Which of the following is an example of conserving resources? a) Using solar energy to heat homes b) planting trees c) zoos breeding animals ...

Resources can be thought of as anything that can be helpful to human beings and which can be made into more useful products. Plants, animals, soil, minerals, water, air, etc., are all natural resources and we make use of all of them directly or indirectly. Thus, conserving any of them is resource conservation. Lets take a look at each of the choices.

A) solar energy for heating: we commonly use fuels directly (in the form...

Resources can be thought of as anything that can be helpful to human beings and which can be made into more useful products. Plants, animals, soil, minerals, water, air, etc., are all natural resources and we make use of all of them directly or indirectly. Thus, conserving any of them is resource conservation. Lets take a look at each of the choices.

A) solar energy for heating: we commonly use fuels directly (in the form of wood, coal or gas) or indirectly (as electricity) to heat our homes. Using solar energy will help us conserve these fuels, which are nothing but natural resources.

B) planting trees: plants and trees are natural resources and provide us with fruits, shade, oxygen, wood among a number of other useful products and services. Hence planting more trees is conserving these resources and also conserving our air.

C) breeding of animals: natural resources also include animals, since they directly or indirectly benefit human beings and thus protecting and breeding them in protected areas, such as zoos (given that their natural habitats are under stress by human actions) is an example of resource conservation.

Hence choice D) all of the above is the correct choice.

Hope this helps.

When do writers turn to the essay form?

What a great question! In short, according to this list on Quizlet, "writers turn to the essay form when they wish to confront their readers directly with an idea."

What that means is that when we need to make a point or convey an idea very clearly, we often turn to the essay form. It's a way of saying what you think and why; it's a way of raising questions and answering them; it's a way of anticipating how others will react to your ideas and addressing their concerns before they even voice them.

It can also be a way to vent your emotions, make a confession, show your support for a cause, make a prediction or a warning about the future, offer comfort to a group of people, organize your own thinking about an idea and examine it—really, the possibilities are endless.

But the things that every essay has in common are that they express an idea and have a definite audience: a group of people to whom the writer wants to make the message clear.

Essays assigned to students in schools often are quite different from essays written outside of school, in the real world.

The main difference is usually that the school essay is assigned: the student may or may not really care about what they have to write about, and the purpose is often just to prove to the teacher that the student understands the topic. But in the real world, you write an essay only when you've just got to get your idea out there.

If you search Amazon for "essays," you'll find some real-world essay collections that help reveal how compelling, interesting, and lively essays can be, from general topics (such as The Best American Essays of the Century) to the very specific on almost any interest you like (such as The Truth of Buffy: Essays on Fiction Illuminating Reality).

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, what on page 119 shows that it was right or wrong of Atticus Finch to defend Tom Robinson? Why or why not?

As page numbers vary per publication of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, it's difficult to point to the specific passage you have in mind. However, in Chapter 9, fairly early on in the book, Atticus makes some comments about the case to his brother Jack that clearly show the unfairness of Tom Robinson's case and show Atticus is morally correct and obligated to defend Robinson.While Jack is staying with Atticus...

As page numbers vary per publication of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, it's difficult to point to the specific passage you have in mind. However, in Chapter 9, fairly early on in the book, Atticus makes some comments about the case to his brother Jack that clearly show the unfairness of Tom Robinson's case and show Atticus is morally correct and obligated to defend Robinson.

While Jack is staying with Atticus for Christmas, Jack gets the opportunity to ask Atticus about the case; specifically, Jack asks how bad the trial will be. Atticus responds by explaining that no concrete evidence exists in the case to prove the crime actually even took place, let alone to prove that Robinson is guilty of the crime:

It couldn't be worse, Jack. The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did--I-didn't. (Ch. 9)

In other words, all that's being used as evidence in the trial is the verbal testimonies of the plaintiff, who is Mayella Ewell, and other key witnesses, such as Sheriff Heck Tate and Mayella's father, Bob Ewell. In explaining the above to Jack, Atticus is actually exposing a critical problem with the case. US court of law acts based on the legal principle corpus delicti, which means in Latin "the body of [the] crime" (Wex, Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School). The principle asserts that there must be proof a crime actually took place "before an individual can be tried for the crime" (Wex). Mere "you-did--I-didn't" evidence does not serve as legal proof that a crime of rape actually took place. Since Atticus knows Robinson is being tried unfairly and illegally, Atticus knows he is morally obligated to put his all into defending Robinson. In addition, regardless of evidence, all defendants in a US court of law are entitled to a defense; therefore, Atticus knows he would not be upholding his responsibilities as a lawyer if he did not put his all into defending Robinson, which further proves that Atticus is right to defend Robinson.

Is there a chance that people who believe in Buddhism might also believe in Christianity?

There is certainly a possibility that an individual could believe in or see the merits of both Buddhism and Christianity. Many East Asian nations are historically Buddhist, and members of the Christian faith who live in these areas may participate in both religions to some extent. Depending on the particular sect(s) of Christianity or Buddhism, the practice of one or both religions might be difficult, but there is little to suggest that someone could not engage with both.

The basic tenets of both Buddhism and Christianity have a lot in common. The Ten Commandments of Christianity and the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism both discourage or forbid lying, excess, murder, and theft. Where they differ is largely in regard to the idea of God and who or what is supreme in the universe.

In Buddhism, there are no gods. Instead, there are the boddhisatvas (analogous to Catholic saints) and the Buddha. Buddha is a little tricky to understand, but think of it as the pure goodness at the heart of every being. When we talk about the Buddha, we are referring to Siddartha Gautama, who is the founder of Buddhism. He is believed to have discovered the most efficient means of attaining enlightenment by uncovering and acting in accordance with our "Buddha nature." The boddhisatvas are enlightened beings who followed the Noble Eightfold Path but chose to stay in human form to help others on their journey to enlightenment. 

In Christianity, it is considered sinful to worship anyone but the one God and His manifestations as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Historically, this has been interpreted as only worshiping or venerating approved Christian figures. It is possible that someone who is Christian could have respect for the Buddha and the bodhisattvas without worshiping them as gods. Similarly, a Buddhist might have a lot of respect for Jesus Christ and the example he set during his life. A Buddhist might also interpret "the one God" as the state of non-being experienced during enlightenment.

I think the biggest difficulty one might have in accepting or practicing both Buddhism and Christianity deals with the question of what happens after death. Buddhists believe people are reincarnated according to the spiritual burden we have accumulated during our previous lifetimes. When enlightenment has been achieved, our spirit or Buddha nature is united with all of the other enlightened spirits in an intangible plane of non-being and non-action. Christians take more of a "one-shot" approach, and believe the actions of a person's single lifetime determine whether they will go to heaven or hell. 

From my personal studies of religion and experiences with people of many faiths, I would say that, while Christianity is an organized religion, Buddhism is more of a lifestyle or outlook on the world. The two have a lot in common in their general beliefs and practices -- try to be a good person, and things will turn out well for your spirit. Someone may find that their spiritual life is enriched by the study and practice of co-existing religions. For example, a Christian might choose to abide by the Noble Eightfold Path as a means of helping him or her to refrain from sinning. Whether intentional or not, many Buddhists and Christians lead lives with similar concepts of morality and what creates a spiritual burden on a person.

While it is certainly a more modern phenomenon, some people consider themselves to be Christian Buddhists (or Buddhist Christians) because they have been baptized and believe in the one Christian God, but agree with Buddhist concepts of morality and self-conduct.

So, yes! Conversion from one to the other is not necessary, as both ideologies can co-exist peacefully in one person. It really depends on the particular traditions of someone's faith and the lived practice that may determine whether or not someone identifies as both.

How does the point of view influence the overall tone of the novel Lord of the Flies?

In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses a third person omniscient narrator to tell his story. The distance this narrator has from the events of the story helps to create a tone of both unflinching directness and of haunting beauty.

For example, when the hunters kill Simon, mistaking him for the beast, the narrator uses simple, straight-forward language:

"the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck,...

In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses a third person omniscient narrator to tell his story. The distance this narrator has from the events of the story helps to create a tone of both unflinching directness and of haunting beauty.

For example, when the hunters kill Simon, mistaking him for the beast, the narrator uses simple, straight-forward language:

"the crowd surged after it, poured down the rock, leapt on to the beast, screamed, struck, bit, tore" (pg 153)

Later, when Ralph is being hunted, the same language comes out:

"Break the line.
A tree.
Hide, and let them pass.
[...]
Hide was better than a tree because you had a chance of breaking the line if you were discovered.
Hide, then" (pg 217) 

In these examples, the narrator's direct look at the evils the boys are unleashing creates a tone of unflinching observation.

At other moments in the novel, the narrator uses beautiful imagery to evoke the sense of evil and foreboding that haunts the boys and the island itself. Lines like the following, describing the pig's head and the forest (respectively) demonstrate this:

"The head remained there, dim-eyed, grinning faintly, blood blackened between the teeth" (pg 137)

and

"for a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter" (pg 143).

These quotes show that the distance the third person narrator has to the action of the story allows him/her to poetically contemplate the evil that the boys themselves are in direct struggle with.

What are the important points of Wilson's Fourteen Points, and how successful were they in trying to bring a lasting peace after World War One?

