What is a pentagon? Explain the measure of angle?

A pentagon is a plane geometrical figure bounded by 5 straight lines . It has, therefore, five sides, five vertices , five angles and 5 diagonals.

Measure of angle:

Angle is a measure of mutual inclination of two rays.Let OA and OB be two rays. Then the angle between the rays is  angle AOB. If you take the compass with centre as O and with radius r cut both OA and OB at A' and B', then OA' = OB' =r.

Then angle AOB = (arc lenth A'B' of the circle with radius r)/r is the measure of the angle in radians. You can convert this  into degrees by multiplying by 180/pi, where pi is the constant fraction = circumference/diameter of a circle and is approximately 3.1416 . An angle can measure from 0 to 2pi radians  or from o degrees to 360 degrees. When two rays meet actually there are two angles. But we normally take lesser of the two. The anticlock wise measurement  is taken positive measure of angle and the clockwise negative in direction oriented situations.

Measure of pentagon angles:

Take any point  O inside the boundary of  the pentagon  ABCDE with vertices A,B,C,D and E. Join OA, OB,OC, OD and AE. Now  ABO is a triangle. Like that each of the sides makes 5 triangles with O. Therefore ,the sum of all the angles of  5 triangles = 5*180 = 900 degrees. If you subtract 360 degree arround O you get the sum of the 5 angles at the vertices of the petagon = 900-360 = 540 degrees or 6 right angles.

So,  the sum of the angles of the pentagon  at the vertices=angles A+B+C+D+E = 540 degree= 6 right angles (by this proof).

If all  the 5 sides  of a pentagon are equal and all the angles are equal it is called a regular pentagon, otherwise it is an irregular pentgon.

In a regular pentagon the angle at each vertices = 540/5 =108 degrees.

What is the narrator's attitude towards the subject matter of "The Miller's Tale" in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales?

Although I am a bit confused as to what you mean by "the narrator," I am going to assume you mean "the host" of The Canterbury Tales (who travels along beside the pilgrims and urges them to tell their tales).  Usually, the Host is more than glad to hear a new tale spun for them; however, this is not so in the case of the Miller.  In fact, the reader finds out within the "Words between the Host and the Miller" that our dear Host tries to stop the Miller:

Our Host perceived at once that he was drunk / And said, "Now hold on, Robin, dear old brother; / We'll get some better man to tell another; / You wait a bit.  Let's have some common sense." (Chaucer 103)

Here we learn the Host's main attitude toward the Miller:  one of annoyance.  We also learn of the Miller's reputation as a drunkard and teller of bawdy and lewd stories.  The irony here is that we find out the Host's attitude before the story is told.  The Host, it seems, knows the Miller well.

What can I add?  The Miller had begun. / He would not hold his peace for anyone, / But told his churl's tale his own way, I fear. / And I regret I must repeat it here, / And so I beg of all who are refined / For God's love not to think me ill-inclined / Or evil in my purpose. I rehearse / Their tales as told for better or for worse.  (104)

Here we add another attitude of the Host to the Miller's subject matter:  the attitude of regret.  My guess is that our Host much prefers the exemplum of the Pardoner than the drunken spout of the Miller.  He is generally a gentle Host and approves grandly when his followers learn something from these stories he has requested.  The reader sees, then, why the attitude of regret can be found here.  For thus follows the most raucous fabliaux of English literature, and one that my students all can't help but love.

In "Pygmalion", what was the underlying cause of Eliza's anger with Higgins in act 4?In Act 4 of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, what is the...

Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering spend the evening after the party in self-congratulatory celebration, ignoring Eliza and her contribution to the success of the deception. Eliza, understandably is infuriated by Higgins' conceit, but the final straw was his condescending dismissal, telling her to "go to bed like a good girl and sleep it off."

Eliza understands that her entire life (and livelihood) is forever altered by her transformation, but Higgins appears both unobservant and unconcerned. His telling Eliza to just marry well is an insult to Eliza's integrity, and she lets him know that as a scientist he may have succeeded, but as a human he failed miserably.

What is Edgar Allan Poe's style of writing in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

Poe uses a first person narrator, Montresor, who is speaking to an unknown audience. Also, it is never revealed why Montresor seeks revenge, which builds suspense throughout the story. Montresor speaks in a calm, confident voice. He tells the story with no explanation and little emotion. He never suggests feeling guilty for his actions, and seems detached from all proceedings. He is clearly an unreliable narrator, but we are left with only his account of what happened. There is no outside interpretation or judgment.

‘‘The Cask of Amontillado’’ also contains many elements of Gothicism. Some examples are the archway that leads to the ‘‘long and winding staircase’’ down to the catacombs, the damp and dark passageway hanging with moss and dripping moisture, the piles of bones, the flaming torches that flicker and fade, and the clanking chains. The overall atmosphere of mystery and horror also reflect Gothic influences.

Describe the setting of the story, "The Nightingale and The Rose," by Oscar Wilde.

Wilde's story has three settings: the student's garden, the doorway of his professor's house, and the student's room. Almost all of the story occurs in the garden, a place of quiet beauty. In the sunny garden are groves of trees, individual trees that play roles in the story, and a sundial. Also present are flowers, butterflies, and a small green lizard. Part of the story takes place at night, and the moon becomes part of the setting.

In the conclusion of the story, the student runs to see the girl he loves at her father's (his professor's) house. He finds her sitting in the doorway, her little dog at her feet. The only physical description of this setting is a reference to a gutter. The story ends in the student's room, which is not described, where he reads from "a great dusty book."

In The Odyssey, translated by W.H.D. Rouse, whom does Helen of Troy blame for leaving Menelaus for Paris?

I do not have the Rouse translation, so I am going to have to use Samuel Butler’s translation. The quotation below is from Book IV. Helen tells Telemachus, the son of Ulysses, and his colleagues that she blames Venus (also called Aphrodite).

“He (Ulysses) killed many Trojans and got much information before he reached the Argive camp, for all which things the Trojan women made lamentation, but for my own part I was glad, for my heart was beginning to yearn after my home, and I was unhappy about the wrong that Venus had done me in taking me over there, away from my country, my girl, and my lawful wedded husband, who is indeed by no means deficient either in person or understanding.”

Venus/Aphrodite had promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world as a bribe for declaring her the winner of a beauty contest in which she won a golden apple. Helen is suggesting, not very persuasively, that she was under the control of Venus when she left Menelaus and therefore could not be blamed.

How does a cold front form and what kind of weather comes before and after a cold front?

Cold front refers to a weather condition occurring at the earth's surface level when the leading edge of a mass of cooler air replaces a mass of warmer air. The warm air is less dense with lower atmospheric pressure. As a result cooler air which is dense comes in to the areas of warmer air. However,  less dense warm air is not able to mix with the denser cool air, and rises higher this phenomenon causes the the shape to cold front to become like a wedge.

While the weather condition before the cold front is characterized by higher temperature only, the rising warm air during cold front causes it to cool. This results in formation of clouds and showers, particularly when the warm air has high humidity.

Additional information on cold fronts and warm fronts are available at the website referred below.

Why is the "suicide" part of "Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session" appropriate?

One way to examine this question is to consider how jumping from the tree ultimately leads to Finny's death. While Finny survives the fall from the tree when Gene knocks him out, the broken leg Finny suffers almost directly leads to his death later when he falls again and complications from this break ensue. 

The brazen idea of forming a Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session thus proves to be Finny's undoing. Before he dies, however, Finny's whole vision of his future is also destroyed. 

Where he had wanted to try out for the Olympics (and realistically probably could have done so - and made it), his broken leg erases any chance at making an Olympic team. Where Finny's identity had been largely located in his physical prowess, crutches and the sullen, evasive attitude that Finny is saddled with during his recovery shifts his identity into an entirely new place. He is no longer the charming and winning personality he once was. 

These results of Finny's fall from the tree are made somewhat ironic when compared to the first jump of the Suicide Society. At that jump, Gene nearly falls out of the tree but Finny saves him. 

"If Finny hadn't come up right behind me...if he hadn't been there...I could have fallen on the bank and broken my back! If I had fallen awkwardly enough I could have been killed. Finny had practically saved my life."

This idea recurs toward the novel's end, when Gene attends Finny's funeral. Blaming himself as the cause of Finny's death and identifying so fully with Finny at this point (after acting as Finny's stand-in for Olympic training, etc.), Gene reflects on Finny's death in a way that brings his story back to his own death.

"I could not escape a feeling that this was my own funeral, and you do not cry in that case." 

The "true Finny" dies when Gene knocks him from the tree, but Gene's life is already somehow indebted to Finny and identified with Finny's from that first jump when Finny saves him. Thus, when Finny dies and is buried and Gene feels that it is his funeral too, the "suicide" is double. 

Although there was no intention of actually killing themselves, the recklessness of the central activity for the Super Suicide Society proves to be the mechanism for this twin death of Gene and Finny, ending a time of innocence for each well before their lives end, actually and metaphorically. 

What common attitudes of the child are revealed in "The Ultimate Safari"?

I think the daughter reflects much of the prevailing common attitudes about the nature of the civil war which caused so much chaos in Mozambique during the 1980s.  Initially, like most children, she doesn't understand the premise of the war.  She cannot fully grasp why there is so much conflict around her village and in what the delineated sides believe.  While this is very appropriate for children, it is a common attitude that many citizens of Mozambique shared during the Civil War. There was not a clear articulation of sides, but rather continual internal unrest which was promulgated by those with sinister agendas.  The daughter also displays a combined sense of concern and abject loss about her home, her village, and her life, as she once knew it.  Again, a child's belief system is a common attitude of many of the people in Mozambique where loved ones disappeared (like the girl's mother and father), presumably murdered, and what once defined one's home is literally plundered and destroyed in plain sight.  I think the last common attitude that is revealed in the daughter is the loss of community.  In a village setting where there used to be a strong sense of communal identity and fraternal bonds, the Civil War did much to rupture those bonds and force a sense of nomadic wandering in order for individuals to gain the hope of a better life.  We see this in the daughter's plight, and it is a common attitude revealed in the story of "The Ultimate Safari" as well as the narratives of those who flooded the refugee camps, in search of a place away from their homes.

