October 2017

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

In the novel The Bronze Bow, what gift did Leah receive that made Daniel upset?

In Chapter 22, Daniel is rather upset and depressed after returning home from seeing Thacia dance. Daniel explained to Thacia that he took an oath, meaning that he could not have a relationship with her because he had one goal in life which was to fight for his people's freedom from Rome. When Daniel returns home, Leah is excited to see him and wants Daniel to tell her all about the girls who danced. Daniel kindly explains what the girls looked like and comments to his sister that she is prettier than most of the girls. After they eat supper, Leah brings out a woven basket with fresh fruits in it. Daniel questions her about who gave her such fresh fruit because no Galilean ever kept fruit like this on their table. Leah tells Daniel that it was a present from Marcus. Daniel asks Leah who Marcus is, and she tells him that he is the Roman soldier who comes by on a horse. Daniel spits out the fruit in his mouth and kicks the basket over. He loses his temper and grabs Leah by her shoulders. He begins cursing in her face and Leah fears that her brother is going to hit her. Leah tells Daniel that she's been talking to Marcus since last summer, but she never let him inside the house. Daniel's hatred for the Romans makes him furious at the fact his sister has been communicating with Marcus. Daniel tells Leah that she is never allowed to see Marcus again, and says that Leah has brought shame upon their family.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Create your own war poem. Consider what opinion or thoughts you have about the concept of war. The format and structure is up to you.

Poetry is a very personal way of creatively expressing your thoughts. You may prefer to use rhyme, or not, to use punctuation, or not, to make use of figurative language such as metaphor, personification and alliteration to name but a few, or to use different line lengths depending on your purpose and the message you would like to convey. You may want to think of a title at the beginning or the end. The decision is up to you.

Some ideas for titles, especially when talking about war, may be intended to shock the reader or warn the reader. For example, you may want to include words like death, destruction, doubt, dread, (note the use of alliteration here where every first letter of each word is the same) in your title.

War is a very controversial subject and you may think it's necessary or you may think that war only intensifies hatred. Therefore, in preparing to write your poem, think of all the strong words that come to mind when you consider what war means to you. The potential words from the title above may also help you and others such as fight, carnage, bombs, kill, and victim of violence, (note alliteration). You can make comparisons in your poem between, perhaps, life before war and life afterwards- peace and tranquility versus disorder, unrest and even anarchy.

You may want rhyming words at the end of each line so think of words that rhyme and fit them into your poem. You could try words like calm (before the war) and alarm (as the fear sets in) or harm as people begin to die unnecessarily; how life was great but now nothing is left except the hate and could this really be your fate.

You may want to add personal elements such as family and how families are affected. Husbands and wives have to leave children behind. There are tears and fears (more rhyme), orphans and widows, affliction and affectation, loss of limbs and loss of life. Note the use of more alliteration.

Hopefully , this will set you on your way to creating a poem unique to you and which reflects your feelings about war and the message you would like to send to your readers.

What is the tone at the beginning of "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"?

When Maya Angelou wrote "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," she was attempting to expose the divisive racial prejudice that had permeated society for so long. She wanted, essentially, not just evoke sympathy, but empathy for the people suffering because of this as well. The main character is bossed around, disrespected, and the victim of white male and female domination, as well as patriarchal rules and structures.

At the beginning of the story, Maya...

At the beginning of the story, Maya feels both unhappy at her looks and how she thinks she appears to the world, as well as her feelings of displacement that she suffers. She feels that she does not belong anywhere. Throughout her childhood, she is plagued with wearing ill-fitting clothes and overhearing talk of how ugly she is, but she still finds reading and has many deep questions about her station in life and the plight of other black Americans that she is surrounded with. For this reason, I would say that the beginning of the book has quite a philosophical undertone, while at the same time being a bit sorrowful and tortured. Still, at times she approaches situations with a deep sarcasm and sense of the comical.

I have been given an assignment to review the book "The Challenges to Conducting Free and Fair Elections in Emerging African Democracies: The Case...

What a long title for a book- I think I might feel a little at a loss as for where to begin, too! You are in luck, though, as has a handy Feel free to click the link here (or below) to read the full guide, but I will give you a short summary of the content here.

If you haven't already begun reading the book, no worries! Take this chance to familiarize yourself with the text. Flip through the pages. Notice whether the text looks dense or academic, or whether you think it might be enjoyed by an audience of just about anyone. How is the book organized? Are there reviews or a summary on the back? Are there any photos in the text or on the cover of the book? All of these details can help you get an idea of what the book will be like.

After familiarizing yourself with the text, it's a good idea to prepare for some note-taking while you read. What do you already know about democracy in Ghana? What do you want to learn? Outlining these questions and setting up space to write down other important information gives you the opportunity to begin writing down some material for your paper. Having a question in mind before reading will also help you hunt down information while you read.

If you have already read the book, and have not taken any notes, you can do so now. Go back through the book and take notes on what you feel the key themes are. Did you have any questions before reading that were answered in the text? What do you think the author wanted you to learn? What was the author's connection to his or her writing?

You can now use your notes to begin writing a draft for your paper. Something that's helpful both for you (as a writer) and your teacher (as a reader) is to begin by summarizing the book. In one or a few paragraphs, recount the events of the text in your own words. Imagine you are telling someone who has never read this book what happened.

After your summary, analyze the text. Do you think it successfully explained its message? Did you find it enjoyable or interesting to read? What did you learn about conducting elections in emerging democracies? Was there any conflict, and if so, was it resolved?

Finally, put the book into context. Why should we study Ghana as a case study for emerging democracy? Why did the author write this book? Is it their expertise? Is it a memoir? How is the message of this book important (or not) and what can we learn from it? To answer these questions, you may have to look at resources outside of the text itself. Use the text and any additional resources to develop and support your judgment of the book.

Answering all of these questions should help you build a significant body of writing that you can work into a draft of your book review. For more tips, please check out the guide to writing book reviews I have linked you to! Good luck!

Have law enforcement capabilities been hindered or improved because of the implementation of U.S. fusion centers?

The US Department of Homeland Security's (the "DHS") website explains that Fusion Centers are "state and major urban area focal points for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information between federal, state, local, tribal, territorial..., and private sector partners". Stated more succinctly, Fusion Centers are clearinghouses for the sharing of criminal or terrorist threats to local, state, or national security. Prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks on US soil, no mechanisms had...

Notwithstanding the well-intentioned and lofty goals that the Fusion Centers reflect, they have been generally ineffective in advancing law enforcement capabilities. The DHS can claim that its systems have prevented further criminal activity and terrorist attacks, but those systems have not eradicated that activity or those attacks completely.

The greatest drawback of Fusion Centers is that the amount of information that they accumulate is beyond the processing capabilities of the staff and equipment dedicated to those centers. Noise in the system easily overwhelms the signal.

Further, the supposed sophistication of Fusion Centers eclipses traditional police work that is based on experience and instinct. Seasoned law enforcement investigators rely on sources and field experience that can take years to develop. Fusion Centers attempt to replace this experience with an unfiltered volume of information with no ability to distinguish the relative importance of one piece of information over another.

Fusion Centers embody one of the more troublesome features of the modern electronic age; namely, they focus on data gathering over data analysis. Judgment and insight take a backseat to the technical capabilities of a Fusion Center that can intercept phone calls and collect massive amounts of video surveillance. Experience-based law enforcement that emphasizes analysis will generate better results.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

What is the contrast in generations in Romeo and Juliet (the difference between how Romeo and Juliet and their parents see things)?

The feud is part of Romeo's and Juliet's parents' generation, not theirs.

Romeo and Juliet’s parents continue the feud, but their children are obviously not interested. Romeo willingly dates a Capulet girl, goes to a Capulet party, and then falls head over heels in love with Lord Capulet’s daughter. When Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague, it doesn’t affect her opinion of him; she is just worried about what her family will think.

We know from the opening scene that Lord Capulet and Lord Montague are heavily invested in the feud, but their wives are not necessarily as passionate about it.

CAPULET

What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!

LADY CAPULET

A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword?

CAPULET

My sword, I say! Old Montague is come,
And flourishes his blade in spite of me. (Act 1, Scene 1)

Both Lady Capulet and Lady Montague seem to be complaining about the fighting, but Lord Capulet and Lord Montague get into the fight without much trouble. Prince Escalus is annoyed by this. He gives both of them a lecture, separately, which indicates that he thinks that the feud is trickling down from the top.

Romeo has no interest in the feud. When he sees the aftermath of it, he is saddened. He says that he wishes people would not fight. Clearly he is not going to be carrying it on. He is interested in Rosaline, who is a Capulet. His friends want to go to a Capulet party, and he goes. Romeo is not going to be doing any feuding.

When Juliet learns that the boy she met at the party is a Montague, she has a strong reaction.

My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy. (Act 1, Scene 5)

This doesn’t stop her though. Later she comments that there is not much to a name. Romeo’s name is not a part of him. She doesn’t seem to want to stop seeing him because of who he is. She doesn’t hate him because of his name. The feud is something of her family and her parents’ generation, and it means nothing to her.

The fight between Tybalt and Mercutio may be the exception to this. However, by all accounts, Tybalt has a temper. He is angry at Romeo for showing up at a Capulet ball. Like the servants in the beginning scene, he wants to make a name for himself by fighting and uses the feud as an excuse. This makes Romeo a prime target. Tybalt dies because he's a hothead.