Each of the Fourteen Points represented an idea that Wilson saw as necessary to structure the postwar order in such a way as to reduce the likelihood that another war would break out. The first said that "open covenants of peace" should follow World War I, which was intended to stop the kind of backroom haggling that often characterized peace conferences, and to keep nations from privately conspiring against each other in the future. Freedom...

Each of the Fourteen Points represented an idea that Wilson saw as necessary to structure the postwar order in such a way as to reduce the likelihood that another war would break out. The first said that "open covenants of peace" should follow World War I, which was intended to stop the kind of backroom haggling that often characterized peace conferences, and to keep nations from privately conspiring against each other in the future. Freedom of the seas and free trade were also both understood as measures that would help stop embargoes, blockades, and struggles for "spheres of influence" around the world. Arms reductions sought to reduce the risk that heavily-armed nations would blunder into war with each other. The bulk of the Fourteen Points were aimed at redrawing territorial lines in Europe to comport with the ethnic groups that lived there, respecting the sovereignty of smaller nations like Belgium and dividing up the Ottoman Empire and Austrian Empire. Finally, the Fourteen Points reflected a belief among many diplomats that a League of Nations was necessary to mediate in international disputes. Wilson was successful in establishing some of the Fourteen Points, but not others, and America's failure to ratify the League of Nations, and therefore to join it, was an especially important failure. The spirit as well as the letter of the Fourteen Points were not respected at the Paris Peace Conference. 

What is the main idea of Praying for Sheetrock by Melissa Greene?

Melissa Greene’s Praying for Sheetrock: A Work of Nonfiction chronicles the Civil Rights Movement as it progresses through the small town of McIntosh, Georgia.  In the beginning of the novel, McIntosh is a town governed by the white hegemony of the Old South and racial inequality was accepted as the status quo despite the civil rights advancements occurring in neighboring cities and states.  The endurance of this racialized order is primarily attributed to the town’s law enforcement, which was entirely made up of white officials with zero intention of dismantling the segregation and discrimination and instead focused entirely on promoting and protecting their own gains, such as drug trafficking, prostitution rings, and gambling.   The town is portrayed as an entirely different world, as Greene states, “From the late 1940s through the late 1970s, McIntosh County was a mini-Las Vegas... where white men came looking for, and found, women, gambling, liquor, drugs, guns, sanctuary from the law, and boats available for smuggling" (Greene 14).  It is not until an uneducated black man named Thurnell Alston moves to McIntosh that the black community begins to take action against the persistent discrimination, for up until then, the black community put all their trust in God delivering them from the oppression.  Through a series of events, Thurnell is elected to the county commission, and he initiated several public works projects and improved the social relations between the black and white communities of McIntosh.  Thurnell helped to dismantle the repressive order, but after a decade of service to his community, Thurnell is arrested for allegations of drug trafficking—an act that speaks volumes to the present mass incarcerations rates of the African American community.

Thus, the main idea of Praying for Sheetrock: A Work of Nonfiction is to chronicle the trajectory of a racial and social movement through an intimate narrative to show how the Old South was dismantled and how the U.S. Constitution challenged and abolished deeply-entrenched customs in a small, close-knit community in the backwoods of Georgia.  This is a significant piece of writing because it captures the emotions, moralities, and perspectives of both the black and white community in a place struggling to embrace the changes occurring all across the country.  Further, through the incarceration of Thurnell, the novel shows a movement from race reform to race retrenchment, where all the social movements fall into a cyclical pattern of reversion in which a new system places the black community back into a system of social control.

In A Wrinkle in Time, what does Mrs. Murry mean when she says, “. . . just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation...

In this passage, Meg comes up to her mother, Mrs. Murry, and asks her if she is upset. Her mother replies yes. Mrs. Murry explains that she misses Meg's father and believes that the appearance of Mrs. Whatsit has something to do with his disappearance. Meg asks "but what?" Mrs. Murry replies that she doesn't know and explains that although she believes everything has a reason, sometimes our human limitations prevent us from understanding it....

In this passage, Meg comes up to her mother, Mrs. Murry, and asks her if she is upset. Her mother replies yes. Mrs. Murry explains that she misses Meg's father and believes that the appearance of Mrs. Whatsit has something to do with his disappearance. Meg asks "but what?" Mrs. Murry replies that she doesn't know and explains that although she believes everything has a reason, sometimes our human limitations prevent us from understanding it. From there, she goes on to comment in the quote above that just because we don't understand something doesn't mean it can't be explained. We have to "suspend disbelief," which means to accept that things that appear incredible to our rational minds may be true. 

This is crucial to the Christian message at the heart of the novel. Science may be important, but mysteries exist that we humans are too limited to comprehend. Sometimes we simply have to accept what we can't understand, be it the existence of God or that "wrinkles in time" can take us to far away planets. 

If a country has the comparative advantage in producing a product, then must that country also have the absolute advantage in producing that product?

No! That's the really fascinating thing about comparative advantage; you can have comparative advantage in something without having absolute advantage in anything---you can be worse than everyone else at doing literally everything, and it still makes sense for you to do some things because you're less worse at that than you are at everything else.

For a surprisingly realistic example, let's compare the United States and Vietnam. Furthermore for simplicity let's pretend there are only two goods in the world, shoes (which you can think of as standing in for low-tech textiles) and cars (which you can think of standing in for high-tech capital-intensive manufacturing). Nothing else, just shoes and cars.

Now suppose that the United States has the following production possibility frontier: They can produce up to 100 million cars, or up to 10 billion pairs of shoes. Again for simplicity, let's assume their PPF is linear, so they have a constant rate of substitution where they can sacrifice making 1 car in order to make 100 pairs of shoes.

Vietnam, by contrast, could only produce up to 1 million cars, but can still produce up to 1 billion shoes. By sacrificing making 1 car, they can build 1000 pairs of shoes---thus, they clearly have a comparative advantage in making shoes.

Yet, notice, the US still has an absolute advantage in everything; they can make 10 times as many shoes or 100 times as many cars.

Depending on how we value cars versus shoes, it is very likely advantageous for both countries if Vietnam makes most or all of the shoes, while the US makes all the cars, and then they trade.

For example, if the US wants 500 million pairs of shoes, they could do that, but they'd only be able to make 95 million cars instead of 100 million. Meanwhile if Vietnam makes 1 million cars, they can't make any shoes at all.

Whereas, if the US makes 100 million cars and sells 2 million of them to Vietnam in exchange for 500 million shoes, Vietnam gets 2 million cars---more than they could ever produce on their own, while still getting to keep 500 million shoes. Meanwhile the US gets 98 million cars and also the 500 million shoes they wanted. Both countries are better off as a result of the trade, because Vietnam specialized in their comparative advantage of shoes.

What is the main theme of "The Duchess and The Jeweller" by Virginia Woolf?

One possible theme is the way in which money corrupts people, making them do things they really shouldn't do. Oliver Bacon has money, plenty of it, but the one thing he lacks is social respectability. Despite his enormous wealth, high society still looks down on him as an upstart and a parvenu. The Duchess' financial embarrassment provides him with the opportunity he's been waiting for for a very long time: a chance to gain an...

One possible theme is the way in which money corrupts people, making them do things they really shouldn't do. Oliver Bacon has money, plenty of it, but the one thing he lacks is social respectability. Despite his enormous wealth, high society still looks down on him as an upstart and a parvenu. The Duchess' financial embarrassment provides him with the opportunity he's been waiting for for a very long time: a chance to gain an entree into the very highest echelons of English society.

The Duchess has social respectability in abundance, but little in the way of hard cash thanks to her reckless gambling habit. So she turns to Bacon in the hope of easing her somewhat reduced circumstances. In their squalid little arrangement, both Bacon and the Duchess compromise their integrity to gain something they both desperately need.

Arguably, Bacon gets the better of the deal. Although he pays good money for something he knows to be fake, he's shown he has the confidence and the guile to wheedle his way into high society. And once he's there, it's unlikely that he'll ever leave. He might very well end up marrying the delectable Diana, which is what he really wants most of all.

It's also likely that the Duchess will continue in her profligate ways, racking up ever greater gambling debts. In doing so, she will become ever more indebted to Bacon, who will exert greater control over her life as a result. The suggestion here is that the aristocratic soul is destroyed by money, whereas the likes of Oliver Bacon have already been corrupted to such an extent that their souls are almost completely formed by money. Thus they have nothing more to lose in the spiritual sense of the term. 

What are the clues that foreshadow the tragic ending of the short story "The Scarlet Ibis"?

Foreshadowing is a prominent feature of James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis." From the very beginning death seems to pervade the story of two brothers growing up in coastal North Carolina in the first part of the 20th century. In the opening paragraph Hurst uses words symbolic of death such as "bleeding," "rotting," "empty," and "graveyard." Along with this imagery there are three specific places where Hurst foreshadows the eventual death of Doodle. 

Early...

Foreshadowing is a prominent feature of James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis." From the very beginning death seems to pervade the story of two brothers growing up in coastal North Carolina in the first part of the 20th century. In the opening paragraph Hurst uses words symbolic of death such as "bleeding," "rotting," "empty," and "graveyard." Along with this imagery there are three specific places where Hurst foreshadows the eventual death of Doodle. 

