What devices are used in Act 3, Scene 4, lines 61-87? What tone is created through these devices?

Macbeth uses hyperbole, or exaggeration, when he says that he looks on something "Which might appall the devil" (3.4.72).  He is referring to Banquo's ghost, the sight of which is probably awful to him because he is guilty of Banquo's murder, but the devil has likely seen worse.  This affects the tone of the scene because Macbeth describes Banquo's appearance as so frightening that even the most evil creature in the world would be scared...

Macbeth uses hyperbole, or exaggeration, when he says that he looks on something "Which might appall the devil" (3.4.72).  He is referring to Banquo's ghost, the sight of which is probably awful to him because he is guilty of Banquo's murder, but the devil has likely seen worse.  This affects the tone of the scene because Macbeth describes Banquo's appearance as so frightening that even the most evil creature in the world would be scared of it; this is dark stuff.  We can know, then, that Macbeth's fear of him must be incredibly intense, and it is caused by his own guilt, another intense emotion that is very uncomfortable.  Thus, we are made to feel uncomfortable and anxious as well.  

Lady Macbeth then compares Macbeth, via metaphor, to a woman telling a scary story to her grandmother.  She definitely implies that he is weak.  She calls him a coward and wants him to act like "a man" (3.4.70).  Just as Macbeth's exaggeration shows us how intensely fearful he is, Lady Macbeth's metaphor shows us how intensely she fears others finding out what they have done.  She fears that his guilt is getting to him and that it will cause him to accidentally reveal the truth.  Thus, we see how paranoid and anxious she is to conceal what they've done when she fears that her husband is losing it.  It is extremely tense for us, then, as well as her.

It is also a typical dramatic device of Shakespeare's era to employ a ghost.  Because the ghost has stage direction, we know that the audience is able to see him as well.  This would very much affect the feeling of the scene because Banquo's ghost would be an awful thing for us to see, in both senses of the word: he is terrible but also awe-inspiring, bloody and very angry.  It would heighten our tension as well.

What is an epiphany that a character has in "The Storm" by Kate Chopin?

Several characters reach unexpected epiphanies in "The Storm." Calixta realizes the value of her loyal and stable family, even though her marriage to Bobinot may lack passion. She comes to this realization after engaging in a spontaneous, lustful afternoon tryst with Alcee Laballiere while Bobinot and her son, Bibi, are trapped at a local grocery during a treacherous storm. While readers would expect an extramarital affair to tear a family apart, Calixta achieves in it...

Several characters reach unexpected epiphanies in "The Storm." Calixta realizes the value of her loyal and stable family, even though her marriage to Bobinot may lack passion. She comes to this realization after engaging in a spontaneous, lustful afternoon tryst with Alcee Laballiere while Bobinot and her son, Bibi, are trapped at a local grocery during a treacherous storm. While readers would expect an extramarital affair to tear a family apart, Calixta achieves in it a long-desired fulfillment of her passions and is perfectly content with her family life afterwards. When Bobinot and Bibi have arrived safely home, she revels in their companionship and loyalty. At the dinner table:

...they laughed much and so loud that anyone might have heard them as far away as Laballiere's.

Alcee, too, invigorated by the affair, has an epiphany about how much he values his own wife and children, who are out of town. He writes a jovial letter to his wife, telling her not to rush home, that he is "getting on nicely."

Clarisse, Alcee's wife, receives the letter warmly and welcomes the invitation to stay longer away from home. Like Calixta, Clarisse finds things lacking in her marriage to Alcee and enjoys time apart from him:

And the first free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her maiden days. Devoted as she was to her husband, their intimate conjugal life was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while.

Chopin's story elicited much controversy upon its publication in 1898. Her suggestion that the bonds of marriage may be breached and that a husband and wife could find fulfillment in this transgression was met with disapproval by a late nineteenth-century society that demanded the honoring of marital vows, especially for women.

Who is Martha and why does she visit the Wiesel family in the ghetto?

At the beginning of Night, Elie Wiesel's memoir of his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, the Jews of Sighet, Wiesel's hometown, are in denial about the threat which the Nazis pose to their way of life. As late as the spring of 1944 they did not believe the threat was real. They ignored the warnings of Moshe the Beadle who had miraculously escaped death in the forests of Galicia and...

At the beginning of Night, Elie Wiesel's memoir of his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, the Jews of Sighet, Wiesel's hometown, are in denial about the threat which the Nazis pose to their way of life. As late as the spring of 1944 they did not believe the threat was real. They ignored the warnings of Moshe the Beadle who had miraculously escaped death in the forests of Galicia and felt it his duty to report the atrocities he had seen. He is greeted with derision as the people look on him as simply crazy. When the ghetto is established, the Jews still cling to the idea that all will be well. Even Elie's father seems to ignore the signs and, when the family's servant Martha pleads with him to bring his family to her village for protection, he refuses. He does, however, tell Elie and his older daughters that they may go with Martha if they wish. They refuse and the family is ultimately deported to Auschwitz.

What is the shape of an atom?

For the purposes of evaluating, discussing and working with them, atoms are almost always treated as if they were spheres. 

However, a sphere suggests that there is a hard and definite line between what "is" and "is not" the atom. We can say that an atom "has the shape of a sphere," but it is not a sphere. This is because the outer layers of the atom, composed entirely of the electron orbitals, are essentially...

For the purposes of evaluating, discussing and working with them, atoms are almost always treated as if they were spheres. 

However, a sphere suggests that there is a hard and definite line between what "is" and "is not" the atom. We can say that an atom "has the shape of a sphere," but it is not a sphere. This is because the outer layers of the atom, composed entirely of the electron orbitals, are essentially like a cloud, with different densities at different times, which we can't precisely predict. For example, if a perfect snapshot of a helium atom was something we could actually acquire, its pair of electrons could not somehow disperse themselves evenly over the entire spherical volume of the atom; they would need to be localized somewhere. So, the spherical shape is an approximation that we make for the sake of convenience and practicality. Some of the exceptions to these conditions lead to phenomena like London dispersion forces or induced dipoles. 

Furthermore, there are considerations we have to make for the differently shaped orbitals that heavier elements are composed of, as well as external forces that can distort the orbitals. So, it's fair to say that atoms can be approximated as spheres, and depicting them as spheres is acceptable in most cases, but we have to acknowledge that they aren't truly "spheres" in the geometric sense, and that this is a generalization. 

What is one example of a simile in the poem "Mending Wall"?

If they exist, you can find similes in the poem (or in any piece of text) by skimming for the words "like" or "as," or looking for places where the speaker is comparing one thing to another thing.

"Mending Wall," however, is certainly not brimming with similes like many other poems are. The speaker of this poem is very matter-of-fact, very realistic, and he describes images and actions as they truly are.

However, if we...

If they exist, you can find similes in the poem (or in any piece of text) by skimming for the words "like" or "as," or looking for places where the speaker is comparing one thing to another thing.

"Mending Wall," however, is certainly not brimming with similes like many other poems are. The speaker of this poem is very matter-of-fact, very realistic, and he describes images and actions as they truly are.

However, if we look toward the very end of the poem, we'll find one definite simile and one comparison that we might also label a simile:

"I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed."

Above, the speaker notices that his neighbor is working on the wall by holding tightly to the top of a stone with each hand. He compares his neighbor to a savage, perhaps a caveman, who also grasps a stone and uses that as a tool or a weapon. The simile between the real neighbor and the imagined savage expresses the speaker's slight distaste for his neighbor. 

We move a little farther down the poem and notice this observation, too:

"He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees."

Is this a simile? It has the word "as," right? And it's also a comparison between what's real and what the speaker imagines. But whether we call it a simile or not depends on how strictly you define the term. We could say, yes, this is a simile between the neighbor working in the shade and the savage working in darkness. Or we could say, no, this is simply an example of exaggeration or general figurative language.

What is the crowding out effect ? How is it related to planned investment ?

The crowding out effect is a process where government fiscal policy causes private individuals and firms to reduce their planned investments.  In this effect, the government engages in deficit spending (it spends more than it takes in in taxes) and has to borrow money.  This causes interest rates to rise.  When this happens, the private sector borrows less money than it otherwise would have.

Governments often engage in deficit spending.  The US government, for example,...

The crowding out effect is a process where government fiscal policy causes private individuals and firms to reduce their planned investments.  In this effect, the government engages in deficit spending (it spends more than it takes in in taxes) and has to borrow money.  This causes interest rates to rise.  When this happens, the private sector borrows less money than it otherwise would have.

Governments often engage in deficit spending.  The US government, for example, has run a deficit almost every year for the last five decades.  When the government runs a deficit, it has to borrow money from somewhere.

When the government has to borrow money, the demand for money that can be loaned increases.  We know that an increase in the demand for something will (ceteris paribus) cause the price of that thing to increase.  Therefore, the price of borrowing money (the interest rate) will rise when the government borrows money.

When the price of something rises, it becomes harder for buyers to afford it.  They will, therefore, tend to buy less of it.  In this case, the private sector will not borrow so much money because the price of borrowing that money (the interest rate) has risen.  This is the crowding out effect.  The government’s deficit spending has caused interest rates to rise, thus causing the private sector to reduce its planned investment.

