What is female agency?Yes. The term "female agency", as used in the above question has to do with feminism.

I would define female agency as the active role of the female in a particular genre or endeavor.  Traditionally,women have had little agency in most cultures.  

A good example of the increase in female agency in the mystery genre is the protagonist of Sue Grafton's "alphabet" detective series.  Kinsey Milhone is a female detective in a publishing world of largely male detectives.  She makes things happen, usually, as opposed to languishing while she waits for a male to make things happen.  Since Kinsey came onto the scene, we have seen the advent of many more female detectives with "agency," whether or not they actually have an agency. :)

In a law firm, there has also been an increase in feminine agency.  Traditionally, there were few if any females in law firms, but civil rights legislation opened this door for many females.  Initially, women simply got their foot in the door, but had no agency to speak of.  As time went on, though, we began to see female partners, female managing partners and female rainmakers, women who make things happen. 

If women band together to boycott a product or service, or to effectuate political or social change, they are acting with agency, too.  Women getting the vote and women effectuating a change to allow them control over their own bodies vis-à-vis reproductive rights are examples of this agency. 

When women are in charge of making things happen, when they can affect the world around them, we say they have agency. 

According to Mond in "Brave New World", why can’t man be independent?

Near the end of "Brave New World," in chapter 17, Mustapha Mond gives quite a detailed and fascinating dissertation to John the "Savage," explaining the reasoning behind the society that has been created for all "civilized" folks in the world.  He discusses how mankind doesn't need God or religion, how knowledge is dangerous, and how productive citizens are programmed to be happy, content, and keep their place in the world.

One of the reasons that Mond gives for why mankind should not be independent is that because if they are independent, if they do think for themselves, then they become restless and cause chaos in society.  They, as he puts it,

"would upset the whole social order if [they] started doing things on their own."

If they are left to choose how to do things independently, making their own choices about what they thought was the best way to expend their energy in society, then "social order" would be lost.  Society would be dynamic, volatile, and exist outside of "controllable" possibilities.  This, for a government craving ultimate power and production, is trouble.  So, to keep people in their society from being independent, and from having the power to make their own choices, they program them from conception to think certain thoughts, crave certain things, perform at a certain level, and behave in certain ways.  They make sure that a lot of soma is available to become dependent on for an escape from any potential woes, and provide all of the necessary distractions that keep them from being alone and ponderous.  They encourage group activities, refusing to endorse solitary pursuits that might lead to being able to be on one's own and be happy.  All of these things foster human beings that are completely dependent upon their programming and society to dictate their behavior and thoughts.  No rebellion, no individuality, no uniqueness or individual expression.  And this, according to Mond, creates the wonderful, blissful existence in which he plays such a large role.

I hope that those thoughts helped a bit; good luck!

What is Orlick's role and significance in Great Expectations?

I suspect that Charles Dickens invented Orlick because he intended to use him in a future installment to attempt to murder Pip's sister. This would lead to Biddy's coming to live and work as housekeeper and nurse in the Gargary household, and it would eventually lead to Joe marrying Biddy when Mrs. Joe finally died as a result of the injuries inflicted by Orlick. The assailant remains a mystery for a long time. Then in Chapter 53, when he has lured Pip to an isolated rendezvous and is preparing to kill him, Orlick reveals the truth.

“I come upon her from behind, as I come upon you to-night. I giv' it her! I left her for dead, and if there had been a lime-kiln as nigh her as there is now nigh you, she shouldn't have come to life again."

Apparently Mrs. Joe never knew the identity of the man who had nearly killed her, since she had been attacked from behind. She was unable to speak for the remainder of her life, so she could not provide any information that would have been useful in deducing the killer's identity. Orlick was naturally suspected, but he seemed to have an alibi. He has no qualms about telling Pip how he nearly killed Pip's sister, since he expects his helpless victim to be dead in a matter of minutes.

Great Expectations was published in serial form in Charles Dickens's weekly periodical All the Year Round between December 1, 1860 and August 1861. Dickens was writing the novel as it was being published, and he probably did not know exactly how he would finally expose Orlick as the man who had nearly killed Joe's wife. But Dickens was a genius, and he undoubtedly knew that he would come up with some good scenes when the appropriate time arrived. In the meantime he could let his readers wait and wonder. It was questions such as this that kept Dickens's readers on both side of the Atlantic waiting breathlessly for the next installment.

In "Fahrenheit 451" what three examples of representative conversations are in this novel?

There are three types of representative conversations:  one that represents what type of society that people in Montag's society live in, one that represents how their society got to be that way, and one that describes the value of reading books and thinking.

The first representative conversation is had between Montag and Clarisse, in several different sessions as they run into each other as Montag comes home from work each day.  Clarisse informs Montag that at school, the kids are crammed with information and not allowed to ask questions, that kids don't talk or connect anymore, but instead go out and do violent things, often killing each other as a result, and that her family is considered different because they actually like each other and spend time talking to one another.  We learn that she is "antisocial" because she likes to question and think about things, and that there is no such thing as meditation, the arts, or finery anymore.  These bits of information, coming from Clarisse, let us know right off the bat what their society is like.

Next, Beatty comes and tells Montag how they became that way.  He informs him that it was a combination of mass media, trying to please large crowds without offending minorities, sheer laziness, political correctness, and government taking advantage of the situation.  This helps the reader to understand how their society came to be so mindless and shallow, and helps us to recognize similarities to our own society today, and draw lessons from those comparisons.

The last representative conversation that is had is between Faber and Montag.  Montag goes to him wanting to know why books are important.  Faber indicates that it is because they quality and depth to them, they give you space and room and encouragement to think things through for your own self, and that they prompt action as you act on what you have learned.  It is more what books help your brain to do--think independently, and to value life for what it is--than the actual paper and covers that is important.

These three conversations represent the themes and important messages that Bradbury wants to convey, that relate to the dangers of a brainwashed, mindless society as a result of over-entertaining and political correctness.  I hope that these thoughts helped; good luck!

What are mucus threads?

Mucus is usually found in urinary sediment and this forms mucus threads.  The reason for the presence of this mucus is not understood by medical personnel but some think that the mucus is to help protect us against infections.   Mucus is thick and can coat the walls of the urinary tract and protect from the harmful effects of chemical interactions.  The cells are found from the top of the urinary tract, the kidneys, down to the lower part of the tract, the bladder.  In older people there seems to be more mucus in the lower section of the urinary tract and doesn’t seem to be harmful.

"This is a common finding in urine since the entire urine system is filled with mucus."

What is the historical significance of "The Crucible"?

There are several aspects of this play of historical significance, the first being the reason it was written.  Arthur Miller wrote this as a counterattack for being forced to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956, at the height of the McCarthy/Red Scare era. The story of the witch-hunt at Salem was used as a framework for a moral assault on political witch-hunts.

The second significant aspect is that it brings an episode in American history to light that we should be aware of.  It is all too easy to believe the worst of others, and to be swayed by momentary feelings or simply bad ideas.  The people of Salem in the real witch trials went overboard by a long shot.

On the other hand, if we looks closely at the real incident and the records of the time we see another lesson.  The play is after all fictitious, not a true reporting of the events, and the characters are not at all historically accurate.  Abigail Williams and John Proctor did not have an affair, and she was not in love with him.  He was noted as a bad-tempered master who beat her.  Tituba and her husband, John, were not black but Carribean Indians, and they were slaves.  Tituba did teach some voudoun-like "magic" to the girls, and hysteria and guilt did the rest.  The clergy did not support the trials, and in fact they appealed to the governor to suspend the proceedings.  At least five of those executed traded on reputations of occult powers, and at least one freely admitted when first asked that she practiced witchcraft.  The barest outline of the Salem situation is used as a framework from which to hang a story of political hysteria and opportunism.

We tend to forget today that in the 17century most people believed in witchcraft, and witchcraft in fact was practiced widely in Europe and the colonies.  It may have no actual power, but to people who believe in it it's frightening.  Thousands were put to death in Europe in the same period, and there were witchcraft trials in New England before and after Salem.  So a third point of historic significance is that we must remember that however laudable the intent of fictionalizing history for entertainment, it does make the story fiction.  I strongly suggest reading Witchcraft at Salem by Chadwick Hansen, an exhaustive study of the records and history of the trials, and of how we ended up with the story as it is perceived today.

In "Hamlet," Act 4, how does Gertrude seek to shield Hamlet in this scene?

I'm not sure which act or scene you are referring to; you mention Act 4 in the question, and scene 4 in the question tags.  I will assume that you mean Act 4, scene 1...if I am wrong, then let me know and I can help you out with the appropriate scene.

Act 4 scene 1 is right after Hamlet has killed Polonius, and given a pretty hard verbal lashing to his mother.  Gertrude comes out of her room as Hamlet pulls the corpse of Polonius away. The king and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, and Gertrude asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to leave, so that she may speak privately with the king.  This is one way of shielding Hamlet; she doesn't want his doings and state of mind advertised everywhere, or his friends knowing what is going on.  She is trying to shield Hamlet from vicous gossip and rumors.  Gertrude further tries to shield her son by blaming his murder of Polonius on "his very madness," and that he feels bad and "weeps for what is done" (ll. 25-27). This helps paint Hamlet's murder in a more favorable light, and shields him from appearing to be a ruthless and cunning murderer.  The king has already expressed wariness and concern for Hamlet's state of mind, and now Hamlet has committed murder.  There could be serious consequences for them if this is known in the kingdom; the king's own nephew murdering one of the trusted advisors to the kingdom?  Awful!  And with Claudius so new to the throne, he wants to keep his reputation in tact.  Gertrude shields the potential fierceness of Claudius' reaction by blaming Hamlet's behavior on madness.  He couldn't help it, he is just crazy.  But he really does feel bad about it anyway...so go easy on him.