Early in the story Doodle's brother, who is never named, takes Doodle up to the loft of the barn to show him the coffin which was built for Doodle when the boy was still an infant and the family believed he would die. While Doodle protests that it was not meant for him, the brother taunts him, urging him to touch the coffin, and threatening to run away if Doodle doesn't touch it. The scene foreshadows the brother later running away from Doodle in the rainstorm because Doodle can't accomplish the training regiment the brother has devised for him.

More foreshadowing of Doodle's death occurs in the stories which Doodle tells. In one story the boy Peter is enveloped in the wings of his pet peacock. The imagery in the boy's story is full of death references. Hurst writes,

When Peter was ready to go to sleep, the peacock spread his magnificent tail, enfolding the boy gently like a closing go-to-sleep flower, burying him in the glorious iridescent, rustling vortex.

The story not only foreshadows Doodle's death but also the death of the ibis as the go-to-sleep flower becomes the bleeding tree for the ibis and the nightshade bush for Doodle.

The ibis is symbolic of Doodle, and its death directly foreshadows the boy's death only a few hours later. The bird is rare and fragile, traits which could also be applied to Doodle. The bird dies after a terrible physical struggle where it is blown off course by a terrible storm and ends up far north of its usual habitat. Doodle too dies after using up all his strength chasing his brother during a rainstorm. The description of the two dead bodies is also eerily similar. Hurst describes the dead ibis,

Its long, graceful neck jerked twice into an S, then straightened out, and the bird was still. A white veil came over the eyes and the long white beak unhinged. Its legs were crossed and its clawlike feet were delicately curved at rest. 

Doodle is similarly described as he lay under the red nightshade bush in the closing lines of the story,

He lay very awkwardly, with his head thrown far back, making his vermilion neck appear unusually long and slim. His little legs, bent sharply at the knees, had never before seemed so fragile, so thin. 

While these are the three major instances of foreshadowing, one might also point to the tumultuous weather and the mention of World War I as mirroring the turbulent struggle between the two brothers over Doodle's physical prowess.

How did the "Scopes Monkey Trial" represent a clash between urban and rural societies during the 1920's?

The case of State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, more commonly known as “the Scopes Monkey Trial,” represented a conflict between urban and rural environments because of the vast disparity in educational opportunities between the two types of settings and because of the far more prevalent role of religion in the daily lives and thought-processes of those inhabiting more rural communities. Tennessee, of course, is part of what became known (ironically, as a direct result of the “Scopes Monkey Trial,” when journalist and critic H.L. Menken, who covered the trial for his hometown newspaper, Baltimore Sun, referred derisively to the region in which the trial was taking place) as “the Bible Belt,” the large region that just so happens to overlap with the American South. When the State of Tennessee passed a law, known as the Butler Act, it made it a state crime to teach evolution in public schools. The operative section of that statute stated the following:

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, That it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.

That the State of Tennessee should pass a law such as the Butler Act was testament to the depths of its commitment to historical interpretation through the prism of Biblical scripture. (Interestingly, even today, Tennessee retains its strong beliefs in the Bible as the word of God and the source of knowledge on man’s origins; the American Bible Society ranks Chattanooga, Tennessee, as the most “Bible-minded city” in the United States). This is not to suggest that citizens of the Bible Belt are any less intelligent than anybody else; it is to suggest that the more insular nature of many rural communities across the American South (and in Texas and Oklahoma) and the region’s history of antipathy towards its more “cosmopolitan” neighbors to the north has bred resentment towards outside influences, including in the area of scientific developments that may challenge preexisting beliefs on a whole range of subjects. And, socioeconomic distinctions between such southern rural areas and more densely-populated urban areas, including in the South, were, and too-often remain, represented in the qualities of education received in public school systems.

The American South is deeply religious. In 1925, it was even more religious, plus it was still imbued with a sense of self-righteous indignation regarding its humiliation in the post-Civil War period. Not-for-nothing was the state’s most prominent populist politician, William Jennings Bryan, an observant Protestant who aided, incompetently, in the prosecution of John Scopes, brought down, figuratively and literally, by the more disciplined, learned attorney for the defense, Clarence Darrow, a giant of American juris prudence. Bryan was very smart, but he was product of a very different culture than Darrow, and he was very much out of his element in a trial that delved into the science of evolution.

The urban versus rural divide encompasses education and propensity for observance of religious dictates. That divide was definitely a part of the “Scopes Monkey Trial.” The disparities between cultures and exposures to schools of thought and academic disciplines was as much on trial as the issue of teaching evolution in public schools.

In The Outsiders, how did Ponyboy's opinion change throughout the book?

Pony comes to understand that the Socs are just people too, and everyone has problems.

At the beginning of the book, Pony is afraid of the Socs.  He paints them all with one brush, believing that all Socs are a danger to him.  This is based on his experience being jumped by a group of Socs when he was walking alone.  Pony has feared for his safety from that day on.

We get jumped by the Socs. I'm not sure how you spell it, but it's the abbreviation for the Socials, the jet set, the West-side rich kids. It's like the term "greaser," which is used to class all us boys on the East Side. (Ch. 1) 

In Pony’s neighborhood, if you are a greaser, that means you will be targeted by Socs.  The Socs get all the breaks.  They are wealthy and have their future laid out for them, and most of their illegal actions are dismissed by the public as rich kids blowing off steam. 

Pony thinks that the Socs have it all.  When he meets a Soc girl named Cherry and has a conversation with her, he learns that things are more complicated. 

"I'll bet you think the Socs have it made.  The rich kids, the West-side Socs. I'll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never even heard of. You want to know something? …Things are rough all over." (Ch. 2) 

Cherry makes Pony start to change his opinion of Socs.  He realizes that they are people too.  Before the big rumble where the greasers are supposed to avenge Johnny’s death, and the Socs are avenging Bob’s, Pony has a conversation with a Soc named Randy.  Randy is impressed that Johnny and Pony rescued the children from the fire, and tells Pony that he is tired of the fighting. 

When Two-bit asks Pony what he and the Soc talked about, Pony’s response demonstrates his new understanding of Socs. 

"He ain't a Soc," I said, "he's just a guy. He just wanted to talk." (Ch. 7) 

Pony understands the world differently than just greaser-Soc.  The Socs are people too, with real problems.  The greasers and the Socs will never be the same, but they do not have to fight over nothing either.  Pony decides to take Johnny’s advice and stay gold, or try to get his life on track and not get dragged into the gang life.

What is the setting of "To Build a Fire" by Jack London?

When the story opens, it is morning and the man and his dog are in the Yukon. The Yukon is the northwestern part of Canada and lies east of Alaska. London describes the sky as "cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey." The man thinks it must be fifty degrees below zero. "Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below—how much colder he did not know." 

There are no clouds, but there is no sun. The...

When the story opens, it is morning and the man and his dog are in the Yukon. The Yukon is the northwestern part of Canada and lies east of Alaska. London describes the sky as "cold and grey, exceedingly cold and grey." The man thinks it must be fifty degrees below zero. "Undoubtedly it was colder than fifty below—how much colder he did not know." 

There are no clouds, but there is no sun. The landscape is cold and covered in snow and ice. The sky is gloomy. "It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle gloom that made the day dark, and that was due to the absence of sun." From the north to the south, all he can see is snow. There is only one strip of spruce trees that breaks up the ubiquitous ice and snow. London makes it a point to describe how cold and unforgiving the landscape and weather are. He also stresses how the foolish man is initially not concerned about this. He is new to this area. This is what will lead to his downfall. He does not understand how dangerously cold it really is.

This is a good example of Naturalism in literature. Whereas some Naturalist works focus on social forces, stories like "To Build a Fire" highlight the power and reality of nature. 

What are all the malapropisms in Romeo and Juliet?

A malapropism is the incorrect use of a word in place of one that sounds phonetically similar.  For example, “A doctor gave me an anecdote.”  In this instance, “anecdote” is mistakenly used for “antidote.”   Common malapropisms are “electric—eclectic,” “obtuse—abstruse,” “home—hone,” and “behest—beset.”  Often humorous, malapropisms in literature can either convey narrative confusion or can serve as a characterizing device to show the ignorance or wit of a particular character.

Touted as one of the...

A malapropism is the incorrect use of a word in place of one that sounds phonetically similar.  For example, “A doctor gave me an anecdote.”  In this instance, “anecdote” is mistakenly used for “antidote.”   Common malapropisms are “electric—eclectic,” “obtuse—abstruse,” “home—hone,” and “behest—beset.”  Often humorous, malapropisms in literature can either convey narrative confusion or can serve as a characterizing device to show the ignorance or wit of a particular character.

Touted as one of the most clever word smiths in the English language, William Shakespeare is known for his play on words, puns, and dialogic jargon.  Thus, it is no surprise that malapropisms often appear in his plays.  In the romantic tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, there are several malapropisms that are absurd and humorous, that not only provide comedic relief but present insights into character natures.

• “Oh, he’s the courageous / captain of compliments” (II. iv. 19-20).  In this malapropism that also functions as an alliteration, the word “compliments” is arguably misused for the word “complements.”  This is evidenced by the string of “complements” or additional attributes that the Prince of Cats possesses.

• “If you be he, sir, I desire some confidence with you” (II. iv. 64).  Here, the Nurse wants Romeo to be a “confidant,” which is a trusted friend to discuss private matters.  The malapropism is confidence for confidant.  In addition, it has been noted that the malapropism could be confidence for conference.  Regardless, confidence is still the wrong word choice. 