`int_0^(pi/2) sin^7(theta) cos^5(theta) d theta` Evaluate the integral

`int_0^(pi/2)sin^7(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta`

Let's first compute the indefinite integral by rewriting the integrand,

`intsin^7(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta=intsin^6(theta)sin(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta`

Now use the identity:`sin^2(x)=1-cos^2(x)`

`=int(1-cos^2(theta))^3sin(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta`

Now apply integral substitution,

Let `u=cos(theta)`

`=>du=-sin(theta)d theta`

`=int(1-u^2)^3u^5(-du)`

`=-int(1-u^2)^3u^5du`

`=-int(1-u^6-3u^2+3u^4)u^5du`

`=-int(u^5-u^11-3u^7+3u^9)du`

`=-intu^5du+intu^11du+3intu^7du-3intu^9du`

`=-u^6/6+u^12/12+3(u^8/8)-3(u^10/10)`

`=u^12/12-3/10u^10+3/8u^8-1/6u^6`

Substitute back `u=cos(x)`

`=1/12cos^12(x)-3/10cos^10(x)+3/8cos^8(x)-1/6cos^6(x)`

Add a constant C to the solution,

`=1/12cos^12(x)-3/10cos^10(x)+3/8cos^8(x)-1/6cos^6(x)+C`

Now let's evaluate the definite integral,

`int_0^(pi/2)sin^7(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta=[1/12cos^12(x)-3/10cos^10(x)+3/8cos^8(x)-1/6cos^6(x)]_0^(pi/2)`

`=[1/12cos^12(pi/2)-3/10cos^10(pi/2)+3/8cos^8(pi/2)-1/6cos^6(x)]-[1/12cos^12(0)-3/10cos^10(0)+3/8cos^8(0)-1/6cos^6(0)]`

Plug in the values of `cos(pi/2)=0.cos(0)=1`

`=[0]-[1/12-3/10+3/8-1/6]`

`=-[(10-36+45-20)/120]`

`=-[-1/120]`

`=1/120`

`int_0^(pi/2)sin^7(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta`

Let's first compute the indefinite integral by rewriting the integrand,

`intsin^7(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta=intsin^6(theta)sin(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta`

Now use the identity:`sin^2(x)=1-cos^2(x)`

`=int(1-cos^2(theta))^3sin(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta`

Now apply integral substitution,

Let `u=cos(theta)`

`=>du=-sin(theta)d theta`

`=int(1-u^2)^3u^5(-du)`

`=-int(1-u^2)^3u^5du`

`=-int(1-u^6-3u^2+3u^4)u^5du`

`=-int(u^5-u^11-3u^7+3u^9)du`

`=-intu^5du+intu^11du+3intu^7du-3intu^9du`

`=-u^6/6+u^12/12+3(u^8/8)-3(u^10/10)`

`=u^12/12-3/10u^10+3/8u^8-1/6u^6`

Substitute back `u=cos(x)`

`=1/12cos^12(x)-3/10cos^10(x)+3/8cos^8(x)-1/6cos^6(x)`

Add a constant C to the solution,

`=1/12cos^12(x)-3/10cos^10(x)+3/8cos^8(x)-1/6cos^6(x)+C`

Now let's evaluate the definite integral,

`int_0^(pi/2)sin^7(theta)cos^5(theta)d theta=[1/12cos^12(x)-3/10cos^10(x)+3/8cos^8(x)-1/6cos^6(x)]_0^(pi/2)`

`=[1/12cos^12(pi/2)-3/10cos^10(pi/2)+3/8cos^8(pi/2)-1/6cos^6(x)]-[1/12cos^12(0)-3/10cos^10(0)+3/8cos^8(0)-1/6cos^6(0)]`

Plug in the values of `cos(pi/2)=0.cos(0)=1`

`=[0]-[1/12-3/10+3/8-1/6]`

`=-[(10-36+45-20)/120]`

`=-[-1/120]`

`=1/120`

How do the Little Rock Nine finally get into Central High School?

The Little Rock Nine were the nine brave African-American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in September of 1957 after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case of 1954. On the first day of school, they were prevented from entering the formerly segregated high school by Arkansas National Guard troops commanded to keep them out by Governor Orval Faubus. After the African-American students were not let in, at...

The Little Rock Nine were the nine brave African-American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in September of 1957 after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case of 1954. On the first day of school, they were prevented from entering the formerly segregated high school by Arkansas National Guard troops commanded to keep them out by Governor Orval Faubus. After the African-American students were not let in, at the end of September of 1957, President Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent the troops of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army to Little Rock.

The Little Rock Nine were able to enter Central High School under the 101st Airborne Division; later, after this division was withdrawn, the students were protected by the Arkansas National Guard. As Melba Pattillo Beals recounts in Warriors Don't Cry, the students were still subject to verbal and physical abuse by other students for the entire school year.

What are some struggles that happen in the story "Through the Tunnel"?

"Through the Tunnel" is not a story for anyone who's claustrophobic or afraid of drowning! It's an intense tale full of danger that's made all the more frightening by its peaceful, happy backdrop. Let's take a look at the individual struggles:

1. Jerry and his mom try to get along well with each other. This is an interpersonal struggle, a struggle to maintain a good relationship. It's a bit awkward. Here's his mom worrying about how she doesn't understand what he wants to do, followed by Jerry feeling guilty about how anxious she is:

"'Why, darling, would you rather not come with me? Would you rather---' She frowned, conscientiously worrying over what amusements he might secretly be longing for, which she had been too busy or too careless to imagine. He was very familiar with that anxious, apologetic smile. Contrition sent him running after her."

2. Jerry struggles to fit in with the older boys who are also swimming at the beach. He desperately wants to be acknowledged and accepted by them:

"To be with them, of them, was a craving that filled his whole body. He swam a little closer; they turned and watched him with narrowed, alert dark eyes. Then one smiled and waved. It was enough. In a minute, he had swum in and was on the rocks beside them, smiling with a desperate, nervous supplication."

3. There's also a struggle to communicate with the other kids. Jerry speaks both French and English, and he struggles to speak meaningfully with the other boys:

"[The other boys] were of that coast; all of them were burned smooth dark brown and speaking a language he did not understand."

4. The main struggle is Jerry's desire to copy the other boys' behavior by swimming down underwater through a tunnel in the rock. This is an extremely dangerous thing to do, and it becomes Jerry's obsessive quest throughout the rest of the story. He succeeds, but it takes a lot out of him mentally and physically--his nose bleeds, his lungs ache. Here he is as the struggle finally ends:

"He lay face down, gasping. He could see nothing but a red-veined, clotted dark. His eyes must have burst, he thought; they were full of blood. He tore off his goggles and a gout of blood went into the sea. His nose was bleeding, and the blood had filled the goggles."

How do the events of Night change what Elie stands for at the beginning of the memoir?

At the beginning of Night, Elie is a boy and then young man growing up in Sighet, Romania. When he is a teenager trying to understand the world and God, it is difficult to say that Elie stands for much at the beginning of the memoir. Even so, he is a deeply religious person when the reader meets him for the first time. The events of Nighthave a profound impact on Elie’s religious...

At the beginning of Night, Elie is a boy and then young man growing up in Sighet, Romania. When he is a teenager trying to understand the world and God, it is difficult to say that Elie stands for much at the beginning of the memoir. Even so, he is a deeply religious person when the reader meets him for the first time. The events of Night have a profound impact on Elie’s religious beliefs.

On Night’s first page, Wiesel describes himself like this: “By day I studied Talmud and by night I would run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple.” He often cries during prayer; his devotion runs that deep. Elie’s arrival at Auschwitz begins the process that will disintegrate his faith: “Why should I sanctify His name?” Elie thinks after seeing the crematorium for the first time. “What was there to thank Him for?”

The most important moment of Elie’s religious transformation occurs when when the SS execute a young boy. The boy suffers when the hanging rope does not break his neck, but painfully strangles him. Elie comes to the conclusion that God and all he stands for are slowly dying on the gallows, as well. To Elie, even if God exists, he is impotent to stop evil or simply does not care.

Which disease has made a spectacular comeback, after a successful campaign to curb it?

A disease that has made a spectacular comeback after a successful eradication campaign is Malaria. The World Health Organization successfully led a global eradication program in 1955 and extensively used DDT, a powerful insecticide, to control mosquito populations. A large number of countries participated in this program and at its peak, thousands of tonnes of DDT were being used to reach at least half a billion people. This campaign resulted in a 60% reduction in...

A disease that has made a spectacular comeback after a successful eradication campaign is Malaria. The World Health Organization successfully led a global eradication program in 1955 and extensively used DDT, a powerful insecticide, to control mosquito populations. A large number of countries participated in this program and at its peak, thousands of tonnes of DDT were being used to reach at least half a billion people. This campaign resulted in a 60% reduction in the number of malaria patients by the 1960s. The extensive use of DDT to kill mosquitoes showed results. However, the disease resurfaced (especially in South Asia) and a higher number of patients were reported in the 1970s. A number of factors contributed to this resurgence, including early termination of eradication programs, poor management, resistance of insects to insecticides, etc. In a number of countries, DDT was banned and some other insecticide was used. 

Africa also reported a resurgence in malaria, potentially due to climate change. This resulted in more conducive conditions for mosquito growth and the spread of disease. 

Hope this helps. 

In "The Cask of Amontillado" what is the setting, time and place, and who are the characters?

The setting of this story is Venice, in Italy, but most particularly, the catacombs --what were once underground graves--beneath Montresor's home. Think of the characters as going through a series of dark, underground tunnels or caverns, lit only by the flame of their torches. Near the end of their journey, we do see piles of bones from old corpses.

The time is the Mardi Gras, the festival that occurs the day before Lent, so probably...

The setting of this story is Venice, in Italy, but most particularly, the catacombs --what were once underground graves--beneath Montresor's home. Think of the characters as going through a series of dark, underground tunnels or caverns, lit only by the flame of their torches. Near the end of their journey, we do see piles of bones from old corpses.