How does Monstresor describe Fortunato's strengths and weaknesses?

Throughout the story Montresor offers several descriptions of Fortunato that offer some insight into his reasons for wanting him dead. At the beginning of the story Montresor describes Fortunato as "a man to be respected and feared" although he has one major weak point. Montresor also describes Fortunato's knowledge and connoisseurship of paintings, gems, and wine. Although Fortunato's knowledge of wine is his strength, his love of wine (along with his susceptibility to flattery) is also his weakness. Montresor meets Fortunato late at night when he is already very drunk and convinces him to come down to his family's vaults to try a cask of rare Amontillado wine. Montresor convinces him through a mix of his love of wine, his pride, and his susceptibility to flattery to follow him, suggesting that without the help of Fortunato (or one of his rivals Luchesi) he will be unable to determine if the Amontillado is real. Once they go down into the vaults Montresor keeps Fortunato distracted with a mixture of wine and continued flattery. He flatters Fortunato saying that,

You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter.

This description of Fortunato serves to keep him distracted from Montresor's true plan, but also suggests some of Montresor's reasons for wanting him dead. Fortunato is successful, popular, and happy in a way that Montresor is not and he cannot bare this.

What is the best concluding sentence that supports a summary for "The Gift of the Magi?"so it can support: the authors use of irony that enables...

Dramatic irony is not always used to make such a pleasant point as it does in the story "The Gift of the Magi," which does in fact use irony to make a point about the meaning of gift giving.  (For example, dramatic irony in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is powerful in a much darker way, ending as it does with the deaths of several young people, Mercutio, Romeo and then finally Juliet)  Magi also makes a point about the unselfish nature of true love--neither James nor Della gives a second thought to ultimately selling their own treasures to purchase gifts for the others.  The story can be enjoyed from both the perspective of being a lovely story that demonstrates the true meaning of Christmas through unselfish giving, and because it demonstrates the skillful use of dramatic irony to create a powerful ending.

In Guns, Germs and Steel, why does Diamond hypothesize that New Guineans might be, on average, "smarter" than Westerners?

The answer to this question can be found in the Prologue of this excellent historical study of the reasons for inequalities between different groups of humans. Considering Yali's question as to why Westerners have gained dominance in the world and not any other group of humans, Diamond considers the intelligence of Papa New Guineans, and argues that they show, on average, greater intelligence than Westerners, especially given their ability to survive in an environment in which most Westerners would perish very quickly. In addition, note how Diamond supports his hypothesis:

Modern European and American children spend much of their time being passively entertained by television, radio, and movies. In the average American household, the television set is on for seven hours per day. In contrast, traditional New Guinea children have virtual no such opportunities for passive entertainment and instead spend almost all of their waking hours actively doing something, such as talking or playing with other children or adults. Almost all studies of child development emphasise the role of childhood stimulation and activity in promoting mental development, and stress teh irreversible mental stunting associated with reduced childhood stimulation.

Thus we can see that the actual technological lilmitations of the Papua New Guineans may result in their greater intellectual development compared to their Western counterparts.

What are the 6 most important events in this story.

1.The important opening event reveals the death of Polly, a serving girl who grew up with Mattie. Mattie is given no time to grieve for her friend because of the busy needs in running the coffeehouse.

2. Mattie's encounter with Nathaniel and their reminiscing about a balloon launch they attended shows that Mattie has a male interest in her life. Nathaniel is going into seclusion with his master's family to avoid the spreading yellow fever. He gives Mattie flowers.

3.Mattie and her mother, Lucinda, are invited to tea with a wealthy family who is still in Philadelphia, despite the usual out-flux of the wealthy during the hot summer. Here Mattie learns that the rich flee to the countryside to avoid the heat and illness that summer frequently brings.

4. Lucinda, Mattie's mother, falls ill. Mattie tries to take care of her and experiences first-hand the symptoms of the yellow fever. Lucinda orders Mattie and her grandfather to leave for the safety of the Luddington's farm in the country.

5. Mattie takes care of her grandfather when he becomes ill, though not with the plague. Because of his illness, the two are put off the wagon and turned away from a near-by village. Mattie's lessons about soldiering pay off.

6. Mattie falls ill with yellow fever, and her grandfather returns her to a hospital in Philadelphia where she recovers.

7. On their return to the coffeehouse, they find it stripped. Burglars break in and Mattie's grandfather dies defending her.

8. Mattie finds Eliza (a former worker at the coffeehouse) still alive and shelters with her. During that time she finds a toddler named Nell whose mother has died of the plague. Mattie takes care of Nell and becomes very attached to her.

9. Mattie and Eliza return to the coffeehouse and reopen it. Nathaniel and Mattie are reunited with Nathaniel helping out.

10. The rich, including President George Washington, return to the town, showing the plague is at an end. Lucinda returns to the coffeehouse an invalid after her illness and relapse when searching for Mattie.

I know this is more than six events. Each seemed important to me, so pick and choose which six you feel are most crucial to the story.

What is the significance of the four parts of the novel and their correlation with the four seasons of the year?

The seasons of the year operate symbolically in the novel. The four structural sections each correspond to a season of the year. Autumn beings the book: for Claudia, Pecola, and Frieda (like most children), autumn is a time of "beginnings," especially the beginning of the school year. Indeed, this section does contain "beginnings," for Claudia and Frieda first meet Pecola here.

Winter is traditionally associated with barrenness, empitness, and death. In winter, the girls become acquainted with Maureen Peal. She serves as a reminder to them that without beauty that will bring acceptance, their lives will remain empty and barren in white society. This is also the section in the book in which Pecola is abused by Geraldine and her son, Junior. Thus we see how sterile and unforgiving Pecola's life is.

Spring typically suggests rebirth, new life, change, and fruitfulness. However, the title is ironic is The Bluest Eye. In this section, more abuse and terror occur. Frieda is fondled by Mr. Henry, while Pecola is betaen by her mother for spilling the cobbler at the Fisher home and raped by her father. In this section, the audience also learns of the steady destruction of the lives of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove since their childhoods.

The section entitled "Summer" is the shortest section of the book. Again, one may expect happy children playing together, family vacations, and childhood revelations. However, this book does not present gleeful children reveling in the pleasures of summer but an isolated, insane Pecola. Her revelation is a false one, as she imagine herself to have blue eyes, the bluest of all.

Who or what killed Romeo and Juliet (besides themselves)? And why is this person/thing most responsible for the tragic death?If possible,...

If one is going to "point the finger" at any single character in "Romeo and Juliet" as a conduit to the tragic demise of Romeo and Juliet, Friar Lawrence is that character.

For one thing, Shakespeare, whose knowledge of Catholicism was adequate since his father was Roman Catholic, portrays Friar Lawrence as a flawed character:  Lawrence is not a priest, but a friar, similar to a monk.  In the Catholic Church, a monk is a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious motives and is bound by vows of humility, poverty, and chastity.  While there are minor differences between monks and friars, the rejection of the secular world is common to both.  So, Friar Lawrence is guilty of breaking his vows when he becomes so intricately involved with the secular lives of Romeo and Juliet.  Knowing his sin may be why Friar Laurence runs away from the tomb in the final act rather than staying and explaining what has happened.  For, if he were to assume responsibility in the relationship of Juliet and Romeo, he would also admit to violating his vows.

While Friar Lawrence's intentions may be well-meaning, as an already flawed character his short-sighted actions that influence the lives of the young couple certainly are pivotal to their deaths:

• Friar Lawrence secretly marries Romeo and Juliet, a violation of Church law that demands the posting of bans for usually six months.  This action complicates the conflict of Juliet with her father, Lord Capulet, who demands that she marry Paris, a nobleman. It is because she has been made a wife by Friar Lawrence that she becomes involved in the desperate plan to escape bigamy.


• The marriage of Juliet and Romeo also complicates the conflict that Mercutio has with Tybalt. For, whereas Mercutio was merely bantering with Tybalt before Romeo came, he becomes enraged by Romeo's statement,

Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee/Doth much excuse the appertaining rage (III,i,50-53),

and draws his sword, saying,

Oh, calm, dishonorable, vile submission!(III,i,61-62).

Then, Romeo who is now Tybalt's relative because of the friar's having married him to Juliet, comes between Mercutio and Tybalt as he tries to diffuse the situation.  Instead, Mercutio is mortally wounded.

• In order to prevent Juliet from committing the mortal sin of suicide, Friar Lawrence seeks a solution in providing her the vial of sleeping potion. But his secretiveness regarding the Capulet family causes them to believe that Juliet has died, so they entomb her. Then, his failure to get word to Romeo leads to Romeo's false assumption that his bride is dead and his and Juliet's consequent suicide.

Ironically, it is the poorly planned and mis-timed efforts of Friar Lawrence, who cautions the youths against impetuous acts, that effect the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

How does God demonsrate the concept of equal protection?

If we examine the definition of equal protection it is the prohibiting of states from denying any person within its jurisdiction from the equal protection of the laws.  This would mean that states are required to extend the services and sanctuary of the law to all of its citizens.  In the same way, God is to provide sanctuary to all those who worship.  Just as the state must be applicable to all of its citizens, the force of a higher power is something that is applicable to all followers. This is where equal protection under the laws and under the states finds convergence.  While there might be some difference about how this feeling of devotion is expressed, the level to which one displays this, and the zeal in which one holds towards it, the reality is that if one is a follower of God, they are entitled to the equal protection of God's powers.  Having said this, I think the first critical point of divergence is that God's powers and the responsibilities of the state/ federal governments can be seen as separate.  The issue of allegiance to God is one that is predicated upon spiritual devotion and faith.  However, the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment is quite clear that all citizens must receive equal protection of and from the law regardless of their devotion to the government.  One other point should be made that might add a bit more murkiness to the issue.  Might there be a difference in religious faiths in their understanding of equal protection and God?  Some religions advocate the idea that there is only one God, to whom all allegiance must be paid.  Such a premise presumes that equal opportunity and protection rests with this God and this God alone.  Other religions stress that the path to God is one where equal protection is ensured as long as a path is followed.  Further strands of faith suggest that God is a benevolent life force, and that equal protection is present to all, regardless of choices of worship because of God's universal and all embracing nature. We can complicate this issue even more with religions that believe in more than one God.  Equal protection is enhanced in this understanding as there is not one "God," but multiple manifestations and representations.  I think that the ability to fully discern the issue of equal protection and God is one that lies in this realm, as well.