• “She will indite him to some supper” (II. iv. 65). In this line spoken by Benvolio, the young man misuses “indite” for “invite.”  Indite is the writing of a sonnet or composition, suggesting Shakespeare is not only poking fun at the Nurse’s request, but poking fun at his own craft.

• “But, I’ll warrant you, when I say so, she looks as pale as any clout in the versal world” (II. iv. 101-102).  Here, the nurse mistakenly uses “versal” for “universal,” which is not only a humorous error, but is a pun on the “versal world,” meaning the world of play writing.

•  “No, I know it begins with some other letter, and she / hath the prettiest sententious of it” (II. iv. 106-107). Again, the Nurse uses a malapropism for the word “sententious.”  In this section, the Nurse is commenting on the spelling of Romeo’s name and she uses “sententious” instead of “sentences.”  The fact that the Nurse is the most frequent user of malapropisms conveys her as a comedic, and somewhat ignorant character.

What poem is referenced in Chapters 5 and 6 of The Outsiders?

Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” is referenced by Ponyboy and Johnny.

Johnny is thrilled with the sunrise, and the boys’ reflection of the sunrise prompts Pony to quote from a Robert Frost poem about how things in nature do not last.  Pony is a good student and a lover of literature.  It makes sense that he would reference a meaningful poem at this time.

"The mist was what was pretty," Johnny said. "All gold and silver."

"Uhmmmm," I said, trying to blow a smoke ring.

"Too bad it couldn't stay like that all the time."

"Nothing gold can stay." I was remembering a poem I'd read once. (Ch. 5)

To Ponyboy, the poem is a reminiscence on nature and the fleeting nature of good things.  To Johnny, it is a reminder that in youth we are innocent, and then we are jaded by life.  Johnny is really touched by the poem.  He remembers it later when he is dying in the hospital.  Johnny gives Pony advice.

"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold..." The pillow seemed to sink a little, and Johnny died.

You read about people looking peacefully asleep when they're dead, but they don't. Johnny just looked dead. Like a candle with the flame gone. I tried to say something, but I couldn't make a sound. (Ch. 9)

Johnny was unexpectedly deep.  He did not do well in school, and his teachers did not really know how smart he was.  Yet he loved Gone with the Wind and enjoyed Frost’s poem.  He believed that Pony had a chance to have a better life, and reminded him when he was dying.

The poem takes on a symbolic meaning.  Johnny is telling Pony that the greaser life is not for him.  He is intelligent and thoughtful.  He has a chance to get out, and make something of himself.  Johnny did not get that chance.

How can I paraphrase or summarize Wordsworth's "Daffodils" along with the figures of speech and the sound devices he used?

In this poem, often called "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," the narrator is walking in the Lake District of England one spring day when he sees a large mass of daffodils—"ten thousand"—waving in the breeze beside a lake. They are so beautiful and seem so happy that the narrator's spirits lift and he feels happy too and no longer lonely: "A poet could not but be gay / in such jocund [joyful, laughing] company." Watching them simply makes him feel joyful. He feels very wealthy as well to have been given the gift of seeing these daffodils waving by a sparkling lake. In the last stanza, he remembers the waving daffodils bringing joy to him again and again as he, for example, lies on his couch at home. If he is feeling a little depressed (what he calls a "pensive" mood), the daffodils will appear to his "inner eye" (his memory) and he will feel "pleasure" once more. The daffodils are a gift that keeps on giving because he can remember them.

Wordsworth uses figures of speech that personify the daffodils, which means he describes them as being like people. For example, he describes them "tossing their heads in a sprightly dance." In other words, rather than simply seeing them as flowers blown by a breeze, he sees them as a big mass of dancing, happy people. He also uses the device of simile, likening the unbroken line of daffodils to "stars that shine / And twinkle on the milky way."

As for sound devices, Wordsworth creates a musical, rhythmic quality in his use of a simple a/b, a/b rhyme scheme with each stanza ending in rhyming couplets which bring a musical sense of closure, or what is called a closed cadence. For example, in stanza three we have "they/gay," "glee/company," and finally, "thought/brought." This stanza also slows down the quick, dancing musicality of the lines at a crucial point, using dashes and repetition to show that the poet stopped for a time and "gazed—and gazed—." The poem seems light and simple, but as we unpack it we see how carefully it is constructed to achieve its lighthearted effect.

How is Jem described in chapter 15 of To Kill A Mockingbird? Include references to both physical and personality traits. Support your descriptions...

Much is revealed about Jem's character in this chapter. We, for example, learn that he has outgrown Dill and Scout, for he does not hang out in the treehouse with them anymore. This is meant not only in a physical sense, but also alludes to his intellectual growth. He has reached a point where he deems it inappropriate to be around them:

Jem had outgrown the treehouse, but helped Dill and me construct a new rope ladder for it . . .

He also, on a Sunday afternoon, did not play with them as he used to, as Scout somewhat wryly observes: 

Jem in his old age had taken to his room with a stack of football magazines.

He is clearly also more stubborn than ever, for when his Aunt Alexandra asks him to turn on the lights in the living room during a visit by Heck Tate and a number of other men, he pretends not to hear her because he wants to observe events on the outside from the darkness of the room so that he is not seen.

Jem also displays an astute awareness of what is happening around him. He is able to derive information from events which he would otherwise have ignored. After Atticus' visitors have left, he asks him:

“They were after you, weren’t they?” Jem went to him. “They wanted to get you, didn’t they?” Atticus lowered the paper and gazed at Jem. “What have you been reading?” he asked. Then he said gently, “No son, those were our friends.” “It wasn’t a—a gang?” Jem was looking from the corners of his eyes.

Since his father was involved in a controversial case which had drawn much attention and more than a bit of acrimony, Jem thought that the men had come to threaten him. He believed that they were ganging up against his father. He could also read from his aunt and his father's argument, as well as from the men's arrival, that there was some danger, and he told Scout that he was scared.

This also displays a more concerned attitude from Jem, for he ventures outside to see where Atticus was heading when he takes the car. He allows Scout to accompany him and when they see Atticus at the jailhouse, Scout wants to run to him, but he stops her.

I made to run, but Jem caught me. “Don’t go to him,” he said, “he might not like it. He’s all right, let’s go home. I just wanted to see where he was.”

Later, when there is a clear threat against his father, Jem displays courage and a stubborn refusal to leave Atticus' side. Atticus asks him to leave, but he does not.

“Go home, I said.” Jem shook his head. As Atticus’s fists went to his hips, so did Jem’s, and as they faced each other I could see little resemblance between them . . .

In this scene, we are also given a physical description of Jem:

Jem’s soft brown hair and eyes, his oval face and snug-fitting ears were our mother’s, contrasting oddly with Atticus’s graying black hair and square-cut features, but they were somehow alike. Mutual defiance made them alike.

Jem obviously has inherited a trait from his father—they are both defiant in the face of danger, which speaks to an inherent courage possessed by both. Atticus expresses pride in his son after things have calmed down and the mob who had come to face him have left. Scout observes the following at the end of the chapter:

Atticus and Jem were well ahead of us, and I assumed that Atticus was giving him hell for not going home, but I was wrong. As they passed under a streetlight, Atticus reached out and massaged Jem’s hair, his one gesture of affection.

What is diabetes? |

Diabetes is a chronic health condition where a person's body produces little or no insulin, an important hormone the body uses to regulate levels of sugar in the blood. When we eat and drink, the foods we take in are broken down and used by the body. Most foods contain some amount of sugar, and this passes into the bloodstream as a source of energy. Unfortunately, too much sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia) or too...

Diabetes is a chronic health condition where a person's body produces little or no insulin, an important hormone the body uses to regulate levels of sugar in the blood. When we eat and drink, the foods we take in are broken down and used by the body. Most foods contain some amount of sugar, and this passes into the bloodstream as a source of energy. Unfortunately, too much sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia) or too little (hypoglycemia) can have negative symptoms and long-term effects on health. 

Insulin is produced in the pancreas and works with sugars in the blood stream so that they may be more readily used by cells as a source of energy. If someone doesn't produce enough insulin, the sugar is unable to pass into cells and is filtered out like metabolic waste. Because this sugar isn't being utilized by the cells as a source of energy, many people with diabetes suffer from fatigue.

Fortunately, there is treatment for diabetes. People may inject themselves with an insulin solution to help keep their blood levels in check. People with Type 1 diabetes cannot produce insulin in their bodies, so they rely on insulin injections to stay well. People with Type 2 (or diet-induced) diabetes may produce insulin but not respond to it in the way most bodies do. People with Type 2 diabetes may be encouraged by their physician to try making changes in their diet and exercise habits to help re-train the body to respond to naturally-occurring insulin. However, the longer a person has Type 2 diabetes, the more likely it is that they will require injections.

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, why do Maycomb officials bend the rules for the Ewells? Is this the right thing to do?

The Ewells are treated differently than other residents of Maycomb on a few occasions. Most notably, the Ewell children aren't forced to attend school (they generally show up on the first day and then aren't seen for the rest of the year). The reason the Ewell children get special treatment is because their family is generally considered the disgrace of Maycomb. In particular, their father, Bob Ewell, is a mean-spirited man who seems to care...