The time is the Mardi Gras, the festival that occurs the day before Lent, so probably February. The story takes place 50 years before Montresor, on his deathbed, is telling it, but the year is not specified.  

The story has only two characters who are part of the action: Montresor and Fortunato. They have known each other for many years. Both love fine wines. Montresor feels he has suffered injuries, and worse, insult, from Fortunato, so he wants revenge: he wants to kill Fortunato in some way so that Fortunato knows Montresor is the murderer but nobody else finds out. Fortunato shows that he is proud of his knowledge of wines. He is also drunk and easily tricked by Montresor. 

Did Helen Keller have a fascination with sailing?

Helen spent a summer in Nova Scotia in 1901.  While there, she spent many "wondrous hours" sailing.  She described sailing as being her "favourite amusement."  She spent a lot of time in Halifax, and she found the Halifax Harbour to be her "joy" and "paradise."  Helen and Miss Sullivan went on many "glorious sails... to Bedford Basin, to McNabb's Island, to York Redoubt, and to the Northwest Arm."  These places are spread out over a...

Helen spent a summer in Nova Scotia in 1901.  While there, she spent many "wondrous hours" sailing.  She described sailing as being her "favourite amusement."  She spent a lot of time in Halifax, and she found the Halifax Harbour to be her "joy" and "paradise."  Helen and Miss Sullivan went on many "glorious sails... to Bedford Basin, to McNabb's Island, to York Redoubt, and to the Northwest Arm."  These places are spread out over a fairly large area, which shows that Helen and Miss Sullivan spent a great deal of time sailing while in Halifax.

One summer day, "there was a regatta in the Northwest Arm."  Helen, Miss Sullivan, and a few friends took out the sailboat and went "along with many others to watch the races."  The waters by the Arm were calm and they turned the boat around to head back.  Someone in their boat "noticed a black cloud drifting in from the sea, which grew and spread and thickened until it covered the whole sky."  The wind caused the water to become choppy.  They tried to navigate their boat through the storm.  The skipper on the boat guided them through the storm and Helen was filled with excitement.  She found the situation to be thrilling.  They had been the only sailboat to brave the storm.  They eventually made it back safely.

In "The Road not Taken," how does the speaker feel about the decision to choose the one road over the other?

The speaker in Robert Frost's poem “The Road Not Taken” seems to simultaneously feel a sense of melancholy as well as a sense of excitement concerning the decision to choose the road that “wanted wear” over the road that showed more obvious signs of use. We see in the speaker a person who is acknowledging that the passage of time likely precludes the exploration of both ways, but who still feels that making the right choice will make a great difference in the speaker’s life.

The speaker is melancholic because of the necessity of the choice, as well as the ramifications thereof. The speaker is drawn toward the seemingly less traveled road, but the speaker is also hesitant to leave the first road, as both offer the opportunity for discovery. The speaker states that the speaker “kept the first for another day,” but then admits that it is doubtful that the speaker will ever “come back” to that divergence of roads because of “how way leads on to way.” The speaker is telling us that despite the desire being there to explore both paths, the speaker knows the choice made that day will likely preclude ever returning to take the one not chosen. The finality of the choice, and the loss of the possibilities that the first road may hold, leads the speaker to feel melancholic.

However, the melancholy the speakers feels regarding the loss of some possibilities is balanced by the excitement the speaker feels in choosing the less traveled way. This feeling may be more difficult for some reader to recognize, but we can see it in the description of the second road:

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Here, the speaker is showing the reader the appeal of the second road, that it was grassy and wanted wear. This seems to indicate that the speaker is excited about the choice to not go the obviously well traveled way. This sense is strengthened by the speaker’s final assertion that:

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Although the speaker is melancholic that the choice of one road likely means that the speaker will never explore the other, the speaker is also happy about the choice made and the possibilities it will offer.

If an organism has 15 pairs of homologous chromosomes, how many chromosomes will each daughter cell have after telophase of mitosis? In this same...

Mitosis: Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell. Mitosis occurs in the somatic cells of the body. Somatic cells include all of the cells of an organism except for egg and sperm cells. 

Meiosis: Meiosis is a type of cell division that results in daughter cells with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cells. Meiosis also involves a...

Mitosis: Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell. Mitosis occurs in the somatic cells of the body. Somatic cells include all of the cells of an organism except for egg and sperm cells. 

Meiosis: Meiosis is a type of cell division that results in daughter cells with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cells. Meiosis also involves a process called crossing over which results in genetic material being rearranged between homologous chromosomes. Meiosis occurs in the germ cells of the body. The germ cells are the egg and sperm cells.

If an organism has 15 pairs of chromosomes, it has a total of 30 chromosomes. At the end of the telophase step of mitosis, the daughter cells will have 30 chromosomes and will be genetically identical to the parent cell.

At the end of the telophase II step of meiosis, the two cells will each still have 30 chromosomes. After cytokinesis during meiosis, which happens right after telophase II, the four daughter cells will each have 15 chromosomes. 

What are examples of characters and their secrets in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre?

Jane Eyre is a book full of secrets. Mrs. Rochester is without question the biggest one, but many characters have secrets, or are involved in deceptions of one sort  or another. Here are some, other than Bertha:

Mrs. Reed receives a letter from Jane's rich uncle asking about Jane's whereabouts, which she doesn't tell Jane about until her conscience gets the better of her at the very end of her life. Another kind of secret...

Jane Eyre is a book full of secrets. Mrs. Rochester is without question the biggest one, but many characters have secrets, or are involved in deceptions of one sort  or another. Here are some, other than Bertha:

Mrs. Reed receives a letter from Jane's rich uncle asking about Jane's whereabouts, which she doesn't tell Jane about until her conscience gets the better of her at the very end of her life. Another kind of secret that she is "keeping" from her deceased husband is her treatment of Jane. Jane calls her out on this: “My Uncle Reed is in heaven, and can see all you do and think; and so can papa and mama: they know how you shut me up all day long, and how you wish me dead.” Young Jane's ability to see through Mrs Reed is quite shocking!

Jane adopts a false identity after she leaves Thornfield, telling everyone that her name is Jane Elliot. St. John discovers her real name when he notices that she has absent-mindedly written "Jane Eyre" in the margin of a drawing.

Diane, Mary and St. John are secretly Jane's cousins, a fact that Jane learns only after St. John uncovers her true identity.

Rochester pretends to be a fortune teller and tells the fortunes of his guests, including Blanche and Jane. Everyone is fooled except for Jane; when Rochester reveals himself to her, she is, or pretends to be, angry: “I believe you have been trying to draw me out— or in; you have been talking nonsense to make me talk nonsense. It is scarcely fair, sir.”

Mr. Mason's secret is that he is Bertha's brother -- his sudden appearance causes Rochester to go "whiter than ashes."

Then, of course, there are secrets that are not revealed in the text, the missing parts of the story, like Bertha's history, or who Grace Poole might really be, or Rochester's relationship with his father and brother. These "negative spaces" in the story shape the meaning as much as the actual narrative itself. If you pay attention to the secrets in the novel, you begin to see a pattern of truth and falsehood that marks all the characters, and which resolves itself into Jane's final union with Rochester, a marriage in which, at last, there are no secrets.

How can one prove that when matter changes physical states, its mass doesn't change?

You can perform an experiment to prove that mass does not change when a solid changes to a liquid (or vice versa). 

The easiest way to do this is to use a scale and an ice cube. You will also need a small dish to hold the ice cube. Use the following procedure:

1. Place the dish on the scale and zero the scale.

2. Put the ice cube in the dish and record the...

You can perform an experiment to prove that mass does not change when a solid changes to a liquid (or vice versa). 

The easiest way to do this is to use a scale and an ice cube. You will also need a small dish to hold the ice cube. Use the following procedure:

1. Place the dish on the scale and zero the scale.

2. Put the ice cube in the dish and record the mass.

3. Wait for the ice cube to melt and record the mass. 

You should observe no difference in the masses you recorded. 

A similar procedure can be used to demonstrate that mass is not lost when a solid turns to a gas. You will need a piece of solid carbon dioxide (commonly referred to as 'dry ice') and a balloon. 

1. Place the balloon on the scale and zero the scale.

2. Place the dry ice inside the balloon, tie a knot to close the balloon, and record the mass.

3. Wait for the dry ice to sublimate (turn into a gas) and record the mass.

Again, you should see no change in the masses you recorded. 

These observations prove that mass does not change when state changes.

How would one summarize what happens in Theodore Taylor's The Cay?

To write a summary of a novel, you want to focus on explaining who the main characters are and what important events occur. The important events will relate to the conflict, the climax, and the resolution of the story. The conflict is the problem within the story; the climax is the most intense moment and turning point of the story, in which rising action becomes falling action; and the resolution is how the conflict is solved.

In Theodore Taylor's The Cay, the primary characters are Phillip, the protagonist, and Timothy, whom Phillip must look to for survival. The conflict occurs when the ship Phillip is traveling to America on is torpedoed by Germans during World War II, and Phillip finds himself stranded on a raft alone with someone he thinks is an "ugly black man" (p. 71). Since Phillip is battling for survival against nature and other external circumstances, we can call this a character vs. nature conflict. However, Phillip is also racist at the beginning of the book. What's more, once he goes blind due to a head injury, he feels completely useless. Therefore, the most dominant conflict is a character vs. self conflict.