I hope that those thoughts help; good luck!

Is Rudyard Kipling's poem "The White Man's Burden" considered a fiction piece or non-fiction?

Kipling's poem "The White Man's Burden" can be considered either fictional or non-fictional depending on the particular message being considered and the perspective from which it is analyzed.

The most obvious answer is that the poem is fictional. "The White Man's Burden" presents imperialism in a highly romanticized form, almost monastic, where the sole motive is altruistic and even self-sacrificing benevolence:

Take up the White Man's burden --
No tawdry rule of kings,
But toil of serf and sweeper --
The tale of common things.
The ports ye shall not enter,
The roads ye shall not tread,
Go make them with your living,
And mark them with your dead!

The money-making and power politics that always provides the main foundation for imperialism is nowhere mentioned. Instead, there is the expensive and tedious "burden" assumed over "thankless years" of trying to "civilize" a pack of ungrateful cads:

Take up the White man's burden --
And reap his old reward:
The blame of those ye better,
The hate of those ye guard --

In reality, this construction of the motivations of imperialism, and its presumed good effects on those ruled, is a self-serving fiction. Empires are not, and have never been, charity concerns.

However, despite its highly romanticized take on empire-building, Kipling's poem also conveys some important truths. The first is that no matter how determined and (self-) righteous, "civilizers" can expect little thanks for their efforts. Kipling probably would have said this is because the subjects of the empire are short-sighted, selfish, and stupid; we would suspect it had far more to do with national pride, cultural difference, and resentment at being ruled by foreigners. All the same, the warning to those who might think imperial "liberators" are always greeted with flowers and cheers is plain to see. Kipling even goes so far as to remind the imperial power that if it takes this path of "principle," it cannot afford to falter in the slightest -- it must remain true to its own rules:

By all ye cry or whisper,
By all ye leave or do,
The silent, sullen peoples
Shall weigh your Gods and you.

Moreover, in stressing the costs of empire -- the "ports" and the "roads" -- Kipling underlines that even if seen romantically, an empire is a tremendous burden to the imperial power.

Thus, in its main thrust, the idealization of Western imperialism, its presentation as nothing more than a sort of altruistic missionary endeavor, "The White Man's Burden" may be classified as fictional. However, in its reminder of the burdens of empire and the uncertainty of some of its rewards, particularly gratitude, it brings forward important factual points. Both messages were highly relevant in 1899, when the poem was written, since the United States (to which the poem was addressed) had just acquired the Philippines.

What is the main message of the novel The Giver?

The main message of the novel is that choice is not destructive.  In this society, the absence of choice is actually more destructive.  All choices are made for people, and as a result they act in inhume and immoral ways and don’t even know it.

One example of a commonly accepted behavior that we would consider immoral is the way family units are devised.  Children are created somehow (most likely they are genetically engineered and artificially implanted), but are taken from Birthmothers. 

"Anyway, Lily-billy," he said affectionately, "the Birthmothers never even get to see newchildren. If you enjoy the little ones so much, you should hope for an Assignment as Nurturer." (ch 3, p. 22)

The children are then assigned to couples based on applications, and couples are matched as well.  There is a complete absence of love.

Another problem is release.  If a person breaks three rules, the person is released.  If a baby is not big enough, it is released.  When people get too old, they are released.  When Jonas finds out that release means to kill someone, he is horrified.

"I will do whatever you like, sir. I will kill people, sir. Old people? Small newborn people? I'd be happy to kill them, sir. Thank you for your instructions, sir. (ch 20, pp. 152-153).

Everyone in the community is unquestionably obedient.  Things are the way they are, and always have been.  No one imagines things could ever be different.

There's nothing. There's nothing we can do. It's always been this way. Before me, before you, before the ones who came before you. Back and back and back." (ch 20, p. 154)

When Jonas receives the memories from The Giver, he begins to understand that there is real trouble in the community.  At this point, he becomes discouraged because he does not think things will change.  The Giver shows him that things can be different, and encourages Jonas to choose to leave so the memories can be returned to the people.

Lowry, Lois (1993-04-26). The Giver (Newbery Medal Book). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

How does Abigail Williams add to the dramatic effect of "The Crucible"?

Abigail is the ultimate drama queen.  She IS most of the drama in "The Crucible."  From the moment that we meet her in act one, to the end when she bails on Salem, she adds dramatic impact.  One of the first additions of drama is when she threatens the girls, "I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you" if they mention that she was attempting to kill off Goody Proctor.  First of all, we realize Abby is a jealous girl, willing to kill someone; secondly, that she uses threats and intimidation to keep that secret.  Then, enter John Proctor, who she sidles up to and rather dramatically attempts to flirt with. Her affair with John adds dramatic impact--the plot thickens, we understand her attempted murder, and wonder what is going to happen.  To top it off in act one, Abby is the one who starts the hysterical witch hunt when she bursts forth with "I want to open myself!...I saw Sarah Good with the devil!"  And this was after she turned them all onto Tituba as a potential witch, to save her own skin.

From that point on, Abby led most of the accusations of witchcraft.  She was the ringleader.  She even sticks herself in the belly with a needle in order to get Elizabeth, an upstanding and righteous woman, arrested.  That prompts Proctor and other townsfolk to action, to try to save their wives.  Her dramatic antics in that regard are the reason that we have act three.  And then, in the court, she plays the whole "Mary Warren is an evil witch-bird" act, which turns Mary against John, and all of John's attempts to free the innocent are thwarted.

For all of these reasons and more, Abby is the central figure of dramatic tension, action and impact in "The Crucbile."  I hope that those thoughts help a bit; good luck!

In "The Kite Runner", how is Soraya and Amir’s relationship part Afghan and part American?

Amir and Soraya both share a common heritage although they meet on common ground (poor and reconstructing their lives) in California. Even if their families must adapt to the rigour of their present condition and integrate into American culture, they keep ancestral traditions, particularly portrayed in the events of Amir's courtship of Soraya and their marriage.  All the pomp and circumstance of the protocol, Afghan style, is here, particularly the need not just for parental permission but for their blessing as well.  These events are the link between their adolescence and adulthood and between their old culture and their new start in life in America.

Another aspect of their double identity are the circumstances of their encounter. Soraya has been "tainted" by a previous sexual experience and, according to Afghan tradition, not eligible for marriage because she is no longer a virgin. Amir fully accepts her, even admires her, since she is transparent about her past, something he himself could never do. The fact Amir and Soraya marry according to Occidental standards instead of denying a relationship to respect Afghan tradition shows that they have both made a definite step towards the freedom and personal responsibility they must now assume.

In "Fahrenheit 451" list examples of the theme importance of remembering and understanding history.

This theme becomes more evident near the end of the book, as Montag meets up with Granger and his people.  Granger is a leader of a band of outcasts, that their society had rejected, because they wouldn't conform.  Montag became one of those.  He was so disgusted and disillusioned by his society that he rebelled against it, and ended up with a group of men who had a better vision for what the world should be like.  As their city burns to the ground, these men could easily have left and sought refuge and cover elsewhere.  Instead, they decide to go back to the city and rebuild it, because they know what mistakes had been made, and would remember not to make them again.

In the ending pages of the book, there are several quotes and symbols that Bradbury throws in to emphasize remembering the mistakes of the past.  He refers to the phoenix, which is a symbolic bird that, because of its mistakes, ends up burning in a pyre of flames.  But then, it "got itself born again," just to, hundreds of years later, burn himself again with the same mistakes.  But, Bradbury writes, through Granger, that

"we've got one damn thing the phoenix never had.  We know the damn silly thing we just did...and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, someday we'll stop"

making the same mistakes.  Here, Bradbury is saying that as humans, if we can remember the mistakes of the past, we can try to not repeat them again.

Granger and Montag decide that their mission is this:  "remembering.  That's where we'll win out in the long run."  If they can just remember the mistakes that their predecessors made, then they can build a better society that won't make the same ones.  And hopefully humanity will benefit as a result.  History will be better if people could just remember what has done in the past, and not repeat the bad parts.

I hope that helped a bit; all of these great quotes can be found in the last few pages of the book.  Good luck!

What are the two narrative frames in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare?just need help!!

The primary plot in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare is the love triangle, or quadrilateral, between Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius. Shakespeare uses two frame narratives, or sub-plots, to help shape this story. The first frame narrative is the plot around the faeries. Titania, Oberon and Puck influence the young lovers in the forest. The other frame story, who perform for the lovers, is the group of amateur actors rehearsing a play.

Shakespeare uses the frame narrative in many of his plays, presumably to hold the audience's attention for longer periods of time. Interestingly, some of the frame narratives he uses end up being abandoned. One example of this is the frame story used in "The Taming of the Shrew".

The narratives in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" are successful in moving the plot and creating more interest in the characters and themes.

Why did Papa come visit just for one day in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

Papa comes home to visit for just one day because he is worried about his family.  Papa has taken a job working for the railroad so that the Logans will have enough money to pay the taxes on their land, and his place of employment keeps him away from home for long periods because it is a good distance away.  There has been trouble in the part of Mississippi where the Logan farm is located, however, and Mama has written to Papa about it.  Some white men instigated a confrontation with two Negro men, and as a result, the Negro men were cruelly and horribly burned; one of them has died, and the other is near death.  Tensions between blacks and whites are high in the area, and the Ku Klux Klan has been riding in the night, spreading terror among the Negro population.  It is a dangerous time.