The Ewells are treated differently than other residents of Maycomb on a few occasions. Most notably, the Ewell children aren't forced to attend school (they generally show up on the first day and then aren't seen for the rest of the year). The reason the Ewell children get special treatment is because their family is generally considered the disgrace of Maycomb. In particular, their father, Bob Ewell, is a mean-spirited man who seems to care little for anything besides himself, and he especially does not care about educating his family. As such, school officials get the Ewells to show up on the first day of school, but have resigned themselves to being unable to force Mr. Ewell to motivate his children to attend school regularly. 

While understandable, this decision to overlook the Ewells is probably not the right thing to do. Bob Ewell is poor and uneducated, and failing to get his children into school only ensures that the cycle of poverty will continue into future Ewell generations, as education is a reliable means of improving one's opportunities in life. As such, though a hands-off approach with the Ewells is probably the most practical thing to do, it also does nothing to help the Ewells better their miserable situation.  

What risk does Nene take?

Nene seems to take two risks in the story.

First, she marries Nnaemeka even knowing that his father, Okeke, would not accept her easily into his life. It's a risk because the father's prejudice could make her marriage, and her life, quite difficult--especially if children enter the picture, which they do. As we see later in the story, her decision to marry Nnaemeka also means that she experiences judgment and prejudice of other local citizens, not just...

Nene seems to take two risks in the story.

First, she marries Nnaemeka even knowing that his father, Okeke, would not accept her easily into his life. It's a risk because the father's prejudice could make her marriage, and her life, quite difficult--especially if children enter the picture, which they do. As we see later in the story, her decision to marry Nnaemeka also means that she experiences judgment and prejudice of other local citizens, not just Okeke; she also has to deal with the emotional pain of Okeke's harsh rejection of her when he returned their wedding photo with her image cut out.

But second, and perhaps more to the point, Nene takes the risk of writing the revealing letter to her father-in-law. Let's look at what she wrote:

"...Our two sons, from the day they learnt that they have a grandfather, have insisted on being taken to him. I find it impossible to tell them that you will not see them. I implore you to allow Nnaemeka to bring them home for a short time during his leave next month. I shall remain here in Lagos..."

As you can see, she reveals the fact that Okeke now has two grandsons, and she begs him to allow those children to visit the grandfather they've never known. She even says she'll stay home and not accompany them on the visit.

This is a major risk! She's opening herself up to additional hurtful comments and actions from Okeke, but she's willing to risk it so that her sons can have a relationship with their grandfather.

How do speed and velocity help to describe and measure motion?

Velocity describes motion by indicating how fast an object moves and in what direction.Speed is a magnitude of velocity, which indicates only how fast an object moves. Speed shows how much distance is traversed in a given interval of time:

`Speed = (distance)/(time)`

In a general case of motion, when velocity is not constant, an instantaneous velocity is used to describe how fast and where the object is going at a given moment in...

Velocity describes motion by indicating how fast an object moves and in what direction. Speed is a magnitude of velocity, which indicates only how fast an object moves. Speed shows how much distance is traversed in a given interval of time:

`Speed = (distance)/(time)`

In a general case of motion, when velocity is not constant, an instantaneous velocity is used to describe how fast and where the object is going at a given moment in time. For example, the ball falling down will have a velocity with the magnitude given as a function of time as

`v(t) = 9.8t` (assuming that the gravitational acceleration is 9.8 m/s^2, and neglecting air resistance). The direction of the velocity of the ball is downward, which has to be indicated to complete the description of the motion.

If the instantaneous velocity is known, the acceleration of the object can be found as a derivative of the velocity:

`veca(t) = (dvecv(t))/(dt)` .

If the velocity is known, the displacement also can be calculated as the integral of velocity:

`vecs(t) = int _ (t_0) ^(t_f) vecv(t)dt` . Thus, velocity allows one to measure the displacement of the object during motion between the initial, `t_0` ,  and the final, `t_f` , moments of time.

What is a good intro for a synthesis essay that is on the death penalty?

In a synthesis essay, you must come up with an argument. In your case, this might be an argument for or against the death penalty. This argument should be part of your thesis statement. But also note that a good synthesis essay demonstrates the writer's ability to show how different secondary sources support your claim and thesis statement. Think of a synthesis as a way of combining your ideas and the supporting information of the...

In a synthesis essay, you must come up with an argument. In your case, this might be an argument for or against the death penalty. This argument should be part of your thesis statement. But also note that a good synthesis essay demonstrates the writer's ability to show how different secondary sources support your claim and thesis statement. Think of a synthesis as a way of combining your ideas and the supporting information of the secondary sources. Imagine that you/writer are presenting your claim/thesis in a room with the authors of those secondary sources. So, your paper would read like a dialogue between your ideas and theirs. The idea with a synthesis is to combine different things. The result (conclusion) will summarize how your ideas did combine with the other sources in a logical, persuasive way. 

The intro should introduce how you are going to do this. State how you will show that sources support your argument. For example, if you are arguing that the death penalty is too absolute and barbaric, an introduction might sound something like this: 

In this essay, I argue that the enforcement of the death penalty is barbaric, does not deter crime, and makes the exoneration of wrongly convicted people an impossibility. I will support these claims with statistics and evidence that prove that the cons far outweigh any pros of the death penalty. 

You might then take a few sentences (or more) to elaborate a bit on how you will prove each point. Then you get into the bulk of the essay. (Check out the link below for essay feedback.) 

In the book Chains, what is the significance of her father's explanation of the "I" on Isabel's cheek?

I would like to point out that Isabel's father does not explain anything to her about the "I" on her cheek.  Her father had similar scarring on his face, and its his attitude about the marks that significantly impacts Isabel.  

Isabel receives the "I" on her face when Madam Lockton decides to have Isabel branded for being disobedient.  Madam Lockton tells Isabel that the letter "I" stands for "insolence."  The mark will be a...

I would like to point out that Isabel's father does not explain anything to her about the "I" on her cheek.  Her father had similar scarring on his face, and its his attitude about the marks that significantly impacts Isabel.  

Isabel receives the "I" on her face when Madam Lockton decides to have Isabel branded for being disobedient.  Madam Lockton tells Isabel that the letter "I" stands for "insolence."  The mark will be a constant reminder to herself to follow orders better.  It will also be a mark that warns everybody else that Isabel is not a "good" slave.  That could't be further from the truth.  Madam Lockton is the insolent character in the book.  

Late in the book, Isabel is attempting to get the courage to engineer her own escape to freedom.  She sees herself in the mirror and looks at the brand.  It is then that she remembers that her father had large scars on his face too.  But instead of it being a negative brand, her father wore it proudly.  He said that it was a mark that made him strong.  The moment is a turning point for Isabel because she decides that she would carry her mark like her father carried his mark.  

This is my country mark.  I did not ask for it, but I would carry it as Poppa carried his. It made me his daughter.  It made me strong. 

Isabel then tells readers that the mark no longer stands for "insolence."  It stands for "Isabel."  From that moment forward, Isabel grabs hold of her destiny and engineers her own escape while freeing Curzon as well.    

How can someone write an email requesting the hiring of a new employee?

Asking management for a new employee is quite a challenging task. Most workers feel that their departments would be more successful if they were better staffed. At the same time, companies like to keep costs down and labor costs are significant overhead expenditures for a business. It is important to understand that the email that is sent to request a new employee is just the beginning of the process. This message should be short and...

Asking management for a new employee is quite a challenging task. Most workers feel that their departments would be more successful if they were better staffed. At the same time, companies like to keep costs down and labor costs are significant overhead expenditures for a business. It is important to understand that the email that is sent to request a new employee is just the beginning of the process. This message should be short and to the point. There are a number of points to be made in the email that will help justify the new hire.

First, it is necessary to communicate that a shortage of manpower poses a significant obstacle to your department realizing the goals of the company. You should be specific about how this new employee will be utilized to enhance the department's performance. Also, be specific about the type of employee and what skills will be needed to assist your department in reaching its goals. Will this employee be full-time or will a part-time worker be adequate? What benefit will this employee have on the bottom-line of the company? These are all the important issues that should be addressed in a short, concise email.

Be sure to conclude the email by telling your manager that you appreciate his or her time and consideration on this matter. It is important to communicate that you would like to meet in person to discuss the matter further.

What was the goal of the Ku Klux Klan? How did this group get together? And are there still some klans out there?

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) are a white supremacist group that emerged in the American South in the years after the Civil War (c. 1865). Initially, the KKK was formed by a small number of former confederate soldiers who believed that white people were superior to African-Americans and were opposed to equal rights for racial minorities.

Although the KKK are generally spoken of as a single group, they're really a number of small groups that...

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) are a white supremacist group that emerged in the American South in the years after the Civil War (c. 1865). Initially, the KKK was formed by a small number of former confederate soldiers who believed that white people were superior to African-Americans and were opposed to equal rights for racial minorities.

Although the KKK are generally spoken of as a single group, they're really a number of small groups that are loosely connected. Moreover, the size and influence of the KKK has fluctuated over the last century. They were likely at their largest and most influential from the 1930s through the 1960s, when the black civil rights movement was gaining power.

Because they're aren't a single entity, it would be inaccurate to say that they all believe any particular thing. In some cases, members are racial separatists who believe that black people and white people should not mix in any way, whereas other ideologies extend their beliefs to include other minority groups like Jews and Muslims. Many people consider the KKK a domestic terrorist group because they have, over the years, engaged in extreme tactics to spread their message and enforce their beliefs. This has included everything from the production and dissemination of racist literature to more troubling things like torture, bombings, and murder.