Once Phillip goes blind, he also becomes color blind, shedding his racism and wanting to be Timothy's friend because he sees how much Timothy has done for him and knows he needs Timothy for survival. As the book progresses, Timothy teaches Phillip how to survive independently, despite his blindness, by teaching him how to move about the island, how to light the signal fire, and how to fish. Phillip even gains enough courage to climb the coconut tree, adding essential milk and fruit to their diet.

The character vs. nature conflict reaches its climax when the island is hit by a hurricane that Timothy reflects is out of season for July; hurricanes usually come later in September or October, August being the earliest:

But dis year, d'sea be angry wid all d'death upon it. D'wahr. (p. 103)

Timothy sacrifices his life to protect Phillip from the harshest winds of the storm. After Timothy's death, Phillip must survive on the island on his own, but is now fully prepared thanks to Timothy's wisdom and lessons. It is in early August that Phillip's signal fire is finally spotted by a plane, and he is rescued.

How do I write an essay ?

I believe that your question could go two directions. One would be writing an essay about . The other would be how to submit an essay to .  

I'll start with the latter. Write your essay in whatever word processor that you have. Chances are you have Microsoft Word. That will work just fine. After your essay is complete, save the file. Next, go to .com and navigate to the "essay lab" tab. You...

I believe that your question could go two directions. One would be writing an essay about . The other would be how to submit an essay to .  

I'll start with the latter. Write your essay in whatever word processor that you have. Chances are you have Microsoft Word. That will work just fine. After your essay is complete, save the file. Next, go to .com and navigate to the "essay lab" tab. You will need to upload your essay from your hard drive to . If you don't have Microsoft Word or any official word processor, you can use the free one from Google (if you have a Google account). Type up your essay using Google Docs. Go to the file menu and choose the "download" option. You can download the document as a Microsoft Word document. Upload that document to the essay lab. 

If you are writing an essay about , then your first step is to decide what kind of essay you are writing. Are you informing your reader about the website and its features? Are you writing a persuasive essay that convinces your reader something about ? After you have decided what type of essay you are writing, begin with an introductory paragraph. Separate your main ideas into individual paragraphs and furnish with examples and reasons. Finish with a concluding paragraph.  

How are Madame Schachter and Moishe the Beadle different?

Moishe the Beadle was a poor foreign Jew who lived alone in the town of Sighet. He was a good friend of Eliezer and taught him the Zohar before he was deported by the Hungarian police. When Moishe returned to the village, he told the community of Sighet about the horrors he witnessed in the Galician forest. Unfortunately, none of the Jewish citizens believed Moishe and thought that he was a madman.

Unlike Moishe the...

Moishe the Beadle was a poor foreign Jew who lived alone in the town of Sighet. He was a good friend of Eliezer and taught him the Zohar before he was deported by the Hungarian police. When Moishe returned to the village, he told the community of Sighet about the horrors he witnessed in the Galician forest. Unfortunately, none of the Jewish citizens believed Moishe and thought that he was a madman.

Unlike Moishe the Beadle, Madame Schachter is a woman in her fifties with a family. She was separated from her husband and two older sons during the first transport which made her lose her mind. While she rode in the cattle cars with the other Jews, she would scream "Look at the fire! Look at the flames! Flames everywhere..." (Wiesel 26). She seemed to be hallucinating, and the other passengers believed she was delirious. Eventually, her cries became reality when the Jews first witnessed the crematoriums at Auschwitz.

Both characters come from different backgrounds and families. Also, Moishe the Beadle actually witnessed the Nazis massacre the foreign Jews, while Madame Schachter simply envisioned the crematoriums at Auschwitz. Moishe also openly warned the Jews, while Schachter's message was ambiguous and hard to interpret.

Which has more kinetic energy: a box with a mass of 20 kg moving at a speed of 20 mph or a box with a mass of 20 kg moving at a speed of 21 mph?

Take note that kinetic energy is directly proportional to velocity as shown in the formula:

`KE=1/2mv^2`

where m is the mass of the object in kg and v is the velocity of the object in m/s.

So when two objects have the same mass, the object with the higher velocity will have higher kinetic energy.

To show this, let's compute the kinetic energy of each box.

The first box has a mass of m=20 kg...

Take note that kinetic energy is directly proportional to velocity as shown in the formula:

`KE=1/2mv^2`

where m is the mass of the object in kg and v is the velocity of the object in m/s.

So when two objects have the same mass, the object with the higher velocity will have higher kinetic energy.

To show this, let's compute the kinetic energy of each box.

The first box has a mass of m=20 kg and its velocity is v=20 mph.

Before plugging in the values, convert the velocity from miles per hour to meter per second.

`v=20 (mi)/(h) * (1609.34m)/(1 mi) * (1h)/(3600s)=8.9408 m/s`

So, the kinetic energy of the first box is:

`KE=1/2mv^2 = 1/2(20kg)(8.9408m/s)^2=799.379J`

The second box has a mass of m=20 kg and its velocity is v=21 mph.

Convert its velocity from miles per hour to meters per second.

`v=21(mi)/h * (1609.34m)/(1 mi) * (1h)/(3600s)=9.3878`

So, the kinetic energy of the second box is:

`KE=1/2mv^2=1/2(20kg)(9.3878m/s)^2=881.3079J`

Therefore, it is the 20 kg box moving at a speed of 21 mph that has the greater amount of kinetic energy.

How much area did Alexander the Great conquer?

Alexander the Great conquered a vast amount of territory.  By the time he died, his kingdom stretched from Macedonia and Egypt in the west all the way to India and Afghanistan in the east.  This made Alexander one of the greatest conquerors of all time.  Moreover, he conquered all of these places in a very short period of time and then died soon after, before he even reached the age of 33.

Alexander started out as the king of Macedonia, in the northern part of Greece or the Southern Balkans.  When he was young, his father was in the process of conquering the Greeks.  Alexander finished this conquest.  He then went on to conquer Egypt and the Persian Empire, which was one of the largest ancient empires.  By conquering the Persians, Alexander opened the way to the east, which allowed him to conquer and to spread Greek culture all the way to the borders of India.

If we express the size of Alexander’s empire in square miles, we can say that he conquered an empire that was over 2 million square miles.  This is about 2/3 the size of the United States and 1/3 the size of Russia.  This was a tremendous amount of land to conquer in a short period of time using the technology that was available in Alexander’s time.

Alexander, then, is seen as one of the greatest conquerors of all time because, in only 13 years as king, he was able to conquer an empire of over 2 million square miles that stretched from Greece, through the Middle East, to Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

In "To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair," the word "and" is repeated at the beginning of seven different lines. How...

“To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair” is a poem written by South African poet Finuala Dowling.

First, let’s start with a brief summary. As the title suggests, the poem is written to a doctor who’s treating a baby who has been raped. The poem contrasts lines (these are the ones that start with “and”) about the doctor’s actions with lines about normal nighttime activities in normal families, where...

“To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair” is a poem written by South African poet Finuala Dowling.

First, let’s start with a brief summary. As the title suggests, the poem is written to a doctor who’s treating a baby who has been raped. The poem contrasts lines (these are the ones that start with “and”) about the doctor’s actions with lines about normal nighttime activities in normal families, where parents care for their children. This contrast highlights the cruelty of the child’s assault, placing kind, normal actions next to tragedy.

As I mentioned, the lines about the doctor’s actions all begin with the word “and.” There are a couple ways to interpret this use. On a structural level, any time “and” is used repeatedly at the beginning of a line in a poem, it usually builds momentum and flow. Think about it this way – when we talk, we often use “and” to link our sentences rather than creating neat, complete ones. For example, “I was talking to her and she said hi and we talked for a while and then I left” sounds more natural than “I was talking to her. She said hi. We talked for a while. I left.” So on one level, the repeated use of “and” structurally ties the poem together, building momentum and making the poem read in one breath rather than distinct sentences. It’s a “real” voice, rather than a performative one.

In terms of content, the use of “and” reinforces the distinction between the doctor’s work and normalcy. Dowling writes, “and when you called for more blood / a bleary-eyed uncle got up to make a feed / and while you stitched / there was another chapter of a favourite story.” Dowling repeatedly lets her reader out of the tragedy, showing them a quiet scene, showing them a child who is well, then uses “and” to pull the reader back to the baby who is hurt, back into a scene that should not have happened.

An analysis done for a related question about this poem can be found at the link below.

Who is Saint Augustine? What are some important things about him, and what are some important things about his biography on Confessions of Saint...

Saint Augustine of Hippo lived from 354 CE to 430 CE in modern-day Algeria. He developed the concept of the City of God- a Catholic city which exists in spirit but not necessarily on Earth. Though he is a patron saint, he did not become a Catholic until the age of 31. It is his writings on his life before Catholicism, and how he came to understand sin, that make up the Confessions. He was very interested in philosophy and the workings of the world, even before his conversion. He studied and taught rhetoric, which certainly played a large part in his success as an ordained preacher.

Saint Augustine is primarily remembered for his work in theology. He is an inspiration to many Catholics with regard to conversion, and during his life he strove to free himself of sinful thoughts and behaviors. He believed that slavery was caused by sin and encouraged his fellow clergy at Hippo to free any slaves they owned. Just as he believed in wrote of the distinction between the spiritual and earthly City of God, he believed in the distinction between (and marriage of) the spirit and the human body. He wrote that the spirit is an eternal substance which may persist after death, and that the spirit is only truly "married" or united with the body when we act according to what is morally and spiritually good. His belief that the passages on creation in Genesis are not mean to be taken literally was quite revolutionary at the time. He also disapproved of astrology and war.