In "Whoso List to Hunt," does the speaker address his beloved or somebody else?

In Wyatt's "Whoso List to Hunt," the speaker never truly addresses his beloved; however, he is addressing others who are interested in the hunt.  Take the first line, for example:  "Whoso list to hunt:  I know where is a hind."  The speaker, then, does know where there is a female deer who has up until that point eluded the speaker.  Of course, in the final sestet the speaker takes back his challenge to other hunters because the deer has already been claimed by the royal owner of the land.

I can't give this answer, though, without mentioning the incredibly awesome allegory here.  The deer is most likely Anne Boleyn.  Thomas Wyatt was supposedly courting Anne Boleyn; however, he had to cease as Henry VIII became interested.  Obviously Henry VIII (with his notorious reputation) was not someone you wanted to mess with.  Therefore, the speaker (Wyatt) never truly addresses his lover (Anne), but simply warns other suitors that she is already taken.

How does the symbol of fire (or possibly light too) function throughout "Frankenstein"? Quotes are great too!If you can help trace it also... such...

In the beginning, Robert Walton speaks, "What could not be expected in a country of eternal light?" As the book begins and ends in the Arctic (land of eternal light), the light symbolzies knowledge into the dark and hidden things, especially in science. Victor is shining a light on these esoteric areas, bringing into the light the hidden mysteries of alchemy.

Light can also symbolize life. Victor is bringing life from death, attempting to banish dark and death permanently from the human experience.

Fire is also symbolic of knowledge. The subtitle, "A Modern Prometheus" refers to the myth of Prometheus, the Titan god who gave fire to man. With this gift, man is able to create civilization. In other words, with fire man becomes a creator, much as Victor becomes as he creates his creature.

Yet, as Walton's "land of eternal light" can also be the "land of eternal night," light is replaced by darkness, and fire can destroy. Prometheus paid the ultimate price for giving man fire, and Victor also must give up his life and peace.

The dual nature of fire especially is significant to Frankenstein. Victor had intended (like Promtheus) to benefit mankind by banishing the darkness and cold of death. Yet instead, he brought about his own death, as Prometheus was chained to the mountain to be eaten eternally by eagles. As Prometheus has stolen fire from the gods, Victor has stolen a power that is not given to man.

What does Shakespreare mean by “Suit the action to the word, the word to action”

A modern equivalent would be the maxim "Say what you mean (Explain clearly your intentions), and mean what you say." (Be sincere about it!)

It is interesting that even in theatre, for the scene to be convincing, the actors have to get under the skin of their characters and let the thought or intent rule over words, and not the other way around.

Here in context Hamlet is giving advice to actors who are to perform a murder scene reinacting Claudius' probable fraternicide (pouring poison in the sleeping victim's ear). Hamlet hopes this will provoke his uncle to protest, thus confirming his guilt.

Hamlet has been "acting" too, so in a way he is taking his own advice. He has been feigning madness all along, but he is so emotionally taken up in the task to foil his uncle that he is convincingly 'off his rocker,' caught up in his own obsessional role as vengeance-seeker.

What are examples of consonance and assonance in lines 1 and 2 of "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"?

The first two lines are

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;"

For analysis of poetic devices such as consonance and assonance, it often helps to read the poem out loud.  Consonance is represented by the repetition of the "t" sound in words such as "not," "gentle," "into," "that" and "night." Notice that for the most part the "t" sound is the end sound of the word or near the end.  You could also argue for "go," "gentle," and "good" in the first line because repeat a consonant sound, but those examples are more specifically alliteration (repetition of initial sounds in words close together).

For assonance, Thomas relies more heavily on that in Line 2. Notice the repetition of the long "A" sound in "age," "rave," and "day."

Keep in mind that when you identify patterns such as the use of consonance or assonance, you need to ask yourself why the author uses the pattern.  Is he simply trying to show off? In most cases, there is a better analysis.  In this poem by Dylan Thomas, the consonance in Line 1 not only provides emphasis to certain words, but it also gives a sense of finality because Thomas is discussing death.

In Line 2, the poet's choice of words with the long "a" sound causes the words to be drawn out longer--just as Thomas wants one to draw out his or her "age," "raving," or "day."

How did Agba care for Sham in King of the Wind?

When Sham's mother dies soon after he is born, it is predicted that the little colt will die too.  Agba is determined that will not happen, and does everything he can to prevent it.  The young horse boy manages to get camel's milk and wild honey.  Stirring the milk with his fingers, he slides them into the dying colt's mouth.  After "work(ing) his mouth curiously and biting Agba's fingers with his baby teeth, Sham discovers how to suck, and does so, "softly at first, then fiercely, with all the strength he (has)".  Agba continues to feed Sham in this manner, and the little colt thrives and grows strong. 

Agba moves Sham into the stall that used to belong to his mother, and brings his own hammock from the horeboys' quarters and hangs it in Sham's stall.  He says his prayers there daily, and makes "his own private prayer(s) for Sham's welfare" as well.  When the weather turns cold and the rains come, Agba makes "a kind of flockbed mattress from wool fibers that he beg(s) from a weaver", and uses part of it to sleep on and part of it to cover himself and Sham.  The two draw warmth from each other.

When Sham is big enough, he is turned out to pasture with the other horses, but they do not accept him.  Sham does not seem to mind, though, and continues to grow in awareness of the world and in physical size and strength.  Through it all, Agba is his constant companion and caregiver; Sham has come to need the boy,

"not for food and water alone, but for comfort.  When Sham (is) afraid, he (comes) running to Agba for protection.  When he (is) cold, he sidle(s) up to Agba for warmth.  When he (is) lonely, he nuzzle(s) Agba and (lays) his satin nose against the boy's cheek".

Agba has, for all intents and purposes, become the colt's surrogate mother ("Camel's Milk and Honey").

What do Perry's possessions tell about him?

Perry keeps a variety of items with him in large boxes held together with string.  A lot of them are journals, letters, drawings, cards and other memorabilia.  He has letters from his sister encouraging him to be better than his brother and sister, who committed suicide.  He always has a letter from Floyd, who analyzes the letter for Perry, indicating that it's his sister that has problems, and not Perry.

One can tell from this that Perry is a pack rat who long to hold on to the past.  Perry's childhood was full of abandonment, death and crisis.  Perhaps he feels that if he holds on to these items, he can hold on to some of those people from his past.

The letter from Floyd show how much Perry is looking for acceptance (and may lead to why he hooked up with Dick in the first place.)  Though the letter from Perry's sister is well-meaning, Floyd spins it so that it seems as though Barab is the one with the problems and Perry isn't doing anything wrong.  From a childhood where Perry never knew who was going to be around, this acceptance is critical for him.

Why do animals behave like humans, and humans like animals in Orwell's Animal Farm?

I believe that Orwell's point was to demonstrate that human beings are capable of displaying characteristics of animals under certain circumstances, and that animals are more intelligent than humans credit them. The desire for absolute power and control exists among both species. 

The farmer was obviously an "ignorant" character, one lacking education or even social "graces" according to social mores. Ignorance in humans can often be a catalyst for animalistic behavior, such as murder, abuse, and desire for survival at any cost.  What a person doesn't understand, he is often afraid of, as in the farmer's case. The farmer was determined to survive, at any cost.

Pigs are considered to be the most intelligent of all animals, with the exception of chimpanzees.  Pigs are an appropriate choice, given the setting of the story, as well as the characteristic of higher intelligence.  Orwell chose to give the animals the gift of speech in this novel, which enhances both plot and characterization.  The pigs are the dominant characters because of their intelligence, while the remaining animals follow their lead, almost in blind submission.  This results in the pigs developing a "pecking order" among the animals, as often seen in human society.  The pigs begin to assume more human characteristics, one being the need for justice as they feel oppressed by the farmer.  In history, oppression often leads to a "coup" to establish justice and stability for those being oppressed by those in power.

The pigs develop a brilliant plan to take control of their farm, but in the process, there is dissent among the pigs, which filters down to the "lower" animals.  In human nature, it is difficult for more than one person to wield absolute power and control, as in a dictatorship.  The pigs begin to argue about details of their plan, with an underlying current of who is and should be in total control of the animals when the farmer has been supplanted by the pigs. 

At the end of the novel, we see the culmination of the struggle for dominance and power among the animals; this dominance by the pigs will be attained at any cost, a human trait that has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout history.  

In the final act of "Julius Caesar," who becomes the ruler of Rome?The end is Act 5, Scene 5. I'm unsure of whether or not there is a ruler, but...

As Shakespeare's play, "Julius Caesar" concludes, the reader perceives Octavius in a dominant role.  He has opposed Marc Antony's treacher to Lepidus earlier in Act IV, and now it is Octavius who speaks the final lines:

So call the field to rest, and let's away/To part the glories of this happy day. (V,v,80-82)

With the victory over Brutus and Cassius, along with the death of Brutus, the Second Triumvirate, Octavius, Antony, and Lepidus, go on to rule Rome.  However, Marc Antony who has been given the East, falls in love with Cleopatra and decides to fight Rome; Octavius, defeats Antony. With Antony out of the way and in control of the West and the East, Lepidus, who has been given Hispania and Africa, is forced to retire, and Octavius is free to become Augustus Caesar and become Emperor of Rome.  Of course, the irony of this situation is that Brutus killed Julius Caesar to prevent his becoming an emperor.  His and the other conspirators committed an act that only wrought negative changes:  Rome was engaged in civil strife, it was split for a time, and then subjected to the tyranny of an emperor, after all. 

Who was Hephaestus?

Hephaestus is known as Zeus and Hera's son, although he was conceived without Zeus' help.  He is also known as Vulcan, and the god of volcanoes, which makes sense since he was primarily worshipped in Athens and other volcano-ridden areas of Greece.

He is also the god who is given the credit for "helping" Zeus with his headache, taking a an axe to Zeus' head and splitting it open making the way for the birth of Athena.