Papa comes home from his job to bring his friend Mr. Morrison, who will help out on the farm in Papa's absence.  Mr. Morrison has lost his job on the railroad, and has not been able to find other employment.  Papa has offered him work on the farm in exchange for his room and board and maybe "a few dollars in cash when (Papa) comes home in the winter".  The real reason Papa brings Mr. Morrison home to the farm, however, is so he can protect Mama, Big Ma, and the children.  Mr. Morrison is a giant of a man who would be a formidable opponent if the family should be threatened.  Most important of all, though, Mr. Morrison is a good man and a loyal friend to Papa.  Papa knows he will do everything he can to keep the Logans safe while Papa is gone.

Papa arrives home on a Saturday, and must catch the train out of Vicksburg on Sunday evening so that he can get back to work on Monday morning.  If he does not show up then, he will lose his job (Chapter 2).

Why do you think Ponyboy insists that he is the one who killed Bob? How might this help Ponyboy feel better?

Like many people who have lived through a traumatic experience, it is possible that Ponyboy is suffering from denial. He refuses to beleive that Johnny has died. He even becomes angry with Randy when he visits to give his condolences.

We could probably infer that Ponyboy's refusing to beleive Johnny was dead was his not wanting to cope with the death of yet another loved one. Even after Johnny's death, Ponyboy is still compelled to protect Johnny, just as he did when Johnny was alive. This is why he tells Randy his intentions of telling the judge that he is the one responsible for Bob's death.

Which are the sources of water pollution?

Water pollution can be classified by several criteria:

1. Time in which the un-purifier agent is acting

a.permanentă or systematic;

b.periodically;

c.accidentally.

2.Concentration and composition of the water:

a. reduction of the use capacity

b. changing composition and physical appearance of water;

c.serious pollution, which makes improper for use;

d.serious pollution with toxic substances.

3.Production of pollution:
a.naturală;
b.artificial (anthropogenic).

4.Nature of un-purifier substances:

a.physical pollution (pollution due to thermal water);

b. chemical pollution(pollution from oil residues, phenols, detergents, pesticides, carcinogens, chemicals specific to industries);

c.Biological pollution (pollution with pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic yeasts,parasites worms, coliforms bodies , saprophytic bacteria, fungus, algae, etc.).

d.radioactive pollution.
The phenomena of water pollution may take place:
-at surface (eg pollution with oil products);
-volume ( appear to suspension pollutants).
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What are some of the symbols that relate to Jane Eyre?

One of the most prevalent symbols in the novel is the use of the pathetic fallacy, where the weather/setting reflects the emotions or mood of the characters. This is often seen in storms, which rage when Jane is overcome by passion, when Rochester and later Mr. Mason are attacked by Bertha, and when lightning splits the chestnut tree at Thornfield. This last one is perhaps most significant. The tree represents the love of Jane and Rochester, and the approaching union in matrimony. However, the lightning splits the tree almost completely in half, thereby foreshadowing the revelation of Rochester's first wife and Jane's decision to flee. One section of the novel where the weather works in unexpected ways is spring at Lowood. While over half the students are dying of tuberculosis, the tree are green, flowers are blooming, and the sun is shining after a long winter. Jane herself is rather content and comfortable during this time, one of the few moments in the novel where she finds some kind of peace.

Another set of symbols in the novel is the houses through which Jane matures and eventually reaches independence. Each house serves as a symbol for Jane's stage of growth. Gateshead, where she is oppressed and rejected, is the scene of her first spiritual experience & witness to her fiery passion. Lowood, whose dreariness is implied in its very name, sees Jane's first friendship, but continued hypocrisy and cruelty. Thornfield is where Jane first finds love, but as the name suggests, where she is also forced to make difficult and perhaps heartbreaking decisions. Moor House is where she finally finds a home and a family, both literally (as they turn out to be cousins) and figuratively (through their kindness and acceptance). And of course, Ferndean is where she finds peace and fulfillment in her relationship with Rochester.

Some other symbols include birds, with which Jane often associates herself. She imagines a contrast in the beginning between the free birds in her books and herself, caged and alone. Flowers and colors are also abundant, in connection with the extensive nature imagery throughout.

Why does Atticus ask whether anyone has called a doctor and why is this important?

There are several reasons Atticus asks about the doctor. First, Mayella's father has testified that he interrupted Tom while Tom was raping Mayella. A doctor could provide physical evidence of such a rape.

Also, the father's failure to call a doctor demonstrates forcefully that his primary interest in accusing Tom is to protect his family's reputation, such as it is, rather than concern for Mayella's welfare. This is in sharp contrast to how Atticus treats Mayella when he questions her; he shows genuine tenderness toward her. He understands how difficult her life is, and why she has been forced into the situation she is in.

In order to assure that she would be alone with Tom, Mayella, who is usually responsible for her many younger siblings, carefully saves money for many months so she can send them all to buy ice cream.

What is Atticus's relationship to the rest of Maycomb in "To Kill a Mockingbird"?To clarify the question further: What is Atticus's role, too, in...

As an attorney and professional, Atticus Finch of "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a prominent member of the community of Macomb; in addition, he is well-respected for his humility and his fair treatment of all the citizens.  He is a rational man in a community of highly emotional people, and he can handle the prejudiced white masses while still dealing with the underprivileged black population because he treats each person as an individual.  In short, Atticus Finch is the voice of reason and justice for the entire town of Maycomb and for his family, as well.

Early in the narrative, Atticus tells his children,

You never really understand a persoon until you consider things from his point of view....until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.

Indeed, this is the maxim that Atticus both teaches and practices at home, at work, and in his social dealings with others.  As a father, he chastises his children whenever they make pejorative remarks about other children or people.  When Scout comes home from school and is angry about her new teacher saying that Atticus should not read with her, Atticus explains that she feels somewhat threatened, concluding,

If you'll conced the necessity of going to school, we'll go on reading every night just as we always have.  Is it a bargain?

Atticus scolds the children for antagonizing the Radley's, telling them to respect their property and way of life.  By making Jem read to Mrs. Dubose, he affords his son the opportunity of "climbing into her skin" and getting to know that she is fighting morphine addiction with "real courage."

In spite of the controversial issue of defending Tom Robinson, Atticus takes the case, telling others,

Do you think I could face my children otherwise?  You know what's going to happen as well as I do, but I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through this without bitterness, and most of all without catching Maycomb's usual disease.

Faced with a mob, Atticus valiantly stands up to them, saying that Tom Robinson will have a fair trial.  And, with the help of Scout who employs a technique of talking personally to Mr. Cunningham--a technique she has learned from her father--the mob is dispelled.

***********************

To further assist you, see the group questions on this novel.  One site is listed below; this site has 12 quotes that should assist you with support for your ideas/topic sentences.

What disease was Edward dying of before he was changed?

In 1918, a Spanish Influenza (flu) epidemic hit our country hard, killing thousands of people. This is a true piece of history that Stephenie Meyer included in her work. Edward Masen and his family became sick like so many others across the country. However, their doctor was Carlisle Cullen. When Edward's mother Elizabeth was dying, she told Carlisle to save Edward, saying, "what others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward." Carlisle turned Edward into a vampire, as Edward was dying of the flu anyway. Today, we have medicines and vaccines that can usually prevent death from the flu, but back then if your body didn't naturally fight it off, you would die. Carlisle knew that Edward was dying, so he turned him, as per Elizabeth's dying wish. I am attaching an interesting site below so you can read about the real history behind the flu epidemic. 

What are the functions of a computer?

While the functions and applications of a computer are almost endless, we can sense four primary purposes that are all linked to data (information):  Entering data, manipulating data, viewing processed data, and storing data.  Computers are designed to transform raw data into information.  The computer operates under the control of instructions stored in its own memory unit and can accept inputted data, process it aritmethically and through sequenced based logic, produce information, and store the results for future use.  All the applications of a computer derive from this basic starting point.

In "The Crucible" what evidence is used to support Abigail William's assertion that Elizabeth Proctor is guilty of witchcraft?

There are two answers to this question, the first occurring near the end of act two.  In this act, Elizabeth is arrested after they find a poppet (a doll) in her house that has a needle stuck into its belly.  Coincidentally, just that evening, Abigail fell

"to the floor...and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear...and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out.  And demandin' of her how she came to be so stabbed, she testify it were [Elizabeth]'s familiar spirit pushed it in."

So, to summarize, Abby pulled a needle out of her belly and claimed that Elizabeth's witch of a spirit stabbed her with it, through the use of some sort of voodoo doll.  So, when they went to Elizabeth's house and found the poppet with the needle, they felt that it was "hard proof" of Elizabeth's guilt.  Never mind that Mary Warren said that she was the one who stuck the needle in the doll and that "Abby sat beside" her when she made it, and most likely saw her put the needle there.  No, such logical facts hold no sway in this situation, and Elizabeth is arrested and jailed.

Later, near the end of act three, John confesses to adultery, and Abby denies it.  So, Danforth brings in Elizabeth to ask her if her husband is guilty of adultery.  She tells an understandable lie and says that no, he isn't.  Her denial of the adultery further support's Abby's innocence, and she is able to gain control of the courts once again.

I hope that helps a bit; good luck!

How do you know that the love between Bella and Edward is true in "Twilight?"

There is no doubt that the love between Bella and Edward is true. Several evidences are present in the book that points to that.

a) Edward hates being a vampire after falling in love with Bella because he is afraid he will hurt her physically and emotionally

b) Bella would give up everything to be with Edward and she is even willing to become a vampire for him.

c) Edward protects Bella from harm, e.g. the car accident in the beginning of the novel

d) They have unmistakable attraction for each other

e) Although Bella knows its extremely dangerous being with Edward, she would risk it just to be close to him

These evidence clearly point to the fact that Bella and Edward are truely in love with each other.