The Confessions is an important text for theologians, Christians, and in the study of autobiography. As I mentioned above, Augustine wrote about his early, sinful life and how he came to understand the necessity of acting with good morals. His writings laid the foundation for the belief that the earthly body is tainted by Original Sin. He believed that a child, left to their own devices, will be sinful because they have not been taught spiritual discipline. For the very same reason, he believed that humans are easily swain into committing sinful acts, and that it takes learning a sense of personal, moral responsibility to act in accordance with God. He relates a story when he was pressured to act sinfully, and stole some pears with friends. He felt that if he had been on his own, he would not have done so.

Though the Confessions are largely autobiographical, Augustine dwells heavily on the nature of creation, sin, and how humans can come to act morally. He believed that through veneration of God and through morally good (Godly) action, one would return to divinity after their time on Earth.

What excuse does Tybalt use to fight with Benvolio?

In Act I, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet two Capulet servants instigate a brawl with the Montagues, prompted by an insulting gesture. When Benvolio arrives he immediately attempts to break up the fight, saying, "Part fools!/Put up your swords. You know not what you do." Unfortunately, Tybalt, the nephew of Lord Capulet, arrives on the scene and only exacerbates the situation. Named for the sly cat in the fable Reynard the Fox,...

In Act I, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet two Capulet servants instigate a brawl with the Montagues, prompted by an insulting gesture. When Benvolio arrives he immediately attempts to break up the fight, saying, "Part fools!/Put up your swords. You know not what you do." Unfortunately, Tybalt, the nephew of Lord Capulet, arrives on the scene and only exacerbates the situation. Named for the sly cat in the fable Reynard the Fox, Tybalt immediately insults Benvolio and looks to manipulate the nephew of Lord Montague into a fight by suggesting that Benvolio may be a coward because he is "drawn among these heartless hinds." The term "drawn" means that Benvolio has displayed his sword and this seems to be excuse enough for Tybalt to threaten him and prolong the fight. Tybalt can later claim that he was only fighting in self defense. In reality, of course, Benvolio has only drawn his sword to be a peacekeeper. For Tybalt, however, the main reason for fighting Benvolio is simple hatred:

What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.
Have at thee, coward!

How does Act 5, scene 1 provide insight into the main themes of Macbeth?

The doctor, in this scene, comments about "a great perturbation in nature" when he hears that Lady Macbeth has been sleepwalking. His remark links to the theme of disorder and reversal in nature. Macbeth and his wife's malicious assassination of King Duncan, as well as the tyrant's deliberate murder of Banquo and Macduff's entire family, is an unnatural act. Duncan's murder and Macbeth's ascension to the Scottish throne are disruptions in the...

The doctor, in this scene, comments about "a great perturbation in nature" when he hears that Lady Macbeth has been sleepwalking. His remark links to the theme of disorder and reversal in nature. Macbeth and his wife's malicious assassination of King Duncan, as well as the tyrant's deliberate murder of Banquo and Macduff's entire family, is an unnatural act. Duncan's murder and Macbeth's ascension to the Scottish throne are disruptions in the natural order of things. Duncan was supposed to die a natural death. He was to be succeeded by Malcolm, his direct heir, whom he had appointed Prince of Cumberland. The Macbeths' malice stopped this process in its tracks, and Macbeth essentially usurped the throne.

When Lady Macbeth rubs her hands in an attempt to remove imagined stains from them, two themes are depicted. The first is the theme of appearance versus reality. What Lady Macbeth thinks she sees are really figments of her imagination. Just as her husband imagined seeing a dagger before murdering Duncan, she is visualizing non-existent bloodstains on her hands. When Macbeth saw what he believed to be a dagger, he realized that it was not real and concluded that the vision was caused by a "heat oppressed brain."

Lady Macbeth is similarly distraught at this point, and her imagination is running wild because she is losing her mind. Her distress is clearly indicated when she also later imagines the smell of blood on her hands:

Here's the smell of the blood still: all the
perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little
hand. Oh, oh, oh!

This brings us to the second theme, which is guilt. Lady Macbeth's strange conduct is caused by her overriding guilt. She is overwhelmed by her husband's sheer brutality and utter thirst for blood. He has even declared that he is "steeped in blood" because he has had so many of his erstwhile friends and subjects brutally slain. Both the doctor and gentlewoman witness the extremity of Lady Macbeth's anguish.

Doctor
What a sigh is there! The heart is sorely charged.

Gentlewoman
I would not have such a heart in my bosom for the dignity of the whole body.

Lady Macbeth now feels that the weight of responsibility for having set her husband on his seemingly unstoppable course has become too much to bear. She is so overcome with guilt and regret that she later commits suicide.

What are Viola's characteristics in Twelfth Night?

Viola is passionate and witty, and she is willing to go to great lengths to get what she wants.

Viola is devastated when she learns that her brother drowned.  She doesn’t know what to do or where to go.  She finds out that the Duke of Illyria is interested in a woman named Olivia, and she decides to pretend to be a man to help him.  All of this is pretty extraordinary.  It takes a special kind of woman to pull this off.

Things do not go easily for Viola, even though she is such a convincing young man that no one suspects her secret.  Olivia, the woman she is supposed to convince to fall in love with her new boss Orsino, falls in love with her instead—thinking she is Cesario.  This demonstrates Viola's charisma and intelligence. 

It is her empathy that got her into this position in the first place, and now she is in a bind.  Olivia fell in love with her instead of Orsino.  Viola has some pangs of self-doubt, regretting the deceit of her disguise. 

Disguise, I see, thou art a wickedness,
Wherein the pregnant enemy does much.
How easy is it for the proper-false
In women's waxen hearts to set their forms!
Alas, our frailty is the cause, not we!
For such as we are made of, such we be. (Act 2, Scene 2) 

Although she is basically a good person, deceit is the everyday normal in Viola’s life right now.  In addition to having the problem of Olivia having fallen in love with her because she thinks she is a man named Cesario, Viola has also fallen in love with Orsino.  Orsino suspects nothing, thinking that he can confide in Cesario and trust him. 

At the same time, Viola is a witty young lady.  When Orsino philosophizes that women cannot love equally with men, she speaks up.  She tells him that they can indeed, essentially admitting that she is in love with him but pretending to tell him a story about her “sister.” 

VIOLA

Ay, but I know--

DUKE ORSINO

What dost thou know?

VIOLA

Too well what love women to men may owe:
In faith, they are as true of heart as we.
My father had a daughter loved a man,
As it might be, perhaps, were I a woman,
I should your lordship. (Act 2, Scene 4)

The audience or reader likely finds this conversation very funny, but there is a sadness to it too.  Viola wants to tell Orsino that she loves him, but she has no idea how.  To do so would be to admit she has deceived him this long.  If he rejects her, she will lose him completely.  At least in this position she gets to be close to him and pine for him while he pines for another.

The interaction also shows that Viola is intelligent and witty, despite her harebrained scheme.  She spars verbally with Olivia and with Feste, and here she tells Orsino in no uncertain terms that women can love as deeply as men.  She should know.

What is the relationship between Cassius and Brutus in Julius Caesar?

Cassius and Brutus are brothers-in-law. But they are also senators and respected leaders in Rome, and this is the truly important aspect of their relationship. In Act I, Scene 2, Cassius first broaches the idea that Caesar is threatening to usurp the throne of Rome, ending the Republic. He appeals to Brutus's sense of patriotism as well as his personal pride by describing Caesar as a dangerous, designing man. All of this is intended to, in Cassius's words, be a "seduction" of Brutus. The "seduction," as it were, was a success. Brutus not only joined the conspiracy against Caesar, but he quickly became its leader, and, after his speech to the Roman people following the assassination, its public face.  It is their relationship as leaders of the conspiracy that is important to the development of the plot. They have a bitter argument in Act IV, Scene 3, but are reconciled, and both men die by suicide (with the help of their servants) after their armies are defeated at Philippi.

Polonius says of Hamlet's responses, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." What is the method, or purpose, of Hamlet's behavior in...

Polonius says of Hamlet's responses, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." What is the method, or purpose, of Hamlet's behavior in this interaction?

In this scene (Act II, scene ii), Hamlet enters the room reading a book and speaking nonsense as Polonius clocks his actions. What Polonius does not know is that Hamlet is intent on tricking the old spy in order to make sure he believes his act of pretending to...

Polonius says of Hamlet's responses, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." What is the method, or purpose, of Hamlet's behavior in this interaction?

In this scene (Act II, scene ii), Hamlet enters the room reading a book and speaking nonsense as Polonius clocks his actions. What Polonius does not know is that Hamlet is intent on tricking the old spy in order to make sure he believes his act of pretending to be mad is completely real. Polonius believes the method to Hamlet's madness or the reason behind it is that he is lovesick over Polonius's daughter, Ophelia. He concludes that Hamlet is in a state of "love-melancholy." Polonius is in fact in that very time and place to observe the young Danish prince for evidence that his madness is real and report his findings back to the King and Queen. Hamlet plays on this, speaking nonsensical words and making light of Polonius's age. His endgame is to make sure that Polonius and Claudius think he is mad and simply just dismiss his behavior so that they will let their guards down around him. If this happens, he will be at a better advantage to get revenge on Claudius for killing his father.

Why did President Kennedy take action against Soviet bases in Cuba in 1962?

President John F. Kennedy took action against Soviet bases in Cuba in 1962 because the Soviets had secretly placed nuclear missiles on that island.  Kennedy felt that the US could not tolerate the presence of these missiles and so he felt that he had to take action when he found out about them.  This episode is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1962, the United States was able to hit the most important parts...