After their children die, Lord Capulet and Montague bury their feud. They realize that it is not worth losing their loved ones over. It takes their children killing themselves for them to realize how wrong they were.

How do the following three sources show the role of government in society and the positive effects of government intervention? How are the sources...

Let us look at each of these images separately to try to see what they are saying. Together, we can see that they all comment on the pros and cons of government intervention. This is how they are all related to one another.

Source I shows a protest against oil taken from the “tar sands” of Alberta. With respect to the role of the government in society, these protestors are asking for more government intervention. They believe that the oil from the “tar sands” is dangerous to the environment and so they want the government to stop allowing companies to extract and ship that oil. They want the government to do more to (as they see it) protect the environment.

Source II shows us that wealth in Canada was, as of 2008, distributed very unequally. This source does not directly say anything about the role that government plays in society. However, we can relate it to that issue as well. One way to reduce inequality of wealth is to have the government redistribute that wealth. In other words, if the government takes more from the rich in the form of taxes and distributes that money to the poor, the distribution of wealth in Canada will become more equal.

The cartoonist who drew Source III clearly believes that the government is too involved in society. The cartoonist is mocking the extent to which the government is involved in trying to protect people from their own bad decisions. In the cartoon, the police officer is not just admonishing the driver about actions that might endanger others. Instead, he is scolding the driver for acting in ways that harm only himself.

Sources I and II, then, call for more government intervention in society. The protestors in Source I clearly want the government to intervene more in order to protect the environment. Source II at least implies that the government should intervene in order to stop the rise of income/wealth inequality in Canada. Canada has been getting less and less equal over the past few decades (as seen in the links below) and this source can be interpreted as evidence that we need government to do more to reverse this trend.

Source III is not promoting the “positive effects of government intervention.” Instead, it is mocking the government because it believes the government intervenes too much. If you have to use this source to argue in favor of government intervention, the best way is to show that the cartoonist’s attitude shows why his position is too extreme. The cartoonist implies that the government should not prevent us from using our cell phones while driving, saying that this is the equivalent of the government telling us not to drink soda. Clearly, the cartoonist does not understand that many kinds of government intervention are good because they protect society from harm. The cartoonist’s extreme view shows how important it is to have government intervention.

What are some similarities between bacteria and protists?

Bacteria are usually more familiar to most people than protists, because bacteria are almost always covered in high school and college science classes, and are regularly brought up in the media for various reasons such as health and manufacturing. Protists, on the other hand, tend to be left out of most introductory science courses, or at least glossed over, in part because they aren't as distinct or recognizable a group and don't do as much to teach us about the different forms of life. Protists aren't even a "real" group, at least not in terms of evolutionary classification; the term is just something of a catch-all for single-celled eukaryotes, and isn't an accurate way of describing specific relationships between these organisms and anything else, including other protists.

What bacteria and protists do have in common is pretty much anything you can see in a typical "prokaryote vs. eukaryote" cell diagram. Both are cells containing a membrane, cytoplasm, DNA, RNA, ribosomes, proteins, a means of producing ATP (probably from glucose), a method of internal transport, and a method of reproduction (interestingly, protists retain the ability to reproduce asexually, like bacteria, although many can also reproduce sexually via meiosis, like more complex multicellular eukaryotes). Both classes have the potential to be beneficial, harmful or irrelevant to human life, and both can survive more extreme conditions than multicellular organisms.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

What factors inspired some antebellum women to join the abolitionist crusade?

There were a number of reform movements that sprung up after the War of 1812. Most of these movements were tightly connected, with the same players. The reforms were aimed at the abolition of slavery, temperance, and women's suffrage to name just a few. A number of factors contributed to the rise of antebellum women in the abolitionist crusade. Probably the most important factor was religion. During the Second Great Awakening, there was a significant spike in membership in the Evangelical Protestant churches. Slavery was seen as immoral by these groups and a target of intense scrutiny in these churches. Abolition of slavery became an important religious crusade for many women.

There were also economic factors in the rise of reform. With an improving industrial economy, a larger middle class emerged. This allowed for more people to be involved in reform movements because they had more free time. Some people even took up reform as a career choice and pursued abolition and women's rights crusades as a job. Improvements in transportation and communication also made it easier to connect with people from other cities and organize reform. Urbanization also brought larger groups of people closer and made it easier to organize.

Friday, October 27, 2017

How might the fact that the animals are having more celebrations even though their rations are being reduced work in Napoleon's favor?

Like any good dictator, Napoleon secures his power, in part, through ideology and spectacle. He promises that his plan for a windmill - which he had really stolen from Snowball - will make life better at the farm, and makes it a central point in his overall ideology. In other words, he uses it, among other such symbols, to assert power over his workers, and to quell any dissent among them.

Napoleon presents himself as...

Napoleon presents himself as a leader who always acts in the best interest of his fellow animals, while painting his opponents as evil allies of Snowball and/or Jones. In reality, Napoleon is a despot, and becomes more and more like Jones as the novel progresses. While this is readily apparent to us, the audience, the worker animals are distracted by such ideological tools as the windmill, which is presented as a sort of panacea for the farm's problems. They are also swayed by promises for better living conditions, an example of which would be running water in stalls. These tools mask the reality of the farm - namely, that Napoleon is subverting the revolution, and exploiting the workers for his own gain.

In addition, the workers are plied by celebrations, rousing songs about Napoleon, and Napoleon's constant invocation of past atrocities (that is, life under Jones). Indeed, Napoleon casts Snowball and his supposed associates as perpetual enemies of the farm; these terrifying figures are used to silence criticism. They help to keep the workers agitated, focused, and suitably patriotic.

Napoleon's ideological control only grows in scope and malice as the novel progresses. By the end, he has utterly reversed the aims of the revolution, and re-instates an authoritarian, exploitative system on the farm. He maintains his power, and his mirage of revolutionary zeal, even as he wears human clothes and lords over his former "comrades." This situation is best encapsulated by his final revision of The Seven Commandments: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Thus, Napoleon's increasing despotism and hypocrisy are disguised by ideology and celebration. Over a period of time, Napoleon is not only able to whittle away his workers' knowledge of the original revolution, but even their desire to reach its goals. Whereas they had once dreamt of toppling Jones and ruling the farm together, they are now content to be simple, and to be less equal than pigs who now wear clothes and live like humans. That worker animals could celebrate despite their rations being cut is just one example of this terrifying, and realistic, process.

Why is "Jerusalem (And did those feet in ancient time)" by William Blake such a powerful poem?

The question presupposes that this is a powerful poem, and that, of course, is for the reader to decide, but "And did those feet," also known as "Jerusalem," has long been considered a great poem.

Part of its power lies in its simple language. While the word "countenance" which means face or facial expression is not common to us, it was very common in Blake's time, and then, as now, all the other language is basic: words such as "mountains green," "pleasant pastures" and "clouded hills" are easily understood.

Much of the poem's power lies in its juxtaposition of beautiful images of the English countryside with the sudden insertion of the words "dark Satanic mills," a phrase which has become famous since Blake wrote it. At first, the reader is thinking about green pastures and Jerusalem and Jesus strolling among the beautiful hills of England as "the lamb of God" (an old folktale called an apocryphal story had it that Jesus visited England). It is then jarring to suddenly have "Satan" inserted in the picture. This would remind people that at the time the poem was written (1804-08), England was rapidly moving from a rural, pastoral culture into industrialism, symbolized by factories or mills that, at that time, were uncontrolled by any laws, so that workers, even very young children, were often cruelly used and the products of the mills were suspected of being of inferior quality to handmade items.

In the last two stanzas, the poem also powerfully prophecies that a Jesus of the second coming will bring justice to England through violence. He says "bring my spear ... bring me my chariots of fire," (chariots of fire has also become a famous phrase) and in the final stanza states

Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:

Till we have built Jerusalem,

In Englands green & pleasant Land.

Using simple language and Biblical images, such as "Jerusalem," or "chariots of fire", the poem builds a powerful sense of unease about the difference between how God would like things to be, how they are, and what the consequences might be.

Shakespeare's Othello has been described as having a flimsy and unrealistic plot, which is only convincing if we think of Othello as "a savage". Do...

The plot of Othellohas aspects that are difficult to reconcile. For example, how can Othello be such a noble, patient man, and then suddenly descend into a jealous rage? The story also plays on contemporary stereotypes about African men who were espoused to be honorable and brave but hot-tempered and naive. Othello arguably comes across as very foolish and even barbaric when he murders his innocent wife Desdemona because he is convinced she has...

The plot of Othello has aspects that are difficult to reconcile. For example, how can Othello be such a noble, patient man, and then suddenly descend into a jealous rage? The story also plays on contemporary stereotypes about African men who were espoused to be honorable and brave but hot-tempered and naive. Othello arguably comes across as very foolish and even barbaric when he murders his innocent wife Desdemona because he is convinced she has committed adultery.

However, the play introduces a number of complications. For one, Othello defies racial stereotypes by being well-spoken, patient by nature (before succumbing to Iago’s lies), and decidedly not lascivious. He at first suspects Iago, but Iago has no apparent reason to lie and has served in the army with Othello for years. Iago plays on Othello’s hidden insecurities and prejudices, including internalized racism and misogyny. It is the uncertainty of Desdemona’s actions that drive Othello mad, as well as his pride and fear of being unworthy of her.

