What are examples of personification in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Personification is a figure of speech in which an author gives human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects. To find personification, all we have to do is look for objects or animals that are described as thinking, moving, feeling beings. We can actually find several examples of personification in the very first scene.

The first example can be seen in Theseus's opening speech, "O, methinks, how slow / This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires" (I.i.3-4). While the first line is not obviously personification because the moon wanes regardless of being likened to a human, the second line certainly is. Addressing the moon as a "she," especially a "she" who intentionally is prolonging the fulfillment of someone's desires is most definitely a means of personifying the moon.

Hippolyta continues to use personification in her response to Theseus. She states, "Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; / Four nights will quickly dream away the time" (7-8). Since the first line describes days as plunging themselves into nighttime, this is another example of personification because days can't move of their own accord. Likewise, nights don't literally dream, making the second line another example of personification.

How old is Travis in "Old Yeller"?

In Gipson's novel "Old Yeller" Travis is a 14-year-old boy who has been left in charge by his father.  The family lives in Salt Lick, Texas in the late 1860's.  Mr. Coates must leave his wife, two boys and daughter to go on a cattle drive.  As he leaves he tells his oldest son, Travis, that he needs to be the man of the house.  The story is about Travis' struggle to mature and become a good role model for his siblings, but still be a obedient son.  His interactions with Yeller are part of this maturing process.

Who is an internal customer? What are the contributions of an internal customer to the organisation?

Internal customer is a term used for employees of a company to emphasize the need to motivate the employees to accept and adopt ways of behaving which are in the overall interest of company as well as the employees. It is suggested that a company can perform better by marketing or selling to its employees the company's culture and doing ways of business, just as it markets its products to customer, sometimes called external customers to differentiate them from internal customers.

The concept of internal customer is useful in any type of business. However, is much more useful and more widely practiced in companies engaged in service business.

The concept of internal customers as used in service marketing practices gives rise to three different types of marketing gives rise to three different, but interlinked, types of marketing that every company must undertake. These are:

• External Marketing


• Internal Marketing


• Interactive Marketing

External marketing refers to the traditional marketing by the company directed towards external customers. Internal marketing refers to the efforts of the company aimed at internal customers, or employees, to motivate them to provide good quality service to customers. Interactive marketing refers to the behaviour of the employees during their interaction with the external customers.

The internal customers, interact with the external customers mostly during the process of delivering service to them. The internal customers contribute to the company's success by help in marketing to the external customers during such  interaction. They do this in several different ways described below.

• They provide good service to the customer, and thereby increase the chances of repeat business.


• They may actually participate in the marketing or selling process. For example, a waiter in a restaurant can have substantial influence on the quantity and choice of orders placed by customers.


• The service provider, that is, the internal customers themselves are a part of the total service experience of the external customer, and thus a part of the product delivered. This is the reason why so many advertisements of airlines focus on their air hostesses and other flight staff.


• The internal customers can actually try to sell the services of the company.

In "Romeo and Juliet", why does Romeo think that banishment is worse than death?

Romeo has just gotten married to the woman/girl that he thinks that he is completely and totally in love with.  Immediately following this he is in a street brawl with Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, and kills him which leads to Romeo’s banishment from Verona to Mantua.  In Act 3, scene 3, Romeo learns of his banishment from the Friar.  Romeo says,      

     “There is no world without Verona walls,

       But purgatory, torture, hell itself.

      Hence banished is banish'd from the world,

      And world's exile is death. Then ‘banishment’

      Is death misterm'd. Calling death ‘banishment,’

      Thou cut'st my head off with a golden axe

      And smilest upon the stroke that murders me. (A. 3, s. 3, lines     18-24)

Here, Romeo reveals his feelings on his banishment.  To him, the banishment would be worse than death because he would be taken from all that he knows and has known his entire life; more importantly he would be taken away from his Juliet and would never be able to see her again.  This would be worse than death because he is really alive, and being alive he will be able to think about what he can no longer have.  Meanwhile, if he had been killed for his crime, he would not be able to ponder over Juliet because he would be dead and his thoughts could not drive him crazy as they could in his banishment.  Romeo reveals this when he says,

     “'Tis torture, and not mercy. Heaven is here,

      Where Juliet lives; and every cat and dog

      And little mouse, every unworthy thing,

      Live here in heaven and may look on her;

      But Romeo may not …”  (A. 3, s. 3, lines 30-34)

Why aren't twins acceptable in the community in The Giver?

Twins are not allowed because having two identical people walking around would be confusing.  The babies are weighed as soon as they are born, and the lighter one is euthanized (“released”).

In The Giver, everything is tightly controlled.  The Community is ruled by a concept named Sameness, which basically means that everyone is the same.  Choices are made for people.  The goal is to ensure that no one is uncomfortable.  For a person to be uncomfortable is a terrible thing in the community.

"Well, they can't have two identical people around! Think how confusing it would be!" Jonas chuckled. (ch 19, p. 146).

The smaller twin is released, which means that it is euthanized by lethal injection.

I'll have to select the one to be nurtured, and the one to be released. It's usually not hard, though. Usually it's just a matter of birthweight. We release the smaller of the two." (ch 15, p. 114)

When Jonas finds out what release really means, he is horrified.  He cannot believe his father would kill an innocent newborn.  As a result, he decides to leave the community, returning the memories to the people and ending sameness.

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

In "Great Expectations", what new job does Orlick have? What is Pip's reaction?

In Ch.29, Pip returns to his village from London and pays a visit to Miss Havisham's house hoping to meet Estella there. Anxious and nervous,after ringing the bell at the gate he turns his back  and waits expectantly for someone to open the gate and let him in.  He hears the gate open but continues to remain with his back to the gate. Then, when he feels some one tapping his shoulder he turns around and to his shock and surprise he realises that the gatekeeper who has let him in is none other  than Orlick himself.

Dickens describes Pip's reaction in the following words: "Being at last touched on the shoulder, I started and turned. I started much more naturally then, to find myself confronted by a man in a sober grey dress. The last man I should have expected to see in that place of porter at Miss Havisham's door. 'Orlick!' "

Pip's reaction is one of startled surprise at seeing Orlick as Miss  Havisham's gatekeeper, because he assumed that Orlick must have still been working at Joe's forge.

What are the chemical and physical properties of xenon, and the history regarding the discovery?

Xenon is one of the "noble" gases, also known as "rare" or "inert" gases.  They are uncommon and highly unreactive.  The six inert gases make up about one oercent of Earth's atmosphere, and are thought to have been released into the air as a byproduct of the decay of radioactive elements. They are all monatomic in structure, which means a molecule consists of only one atom.  The outer layer of the atoms of all six inert gases consist of eight electrons, which is quite stable.  This impedes the loss or gain of electrons, which explains the nonreactivity of these gases.  Xenon's Atomic Number is 54, Atomic Weight is 131.30, and its symbol is Xe.