President John F. Kennedy took action against Soviet bases in Cuba in 1962 because the Soviets had secretly placed nuclear missiles on that island.  Kennedy felt that the US could not tolerate the presence of these missiles and so he felt that he had to take action when he found out about them.  This episode is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1962, the United States was able to hit the most important parts of the Soviet Union with nuclear missiles while the Soviets were not able to hit any part of the US except for Alaska.  This was because the US had allies in Europe, not far from Russia, where they could site nuclear weapons while the Soviets had not had any such allies near to the lower 48 states of the US until Cuba became communist in 1959.  Therefore, the Soviets felt that they were at a great disadvantage.  They tried to make up for this in 1962 by placing missiles in Cuba.

When Kennedy found out about the missiles (from pictures taken by spy planes flying over Cuba), he felt that the US could not allow them.  He felt that nuclear weapons in Cuba that could hit the US constituted a grave danger to the US, one that he could not accept.  (In other words, he and his advisors felt it was acceptable for the US to be able to attack the Soviets, but not for the Soviets to be able to attack the US.)  Because of this, he ordered a naval blockade of ships coming to Cuba so they could be inspected to be sure they were not carrying more missiles or other things needed for the missile bases. This was a dangerous move, but luckily the Soviets were willing to back down and remove the missiles in exchange for a public promise by the US not to invade Cuba and a secret agreement that the US would remove its own nuclear weapons from Turkey.  This was the only action that Kennedy actually took against the bases.  He did not attack them directly or anything like that as he did not want to start a war.  The Cuban Missile Crisis is seen as one of the most dangerous incidents in the Cold War since it could have led to a war between the US and the USSR.

In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet insults Romeo multiple times. Could you give me three instances in which Juliet does insult Romeo?

Juliet does insult her beloved a few times, once directly before her death. When she wakes to discover Romeo’s body next to her, she attempts to drink poison from the cup he still holds. She cries, “O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop / To help me after?” Juliet uses the insulting term “churl” in a way that is affectionate and desperate. According to her, if he had been truly kind, he would...

Juliet does insult her beloved a few times, once directly before her death. When she wakes to discover Romeo’s body next to her, she attempts to drink poison from the cup he still holds. She cries, “O churl! drunk all, and left no friendly drop / To help me after?” Juliet uses the insulting term “churl” in a way that is affectionate and desperate. According to her, if he had been truly kind, he would have let her drink the rest of his poison and follow him into death.

Many of Juliet’s insults towards Romeo are in a single speech, in which she both criticizes and compliments him. It is when she learns that Romeo is banished for killing her cousin Tybalt. Juliet emphasizes his deceptive beauty:

O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!
Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave?
Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!
Dove-feather'd raven! wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despised substance of divinest show!
Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st,
A damned saint, an honourable villain!

She goes on to say that he is vile and deceitful fiend. However, she immediately condemns herself for speaking so harshly of her husband, rationalizing that she should be happy that he is alive.

There are other instances when Juliet teases Romeo. She says, “swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, / … Lest that thy love prove likewise variable” and gently mocks him when he kisses her, yet there are only several instances when she truly seems angry at him.

How would you describe Sylvia?

In "A White Heron," Sylvia's name is an appropriate one for her since it is derived from the Latin word silva, which means "forest." Thus, it seems natural that Sylvia should be content in the woods. Also, like many sylvan creatures, Sylvia is timid and frightened of people.

"Afraid of folks" is how her grandmother describes Sylvia. In the country, though, “the wild creatur’s count her one o’ themselves," the older woman adds. One day...

In "A White Heron," Sylvia's name is an appropriate one for her since it is derived from the Latin word silva, which means "forest." Thus, it seems natural that Sylvia should be content in the woods. Also, like many sylvan creatures, Sylvia is timid and frightened of people.

"Afraid of folks" is how her grandmother describes Sylvia. In the country, though, “the wild creatur’s count her one o’ themselves," the older woman adds. One day as the timid girl heads the cow home, Sylvia displays this dread of people as she is frightened when she hears the whistle of a stranger. In fact, she worries that her beloved refuge from the noisy and crowded manufacturing town where she has previously lived is now invaded. When the tall young man emerges from the brush, he discovers Sylvia hiding in the nearby bushes. He tells the frightened girl that he has lost his way, adding that he now needs a friend. After asking her name, he requests shelter for the night and permission to hunt the next day. Reluctantly, Sylvia agrees to take him home, worried that her grandmother will "consider her much to blame."

To the girl's surprise, Mrs. Tilley graciously offers to feed the young hunter and provide him accommodations for the night. The next day, after learning from her grandmother that Sylvia has a wealth of knowledge about birds, the hunter has her accompany him. The shy girl does so willingly because she is somewhat lured by the offer of the tempting sum of ten dollars, and she is also attracted to this handsome young man and is "vaguely thrilled by a dream of love." However, this attraction does not outweigh Sylvia's love of nature, and she later refuses to betray the white heron by revealing the location of its nest. For she cannot forget how when she searched for it, 

...the white heron came flying through the golden air and ...they watched the sea and the morning together....She cannot tell the heron's secret and give its life away.

Her loyalty is not without cost, however. After the hunter departs, Sylvia spends many nights remembering "the echo of his whistle" and the joy she felt as she walked along with him in the woods. Certainly, Sylvia has matured from the experience of knowing this hunter.

In chapter 5 of Lord of the Flies, what is the significance of the "whiteness in the gloom" and the discussion that follows?

At face value, the phrase "the whiteness in the gloom" refers to the conch that Ralph grabs from Maurice's hands during the assembly Ralph calls late in the day after Jack's hunters had allowed the signal fire to go out. Because the light has faded, it is becoming harder to see the faces of the boys as they speak. Earlier in the chapter, describing the conch shell, Golding writes, "exposure to the air had bleached...

At face value, the phrase "the whiteness in the gloom" refers to the conch that Ralph grabs from Maurice's hands during the assembly Ralph calls late in the day after Jack's hunters had allowed the signal fire to go out. Because the light has faded, it is becoming harder to see the faces of the boys as they speak. Earlier in the chapter, describing the conch shell, Golding writes, "exposure to the air had bleached the yellow and pink to near-white." Now Ralph grabs at the white conch, taking it from Maurice, who has been defending the idea that a squid-type beast could come up out of the water. The boys have fallen into a chaotic argument, and Ralph blows the conch to restore order to the assembly. 

Next Simon, uncharacteristically, takes the conch to speak. He says, "Maybe there is a beast. ... What I mean is ... maybe it's only us." Simon, as the most insightful of the boys, has an understanding of "mankind's essential illness," but he has a hard time expressing it in words. He wants to explain that the thing the boys have to fear comes from within themselves, namely, from their depraved hearts. So he asks, "What's the dirtiest thing there is?" probably intending to explain that their own lack of morality is the "dirtiest thing." Jack ruins the discussion by swearing, probably using a word for excrement. This causes the boys to erupt in laughter, making any philosophical discussion about the boys' threat to themselves impossible. Even Ralph and Piggy have no understanding of what Simon was trying to say; Ralph later reprimands Simon for not saying there wasn't a beast.

In a sense, Simon stands out from the other boys as a light of truth, just as the white conch stands out in the gloom of the evening. Ralph blows the conch to call the boys to attention, and Simon speaks, trying to gain the boys' attention about the danger of the beast within. The "whiteness in the gloom" refers literally to the conch in the dusk, but figuratively points to Simon among the dark hearts of the other boys.

David S. Reynolds spends a great deal of time detailing Stowe’s personal history. What was her personal background and why did it matter in the...

Reynolds concludes that Stowe's personal background fed into the social context in which Uncle Tom's Cabin was written.

Reynolds' work concludes that Stowe's personal background played a vital role in her composition of Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Her life in Cincinnati enabled her to interact with people of color.  Stowe learned of slavery's impact through hearing the narratives of those who experienced it.  Reynolds points out that Stowe "loved spending time in the kitchen with servants...

Reynolds concludes that Stowe's personal background fed into the social context in which Uncle Tom's Cabin was written.

Reynolds' work concludes that Stowe's personal background played a vital role in her composition of Uncle Tom's Cabin.  Her life in Cincinnati enabled her to interact with people of color.  Stowe learned of slavery's impact through hearing the narratives of those who experienced it.  Reynolds points out that Stowe "loved spending time in the kitchen with servants like the African-­American Zillah.”  As Stowe interacted with people of color, it was evident that she learned of their experiences, narratives that found their way into the writing of her book. 

Stowe was also a product of her time.  Reynolds suggests that Stowe was keenly aware of the emerging debate regarding slavery in pre–Civil War America.  As Stowe moved to Maine, she was paying attention to Congressional actions in 1850 that focused on issues such as fugitives, popular sovereignty, and the future of the slavery in America.  Her position on the issue was evident when she wrote to a magazine editor that “the time is come when even a woman or a child who can speak a word for freedom and humanity is bound to speak.” Stowe's passionate defense of freedom is a result of her own religious upbringing as well as her embrace of the contexts in which she lived.  She did not shy away from abolition and its defense of human rights, but hugged it tightly as she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin.

In "The Lady or the Tiger?" how did the princess discover what was behind each of the doors?

The princess uses gold and willpower to find out what is behind both doors.

The semi-barbaric king has a unique system of justice.  He believes that fate will determine if a person is guilty or innocent, and that his system of justice will help it along.  He builds an arena with two doors.  The accused has to choose the door, and from it will emerge either a lady or a tiger.