There is much racism in Othello, both blatant and subtle. Iago says that Othello “will as tenderly be led by the nose / As asses are,” comparing a man to an animal, and Othello calls upon “black vengeance, from thy hollow cell!” However, Othello’s inability to separate his violent military life from his increasingly fraught domestic life is a recurring theme in Shakespeare’s plays, no matter the race or origin of the soldier. In conclusion, seeing Othello as a “savage” is one way to interpret the plot, but it is by no means the only way to make sense of the story and the character’s complex motivations.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

How is the end appropriate to the narrative and themes of The Lord of the Flies?

The concluding episode is appropriate for the narrative and themes of The Lord of the Flies because Jack and the hunters have completely descended into innate savagery and its destructive nature. And, although there is a rescue by civilization, the presence of the naval officer and his warship do not assure readers that goodness and order will be completely restored.

Of course, there is no more destructive force than fire. In the final chapter, with the conflagration set on the island by the hunters in their savage pursuit of Ralph, the symbolism of this destructive act underscores Golding's contention that man is far from inherently good. This is a theme which Golding has created as a counterpoint to Robert Michael Ballantyne's The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean, a novel in which English schoolboys retain their Christian values and British civility until their escape from pirates and cannibals.

In the final chapter as Ralph hides in a covert listening for the approach of the hunters, he sees Bill.

But really...this was not Bill. This was a savage whose image refused to blend with that ancient picture of a boy in shorts and shirt.

Still, Ralph wants to believe that the boys are not evil, and that Simon's death was an accident. But, then, he encounters the Lord of the Flies, and, as he kneels in the shadows, he senses his terrible isolation and acknowledges, "They were savages it was true....he knew he was an outcast." Not long after these thoughts, Ralph finds himself smoked out from his hiding spot; however, in doing so, the hunters have also set the entire island on fire. Thus, they have destroyed what the boys at first perceived as a paradise. Clearly, this act demonstrates their evil natures.

Wondering how he can save himself, Ralph sees a shelter burst into flames. Then, as this fire flares, he spots "the glitter of water." Ralph runs until he falls down; then. he staggers to his feet, expecting "more terrors." Instead, he finds himself looking up at a white-topped cap with an anchor and gold foliage. A naval officer standing on the beach looks down at the boy in astonishment.

"We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?"

Further, he asks Ralph if anyone has been hurt or killed and how many of the boys there are. When Ralph tells him that there have been two killed and he does not know how many boys there are, the officer disapprovingly remarks,

"I should have thought that a pack of British boys...would have been able to put up a better show than that--I mean--....Like the Coral Island."

Ralph "gives himself up" to the officer, weeping for

...the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall...of the true, wise, friend called Piggy."

Furthermore, while civilization saves Ralph and the other boys from savagery, the officer looks out at the warship waiting in the distance. This act appropriately reminds readers of Golding's theme of the inherent evil in man that has been depicted by the murders of Simon and Piggy and the fiery pursuit of Ralph in the final chapter.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

How does Equality's physical features and character traits stand out from the other men?

The protagonist for Ayn Rand's Anthem is named Equality 7-2521 and the first physical character trait that he points out is the fact that he is six-feet tall. His teachers and leaders have told him that he is evil because he has taller than the other men in his community. His next sin is that he has forbidden thoughts, which are basically dreams he wants to accomplish and ideas he wants to study. Dreams and intellectual inquiry are strictly forbidden in Equality's world because he lives in a society that favors living for the benefit of the group over the desires of the individual. Equality tries to conform to the rules of his society, but when he finds a tunnel that used to be part of a subway, he becomes possessive and tells his coworkers not to tell anyone what he found. Progressively, Equality becomes motivated to rebel secretly by writing, studying, and becoming interested in a girl--all of which he is not supposed to do. Eventually, Equality becomes possessive of anything he desires to have, whether it be knowledge, a girlfriend, or control of his own destiny. By the end of book, Equality discovers exactly what was different about him from his brothers:

"What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it? What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is my freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and the impotent, are my masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey?

"But I am done with this creed of corruption.

"I am done with the monster of 'We,' the word of serfdom, the plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame" (97).

In "Everyday Use," how does Dee view her environment differently from Maggie?

For Maggie, Mama's house is home. Is it a place of safety, where she doesn't have to hide or feel badly about herself (until Dee comes). Mama describes the way she and Maggie cleaned up their home and yard yesterday to prepare for Dee; she says, "A yard like this is more comfortable than most people know. It is not just a yard. It is like an extended living room." This is the perception that Mama and Maggie have. They are comfortable in their home when it is just the two of them, so after Dee leaves, we see this again. Mama says that "the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed."

Dee, however, doesn't see this place as her home. She has not been back in so long that Mama imagines a talk-show style reunion where she and Dee see each other once again. As a child, Dee was only made happy when Mama raised the money to send her away from home to go to school. When Dee first arrives, even before she kisses her mother and sister, she pulls out her camera to take pictures of them, with the house, with the house and the cow, etc. She seems to see their home as more of a tourist spot -- taking pictures, claiming souvenirs to take home with her (the butter churn top, the dasher, etc.). This is the way Dee sees the world, as full of things that are hers for the taking; no one ever really says "no" to her.

What happens in the second section of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"?

The second part of this story provides the expository, or background, information that we need to understand who Peyton Farquhar is and why he is being hanged. We learn of his background and beliefs, that he's a staunch secessionist (meaning that he wanted the southern states to leave the Union around the time of the Civil War) and that he is "ardently devoted to the Southern cause," i.e. willing to do whatever he can to...

The narrator tells a story about a Federal scout, dressed as a Confederate soldier, who stopped at Farquhar's plantation and visited with him and his wife. The soldier tells Farquhar that the Yankees are punishing anyone who interferes with railways or bridges severely, and such a fact conveys to Farquhar just how damaging an attack on these would be. The soldier further entices him to attempt such an attack with a description of all the wood that had been pushed up against the Owl Creek Bridge during a recent flood, and how quickly that wood would burn. We can now understand that this is the crime for which Farquhar is being hanged.

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/3) csc^3(dx)` Evaluate the integral

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/3)csc^3(x)dx`

Apply the integral substitution,

Let `u=tan(x/2)`

`=>du=1/2sec^2(x/2)dx`

using pythagorean identity: `1+tan^2(theta)=sec^2(theta)`

`du=1/2(1+tan^2(x/2))dx`

`du=1/2(1+u^2)dx`

`=>dx=(2/(1+u^2))du`

`csc(x)=1/sin(x)=1/(2sin(x/2)cos(x/2))`

`=(1/(cos^2(x/2)))/((2sin(x/2)cos(x/2))/(cos^2(x/2)))`

`=(sec^2(x/2))/(2tan(x/2))`

`=(1+tan^2(x/2))/(2tan(x/2))`

`=(1+u^2)/(2u)`

Now let's evaluate the indefinite integral,

`intcsc^3(x)dx=int((1+u^2)/(2u))^3(2/(1+u^2))du`

`=int(1+u^2)^2/(4u^3)du`

`=int(1+2u^2+u^4)/(4u^3)du`

`=1/4int(1/u^3+2/u+u)du`

`=1/4(int1/u^3du+2int1/udu+intudu)`

`=1/4((u^(-3+1)/(-3+1))+2ln|u|+u^2/2)`

`=1/4(-1/(2u^2)+2ln|u|+u^2/2)`

Substitute back `u=tan(x/2)`

`=1/4(-1/(2tan^2(x/2))+2ln|tan(x/2)|+1/2tan^2(x/2)`

`=1/4(1/2tan^2(x/2)-1/2cot^2(x/2)+2ln|tan(x/2)|)`

Add a constant C to the solution,

`=1/4(1/2tan^2(x/2)-1/2cot^2(x/2)+2ln|tan(x/2)|)+C`

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/3)csc^3(x)dx=[1/4(1/2tan^2(x/2)-1/2cot^2(x/2)+2ln|tan(x/2)|)]_(pi/6)^(pi/3)`

`=[1/4(1/2tan^2(pi/6)-1/2cot^2(pi/6)+2ln|tan(pi/6)|]-[1/4(1/2tan^2(pi/12)-1/2cot^2(pi/12)+2ln|tan(pi/12)|]`

`=[1/4(1/2(1/sqrt(3))^2-1/2(sqrt(3))^2+2ln(1/sqrt(3))]-[1/4(1/2(2-sqrt(3))^2-1/2(2+sqrt(3))^2+2ln(2-sqrt(3))]`