What was the main conflict in "Monster"?

The main conflict of Walter Dean Myers' book, Monster, is about a teen accused of murder trying to clear his name in both the legal and social settings.  Steve is 16 years old and claims to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and claims to be the victim to inaccurate eyewitness accounts.  Steve must also deal with the most frightening nature of the justice system.  Steve's conflicts are primarily settled in the domain of an individual against a social order. Steve's battle to prove his innocence is the major conflict within the novel.

In addition to this, we never really know if Steve is innocent or guilty.  The journal/ script aspect of the novel makes it upon us to think about such an issue.  Perhaps, this is another conflict of the novel, only this one is left for us to analyze.  This question has been asked before and you can check out that answer and compare it to this one.

In Johnny Tremain, what happened to cause Johnny to change his position in the Lapham house ? What role did Dove play in this event?

Johnny Tremain had been the most valuable apprentice at the Laphams house and shop.  After his hand is crippled in a terrible accident, he is no longer able to work at silversmithing, and loses his position as the leader of the others.

The accident that crippled Johnny was intentionally caused.  Dove, a lazy dolt of a boy, is jealous of Johnny, who is so much more capable and willing as a worker and an artisan.  Unwilling to work harder to improve himself, Dove chooses to improve his situation by bringing Johnny down.  One Sunday, when Johnny, Dove, Dusty, and Mrs. Lapham are working feverishly to finish a very important job for the illustrious Mr. John Hancock, Johnny asks for a crucible, and Dove, knowing that it will not stand the heat of the furnace, hands him one with a crack in it.  Dove thinks "it (will) just about serve Johnny Tremain right - after the insufferable way he (has) been bossing everybody - if the crucible (gives) way and the hot silver...spill(s) all over the top of the furnace", making Johnny "look like a fool".  Sure enough, the crucible collapses, and when Johnny jumps towards the silver that is "running over the top of the furnace like spilled milk", he somehow slips, and his right hand comes down on the scalding metal, covering it "from wrist to fingertips".

Mrs. Lapham does not want her husband to know that they had been working on the Sabbath, so instead of going for the doctor, she fetches the midwife, Gran' Hopper.  Gran' Hopper is very skilled in midwifery and in treating children's diseases, but she is unfamiliar with how to handle an injury like Johnny's.  She allows the hand to "draw together" as it heals, and Johnny is left crippled, his thumb and palm grown together.  With such a handicap as this, Johnny is useless as a silversmith, and loses his place of prominence at the Lapham house (Chapter 4).

In "1984", Winston asks the girl what attracted her to him. What was her answer?

In the following passage, Winston and Julia have met alone for the first time. Julia is an attractive young girl, while Winston, in his own words, is thirty-nine years old, and has a wife he can't get rid of, varicose veins, and five false teeth. Winston is shocked with Julia confesses her love for him through a secret note. 

When they finally meet alone in a secret place, Winston asks Julia what he had probably been wondering the whole while:   

'You are very young,' he said. 'You are ten or fifteen years younger than I am. What could you see to attract you in a man like me?'

'It was something in your face. I thought I'd take a chance. I'm good at spotting people who don't belong. As soon as I saw you I knew you were against them.'

Them, it appeared, meant the Party, and above all the Inner Party, about whom she talked with an open jeering hatred...

To Winston's shock, Julia is not, as he had imagined, a passionate party enthusiast. Julia yells the loudest during the 2 Minute Hate, participates enthusiastically in processions and community hikes, and always wears the scarlet sash of the Junior Anti-Sex League. Julia's behavior, however, is not a product of her sincere convictions, but a survival stragey. She states: 

I'm good at games. I was a troop-leader in the Spies. I do voluntary work three evenings a week for the Junior Anti-Sex League. Hours and hours I've spent pasting their bloody rot all over London. I always carry one end of a banner in the processions. I always Iook cheerful and I never shirk anything. Always yell with the crowd, that's what I say. It's the only way to be safe.'

Julia secretly hates the Party, and she is very good at hiding it. She does not hate the Party because she disagrees with its doctrines, however. She hates the Party for a selfish reason: it restrains her from doing what she wants to and getting pleasure out of life. 

Julia was attracted to Winston because she could sense that he, too, hated the Party. Somehow, "something" in Winston's face made her sense that he was also an enemy of the Party who would be more than willing to throw aside the Party's absurdly strict regulations against sex. Of course, Julia could not be certain about Winston's disloyalty; she was taking a "chance" when she approached Winston and arranged a meeting. As it turned out, of course, Winston felt the same way about the Party that she did and they got along superbly.

To Julia, Winston's physical unattractiveness is not relevant. She desires someone who, though a Party member, doesn't "belong" to the Party. Such a person would derive as much satisfaction from a defiant sexual act as she. She desires someone to whom she can tell the truth wihout being betrayed to the Thought Police. She desires someone who is not so stupid and weak as to be convinced by Party doctrine or brainwashed into loyalty. A vapid, loyal Party follower could only ever receive Julia's utter contempt. Only someone like Winston, who has seen the terrible, sordid truth behind the Party's appearances and lies, could receive her love and respect.

How is Odysseus' piety emphasized with what might be contrasted in his earlier behavior?I am referring to the events in Book XXII in The Odyssey.

Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, is considered a great hero. Stories abound following his valor on the battlefield as the Greeks fight the Trojans during the Trojan War.  However, as he travels home (and it ends up taking twenty years), he is not always heroic in his behavior.

Odysseus faces many trials, but on at least one occasion, he becomes too full of a sense of his own importance.  He forgets to show humility, and to bow to the will of the gods.

During Odysseus's travels, he lands on the island of the Cyclopses, and he and his men are taken prisoner by one of the island's inhabitants, Polyphemus.  The giant eats some of Odysseus's men and tries to kill the rest of them. Odysseus tricks the Cyclopes, and back on his ship he hollers taunts at Polyphemus, making fun of him, and bragging so that the giant knows that it was the great Odysseus that beat him.  He shows no humility as a hero should, and his behavior angers the gods.

However, when Odysseus returns home to take his wife and house back from the suitors who are trying to take his place, Odysseus shows respect for the gods.  He humbles himself to bow to Zeus's will in his attempt to take back his life.  When he attacks the suitors, he asks Apollo for help, knowing that as great as he is, he must look to the gods to help him.  And Athena does show her favor and helps him defeat his enemies.

Is section 1 of "The Waste Land" a document of the western world?

If it is, it isn't a very flattering depiction of life in the Western hemisphere.  To look into what Eliot was saying, it helps to understand the historical timeframe, and the background that fed into his perspective.  Eliot wrote the poem just after World War I, a war that left many people feeling lost, helpless and highly cynical about life.  Many, many lives were lost, Europe was left in ruins, and many felt that the war was fought in vain, and was futile.  Springing out of that hopelessness was a entire literary and artistic movement that tried to express the meaninglessness of life, and the disillusionment with the technological advances that had supposedly made life better.  So, Eliot was frustrated, and trying to relay how people had lost faith and meaning in life, and how everything around them was a reminder of the death that had occurred, and how rebirth and restarting civilization hadn't yet happened.

Based on that background and context, the western world that Eliot depicts is a conflicted one, filled with barren and empty life rituals, devoid of hope and life.  He expresses a desire to start again (through imagery such as hyacinths, and references to memories from the summertime, but it never quite sticks.  Instead, we have hoards of people trudging off to work each day, where "each man fixed his eyes before his feet," without life or happiness.  He describes a fortunteller predicting death, he references the empty roots and barren trees of the season, cultural buring of dead for good luck, and other such depressing and rather morbid images.  It is entirely a picture of the feeling and mood of the time:  Death was real, it was everywhere, and no one could escape it, and that reality rendered life very difficult to enjoy.  This attitude, reflecting a common one of his time period, was inherent in his description of Western culture at the time.

I hope that helps; good luck!

Bring out the rhyming words and scheme in the poem "If."

The general rhyme scheme found in each stanza of Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" is ababcdcd. (Now, if you had asked about the rhythm and meter, I would have mentioned that it is also written in iambic pentameter which is the language of Shakespeare.)  The only strange variation to this rhyme scheme is in the very first four lines because all of them rhyme (and therefore would be deemed aaaa).  Of course, whenever that same rhyming sound is used again, one must return to the original letter.  Therefore, the words "sinew" and "you" found in the third stanza still take on the letter a in the rhyme scheme.  In regards to rhyme scheme, each similar letter represents the same rhyming sound.  Here is the full poem with the letter pertaining to the rhyme scheme after it:

If you can keep your head when all about you         a
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;                  a                                    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,    a
But make allowance for their doubting too:             a
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,            b
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,                    c
Or being hated don't give way to hating,                b
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;        c

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master d
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,    e
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster               d
And treat those two impostors just the same:          e
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken       f
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,             g
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,    f
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;       g

If you can make one heap of all your winnings          h
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,                i
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,           h
And never breathe a word about your loss:              i
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew      a
To serve your turn long after they are gone,            j
And so hold on when there is nothing in you            a
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"         j

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,    a
Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch,    k
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,         a
If all men count with you, but none too much:        k
If you can fill the unforgiving minute                      l
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,             m
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,         l
And — which is more — you'll be a Man, my son!     m

Each word preceding each italicized letter of rhyme scheme will rhyme with another word beside the corresponding letter.  The most used letter (a) is, therefore, found beside the words you, you, you, too, sinew, you, virtue, and you.  All of those words, of course, rhyme.  (And, of course, any word rhymes with itself.)

What is intelligence? What is it that some have lot of and others little? Controversial issue whether it is a single thing.