Over the last century, the KKK has had varying levels of influence in things like political elections, particularly one-time Klan leader David Duke, who ran for president in 1988 and '92. Although they are far less powerful or prominent than they have been in the past, the KKK is still active in many parts of the United States, particularly in the South. 

What type of personality does Sylvia have in "A White Heron"? What in the story lets the reader know?

Sylvia feels especially alive in the natural setting and could never seem to thrive and grow when she lived in the city.  Listening to thrushes near her grandmother's farm, her "heart [...] beat fast with pleasure."  She is incredibly comfortable in the company of animals, and even more uncomfortable with people.  When she first hears the hunter's whistle, she is "horror-stricken" and associates the sound with an "enemy," an impression that makes it clear just...

Sylvia feels especially alive in the natural setting and could never seem to thrive and grow when she lived in the city.  Listening to thrushes near her grandmother's farm, her "heart [...] beat fast with pleasure."  She is incredibly comfortable in the company of animals, and even more uncomfortable with people.  When she first hears the hunter's whistle, she is "horror-stricken" and associates the sound with an "enemy," an impression that makes it clear just how intuitive and accurate she is (the hunter is very much the enemy of the creatures to whom she feels such a kinship). 

The comparison of her to several different natural creatures alerts us to her fragility as well as her strength.  When the hunter starts to follow her home, "she hung her head as if the stem of it were broken"; here, she is compared to a broken flower, its stem snapped.  However, climbing the big pine tree, her "bare feet and fingers [...] pinched and held like bird's claws"; in this scene, she is compared to a bird, another creature that, perhaps, seems fragile but can really be quite strong and tough and resilient.  In the end, Sylvia is extremely loyal to the nature she loves so much, and she refuses to give the heron's secret away. 

How does the relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye change throughout the book Things Fall Apart?

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Achebe focuses special attention on the strained, often toxic relationship between Okonkwo and his oldest son Nwoye. Okonkwo is heavy-handed and dictatorial in how he heads his household. His wives and children fear Okonkwo’s violence and brutality, and Nwoye is often the recipient of Okonkwo’s fury:

“Okonkwo's first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At...

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Achebe focuses special attention on the strained, often toxic relationship between Okonkwo and his oldest son Nwoye. Okonkwo is heavy-handed and dictatorial in how he heads his household. His wives and children fear Okonkwo’s violence and brutality, and Nwoye is often the recipient of Okonkwo’s fury:

“Okonkwo's first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth” (13-14).

Okonkwo is abusive toward Nwoye in an effort to instill his own restrictive, masculine values into his son. However, Okonkwo’s forceful, authoritarian parenting style drives Nwoye away from his father. He comes to resent Okonkwo, and later in the novel, he joins the Christian church and directly rebukes his relationship with his father:

“Mr. Kiaga's joy was very great. 'Blessed is he who forsakes his father and his mother for my sake,' he intoned.... Nwoye did not fully understand. But he was happy to leave his father” (152).

After Nwoye joins the Christian faith, he is dead to Okonkwo. Okonkwo resents Nwoye’s perceived weaknesses, and questions how he could produce such a child. Thus, their relationship progresses from strained to toxic, and they eventually separate forever.

In the poem "If," what does the speaker declare will be "yours" in line 31?

Line 31 of “If” reads thus:  “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.”  The speaker is declaring to his son that if he can succeed in being and doing all the things outlined previously in the poem, he can achieve anything in the world.  And what this means, more importantly that being able to achieve whatever he sets his mind to, if he behaves nobly and calmly and studiously, if he lives a...

Line 31 of “If” reads thus:  “Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.”  The speaker is declaring to his son that if he can succeed in being and doing all the things outlined previously in the poem, he can achieve anything in the world.  And what this means, more importantly that being able to achieve whatever he sets his mind to, if he behaves nobly and calmly and studiously, if he lives a dedicated life and not a lazy one, then he will “be a man;” according to the speaker, all the conditions outlined in the poem are necessary for one to live a good life, and being a man is dependent on all of them.

This is a poem full of advice on how to be successful in life; in each verse Kipling adds condition after condition, building up until the final few lines, in which we see the result.  And thus the reader understands that achieving the world is based on our own behaviors and our own attitudes, rather than on anyone else.  It is on one’s own shoulders, and while the execution of these ideas may be difficult at times, the ideas themselves are really quite simple.

What were George Washington's biggest contributions to American society?

You would be hard pressed to find an individual who had a greater impact on the history of the United States than George Washington. His integrity and mettle earned him the position of the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The task of defeating the British Empire with a group of undisciplined, untrained, and ill-equipped soldiers seemed like an impossible feat. Washington's steady hand and motivational skills allowed the victory to become...

You would be hard pressed to find an individual who had a greater impact on the history of the United States than George Washington. His integrity and mettle earned him the position of the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The task of defeating the British Empire with a group of undisciplined, untrained, and ill-equipped soldiers seemed like an impossible feat. Washington's steady hand and motivational skills allowed the victory to become a reality. Washington was known as a great motivator and allowed the colonial military to achieve a sense of unity and purpose. After the British left the American colonies, Washington would become instrumental in the development of the republic in the United States.

The United States faced a crisis in its infancy. The Articles of Confederation failed to adequately unify the new nation because it did not grant the federal government enough power. Washington was chosen to be the president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. After the Constitution was ratified, George Washington was elected as the first president. Washington knew the importance of his actions as the first chief executive. He would be the example for future presidents. He appointed the most capable men to work in his cabinet, even if they did not share his political views. Washington took great care to protect the power of the Congress and the courts. One of the great traditions that Washington established was the idea that a president should only serve two terms. While Washington's popularity could have ensured that he could remain president for life, he decided it was in the best interests of the nation to step aside after two terms.

How did Elie and his father feel about the New Year in Night?

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, found Eliezer and other Jews in the Buna concentration camp. The prisoners were generally troubled because of their experience throughout that particular year. The evening soup was served, but the prisoners chose not to touch it until after prayer. They held a small ceremony on the Appelplatz attended by the camp’s prisoners.

Eliezer gathered together with other Jews to observe the events of the special day. However, he wondered...

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, found Eliezer and other Jews in the Buna concentration camp. The prisoners were generally troubled because of their experience throughout that particular year. The evening soup was served, but the prisoners chose not to touch it until after prayer. They held a small ceremony on the Appelplatz attended by the camp’s prisoners.

Eliezer gathered together with other Jews to observe the events of the special day. However, he wondered how God had allowed the people to go through such terrible experiences. Eliezer expressed his defiance, dissatisfaction and anger towards God. He confronted God with the crematoria, the gas chambers and the general camp experience. He felt an odd sense of strength on that particular day, as God stood accused while he was the accuser.

Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves?

On the contrary, I felt very strong. I was the accuser, God the accused.

Eliezer’s father was sad, and although he didn’t say much, his body language was resigned and his face expressionless.

I looked up at my father's face, trying to glimpse a smile or something like it on his stricken face. But there was nothing. Not the shadow of an expression. Defeat.

What is an example of sarcasm in Fahrenheit 451?

Fahrenheit 451 has many sarcastic elements that poke fun at Guy's society (and western modern society by extension). For example, in "The Sieve and the Sand," Mildred, Guy Montag's wife, has gathered her banal female friends at their home, and Guy taunts them with the poetry he is illegally reading. 

Mildred urges Guy to read by saying, "Here's that real funny one you read out loud today. Ladies, you won't understand a word. It goes...

Fahrenheit 451 has many sarcastic elements that poke fun at Guy's society (and western modern society by extension). For example, in "The Sieve and the Sand," Mildred, Guy Montag's wife, has gathered her banal female friends at their home, and Guy taunts them with the poetry he is illegally reading. 

Mildred urges Guy to read by saying, "Here's that real funny one you read out loud today. Ladies, you won't understand a word. It goes umpty-tumpty- ump" (page numbers vary by edition). Mildred finds poetry riotously funny because it means as little to her as nonsense syllables. After Guy finishes reading "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold, a serious and contemplative poem that reaffirms the poet's belief in the power of love above all, the ladies at the party, who Mildred thought she would entertain with silly poetry, instead break into sobbing. In fact, Mrs. Bowles, a party-goer, says to Montag, "You're nasty!" She conceives of his poetry reading as threatening and evil, which is ironic because the society is evil for making literature and poetry illegal. Guy is not evil for simply reading poetry. Hence, this scene employs sarcasm because Guy finds beauty in poetry, while the women, brainwashed by their society, find his reading poetry evil and harmful. 

As price increases what happens to quantity people are willing to buy?

As price increases, the amount of a good or service that people are willing to buy decreases.  In other words, the price and the amount that people are willing to buy (which we call quantity demanded) vary inversely.  This is the law of demand.

If you think about it, you will see that this is logical.  Imagine that you were thinking about buying a new smartphone. Imagine that the phone costs $400.  Wouldn’t you be...

As price increases, the amount of a good or service that people are willing to buy decreases.  In other words, the price and the amount that people are willing to buy (which we call quantity demanded) vary inversely.  This is the law of demand.

