bears a striking resemblance to the third apparition itself.  He is basically the child crowned, holding the tree in his hand.

After the apparitions disappear, Macbeth pushes for more information and is shown a parade of kings, representing Banquo's descendants.  He is confused by this vision, but is interrupted as Lennox enters.  While he begins to feel more safe in his rule, he nevertheless takes measures to protect himself further.  As stated above, he orders the death of Macduff and his family.  When the murderers arrive at Fife, Macduff has already left for England to convince Malcolm to return and overthrow Macbeth.  Upon hearing of his tragic loss, Macduff resolves to be the one to kill the tyrant.  Because Macbeth acts on the warning of the first apparition, emboldened by the words of the second and third, the characters represented by the second and third apparitions become even more resolute, thus fulfilling the predictions of all three manifestations.

What is the relationship of the theme and conflicts in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury with our current society? Do you believe that the warnings...

Censorship, the main theme of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, has been around almost since people first started reading. That may be a slight exaggeration, but history tells us that certain books were banned at least as far back as 221 B.C.E. when Ying Zheng took over as emperor of the Qin during the Imperial Dynasty in China.  He had many Confucians killed and had their books burned because he disagreed with them. 

One might think our society is above all that, and while it is true that in the United States people are not executed for reading books, censorship is alive and well. Every year, parents ask that certain books be banned from school libraries and in classrooms. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was first banned in the United States in 1885, and it is still one of the books most often challenged today. The biggest criticism comes because of the language, especially that used to describe African Americans, but when Mark Twain wrote it, he was using the language of his day.

Cartoonists have had their lives threatened for publishing their depictions of the prophet Mohammed. Newspapers and publishers have been threatened as well, and violence has occurred against them, such as the Charlie Hebdo killings in France.

Another "banned" book is Fahrenheit 451 itself, which is pretty ironic, don't you think? People, again, object to the language and often cite religious reasons for not wanting their children to read it. Bradbury's book is important because it is a warning of what might come to pass if we get rid of books. The Fahrenheit world is one where everyone is told what to think, what to do, how to act. Nobody is allowed to think for him/herself. Books help us to do that. From books we can learn about other cultures, other cities, states, countries, continents, etc. They open up an entire world for us. Some people are frightened by that. 

Others rebel against the idea of censorship, and a week called "Banned Books' Week" is celebrated every year around the end of September. I've included a link to an article about it at the bottom. 

So, yes, Bradbury's book is still very relevant today. He wrote it in 1953, highly influenced by the events in WWII Germany. In an interview on January 5, 2005, he answered a question about his motivation for writing Fahrenheit 451.

"Well, Hitler of course. When I was fifteen, he burnt the books in the streets of Berlin. Then along the way I learned about the libraries in Alexandria burning five thousand years ago. That grieved my soul. Since I'm self-educated, that means my educators--the libraries--are in danger. And if it could happen in Alexandria, if it could happen in Berlin, maybe it could happen somewhere up ahead, and my heroes would be killed" (Interview with Dana Giola).

How is Atticus different compared to Bob Ewell and Aunt Alexandra in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus is the novel's morally upright character who defends Tom Robinson in front of a prejudiced jury and town. Atticus believes in justice, tolerance, and equality. He is a compassionate individual who displays integrity and courage throughout the novel. Atticus loves his children and tries his best to impress certain positive values on them. Unlike her brother, Aunt Alexandra is prejudiced towards African-Americans and people of lower social classes.She displays contempt for the Finches'...

Atticus is the novel's morally upright character who defends Tom Robinson in front of a prejudiced jury and town. Atticus believes in justice, tolerance, and equality. He is a compassionate individual who displays integrity and courage throughout the novel. Atticus loves his children and tries his best to impress certain positive values on them. Unlike her brother, Aunt Alexandra is prejudiced towards African-Americans and people of lower social classes. She displays contempt for the Finches' cook, Calpurnia, and refuses to let Scout play with Walter Cunningham Jr. because he is poor. Alexandra argues with Atticus throughout the novel and opposes his decision to defend Tom Robinson. Alexandra means well, but holds traditional Southern views regarding race and social class. Bob Ewell is Atticus' foil throughout the novel. He is the polar opposite of everything Atticus believes in. Bob Ewell is a racist alcoholic who lies while he is on the witness stand. Bob Ewell sexually abuses his daughter and neglects his children. Bob is a selfish, mean-spirited individual who seeks revenge on Atticus and his family.

What message does Jane Yolen send to her readers through Hannah's journey?

The message that Yolen sends to her readers through Hannah's journey is that we must never forget the sacrifices of those who came before us.