If the tiger comes out of the door, the accused will instantly be devoured.  It will then be assumed that he was guilty. If the lady is on the other side of the door, the accused is considered innocent.  A wedding will immediately be held and the accused will marry her then and there. The trial is that quick. 

When the king’s princess takes a lover he does not approve of, into the arena he goes.  The princess is not content to let fate be the judge.  She decides to take matters into her own hands and find out what is behind what door.

Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done - she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. … But gold, and the power of a woman's will, had brought the secret to the princess.

The lover knows that the princess will find out what is behind the doors.  He is aware of her character and her influence.  He knows she would never just stand back and let the trial happen without knowing what the outcome would be.

He had expected her to know it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would never rest until she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all other lookers-on, even to the king.

The lover looks up at the princess, knowing that she will direct him to a door.  Which door?  She may decide to direct him to the tiger, because if she can’t have him, no one can.  She may decide she can’t live without him, and direct him to the lady.  We will never know.

What message does Orwell convey in Animal Farm via the use of Benjamin?

Benjamin, a donkey, is the oldest animal on the farm. Orwell uses him to transmit the same message the Who so famously conveyed: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Benjamin doesn't for a minute believe in the ideals of the revolution. As the narrator puts it:

He refused to believe either that food would become more plentiful or that the windmill would save work. Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would...

Benjamin, a donkey, is the oldest animal on the farm. Orwell uses him to transmit the same message the Who so famously conveyed: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Benjamin doesn't for a minute believe in the ideals of the revolution. As the narrator puts it:

He refused to believe either that food would become more plentiful or that the windmill would save work. Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it had always gone on—that is, badly.

Benjamin is proven right: except for a brief time of joy and solidarity right after the revolt, life does goes on as it had—badly, sometimes even worse than before.

Benjamin remains loyal to his friend Boxer throughout the book. He is the one who takes care of Boxer as much as he possibly can when Boxer is old and sick. 

Benjamin is also the animal who exposes the fact that the pigs are sending Boxer to the glue factory. He rouses the other animals, runs with them to the cart that is taking Boxer off and reads on the side of it:

 "'Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.' Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Boxer to the knacker's!"

Benjamin is an intelligent animal who won't take sides in quarrels and steadily sticks to the routines he started before the Revolution. However, he does read to other animals the slogan that has replaced the Seven Commandments on the side of the barn:

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS

Through Benjamin's steady, unchanging eyes, we see how the pigs have betrayed the revolution. Orwell uses Benjamin as an animal the reader can trust, because he has no agenda and no interest in politics.

Who was Ed Ricketts? |

Edward Flanders Robb Ricketts was born in 1897 in Chicago. Ricketts attended Illinois State Normal University and the University of Chicago, taking classes in zoology and philosophy.

In 1923, Ricketts and a friend opened Pacific Biological Laboratories, which supplied specimens to schools. Ricketts eventually became the lab's sole owner. Ricketts' lab became known as a meeting place for writers and scholars.

In 1930, Ricketts met and befriended writer John Steinbeck. Ricketts became the inspiration for...

Edward Flanders Robb Ricketts was born in 1897 in Chicago. Ricketts attended Illinois State Normal University and the University of Chicago, taking classes in zoology and philosophy.

In 1923, Ricketts and a friend opened Pacific Biological Laboratories, which supplied specimens to schools. Ricketts eventually became the lab's sole owner. Ricketts' lab became known as a meeting place for writers and scholars.

In 1930, Ricketts met and befriended writer John Steinbeck. Ricketts became the inspiration for many of the characters in Steinbeck's works.

In 1939, Ricketts published an ecological handbook about intertidal marine life titled Between Pacific Tides. This handbook is still used by many universities today.

During the 1940s, Ricketts developed indices of marine life specimens and produced an in-depth study of sardines. He combined metaphysics and the scientific method to develop a more holistic way of thinking about and describing the world.

In 1948, Ricketts died as the result of a car collision with a train.

In addition to significantly influencing the writings of John Steinbeck, Ed Ricketts inspired future generations of marine biologists and influenced the environmental movement in America.

Name any eight factors which influence the climate of India.

Climate of a region is characterized in terms of temperature, precipitation, winds, humidity and a number of other parameters. India is unique in terms of its climate and following is a list of the factors that influence the climate of India:

• Location: Tropic of Cancer passes through the center of India and thus divides it into two distinct climatic regions: Northern half with sub-tropical conditions and southern half with tropical climatic conditions.


• Himalayas: The great...

Climate of a region is characterized in terms of temperature, precipitation, winds, humidity and a number of other parameters. India is unique in terms of its climate and following is a list of the factors that influence the climate of India:

• Location: Tropic of Cancer passes through the center of India and thus divides it into two distinct climatic regions: Northern half with sub-tropical conditions and southern half with tropical climatic conditions.


• Himalayas: The great Himalayan mountain range along with other mountains separates India from the central Asia. These mountains protect India from the cold winds of the Central Asia and ensures that monsoon winds do not cross over to central Asia.


• Distance from sea: depending on the distance of a region from the sea, the climate can be different. For example, southern regions of India are close to sea, while northern regions are far away from it. This causes colder climatic conditions in the north India.


• Monsoon winds: These winds are responsible for bringing rainy season to India, especially the southwest monsoon winds. 


• Physiography or physical features: of a region influence the climate. An example is the physiography of Mausimgram, which makes it the rainiest place in the entire world.


• Jet streams: The air circulation in the upper atmosphere, namely the jet streams also affect the climate of India.


• El-Nino effect: causes flooding and/or drought by affecting the monsoon winds (among others) in India.


• Western disturbances: cause some rainfall during the winter months in northern India. 

Hope this helps. 

What are the major events in Frederick Douglass' life in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass?

Before his escape from slavery, Frederick Douglass recounts several major turning points in his life.  One of the more famous scenes in the text occurs in Chapter 1 when he witnesses this Aunt Hester being beaten by her seemingly sadistic master:

Before he commenced whipping Aunt Hester, he took her into the kitchen, and stripped her from neck to waist, leaving her neck, shoulders, and back, entirely naked.  He then told her to cross her hands, calling her at the same time a d---d b---h.  After crossing her hands, he tied them with a strong rope, and led her to a stool under a large hook in the joist, put in for the purpose.  He made her get upon the stool and tied her hands to the hook.  She now stood fair for his infernal purpose.

Both because of his youth and the transgression involved in seeing such a sight, Douglass narrates that he "hid [himself] in a closet, and dared not venture out till long after the bloody transaction was over."  This scene sets the stage for the brutality of slavery which will serve as a theme in the text.

In reaction to this brutality--and one of his master's claims that slaves ought not learn to read--Douglass enlists the white schoolchildren of Baltimore to help him learn to read.  His new-found literacy leads him to "The Columbian Orator" and its critique of anti-Catholic prejudice.  Upon reading this text:

Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever.  It was heard in every sound, and seen in every thing.  It was ever present to torment me with a sense of my wretched condition.  I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it.  It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm.

As you can see from this quote, Douglass gains an ambition for "Freedom," and an overwhelming desire to be emancipated.  The crucial turning point in his emancipation comes in a physical struggle he has with his master Covey.  Because Covey threatens to beat him for insubordination, Douglass:

resolved to fight; and suiting my action to the resolution, I seized Covey hard by the throat; and as I did so, I rose.  He held on to me, and I to him....  I seized him with both hands by his collar, and brought him by a sudden snatch to the ground....

After this encounter, Douglass' resolve to be free solidifies, and he eventually escapes from slavery, though he does not indicate how.  This newly-won freedom is not without its difficulties, however.  When working at a shipyard in Baltimore, he encounters racism in the white carpenters with whom he is working:

Many of the black carpenters were freemen.  Things seemed to be going on very well.  All at once, the white carpenters knocked off, and said they would not work with free colored workmen.  Their reason for this, as alleged, was, that if free colored carpenters were encouraged, they would soon take the trade into their own hands, and poor white men would be thrown out of employment.

These four events (the beating of Aunt Hester, learning to read, fighting with Covey, and encountering Northern white racism) serve as key turning points in the Narrative, exemplifying many of its major themes such as human rights, slave self-determination, and the importance of literacy.

Who should pay for preparations regarding earthquakes and tsunamis? On private property, should they be the landowner's responsibility, or should...

Different people can have different opinions on these issues.  Let me give arguments for various sides of the issues to help you decide how to answer this question.

On the one hand, we can say that people who own private property should pay for their own disaster preparations.  The people who own property get all of the benefits from that property.  Say, for example, that you own a hotel in a tsunami zone.  You, and...

Different people can have different opinions on these issues.  Let me give arguments for various sides of the issues to help you decide how to answer this question.

On the one hand, we can say that people who own private property should pay for their own disaster preparations.  The people who own property get all of the benefits from that property.  Say, for example, that you own a hotel in a tsunami zone.  You, and not the government, are the one who reaps the profits from that hotel.  Therefore, you should be the one who pays for the improvements to the hotel.  You would not expect the government to help pay for your landscaping or your housekeeping, so why should the government help you prepare for disasters?

On the other hand, we can say that the government should help to pay for these preparations.  The government benefits if there are hotels in tsunami zones or factories in earthquake zones.  Additionally, preparations for these disasters can be too expensive for some property-owners to afford.  If the government does not help to pay for these preparations, the economy could be harmed.  Therefore, the government should pitch in and help.

With respect to your other question, you can clearly say the provincial governments should bear the entire burden of paying for their own preparations.  Why should people in Manitoba pay for tsunami preparations when it is obvious that those preparations will not help them at all?  The people who benefit from things should pay for them.