Xenon is the rarest, and was first discovered in 1898 by William Ramsey and Morris Travers.  It is odorless, colorless and tasteless, and is used in the manufacture of specialized lamps and tubes, such as vacuum tubes and bacterial lamps.  Xenon is found in nature in nine stable isotopes.  In 1962 Neil Bartlett created the first compound containing an inert gas, using xenon.

How was Moshe's information received in "Night"?

Moche' the Beadle had been removed by the police with the other foreign Jews.  He escaped death by pretending he was dead as all the other Jews were killed.  He made his way back to Sighet to warn his friends and neighbors of what was really happening to the Jews.  His neighbors and friends laughed at him.  They said he was crazy and the more he tried to warn them the more they ignored him.  On page 4 we read:

"I don't attach my importance to my life any more.  I'm alone. No, I wanted to come back, and to warn you.  And see how it is, no one will listen to me..."

What does the creature ask of Victor? What does the creature say to Victor in Frankenstein?

The creature tells Victor the story of how he had spent time observing the family from a cave near a cottage.  He told Victor how he had wanted to be a part of humanity.  He had read books which he had taught himself how to read.  He had seen the beauty of humanity in the books and had become lonely and in need of human interaction in order to live. 

He had made his presence known to the blind man, begging him to save him from his life of loneliness.  When the man's family saw him they had shunned him, screamed, and fainted.  For the creature it was a turning point.  He knew he would never be a man like other men but rather something despised and hunted.  Enraged he had become a killing machine by destroying humans.  He would never feel a mother's love or the wanting touch of a human.

The creature demands that Victor create him a female like him.  He wants Victor to make her from parts the same way he has been formed.  He wants to live with her and promises Victor that he will take her far away from society and live alone with her.  Victor tells him that he can not bring himself to create another creature.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how did Scout respond to Cecil's name calling?

Cecil's persistent habit of repeating to Scout the hateful things he hears at home about Atticus tests Scout's patience to the limit. Atticus has forbidden her to fight, but Scout finds his words enormously difficult to remember when Cecil criticizes her father. When Cecil declares one day in the schoolyard that "Scout Finch's daddy defended niggers," Scout goes home to get the truth from Atticus. After Atticus explains that "nigger" is a word she is not ever to use, he then explains why it is important that he help Tom Robinson. 

Facing Cecil the next day, Scout manages to control her temper, but not without difficulty:

I drew a bead on [Cecil], remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped by fists and walked away, "Scout's a coward!" ringing in my ears. It was the first time I ever walked away from a fight.

Scout feels good about walking away from Cecil because she did not "let Atticus down." She feels "extremely noble." This lasts three weeks until she beats up her irritating cousin Francis at Finch's Landing.

Which elements are used in the film to illustrate the social background of Oliver Twist's story?

I just want to preface my answer by saying that your question is a source of confusion for two reasons:  "elements" could refer to either film or literature and the words "Oliver Twist's story" make it questionable which movie version you are speaking about.  I have a feeling that elements of film such as camera work, lighting, scenery, etc. aren't what you were getting at here.  I also think you are most likely referring to the film Oliver! Therefore, I will answer the question about the film Oliver! and from a very general viewpoint.

I think someone could make a strong case that dialect, lyrics, and costume (among numerous other "elements") absolutely serve to highlight the social background of the characters in Oliver!

One of the absolute best examples of the dialect of the lower classes in London at the time is can be found in the song "Consider Yourself."  Of course, this song also serves to provide examples of the lyrics as well.  Take the simply states first line:  "Consider yourself at home."  Oh sure, it sounds regular enough.  I'm tellin' ya', though, when the Artful Dodger says it, it's more like, "Consi'er yo'sel a' ome."  Quite honestly, no member of the upper class (or even the middle class, mind you) would be caught dead talking like that.  It puts a person directly into the gutter, ... similar to what happens to Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (or Pygmalion).

Just to focus on lyrics for a second, one can't deny "Food, Glorious Food."  Orphans wishing for a full meal, ... reminds me of the "empty-belly" life in Annie's "It's a Hard Knock Life."  A commentary on social background?  Take a gander:

Food, glorious food!
Don't care what it looks like --
Burned!
Underdone!
Crude!
Don't care what the cook's like.
Just thinking of growing fat --
Our senses go reeling
One moment of knowing that
Full-up feeling!

No doubt about the social background when it comes to costumes, either.  Oh, and who could forget little Oliver's dirty orphan costume when he asked, "Please sir, may I have some more?"  Browns, grays, and blacks all mixed together obviously from different hand-me-down outfits from others.  Saddest little bugger you've ever seen.  And the Artful Dodger is even worse with his little nasty cravat and old hat that obviously used to be very fancy.

There are so many other elements that comment on social background in this film, I could have a field day.  Hopefully this post will serve to get you started.

Give description of Nepal as a country.

From Wiki... Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometers and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolitan city.

Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north contains eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Mount Everest. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. By some measures, Hinduism is practiced by a greater majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. A minority faith in the country, Buddhism is linked historically with Nepal as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama who, as the Buddha Gautama, gave birth to the Buddhist tradition.

Nepal had been a monarchy throughout most of its history. Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Shah dynasty king, unified the many small kingdoms in 1768. Since then, the country had been ruled by a dynasty of kings. However, a decade-long People's Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal in 2006, culminated in a peace accord and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal democratic republic in May 28, 2008. The first President of Nepal, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav was sworn in on 23 July, 2008.

In Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", what are 3 contrasts between Claudio and Benedick?

The biggest contrast is in demeanor.  Claudio is an emotional character, but Benedick is a rational one.  Claudio is caught up by the idea of love, swept away by his attraction to Hero.  He does not consciously think of the idea of marriage and what it means - he just knows that he wants Hero.  He speaks poetically about her, and Shakespeare portrays him as practically swooning in the first act.

But now I am returned and that war-thoughts
Have left their places vacant, in their rooms
Come thronging soft and delicate desires,
All prompting me how fair young Hero is.

If you have read Romeo and Juliet, think of Claudio as a slightly older, slightly more mature version of Romeo.

Benedick, however, is a man of wit.  He constantly lectures on the drawbacks of marriage, explaining with intellectual consideration all the reasons he may appreciate women:

That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she brought me up, I likewise give her most humble thanks

But he makes it clear that he will not marry as he considers it a type of slavery to "yoke" himself to a woman.

Another example of this contrast comes in the false accusation against Hero.  Claudio, in jealousy and a fit of emotion, believes and acts upon what he has "seen."  However, Benedick remains behind.  He questions it, he considers the testimony of Hero, and he rationally concludes the truth.