At the start of the novel, Hannah refuses to identify with anything beyond herself. She is incapable of recognizing struggle and her scope of empathy is very narrow. She essentially rejects her own heritage and fails to understand the importance of the Seder dinner. Hannah changes only through her journey....

The message that Yolen sends to her readers through Hannah's journey is that we must never forget the sacrifices of those who came before us.

At the start of the novel, Hannah refuses to identify with anything beyond herself. She is incapable of recognizing struggle and her scope of empathy is very narrow. She essentially rejects her own heritage and fails to understand the importance of the Seder dinner. Hannah changes only through her journey. It changes her because it forces her to develop a wider scope of compassion for others. Her journey helps her to develop an empathetic approach that values her heritage. Such a change is seen in large and small actions. From offering her food to others even though she is hungry to the ultimate sacrifice when she says, “Run for your life, Rivka...for your future...run...and remember," the journey changes Hannah and, in the process, us.

The reader can never fully understand the pain and struggle of what happened in the past. However, it is clear Yolen believes that when voyages like Hannah's are communicated, the reader can grasp their transformational value. Such journeys lay the groundwork for our identity. This is certainly the case for Hannah. As result of her journey, she is able to tell her aunt what the numbers tattooed on her arm mean:

J is for Jew...and 1 because you were alone...8...had been in your family, though [only] 2 of them [were] alive...your brother was a Kommando, forced to tend the ovens, to handle the dead, so he thought he was a 0...you said that when things were over, you would be 2 again forever, J18202.

Hannah's understanding is only possible as a result of her journey. Yolen's message to her readers is that when we delve into our past, we develop a deeper appreciation for what those before us experienced. We understand their struggles and, as a result, our compassion and empathy increase. The journey is what enables us to be more than what we are and is essential to better understand the world and our place in it.

What does Pony mean when he asks what kind of a world it is, and what comment is he making about how he judges people in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders?

Pony makes this comment about how greasers are perceived when they are all getting ready for the rumble. He is frustrated about the way the world looks down on him because he has long hair and lives in the wrong neighborhood. The greasers put more oil on their hair so it is extra clear they are greasers. 

What kind of world is it where all I have to be proud of is a reputation for being a hood, and greasy hair? I don't want to be a hood, but even if I don't steal things and mug people and get boozed up, I'm marked lousy. Why should I be proud of it? Why should I even pretend to be proud of it (Chapter 9)? 

This excerpt shows how Pony is questioning his role in the upcoming rumble. As a greaser, and because of what happened to Johnny, Pony feels he should be proud of his gang, but he doesn’t often feel like a greaser. He is different from most of the others in his gang. For one thing, he isn’t much of a fighter. 

Johnny asks his brother Soda how he feels about fighting. 

"You like fights, don't you, Soda?" I asked suddenly.

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged. "I like fights."

"How come?"

"I don't know." He looked at me, puzzled. "It's action. It's a contest. Like a drag race or a dance or something" (Chapter 9). 

Despite the fact that he doesn’t like fighting, Pony is afraid when Darry suggests Pony shouldn’t go to the rumble. After all, he was recently pretty badly injured in the church fire. All the same, he wants to participate in the rumble to support his gang and so no one will think he is chicken. He thinks, “Right then the most important thing in my life was helping us whip the Socs.”

Pony does judge people based on whether they are greasers or Socs. It is the way his town operates. Pony is afraid of Socs because they will jump him. He wants to beat them in the rumble, but he has also shown he is willing to consider things from different points of view through his conversations with Cherry and Randy. Pony understands Socs are people, too.

What is the theme of Frindle with examples?

The primary theme of the book Frindleis that words have power.  Nick asks his teacher, Mrs. Granger, who invents words.  He asks who decided that the word "dog" referred to the pet.  Mrs. Granger tells him that she, him, and "'everyone in this class and this school and this town and this state and this country'" are the ones who decide what words mean.  She tells him that people "'decide what goes in that...

The primary theme of the book Frindle is that words have power.  Nick asks his teacher, Mrs. Granger, who invents words.  He asks who decided that the word "dog" referred to the pet.  Mrs. Granger tells him that she, him, and "'everyone in this class and this school and this town and this state and this country'" are the ones who decide what words mean.  She tells him that people "'decide what goes in that [dictionary].'"

With this information in mind, Nick invents a new word, frindle.  This word describes a pen.  He and his classmates start calling "pens" "frindles," much to the annoyance of their teacher.  The word becomes more and more popular.  Soon all the kids at school are using the word frindle.  Nick becomes famous.  He goes on the radio and television to talk about frindles.  There is frindle merchandise and a licensing deal.  Nick becomes wealthy from frindles.

Nick proves that words have power.  He starts with a simple word, but in the end he becomes a person of influence.  He becomes wealthy and powerful because of one word.