If you think about it, you will see that this is logical.  Imagine that you were thinking about buying a new smartphone. Imagine that the phone costs $400.  Wouldn’t you be more likely to buy it than you would be if it cost $500 or $600?  Some people will be just as likely to buy it at the higher price as they are at the lower.  For example, imagine you make $10 million per year.  In that case, the extra $100 or $200 would not matter to you.  However, if we are looking at the quantity that all people total are willing to buy, it will certainly go down because there are many people for whom the extra $100 or $200 would actually matter.

The law of demand, then, tells us that when the price of a good or service goes up, the amount of it that people are willing to buy will go down.

What is the force between Saturn and the Sun?

The force of gravity is between Saturn and the Sun. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, any two bodies exert a gravitational force on each other. This force is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically,

F = Gm1m2/d^2

where G is the universal gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects and d is the distance between them.

...

The force of gravity is between Saturn and the Sun. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, any two bodies exert a gravitational force on each other. This force is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically,

F = Gm1m2/d^2

where G is the universal gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects and d is the distance between them.

In the case of the Sun and Saturn, their masses are 1.989 x 10^30 kg and 5.683 x 10^26 kg, respectively. The average distance between Saturn and the Sun is 1.433 x 10^9 km. The value of G (gravitational constant) is 6.674 x 10^-11 N m^2 / kg^2.

Substituting all the values in the equation, we get:

F = 3.674 x 10^28 N

Thus, the gravitational force between the Sun and planet Saturn is 3.674 x 10^28 N.

Hope this helps.

What is the central idea in each chapter 1-7?

Chapter 1: Percy is attacked by his math teacher while on a field trip; Mr. Brunner tosses him a pen that turns into a sword, and the math teacher bursts into sand when he swings the sword at her.  Everyone acts like she never existed.

Chapter 2: Percy is dismissed from school but overhears Mr. Brunner and Grover discussing him.  He sees the three fates snip a thread while sitting on the side of the road, and Grover warns him that this means danger. 

Chapter 3: Percy and his mom head to Montauk without her stinky husband, Percy's step-father, Gabe.  Grover shows up in a panic and Percy sees that his real legs are like an animal's.  They all run to the car.

Chapter 4: They drive super fast toward the summer camp Percy's mom mentioned earlier, and they are attacked by the Minotaur.  The bull-man appears to kill Percy's mother, but Percy and Grover make it over the line into the camp where they'll be safe.

Chapter 5: Percy learns that the Greek gods he believed to be mythic are actually real and present in America.  He learns that Mr. Brunner is Chiron.

Chapter 6: Percy learns that he's a half-blood, a demi-god.  When Clarisse, daughter of Ares, tries to haze him, he miraculously attacks her with the water from the toilet into which she was trying to shove his face.  He gains new respect from Annabeth, the girl who shows him around the camp.

Chapter 7: They all go to dinner and Percy learns that he must sacrifice a small portion of his food to the gods at each meal.  He also learns that Annabeth is Athena's daughter.  He doesn't know which god is his father yet (and so he stays in cabin 11, the Hermes cabin).

Discuss the meaning of "encompassed in a luminous cloud, of which he was now merely the fiery heart, without material substance."

This passage occurs in the first paragraph of section III in the story. After the sergeant steps aside, Farquhar falls directly through the bridge with the noose around his neck. This phrase is a figurative way of describing the sensations of being hanged. Previously to this sentence, Farquhar has lost the power of thought and can only feel. What he feels as he swings on the end of the rope is a sensation of a...

This passage occurs in the first paragraph of section III in the story. After the sergeant steps aside, Farquhar falls directly through the bridge with the noose around his neck. This phrase is a figurative way of describing the sensations of being hanged. Previously to this sentence, Farquhar has lost the power of thought and can only feel. What he feels as he swings on the end of the rope is a sensation of a "luminous cloud" around his whole body. When one is deprived of oxygen, even when holding one's breath for an extended period, the head and body start to feel odd, and a perception of changes in lighting can occur. This can even happen when one is simply dizzy from spinning. Farquhar is being deprived of oxygen and is dizzy from falling and swinging. As the man swings at the end of the rope, his body marks out the edges of a circle, but as the rope steadies, his body becomes the center of the larger circle that had been formed. These are the "unthinkable arcs of oscillation" that are referred to later in the quoted sentence. Farquhar feels as if he is inside a defined airy region of light and dizzying sensation as he swings to and fro. He is a fiery heart, metaphorically, because the pain he is experiencing is like the pain of being burned; indeed, "feeling was torment." At the same time, however, he feels as if he is "without material substance." This is because he is not standing on anything, so he feels weightless. In addition, the lack of oxygen is making him feel dizzy, lightheaded, and faint. The next sensation Farquhar "feels" after this sentence is the feeling of the rope breaking and falling into the water. Yet that and his subsequent "escape" all occur in his imagination just before he dies. The quoted sentence is actually the last sentence describing reality in section III until the final sentence of the story, when Bierce writes that "Petyton Farquhar . . . swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge."

What does the Battle of the Windmill in Animal Farm symbolize in real life events? In other words, what event in real life can be tied to the...

The battle represents World War ll, called The Great Patriotic War, but relates to two especially significant battles during the war: the Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) and the Battle of Moscow (October 1941 – January 1942).

During the former, fought on the Eastern Front, Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of Stalingrad. The battle was epitomised by fierce fighting at close quarters and air...

The battle represents World War ll, called The Great Patriotic War, but relates to two especially significant battles during the war: the Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) and the Battle of Moscow (October 1941 – January 1942).

During the former, fought on the Eastern Front, Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of Stalingrad. The battle was epitomised by fierce fighting at close quarters and air raids. It is regarded as one of the bloodiest battles in modern warfare and also the largest. Close to two million were killed in the battle. Both sides suffered heavy losses and the German forces and its allies were forced to withdraw. The battle was, therefore, a victory for the Soviets.

In the second battle, the conditions were quite similar. Both sides suffered heavy losses. The Germans advanced on Moscow and tried to surround the city in a pincer attack by launching two major offences. The Soviets resisted their attacks, however, when they constructed three major defensive belts and by employing many reserve troops and extra soldiers recalled from areas where fighting was not that severe. They stopped the Germans and then launched an offensive of their own. The Germans were forced to retreat.

The destruction of the windmill represents the destruction of what the Soviets had achieved by the time the Second World War began. The two battles nearly devastated both cities and, as already mentioned, heavy losses had been suffered. However, through their resilience and bravery, the Soviets survived these onslaughts, just as the animals did. 

How does Edmund Gettier's article "Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?" actually undermine epistemology?

Gettier’s assertion in this article is that a person can be justified in believing a proposition is true, that proposition can actually be true, and yet that person cannot be said to have knowledge that the proposition is true. He gives the example of Smith and Jones, who have both applied for a job that Smith has reason to believe that Jones will be hired for. Smith has supposedly been told by the president of the company that Jones will be hired, and Smith has just counted ten coins in Jones’s pocket, and from this information he infers conjunctive proposition (a) “Jones will be hired and Jones has ten coins in his pocket.” (a) entails: (b) “The person who will be hired has ten coins in their pocket.”

Gettier’s point is that if we want to claim that the necessary and sufficient conditions of knowledge are that:

S knows that P IFF*

i. P is true,

ii. S believes that P, and

iii. S is justified in believing that P.

We find that there are all sorts of ways for this to occur in which we don’t intuitively consider the result to be knowledge. An educated “lucky guess” is not the same as knowing something.

I’ve modified the pronouns here to be gender-neutral to show another example of Gettier’s conclusion. Smith can be completely correct and justified in believing (b), but Smith didn’t know that Ms. Jones, who also applied for the job, and also has ten coins in her pocket, is the one who will be hired. He has a justified true belief that is not knowledge because he doesn’t know that the company president meant that Ms. Jones would be hired, not Mr. Jones. So it is possible to be justified in believing a false proposition or an objectively true proposition understood wrongly. 

The second example that Gettier uses talks about all the evidence that Smith has that Jones owns a Ford. This example shows that Smith’s evidence, when you add a few more details, doesn’t actually indicate that Jones owns a Ford, although Jones does in fact own a Ford. So the justified true belief turns out to be a coincidence rather than knowledge.

Does Gettier’s answer to the question of the status of justified true belief undermine epistemology? Technically, since epistemology is the study of knowledge, what can be known, and the ways in which we are able to know things, it can’t be undermined as a whole so easily. Since Gettier’s article establishes an argument against calling justified true belief knowledge, but does not establish (or even address) an answer to the question of whether we can have knowledge in the first place, I would not say that it is a step toward undermining epistemology. There could be other ways to define knowledge, and even if we are still having trouble defining knowledge that doesn’t necessarily mean that we can’t know anything. If this article were an argument against our ability to know things for sure, and we all agreed wholesale with it, it could pose a threat to epistemology as an area of study. But for the most part, one person’s position on a topic doesn’t discourage the rest of us from studying it.

 *(IFF stands for if and only if.)

Compare the constitution of medina with the U.S. Constitution. Similarities and differences

Most people in the US are familiar with the Constitution of the United States, but only those with some knowledge of Islamic history likely know about the Constitution of Medina.