However, although Claudio is less gullible than Benedick, he is also less stubborn.  When he realizes that he was wrong, Claudio admits his mistake freely and performs repentance for it.  He is willing to marry a cousin of Hero's as punishment for his "crime" and does not argue.  Benedick, however, is not so easily moved.  Although he has clearly demonstrated his love for Beatrice, announced it openly to her, he is quick to deny it in mixed company.  He is backed up against his earlier protestations that he would never marry, and so doesn't want to admit that he was wrong.  He actually says this to himself:

When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.

He is showing us that he can't accept that he was at fault - he must change the situation to make it seem as if he was correct all along.  Ultimately, as Claudio must admit that he was too quick to judge Hero, Benedick must admit that he was too stubborn, and they both are rewarded in the end.

In Brave New World, what happens to dead bodies in the World State?

Every body is cremated. It's an idea that springs from the "everyone is equal and contributes equally to production" concept of the World State. Lenina and Henry discuss this while on their date, after Lenina inquires about the balconies she sees along the smoke stacks.

"Phosphorus recovery," explained Henry telegraphically. "On their way up the chimney the gases go through four separate treatments. P2O5 used to go right out of circulation every time they cremated some one. Now they recover over ninety-eight per cent of it. More than a kilo and a half per adult corpse. Which makes the best part of four hundred tons of phosphorus every year from England alone." Henry spoke with a happy pride, rejoicing whole-heartedly in the achievement, as though it had been his own. "Fine to think we can go on being socially useful even after we're dead. Making plants grow."

Lenina, meanwhile, had turned her eyes away and was looking perpendicularly downwards at the monorail station. "Fine," she agreed. "But queer that Alphas and Betas won't make any more plants grow than those nasty little Gammas and Deltas and Epsilons down there."

"All men are physico-chemically equal," said Henry sententiously. "Besides, even Epsilons perform indispensable services."

Lenina has no reaction to the Crematorium, apart from a strong sense of caste superiority. Henry reminds her that everyone, even an Epsilon, is essential to the health and stability of the World State. Thus, the phosphorus is recovered (at least 98% of it), and everyone continues being useful long after their deaths.

In the novel Of Mice and Men who said the following phrases?1. "Ain't many guys travel around together. Idon't know why." 2. "S'pose I went in with...

Quote 1: "Ain't many guys travel around together.  I don't know why." The speaker is SLIM.

Quote 2:  "S'pose I wentin with you guys. That's three hundred an' fiftyI'd put in." The speaker is CANDY.

Quote 3:  "You're nuts but you're a kinda nice fella. Just like a big baby."  The speaker is CURLEY'S WIFE.

Quote 4:  "Well I can't stand him in here."  The speaker is CARLSON.

Quote 5:  "With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us."  The speaker is GEORGE.

In The Scarlet Letter, what was the purpose of Hester Prynne's punishment?

While deterrence is an obvious motive for the punishment meted out to Hester, there are subtler reasons behind it as well. These present themselves when we consider the nature of the penalty. After all, there would have been little outcry if instead of pinning the Scarlet Letter on Hester, the town fathers had chosen instead to summarily hang her. One may fairly ask why they choose not to execute her.  First, Governor Bellingham and his associates still hope that Hester will eventually give up the name of her guilty lover. Subjecting her to such an extended term of ignominy will, they reason, increase the chances of Hester succumbing to what they mistakenly believe to her major weakness, namely, her womanhood. Second, there is the question of Pearl, through whose existence they hope to objectify the unnaturalness of Hester's adulterous union. Again, another irony emerges: while Pearl does cause Hester much grief, she also serves as an enormous source of strength and purpose in her life. Finally, Hester's continuing disgrace provides a convenient salve for the collective conscience of a community whose own hypocrisies might otherwise show up more fully without the blazing hotness of Hester's sin on display for all to see.

In Act II of "Romeo and Juliet", what problem of the lovers is alluded to in the chorus?

In the Prologue to Act II, the Chorus continues the theme of paradoxes:  old desire/young affection, deathbed/heir, foe/lover, extremities/extreme sweet.  With these paradoxes, the allusion is to the extreme efforts to which Romeo and Juliet go in order to be together.

Romeo's being a foe of Juliet's family, the Capulets, may not give him "access" to her as nor may Juliet be able to see him since she has

means much less/To meet her new beloved any where (II,i,)

But, the Chorus states, their passion "lends them power" to meet each other and they will go to extremes to be together, "extreme sweet," in each other's arms. 

Of course, Romeo and Juliet do just that.  Romeo scales the walls of Juliet's orchard--"he jests at scars"--despite the obstacles of trees and branches.  When Rome tells Juliet "I would I were thy bird," she replies,

Weet, so would I:/Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing./Good night, good night!parting is such/sweet sorrow,/That I shall say good night till it be morrow(II,ii,182-185)

The line "Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing" foreshadows, of course, the tragic end of Romeo and complements the paradox of the deathbed as well as that of foe/lover in the Prologue.

What is Ohm's law?

Ohm's Law relates the electrical resistance of a conductor to the voltage across it and current passing through it.

The modern form of Ohm's law is V = IR, where V is voltage, I is current, and R is the resistance of the cunductor.

The law was named after the German physicist Georg Ohm who in 1827 made measurements of applied voltage and current through simple electrical circuits containing various lengths of wire.

The most common application of Ohm's law is to circuit elements known as resistors. However, the flow of electricity through many complicated objects or systems can be modled as if the electricity were flowing through simple circuit elements, like resistors. Thus Ohm's law finds wide application in electrical sciences.

What role does dishonesty play in Hamlet?I'm also wondering how this changes his actions in finding loyalty in others.

Dishonesty definitely plays a major role in both Hamlet, the protagonist and Hamlet, the play. Though the tragedy ensues from Hamlet's prolonged indecisiveness, his vacillating mood, yet one simply cannot be evasive of the dishonesty of Claudius that propels hamlet towards his tragic fall.

The murder of his father in the hands of his uncle, Claudius, renders existence difficult for Hamlet. To add to his wounds, Gertrude re-marries hastily giving vent to their lustful unjust characters. This dishonest, heinous deed on the part of Claudius once revealed to Hamlet by his father's ghost creates a tumult of emotions. Yoked with this is his mother's lack of sorrow felt for the dead husband. Such overpowering emotions create a furore within Hamlet and he commits the twin crimes of murdering Polonius and being the reason behind Ophelia's madness and her final death. His love for Ophelia is walloped by his unusual love for Gertrude as well as the pall of injustice that envelopes Denmark.

It is dishonesty that prevails from the beginning to the end of the play. Most of the deaths take place due to the lack of loyalty. The King is murdered by his disloyal brother, the disloyal wife marries the disloyal brother. Laertes makes use of dishonest means to win the duel, which at the end leads to the fatal ends of Hamlet, Laertes as also Gertrude, who drinks the poisoned wine intended for hamlet, again by Claudius.