`=[1/4(1/6-3/2-ln3)]-[1/4(1/2(4-4sqrt(3)+3)-1/2(4+4sqrt(3)+3+2ln(2-sqrt(3)))]`

`=[-1/3-ln(3)/4]-[1/4(7/2-2sqrt(3)-7/2-2sqrt(3)+2ln(2-sqrt(3))]`

`=[-1/3-ln(3)/4]-[1/4(-4sqrt(3)+2ln(2-sqrt(3)))]`

`=[-1/3-ln(3)/4]-[1/4(-4sqrt(3)+ln(4+3-4sqrt(3)))]`

`=-1/3-ln(3)/4+sqrt(3)-ln(7-4sqrt(3))/4`

`=-1/3+sqrt(3)-ln(3)/4-ln(7-4sqrt(3))/4`

`=-1/3+sqrt(3)+1/4ln((7+4sqrt(3))/3)`

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/3)csc^3(x)dx`

Apply the integral substitution,

Let `u=tan(x/2)`

`=>du=1/2sec^2(x/2)dx`

using pythagorean identity: `1+tan^2(theta)=sec^2(theta)`

`du=1/2(1+tan^2(x/2))dx`

`du=1/2(1+u^2)dx`

`=>dx=(2/(1+u^2))du`

`csc(x)=1/sin(x)=1/(2sin(x/2)cos(x/2))`

`=(1/(cos^2(x/2)))/((2sin(x/2)cos(x/2))/(cos^2(x/2)))`

`=(sec^2(x/2))/(2tan(x/2))`

`=(1+tan^2(x/2))/(2tan(x/2))`

`=(1+u^2)/(2u)`

Now let's evaluate the indefinite integral,

`intcsc^3(x)dx=int((1+u^2)/(2u))^3(2/(1+u^2))du`

`=int(1+u^2)^2/(4u^3)du`

`=int(1+2u^2+u^4)/(4u^3)du`

`=1/4int(1/u^3+2/u+u)du`

`=1/4(int1/u^3du+2int1/udu+intudu)`

`=1/4((u^(-3+1)/(-3+1))+2ln|u|+u^2/2)`

`=1/4(-1/(2u^2)+2ln|u|+u^2/2)`

Substitute back `u=tan(x/2)`

`=1/4(-1/(2tan^2(x/2))+2ln|tan(x/2)|+1/2tan^2(x/2)`

`=1/4(1/2tan^2(x/2)-1/2cot^2(x/2)+2ln|tan(x/2)|)`

Add a constant C to the solution,

`=1/4(1/2tan^2(x/2)-1/2cot^2(x/2)+2ln|tan(x/2)|)+C`

`int_(pi/6)^(pi/3)csc^3(x)dx=[1/4(1/2tan^2(x/2)-1/2cot^2(x/2)+2ln|tan(x/2)|)]_(pi/6)^(pi/3)`

`=[1/4(1/2tan^2(pi/6)-1/2cot^2(pi/6)+2ln|tan(pi/6)|]-[1/4(1/2tan^2(pi/12)-1/2cot^2(pi/12)+2ln|tan(pi/12)|]`

`=[1/4(1/2(1/sqrt(3))^2-1/2(sqrt(3))^2+2ln(1/sqrt(3))]-[1/4(1/2(2-sqrt(3))^2-1/2(2+sqrt(3))^2+2ln(2-sqrt(3))]`

`=[1/4(1/6-3/2-ln3)]-[1/4(1/2(4-4sqrt(3)+3)-1/2(4+4sqrt(3)+3+2ln(2-sqrt(3)))]`

`=[-1/3-ln(3)/4]-[1/4(7/2-2sqrt(3)-7/2-2sqrt(3)+2ln(2-sqrt(3))]`

`=[-1/3-ln(3)/4]-[1/4(-4sqrt(3)+2ln(2-sqrt(3)))]`

`=[-1/3-ln(3)/4]-[1/4(-4sqrt(3)+ln(4+3-4sqrt(3)))]`

`=-1/3-ln(3)/4+sqrt(3)-ln(7-4sqrt(3))/4`

`=-1/3+sqrt(3)-ln(3)/4-ln(7-4sqrt(3))/4`

`=-1/3+sqrt(3)+1/4ln((7+4sqrt(3))/3)`

In The Crucible, why is Mary Warren considered an official of the court?

Readers find out that Mary Warren has been appointed to "an official of the court" in a conversation between John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth says,

"I forbid her go, and she raises up her chin like the daughter of a prince and lays to me, 'I must go to Salem, Goody Proctor; I am an official of the court!'"

This conversation escalates the plot significantly; it's where readers learn that a "proper court,"...

Readers find out that Mary Warren has been appointed to "an official of the court" in a conversation between John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth says,

"I forbid her go, and she raises up her chin like the daughter of a prince and lays to me, 'I must go to Salem, Goody Proctor; I am an official of the court!'"

This conversation escalates the plot significantly; it's where readers learn that a "proper court," with magistrates from Boston, is coming to Salem to investigate the allegations of witchcraft. Mary Warren herself illustrates the connection to Boston in an earlier conversation with Abigail, citing that there had been hangings in Boston of accused witches. She says,

"Abby, we've got to tell. Witchery's a hangin' error, a hangin' like they done in Boston two year ago!"

Mary Warren is emboldened by the title of court official. She goes from being an insignificant maid for the Proctors to being what she perceives as being an instrumental, necessary part of the court process. She basks in the power, telling the Proctors she is now allowed to come and go as she pleases and they can no longer give her orders.

It is likely, however, that the main reason the court appointed Mary Warren as an "official" was to gain information about her activities and those of her peers. Mary Warren, though, considers it a role that places her above even John and Elizabeth Proctor. She acts as a "mole" for the court, reporting back to them conversations and actions she has heard and seen.

Mary Warren's shift from maid to official signifies a shift in the plot, as it gives the court a direct eye into the Proctor household; this eye ultimately contributes to John Proctor's hanging.

The narrator of "The Love of a Good woman" says of Enid that "[s]he had never thought of nursing as just something to do until she got married. Her...

As my colleague rightly asserts, the extent of Enid's goodness is debatable. It would appear that Enid is "good" if the criteria for goodness is the personal inclination to adhere to the social conventions of one's environment. In the story, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Enid, by all accounts, is such a woman.

She promises her father, on his deathbed, that she will not work at a hospital. In her father's eyes,...

She promises her father, on his deathbed, that she will not work at a hospital. In her father's eyes, nursing makes a "woman coarse." Enid's mother later explains what her father likely meant by this. Accordingly, nursing allows a young woman to become more familiar with male patients than is considered socially acceptable. The exposure to nude or almost nude male bodies is considered anathema to a girl's chances of marrying respectably. Always independent in other matters, Enid surprises and irritates her mother by complying with her father's dying wish. One might say that the "deathbed promise, the self-denial, the wholesale sacrifice" makes Enid a "good" woman—but does it?

Or is Enid's pliant capitulation to her father's will an attempt at self-flagellation for other less feminine inclinations? For example, during the last stages of Mrs. Quinn's illness, Enid has vivid dreams about copulating with any number of "utterly forbidden and unthinkable partners. With fat squirmy babies or patients in bandages or her own mother." It is also worth noting that when Enid gave up her dream of being a registered nurse, she also gave up "the possibility of a decent job in a hospital in order to do miserable backbreaking work in miserable primitive houses for next to no money." So, the question begs to be asked: is Enid's outward compliance with accepted conventions a method of self-preservation or perhaps an effort at placating her inner demons?

Enid's eventual epiphany, that her mother had been complicit in hiding her father's adultery, is devastating to her. Her own mother had preserved the status quo and had lied to her about what Enid saw when she was four or five years old. Later, Enid contemplates the virtue of "silence" in the face of aberration or discrepancy:

Through her silence, her collaboration in a silence, what benefits could bloom. For others, and for herself. This was what most people knew. A simple thing that it had taken her so long to understand. This was how to keep the world habitable.

Basically, Enid comes to understand that the facade of "goodness" makes the world "habitable." In her case, this facade of "goodness" that she exhibits to the world may yet earn her the man she fancies, Rupert. However, the cost to her conscience may be considerable (as she contemplates a possible sexual union with a murderer). It does indeed betray her earlier teaching to Mrs. Quinn's children that people need to be held accountable "because of how bad they are going to feel in themselves. Even if nobody did see them and nobody ever knew. If you do something very bad and you are not punished you feel worse, you feel far worse than if you are."

So, Enid is a "good" woman to the extent that she observes the conventions of her environment. Beyond that, the idea of her goodness becomes a matter of great debate.

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

In Chapter 8, does Scout use any words that would be considered racist?

Yes. In Chapter 8, Maycomb experiences an unusually cold winter, and the county gets a light dusting of snow. Scout and Jem decide that they will try to build a snowman. Seeing that there is hardly enough snow to construct an entire snowman, Jem improvises and begins to mix mud and snow together. The children gather as much snow from Maudie's yard as they can, along with buckets of dirt, and construct an odd-looking snowman....

"Jem, I ain't ever heard of a nigger snowman" (Lee 89).

There are several instances throughout the novel when Scout uses the racial slur "nigger." Although Scout is unaware of the drastic weight the word "nigger" carries, she uses it to describe the dark- colored snowman. In 1930s Alabama, it was commonplace to refer to an African American as a "nigger." As the novel progresses, various people refer to Scout's father as a "nigger lover," and she finally asks Atticus what the term means. Atticus tells his daughter that "nigger lover" is a term that ignorant people use when they feel that someone is favoring Negroes. The term "nigger" is a racist term, and Scout uses it casually to describe the snowman she and Jem build in Chapter 8.

In the last 20 pages of "The Sieve and the Sand," what ideas and examples are there about belonging?