He is the god of fire, especially blacksmith's fire, and is the patron god of craftsmen--especially those who work in metal crafts.

Hephaestus is known as the lame god, and his injury was received when one of his parents threw him down Mount Olympus--he fell for nine days and landed in the sea where he was rescued by Nymphs.  The stories report different versions--one is that Hera was displeased with her son's appearance and so she threw him down the mountain; the other is that Zeus was angry with his son for siding with Hera in an argument against Zeus.

Considering the role of nature in anti-transcendental literature, what is the significance of the meteor event?Concerning Chapter 12 of The Scarlet...

The meteor event is an example of cosmic irony--God or the gods interfere in the events of man in order to manipulate the outcome or send a message of some sort.  The meteor shower appears to be in the shape of an A thus reminding Dimmesdale of his sin of Adultery.  As transcendentalists denied the existence of God and acknowledged man's instinctive nature as good--this scene would be both an affirmation of the existence of a god and also the acknowledgement of the existence of sinful or immoral behavior--both of which Transcendentalists would deny.

In Chapter 13, what practical purpose does the beautiful stranger serve in Frankenstein?

It is important to realise how Shelley uses the chapters that the monster spends with the De Laceys to present him and us with the companionship, warmth and love that is part of human nature. Of course, this is a mixed blessing for the creature, as he realises that he can never be part of these blessings. However, also, these chapters perform a much more practical purpose, explaining how the creature learnt to read and speak. The arrival of the beautiful stranger, who turns out to be Safie, provides an excellent opportunity for the creature to eavesdrop on the lessons that Felix gives her. He learns not only to read but also the basics of history, politics and religion of mankind.

"My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language... While I improved in speech, I also learned the science of letters as it was taught to the stranger and this opened before me a wide field for wonder and delight."

The arrival of Safie and her subsequent tutoring thus allows the creature himself to be tutored about mankind, and a race that profoundly puzzles the creature, as mankind is "at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base." Note how this feeds into the theme of the confusion between man and monster that dominates the novel.

What is a company profile?What must I include in it?

Any information about a company to inform public about the company and create required image of the company through the information. To create a feeling of the stable image of the company in the mind of the public , the establishment, location, development growth , product quality ,revenue turn over , profit and loss over sevral years since the inception may help. It can also serve as an advertisement or invitation for  the interested public to invest in the company.It can also have the motive   to impress the  public about the standard of the product in comparison with that of the others to compete in the market. The profile need not cover everything , but only such of the things it desires to highlight. It can also take the adventage presentation of its profile through the  media technolgy.

If the company wants to show itself as a losing company and impress like that it can highlight similarly about the difficulies of the production or service with an information abou the supporting turn over etc.

They can prepare their own format o f their profile which may inform about the items as below in discriptive or quatitative terms.

Location:

Establishment:

Number of Employees:

Number of products produced:

Quantum of service:

Revenue turn over (Annual or per day):

Cost (annual/per day):

Profit/Loss:

Customer care activities:

Who named Edmund Spenser as the "poet's poet"?

Edmund Spenser was first called the "Poet's Poet" by the English essayist Charles Lamb. Although the phrase does not appear in any of Lamb's writings, Leigh Hunt attributes it to him in his critique of Spenser in Hunt's book Imagination and Fancy (published in 1844), which is an anthology of English poetry with accompanying commentary.

In his book The Allegory of Love, C. S. Lewis explained the reasoning behind Lamb's title for Spenser by noting that he is "so called in virtue of the historical fact that most of the poets have liked him very much." However, Lewis was not particularly fond of labeling anyone as the best or greatest of poets. In his opinion, it caused "incalculable damage" to the poet because readers expected him to always produce great poetry.

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What are some qualities of the four main characters, Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon?I have to list qualities and explain what made the author make...

Ralph: good speaker, has the "look" of a leader, while not without flaws (lacks some insight and maturity) he is probably the one character with the most positive leadership skills, believes in democratic rules, has foresight (believes in working together to enable rescue), physically capable.

Jack: believes that "might makes right," hunting skills, good speaker, ability to get others to follow (not necessarily for the right reasons), physically strong, aggressive, impulsive, mean-spirited

Piggy: clear thinking, rational, foresight, physically weak (eyesight, overweight), kindly, good-natured, suffers from asthma, brunt of teasing

Simon: visionary, sees the "big picture," kindly, shy, suffers from epilepsy, physically limited, scapegoat, martyr

Why did Truman Capote title his book "In Cold Blood"? Was it because of the characters' upbringing, which in their minds may have justified their...

Capote's journalistic novel chronicles the robbery attempt by Richard Eugene Hickock and Perry Edward Smith, a plan that Hickock devised while incarcerated.  While in a Kansas prison Hickock had heard from another inmate that Herb Clutter for whom he had worked at one time, kept large amounts of cash in his home safe.  With Smith, Hickock planned to rob the Clutters of their money.

On November 14,1959, after driving across Kansas, Hickock and Smith attempted to rob Clutter, but upon learning that he paid all his bills by check and had virtually no money in the house, Smith coldly slit his throat and then shot him in his head.  When interviewed, Perry Smith said,

I didn't want to harm the man.  I thought he was a very nice gentleman.  Soft spoken.  I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat.

After Smith shot Clutter, he put a single shotgun blast into the heads of the remaining family members.  This was the first mass murder of such brutality committed in the United States.  Smith's senseless and brutal, cold-blooded killing of the Clutter family and Smith's obvious detachment of feeling and psychoses, Capote was prompted to use the phrase "cold blood" in his title.

During Perry's incarceration after his trial, Capote visited him constantly, having bribed the officials into giving him carte blanche to come and go as he wished.  Smith, a child of institutions had many stages of his development arrested in the infantile stage:  he wet the bed, sucked his thumb, and cried out for "Daddy" in his sleep.  He prefered root beer to beer or coffee.  Being of mixed heritage, Indian and Irish, Perry had many psychological problems that Capote found fascinating, and, perhaps, felt were the cause of Smith's detached, cold killing of his victims.

How does Hawthorne use irony in "Young Goodman Brown" to illustrate the hypocrisy of the Puritans?

In a story replete with irony, Hawthorne employs dramatic irony at the beginning of "Young Goodman Brown" as Goodman fails to recognize the old man, described as "he of the serpent," as the devil even though Goody Cloyse cries out, "The devil" and his staff resembles a snake and the moment his finger touch twigs, "they became strangely withered."  In his sanctimony, Goodman loses sight of the reality around him and remains convinced that he can withstand the evil around him:

conscious of the guilty purpose that had brought him thither, though now so happily turned from it.

Even after his experiences in the forest, Goodman Brown--whose very name is ironic--remains convinced that he is without fault and the others have fallen.  With Puritanical hypocrisy, he views them as depraved:

When the minister spoke from the pulpit with power and fervid eloquence, and, with his hand on the open Bible, of the sacred truths of our religion...then did Goodman brown turn pale, dreading lest the roof should thunder down upon the gray blasphemer and his hearers.

In addition to the dramatic irony , Hawthorne's use of verbal irony is readily apparent in the names of the characters.  For instance, Goodman himself has an ironic name as, in addition to the ironic use of good, his appellation includes young, indicating his inexperience with life, an inexperience that Brown ignores in his sanctimonious conclusions about the other members of his Puritan community. Of course, the name of Goody Cloyse, a character named after a real person involved in the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 is ironic. Also, the wife of Goodman has an ironic name since faith is a belief not based upon truth of proven reality.  For, this definition applies to the conclusions drawn by Goodman Brown that his wife has consorted with the devil since he has not actually witnessed anything--taken his ideas on "faith" in his own judgment that exhibits no religious faith:

Whether Faith obeyed [his cry to resist 'the wicked one'] he knew not.  Hardly had he spoken when he found himself amid calm night and solitude....The next morning young Goodman Brown came slowly into the street of Salem village, staring around him like a bewildered man.

In the end, it is young Goodman Brown who, more than anyone else, has lost faith as he believes what the devil has declared in the forest:

Evil is the nature of mankind.  Evil must be your only happiness.

Ironically, the once young Goodman Brown is "borne to his grave a hoary corpse, followed by Faith, an aged woman.....as his dying hour was gloom."  Thus, the ultimate irony is served upon the man who held himself above the others.

What is the climax, falling action and resolution of "A Separate Peace".

Actually, there are three main crisis moments, which are also climaxes (heightened points of interest) on the story line.

In spite of their friendship and great complicity, Gene feels a twinge of jealousy when it comes to Phineas; upon a 'blind impulse,' he rocks the limb upon which Finny is perched (getting ready to dive), destabiles him and makes him fall from the tree. Finny, the great athlete, is crippled thereafter.

The next crisis happens just after the verdict of the kangaroo court: Gene is exposed for having deliberately shaken Phineas out of the tree; Phineas rushes blindly out, leaning on his crutches, stumbles and falls down the marble steps, breaking his leg again (and badly).

The final crisis is the conversation between Gene and Phineas at the hospital just before Phineas dies. Phineas, who has been in denial up to this point, confronts Gene about his betrayal, forgives him, but 'lets him go.' The rupture between the two friends is final, but it is the beginning of a self-awakening in Gene, who must come to terms with what he has done. (This is the resolution in process at the end of the novel.)

There is another subplot involving Leper and his tramautizing experiences in the war and subsequent breakdown, but on the main story line, the three moments of choice with no return (definition of a crisis) are as mentioned above. Note that within each one of these events there is a tandem cause-consequence effect, much like the piston motion Leper describes as a witnesses of the incident at the tree.

In The Great Gatsby, Chapter 6, what is Nick's nature and tone?

In Chapter 6, Nick takes on a cautious nature, he becomes Gatsby's confidante, learning more about the man of mystery than he wants to know.  He is fearful for Gatsby, knowing how intense the man feels for Daisy.  The chapter is narrated with anxiety and worry, there is intensity in Nick's narration in this chapter, the final paragraph conveys Nick's feelings of confusion and fear.