The two documents were written at very different times. The Constitution of Medina was written in 622 AD, which it established as the first year of the Hijra Islamic calendar. The US Constitution was written in 1787, over a millennium later. Fitting its more recent origin, the US Constitution we have in original as well as a number of draft versions. It was also written in English, so we know exactly what it says and there are no translation difficulties (though there can still be questions of interpretation of course). By contrast, the original documents of the Constitution of Medina were lost, and a number of variants were later recovered and translated. The Arabic language has changed enough since then that even native speakers of modern Arabic have some difficulty understanding the Arabic of the untranslated versions.

The reasons for writing them were also quite different.

Muhammad wrote the Constitution of Medina in, of course, Medina, after being invited there from Mecca to resolve a number of disputes, particularly ongoing violence between factions representing Judaism, local pagan beliefs, and the newly-established religion of Islam. His primary goal was to establish peace in Medina. Ultimately, he failed; just a few years later it was the violation of the Constitution of Medina itself that spurred the Invasion of Banu Qaynuqa and a war between Muslims and Jews.

The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution of the United States with the express intent to establish a new and better system of government, replacing monarchy with a democratic republic inspired by democracy in Classical Greece and based (at that time) extremely cutting-edge social science such as Adam Smith and Thomas Paine. Their ambition was grand---the establishment of a new global superpower with a fundamentally superior system of government---and yet, in many respects that ambition was successful.

The legal codes they established were also quite different, fitting their Medieval versus Enlightenment origins. The Constitution of Medina contains a number of passages about blood money and retribution, which were a common means of settling disputes between factions at the time. The US Constitution established a formal legal system of modern police and courts that have been largely unchanged for the last two centuries.
Despite all these differences, there are substantial similarities between the two constitutions.

Both documents established freedom of religion, a concept that was almost unheard of in the 7th century AD and still controversial by the 18th. Under both systems, Jews, Christians, and Muslims are all free to practice their faiths undisturbed. There is one important difference between the two documents however: The Constitution of Medina does not establish freedom for atheists or those of Eastern religions (both classed as "un-Believers"), while the US Constitution establishes an absolute right of freedom of religion for everyone.

Both documents also established a system of taxation to provide for the funding of the state and a judicial system to resolve disputes, as well as rules for how wars are to be fought and alliances are to be formed. Both documents were revolutionary in their expansion of the rights of citizens. Both constitutions are widely considered major steps forward in the establishment of democracy as we know it.

In one respect the Constitution of Medina was actually more progressive than the original form of the US Constitution: Slavery. While neither document eliminated slavery, the Constitution of Medina regulated it and required that free persons could not be made into slaves. The US Constitution did not regulate slavery, in fact barely mentions slavery except to declare that it is legal, establish the right of slaveowners to pursue slaves across state lines, and declare that slaves count as 3/5 of a person for purposes of determining representation in Congress. The amendment to the US Constitution that ended slavery would not be added until almost a century later.

How did Paine's "Common Sense" influence Americans?

Although you don't mention Paine in your original question, I am assuming you are asking about his pamphlet "Common Sense." In this pamphlet, published in early 1776, Paine argued forcefully for the American colonies to become independent from Great Britain. It became a huge bestseller, and it inspired Americans to seek to become an independent republic. Even though tensions were high and there was an armed conflict (ie the Revolutionary War) between the British and...

Although you don't mention Paine in your original question, I am assuming you are asking about his pamphlet "Common Sense." In this pamphlet, published in early 1776, Paine argued forcefully for the American colonies to become independent from Great Britain. It became a huge bestseller, and it inspired Americans to seek to become an independent republic. Even though tensions were high and there was an armed conflict (ie the Revolutionary War) between the British and the Americans going on at the time the pamphlet was published, many people still wanted a resolution in which the colonies would remain part of the British empire. In other words, they hoped that the British would lower taxes and let the Americans run their affairs more freely, but weren't thinking in terms of starting their own nation. However, the pamphlet, which was written in simple language easily understood by the common person, made such a persuasive case for independence that many became convinced this was the way to go and that the colonies could survive on their own. It used Enlightenment thinking that separated government from a top-down God-ordained hierarchy to argue for a Republic, attacked monarchy and hereditary aristocracy as parasitic, and even sketched out a rudimentary way a representative congress could be structured to run the country in the absence of a king. While we adopted these ideas in forming the United States, and while they seem natural and moderate to us now, it would be difficult to overstate how radical they were at this time, when they only workable governmental models most people were familiar with were based on kingship. 

How did the townspeople finally solve the problem with the smell in "A Rose for Emily"?

Though the townspeople talk a lot about the smell coming from Miss Emily's home, it's not the townspeople that "solve" the problem with the smell. The smell is solved by time...though the townspeople likely think they solved the problem by spreading lime around the grounds. 

The smell is first mentioned at the beginning of part two: 

So SHE vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before about the smell.

That was two years after her father's death and a short time after her sweetheart--the one we believed would marry her --had deserted her. 

This is an excellent example of foreshadowing; readers know at the end of the story that "her sweetheart" had not "deserted her" at all. In fact, the smell was coming from his decomposing body, which she had laid to rest in her bed. 

The townspeople are aware of the smell and discuss some possible options to deal with the problem. They blame it on the fact that a man, Miss Emily's house man, Tobe, can't "keep a kitchen properly." One woman asks a judge in town to deal with the problem.

"But what will you have me do about it, madam?" he said.

"Why, send her word to stop it," the woman said. "Isn't there a law? "

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Judge Stevens said. "It's probably just a snake or a rat that nigger of hers killed in the yard. I'll speak to him about it."

The judge gets two more complaints:

"We really must do something about it, Judge. I'd be the last one in the world to bother Miss Emily, but we've got to do something." That night the Board of Aldermen met--three graybeards and one younger man, a member of the rising generation.

"It's simple enough," he said. "Send her word to have her place cleaned up. Give her a certain time to do it in, and if she don't. .."

"Dammit, sir," Judge Stevens said, "will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?"

At this point, the judge orders several men to go to Miss Emily's house at night and sprinkle lime around the outside of the house and the grounds. They do all of this without confronting or discussing it with Miss Emily. She catches them in the act and they sneak away quickly. 

The problem appears to have been solved: "After a week or two the smell went away." Readers may be led to believe throughout the majority of the story that the townpeople actually did fix the problem with the lime and that it was caused by a rat or poor housekeeping, but, by the end of the story, readers know the truth. 

Mae and Angus Tuck were accustomed to change, nevertheless these latest changes upset them. Why?

Angus and Mae Tuck are accustomed to change happening around them, because they have each lived for more than a century.  They are immortal, which means that they do not change, but they see large changes in the world around them.  Additionally, because of their immortality, Angus and Mae Tuck have to move to a new home about every twenty years.  Otherwise people get suspicious.  

"But they can't stay on in any one place...

Angus and Mae Tuck are accustomed to change happening around them, because they have each lived for more than a century.  They are immortal, which means that they do not change, but they see large changes in the world around them.  Additionally, because of their immortality, Angus and Mae Tuck have to move to a new home about every twenty years.  Otherwise people get suspicious.  

"But they can't stay on in any one place for long, you know. None of us can. People get to wondering." She sighed. "We been in this house about as long as we dare, going on twenty years."

Change doesn't typically bother the Tucks, because the changes exist around them.  This time though, the changes directly impact the Tuck family and their secret. Winnie discovers Jesse drinking from the spring, and she wants to drink too.  He fumbles for an explanation as to why she shouldn't drink, but he can't come up with anything.  Luckily, Mae and Miles show up.  Together the three Tucks "kidnap" Winnie.  The Tuck family is upset for two reasons.  Number one, their spring has been discovered.  Number two, it has been discovered by a child, which makes things more difficult.  

"This is awful!" said Jesse. "Can't you do something, Ma? The poor little tad."

"We ought to've had some better plan than this," said Miles.

"That's the truth," said Mae helplessly. "The dear Lord knows there's been time enough to think of one, and it had to happen sooner or later. We been plain bone lucky it hasn't before now. But I never expected it'd be a child!"

The discovery of their spring and their secret is only compounded when the man in the yellow suit announces his intentions to market and sell the spring water to the highest bidder.  The Tucks, Angus especially, know the dangers of this possibility.  

How do you create a "Beowulf boast"?

An Anglo-Saxon, or Beowulf, style boast should either reflect something one has actually done and/or something one is capable of either doing or at least attempting to do well. For example, Beowulf boasts to Hrothgar of deeds he had accomplished before coming to aid the Danes. Such boasts serve as a kind of resume, letting everyone know the capabilities of the warrior boasting. He then boasts that he will confront and kill Grendel. He...

An Anglo-Saxon, or Beowulf, style boast should either reflect something one has actually done and/or something one is capable of either doing or at least attempting to do well. For example, Beowulf boasts to Hrothgar of deeds he had accomplished before coming to aid the Danes. Such boasts serve as a kind of resume, letting everyone know the capabilities of the warrior boasting. He then boasts that he will confront and kill Grendel. He believes that he has the capabilities to do what he boasts, so the boast is in keeping with the rules of boasting in his society. Further, he will maintain his honor, whether in life or death, if he either accomplishes his boast or attempts to do so to the best of his abilities.

To craft an Anglo-Saxon style boast, you would recite your accomplishments and then make a promise to do something. This promise would have to be something that you believe you are capable of doing. After making your boast, you would need to try to fulfill the boast to the best of your ability.