The last twenty pages of "The Sieve and the Sand" have scenes where Montag meets with Faber about books and reading, Montag speaks to his wife's friends, and Montag returns to the firehouse and Captain Beatty. Montag is on a search to find out where he belongs in such a corrupt and hedonist society. He wants to know if his purpose in life can be found in books. Within each of the afore-mentioned scenes, Montag seems to lack a sense of belonging.

When Montag meets with the old English professor, Faber, he complains there are too many distractions in life, including Seashells, televisions, fast cars, and drugs. Montag articulates his concerns to Faber as follows:

Nobody listens any more. I can't talk to the walls because they're yelling at me. I can't talk to my wife; she listens to the walls. I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it'll makes sense. And I want you to teach me to understand what I read (82).

Montag doesn't feel like he belongs in his own home with all of the distractions and a distracted wife. He thinks books may be the key, but Faber tells him books aren't the answer to his problem. Faber suggests that Montag can find a sense of belonging in nature, meditation, and old memories. He needs to find life where life exists, not necessarily in books. Faber continues by saying,

Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid we might forget. There is nothing magical in them at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us (82-83).

From what Faber says here, Montag should realize he doesn't necessarily belong with books because those are the memories and stories of other people. There is, however, still a lot to be gained by reading to gain wisdom from those who have passed on, which Faber understands. Faber also knows that without societal support for literacy, books won't be of any use to Montag because he'll be hunted down for studying them.

Montag and Faber come up with an idea to thwart the current system of justice by planting books in the homes of firemen. They also plan to start printing books illegally. Montag then goes home, but doesn't feel like he belongs there, either. When his wife's friends come over to watch television, he turns it off because he's annoyed with it and starts to talk to them about their families. He discovers that the women are callous and emotionally unattached to their husbands and families, which doesn't sit right with him. The women don't see anything wrong with their understanding of life because they are examples of the popular mindset of their society, which values independence and fun for everyone. This causes Montag not to feel like he belongs in society again because he believes people should care about their loved ones.

Montag returns to work with the idea that he will sabotage the firemen one by one. Where once he felt like he belonged to the brotherhood of firemen, he is now an official outcast, partly because Captain Beatty won't be quiet. He keeps taunting Montag about a dream he had that showed the two men verbally fighting with quotes from popular writers. Montag feels isolated as Beatty comes at him with phrase after phrase against the meaning, purpose, and benefit of books. "The Sieve and the Sand" ends with the firemen heading to a job to burn someone's house down. On the way, Montag thinks about how he doesn't feel like he belongs with the firemen anymore:

"I can't do it, he thought. How can I go at this new assignment, how can I go on burning things? I can't go in this place" (110).

Montag doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere. Also, he does not know at the end of "The Sieve and the Sand" that the firemen are heading to his house.

Monday, October 23, 2017

How do trees breathe and why ?

Trees are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms capable of producing glucose by the process of photosynthesis. However, they need to also carry out aerobic respiration in order to obtain energy from the glucose to use for metabolic processes including growth, repair and reproduction. That energy is in the form of adenosine triphosphate also known as ATP.

When we think of breathing in humans, we think of oxygen being inhaled and carbon dioxide and water vapor being exhaled...

When we think of breathing in humans, we think of oxygen being inhaled and carbon dioxide and water vapor being exhaled which is part of respiration.

The question states..why do trees breathe and the word respiration can be substituted here--why do trees carry out respiration?

Plants take in carbon dioxide through stomata (tiny pores) in the leaves, and absorb water through their root system. Light is absorbed by leaves and with these three reactants, photosynthesis can proceed. The products of this reaction are glucose, oxygen and water. Energy originally from the sun was transferred and then transformed into the chemical energy of glucose and glucose can then be used as a reactant during respiration to release ATP.

The oxygen and water vapor that plants "breathe out" are released as waste products to the environment through stomata in their leaves after photosynthesis. However, some of the oxygen can be used during aerobic cellular respiration so that plants can fully oxidize the glucose fuel to release its energy for the plant to use as 32-34 molecules of ATP.

To conclude, plants need to take in and release gases much like any organism that breathes. However, their adaptation to obtain or excrete gases is accomplished by their stomata. Roots hairs can also exchange gases with the environment of the plant.

What images shatter the depiction of Xanadu as peaceful and serene?

The first stanza offers us serene images of Xanadu with its "pleasure dome," "gardens bright" and "many an incense-bearing tree," but in stanza two the tone changes as we meet the violence of the river cascading over the chasm. Here, Coleridge uses turbulent images, calling the chasm "a savage place!" Violent imagery includes "a woman wailing," then the image of chasm expelling water with "fast thick pants." This panting creates "turmoil" and the water crashes on the rocks at the bottom of the chasm and is thrown up again like "rebounding hail" or grain rising up in a mist as it is hit with a "thresher's flail." The water is "flung up" by the rocks. The sound of the water is loud, like a "tumult," the narrator says twice, and like an "ancestral voice" predicting "war."

This stanza, with its many exclamation points and images of the wild, raging, dancing and loud warlike water crashing down, is a high point of the poem. The narrator returns to calmer images of the shadow of the pleasure doom reflected and seeming to float on the waves, but later, after the narrator weaves fanciful description of the abyssinian maid and her dulcimer, the narrator breaks the serenity again, crying "Beware! Beware!"

In the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, how is "friendship" presented?

Friendship is presented as being unexpected, gratifying, and helpful throughout the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Bruno and Shmuel first meet unexpectedly while Bruno is walking parallel to the concentration camp fence. The reader also does not expect German and Jewish boys living during WWII to become friends because of the deep seeded hatred amongst the two ethnicities. Both boys take pleasure in their friendship and Bruno soon forgets about how bad he hates his new house at Out-With. Shmuel is also delighted to talk with someone who listens and does not bully him. Bruno and Shmuel also mutually benefit from their friendship. Bruno is simply glad to have a friend, and Shmuel not only has someone to talk to, but Bruno also gives him food and helps Shmuel attempt to find his father.

Friendship is also presented as a positive force that can withstand and overcome social differences and traumatic environments. Despite Germany's nationalist views and their contempt for Jews, Bruno and Shmuel's friendship thrives. Their different ethnic backgrounds and situations do not impede their friendship. A friendship develops in a hopeless place and is depicted as an overwhelmingly positive force throughout the novel.

In the book Chains, there is always a quote that precedes each chapter. How does the quote that precedes Chapter 43 connect to the chapter?

The quote at the beginning of chapter 43 of Chains is this:

"That even in Failure cannot be more fatal than to remain in our present Situation in short some Enterprize must be undertaken in our present Circumstances or we must give up the Cause... our affairs are hastening fast to Ruin if we do not retrieve them by some happy Event. Delay with us is now equal to a total Defeat."
-Colonel Reed to Washington

Throughout the novel, Anderson has been comparing the United States' struggle for independence to the struggle of Isabel for freedom from slavery. This quote is no exception. Colonel Reed's argument to Washington in the quote is that the situation for the rebel army has become unbearable and, if they ever hope to gain victory, they must take action to change their current circumstances. Up until this chapter, Isabel has been waiting on other people (specifically the rebel army and Curzon) to take action that will hopefully lead to her freedom. In this chapter, though, she is put in a dangerous position: her owner, Madam Lockton knows that she is carrying notes for the rebel army and demands to see one in particular. She threatens Isabel and even threatens her sister, Ruth, who Isabel thought had been sold. This threat also provides a glimmer of hope: Isabel sees that she could escape and save her family after all, but only if she acts right away. Like Colonel Reed, she knows that immediate action is necessary to survive and that present conditions are unbearable.

In Ray Bradbury's short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains," what happened to the dog?

Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains,” is the quintessential post-apocalyptic short story. Over the course of a day, a computerized house tends to its duties, unaware that its family, along with the rest of civilization, have been destroyed in a nuclear war. To understand what happens to the family dog, Bradbury uses both foreshadowing and descriptive writing to reveal the dog’s fate.

The dog is the last surviving member of the McClellan family. “The...

The dog is the last surviving member of the McClellan family. “The dog,” Bradbury writes, “once huge and fleshy, but now gone to bone and covered with sores…” When the reader meets the dog, it is both starved and suffering from radiation sickness. Bradbury uses foreshadowing at this moment by describing how electronic mice follow behind the dog, cleaning up every muddy paw print the dog leaves. Their mission, along with the house’s, is to keep anything offending from entering the home.

“The dog frothed at the mouth,” Bradbury writes, describing the dog’s frantic reaction to the smell of cooking pancakes. Yet the house does not provide the dog any food. Then, in a quick succession of sentences, Bradbury uses descriptive writing to indirectly tell the reader what happens to the dog. “It lay in the parlor for an hour,” Bradbury continues, describing the moments just after the dog’s run through the house. The house, “sensing decay at last,” sends its army of mice to ‘clean up’ the dead dog. The dog’s final resting place? “In the cellar, the incinerator glowed suddenly and a whirl of sparks leaped up the chimney.” The house cremates the dog's carcass.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

What is the "man's knife" Julie uses in the book Julie Of The Wolves? I think it is called a uno, but I'm not sure....

Actually, Julie does not use what you refer to as an "uno," but she uses a "woman's knife" that is specifically referred to as a "ulo." This ulo is one of the items Julie makes sure to take from her marital home when she leaves Daniel (her mentally ill husband) after he attempts to rape her. (Julie also takes warm clothes and some matches.)