Intelligence is an ability to gather, synthesize, analyze, retain, and reproduce information. In other words, an ability to learn.

There is NOT one definition because intelligence is a composite of abilities fused into one paradigm which is what each theorist would identify as intelligence on their own.

Among theorists of intelligence there are:

Erick Erickson

Jean Piaget

Karl Brunner

Howard Gardner (multiple intelligences)

Albert Bandura (social learning)

Stephen Krashen (affective filter)

Bloom (taxonomy of learning)

etc etc etc

The reason some students know more than others may be attributed to:

genetic factors/ psychosocial development/ psychological development/ support systems/ feasibility to attain information/asynchronous development.

For more information, on how some have higher IQ's than others, check the link provided.

What do the two questions posed at the end of the poem concern?

The first thing he asks the raven to tell him is his name("...Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore..." Stanza 8).

The speaker continues talking and gets himself more and more worked up. He says something and the raven says, "Nevermore," which the speaker takes as a response. He addresses the bird as a prophet and asks, "On this home by horrow haunted- tell me truely, I implore- Is there- is there balm in Gilead? -tell me- tell me, I implore (Stanza 15)." Balm, is an ointment that is used to soothe pain and to heal wounds. The balm in Gilead that he mentions is a reference to the Old Testament of the Bible where Gilead was said to contain a powerful healing ointment. It is also a metaphor for the healing for ones soul (and salvation) that one can recieve from God. Basically he is asking the raven if his heart and soul will ever be healed. The raven answers, "Nevermore."

The he asks another question. "Tell this soul will sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore(Stanza 15)." The Aidenn that he refers to is actually Eden. Aidenn is the poetic way of referencing the biblical garden. The speaker is asking if, when he dies, he will be able to see Lenore again and, once again, the raven answers, "Nevermore."

In the prologue of The Jew of Malta, he says, "I count religion but a childish toy." Does he mean that religion is a childish toy, or is he saying...

This line comes form the Prologue, spoken by Machiavel, that is, the Florentine political philosopher Machiavelli, a symbol of unrestrained immorality in the Elizabethan period:

I count religion but a childish toy,
And hold there is no sin but ignorance.
Birds of the air will tell of murders past!
I am asham'd to hear such fooleries.

The second line makes it clear that Machiavel considers religion nothing but a childish toy, since it promises divine or supernatural retribution for sin. The position of Machiavel, on the other hand, is that anything one can get away with is permitted. At the end of the Prologue, he explicitly lays claim to Barabas the Jew as one of his followers:

But whither am I bound? I come not, I,
To read a lecture here in Britain,
But to present the tragedy of a Jew,
Who smiles to see how full his bags are cramm'd;
Which money was not got without my means.
I crave but this,--grace him as he deserves,
And let him not be entertain'd the worse
Because he favours me.

This, like the words of the Witches in Macbeth (but in a far cruder way), signals to the audience that the character in question is evil and probably doomed to come to a bad end.

What do(es) the quote(s) "War is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength" mean?

The answer rests with the paradoxical nature of the Party itself. How it rules is the exact opposite of how its propaganda says it controls.It goes directly into the concept of doublethink, which Emmanuel Goldstein explains through the word "blackwhite":

But it means also the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary. This demands a continuous alteration of the past, made possible by the system of thought which really embraces all the rest, and which is known in Newspeak as doublethink. Doublethink is basically the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.

Thus, according to the Party, "war is peace" means that they continually "fight" wars in order to keep peace at home. During times of war, nations generally unite. Of course, if the people are focused on a common enemy, they are much less inclined to notice how unhappy they are in their own lives. So they make less trouble for their government. "Freedom is slavery" can be thought of in the same way. the slavery of Party members equals freedom for Party leaders. Finally, "Ignorance is strength" can be read "Your ignorance is our strength", again meaning that the ignorance of the people translates into the strength of the government.

What are the complications and the crisis in the "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson?

One of the major complications in the story is the idea of the tyranny of the majority.  The most horrifying aspect of Jackson's work is that this peaceful and very civilized community can engage in the targeting stoning of one of its own.  The ritualized practice of the town "selects" one individual who will be isolated and treated with the utmost of cruelty.  This is probably one of the largest complications within the story because the will of the community subsumes the autonomy of the chosen individual.  At some point and level, the sense of empathy in the community departs and a vicious sense of cruel actions result.  This creates complications as individuals are held completely hostage by these social notions of the good, and create a large sense of disquietude as a result of the work's conclusion.

Matt grants Jenny permission to do what in Across Five Aprils?

Matt Creighton first grants his daughter Jenny permission to travel to Washington to be by the side of her beau, Shadrach Yale, who has been critically wounded in the Battle of Gettysburg.  He later gives her permission to be married to Shadrach.

Jenny and Shadrach are separated when Shadrach goes to fight for the North during the Civil War.  Shadrach had asked Matt Creighton if he and Jenny could be married before he left, but Matt had withheld his permission, because he thought Jenny was too young.  When Shadrach is wounded at Gettysburg and is sent to a hospital in Washington, he is found by a spinster aunt of his, who is working as a volunteer nurse there.  Shadrach's condition is grave, and during his moments of lucidity, he asks his aunt to write to Jenny, and he calls for her in his delirium.  The aunt writes to Matt Creighton, begging him to allow Jenny to come to Washington.  She offers to pay Jenny's expenses, and to give her shelter in her own home.

Matthew, who cannot stand to see his daughter suffer "if there be one chance fer her to see (Shadrach) alive", agrees to let Jenny go to Washington.  Reunited with the girl that he loves, Shadrach rallies, and although he is "still desperately ill", it appears that he will survive.  The young couple soon write to Matt, asking permission to be married, which permission the loving father this time grants.

Jenny stays on in Washington as Shadrach's wife, working in the hospital where he is a patient until he is well enough to be discharged.  Eventually, they return home to the Creighton farm together (Chapter 10).

How do you know when to spell out numbers and when to use numerals?sixteen children vs 16 children In the 70's The house on 1st Avenue

Generally, we use the rules from either the Modern Language Association (MLA) or the American Psychological Association (APA) to guide us in this area.

The numbers from one to ten should be written out, and numbers from 11 to infinity are supposed to be in numeric form.  However, there are some exceptions.  One is that a sentence should not begin with a numerical representation of a number.  Here are correct and incorrect examples:

Eleven little pigs decided to leave home.  (Correct)

11 little pigs decided to leave home. (Incorrect)

Another exception involves the situation in which you have two numbers in a sentence, one being a number from one to ten and another being a number over ten.  If you follow the general rule, it looks inconsistent. In those cases, it is best to write out both numbers.

For years, such as "the 60's," either the written out form, the "Sixties," or the numerical form is fine.

For a street name, you need to find out what the municipal or post office version is and use that version.

I should also mention that there are other style guides that can control numbering conventions.  These include the Chicago Manual of Style, the Associated Press Style Guide, and the Bluebook, which attorneys use for formal legal writing.

Given all of the possible guides that dictate how numbers are used, the choice you make might depend upon your audience for writing. If you were writing for an English class, you would probably need MLA.  If you were writing for a psychology class, you would certainly use APA.  A journalist usually uses the Associated Press guidelines. but some newspapers, for example the New York Times, have their own style guides.  I am providing links to websites with information on APA and MLA, and I hope that is enough to get you started. Those of us who must do extensive writing usually end up purchasing the specific style guides because there are many little detailed requirements that differ from guide to guide.  Numbers are probably the easiest part of all this!

Good luck.

In Shakespeare's Othello, how does Othello show deception/self-deception and why do you think he does this?

Othello shows moments of self-deception when he begins to doubt the faithfulness and loyalty of Desdemona.  When Iago tells Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with Michael Cassio, Othello of course does not immediately believe him.  After some prodding by Iago, Othello tells him that he must bring him proof of the affair.  But while this is happening, Othello is beginning to consider whether it might be possible that Desdemona is being unfaithful to him.  He reviews his own character traits and starts to think that he is lucky that Desdemona even considered him as a romantic interest in the first place.  He feels that he is less than other men because of his ethnic background and his upbringing.  Because he has such negative thoughts about himself, Othello decieves himself and his self-deception lays a foundation for doubt upon which Iago's schemes manifest.  Othello does this because he is insecure about himself, and he therefore lacks confidence in terms of his relationship.

In Book 9 of The Odyssey, what is an example of a sensory detail that can be smelled?I need a quote if possible please. Thanks for any help :)

Book IX begins with Odysseus telling the kind people around King Alcinous's table that it is very agreeable to tell stories when an attentive company is gathered quietly to listen.  Odysseus, in the manner of a good guest, makes reference to his host's generosity.  The sights, sounds, and smells of a feasting hall are evident in his description, "while the table is loaded with bread and meats, and the cup-bearer draws wine and fills his cup for every man." (Book IX). 

Odysseus goes on to tell of his and the Argives' sack of Ismarus, the city of the Cicons.  This is a less pleasant olfactory image, in which Odysseus tells of his killing and plunder:

There I sacked the town and put the people to the sword. We took their wives and also much booty, which we divided equitably amongst us, so that none might have reason to complain. I then said that we had better make off at once, but my men very foolishly would not obey me, so they stayed there drinking much wine and killing great numbers of sheep and oxen on the sea shore.

The rank smell of a burning city and the smell of the slaughtered livestock is an incongruous description to bring to a dinner party.  But Odysseus is telling the story of how he came to Scheria.