"Through all he said, even through his appalling sentimentality, I was reminded of something, an elusive rhythm, a fragment of lost words, that I had heard somewhere a long time ago.  For a moment a phrase tried to take shape in my mouth and my lips parted like a dumb man's as though there was more struggling upon them than a wisp of startled air.  But they made no sound and what I had almost remembered was uncommunicable forever." (Fitzgerald)

In Chapter 6, Nick Carraway narrates the truth about Gatsby's background, Fitzgerald gives us this information because Daisy and Gatsby were previously reunited in Nick's home.  In this chapter, Gatsby meets Tom Buchanan and both Daisy and Tom attend one of Gatsby's parties.

Nick becomes Gatsby's confidante, he is the only person that Gatsby can talk to about his love for Daisy.  And after the party, Gatsby feels that Daisy did not have a good time.  For all the mystery about Gatsby, Nick gets to hear the whole truth from the man himself.

I'm not so sure that Nick wanted to be Gatsby's confidante, it made him uncomfortable to be between these two tragic lovers and to have to look at the angry face of Tom Buchanan knowing what he knew.

He tries to be caution Gatsby that as much as he and Daisy felt for each other in the past, that the past is the past.

Nick says: "I wouldn't ask too much of her, You can't repeat the past." (Fitzgerald)

Nick is trying to be the voice of reason in this chapter, he is worried, afraid for Gatsby, he knows that Tom has a really bad temper, and has expressed extreme dislike for Gatsby.  Tom does not trust Gatsby, he sees him as a phony, not a real rich person like him, Gatsby is new rich, Tom thinks that Gatsby made his money in bootlegging and has no respect for him.

What is the setting of Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea?

There are three parts to Jean Rhys' novel Wide Sargasso Sea, and each part takes place in a different setting.  Part I recounts the childhood and young adulthood of the central character, Antoinette Cosway.  The story begins in 1839 in Jamaica, which is at that time part of the British Empire.  It has been six years since the abolishment of slavery in the Empire, and the social situation on the island is chaotic.  Antoinette lives on the impoverished Coulibri Estate in Jamaica, and as a child of mixed racial heritage, she is isolated from her peers, being neither black nor white.

In Part 2, the setting moves to another island in the Carribbean, Dominica, and specifically, a city called Massacre.  Antoinette has entered into an arranged marriage with an Englishman, Edward Rochester, and the two newlyweds journey to a "honeymoon house" on Dominica which Antoinette has inherited from her mother.  Although Antoinette is deeply in love with Rochester, he, on his part, is repulsed by her exotic, unrestrained nature.  Regretful that he has allowed himself to marry only to fulfill the aspirations his family has had for him, he takes Antoinette, whom he will always take care of but whom he will never love, away from her island environs and sets sail for England.

Part 3 takes place at Thornfield Hall, Rochester's home in England.  The dreary, misty weather here is a stark contrast to what Antoinette is used to, having grown up in the sun-drenched Carribbean, and Rochester, believing her to be mad, keeps her locked up in the attic with a caretaker, Grace Poole.  Antoinette Cosway has become Bertha Mason, the monstrous madwoman in another classic novel, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

Setting is central to the main themes in Wide Sargasso Sea.  The author has written the book to present an opposing perspective to that in Jane Eyre, and she has clearly delineated the complete differences in perception of people and values between the darker races of the colonized in places such as the Carribbean, and the staid white citizens of the British Isles.

May I have help with a character sketch of Octavius in "Julius Caesar"?This sketch is for my project......

Octavius is Julius Caesar's adopted great nephew and heir; he is part of the triumvirate formed after Caesar's death, with Lepidus and Marc Antony as the other two.

It is not until Act IV that Octavius is introduced.  At a house in Rome, he speaks with Antony, who is compiling a list of political enemies as the republic is in turmoil.  Antony sends Lepidus to "fetch" Caesar's will; while he is gone, Antony remarks,

This is a slight unmeritable man,/Meet to be sent on errands; is it fit,/The threefold world divided, he should stand /One of the three to share it? (IV,i,12-15)

Octavius shows himself to be much nobler than Antony who is treacherous and cruel.  Octavius questions this deprecatory view of Lepidus, asking Antony why he thought Lepidus was competent enough to assist in the list of political enemies but now he is only good for running errands.  Antony intends to use Lepidus much as Cassius used Brutus to serve his purposes.  Unlike Antony, Octavius finds Lepidus "a tried and valiant soldier" (IV,ii,29).

Later, at the battle of Phillippi, Octavius again disagrees with Antony, following his own military strategy, challenging Brutus and Cassius to "come to the field."  When the conspirators are defeated and Brutus dies, although Antony acknowledges that Brutus is "the noblest Roman of them all" (V,v,68), it is Octavius who calls in the armies,

According to his [Brutus's] virtue, let us use him/With all respect and rites of burial./Within my tent his bones tonight shall lie,/Most like a soldier ordered honorably./So call the field to rest, and let's away/To part the glories of this happy day. (I,V,76-81)

This commanding presence of Octavius in William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" suggests the future stability of the Roman Empire; later Octavius is made Emperor.

What inequalities existed in France before the revolution?

As part of the feudal system of France, the Third Estate, which contained no members of the aristocracy, did not own land.  While many in this political/social division were affluent, they were merchants or lawyers, the majority of whom were Jewish.  And, by law, Jews were forbidden to own land; however, because they were wealthy, they wished to own property.  Also, along with the others of wealth in the bourgeois wished to exercise social and political influence, but they were prohibited from doing so because they were not in the first two Estates.

Added to the grave economic disparities between the Third Estate and the other two, the peasants were starving in 1789 because of their poverty and because of the poor wheat crop, and were forced to eat moldy bread to combat starvation.

What is the hierarchy among the races and within the world of Middle Earth?

I am not sure that the novel implies any sort of heirarchy between races - there is no information given of how races are viewed in relation to their being superior to other races. However, your question does raise an interesting theme of the story which is explored in its pages, particularly in the second half, which deals with the presentation of race.

This novel does focus on the difference between the major races. Each race have their own characteristics - physical, moral and psychological. Note too how races are grouped by the simplistic terms "good" and "evil". All goblins and Wargs are evil, and elves, dwarves and men are good. You might also want to think about races and their relation to nature. The "good" races are depicted as living at harmony with nature whereas the evil races pit themselves against the forces of nature. Consider the eagles' decision to join the "good" side at the end of the novel, for example. Thus race is of course a vitally important concept in the novel, and Tolkien gives us carefully detailed and individual races with their own separate and easily-discernable characteristics, but there is no sense of heirarchy implied apart from a simplistic grouping of races into two categories: good and evil.

Describe the changing status of HRM. What factors have led to these changeshuman resource management

The role and status of human resources management (HRM) has evolved over the years with increasing realization of the importance of effective use of human resources in achieving high levels of efficiency and effectiveness in any organization.

The HRM function in early twentieth century had a humble beginning as a clerical function record, analyse, and present data and information required for payment of wages to the workmen and for other similar routine work. Slowly the the role of this function expanded help managers in some the activities connected with maintaining discipline among workers. They also started providing help in activities such as recruitment, performance evaluation, and pay fixation. At this stage the person heading this function was called labour officer or personnel officer.

With increasing activities of labour unions the role of the personnel function was expanded to cover handling the various routine issues related with labour union. This role got expanded to include greater participation in formulation of plans and strategy to deal with labour unions. They also undertook the responsibility for monitoring the general industrial relations environment and participating in negotiations with labour union.This function was generally called industrial; relations functions.

Over a period the role of this function started to become more proactive, advising the the supervisors and managers on appropriate ways of handling discipline issues. Up to this time this function was labeled as personnel management. But beyond this some personnel managers, aided by experts from the field of behavior sciences, started to take much more active role looking at ways of improving contribution to the total organizational efforts. This resulted in new insights in to areas such as recruitment, training, motivation and team working. With this the personnel department were gradually recognized as important source of help in improving the contribution of employees towards organizational effectiveness in many different ways. In recognition of this the function was renamed as HRM.

Like all different business functions the HRM function also continues to evolve and improve.

What digits from 1-9 make a true satement you can only use each number once and you have to do it in this order: __ /__ x__+__x__x__/__+__x__= 100

There is solution without bringing in extra mathematical operations  like brackets or paranthesis  but only with the given operations and given order of operations.The simplication of the solution is also strictly without disobaying the priority levels of operations in mathematics.

Only difficulty here  is it is a good exercise to go by trial and error method and try  and closing in towards a the solution.

The solution is : 8/1*4+2*3*5/6+7*9=100. It means by PEMDAS or PEDMAS  an expression like, ab/c  + def/g + hi  in algebra , where a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i can be any of the the values 1 to 9 without repetetion. As in algebra it can be treated as 3 terms with connector, +  summing to 100.

There are 3 terms on the left: 8/1*4 with a connector, + and followed by 2*3*5/6 with another connector, + and followed by 7*9.

Do the simplication operatios by PEMDAS (or PEDMAS)  priority :

First term: 8*1/4 = 32.

Second term :2*3*5/6= 5.

Third term:7*9=63

Therefore the sum (of the terms by PEDMAS) : 32+5+63=100.

So,8*1/4+2*3*5/6+7*9=100.

Hope this helps.

What major conflicts developed in Chapters 19 through 35 of "Pride and Prejudice"?

The major conflicts that develop in the range of chapters that you are asking about have to do with the relationships of Jane and Elizabeth Bennett.

Elizabeth receives a proposal of marriage from Mr. Colllins, a proposal that she adamdantly will not accept no matter how it will help her family to keep their home in the future.

Elizabeth rejects Mr. Collins, her cousin, who is a silly man, but then feels a sense of remorse about allowing a proposal of marriage to get away.

Jane, who has fallen in love with Charles Bingley and believes that he cares equally about her, is shocked to discover that the Bingley party has left Netherfield in a great hurry.

Jane is left to wonder why Charles and his party left for London. This creates a conflict for Jane who does not understand why her romance with Charles did not work out.

Jane goes to London with her Aunt and Uncle only to be ignored by the Bingleys which deepens her feelings of rejection.

Elizabeth, back home, goes to visit Charlotte Lucas who is now Mrs. Collins and encounters Mr. Darcy and Lady Catherine DeBourgh. Her visit to the Collins creates a new conflict for her because Darcy hastily proposes marriage to Lizzie, a proposal that she refuses, shocking Darcy.