What is the theme of the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost?

One way to look at this poem is through the theme of the contemplation of life.In the poem, the speaker has paused in the middle of the woods to look at the landscape and admire its beauty. Note that, in the last stanza, the woods are "lovely, dark and deep." Foremost, they are lovely. Had Frost put a comma after "dark," each term would have been given equal weight. However, he singles out "lovely"...

One way to look at this poem is through the theme of the contemplation of life. In the poem, the speaker has paused in the middle of the woods to look at the landscape and admire its beauty. Note that, in the last stanza, the woods are "lovely, dark and deep." Foremost, they are lovely. Had Frost put a comma after "dark," each term would have been given equal weight. However, he singles out "lovely" first and then adds that the woods are "dark and deep" as well. So, in this moment of contemplation the notions of "dark and deep" might not be interpreted in negative ways. The speaker could be remarking that the entire scene (snow, darkness, and depth) as a combined whole is lovely. 

On the surface, this is a moment of contemplation of an evocative landscape. But note - it is evening. This is a time after work hours and before actual night. It is a transition period. It is the darkest night of the year. That means it is December 22nd, the winter solstice. This is also a transitional date, moving from autumn to winter. So, in this moment of contemplation, the speaker must be thinking about the past and the future. Such is the nature of being in a transitional phase. Given that it is evening, he is not preoccupied with work, which would occur earlier in the day. And given that it is prior to nightfall and he is not home yet, he is not with his family or going to sleep. He is in between these two phases of the day. It is a transitional part of the day and year.

Consider this as a parallel to his life. The early part of the day (youth) is past and the night (death) is yet to come. He is perhaps in the midlife stage. This is a time for reflection. He wonders about what he should or would have done in the past. He then looks forward to the promises he has to keep for the future. So, this thematic analysis of contemplation shows how Frost is using a moment in the woods to evoke other notions of reflection and contemplation in a transitional yet fleeting stage. 

Was Manifest Destiny a justified policy for the United States?

Manifest Destiny was a justified policy for the United States. Manifest Destiny refers to our goal of expanding from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. After we were offered the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which extended our borders roughly from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, it made sense for us to continue that expansion to the Pacific Ocean.

Our country was growing from the days of when we were British colonies. At...

Manifest Destiny was a justified policy for the United States. Manifest Destiny refers to our goal of expanding from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. After we were offered the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which extended our borders roughly from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, it made sense for us to continue that expansion to the Pacific Ocean.

Our country was growing from the days of when we were British colonies. At first, we had the thirteen colonies. Then we got land from France as a result of the French and Indian War. When we won the Revolutionary War, we had control over most of the land east of the Mississippi River. As our population grew, we needed and wanted more land. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of our country in 1803.

As we expanded, more economic opportunities developed. Businesses followed the people as they moved to the West. Our transportation system grew. Industries were producing more products. This expansion was good for our economy and was viewed as a sign that we were progressing as a country.

With continued population growth and economic growth, it was only natural for us to want to control the lands from the Rocky Mountains to the lands that bordered the Pacific Ocean. We felt it was our duty to control and to develop these lands. We saw great opportunities to further the development of our economy and the development of our country by expanding westward. As a result, we annexed Texas in 1845, and we split the Oregon Country with Great Britain in 1846. We went to war with Mexico in 1846 to get the southwest part of our country. We rounded out our expansion with the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. It is natural for a group of people to want to expand and help their country and economy grow. This process had begun even before Manifest Destiny became a national policy. By the 1840s and 1850s, it was time for us to fulfill the goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean as expressed in the policy of Manifest Destiny.

What factors stimulated Progressivism?

There were many factors that stimulated the growth of the Progressive Movement. The muckrakers played a big role in doing this. They wrote about abuses in various areas of society. Their writings influenced the movement to bring about changes in these areas.

Upton Sinclair wrote about the unsanitary conditions in the meat industry. His book, The Jungle, exposed the practices that existed in the meat industry. This led to changes in laws dealing with...

There were many factors that stimulated the growth of the Progressive Movement. The muckrakers played a big role in doing this. They wrote about abuses in various areas of society. Their writings influenced the movement to bring about changes in these areas.

Upton Sinclair wrote about the unsanitary conditions in the meat industry. His book, The Jungle, exposed the practices that existed in the meat industry. This led to changes in laws dealing with the processing of food.

Lincoln Steffens wrote about how money influenced the political system in his book, The Shame of the Cities. This book, along with feelings that the common person was not very involved in the political system, led to a series of changes designed to give the average person a greater role in the political system. The initiative, referendum, and recall were introduced into the political system. Eventually, the American people got the right to choose their senators.