In "The Crucible" what changes can you see in the relationships between men and women throughout the play?

To answer this, it is a good idea to look at John's relationships with two different women; one is Elizabeth and the other is Abigail Williams.  At the beginning of the play, Elizabeth and John are civil at best; the maintain a strained and very awkward relationship.  In act two, Miller takes some time to describe Elizabeth trying to please John with the dinner, and John trying to please Elizabeth by asking about the cow and telling her that the food is good.  But soon, when Elizabeth starts pressuing him to go into town to tell them what Abby had told him, things go bad.  Elizabeth's resentment of the affair and lingering bitterness comes out, and John's resentment of her grudge and defensiveness about his mistakes comes out.  They end up fighting.

But later, in act four, as they meet before John's death, things have changed.  John has expended great effort to rescue Liz from being in jail, and they have both spent some sobering time in prison.  So when they meet again, the defenses and pride has dropped; they speak honestly.  John asks for forgiveness, she asks for forgiveness for being cold, he asks her advice, she cries.  It is emotionally intimate enough to prompt John to declare, "I want my life."  So, the Proctors went from arguing, resentful and mistrusting to honest, loving and vulnerable in each other's presence.

With Abby, John and her were on friendly terms at the beginning; in fact, Abby was very forward and desiring their intimacy to continue; John was stalwart but kind.  He showed her a bit of joking familiarity and even admitted to having hovered outside of her window on occasion.  But by the time act three rolls around, John is so angry with Abby (she is responsible for his wife being imprisoned, after all) that he rages to the entire court, not caring who hears, calling her a "whore".  He rejects her every attempt to win him over, threatens her, and reveals her for who she really is.  So, their relationship went from an intimate affair to pure and bitter hatred.

I hope that helps a bit; good luck!

In the story "The Californian's Tale" by Mark Twain what do the furnishings, pictures and other objects symbolize?

"Never has been sane an hour since. But he (Henry) only gets bad when that time of year comes round. Then we begin to drop in here, three days before she's due, to encourage him up, and ask if he's heard from her, and Saturday we all come and fix up the house with flowers, and get everything ready for a dance. We've done it every year for nineteen years."

Only at the end of the story the readers realise theintensity of poor Henry's tragic situation. From the beginning, Mark Twain emphasises the loneliness and desolation of a once rich and prosperous mining town: "it was a lonesome land!"But even in that lonely place the whole community has got together to preserve and protect the sanity of one of its members, Henry, by an elaborate fictitious scheme to keep alive his hope that his wife will return one day. What is really moving is that they have been doing this regularly without a break for the past nineteen years. For the past nineteen years without a break the whole community has got together and decorated Henry's house to create for Henry the impression that his wife is still alive and that she is going return at 9'O clock onthat Saturday evening.

Thus, all the elegant furnishings, pictures and graceful touches which the narrator sees on entering Henry's quaint cottage symbolise the friendliness, love and affection of an entire community towards one of its emotionally shattered and heartbroken members.

In Atlas Shrugged, how does Hank's contradictions in his philosophy harm him psychologically and practically?

Hank Rearden, business man to be feared, and genius inventor of an innovative new type of metal, has always put work first in his life.  His work is the only thing that gives him true joy, and he has surpassed numerous obstacles and boundaries in order to succeed.  Success in the business world, and with his steel, has been his mantra for years.  He is willing to succeed at almost any cost--alienating his family, drowning out competitors, and showing no mercy to incompetent workers.

However, his drive to succeed is contradicted by the fact that he still bows before the moral code that the new politicians are preaching at the time.  He still, to a certain extent, cares about what the world thinks of him.  He still, to a certain extent, believes in the values and ideals that his society is preaching at him.  The one thing that he is still not willing to sacrifice in order to succeed, is his society's rules and standards in regards to certain things.  What takes him under in the end, is signing the equality act, in order to protect Dagny from being revealed as his lover.  This indicates that he is still letting the society around him make him feel ashamed for the very fulfilling and validating relationship that he had with Dagny.  He still assumes that it was wrong, and that Dagny would be ashamed to have it known to the world.  It is this erroneous assumption that eventually brings his business down, because he has let the moochers in, and they take it all in the end.

So, Hank's philosophy contradicts his actions.  He states he doesn't care what the world thinks of him, but caves to the world's pressures and standards.  He states that he will succeed at any cost, but does not stand his ground in order to succeed--instead, he sacrifices his own mind and will, which leads him to fail.

The practical impact of this is that he ends up having to cave to the moochers in Washington, and turn his steel over to people who don't know how to work, and who have no concept of a work ethic, or the value of self-earned success.  His business fails.  The psychological impact of his contradictions lead him to be tortured, and fractured.  The more he strives to succeed, the more he fails.  He exhausts himself mentally with the battle against what, in the end, he knows he needs to do:  give up all in order to stop giving his world what they ask.  He is unhappy, conflicted, stressed and worn thin.

I hope that those thoughts help you a bit; good luck!

In Chapter 8 of Great Expectations what other type of building does the derelict mansion seem to resemble?

It is well worth paying attention to how Dickens describes Satis House and the associations, mood and atmosphere that he creates through his description. The first description comes as Estella leads Pip into the house:

My young conductress locked the gate, and we went across the court-yard. It was paved and clean, but grass was growing in every crevice. The brewery buildings had a little lane of communication with it; and the wooden gates of that lane stood open, and all the brewery beyond stood open, away to the high enclosing wall; and all was empty an disused. The cold wind seemed to blow colder there than outside the gate; and it made a shrill noise in howling in and out at the open sides of the brewery, like the noise of wind in the rigging of a ship at sea.

Note the descriptions of inner decay and neglect - grass is growing in "every crevice" of the court-yard, and the wind seems to blow "colder" inside the enclosure than outside, making a noise that reminds Pip of a "ship at sea" - isolated and separate from the rest of the world.

Consider the description at the end of the Chapter:

To be sure, it was a deserted place, down to the pigeon-house in the brewery-yard, which had been blown crooked on its pole by some high wind, and would have made the pigeons think themselves at sea, if there had been any pigeons there to be rocked by it. But there were no pigeons in the dove-cot, no horses in the stable, no pigs in the sty, no malt in the storehouse, no smells of grains an beer in the copper or the vat. All the uses and scents of the brewery might have evaporated with its last reek of smoke. In a by-yard, there was a wilderness of empty casks, which had a certain sour remembrance of better days lingering about them; but it was too sour to be accepted as a sample of beer that was gone - and in this respect I remember those recluses as being like most others.