Elizabeth will not accept Darcy because she believes him to be an arrogant, superior, pompous individual without a heart. She has learned that he advised Charles Bingley that he though Jane did not care for him and that is the  reason that he left the country so quickly.  Elizabeth is furious at Darcy, creating a conflict between the two, Darcy is in love with her.

Towards the end of the novel, a new and serious conflict is created by Lydia who runs away with Mr. Wickham.  This conflict, a scandal that can ruin the family name, is very serious and involves Mr. Bennet, Uncle Gardiner and eventually Mr. Darcy.

Resolving this conflict is very important to the plot of the novel.  It is through Darcy's efforts to save her family that Elizabeth realizes that she was wrong about him.  She comes to understand that she really does love him, which creates another conflict, because she has refused his proposal and does not know if she will ever see him again.

Darcy's actions on behalf of Lydia and the Bennet family are very important in bringing a resolution to the above conflicts. But Elizabeth has one more conflict to deal with in the person of Lady Catherine Debourgh who confronts her about the rumor that she heard that Elizabeth was engaged to her nephew, Mr. Darcy.

It is through this conflict that Darcy becomes aware of the fact that Elizabeth might still be interested in him, which leads to Darcy coming back to the country to ask Elizabeth to marry him and to Jane and Charles Bingley being reunited as well.

In "The Dead," why does Gabriel suddenly feel passion for his wife? What triggers it?

"The Dead" is the final story in James Joyce's "The Dubliners," a collection of short stories about Joyce's beloved Ireland, an Ireland he felt was crippled by its "spiritual paralysis." In the introduction to this book, Terence Brown of Trinity College in Ireland writes,

...the detail of Joyce's art is not simply the realist's involvement with a congeries of fact as a reflection ...of a world which palpably exists before and after the act of literary composition...but the strategy of a symbolist who believed that the given in the hands of an artist would speak its own radiant if disturbingly uncomfortable truths about the world....In Dubliners Joyce chooses to re-embody the details of a Dublin life he knew intimately  in a context ...to compose an interpretative statement about the city as a whole.

In Joyce's story "The Dead," the living are not in control; the setting is a night for the ghosts.  Gabriel himself is the son of the dead sister Ellen of his two aunts.  His conversation with Molly Ivors is on the subject of the dying language of the Irish, Gaellic and the loss of interest in the Irish culture. Symbols such as the handing of a coin to the housekeeper by Gabriel  suggests the pettiness of their lives.

As the guests leave Julia and Kate Morikan's annual holiday party, Gabriel does not go to the door with the others; instead, he sees his wife leaning on the banisters of the stairway as she listens to a distant singing voice (Mr. D'Arcy's).

He asked himself what is a woman standing on the stairs in the shadow, listening to distant music, a symbol of.

Caught in the aesthetic of the moment, Gabriel imagines that if he were a painter he would paint a picture in lights and shadows of his wife and call it Distant Music. When someone closes the door, he can better hear and notices that the song is in "the old Irish tonality and the singer seemed uncertain both of his words and of his voice."  [This suggests the lost of Irish heritage.]

After this experience, "Moments of their secret life together burst like stars upon his memory" and his passion for his wife is rekindled.  When they return to their hotel room, Gariel wishes to express his passion for his wife, but, ironically, she tells him of her "moments of a secret life" in which a young man loved her passionately and even died for her unrequited love.

When Gabriel learns that Greta is in love with a dead man, and not him, he experiences the Joycean "epiphany":

He saw himself as a ludicrous figure, acting as a pennyboy for his aunts, a nervous well-meaning sentimentalist,...and idealising his own clownish lusts, the pitiable fatuous fellow he had caught a glimpse of in the mirror.

Realizing that he cannot love Greta as her boy did, his condescension to her earlier is replaced by an admiration, but Gabriel feels himself entering the world of the dead--"moving westward"--the secrecies of consciousness where the world seems a mere trace, a shadow with the incertitudes in the dead.

What kind of morality, if any, do you find in "Roman Fever"?

A Victorian morality exists in the older women who vacation in Rome.  Both have their "little secrets" that they have kept all these years of their "intimate" friendship in which they have "visualized each other, each through the wrong end of her little telescope.

Ironically, in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever," Mrs. Spade finds Mrs. Ansley "old-fashioned" as she knits calmly during the Roman sunset.  Yet, it is Mrs. Ansley who commits the sin of adultery with the fiance of Mrs. Spade, but, with Victorian morality, Mrs. Ansley has covered her shame by having married the man who is now her husband, she has hidden her shame from her daughter Barbara who has the last name of Ansley, and she has kept her indiscretion in Rome to herself.

Nonetheless, even Mrs. Ansley is not cleansed of her iniquities.  For, although she has atoned for her indiscretions, she harbors resentment for her old rival who caused her to contract the Roman fever by forging the letter inviting her to the Forum at night, the night that Barbara was conceived.  This rival, in turn, is envious of Mrs. Ansley's for having more vivacious children than she and is still jealous of her for spending that one night with her husband. In the old location of their sins, the two women finally reveal themselves to each other. Mrs. Spade admits,

I found out--and I hated you, hated you.  So in a blind fury I wrote that letter....I don't know why I'm telling you now.

Mrs. Ansley knows.  She responds, "I suppose...it's because you've gone on hating me."  She, then, admits to the importance that the letter has held for her throughout her life.  But, she tells Mrs. Spade, "I'm sorry for you" and she delivers the coup de grace to the wrath of Mrs. Spade:  "I had Barbara."

In the setting of Rome away from Victorian England, the two women recall the passions of their first Roman holiday, and in the warmth of a foreign land, they drop the veneer of their English primness and speak truths to each other.

Why does Bull call himself "The Great Santini"?

Pat Conroy's novel about racism in the South and a warrior without a war, The Great Santini tells the story of Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur "Bull" Meecham--a first class fighter pilot who has virtually no skills as a father. The reader discovers that Col. Meecham has received the nickname "Bull" because of his bulldog tenacity, but Conroy never explains how Meecham acquires "The Great Santini" moniker. The father gives himself the nickname, but there is no reason or explanation ever given. Conroy supposedly based the character on his own father.

The novel was made into an outstanding film of the same name starring Robert Duvall (as "Bull" Meecham), who received an Oscar nomination as Best Actor. 

(6x-8) - (5x+9) =3solve for x

grumpybear -- You know how to do the distributive property I would assume . . so you will use it to get rid of the paratheses in the problem.

Is there anything in front of the first set of ()'s?  This would make them a little unneccessary . . so just drop them. 

Now in front of the second set is only a - . . .think of this as a -1 (because there is always an invisible 1 if there is nothing in that spot, right?)  So, distribute the -1 into the second set of ()'s.  Now you will have . . .

6x - 8 - 5x - 9 = 3  -->  {-1(5x) + -1(9) = -5x - 9}

from here, combine like terms (x's with other x's & #'s with other #'s) on the same side of the equal sign.

6x - 5x = 1x or just x (there's the invisible 1 again)

-8 - 9 = -17

so . .

x - 17 = 3      This is looking a little easier to handle right!

   +17     +17    add 17 to both sides to cancel it from the x

x        =  20

Distributing the negative problems (like this one) can be a little tricky.  Remember to check your answers to make sure you are right . . .use your calculator to make it quick and easy to check . . .

(6*20 - 8) - (5*20 + 9) = ?

(112) - (109) = 3

In The Scarlet Pimpernel why is it ironic that Bibot thinks he will be the one to capture the Scarlet Pimpernel?

The irony in the expectations that Bibot has of catching The Scarlet Pimpernel is that despite his intense efforts and close eye, the Scarlet Pimpernel escapes, right underneath his very nose.  Bibot prides himself on his vigilant capture of any escapees; he is confident that the elusive and enigmatic Pimpernel will never escape his clutches.  The irony is that even as he is bragging about this, the man himself slides right on by, without Bibot even suspecting.  The Scarlet Pimpernel did have an ingenius disguise; he was dressed as an old "hag," or woman, with a bundle of diseased joy in the back of her cart.

So, the joke is on Bibot; his ego is taken down a notch, and the Pimpernel wins yet another victory on Bibot's watch.  I hope that helped; good luck!

What time period in history does Thing Fall Apart take place? What is a major event that happened around this time?

The influx of Christianity into the villages more in the interior of Africa is likely the best clue as to the time period, indicating that it is likely sometime around the late 1800s as that was the time that the majority of missionaries arrived and began to establish Christian outposts in many of the villages.

If you look in the book, it is in the second part of the book, around chapters 16-25 that the Christian church is built after they obtain a piece of land in the forbidden forest and begin to convert villagers and build up a presence in the village.

Historically they began to run the school system and found this to be another effective way to undermine the Ibo culture and strengthen their own influence.

In "The Most Dangerous Game," in which sea has Connell set Ship-Trap Island?

Although author Richard Connell never specifically identifies the body of water through which Sanger Rainsford sails in "The Most Dangerous Game," he alludes to it early in the story. As Rainsford and Whitney discuss their voyage and the upcoming hunt, Rainsford comments on the darkness of the night.

"You've good eyes," said Whitney, with a laugh," and I've seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards, but even you can't see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night."

The "moonless Caribbean night" identifies the body of water as the Caribbean Sea. The two men continue discussing their next hunt, where 

"It will be light enough in Rio," promised Whitney. "We should make it in a few days... We should have some good hunting up the Amazon.

From the Caribbean, they will apparently sail along the Atlantic coast on their way to South America and to Rio de Janeiro, after which they plan to hunt along the Amazon River.

Who are the main characters in The Scarlet Ibis?

The main characters are Doodle and Brother.  Ironically, neither one uses his actual name during the story.  Doodle has a real name—William Armstrong—but his brother says it is the kind of name that “sounds good only on a tombstone.”

Brother is seven years older than Doodle.  When the baby is born, he nicknames him Doodle because he crawls backwards.  Doodle is a disappointment to him, and he is embarrassed by him.

There is inside me (and with sadness I have seen it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love. And at times I was mean to Doodle.

The narrator comments on how he showed his brother his coffin and made him cry.  He also forced him to walk, and tried to teach him to swim when he was afraid.  Brother’s efforts sometimes improved Doodle’s quality of life, but they also added to the danger in his weakened condition and eventually to his death.