On the other hand, we can argue that the entire country benefits from disaster preparedness.  If a disaster hits a major city, the whole national economy can be affected.  A port that is destroyed by a tsunami can, of course, no longer function to import and export goods.  The whole country benefits if it can prevent things like this from happening.  Therefore, both the federal government and the provincial governments should help to pay for disaster preparations.

With these arguments in mind, what is your own answer?

What is the mood of the crowd when Brutus first appears to speak to them in Act III of Julius Caesar?

When Brutus first appears, the angry crowd demands an explanation of what has happened and why it occurred.

After Brutus steps forward, one of the plebeians shouts, "We will be satisfied! Let us be satisfied!" (3.2.1) Brutus instructs the crowd to follow him or Cassius and "public reasons shall be rendered/Of Caesar's death" (3.2.7-8). So, the crowd divides as some go with Cassius; Brutus then ascends the steps in order to speak to those assembled...

When Brutus first appears, the angry crowd demands an explanation of what has happened and why it occurred.

After Brutus steps forward, one of the plebeians shouts, "We will be satisfied! Let us be satisfied!" (3.2.1) Brutus instructs the crowd to follow him or Cassius and "public reasons shall be rendered/Of Caesar's death" (3.2.7-8). So, the crowd divides as some go with Cassius; Brutus then ascends the steps in order to speak to those assembled before him. 
He tells these plebeians that he has killed Caesar not because he did not love him, but because he loves Rome more. Passionately, he asks the crowd if they would rather that Caesar were living and they would all die as slaves, or that Caesar die and they could live as free men. Further, Brutus declares that while he honors Caesar for his valor, he has slain him because Caesar was ambitious. The crowd believes Brutus because they know that Caesar has previously defeated Pompey with whom he contended for the leadership of Rome. Brutus further appeals to his listeners: 

Who is here so base, that would be a bondman? If any, speak; for him have I offended. (3.2.31-32)

When the crowd replies "none," Brutus declares that Caesar's life has been evaluated both for his faults and his virtues. Then, Mark Antony enters with Caesar's body, and Brutus explains that Antony has had nothing to do with the assassination; therefore, he should be included in the new government. The crowd is in agreement with Brutus, cheering Brutus and urging that he should be put in Caesar's place; in fact, they want to carry him to his home in triumph.

In chapter 10 of Animal Farm, the pigs begin walking on two legs. Is this evolution a sign of progress or not?

In terms of scientific development, yes, the pigs walking on two legs is definitely an evolution, however, in terms of events in the novel, it depends on from whose perspective this new occurrence is perceived. If one perceives it from the pigs' standpoint, they will see their action as an advancement. From the other animals' point of view, though, it will be a step in the wrong direction, for their rebellion was, in fact, to get rid of their two-legged and dictatorial masters, the humans.

During his passionate speech at the beginning of the novel, when he was addressing all the animals in the big barn, Old Major specifically stated:

I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade. All the habits of Man are evil. And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

All Major's admonitions were ignored by the pigs. They adopted all man's vices and denied the other animals equality. They ruled over them in much the same way the humans did. In general, the other animals were constantly tired, miserable and hungry whilst the pigs lived lives of luxury and privilege. They lived as humans.

Walking on two legs signified the final phase of the pigs' transformation from animal to human. Not only had they adopted all man's vices and habits, but they had also assumed his posture. What made it even worse was the fact that walking on two legs also foretold of another one of man's terrible habits, the constant physical abuse of the working animals symbolised by an instrument of torture.

...out came Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his dogs gambolling round him.

He carried a whip in his trotter.

So shocked were the animals on witnessing this that there was a deathly silence. They were terrified and it was as if the world had turned upside down. Those who would have protested were stifled when the sheep started bleating loudly:

"Four legs good, two legs BETTER! Four legs good, two legs BETTER! Four legs good, two legs BETTER!"

Finally, to make sure that the animals knew their place, the original commandment, "All animals are equal" was replaced by the paradoxical, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

For the poor, suffering animals, everything had gone full circle. They were exactly, or even worse off, from where they started. The only, and brutally ironic, result was that their erstwhile tyrannical master had been replaced by a new, even more autocratic one - their own kind, in the form of the pigs.

In the end, there was no distinction between humans and pigs. The transformation was complete, as the final sentence in the novel clearly signifies:

The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

During the trial, does Mayella have power according to her race, class and gender? How?

Mayella really only has power due to her race.

In Maycomb, the Ewells are the second-lowest rung on the power ladder. Mayella Ewell is white, which puts her above the black community, but she is among the poorest of Maycomb's white population. Jem explains the power structure of Maycomb to Scout.

"There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out...

Mayella really only has power due to her race.

In Maycomb, the Ewells are the second-lowest rung on the power ladder. Mayella Ewell is white, which puts her above the black community, but she is among the poorest of Maycomb's white population. Jem explains the power structure of Maycomb to Scout.

"There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.” (Ch. 23)

The Ewells are uneducated and live off of welfare and hunting. Bob Ewell is a drunkard and an abusive father. Mayella’s life is a struggle. She has to take care of all of her little brothers and sisters, and hers is a lonely existence indeed. Scout realizes this during the trial, when she stops to think about Mayella’s circumstances.

As Tom Robinson gave his testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. … When Atticus asked had she any friends, she seemed not to know what he meant, then she thought he was making fun of her. (Ch. 19)

It is Mayella’s lack of power that leads her into the situation with Tom Robinson. As a woman, she is at her father’s mercy. He uses her as a combination housekeeper and babysitter, and possibly more, as is suggested during the trial. As a poor woman, she has no education. The Ewell children go to school on the first day and then go home. All she has going for her is that she is white, and she uses this to force herself on Tom Robinson.

Mayella’s lack of power is the main problem. She feels powerless and lonely, and therefore tries to get Tom Robinson to pay attention to her. She uses the fact that she is white and he is black. It is the only card she has to play. Then she gets him to spend time with her because, as a black man, he doesn’t want to offend her. Finally, she tries to kiss him. She is very lonely. Her father sees this and that is that. Robinson is arrested for rape and Mayella’s situation is dragged before the whole town during the trial. It is an embarrassment to them both.

What attracts Jerry to the rocky bay in "Through the Tunnel"?

Young Jerry wants to go to the rocky bay because it presents a challenge and because there he can exert some independence from his mother with whom he usually spends the day at the usual beach. 

As Jerry walks to the beach with his mother because "it was time for the routine of swimming and sunbathing," she notices that Jerry looks out at the rocks in the bay. So, she asks him if he is...

Young Jerry wants to go to the rocky bay because it presents a challenge and because there he can exert some independence from his mother with whom he usually spends the day at the usual beach. 

As Jerry walks to the beach with his mother because "it was time for the routine of swimming and sunbathing," she notices that Jerry looks out at the rocks in the bay. So, she asks him if he is tired of the usual beach, but Jerry quickly says, "Oh, no!" as he does not want to hurt his mother's feelings. Shortly afterwards, though, he blurts out, "I'd like to go and have a look...." And, although she has some misgivings, his mother tells Jerry, "Of course, Jerry." She adds that later he can just come to their beach or go directly to the villa where they are staying.

She was thinking. Of course, he's old enough to be safe without me. Have I been keeping him too close? He mustn't feel he ought to be with me. I must be careful.

This desire of Jerry's to swim out to the bay and the big rocks is the first act of his growing independence. In the bay he encounters some older boys who are able to swim through an opening in the rock by holding their breaths for two to three minutes. Jerry feels that if he can do the same, he will pass out of his childhood. Thus, his initial attraction to the rocky bay is the first step in his transition to young manhood. 

What are some federal policies that could be created that would reduce the number of teen drivers killed in traffic accidents that are not related...

The federal government can do things that could help try to reduce the number of fatalities of teen drivers caused by traffic accidents. Some actions would put pressure on the state governments, which issue drivers licenses, to comply. Other actions could include developing federal policies affecting the entire country.

One thing the federal government could do would be to tie federal transportation money to following federal recommendations. For example, many years ago, states that refused...

The federal government can do things that could help try to reduce the number of fatalities of teen drivers caused by traffic accidents. Some actions would put pressure on the state governments, which issue drivers licenses, to comply. Other actions could include developing federal policies affecting the entire country.

One thing the federal government could do would be to tie federal transportation money to following federal recommendations. For example, many years ago, states that refused to increase the drinking age to 21 would have lost federal transportation dollars. The same could be done with policies affecting young drivers. The federal government could “recommend” that states place restrictions on young drivers. For example, young drivers may not be allowed to have more than one non-adult passenger in the car when they are driving. Young drivers could be prohibited from driving after 10:30 PM. States that refused to follow these guidelines would lose the federal transportation dollars. There could be cars manufactured that couldn’t exceed a certain speed. States that refused to require young drivers to use these cars would lose those federal transportation dollars. The same idea could be used for requiring the banning of cell phones for either teen drivers or for all drivers. Federal money is usually a significant amount, and it is hard for states to refuse this money.

The federal government could also require the automobile industry to have more safety devices on the cars that would be standard equipment. Sensors that sound alarms when drivers get too close to each other would be an example. Automatically correcting a car’s path when a driver is drifting across the center line or into another lane would be another safety device. These requirements would apply throughout the country and wouldn’t require states to approve them.

There are actions that could be taken to help to try to reduce the number of fatalities that occur as a result of young, inexperienced drivers. While these requirements might not be popular because they would make purchasing a car more expensive and would lead to a perception of more federal government meddling in our lives, these actions could help to accomplish the goal of reducing the number of teen traffic deaths.