Julie's ulo is an absolute necessity in that it can...

Julie's ulo is an absolute necessity in that it can be used in numerous ways, most specifically as a hunting knife as well as a cooking knife. Although the use is often only implied, the reader sees Julie using her ulo many times in order to cut caribou meat to dry, to cut a hide from an animal, or even to cut small bits in order to feed her bird friend, a baby golden plover that Julie names "Tornait."

Julie also uses her ulo in order to memorialize the wolf, Amaroq, after he is killed. Previously, Julie shows her devotion to Amaroq by caving his beautiful wolf image into a piece of bone with her ulo. She keeps this memento with her at all times. It becomes increasingly important after Amaroq's death by hunters. Julie kneels over Amaroq's dead body and sings in her native Eskimo language. While holding the piece of bone with Amaroq's image carved into it, Julie turns this piece into a totem that carries Amaroq's spirit. Now Amraroq can be with Julie always.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

When Romeo and Juliet meet, how do they find out their families are enemies?

Romeo and Juliet meet in Act I, Scene 5. They initially have no idea who they are interacting with as they fall in love in a matter of minutes. It has often been referred to as "love at first sight." Impressively, Shakespeare employs a sonnet (a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme) to portray their initial discussion as Romeo claims he is like a pilgrim worshipping at a religious altar when he holds Juliet's hand and then kisses her lips. Their private words are interrupted by the Nurse who tells Juliet her mother wishes to speak with her. While Juliet is away, Romeo inquires of the Nurse as to Juliet's identity. The Nurse tells him,

Marry, bachelor,
Her mother is the lady of the house,
And a good lady, and a wise and virtuous.
I nursed her daughter that you talked withal.
I tell you, he that can lay hold of her
Shall have the chinks.

Romeo realizes that Juliet is a Capulet, the age old rival of his family. He quickly retreats from the party under urging from Benvolio. He returns, of course, to find Juliet on her balcony in the next Act. He never seems to actually contemplate the consequences of his love for Juliet in the rush of events which will lead to their marriage.

While Romeo is leaving, Juliet points him out to the Nurse who tells her that he is a Montague. She responds by admitting her love for him but also her despondency that he should be an enemy to her family:

My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me
That I must love a loathèd enemy.

What are the major characteristics of the settings of the play A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Since this is a play, we are not given too many details about the setting. However, we can make some inferences based on the action of the play.

Quince’s house is in the village. Because it is in the village, the craftsmen want to go into the woods to practice their play. They do not want anyone watching them. They want the play to be a secret, and also might fear ridicule since they are...

Since this is a play, we are not given too many details about the setting. However, we can make some inferences based on the action of the play.

BOTTOM

We will meet; and there we may rehearse most
obscenely and courageously. Take pains; be perfect: adieu.

QUINCE

At the duke's oak we meet. (Act 1, Scene 2)

The woods are very interesting. They are the home of the fairies. We know that the woods are near Athens. Also, the woods are going through a sort of artificial winter due to the argument between Titania and Oberon.

Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,
As in revenge, have suck'd up from the sea
Contagious fogs; which falling in the land
Have every pelting river made so proud
That they have overborne their continents:
The ox hath therefore stretch'd his yoke in vain,
The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn
Hath rotted ere his youth attain'd a beard … (Act 2, Scene 1)

The woods are also where Titania has her lair. She is surrounded by little fairy handmaidens who are invisible to humans. There are many mentions of flowers and other plants you would find in the woods. Once Titania and Oberon make up, the woods are green again and back to normal.

The craftsmen choose a spot to practice because it is green, as there is a patch of grass they can use as their stage.

Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place
for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our
stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we
will do it in action as we will do it before the duke. (Act 3, Scene 1)

Unfortunately, this place is too close to Titania, and Puck has some fun with them. He changes Bottom’s head into a donkey's head and frightens the rest of the craftsmen. Then Bottom wanders toward Titania and Puck anoints her with the secret potion so that she will fall in love with him.

We do not have much detail about Theseus’s palace, except that it is described as a palace. This is where everyone meets at the end for the wedding and the production of the play-within-a-play. All of the lovers end up properly matched, and the fairies bless the palace.

In The Great Gatsby, what do George Wilson and Tom Buchanan learn about their respective wives and how does each man react?

Both George Wilson and Tom Buchanan learn of their respective wives' infidelity, and they react in opposite ways.

Tom is large, athletic, wealthy, and confident to the point of being a bully. Wilson is "spiritless. . . anaemic," poor, and blond with light blue eyes, which in literature is sometimes associated with being weak, sensitive, and/ or bland.

We first see the interplay of the two men's personalities in Chapter 2. Tom and Nick...

Both George Wilson and Tom Buchanan learn of their respective wives' infidelity, and they react in opposite ways.

We first see the interplay of the two men's personalities in Chapter 2. Tom and Nick stop at Wilson's garage-cum-used car shop. After receiving a hearty slap on the shoulder from Tom, Wilson asks him,

"When are you going to sell me that car?"

"Next week; I've got my man working on it now."

"Works pretty slow, doesn't he?"

"No, he doesn't," said Tom coldly. "And if you feel that way about it, maybe I'd better sell it somewhere else after all."

"I don't mean that," explained Wilson quickly.

This tells us everything we need to know about these men's relationship. Tom knows Wilson needs the car, and insists on taking his sweet time just to show he can. Wilson has to put up with Tom's condescension because getting that car is critical to his financial survival.

Their relationships with their wives are also different. Tom treats his wife Daisy badly, but she stays with him, largely for financial security. Wilson is henpecked. Because Wilson lacks money, his wife doesn't respect him.

Both men learn, apparently on the same day, that their wives are having affairs.

Tom, who we would expect to react with rage and perhaps violence, is, after his initial shock and anger, unruffled. He is sure he is a better man than Gatsby, his wife's lover, so he simply sets out to prove to Daisy that Gatsby is a fake, and is confident Daisy will never leave him.

George Wilson, who seemed incapable of standing up to his wife, reacts to the news that she has a lover swiftly and decisively. He decides to move her out West. When she puts up a fuss about this, he locks her in her room. After an even worse turn of events, he plans violence against her lover.

Arguably, the men's reactions show Wilson loves his wife—however inconvenient that love may be—while Tom does not love his wife. Tom just needs Daisy for certain things in his life, and he knows she needs him in the same way.

How can I understand George Orwell's novel Animal Farm?

To understand Animal Farm, it is helpful to look at the social and political context of the novel. Orwell wrote the novel as a satire of the Russian Revolution of 1917 when the Bolsheviks rose to power. You will notice that many of the characters in Animal Farm resemble the key figures from this period. Napoleon, for instance, represents the dictator, Joseph Stalin, who famously exiled Leon Trotsky from Russia, who is depicted in the story as Snowball. This exile is very similar to Napoleon and Snowball's arguments over the windmill in Chapter Five. You can find out more about the context and its significance in the first reference link provided.

Secondly, you can improve your understanding by looking at the story's key themes. Consider, for example, the corrupting influence of power on Napoleon. You can also look at the role of religion in the story, as shown by Moses, the raven, and his tales of Sugarcandy Mountain. Using the descriptions of Sugarcandy Mountain, think about why it is so special to the animals and consider how Moses's stories act as a distraction from everyday life on the farm. You can find more themes in the second reference link provided.

How does Poe use writing strategies such as literary elements, techniques, or rhetorical devices to develop the central idea of "The Cask of...

One writing strategy which Poe uses to develop the central theme of justified revenge is that of imagery. The entire story is peppered with images and motifs which cast Montresor as a wronged avenger, and Fortunato as a simpering, dim-witted fool who is deserving of death. That these elements are so intricately and plentifully woven into the story is testament to Poe's genius. A particularly striking example is that of Montresor's coat of arms, in which a foot is depicted as having crushed a serpent. The serpent, however, has already dug its fangs into the skin of the foot. The coat's accompanying motto, written in Latin, is translated as "No one attacks me with impunity." The message is clear: Montresor envisions himself as a wily serpent who attacks, and poisons, the one who has oppressed him.

Further examples of imagery include Fortunato's costume, which is that of a clown or jester. Its bright colors and clanging bells contrast sharply with the stark and brooding figure of Montresor. Again, Montresor is the avenging angel, and Fortunato is the foolish foot. The entire setting of the story - a dark, decaying catacomb - also functions as imagery, in that Montresor leads the unwitting Fortunato to a terrfying and tomb-like place, where Fortunato will be (literally) buried. Silly Fortunato is drawn into a symbolic and actual tomb by the cunning Montresor, as punishment for his many sins.

While imagery is a crucial part of Poe's depiction of a justified revenge, one can argue that perspective is just as powerful, if not more so. Indeed, it is Poe's use of perspective - that is, his authorial choice to tell the story from Montresor's viewpoint - which creates and nurtures a sense of righteousness in vengeance. Because Montresor is our sole narrator, we know only what he hells us; we must believe him when he proclaims that Fortunato has insulted and debased him, and that he deserves to die. For all we know, Montresor is lying, and Fortunato is totally innocent. We can only imagine what the story would be like if Fortunato were to narrate.