Why is Eliezer's father denied medical care at Buchenwald?

A major reason why Eliezer's father was denied medical care was because of his age.  The guards did not want to spend supposedly valuable time caring for "nonessential" prisoners.  Being an old man and in a very bad condition, the guards displayed even more of a dismissive attitude towards helping him.  At this particular point in the work, the Nazi guards were feeling the pressure of the Allied forces and knew that they were going to be driven out or captured very soon.  This caused them to display even more of a harsh and brutal attitude towards those who had the unfortunate distinction of being with them.  Eliezer's father is an example of having to endure this brutal treatment.

In Nothing but the Truth, what does Dr. Seymour tell Jennifer Stewart about the rule forbidding the singing of the national anthem?When she calls...

When reporter Jennifer Stewart calls Superintendant Albert Seymour to find out about the rule forbidding the singing of the national anthem, he tells her unequivocably that the Harrison School District has no such rule.

In fact, the district has a rule that students are to "stand at respectful, silent attention" during the daily playing of the national anthem over the intercom. To say that this rule translates into a ban on the singing of the anthem is a distortion of the truth, but Ms. Stewart's phrasing of the question is misleading, and Dr. Seymour, concerned about the image of the school in the wake of budget negotiations, immediately becomes defensive that she should even ask such a thing. Neither party takes the time to listen or explain the ramifications of what has been said, and the result is a news story that is damaging to all parties involved.

The account of the conversations between Ms. Stewart and Dr. Seymour and other members of the school administration highlights the unscrupulousness of news reporters who seek "facts" to support their own version of the truth, a version that will give rise to the greatest public interest. It also exposes the influence of politics on the actions taken by school administrators, and emphasizes most of all the danger of communication that is either lacking or less than honest and straighforward (Chapter 13).

An important idea in the story "Games at Twilight" is that the childish games are...?

"Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai is a touching and very well-written account of Ravi, who learns a profound life lesson while playing a classic child's game of Hide 'N' Seek.  The story recounts, in detail, Ravi's excitement at having found an excellent hiding place, his giddy anticipation at emerging triumphant and all-glorious after beating out the bully Raghu, who was the seeker.  Unfortunately, he daydreams a bit too long, and by the time he emerges, the other children have moved on--they have completely forgotten about him.  It is at this point that Desai inserts the profound and moving lesson that Ravi learns that day:

"The ignominy of being forgotten—how could he face it?...He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance."

So, to finish the sentence given above, there are several different possibilities.  You could try "the childish games are actually training grounds for coping with disappointment in later life."  This reflects how Ravi is being exposed to disappointment through a game, which will give him experience with it in future, real-life encounters.  Another possibility is that "the childish games are a microcosm of real life, representing many aspects that children will enounter as adults." Consider Raghu, a representative for every mean, unfair bully that you might meet in the workplace or in everyday life.  Consider Ravi's foolish and vain day-dreaming, a symbol of the frailty and uselessness of vanity.  Consider the crowd of children, who forgot him, symbolic of how most life moves on very quickly, even when you are upset.  The entire game with its characters and events can correlate to real-life situations people enounter.

Those are just a couple possibilities of ways to finish off that sentence, and I hope that they help to get your wheels turning.  Good luck!

What are some major decisions made by the men and women featured in Into Thin Air?

Because you are discussing a nonfiction work in which real people's deaths are portrayed, most of the major decisions made in the work are life or death decisions.  Here are several:

1. Krakauer states that there are many inexperienced climbers on Mt. Everest during this climb, and as his team leader makes the decision to reach the summit, Krakauer wonders if this is a wise move.  His question comes from the news that high winds and a storm are approaching, and since it takes at least 12 hours to reach the summit from the last camp, the author is skeptical that they will have time to summit and get down safely.  As readers, we know, of course, that this ends up being the most costly decision made in Into Thin Air. 

2.  Guides and other climbers must make the decision to stay with stranded climbers.  Rob Hall, a guide, heroically stays with one of his climbers, and when the climber dies, Hall does not have enough oxygen or orientation to come down the mountain.  He ends up giving up his own life.  Additionally, as climbers pass Beck Weathers lying in the snow, they decide that he is too far gone to try to help him back to camp; some even assume that he is already dead.  Miraculously, Weathers does blindly make it to camp and doesn't blame others for leaving him, but one wonders if the climbers question their other decisions to leave behind people on the mountain.

These are the most significant choices portrayed in the book; but of course, you could also go back to climbers' decisions in the first place to attempt to conquer Mount Everest.

Is "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold a descriptive poem or a meditative one?

Can't it be both?  Matthew Arnold, in his poem "Dover Beach," is highly descriptive AND meditative.  You can see his descriptiveness as he relays the beautiful scene out his window.  He describes the moonlight as "fair," the cliffs as "glimmering," the coast as "gleaming," the land "moon-blanched," the waves as having a "tremulous cadence," and the night air as being "sweet."  His descriptiveness in that first stanza is so detailed and poetic that it is easy for the reader to imagine the beautiful scene out of his window.

From here on out, the descriptiveness does not stop, but, Arnold becomes more meditative.  Instead of just describing the scene in front of him, Arnold also describes his thoughts as he ponders the scene.  The scene is a sad one to him, reminding him of an "eternal note of sadness."  His meditations then move on to the ancient Sophocles, whose plays also reflected "the turbid ebb and flow of human misery."  If the poem were merely descriptive, Arnold would not be pondering anything at all, and would have just described the scene.  But he goes further, and relates his cynical viewpoint on life, that he mulls over as he looks out his window.  From Sophocles he mourns the fact that he feels "The Sea of Faith" and its "long withdrawing roar" that leaves the world empty and devoid of any goodness.  The world as he knows it, though filled with idyllic views from windows, has no "joy...love...light...certitude...peace...help for pain."  He ends the poem with a glimmer of hope, a plea to his loved one to "be true to one another," as it might be the only thing that can save them from the "darkling plain" of the world.

Arnold's poem uses beautiful descriptions to set the scene, and to more poetically express his meditations as he sits at his window.  It is both highly descriptive AND meditative.  I hope that these thoughts helped; good luck!

How can Ch.7 of Ethan Frome be considered the climax of the novel?

Chapter 7 is generally not identified as the novel's climax since Ethan Frome belongs to modern American literature, but if you were to examine it as such, you should consider Shakespeare's dramatic structure in his tragedies. The dramatic climax of the play occurs in Act III of a Shakespearean tragedy when the tide turns against the hero. In Act IV, the hero struggles valiantly but unsuccessfully to reverse his fortunes, and in Act V he meets his fate and is destroyed.

When viewed in this context, Chapter 7 could be interpreted as the novel's climax because tide turns against Ethan at this point. Zeena returns from seeing the doctor with the news that she has "complications," needs a hired girl to do all her work, and intends to send Mattie away, immediately. This leads to the first quarrel between Zeena and Ethan in their marriage, and it is nearly violent. Ethan is devasted by the idea that he will lose Mattie in his life, and he feels a burning hatred toward Zeena. He refuses to consent. At the end of the chapter, Zeena finds the mended pickle dish. Anger, loss, bitterness, and resentment overwhelm her, all of which she turns upon Mattie. There is no doubt at the conclusion of Chapter 7 that Zeena will put Mattie out of the house. The subject is closed, and Ethan's tragic fate is sealed. When viewed in terms of Shakespeare's structure, Chapter 7 serves as the dramatic climax in this novel, just as Act III contains the dramatic climax in one of his tragedies.

Moreover, the remainder of the novel falls into place as the narrative equivalents of Acts IV and V in one of his dramas. Ethan's fate is sealed, but he struggles valiantly to overturn it. He makes a plan to leave with Mattie, realizes he lacks enough money to support both women, and decides to get the money due him from Hale. This attempt fails, but he struggles on until the "smash-up," which destroys Mattie's body and spirit. In her destruction Ethan's own is realized.

What lesson is learned from the pilot and the prince in Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince?

The most important lesson we learn from the pilot and the prince is that it is the things unseen that are most important. The pilot's drawing of a boa constrictor from the outside digesting an elephant was imperative to the pilot because it contained a secret, the enclosed elephant. The prince's fox teaches him that "what is essential is invisible to the eye" (Ch. 17). The prince looks longingly up at the sky and found the stars to be beautiful because up among the millions of stars was his own planet holding his precious flower that cannot be seen, as we see in his line, "The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen" (Ch. 24). When the prince and the pilot go out in search of a well, the prince calls the desert beautiful because "somewhere it hides a well" (Ch. 24). Finally, the pilot, even though the prince is physically beautiful, finds the prince to be exceptionally beautiful because of what's inside the prince, such as his heart, his wisdom, and his faithful love for a flower that can't be seen, as we see the pilot reflecting in his lines as he carries the prince through the desert in search of a well:

What I see here is nothing but a shell. What is most important is invisible ... What moves me so deeply ... is his loyalty to a flower. (Ch. 24)

Hence we see that the most important lesson the pilot and the prince teach us is that it is the things unseen, the spiritual world of love and faithfulness, that is important, rather than the corporeal world.

This is totally what you think, not what the book says. Do YOU think Bella should stay human or become vampire?

I think Bella has no other choice than to become a vampire, if she wants to be with Edward forever.  In a normal human existence, a married couple will grow old together over a period of years, but Bella will never have that because of Edward's vampire status.  The alternative to becoming a vampire is to grow old and eventually look like Edward's grandmother; although Edward says he will always want to be with Bella no matter what she looks like, this is not an alternative Bella wishes to contemplate, much less experience.  Of course, Edward resists the idea of Bella changing over because he doesn't want to deny her the world of experiences she will have as a human being; he also recognizes that once Bella has changed, it is irrevocable.  However, for Bella, this step into immortality is not an option, but something she needs to do to be with Edward forever as an equal-opportunity vampire. 

In the book/play "Miracle Worker" by William Gibson, why do Annie's nightmares stop?