Key to this description is that it comes immediately before Pip imagines seeing Miss Havisham dead, hanging by a beam. Note how it foreshadows this vision - the repetition of "no" with the long list of things that are not there, combined with the "wilderness of empty casks" that add to the impression of Satis House being described as an empty wilderness, separated and isolated from the rest of humanity.

The fact that the entrance to the house had "two chains across it outside" and "all the passages were dark" seem to add to this impression by comparing the house to a prison - which is certainly metaphorically true, as Miss Havisham has chosen to lock herself and her house away from the rest of the world out of her grief and anger.

"I couldn't believe I had put us in danger after all, put myself in your power" ......But it had the oppsite effect". I don't understand this?This...

Just after he tells her the first part of that, he adds, "as if I needed another motive to kill you."  I think that he means that his revelation to Bella had the opposite effect of that - in other words, it made him NOT want to kill her even more strongly.  It drew him to her, and when he realized that she had kept his secret, it made him see how special she was.  He may have also been hoping that the more she learned about him, the more she would fear him; but it had the opposite effect on Bella, too.  The more he confided in her, the more she loved him.

He fought with his family, but Carlisle, Esme, and Alice sided with him; they wanted him to stay and be with Bella, if that's what he wanted.  The rest of the family thought it would be better for him to leave than to risk exposing them to the public.  So he had to fight against his family and his better instincts to stay with Bella and to keep himself from hurting her, but he managed to do it because at that point he started to get to know her better, and he fell in love with Bella as a person and not just the call of her blood.

Explain the summary of stanzas of the poem "She Walks in Beauty".Please answer this question in detail.

The progression of stanzas in "She Walks in Beauty" tell of various aspects of the beauty of a woman.  The first stanza compares the woman to the beauty of the night

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light     5
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

Describing her as walking "in beauty" makes her beauty less personal and more ethereal.  Since she is compared to something as cosmic as "night of cloudless climes and starry skies" -- that is, a clear night lit brightly by stars -- the suggestion is not just of personal beauty, but of a celestial, almost spiritual quality.  It is not simply that she is dark-haired, with bright eyes (like the dark sky of night, and bright stars,)  but "all that's best of dark and bright"  are joined in her aspect (looks) and her eyes.  The picture, created in just these first six lines, is of a woman who is not only blessed with physical beauty, but has a certain quality of harmonious nature about her which increases her attractiveness.  A phrase so general as "all that's best of dark and bright" brings to mind the beauty of all things dark and things shining.  To be possessed of the best qualities of beauty of such a large class of things is substantial indeed.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;     10
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear, their dwelling-place.

In this stanza, Byron talks about how not only is the subject of the poem beautiful, but she has a perfect balance to her beauty.  "One shade the more, one ray the less" refers back to the first stanza's mention of dark and bright.  She has the right amount of "shade" (darkness) and "rays" (brightness) balanced in the look of her face.  But for the first time Byron now discusses her thoughts illuminating her beauty.  "Where thoughts serenely sweet express" means that the thoughts of her mind are so sweet that they make her countenance so.  The thoughts, he is saying, express that their "dwelling place" i.e. -- her head, is pure and dear.  This is a markedly different kind of personification, in which a person's thoughts are being said to have an expression about the body they inhabit.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, so eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,     15
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

Byron is still talking about her looks, but in this stanza he is focusing on what her looks say about her soul.  The first four lines are telling of her face, which has "smiles that win, the tints that glow" but everything is meant to show that her days are "in goodness spent".  What has started out as a poem about how a woman looks has come to be about how her looks illuminate what kind of person she is.  The fact that she looks a certain way means, to Byron, that she is good and kind and has a "heart whose love is innocent".  Byron feels so strongly about this last line that he adds an exclamation point.  The effect is that while the poem may have seemed to be one about superficial beauty, what the poet really admires is the subject's goodness. 

How does Lennie react to the setting?I am a little confused by the way Lennie reacts to it all. Is it with him being so scared and unsure or just...

Lennie reacts poorly to his surroundings for many different reasons. To begin with, Lennie is mentally disabled.  They never specify what has happened to him or if he has always been this way, but Lennie has the mental capacity of a small child, maybe around 7 or 8 years old.

Part of the reason Lennie reacts poorly to the surroundings is that George has frightened Lennie into being submissive, or very quiet, about his personality. In this time period, society was not welcoming to people who were handicapped. They were locked away in institutions and typically abused. George threatens Lennie that if he messes up, they will be separated.

Also, Lennie is much like a small child caught around adults who are fighting.  He has no clue what is going on around him, but he wants to help or hide.  In short, he is being yelled at and harassed and he does not understand motivations or the meanings behind the actions of those around him.

I hope this helps!

In "The Listeners" no one answers. Imagine a group of strange beings come to meet the lone traveller; narrate what happens then.There should be an...

To write this response, hopefully you have read the poem.  In the poem, the weary traveller goes to the house, and addresses a host of supposed ghosts or spirits that haunt the house.  He stands there and before he leaves, he mysteriously states, "Tell them I came, and no one answered, that I kept my word."  So, the traveller is coming to fulfill some sort of promise that he has made; he is relaying information that he has fulfilled a mission of some sort that he has promised to accomplish.

So, in pretending that instead of strangers who "stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight," never answering the door, actually open the door to the traveller, and address him, you must use your imagination.  First of all, I would imagine what exactly the traveller had done while away; what promise did he make?  What did he set out to do?  Did he go on a quest of revenge?  Was he a hired assassin?  Was he fulfilling some terms of service that would set him free because he was a slave or a servant to the household?  Was he on a secret mission for some covert rebellious group?  Was he a spy?  Was he fulfilling a romantic quest?  Decide what task he is returning and reporting from.

Once you have decided on what the traveller's mission was, decide what the strangers will look like.  Will they be ghost-like?  Will they look like real people?  Will they be old, young or both?  Then, what will they say in response to the information that the traveller gives them about his quest?  Will they be upset?  Accepting?  Ominous?  Threatening?  Send him off on some other quest?

Then, to make the entire atmosphere mysterious as you write, have the wind blowing, dark shadows being cast, and eerie noises.  Also, don't explain everything.  Leave some element of mystery or questioning to the encounter, so that the reader is left wondering what the entire story is; that is what makes a good mystery.

I hope that those suggestions help; good luck!

What was the main effect of Aztec worldview?

I'm assuming you mean the main points of the Aztec worldview.  In the 15th century Aztec religion and worldview was a mix of their own beliefs and things gleaned from other cultures in Mexico.  Abandoned older cities such as Teotihuacon and other Toltec and Olmec sites were considered sacred, and the Aztecs copied their architecture and put objects they believed to have been sacred in their own temples.