Montresor believes that his revenge is justified; therefore, within the context of his story, narrated by him, it is so. Also, his narration allows for expressions of his hatred to roam freely throughout the story. He constantly mocks Fortunato, claiming that he will not die of a cough, and ends the story with an acerbic, sociopathic jab ("In pace requiescat! [May he rest in peace!]"). Montresor is keen to let us, his audience, feel his righteous anger, and his pleasure in finally having punished Fortunato. These remarks, alongside perspective and imagery, help create the justified revenge of "The Cast of Amontillado."

Friday, October 20, 2017

In Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, why does Anne Frank consider herself a bundle of contradictions?

Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday and starts writing in it before her family is forced to hide in what becomes known as the Annex. In Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne expects that her diary entries will be of little interest to anyone later as they are just "the musings" (Saturday June 20, 1942) of a child. She also admits that she struggles with some of her personal relationships and so her diary is a great comfort to her, especially as "paper has more patience than people." Anne treats her diary as the best friend she has never had, even calling this imaginary friend, her diary, "Kitty." Unfortunately, Anne will never know the impact that her diary will have on the rest of the world.

Towards the end of the family's stay in the Annex, anyone reading Anne's diary is able to recognize her emerging self- awareness. She is conflicted about her relationships, even the one with her father, with whom she has a special bond, and it comes as no surprise to the reader when she mentions that "no one understands me," but at the same time admits that it is quite typical of her to say so and that this "phrase is part of me" (Tuesday 13 June 1944).

Anne is becoming increasingly excited at the prospect of leaving the Annex and returning to school as the Allies are expected to announce victory over the Germans any day. In her excitement, she cannot really focus in her discussions with her diary, revealing her inner conflict and desperate desire to be a good person (on the inside and the outside). In her diary entry of Friday July 21, 1944, Anne writes of her optimism but also that she does not want to anticipate victory over the Germans, and then almost immediately she writes of that very anticipated victory, telling her diary that "they don't call me a bundle of contradictions for nothing." Anne knows that she confuses people who never see the Anne she would like them to see, which is why she agrees with such a description of herself.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Regarding Brave New World, what does the following question mean: "Have we become a trivial culture preoccupied with entertainment?"

That quote most definitely applies to Brave New World; however, the quote could be applied to other future, dystopian novels as well.

In Brave New World, the society has been designed around hedonistic tendencies. Everybody is encouraged to always do what feels good and do it immediately. That is why everybody seems to be rampantly promiscuous in their sexual habits. Huxley writes, “Every one belongs to every one else.”

Orgies are common and...

That quote most definitely applies to Brave New World; however, the quote could be applied to other future, dystopian novels as well.

Orgies are common and basically mandated. The idea of a relationship with emotional attachments is completely foreign. Bernard even tries to explain his desire for more than just a physical relationship with Lenina, and she just cannot understand it.

Part of the reason that Lenina and other characters can’t understand the purpose for doing anything other than seeking out fun is because the entire society has been bred, conditioned, and brainwashed to pursue pleasure at all costs. Through the process of “hypnopaedia” and “sleep-teaching” people in Brave New World are conditioned to seek pleasure and work for the good of the community. If those two conditioning devices aren’t enough, a person can always get high on “soma” in order to reduce inhibitions. Mustapha tells readers it is "euphoric, narcotic, pleasantly hallucinant.” The drug ensures that people are always distracted from seeing that anything is wrong with the state of the world. The people are essentially amusing themselves to death on a day-to-day basis. Outside of work, to ensure a stable economy, the people are encouraged to have fun by spending money. That’s all life is to people in the book. It’s one big pursuit of trivial pleasures. Take the promiscuity of the people as an example. Sex is no longer something to be shared between two people in love. It’s been reduced to a trivial activity that carries no meaning at all. Presumably, the people will live this kind of life until they die. They are essentially a population of people that have become preoccupied with amusing themselves to death through trivial pursuits. A society that only participates in the trivial has let itself become an entirely trivial society as a consequence. There is no purpose, direction, or meaning to existence.

Bradbury briefly explores this same concept through the character of Mildred Montag in Fahrenheit 451. She’s obsessed with watching the book’s version of television. She is more interested in the fictional families and events that she sees on television than she is in real life. When she is not watching those shows, she takes drugs to help her sleep and avoid spending too much conscious time in the real world. In fact, without Montag calling in medical help, Mildred would have overdosed and died early in the book. She really was amusing herself to death with trivial pursuits. That is one big reason Montag no longer felt much of an emotional attachment to her.

What does the use of personification in the first stanza of Audre Lorde's “Hanging Fire” reveal about the speaker?

When the poet says, “my skin has betrayed me,” she is attributing human characteristic to her skin—as if her skin had its own brain, and for some reason it had decided to betray her.

Audre Lorde was a black Caribbean-American writer known for her concerns over the marginalization of black women and the injustices of racism and sexism.

When Lorde mentions the word “skin”, it seems natural to suppose the girl must have experienced different...

When the poet says, “my skin has betrayed me,” she is attributing human characteristic to her skin—as if her skin had its own brain, and for some reason it had decided to betray her.

Audre Lorde was a black Caribbean-American writer known for her concerns over the marginalization of black women and the injustices of racism and sexism.

When Lorde mentions the word “skin”, it seems natural to suppose the girl must have experienced different behavior because of the color of her skin. In subsequent lines, we hear the girl say disappointedly that a boy was chosen over her "on Math Team" despite her better performance. She says,

“I should have been on Math Team
my marks were better than his"

So we see that the girl is merely fourteen years old, yet she is able to feel the evil influence of racism on her life. She is learning that the society is biased towards people of color, and that she, too, is a person of color. Therefore, she says, "...my skin has betrayed me."

Why is Robert Neville forced to stay near his home on cloudy days?

In Chapter One, we are told that Robert Neville is forced to stay near his home on cloudy days because he can never accurately calculate the approach of nightfall on those days. Although we are not told at this point in the chapter why it is so important for Robert to ascertain the exact time of nightfall, the chapter provides us with some clues as we read.

First of all, we learn that Robert has...

First of all, we learn that Robert has to barricade all his windows with secured planks; during daylight hours, he has to replace the older garlands of garlic at his windows with fresh ones. In the chapter, we are told that 'garlic always worked' and that Robert grows mainly garlic in his hothouse, which also has to be reinforced by planks. Later, Robert lathes thick doweling into nine-inch sticks in order to form stakes or crucifixes. We are told that, as soon as the light is gone from the day, the 'filthy bastards' will be at the house again. At this point, all the signs point to a town ruled by vampires at night.

Robert stays safe by barricading himself in his house during the night hours; this is why it is so important for Robert to watch the sky diligently as he works outside. However, on cloudy days, it is difficult to rely exclusively on the sky for confirmation of nightfall. On those days, Robert has to stay close to the house so that he is not without shelter when night approaches.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

On Earth, an astronaut and his space suit weigh 1960 N. While working outside of the international space station weightless in space, the...

Hello!

As I understand, the rocket backpack provides a constant force of `100 N.` During its work it throws away some mass, therefore the mass of the astronaut with his equipment changes. We don't know how it changes, but I suppose that this change is small (negligible).

The mass `m` of an astronaut with his space suit is his weight on Earth divided by Earth's gravitational acceleration `g=9.8 m/s^2.` His mass is `200 kg.` The mass...

Hello!

The mass `m` of an astronaut with his space suit is his weight on Earth divided by Earth's gravitational acceleration `g=9.8 m/s^2.` His mass is `200 kg.` The mass remains the same in space, while weight may change even on Earth (during a free fall, for example).

By Newton's second law, the astronaut gets a constant acceleration of `a=F/m=100/200=0.5(m/s^2),` where `F` is a force. Therefore his velocity is `V(t)=at` and his displacement is `d(t)=(a t^2)/2` (because the initial speed is zero).

Thus, after `3` seconds the velocity will be `0.5*3=1.5 (m/s)` and the distance will be `(0.5*9)/2=2.25 (m).`

In Act III, Scene I, Banquo says: "May they not be my oracles as well/ And set me up in hope?" Does he think the witches' prophecies could be about...

Banquo was skeptical at first. Unlike Macbeth, he was not impressed by the three witches when he and Macbeth encountered them in Act I, Scene 3. He told the witches:

If you can look into the seeds of time
And say which grain will grow and which will not,
Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear
Your favors nor your hate.

The Third Witch promises him:

Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.

In the same scene Banquo tells Macbeth:

But ’tis strange;
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence...

However, by Act III, Scene 1, Banquo is beginning to believe in the prophetic powers of the three witches. In the soliloquy that opens Scene 1, he says to himself:

Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women promised, and I fear
Thou play'dst most foully for't: yet it was said
It should not stand in thy posterity,
But that myself should be the root and father
Of many kings. If there come truth from them—
As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine—
Why, by the verities on thee made good,
May they not be my oracles as well
And set me up in hope? But hush, no more.

It is significant that he ends his soliloquy abruptly with, "But hush, no more." He knows it is dangerous to be thinking about the prospect of having his own offspring succeed Macbeth rather than Macbeth's children and grandchildren. If Macbeth thought Banquo was taking the witches seriously, then Banquo's life would be in extreme peril, for at least two reasons. One is that Macbeth would start to fear that Banquo might assassinate him in order to help make the witches' prophecy come true--just as Macbeth acted himself when he assassinated Duncan. If Macbeth was afraid of being killed by Banquo, then Macbeth might have Banquo killed to forestall him.