After the surprise attack by the remaining Cicons, they Greeks are driven ahead by fierce winds to the land of the Lotus Eaters, "who live on a food that comes from a kind of flower."  Here one imagines an altogether different odor from the previous one; an intoxicating floral aroma fillng the air of this island.  Some of the men eat this plant and fall under its spell of lassitude, and they have to be forcibly removed by Odysseus and his men from this floral-scented place.  From thence Odysseus and his men go to the land of the Cyclops.

Odysseus speaks of the fertility of this island, though the natives there do not till or grow food, but rather gather it.  It sounds like a lovely place (with lovely smells) "There are meadows that in some places come right down to the sea shore, well watered and full of luscious grass; grapes would do there excellently;"  Odysseus and his men cull from the herds of wild goats there, and eat their fill, while keeping an eye (and nose!) out for the Cyclops. 

Heaven sent us excellent sport; I had twelve ships with me, and each ship got nine goats, while my own ship had ten; thus through the livelongday to the going down of the sun we ate and drank our fill, and we had an abundance of wine left, for each one of us had taken many jars full when we sacked the city of the Cicons, and this had not yet run out. While we were feasting we kept turning our eyes towards the land of the Cyclopes, which was close by, and saw the smoke of their stubble fires. 

Odysseus and a small crew leave the outlying island, and go to the rough cave-home of the giant Cyclops Polyphemus.  Now Odysseus takes with him the wine from Ismarus with which he will intoxicate Polyphemus.  This good wine is notable for its smell. "and yet the fragrance from the mixing-bowl was so exquisite that it was impossible to refrain from drinking. "  Now the story gets particularly bloody, when Odysseus and his men are imprisoned by the Cyclops, and some of the men are eaten.  These smells are best not lingered on, though Odysseus is graphic in his description for the banquet guests.  The smell of the drunken Cyclops having his eye burnt out by the flaming log ends this scent-laden chapter.

What is the significance of the book Silent Spring on today's environmental awareness and green movement?

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was the one of the first major works to clearly show the public, outside of the scientific community,how the world's use of chemical pesticides could have effects beyond what was intended. It is largely due to her book that use of DDT was banned in most areas of the world. She is credited with starting the environmental movement. Although most of the information in her book was already known in scientific circles, she is the one who clearly communicated to non-scientists the dangers of pesticide use. She came under a great deal of attack by the chemical industry, but had been very careful in writing the book, and her point of view was upheld.

In the book "The Egypt Game" how old is April Hall?

April is 11 years old at the time of the novel's commencement.  It is at this age that she befriends the two other children, becomes immersed in the culture of Egypt, and enters into the "Egypt" world.  The entire scope of her experiences do not take her past 11.  The idea of the age's significance is representative of the adolescent emergence into adulthood, and the issues April confronts such as personal responsibility, identity formation, and understanding abstract social and individual perceptions of the good takes place at around ages 11-13. I believe that April's age is disclosed early on in the novel, so it can be easily rediscovered upon a secondary reading of the text.

How does Julian demonstrate resourcefulness and courage in View from Saturday?Give one example of each.

Julian demonstrates resourcefulness in his response to a cruel trick perpetrated against him by one of his classmates.  In that incident, Hamilton Knapp grabs Julian's book bag, and, before Julian can catch him and get it back again, writes "I am an ass" on its side with permanent marker.  Julian keeps the damaged side of the book bag hidden against the wall of his cubby during the rest of the school day, and on the way home that evening, keeps it out of sight against his knee.  When he gets home, he tries to erase the writing but to no avail.  He then uses ingenuity and resourcefulness in changing what Hamilton wrote from something negative into something positive and humorous.  After squeezing a p in between the a and ass, he adds to the message in the space below, and when he returns to school the next day, his book bag reads, in two lines, "I am a passenger on Spaceship Earth" (Chapter 3).

Julian demonstrates courage when he sticks up for his original answer during the Academic Bowl.  The question had been to "give two examples of acronyms that have entered our language as words".  Julian responds, "Posh and tip" (Chapter 4), but the commissioner cannot find either of the answers on his list of acceptable possibilities.  After consulting with an advisory panel, he allows "posh", but not "tip".  Julian, knowing he is right, insists, "With all due respect, sir, I think you ought to check another source" (Chapter 6).

It had to have taken a tremendous amount of courage for Julian to stand up for his response, "defying an official of the sovereign state of New York".  The commissioner is annoyed, and tells Julian that "we all agreed to stand by the ruling of the panel of experts", but Julian persists, telling the gentleman politely but firmly that "the panel's information is not complete".  When Julian still insists his answer is correct, the commissioner might have disqualified the entire Epiphany team, "except that he was rendered speechless" (Chapter 6).  Instead, the commissioner cites Julian points and gives the opposing team a chance to answer.  At this point, as it turns out, one of the panel of experts, who had been consulting "a heavy volume", signals the commissioner to inform him that Julian's answer had indeed been correct.  The commissioner has no choice but to restore the points he has subtracted, and give Julian credit for his response (Chapter 9).

How does Abigail contribute to the dramatic effect of "The Crucible"?please help me its for my courswork and i have no idea what to write i have to...

I think a paper like this will be relatively direct to write, but it will also require analysis and understanding.  This might be where its challenge lies.  From my points of view, there are  couple of things that have to be analyzed in the paper.  The first idea to be discussed is how Abigail's actions represent dramatic effect.  I think a good approach to explaining this would be to identify her motives for making the accusations that set the entire events of the play in motion.  In analyzing and explaining these accusations and their implications, Abigail becomes essential to the dramatic effect of the play.  Spending some time in detailing these accusations and their growth and evolution throughout the play becomes a point of dramatic effect.  The next step would be examine why Abigail does what she does.  What would be her motivation, her drive, in her actions?  Exploring this is yet another realization of dramatic effect- her desire for John Proctor, her wishes to get usurp Elizabeth's role, and her need for attention- all serve as dramatic effect.  The element of drama is created when it becomes apparent that there is a lack of authenticity in her convictions, and a duplicitous motive revealed.  Explaining this will reveal her importance to the dramatic effect in the play.  Finally, explaining how Abigail is a symbol in the play might also reveal an unfolding sense of drama.  Through her intent and actions, Abigail manages to undermine a system of justice, individual reputation, and social fabric, exposing the potentially corrosive aspects of both.  There is dramatic effect in this process for the view we have of characters at the start of the play is not what we have at the end of it.  Abigail contributes greatly to this.  Being able to identify specific passages and ideas from the play that fit these descriptions of Abigail's impact on the play will allow a very strong paper to emerge.

What are five personality traits that describe Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird?

How about shy, enigmatic, misunderstood, thoughtful, and brave?  Boo is shy because he hides in his home to escape what is sure to be curious (at best) and evil (at worst) torments about his condition.  Ironically, curious children (such as Scout, Jem, and Dill) are the ones who coax Boo out into the real world.  Boo is enigmatic because no one really knows why Boo acts the way he does.  Every strange and horrible activity that Boo participates in is hearsay:  eating domesticated animals, stabbing folks with scissors, and being a general "monster."  It turns out, of course, that Boo is simply misunderstood, never having been given an outlet for his true personality of thoughtfulness and bravery.  Boo begins to prove himself as thoughtful when he leaves gifts for the children.  His thoughtfulness doesn't end there, however.  Boo also fixes Jem's pants, helps keep Scout warm by the fire, and most importantly saves the children from being murdered by Bob Ewell.  It is that last element of thoughtfulness that meanders into the characteristic of bravery.  Anyone would have to be brave to stand up someone like Bob Ewell.  Boo Radley became a brave man at that moment.

Did people speak the same as Shakespeare in his plays?Did Shakespeare write his plays to mimic the way people in Elizabethan England spoke?

No, for the most part at least, Shakespeare is not mimicking the voices of people living in Elizabethan England in his plays.  Shakespeare wrote his plays primarily in blank verse, which is the name for poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.  Although iambic pentameter closely mirrors the sounds and cadences of spoken English, average people in Shakespeare's day did not talk like, say Portia does in Act IV, scene i of The Merchant of Venice.

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown

The upper classes of English society did speak very formally, but they would not have paused to make sure that they were speaking in iambic pentameter.  However, as you can see in this excerpt from a speech by Queen Elizabeth I, for whom the Elizabethan Age is named, sentence structure was often different from that used today in modern spoken English.

My loving people, we have been persuaded by some, that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit ourselves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you, I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear; I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good will of my subjects. And therefore I am come amongst you at this time, not as for my recreation or sport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down, for my God, and for my kingdom, and for my people, my honor and my blood, even the dust. http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/elizabeth.htm

You can see that Queen Elizabeth I uses elaborate sentence structure to get her point across; she uses many clauses in her sentences, and she does not stick to a subject-verb-object construction, and that may seem complicated to students today.

Its not that Shakespeare was trying to sound fancy, or that he was trying to confuse the people who came to his plays, instead he wrote dialogue for upper-class characters that sounds very upper-class.  You may want to note that many of Shakespeare’s lower-class characters do not speak in iambic pentameter at all.  Lower-class people wouldn’t have spoken in an elevated way, so Shakespeare writes their dialogue to match their speech patterns, as you can see in an excerpt of a monologue spoken by Launcelot Gobbo in The Merchant of Venice:

The fiend is at mine elbow and tempts me, saying to me, 'Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot,' or 'good Gobbo,' or 'good Launcelot Gobbo -- use your legs, take the start, run away.' My conscience says, 'No. Take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo,' or as aforesaid, 'honest Launcelot Gobbo -- do not run; scorn running with thy heels.'

What does Beowulf fight in his last battle and why?

Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother in her underground lair. To avenge the death of her son, Grendel’s mother kills one of Hrothgar’s highest advisers. When Beowulf hears of this, he follows her back to the swamp where she lives and kills her in an epic underwater battle. Finding the corpse of Grendel where the mother has stored it, Beowulf cuts off the head of Grendel and gives it to Hrothgar as a battle trophy.