John Spargo, in his book, The Bitter Cry of the Children, wrote about issues with child labor. This book eventually led to the passage of child labor laws, which required kids to attend school and limited their ability to work.

There was a feeling that the average person was being squeezed by big businesses and the wealthy. This led to the passage of the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914. It also led to the development of worker compensation laws, as well as laws dealing with workplace safety.

There were several factors that led to the growth of the Progressive Movement.

How is the human condition reflected in Paradise Lost by Milton?

Paradise Lost is Milton's retelling of the story of Genesis. The interpretation of the Bible found in it is generally a Calvinist one. The poem is framed as an epic, beginning with a variant of the classical invocation of the Muses:

OF Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit

Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast

Brought Death into the World,

... Sing Heav'nly Muse, ...

This frames the poem as accounting for the present...

Paradise Lost is Milton's retelling of the story of Genesis. The interpretation of the Bible found in it is generally a Calvinist one. The poem is framed as an epic, beginning with a variant of the classical invocation of the Muses:

OF Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit

Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast

Brought Death into the World,

... Sing Heav'nly Muse, ...

This frames the poem as accounting for the present human condition by the Biblical account of the human expulsion from Paradise due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve. 

The poem actually addresses two great acts of disobedience, first the fall of Lucifer who rebelled against God and was cast into Hell, and then the fall of man, due to the beguiling words of Lucifer in the form of a serpent. In both cases (Lucifer's expulsion from Heaven and man's expulsion from Eden) the central cause is their own arrogance in flouting the authority of God.

Three aspects of the human condition follow from the fall. First, our current state, in which we are short-lived, must struggle for food and shelter, and are afflicted with various physical ailments is all due to the expulsion from Eden. Second, we all participate in Original Sin and thus cannot be saved purely by our own efforts. Finally, because the Son volunteered to sacrifice himself to save us, we are not irrevocably condemned to eternal torment like the fallen angels, but instead can be saved through faith in Jesus. 

How did Napoleon use violence in Animal Farm?

Napoleon hand raises a group of puppies into fierce, violent dogs that guard him and do his bidding. He uses them to consolidate and enforce his power. He first instructs them to chase Snowball from Animal Farm:

At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their...

Napoleon hand raises a group of puppies into fierce, violent dogs that guard him and do his bidding. He uses them to consolidate and enforce his power. He first instructs them to chase Snowball from Animal Farm:

At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws.

They pursue Snowball across the farm and almost catch him. He escapes but dares not return, so Napoleon is able to become all powerful. Snowball, Napoleon's only real rival, is intelligent, dedicated and resourceful, but no match for Napoleon's willingness to employ raw force.

When the hens protest having to lay 400 eggs a week, Napoleon cuts off their food supply and decrees any animal giving them so much as a grain of corn should be put to death. This threat of violence works and the hens eventually capitulate.

Napoleon also uses the violence in his show trials. He has the three hens who were the ringleaders in protesting the increased egg quota confess that they were incited by Snowball in a dream to disobey Napoleon's orders. Napoleon has the three hens, "slaughtered," along with some other animals who also confess to having been led astray by Snowball. This demoralizes and frightens the rest of the animals, who creep off, "shaken and miserable." 

On what page did Lyddie get paid at the mill in Lyddie?

Lyddie gets paid per piece once a week, but most of her pay goes to her board until she is discharged and paid full wages. 

Lyddie works at the mill after she loses her job at the tavern.  At the tavern, she never actually gets paid her wages personally.  They are supposedly sent to her mother directly.  When she goes to work at the factory she has a little more control of her money,...

Lyddie gets paid per piece once a week, but most of her pay goes to her board until she is discharged and paid full wages. 

Lyddie works at the mill after she loses her job at the tavern.  At the tavern, she never actually gets paid her wages personally.  They are supposedly sent to her mother directly.  When she goes to work at the factory she has a little more control of her money, but some of it is directly paid to the boardinghouse.  Lyddie gets paid once a week. 

The pay reflected her proficiency. She was making almost $2.50 a week above her $1.75 board. While the other girls grumbled that their piece rates had dropped so that it had hardly been worth slaving through the summer heat, she kept her silence. (Ch. 12, p. 86) 

Lyddie is just happy to be making money.  She wants to be able to save enough to send money home to pay off her family’s debts so that they can get the farm back.  She wants more than anything to get her family back together.

Everything falls apart when Lyddie catches Mr. Marsden trying to assault Brigid and stops him, hitting him with a bucket full of water.  After this incident, she gets paid all of her money because she loses her job. 