Anne Sullivan's first job was taking care of the wild Helen Keller; she left the Perkins Institue where she had been a pupil (Anne herself was partially blind) to become Helen's governess.  Annie's life had not been a happy one.  Among other things, she had always blamed herself for her younger brother's death.  She is only able to come to terms with her painful past and end the nightmares when she finally reaches Helen and promises to love her "forever and ever," just as she had once promised her brother Jimmie. 

In Night, Chapter 8, Does Eliezer feel guilt as his father dies? Why?

Eliezer feels more of a relief when his father dies.  By this point in the work, Eliezer's struggle to survive has taken such an encompassing hold on him that the death of his father is seen in survivalist terms.  Eliezer believes that it will be easier for him to live in the camp without having to worry or tend to his father.  Additionally, given the fact that his father was in such dire physical condition, Eliezer will no longer have to expend energy and care in tending to him.  If there is guilt, it is in the feelings of not having any guilt, especially given the promise he made earlier that he was going to do his best to maintain the bonds between he and his father and not break them.

It should not be read, I don't think, as Eliezer has become unfeeling or selfish.  A concept brought out throughout Night is that the horror of the Holocaust was in its betrayal between people, and that in certain conditions, bonds of loyalty are quickly broken between individuals.  The traditional belief is that people always rise to their own sense of best during harsh conditions.  Yet, Wiesel is astute to point out that the real terror of the Holocaust was that sometimes the best of nature is not revealed, but actually the worst.  Recall the previous scenes how people stepped and fought over each other for a piece of bread.  Seeing this is where the real horror of the Holocaust lay.  In recognizing this, Wiesel is making an earnest plea that such a condition, in any form, must be defeated and opposed at any and all costs.  In another portion of the book and later on in his life,  Wiesel recalls an incident from his own life where he saw a woman throwing coins at children who were fighting one another to obtain them.  When he asked her why she does it, she responds, "I like to give to charity."  In presenting this image, the reader is confronted with the understanding that human indifference and savagery might have been a condition of life during the Holocaust.  Yet, the only salvation from such a period has to be the changing of moral behavior and lessons from it.  When this woman throws coins to see children fight and responds with her supposed "love of charity," Wiesel might be saying that this might be on the same level of repugnance as what was experienced during the death camps.

What is the internal conflict for Zaroff?

There are quite a few conflicts that the characters are faced with in this short story. Zaroff's major internal conflict stems from the fact that he no longer enjoys hunting animals.  Zaroff's internal conflict is that he does not see the challenge in hunting animals and needs to find a more intelligent type of prey to hunt -- for him this prey becomes man.  The internal conflict then becomes -- does he hunt man or does he continue to hunt something that he does not see a point in hunting.  Zaroff obviously makes the decision to hunt man. 

Compare and contrast the real-life Walter Mitty with his imaginary counterparts.

In Walter Mitty, the author James Thurber has created an Everyman. Henpecked by his wife and beaten down by life, Mitty is a middle-aged man trying to navigate the challenges of ordinary life, with little success. Nagged constantly by his wife and mocked by others he encounters in the course of his mundane existence, Mitty retreats into a fantasy world of extraordinary events.

In his imagination, Mitty becomes a daring combat pilot, a uniquely skilled surgeon called in to consult on a puzzling medical case, and a brilliant lawyer whose eloquence saves the day in a tense courtroom drama. In all of these fantasies, Mitty is the hero, a sharp contrast to the little failures of his real life. Indeed, it is exactly that contrast that gives Mitty relief from the humiliation of his day-to-day existence.

What is the resistance?In Lois Lowry's novel Number the Stars, what is "the resistance"?

During the second World War, some people in occupied countries such as France, The Netherlands, and Denmark resisted Nazi forces. These brave men and women met secretly and planned ways to thwart the German army's efforts to round up Europe's Jews and others.

Many of the techniques described in Lowry's book are historically accurate. Denmark in particular was highly successful in protecting its Jewish population, both by transporting Jews out of the country and hiding them in their homes.  Sadly, many in the resistance paid for their bravery with their lives, as Peter and Anne Marie's sister do in the story.

I need to write an essay on swine flu. What are some good tips to get started?It needs to be original and about swine flu.

This is a very big topic, and I think your biggest task is to narrow your focus.  You will have no difficulty finding plenty of materials in your research.  What aspect of swine flu might you want to discuss?  The topic can be viewed from a public health perspective, for example, focusing on what public health officials have done to prevent the spread of the disease.  Even that might be narrowed to focus on what was done in Mexico, or in the USA, for example. Perhaps you want to focus on how the media handled information about the flu.  Did the media make things worse?  Or did their reporting reassure people? Another possible focus might be what actions people should take to protect themselves.  You could also discuss the biology of the disease, its combination of human, swine,and avian flu, and the possibilities for mutation. As you can see, there are many ways to approach this subject.

No matter what aspect of swine flu you choose to talk about, you will need to provide some background information on the flu, assuming that readers don't know much about it.  This can be accomplished briefly in an introduction, or it can be accomplished in a separate paragraph, right after the introduction. 

Decide what approach you want to take, and what points you want to make.  Each point should be made in a separate paragraph.  Those paragraphs are the "meat" in your "sandwich," with an introduction and conclusion holding your sandwich together.

When you offer your reader quotations, information, or ideas that you found through your research, you will need to provide in-text citations to let the reader know your sources, and a final page listing your references or works cited.  Check with your teacher to see if you are supposed to use MLA or APA form.  I have given you links to learn how to use both, if you are not familiar with these. 

Do individuals have any power over what they become or are their characters entirely determined by static factors such as family and race?

This is a large question. You will have to decide what side you are on. Basically, it deals with both "nature" versus "nurture" and "free will" versus " determinism." How much control or power does our environment have to shape our character, and how much of who we are are we born with?

Most people today will say that we are influenced by both nature (how we are when we are born) and nurture (what influences our environment has had).

Ask any mother, and she will say her children had definite personalities that they seemed to have from birth.This is like saying we have a "genetic predisposition" towards certain things, that some of our personality is "hard wired" into our genes. (Why is Johnny so happy all the time? He was born that way...)

On the other hand, much in our society is organized around the belief that environment can influence our personality and our actions. We care about pre-natal care because we don't want a child's options to be shut down before he or she is born (as is the case with severe fetal alcohol syndrome, for instance) and we read to our children because we think that that will make them smarter. Early psychologists actually believed that we could program a child to be anything we want her to be just by controlling her environment from the years 1 to 5.

This brings us to the question of free will, and whether or not we have any power to shape the person we will become. The most honest answer to this question is that we are both a product of our environment and a free agent with the power to decide for ourselves who and what we want to be.

Bilbo was not very adventurous by nature. As a hobbit, he was more excited about meal time than travel. Had Gandalf believed that people did not have the power to alter their nature, he might not have approached Bilbo. It is difficult to say whether or not Bilbo already possessed the courage and the character he developed over the course of the adventure. Perhaps it was always there within him; however, it might never have emerged had he not been in an environment that allowed it to grow.

How can persuasive language be used in a positive and negative way to influence people ?Similar to what happened with the Nazis and Hitler.

In its own right, language is a powerful element.  History has demonstrated that when words are articulated into certain settings, they can have great impact on individuals, nations, and civilizations.  We can see this with great orators and writers.  To a large extent, we can also see this with Hitler and the rise of Nazism in the 1930s.  Hitler utilized persuasive language as a method to tap into a reservoir of anger and frustration along wit a perceived sense of unfairness that many Germans felt, but could not articulated.  Persuasive language attempts to do this, as it hopes to speak a shared or common experience that will build bonds between speaker and audience.  In the case of Nazism, this solidarity was formed at the expense of demonizing "the other."  Hitler and the Nazis were able to persuade people by appealing to Germans' national sense of identity and honor, and articulating a vision of an idyll setting when compared to the dire condition of post War Germany.  Through the use of idealistic and persuasive language, Hitler and the Nazis were able to convince Germans that they were the victims of conspiracy and manipulation in order to advance their own agendas.  Persuasive language is most effective when it is able to articulate the painful predicament of a group of people, and then offer a way to evade such an agonizing condition.  Certainly, in this way, Hitler and the Nazis were able to galvanize the people of Germany to actively endorse and support the Nazi ideology.

Persuasive language is exactly that- persuasive.  It can mobilize and motivate individuals to accept a vision from a leader or person in the position of power.  Hitler and the Nazis were an example of how this can be done for malevolent purposes or intent.  There are situations where persuasive language resonates in the mind's eye of history as it appeals to a transformative notion of reality that posits what can be as opposed to what is.  Certainly, Hitler and the Nazis and their followers would suggest that this was their end in the utilization of persuasive language.  However, history, as well as the many individuals who died as a result of such language, might have a different opinion on this.

How did Matt Gordon try to protect his son from Rose's rage in Flowers for Algernon?Why did Matt fail to do it?

Charlie has many memories of his father, Matt Gordon, trying to protect him from his mother Rose.  When Charlie was in early elementary school and was struggling, Rose refused to give up on the idea that her son was normal, and ignored the recommendations of teachers who wanted to put him in a special class.  Instead, she mercilessly pushed him to do things he could not do.  Matt tried to stick up for young Charlie, asking Rose, "Why can't you let yourself see the truth?", but to no avail (April 28).  After Norma was born, Rose changed her attitude, focusing all her hopes on her daughter and wanting Charlie out of her life.  As she grew up, Norma picked up on her mother's manipulative ways and, like Rose, treated Charlie; Matt continued to try to defend his son, as illustrated when Norma demanded a dog for getting good grades (June 5), but he was ineffectual in the face of his wife's and daughter's histrionics.

Although Matt was the one person in Charlie's family who "had been willing to take (him) as he (was)" (June 20), he was just not strong enough to stand up effectively to his wife.  Charlie remembers Rose as "always fluttering like a big, white bird...around my father, and he too heavy and tired to escape her pecking...Dan massive and slumped, Mom thin and quick" (April 28).Rose's power over Matt extended beyond issues involving Charlie; because she had told him "she would never have a barber for a husband", Matt gave up his dream of owning his own business while he was married to her and stayed in a job he absolutely despised (June 20).  Rose was "used to having her way through hysteria" (June 15).  On the day that Matt finally caved in and took Charlie away to be placed in an institution, he did so because she was threatening to kill the child with a kitchen knife (June 20).