In Island of the Blue Dolphins, what is the solution to the problem: Karana is acidentally left behind when her people leave her island.

Karana is not really left behind accidentally; it is her brother, Ramo, who is left when the ship sails. Karana is told they cannot go back for him because the tides have made it dangerous to return at that time. Although she is assured her people will return for Ramo soon, and that he can survive for a short time by himself, she dives off the ship and swims back to the island to protect him.

Unfortunately, she cannot. Within a few days, Ramo is killed by a pack of wild dogs. Karana is then left to survive by herself. It is not clear how long this time will be, but it turns out to be 18 years. The "problem" of Karana's abandonment is not really solved. Rather, she learns to get along on her own, befriending first one of the wild dogs, some wild birds she tames, and then a sea otter pup that she raises after it has been wounded by Aleut hunters.

Over the course of her many years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins, Karana develops a close bond with the natural world. We read, "After that summer, after being friends with Won-a-nee and her young, I never killed another otter...Nor did I ever kill another cormorant...Nor did I kill seals for their sinew."

She tells us, "...animals and birds are like people, too...Without them, the earth would be an unhappy place."

Like the real Lost Woman of San Nicolas on whom the story is based, Karana is eventually "rescued" from the island and brought to a mission in Santa Barbara.

What happens to the dog's remains in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

After the dog died, it lay for an hour in the parlor until the mechanical cleaning mice "sensed" the dog's decaying body. Within fifteen minutes, the mice had done their work, and the dog's body was gone. The following passage implies what had become of the dog's remains:

In the cellar, the incinerator glowed suddenly and a whirl of sparks leaped up the chimney.

We can infer that the cleaning mice took the dog's body to the basement, placed it in the incinerator located there, and burned it up.

Macro environment forces and effects southern african business exposed to.

Macro-environment refers to the general conditions and forces in an economy, beyond the control of any one firm operating in the economy, and which is common to all the industries common operating within an environment. The macro-environment is frequently classified in 6 major groups of environmental factors, often called the PESTEL framework. These are political, economical, sociocultural,  technological, environmental and legal. The name PESTEL has been formed out of first letters of names these factors.

Political factors cover the features of the economy which are largely influenced  by the nature of government and their policies. This will include policies rules and regulations in areas such as taxation, monetary and fiscal matters, regulation of trade and industry, foreign relations, and social issues. Political environment also covers issues such as political ideology and stability.

Economic environment covers the current condition of the economy and the direction in which it is moving. It covers the overall state of economy in terms of variables like GNP, interest rates, inflation, rate of employment, and proportions of primary secondary and tertiary sectors accounting for total economic activity. It also includes the state of industry and terms in terms of features like types of industrial and trade activities, overall size of individual sectors, and the overall state of each industry.

Sociocultural factors, also called demographic factors, cover the various aspect of the people within the economy. It covers description of physical nature of the population such as total population, age and sex distribution, and population growth rate. It also covers overall description of nature of population in terms of social and psychological factors such as education, income distribution, culture, and attitudes.

Technological factors cover all aspects of availability. use and development of technology for various economic activities. This information pertains to the economy as a whole as well as to specific sectors within the country. As a measure of the rate of growth of technology it might include factors such as total spending on research and development, and rate of acquisition and use of new technologies.

Environmental Factors here refer to the physical or geographical environment. Apart from straightforward description of geographicals as area, nature of land and weather condition, it will include specific issues like locational advantages and environmental pollution related issues.

The legal environmental covers the general laws and legal system and the laws of the land. While different businesses may be more impacted by different laws, some laws may have wider application - for example those relating to monopolies, industrial regulation, employment, company affairs, and consumer protection.

As you will notice these macro-environmental factors are common for all types of economies. Also within an economy, every company is impacted by these factors. However, specific factors may affect different industry differently. Study and description of complete set of macro-environmental factors can run into thousands of pages and still not cover all the important aspects. And compiling such a description for all the southern African countries is even more gigantic, and perhaps futile task, for any single business. To make best use of this PESTEL framework each company needs to identify and study the factors most relevant for its business.

What are the theoritical background of common problems of freshmen?

Your question is a bit vague, but since you have posted it under "Social Sciences," I will discuss some social sciences concepts that might apply to some typical freshman problems. 

First, what are some problems freshmen might experience? A freshman might be have a hard time adjusting to being away from home, might have a hard time adjusting to the academic world, or might have a hard time adjusting to the diversity of people encountered in a large university.   

In the first instance, we might say that separation is part of the maturation process, with a freshman being away from his or her family for the first time.  In the second instance, the freshman is encountering a new culture, the culture of academia.  This could be viewed through the lens of anthropology.  The new culture has a different language, different rules, different rituals, and perhaps different modes of dress.  It might even have different food. (Dorm food is certainly not like the food one  gets at home!)  The freshman needs to acclimate to this new culture.  In the third instance, sociological concepts about class and diversity might be relevant to adjustment.  No matter what the earlier experience of the freshman is, he or she is likely to encounter people from different social classes and different backgrounds. This can create adjustment difficulties for some students.

The question is a bit vague, as I said, but I hope this is helpful.   

Myrtle, watching Tom fill the car with gas, draws two wrong conclusions. What are they?

Myrtle does draw two erroneous conclusions: one implied and one direct.  First, Myrtle assumes that the big yellow car belongs to Tom.  Myrtle does not say this directly (and Nick doesn't tell us about it either); therefore, we have to imply that this is the case.   Of course, the reader knows the car belongs to Gatsby and that Tom is simply using the car to drive to town.  This is a very important error because eventually it leads directly to Myrtle's death.  Later, Myrtle sees the yellow car again.  Thinking it's Tom driving (like she saw earlier), she runs out without thinking.  Tom, of course, isn't driving the car.  Daisy is.  Daisy plows right over Myrtle, killing her. 

Second, Myrtle assumes that Jordan Baker (who just happens to be in the car) is Tom's wife.  We learn this error in judgement directly from Nick:

I realized that her eyes, wide with jealous terror, were fixed not on Tom, but on Jordan Baker, whom she took to be his wife. (Fitzgerald 125)

In my opinion, this erroneous conclusion isn't as important as the first in that it only indirectly leads to Myrtle's death.  Why?  Because anything that would put her into that kind of jealous rage would lead to very erratic actions, such as running out blindly in front of a speeding yellow car.

Discuss the killing of the sow in "Lord of the Flies". What makes this scene so important?

After Jack publicly denounced Ralph’s leadership and terminated their affiliation, he left the group and urged anyone interested in hunting to follow him. Later on as he addressed his followers, he declared his intention of recruiting more biguns from Ralph’s following by killing a pig and holding a feast. When he and his hunters set out to hunt, they stumble upon a sow which they wound then cruelly kill. The vivid description of this scene depicts the boys as savage, particularly their amusement as Roger slowly thrust his spear into the pain stricken animal’s anus. Because of their fascination with Roger’s action, the boys reenact this scene several times. Without hesitation, Jack slit the sow’s throat and together with his hunter gang placed the head on a sharpened stick as it dripped with blood. The significance of this scene is to demonstrate the end of innocence and civilization and beginning of savagery. During the much anticipated feast, the boys attack and brutally kill Simon with their bare hands and teeth after mistaking him for the beast.

Discuss the portrayal of deception and self-deception in Miss Brill and Othello in Mansfield's "Miss Brill" and Shakespeare's "Othello."

This question presupposes the critical opinion that Othello, the Moor, is essentially deceiving Venice's society with the similitude of nobility and heroism. This theory holds that as Iago provokes him and manipulates him, Othello's posture of nobility drops off and exposes his true diabolical nature. This view holds that as Othello's language changes while he becomes more and more enraged over what he supposes is evidence of Desdemona's betrayal, he associates himself more and more closely with his true diabolical nature.

In keeping with this critical opinion, Othello's deception encompasses all of Venice as he represents himself as one who is more than equal with the noble natures of ethnic Venetians.

And say besides, that in Aleppo once,
... a malignant and turban'd Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduc'd the state,

His self-deception would then be his belief that he is worthy of the honor they give him and that his rage over what he is told by Iago of Desdemona is unique to unique circumstances (instead of his true nature).

It is a bit easier to see Miss Brill's deceptions, mostly because part of it is so pointedly declared at the end of the story. Her deception is that she pretends to be engaged completely in the concert while she, in fact, is also eavesdropping on those around her and vicariously participating in their lives:

Miss Brill always looked forward to the conversation. She had become really quite expert, she thought, at listening as though she didn't listen, at sitting in other people's lives just for a minute while they talked round her.

Miss Brill attends the Sunday concert in the park all year round since she is familiar with the conductor's varying habits in season and out. She is always happy to be there among the other listeners whom she regards as acquaintances. Her self-deception is that the others are as interested in her and in their shared experience in the park--as fellow actors in a play--as she is in them.

In "Liberty," does Mr. Victor move in with the family too?

In this story of a family suffering persecution and under surveillance because of their lack of support for the president of their country, Mr. Victor, the American consul, is a close friend of the family depicted and as such, is concerned about their welfare and safety. We are told in the story that after the narrator finds two men observing the house and the family, there is a sudden change in family life:

Overnight, it seemed, Mister Victor moved in. He ate all his meals with us, stayed 'til late, and when he had to leave, someone from the embassy was left behind "to keep an eye on things." Now, when Papi and Mister Victor talked or when the tios came over, they all went down to the back of the property near Liberty's pen to talk.