They paid her wages full and just, but there was no certificate of honorable discharge from the Concord Corporation, and with no certificate, she would never be hired by any other corporation in Lowell. (Ch. 21, p. 168) 

If Lyddie had been given a certificate, she could have taken her money and gone to another factory.  However, because Mr. Marsden lied about what happened she got her money only.  She would not be able to get another job at a factory.  She was blacklisted.

In Night, Wiesel bluntly writes: "And then one day all foreign Jews were expelled from Sighet. And Moshe the Beadle was a foreigner" (p. 6). Why...

In this particular section, Wiesel writes with a blunt approach to emphasize the way life and death decisions were made during the Holocaust.

When pondering the vast amount of death and suffering that took place during the Holocaust, it would be reasonable to think that there was dramatic agony associated with making such decisions.  However, one of the reasons that Night is so effective is because Wiesel suggests that these decisions were made impersonally and...

In this particular section, Wiesel writes with a blunt approach to emphasize the way life and death decisions were made during the Holocaust.

When pondering the vast amount of death and suffering that took place during the Holocaust, it would be reasonable to think that there was dramatic agony associated with making such decisions.  However, one of the reasons that Night is so effective is because Wiesel suggests that these decisions were made impersonally and bluntly.  They were indifferent directives.  For example, when Moshe is expelled from Sighet, his entire life changes.  He is forced to pretend he was dead as the Nazis took people and executed them in a large heap.  Moshe saw babies used as target practice as they were thrown in the air.  His entire world view changes when he is expelled from Sighet.  

However, such change is undercut with the way that the Nazis approached these decisions.  They did not express barbarism with excessive displays of fanatical gleam.  Rather, they issued directives and orders.  They made such decisions with cold precision, using bureaucratic efficiency to mask how millions of people were going to die and suffer.  For example, "The Final Solution" to exterminate an entire race of people was communicated in an interoffice memorandum.  When Wiesel writes in a blunt and frank manner, he uses literary style to communicate historical reality.  He writes of the events the way the Nazis perpetrated crimes against humanity.  Murder and butchery was carried out without passion and with indifference.  

The evil perpetrated in the Holocaust was banal.  It became part of daily life. It did not even register in the minds of those doing it. In writing with a blunt style at specific moments, Wiesel uses literary technique to communicate historical reality.   This is seen when Wiesel describes how the decision was made to break up his family in Auschwitz- Birkenau:

"Men to the left! Women to the right!"

Eight words spoken quietly, indifferently, without emotion. Eight simple, short words. Yet that was the moment when I left my mother.

Words that were delivered "indifferently, without emotion" were communicated in a matter of fact demeanor.  It causes a great disconnect within the reader to recognize that decisions and words that transformed the lives of millions of people could be said with such blunt directness.  At these moments in the text, Wiesel's style of writing helps to firmly embed the terror of the Holocaust in the reader's mind.

What is the importance of elasticity in government revenue collection?

The effect of income elasticity on taxation is quite large, and quite analogous to the effect of demand elasticity on optimal pricing for a monopoly.

When you're setting a price as a monopoly, you have two effects to consider: Raising the price will make you more profit for each good sold; but it will also reduce the number of goods sold. The amount by which quantity sold changes due to a change in price is the elasticity of demand. The optimal price is the one at which these two effects are balanced, so that either raising or lowering from that price level would reduce profit.

Similarly, as a government setting tax rates you have two effects to consider: A higher tax rate will get you more revenue per dollar of GDP, but it will also reduce total GDP. The amount by which a change in tax rates reduces GDP is the taxable income elasticity.

If the taxable income elasticity is small---as it probably is, at least under current tax rates---then raising taxes will increase revenue, because it will have a large effect on revenue per dollar of GDP and a small effect on total GDP.

But if the taxable income elasticity is large, we get what is called the Laffer effect, in which an increase in tax rates can actually cause a decrease in tax revenue, because a small change in revenue per dollar of GDP causes a large loss of total GDP.

The revenue-maximizing tax rate is the one that balances these two effects, much like a monopoly would balance demand elasticity; empirically the revenue-maximizing rate appears to be about 70%. Below this, you get less revenue per dollar of GDP; above this, you get more revenue per dollar of GDP, but you lose so much in GDP that you get less revenue overall.

Mathematically, let r be the tax rate, T be tax revenue, and Y be total GDP. In this very simple model we'll pretend the taxes are flat, so:

T = r Y

If Y were constant, obviously T would be maximized by setting r = 1. But Y is in fact dependent on r, so to find the maximum we need to take the derivative of this function:

dT/dr = 0 = Y + r dY/dr

Y = - r dY/dr

r/Y * dY/dr = -1

r/Y * dY/dr is simply the taxable income elasticity, so what we're saying is that revenue is maximized when the elasticity is -1.