The other reason Banquo's life might be in danger would be that Macbeth might try to forestall the witches prophecy by having Banquo and his son Fleance killed. Banquo does not want to do or say anything to suggest that he takes the prophecy seriously because he is hoping Macbeth will not take the witches seriously either. After all, Macbeth was already Thane of Glamis and had been appointed Thane of Cawdor before they even met the witches. The only thing the witches were really predicting was that Macbeth would become king. And both Banquo and Macbeth know that this came about, not through supernatural intervention, but by Macbeth's treachery.

The big difference in the reactions of Macbeth and Banquo to the witches prophecies in Act I, Scene 3, is due to the fact that Macbeth had been giving a lot of thought to assassinating King Duncan. The witches seemed to be reading his mind and encouraging him to go ahead with what he was already planning and discussing with his wife. Banquo had no such thoughts, and in fact it probably never would have occurred to him that there was any possibility of his heirs becoming kings. Macbeth believes because he was prepared to believe. If Banquo had lived, he might have started thinking about expediting the fulfillment of the witches' prophecy by assassinating King Macbeth.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

What is Victor's reaction when he awakens and sees his creature standing before him in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein?

When Victor awakens and finds his creation standing over him, he is horrified and flees his room.

In Chapter 5, Victor Frankenstein continues to relate his history to Walton. Although he assembled human parts that were once beautiful, Victor says that somehow he has created "a wretch," whose skin is yellow and drawn tightly over his skull. Somehow the lustrous black hair and pearly white teeth endowed him only serve to cause the flawed skin and watery eyes to become even more pronounced. Then, too, the lips have strangely turned black. Unable to endure the sight of what he brought to life, Victor tells Walton that he fled the room:

Oh! no mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch.

After walking the streets for hours in fear, eventually Victor is overcome with exhaustion, so he returns to his apartment. Flinging himself upon the bed, he seeks some respite from his mental torture; at last, he falls asleep only to dream of Elizabeth, whom he embraces as she comes to him. But, when he kisses her in his dream, Elizabeth lips lose their color, and it seems as though he holds his mother's dead body, instead. Victor abruptly awakens, shaking from the fright of his dream. Then, by the dim yellow light of the moon, he perceives "the miserable monster" he has created squeezing himself through the window, and coming toward him. He holds up the curtain of the bed, and stands over Victor with his eyes fixed upon him. Victor is horrified,

His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks....one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped, and rushed downstairs.

Once again, Victor attempts to flee from his creation and not take any responsibility for it.

How can I compare and contrast To The Lighthouse and Animal Farm?

To the Lighthouse was written by Virginia Woolf, a British author, after World War I. It was published in 1927. Animal Farm was also written by a British author (George Orwell) and published in 1945, at the close of the Second World War.

Stylistically, the novels are quite different. Animal Farmis an allegory, which uses farmhouse scenery to make a critique of the politics of the Soviet Union. Its characters and plot are mostly...

Stylistically, the novels are quite different. Animal Farm is an allegory, which uses farmhouse scenery to make a critique of the politics of the Soviet Union. Its characters and plot are mostly important for their symbolic purpose--that is, for the way in which they recall actual people and political events in post-revolutionary Russia.

To the Lighthouse, conversely, is a modernist novel, and as such its treatment of characters is extremely different. Rather than using characters to "stand in" for world political figures, it uses characterization, particularly through devices like internal monologue and "stream of consciousness" writing, to explore dimensions and elements of subjectivity, consciousness, and perception--that is, universal qualities of the human experience.

To the Lighthouse, however, shares Animal Farm's concern about national politics and violence: though Animal Farm is much more overtly political, To the Lighthouse also records the death of two of its protagonists in the Second World War, and leaves the others to mourn their loss after the war is over. The novel is an oblique, rather than overt, critique of the national political power structures that create and perpetrate violence.

What motivates Waverly to "jerk her hand" away and run from her mother into the alleys, rather than staying with her?

This happens toward the end of the story, on a Saturday when Waverly isn’t off at a chess competition and is stuck having to walk through the public market with her mother.

Waverly feels embarrassed because her mom keeps introducing her to strangers. Keep in mind that Waverly has recently become somewhat famous as a chess prodigy, and Waverly’s mom is bursting with pride over this. But her proud behavior is really embarrassing and frustrating to Waverly, who wants to keep her successes to herself and not be like an object that her mother shows off to others.

When Waverly voices these frustrations, her mom tightens her grip on Waverly’s hand and asks if Waverly is ashamed to be her daughter—and in a huff of frustration, Waverly tears her hand away, runs away from her mother, causes a kerfuffle as she accidentally bumps into an old woman and knocks down her groceries, then disappears.

Of course, Waverly eventually realizes that her action of running off is rather pointless, and she shows up at home later, ashamed.

This question is a good one to ponder because we can interpret Waverly's yanking away from her mother as a symbolic gesture. She wants to separate herself from her mother's influence and her mother's way of thinking, and she's willing to risk offending her mother in order to accomplish this separation.

One way we know that this particular action is important in the story thematically is that it's foreshadowed earlier. In the first paragraph of the story, Waverly tries to yank her mother's hand toward a store that sells bags of salted plums, something she wants. But her mother steers Waverly away from the store and instructs her not to do that. We can see this earlier hand-yanking as Waverly's first, weaker attempt to assert herself in her relationship with her mother. Of course, when Waverly yanks her hand away and runs into the alley toward the end of the story, she's making a much stronger, more assertive break from her mother's control.

Monday, October 16, 2017

How would you describe Lord and Lady Macbeth's relationship? What do they have in common?

The doomed Lord and Lady Macbeth are not only partners in matrimony but partners in crime as well. The couple share the same desire, which is to achieve the highest honor in Scotland and become King and Queen. However, it becomes apparent early in the play, that there is somewhat of a reticence in Lord Macbeth to achieve his ideal by the shortest way, which means that he has to commit an unholy deed in order to achieve what he desires. Lady Macbeth, though, comes across as much more ruthless than her husband as is made clear in her musings after she had received a letter from him stating his success in having been awarded the new title, thane of Cawdor:

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be
What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'ldst have, great Glamis,
That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it;
And that which rather thou dost fear to do
Than wishest should be undone.' Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crown'd withal.

She is afraid that Macbeth is too kind to do anything malicious to achieve his ambition. She implies that he is caught between desire and morality. Although he wants to be king, he does not possess the malice to do something illegal and would rather take the morally just route. Her ruthless ambition is indicated by her need to have him rush home so that she can, with words of courage, inspire him to do everything that is necessary for him to become king, for that is what fate and the witches have promised.

In this sense, therefore, Lady Macbeth is her husband's spur. She is the one who awakens in him the malice that is required to achieve the crown in the quickest way possible. The only way to do this would be to kill Duncan and of course, his sons, for they are nearest in blood to him. Added to that, the king has already named his son, Malcolm, heir to the throne by naming him Prince of Cumberland. Since Macbeth is next in line after Malcolm and Donalbain, he would have to get rid of them as well.

Lady Macbeth has prepared herself for committing the foulest of deeds, the betrayal of her king through assassination. King Duncan would be visiting their castle and she sees it as an ideal opportunity for her and her husband to perform their mischief. She has called on the spirits of darkness to envelop her in evil so that she can commit this malice.

...Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry 'Hold, hold!'

When Macbeth arrives home, she is ready for him and almost immediately starts urging him on. She tells him to present a visage of friendship and conviviality so that there is no suspicion on him. She tells him that Duncan 'must be provided for' - a clear suggestion that he has to be killed.

Lady Macbeth is later very critical of her husband when he expresses doubt about continuing with their plot. She questions his courage and consistently mocks him and nags him. She lays down terms and tells her husband that she would measure his love by what he proceeds to do thereafter. Macbeth is in a quandary but he later accedes to his wife's insistent demands after she guarantees that their plot will not fail.

Lady Macbeth provides Duncan's guards with a sleeping potion and Macbeth murders him in his bed. His wife arranges the evidence in such a way that the guards would be implicated in the king's murder. When the murder is discovered, Macbeth slaughters the sleeping guards, apparently out of loyalty and grief at his golden liege's untimely and vile murder. When Malcolm and Donalbain hear the tragic news they flee, fearing for their lives. This makes it easier for Macbeth to claim the throne since their escape makes the two heirs suspects and they cannot, therefore, be considered.

And so begins Macbeth's murderous reign. Lady Macbeth continues to support him and criticizes him when he imagines seeing Banquo's ghost after he has had him murdered. When he turns pale and starts jabbering at the ghost during a banquet, Lady Macbeth comes to his defense, saying that his condition is caused by a childhood illness that he is afflicted with from time to time. She scolds her husband for showing such foolish weakness.

It is clearly his wife's support that encourages Macbeth. He becomes paranoid about his safety and sends assassins through the country to execute whoever he deems a risk. His tyranny envelops Scotland like a disease and causes much pain and suffering. His malice knows no bounds for he even has Macduff's entire family wiped out.

Ultimately, Macbeth is haunted by images and dreams of his brutality and he cannot sleep. Lady Macbeth, likewise, suffers. She later loses her sanity and eventually commits suicide. Macbeth is later killed by Macduff, bringing an end to his reign of terror.