The calendar is the aspect of Aztec culture most popularly studied today.  There were actually two calendars, the xiuphohualli of 365 days involving the seasons and solar time, and the tonalhopualli or "day-count," the sacred calendar of 260 days.  The day-count runs on a system of thirteens, and interacts with the solar calendar concurrently and in a complex relationship.  The day-count and solar calendar run so that every 52 years the count of years begins again.

The day-count divides the days among rituals to the different Aztec gods, who are considered to always be in perpetual action against or with one another.  The cosmos is seen as a continual struggle which is never "won" or "lost" in the end, simply continuing motion.  No gods or goddesses are "good" or "evil", just different.  Conflict is seen as necessary, with the universe balanced between opposites.  Things are seen as light or dark, in varying degrees, not "black and white," with both light and dark necessary.

The Aztec viewed the universe as consisting of multiple layers, but circular, not horizontal.  The layers are contained within one another, rather than in layers atop each other.  The layer humans inhabit is between the Heavens and the Underworld, and in fact is seen as the lowermost layer of Heaven and the uppermost of the Underworld.  Our layer is both because here there is both life and death.  The layers of stars and planets are "above" us, so to speak, and then more layers leading outward to Omeyocan, the "Place of Duality."  This is where Ometeotl lives, the Divine Duality.  Viewed as pure divinity, not a personified god, it is sometimes represented as Lord and Lady Duality, Ometecucuhtli and Omecihuatl, from whose union are born the gods and goddesses.  Those gods and goddesses inhabit various other layers of Heaven.  In the opposite direction from our world are the layers of the Underworld, leading to Mictlan, the Place of the Dead.

Explain the theme of oppression and cruelty in "Waiting for Godot".

The theme of oppression and cruelty in Waiting for Godot has all sorts of metaphoric dimensions--Existentialist, theological, comic and even socio-political. As Hamm summed it up at the beginning of Endgame, we all think ourselves to be the greatest of sufferers and it is this self-assumption of a tragic status that turns it all into comic. Human existence, as the absurdist critic of the play would say, is full of oppression and cruelty and all of it stems from absolute chaos, lack of moral justice in a world that is random and absurd. More precisely put, as Camus would say, the link between the man and the world is absurd. The suffering of man is not always the lofty ones, Estragon's pain while trying to put on his boots is an example per excellence of human suffering and the irony is one  blames it on the size of the boot.

The idea of oppression and cruelty recurs through the play in tandem with the christian myth of Damnation and Fall. The Augustinian reference to the thieves and the Fall of the four characters in the second act are all replete with theological metaphor. As vladimir's speech about his responsibility to the reigning chaos reveals, the thematic structures of oppression and cruelty are also resonant with the historical angles of the World War.  However, there is always the shiftiness of power as we see between Lucky and Pozzo. The oppressive Pozzo suffers in the second act and has to depend on Lucky to show the way 'on'. The humane unity of Didi and Gogo holds on as opposed to the themes of oppression and cruelty.

What is the irony in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"?

It isn't especially ironic that poor Walter would escape momentarily from his dull life and nagging wife in daydreams. In fact, we might expect him to do something to relieve his misery. It is ironic, however, that mousy Mr. Mitty can weave such colorful and incredibly detailed romantic adventures. For a man who shows no signs of creativity in his real life, the richness of his imagination is remarkable. It is ironic (situational irony) that in order to engage his talents and enjoy his life, Mitty has to stop living it from time to time.

Another type of irony found in the story is dramatic irony. We understand much more about her husband's activities than does Mrs. Mitty. For example, in the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mitty demands to know why Walter is driving so fast. This is amusing because we know Commander Mitty is driving fast because he is powering a navy hydroplane through stormy winter seas trying to escape an impending hurricane! 

Why does George trust Slim?

Slim's overall demeanor causes George to trust him.  Consider Steinbeck's opening description of Slim, something that must have resonated with George when he first saw the skinner:  

There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke.  His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics of love.   

This is the image that George has of Slim when he first enters the bunkhouse.  When Slim meets George's acquaintance, George is taken aback with Slim's assessment of how people no longer travel with one another, something that reflect Slim's astute powers of observation. Through this initial interaction, George begins to realize the ultimate power that Slim has, something that helps to make him trust the skinner.

When Slim gives Lennie one of his puppies, George's trust is further cemented. It is from this point that George begins to confide in Slim.  Steinbeck describes this as taking on the tone of a "confessional" with Slim operating as a type of priest for George.  When George starts to talk about why he and Lennie lost their jobs in Weed, he stops for a moment to ask if Slim would say anything, and then George corrects himself with the reassuring, "Nah, of course you wouldn't."  It is at this point where George trusts Slim.  For so long in his travels with Lennie, George has had to be the source of all decision making.  He had to be "the brains" of the operation for so long.  It is only when he meets Slim that George recognizes that Slim is not out to cheat him or is he out to betray him.  It is for this reason that George ends up trusting Slim, something that is evident at the end when it is Slim that ends up comforting and reassuring George after having to do what he did.

What were the major differences between "old" immigrants and "new" immigrants?

When the wave of old immigration, which ended in around 1880 is compared to the new immigration wave which started shortly after, the differences are stark. 

 "Immigrants from the British Isles were among some of the first to land and settle the United States in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. The beginnings of large scale British immigration to the United States in the nineteenth century coincides with the changes in Britain brought on by the Industrial Revolution, but no one single social or political group is responsible for a large proportion of the immigrants.15"

The old immigrants came from Northern or Western Europe and were mostly Protestant, most were English and German, there was a great influx of Irish immigrants who started to come to America from 1845 to escape famine and hardship especially struggles with English control of their agricultural industry.  Germans soon replaced the Irish as the largest growing immigrant population with an estimated 31% by 1860. 

Most came over to America with their families and were skilled and educated to a degree.  They came with money of their own and an understanding of how the government or system of democracy worked.

 "The Old Immigrants are those immigrants who entered the United States from 1820 to 1890 when 7.7 million people came primarily from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Scandinavia, and the "Germanies" (Austria, Switzerland, and various German states)."

The new immigrants came from Southern or Eastern Europe and were Italian, Polish and were not Prostestant but Catholic and Jewish. Most of these immigrants were unskilled and illiterate and came here without their families. 

"The reasons these new immigrants made the journey to America differed little from those of their predecessors. Escaping religious, racial, and political persecution, or seeking relief from a lack of economic opportunity or famine still pushed many immigrants out of their homelands."

For example, my grandfather came here along with his father, leaving his mother and siblings back in Italy, they never came to America but remained in Italy with my great-grandfather sending money to them over a few years before he went back to Italy, leaving my grandfather here alone. 

 "The New Immigrants are immigrants who arrived after 1890, and this group came primarily from Southern and Eastern Europe, places like Italy, Austro-Hungary, Russia, and the Baltic States.4"

Why did it finally become necessary for the hens to surrender all their eggs? What did the hens do to rebel against this?