There are reasons you might want to choose tax rates below the revenue-maximizing rate: Even at much lower rates, higher taxes are reducing overall GDP, and that is undesirable. You may not need or want such high tax revenues because they are in excess of what you need for government spending. You may decide as a matter of public policy to leave more of the economy under private spending rather than government spending.

There is rarely any reason to choose tax rates above the revenue-maximizing rate: At that high a rate, the government actually loses money by raising taxes. If you wanted that same amount of revenue, you should choose a tax rate below revenue-maximizing, in order to improve overall economic efficiency. Certainly you would not want to raise taxes above revenue-maximizing in order to raise revenue for public services; that makes no sense. But one case that might make sense is suggested by Thomas Piketty, which is that as a matter of public policy you may choose to forcibly equalize the distribution of wealth even at the cost of less tax revenue. Even this would only make sense if you had strong reasons to equalize the income distribution (which is true---a lot of socioeconomic problems are linked to high wealth inequality) and the loss of GDP and tax revenue was not too large (that part is not as clear).

What motifs, such as dialogue, conflict, and setting, are used in "Indian Camp"? Also, can you explain them?

The story begins with an evocation of setting: at the lake shore. It is here where Nick and his father disembark from some vague location, presumably their side of town, and are rowed over to the Indian camp by some Native Americans who live over there. 

The lake is the physical boundary that separates the white inhabitants of this town from the natives on the reservation. Metaphorically, it also operates as a racial, cultural, and economic boundary. Nick's father is a doctor and, presumably, the most accessible medical care available to those in the camp. Those in the camp live in shanties.

The dialogue in the story is very terse, a common feature of Hemingway's prose. Also, the only people who speak are the three white people: Nick, his father, and Uncle George. The Native Americans in the camp, however, are the ones who perform all of the action in the story: those who row Nick and his father over to the camp, the woman struggling for two days to give birth, her husband smoking a pipe in the bunk above her, then slitting his own throat out of fear and distress.

Much of the dialogue involves the doctor explaining to his son how a woman gives birth, then talking, very briefly at the end of the story, about suicide. The focus of the dialogue is, thus, on life and death. The doctor is determined to ensure that the baby is born and, therefore, is indifferent to the woman's screams: "But her screams are not important. I don't hear them because they are not important." A Caesarian is performed without an anesthetic, causing the woman to bite Uncle George in pain. His response, "Damn squaw bitch!" echoes the doctor's indifference to the woman and her labor pains.

Arguably, between this indifference to the woman and the doctor's insistence on checking on the father, as "they're usually the worst sufferers in these little affairs," Hemingway's misogyny seems apparent. One could look beyond this, however, and argue that Hemingway's indifference to the "squaw" stems from the notion that she is merely the conduit through which life occurs. Her survival and that of the baby are important only because they confirm the triumph of life over death. The latter is personified by the father's suicide.

It is important that the story ends with Nick and his father rowing home, on the verge of a new day:

The sun was coming up over the hills. A bass jumped, making a circle in the water...It felt warm in the sharp chill of the morning.

At this moment, Nick feels "quite sure that he would never die." One could read this conclusion literally, as a boy's naive feeling of immortality, or symbolically. Though the father in the camp killed himself, his newborn is a part of him and will live on and probably propagate more children. The tragedy of what occurred in the camp is left behind, a memory now in the past, while Nick and his father sail on into the morning and a new beginning. In the water, a bass's jump makes a circle in the water. Circles, too, continue on indefinitely. Thus, the conflict between life and death, as presented in the story, is resolved by the reader's understanding, through Nick, that life goes on.

What were the different forms of torture that Winston had to endure in the Ministry of Love?

After his arrest, Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love, where he is incarcerated for rebellion against the party. The torture begins soon after his arrival and takes a number of forms.

Firstly, the party starves Winston. In Part 3, Chapter 1, for example, Winston feels a "gnawing" in his stomach and is unsure if it has been 24 or 36 hours since he last ate. Whatever the case, the party has not fed...

After his arrest, Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love, where he is incarcerated for rebellion against the party. The torture begins soon after his arrival and takes a number of forms.

Firstly, the party starves Winston. In Part 3, Chapter 1, for example, Winston feels a "gnawing" in his stomach and is unsure if it has been 24 or 36 hours since he last ate. Whatever the case, the party has not fed him since his arrival.

Secondly, the party uses violence to torture Winston. This begins at the end of Part 3, Chapter 1, when O'Brien first visits Winston and reveals his true identity. A guard beats Winston with his truncheon and laughs at the "contortions" of his body. This incident leads to routine beatings by the guards.