As a response to the government of this unnamed country keeping the family under surveillance, Mr. Victor himself spends a lot of time with the family making sure that they are safe and trying to plan their escape to the United States and liberty. So, in answer to your question, although Mr. Victor doesn't literally move in, the story tells us that he practically lives there, only leaving late at night to sleep.

How would I write a chemical formula?making of chemical formulae.

A chemical formula is a symbolic representation of chemical reaction. This representation is in the form of an equation. The left hand side of the equation represents the input substances for the reaction, followed by an arrow pointing to the right, and then the resultant output of the chemical reaction. For example, chemical formula for burning of hydrogen, is as follows:

2H2 + O2 --> H2O

This formula indicates that two molecule of hydrogen, each containing two atoms (H2) combines with two molecules of oxygen containing two atoms  (2O2) react to give two molecules of water, each of which contains two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen (H2O).

The main difficulty in writing the chemical formula is to balance the left hand and right hand side of the equation. This means ensuring that total number of atoms of each element present during the reaction is same on both side of the formula. This is called balancing the chemical formula. This requires that number of molecules of each substance involved in the reaction is multiplies by appropriate whole numbers that result in balanced formula.

It is possible to develop some kind of mathematical algorithm to balance the chemical formulas. bur it can be doe more easily by method of trial and error. For example for the above formula we can start with a formula one molecule of  every substance. That is:

H2 + O2 --> H2O

In this formula the number of atoms of hydrogen are balanced, but number of atoms of oxygen on left hand side are twice that on right hand side. So we double the atom of H2O on the right hand side.

H2 + O2 --> 2H2O

Now atoms of oxygen are balanced but atoms of hydrogen on right hand side are twice that on left hand side. So we double the molecule of hydrogen on left hand side. This gives us:

2H2 + O2 --> 2H2O

This balances atoms of hydrogen as well as oxygen. Therefore it is the correct formula.

What is the summary of the cry of the children.

"The Cry of the Children" by Eliabeth Barrett Browning is about the working conditions of children in England around the turn of the Century between the mid 1800's up through the very early 1900s.   Children as young as 4 or 5 would work in the coal mines as draft animals pulling carts filled with coal through the mine shafts. Others called trappers would sit in the dark and open and close trap doors for the coal carts. Many children were killed in the mines and in factory work during that time period as there were no OSHA laws or safety equipment.

Cottage industy had always created a situation in which children worked alongside their parents learning the skills of their paritulcar craft as they grew. The factory system brought young children into factories with 13 and 14 hour days, no time for rest and only one day off, Sunday.  The children were hungry, tired, and simply exhausted after doing the work of an adult for 13 or 14 hours a day.  The wages paid were not sufficient for a family to have only one parent working, so everyone in the house had to work in order to survive.

Children suffered maiming in factories by getting their hands or feet tangled up in equipment. Children suffered black lung or brown lung from being in the coal mines or in the textile factories from breathing in the dust.

This is a protest poem designed to get the attention of the public regarding the unsafe conditions for children in England.

What does bilbo take from the hoard?

Bilbo takes the Arkenstone from Smaug's hoard.  In chapter 13, after Smaug has left the mountain and his treasure to terrorize the men of Lake-town, the dwarves and Bilbo are locked inside the mountain.  The dwarves see Bilbo reach down for something from the treasure pile he is standing on.  They don't know it, but Bilbo has found the Arkenstone.  Thorin had described it and Bilbo knew how much it meant to Thorin.  Bilbo isn't exactly sure why he's taken it, but instinctively seems to know that it will prove useful.  Later, it does prove useful when Bilbo uses it as a bargaining chip to bring about peace between the dwarves and the men and elves - all who want part of the dragon's treasure (chapter 16).  Bilbo's attempts to bring peace fail, however, and Thorin turns against Bilbo despite the Arkenstone (chapter 17).

Who are the characters in "The Ambitious Guest"?Traits

The main character in the story "The Ambitious Guest" is a young traveler who stops to visit with a close family who lives in an isolated but cozy cabin "in the Notch of the White Hills", located in "the bleakest spot in all New England".  The traveler is described as a "frank-hearted stranger...of a proud, yet gentle spirit".  He has traveled "far and alone; his whole life...had been a solitary path".  The young man is "refined and educated", and harbors "a high and abstracted ambition" to do something great in his life so that he will "not...be forgotten in the grave".

The other characters are the denizens of the cabin, a father, a mother, and aged grandmother, an eldest daughter, and some younger children.  The traveler, with his talk about his ambitions, gets the family to thinking of their own secret desires in life.  Although the mother is cautious, and gives warning about the direction in which the conversation is going, the father expresses his own ambition, a long-held wish for "a good farm", and to be able "to stand well with (his) neighbors and be called Squire".  He hopes that he dies peacefully in his bed, and wants a simple monument at his death, something to let people know that (he) lived an honest man and died a Christian".  The old grandmother reveals a deep preoccupation with superstition, instilled in her youth; she wants to be able to be sure that when she dies her appearance is in order, and asks that a mirror be held over her face after she has passed away so that she might be able to make sure she looks all right.  The eldest daughter, like her mother, makes a cautionary remark about the virtue of being content with what one has been given, but she also remarks that she feels "lonesome", unconsciously hinting at her own innocent but hidden desires for something more.  The younger children are exhuberant, adventurous, and imaginative, as illustrated by the one child's banter about visiting "the basin of the Flume, a brook which tumbles, over (a) precipice, deep within the Notch".

Give a brief description of Ahab (the captain in Moby Dick) that expresses what sort of man he is.

Ahab, the captain of the Pequod, is an intimidating gray-haired man with two of his most distinguishing features being a peg-leg made of whale bone (needed after his last encounter with Moby Dick) and a huge white scar running down the length of his face.  Ahab is a man who inspires all sorts of myths and legends.  His delayed entrance into the novel helps these myths and legends to grow even bigger.  One myth surrounds his scar.  According to the other seamen, the scar most likely runs the length of his body.  These two physical features add to Ahab's intimidating posture.

“There was an infinity of firmest fortitude, a determinate, unsurrenderable wilfulness, in the fixed and fearless, forward dedication of that glance.”

Perhaps Ahab's most important emotional feature is his obsession with the white whale:  Moby Dick.  The reader is led to believe that Ahab is this way by nature in that he admits, “I’d strike the sun if it insulted me!"  His obsession with Moby Dick leads Ahab to seek revenge at all costs (and eventually causes his death). 

In "Fahrenheit 451" what is the importance of the dentrifice commercial?

The dentrifice commercial's content itself is not significant; Bradbury isn't trying to send subliminal messages about toothpaste or anything.  Rather, it is the noise of the commercial, the place it is playing, and its mere presence that is important.  Montag is on the subway, trying to read.  The book that he is trying to read-the book of Ecclesiastes, from the Bible-feels to him, at that moment, like the answer to all of his problems.  Just recently, he has realized how unhappy he is, how unhappy Mildred is, and how dumbed-down and unfeeling his society is.  He has watched an old woman, Mrs. Blake, choose to burn to death with her books rather than give them up.  Her conviction moves him, and he realizes he doesn't have that conviction in his life.  So, he turns to books, and senses that they somehow hold the answer.  So, he is desperate to read this book, and for it to speak to him.

However, as he is on the subway, the dentrifice commercial keeps playing, loudly, and ruining his concentration.  He can't focus; he can't read.  It is infuriating.  This commercial is preventing him from having any rational, logical, followed-through thoughts.  He realizes that the commercial is just one small part of a large whole in his society.  Everywhere he goes there are commercials, keeping people from thinking.  There is entertainment, diversion, deflection, and emptiness, all keeping him from thinking and feeling.  The commercial, playing while he is trying to find answers to life through a book, just confirms what he had started to suspect: that the world he lives in makes it impossible to find happiness.

So, at this realization, he decides to go find Faber.  He wants real answers, that can't be interrupted by society and its noise and commercials.  The commercial pushes Montag over the edge, into full searching, into full realization of his society's subtle brain-numbing control over people.  I hope that those thoughts help!  Good luck!

I want to prepare a presentation on "Maintenance Management System" in industry (Auto parts manufacturing). We manufacture Shock Absorbers etc.

Hi there,

There is a great deal of information from Maintenance Management System providers available on the web which would be a good (if slighty biased) place to start.  I've linked a couple of whitepapers which may be of use - particularly the one entitled 'The Future of CMMS' as this looks at the benefits of using systems in today's high pressure manufacturing environment.  Another great source of information is case studies, to see how different companies apply their systems. 

Would you be looking to provide additional information/ further reading pointers on the alternative solutions available?  Particularly in the Automotive industries, integrated CMMS and OEE Systems are proving preferred solutions as they support TPM and other lean manufacturing initiatives, discovering the loss structure of the plant and assisting with putting preventive maintenance measures in place to minimise lost production opportunity.  It may be of interest so I've posted another link which would be of use.

Good luck with your presentation,

Rebecca  

Why does Macbeth, who knows that his actions are evil and will be punished, continue to choose evil?

This question is debatable, and is one of the central questions of the play. First, one might argue that this is because he is fated to be evil. The three witches who manipulate Macbeth might be compared with the three Fates of Greek mythology, who determined the ultimate outcome of every human. These "weird sisters" are also linked with the Anglo-Saxon notion of "wyrd," or fate, whose grasp no one can escape.

Another possibility is that Macbeth chooses his path out of pride, which results from his ambition. Towards the end of the play, he compares himself to a bear that has been tied to a stake, ultimately to be killed by hounds. He knows that he is going to lose, and to die, but he resolves to "try the last," to fight anyway. This same pride which causes him to resign himself to his demise has also driven him to commit one unspeakable act of evil after another.