The reason why the hens were asked to surrender all their eggs was because of the acute shortage of food: "In January food fell short,"  and however much Napoleon tried to conceal this fact by using Mr.Whymper to "spread a contrary impression" he could not succeed and "towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere."

So, Napoleon decreed through Squealer that the hens would have to surrender all their eggs, because he "had accepted, through Whymper, a contract for four hundred eggs a week. The price of these would pay for enough grain and meal to keep the farm going till summer came on and conditions were easier."

Naturally, the hens protested because they planned to raise a new brood of chicks and they considered this order nothing short of murder. Three young Black Minorca hens led the rebellion.They would fly to the top of the rafters and lay their eggs which would crash on the floor below. Immediately, "Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly. He ordered the hens' rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death."

After five days the hens went back to their nesting boxes and soon Naploeon was able to supply the eggs to Mr. Whymper. Nine hens had meanwhile died of starvation, but it was rumoured that they had died of an infectious disease.

How might "The Fall of the House of Usher" be read as a journey into the human mind?

The house of Usher, both in terms of the Usher family and the house it self were confused by the passersby as "one and the same". This was because, as you read, the story shows that the family had a history of disease, death, entrapment, insanity.  This is a compilation of the scariest demons that humans have to deal with from time to time. In Usher's case, Roderick and his family were all representatives of such demons, of such imperfections. The house decayed as Roderik decayed, and both the house and the owner were going downhill. Finally, when the narrator escapes, the house implodes on its own. Similarly with Roderick and humans dealing with their inner torments, they are also bound to implode and destroy themselves. (And those around them can help, just as much as they don't fall right with them)

How does the narrative technique in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich help with characterization?

The narrative perspective of this illuminating text is third person limited. This means that the story is told by an external narrator to the story who is able to see everything that happens but is only privy to the thoughts and feelings of one particular character, which is of course Ivan Denisovich. The narrative therefore includes the full thoughts and feelings of Ivan but of no other characters, and the narrative perspective therefore only allows for general remarks to be made about others. For example, note how the external narrator describes the following scene:

But now all at once something happened in the column, like a wave going through it… . The fellows in the back—that's where Shukhov was—had to run now …

Whilst the point of view allows for such comments to be made about what happens to the prisoners, it does allow for a fully developed psychological presentation of Ivan Denisovich. Consider the following quote that describes his approach to his new task:

His mind and his eyes were studying the wall, the façade of the Power Station, two cinder blocks thick, as it showed from under the ice. Whoever had been laying there before was either a bungler or a slacker. Shukhov would get to know every inch of that wall as if he owned it.

The narrative choice allows the reader to fully understand and be aware of the inner character of Ivan and the pride that he takes in his work. Even though he is a prisoner and he has no reason to care about the work he has been ordered to do, he takes incredible pride in his work and is obviously dismissive of the efforts of the person who was working there before, who Ivan dismisses as a "bungler" and a "slacker." Given the title of this novel, the narrative perspective is therefore important in helping to build up a psychologically developed portrait of this central character centred on his thoughts and feelings.

What are the various activities of the apple picker, and how do they relate to the meaning of "After Apple-Picking"?

The speaker in this poem does not seem to be engaged in many specific activities so much as reflecting deeply on his work in harvesting the apples. The speaker also seems to be drifting in and out of sleep and dreaming, which imbues this poem with a richly symbolic (one might argue allegorical) meaning, touching on the themes of hard work, success and satisfaction, or perhaps life and death.

"The great harvest" that was once valued by the speaker in this poem could be said to be the wealth, recognition and achievements that the speaker has laboured hard to gain throughout his life. It is interesting therefore, that the speaker says he is "overtired" of this great harvest that he once wanted. Perhaps this reflects that the speaker has too much of what he wanted and now feels neither joy nor satisfaction, but exhaustion, from his achievements. This can be seen to be symbolic of how mankind works very hard to get something, yet often when we finally have achieved our objective, we are not able to rest and relax - the act of possession robs the objective of its value, and we are left restless once more. It is interesting that the word "sleep" occurs often in the poem and there are lots of references to dreaming. This could be symbolic of the death that awaits the reader. Apple harvest is in autumn, and perhaps the speaker has reached the "autumn years" of his life and is now reflecting on his achievements over his lifetime, and awaiting death.

Other examples of symbolism which might fit into this reading of the poem are contained in this passage:

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree

Toward heaven still,

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill

Beside it, and there may be two or three

Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.

But I am done with apple-picking now.

The ladder pointing heavenward might symbolise thoughts of the afterlife or spiritual longins, and the unfilled barrel and apples might represent the unfinished tasks of life. It is clear, however, that the speaker is not going to carry on with his job - he is weary of the tasks of life. 

What is the significance of the title, "The Joy Luck Club"?

An explanation of the title "The Joy Luck Club" is provided the reader in the course of the narrative.  The Joy Luck Club was formed by one of the four Chinese-immigrant women in China before their coming to America.  Suyuan Woo started this club to distract her friends from their oppression in China. That is, she hoped the club could keep them--at least for a while--from thinking about their woes during the Japanese invasion of China.  Then, after the women migrated to the United States, the club was continued as a means of unifying the four women and their daughters.  Suyuan Woo hoped that this continuation of the club would bring good luck to her friends and happiness in their reunions.  And, by retaining this vestige of their culture in China, Suyuan and the other mothers hope to keep alive the Chinese heritage of their American-born daughters.

Do you think the Mechanicals make a great team? Include quotes from the play to support your answer.

I think you probably need to define your question. How do we define a "great team"? If being a great team is that they fulfill their comic purpose within the play by their inability to act, then, yes, they probably do! If however you define a great team to be a team that works well together to produce a stellar performance of "Pyramus and Thisbe", then perhaps not.

Whatever you define "great team" as you can but agree that they do do their best in the production, and perhaps we can only agree with Theseus when he justifies his choice of play to Philostrate by saying:

I will hear that play.

For never any thing can be amiss,

When simpleness and duty tender it.

Go bring them in, and that your places, Ladies.

It is the thought that counts, rather than the actual level of ability.

Examining the dynamics of the players, however, does suggest that (apart from their dramatic ability) they do function rather well as a group, which is largely thanks to the role of Peter Quince in managing a very disparate group of players. From the first time we meet the players in Act I Scene 2, we see what a job he has to keep all the players in check - he has to flatter Bottom whilst at the same time keeping him in check and from taking all the parts ("You can play no part but Pyramus, for Pyramus is a sweet-fac'd man, a proper man as one shall see in a summer's day; a most lovely gentleman-like man, therefore you must needs play Pyramus.") At the same time, he has to work with the other players and make sure people like Snug get a part that they can act out without having to learn a script, and convince Flute that he will act out Thisby.