Eventually, the beatings subside, and Winston is subjected to a third form of torture. This is carried out by "Party intellectuals" who take it in turns to work on Winston for ten or twelve hours. These men slap him, pull his ears, pull his hair, make him stand on one leg and prevent him from urinating. While they do this, the men question him about his rebellion. This form of torture so confuses and humiliates Winston that he confesses to all manner of crimes, like spying and murder, none of which he has actually committed.

Next, Winston is tortured by O'Brien using a machine that he calls the "dials." This machine is controlled by a lever which inflicts varying degrees of pain on Winston.

As O'Brien questions Winston, a man in a white coat places "some heavy piece of apparatus" behind Winston's head. Two soft pads are then placed onto Winston's temples and he experiences a "blinding flash" but no pain. This represents a fifth form of torture that the party uses on Winston: they directly manipulate his mind so that he accepts their logic and authority.

But no method is more effective than Room 101. Here, O'Brien challenges Winston to face rats, his ultimate fear. The thought of facing this fear is so terrifying to Winston that he immediately recants of his rebellion. This represents the climax of Winston's transformation from party rebel to party lover. No longer considered a threat to the party, he is released from the Ministry of Love and allowed to return home.

How is Jem changing, and why do these changes bother Scout?

Simply put--Jem is growing up. Calpurnia tries to explain it to Scout in chapter 12 as follows:

"Baby. . . I just can't help it if Mister Jem's growin' up. He's gonna want to be off to himself a lot now, doin' whatever boys do, so you just come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonesome" (115).

By chapter 14 the most significant changes start to show in Jem. He starts to act more like an adult to Scout rather than treating her like an equal or a playmate. For example, he takes Scout aside and tells her that if she doesn't stop aggravating Aunt Alexandra, he will spank her. Scout gets into a physical fight with him about this, and since he fights back, she feels he hasn't changed enough for them not to still be equals. But the change in Jem certainly strains his relationship with Scout.

Following this fight, Scout discovers Dill hiding under her bed. He had run away from home and she wasn't going to tell Atticus about him if it weren't for Jem. When Jem finds Dill, he says, "You oughta let your mother know where you are" (141). Then he goes to get Atticus to tell him that Dill is in Scout's room and she says the following:

"Dill's eyes flickered at Jem, and Jem looked at the floor. Then he rose and broke the remaining code of our childhood. He went out of the room and down the hall. 'Atticus,' his voice was distant. 'can you come here a minute, sir?'" (141).

Jem breaks the code of no snitching on other kids. He acts like an adult by telling on Dill and it almost makes Dill run again. If it weren't for Atticus's calm and kind response, he may have run right then. Fortunately, Jem and Scout figure a way to stay brother and sister as Jem goes through puberty and matures--just like all siblings do.

Task: The focus of this topic should reveal a clear division between the two main adversaries of the cold war.

The two main adversaries of the Cold War were the United States and the Soviet Union. There was a prolonged period of competition and confrontations between the two countries beginning at the end of World War II.

The United States and Great Britain reached some agreements with the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. One agreement was that the new government in Poland after World War II would have some members of the pre-war government in it. There would also be free elections. After the World War II ended, the new government had very few members of the pre-war government in it, and there was no sign of free elections. Another agreement reached, known as the Declaration of Liberated Europe, was to allow European countries to choose the kind of government they wanted to have. The King of Romania, however, said he was pressured to have a communist government.

The Soviet Union wanted to spread communism. We wanted to prevent it from spreading. This to led to many areas of confrontation with the Soviet Union. The European Recovery Program offered aid to countries that were trying to prevent communism from spreading there. Greece and Turkey were examples of countries that accepted aid and remained noncommunist. The Soviet Union tried to force the Allies out of West Berlin by establishing the Berlin Blockade. All land routes into West Berlin were cut off by the Soviet Union. We responded with the Berlin Airlift, flying supplies over the blockade. The airlift lasted until the blockade ended.

We also opposed the attempt to expand communism into South Korea. When North Korea, unprovoked, invaded South Korea, we went to the United Nations to deal with this invasion. The United Nations, led by the United States, pushed the Soviet-backed North Korea out of South Korea.

The United States and the Soviet Union also clashed over communist-controlled Cuba. We blockaded the Cuban coast when we discovered the Soviet Union was building missile sites and placing missiles in Cuba. This led to an intense two-week crisis known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The United States and the Soviet Union competed in other areas also. There was a race to get the first satellite into space. The Soviet Union accomplished that first, but we were the first to land an astronaut on the moon. The two countries also competed in sports. The United States and the Soviet Union had intense competitions in world competitions and in the Olympic games.

The United States and the Soviet Union clearly were on the opposite ends of many issues between 1945-1990.

Had the banker and the lawyer known about the effect of the bet, would they have made the bet? Substantiate your argument.

Absolutely not! The very thought of the lawyer and the banker making the bet with the prior knowledge of its actual outcome is faulty in itself.

One of the most important reasons, why the lawyer had accepted the bet was that he wanted to be a millionaire. Zealous and optimistic, he must have thought that after undergoing the pains of living in solitary confinement for fifteen years, he would end up as a millionaire. Following this, he could enjoy a trouble-free and luxurious life.

Of course, the lawyer was clueless as to the change he was going to experience. Not even in his farthest thoughts, had he imagined that intense and vigorous reading would cause in him a strong apathy for the worldly pleasures and material wealth. 

It’s during his imprisonment that he realizes “the blessings of this world” are “all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage.”

Similarly, the banker was absolutely convinced that in no way could the lawyer complete the bet. He was sure that sooner or later, he would give in and walk out of the room. 

So, what we see is each of them is proven utterly wrong in their pre-conceived assessments of the bet’s final outcome. Nothing happens as had been imagined by each of them:

On the one hand, the realization of the futility of material wealth and physical pleasure expunges the lawyer’s desire to become a millionaire; on the other, the stupefied banker is anxious to get rid of the lawyer and save his millions. 

So, we see that it was their incorrect assessment of the bet's result that had led them to make the bet. In the lawyer's case, it was the possibility of winning the whopping sum of two million rubles that had driven him to stake the vital years of his youth; while the “spoilt and frivolous” banker had made the bet only because he was certain about his win.

So, it’s certain that if they had any idea about how the bet was about to end up, the bet wouldn't have been possible.

After Calpurnia makes Scout leave the table, what lecture does she give her in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Walter Cunningham comes over for lunch one day.  He asks for a pitcher of syrup, which Calpurnia quickly delivers to him.  He dumps syrup all over the food on his plate, including meat, vegetables, and all.  Scout is appalled by this.  She wonders aloud why anyone would do such a thing.  Calpurnia calls her away from the table and into the kitchen.  

Calpurnia is furious with Scout.  Scout had been rude to Walter because...

Walter Cunningham comes over for lunch one day.  He asks for a pitcher of syrup, which Calpurnia quickly delivers to him.  He dumps syrup all over the food on his plate, including meat, vegetables, and all.  Scout is appalled by this.  She wonders aloud why anyone would do such a thing.  Calpurnia calls her away from the table and into the kitchen.  

Calpurnia is furious with Scout.  Scout had been rude to Walter because of the syrup, and Calpurnia had raised her to be polite.  Calpurnia scolds Scout over the whole incident:

When [Calpurnia] squinted down at [Scout] the tiny lines around her eyes deepened.  "There's some folks who don’t eat like us," she whispered fiercely, "but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't. That boy’s yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear?" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 3).

Scout protests.  She does not think Walter Cunningham is company.  She considers him to be a boy from school who happened to come home for lunch.  Calpurnia is firm with Scout.  She tells Scout that anyone who enters the house is company and should be treated accordingly.  Calpurnia lets Scout know that if she cannot treat Walter properly, she can eat inside the kitchen.  After that, "Calpurnia [sends Scout] through the swinging door to the diningroom with a stinging smack."  Scout gets her plate to go back to the kitchen to eat.  

How much of what Sister reports can we believe?

In Eudora Welty's famous short story, "Why I Live at the P.O.," Sister is the classic unreliable narrator, so believe what she says with caution! This story is told in first person, with Sister narrating the events of why she moved out of her family's home and into the post office. As the narrator, she only tells one side of the story—her side. She makes harsh comments about her sister, Stella-Rondo, like that she's "spoiled"...

In Eudora Welty's famous short story, "Why I Live at the P.O.," Sister is the classic unreliable narrator, so believe what she says with caution! This story is told in first person, with Sister narrating the events of why she moved out of her family's home and into the post office. As the narrator, she only tells one side of the story—her side. She makes harsh comments about her sister, Stella-Rondo, like that she's "spoiled" and tells "deliberated, calculated falsehoods."  

At the same time, Sister portrays herself as the victim and the righteous one in the family, who is undeserving of everyone's criticism. When she makes a sarcastic comment or noise like "H'm!" and when she is questioned about it, she then backtracks by saying she didn't mean a thing. In addition, Sister always tries to cause trouble, like suggesting that Shirley-T is not adopted, no matter what Stella-Rondo may claim.

Sister's behavior, which borders on that of a spoiled child, leaves the reader uncertain of how much she says is true or accurate. It would appear that much of it is exaggeration, simply to gain the sympathy of those around her. At the end, when she leaves to go to the P.O., she takes several small items in a petty way as she has a tantrum over the way she has been treated. This reveals her to be a person who is clearly not reliable or believable.