In addition to all of this, he has to cope with frequent interruptions from Bottom, which almost seem to be challenging his leadership. We see this particularly in Act III Scene 1 when if Quince suggests something, Bottom immediately contradicts it:

QUINCE

Well, we will have such a prologue, and it will be written in eight and six.

BOTTOM

No, make it two more, let it be written in eight and eight.

Given these challenges, we cannot but admire the skill and diplomacy of Quince to produce any play at all.

In "The Crucible" what is Hale's reaction when John tells him that Abigail and the girls had "naught to do with witchcraft"?ACT 2

He is stunned.  He can't believe it.  John tells him that Abby was the one to confess that it had "naught to do with witchcraft", but it is Abby who is the one who is leading most of the charges.  Hale is incredulous, and has a hard time believing it.  His first reaction is one of clarification-he makes Proctor clarify that it was indeed Abigail Williams who had said that.  Then, immediately, he becomes suspicious of John.  He asks, suspiciously, "Why-why did you keep this?"  He wonders why John would not have told anyone about this before.  His suspicious turns to disbelief.  He doesn't believe it.  He states, "Nonsense!" and goes on to explain that he himself has examined several women how "have confessed" witchcraft.  John points out that why wouldn't they, "if they must hang for denyin' it?"  Hale concedes this point, anda acknowledges that that very thought had crossed his mind, then asks John, "would you testify to this in court?"  His starting to believe Proctor; he wants to believe him.  He then turns to questioning his character even more thoroughly, to try to get a better grasp on him.

So, Hales reaction starts with incredulity, turns to suspicion, to disbelief, to a desire to believe.  I hope that helps!  Good luck!

In Macbeth, how does Macbeth describe Duncan's wounds, and what is significant about his description?

Macbeth describes the sight of the murdered Duncan in this passage:

Here lay Duncan,

His silver skin laced with his golden blood,

And his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature

For ruin's wasteful entrance:

One interpretation of this passage is that Macbeth's description is worded to reflect the tremendous pain he supposedly felt as he looked upon the King's broken body. Earlier, Macbeth had advised Lady Macbeth "to mock the time with fairest show," to put on an act to mislead others as to their feelings and intentions toward the King. He also told her, "False face must hide what the false heart doth know." In describing Duncan's body in such emotional terms, Macbeth is following his own advice, putting on a show of grief to cover up that he has killed the King.

Another interpretation, however, is that Macbeth feels genuine grief. Until his ambition was aroused, Macbeth had been a strong and loyal defender of King Duncan who, in return, had treated Macbeth with great trust, respect, generosity, and kindness. Before murdering Duncan, Macbeth had been repelled at the idea and had acknowledged Duncan as being such an excellent monarch that "tears would drown the wind" at his death. Furthermore, once he had murdered Duncan, Macbeth was so sickened, he refused to return to Duncan's room to return the daggers he had accidentally carried away. He could not bear to look at what he had done. Perhaps there is truth in both interpretations.

What is difference between notes of lesson and lesson plans? What is meant by group borad ,group display board and classwall magazine ?

I am not sure that I can answer your question completely because different schools might use different terminology, but I can certainly give you some ideas that might help you.

A lesson plan is a highly structure document. It includes the name of the class and the date the lesson is to be given. It has sections for objectives, materials, activities, procedures, differentiation, and extensions.  I am going to make a guess that notes for a lesson are an abbreviated form of a lesson plan that you might keep with you in the classroom to help prompt you from one activity to the next.  Certainly, few teachers have time to sit down and look at a formal lesson plan as they are teaching, particularly in elementary school.

I am not really sure about the names of all these different boards, but a magazine board would most likely include articles written by the students, while a group display board might include work created by a particular group in the classroom.  For example, if there are different groups for reading, each group might have its own display board.

I hope this helps.  Good luck to you. 

What function does Miss Brill's fur play in the story and can it be called a character?

Miss Brill's fur necklet functions as a characterization device. Since Miss Brill owns the necklet, we know something about her social class, her tastes, and her habits. Her living situation, her one room ("little dark room--her room like a cupboard") tells us abut her economic class, and this can be compared to her tastes to reveal her original social class. Only the monetarily well-to-do can afford the luxury of a fur, even if only a necklet, thus it seems that at one time Miss Brill had a more prosperous life that accommodated a fur necklet.

Her manner of thinking about the fur tells us also about her personality.

Little rogue! Yes, she really felt like that about it. Little rogue biting its tail just by her left ear. She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it.

It reveals she is pleasant and good natured and content even though her life is constrained. It also tells us she is careful and thinks well of her belongings, represented by her necklet and her red silk eiderdown comforter. This attitude of thinking well of her things carries over to her with the inference that she also thinks well of herself: she has managed well despite probable reversals, enjoys her few luxuries (like the concert and her "slice of honey-cake at the baker's") and is happy.

Miss Brill does treat her necklet as a friend,

Miss Brill put up her hand and touched her fur. Dear little thing! It was nice to feel it again.

thus as a minor character, particularly as the story concludes with her feeling that her necklet is crying. All these factors combine to result in the crushing blow Miss Brill feels from the callousness of the "hero and heroine" in the park: her image of managing well and her feeling of comfort and pleasure in her little furry necklet are turned to dust and delusion by the view into the young people's perception of her since they see her as aged, pathetic, and out of date.

"Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?" asked the boy. "Why does she come here at all--who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?"

In Act 1 of Julius Caesar what does Caesar say about Cassius?

Shakespeare uses his first acts to introduce characters and the central conflict of his plays.  In Julius Caesar, Act 1, the audience not only witnesses the tension between former supporters of Pompey and Caesar's minions, but they also meet Cassius who was a Pompey supporter and who holds a personal grudge against Caesar.  In Cassius's conversation with Brutus, he tirelessly advocates assassinating Caesar.  All of this occurs while Caesar celebrates with the people and watches a race.

When the scene switches to Caesar and Antony, Caesar mentions that Cassius has "a lean and hungry look" and that he would rather be surrounded by fat men.  Through Caesar's comments, Shakespeare establishes that neither man trusts the other.  Cassius believes Caesar to be overly ambitious and corrupt. Caesar knows that Cassius is a schemer who is "hungry" for control and who cannot be satisfied.

Can anyone tell me what the most important theories of Jean Piaget are??There is a lot of information on him and I want to narrow it down to the...

In my mind, the most valuable contribution Piaget made to developmental psychology was the idea that learning and understanding within children's minds are not always direct and predictable.  Student learning is directly impacted through their own sense of psychology and mental awareness.  Due to this, there is a developmental growth that allows the mind to "be ready" to receive this learning.  Piaget saw learning as a result of mental construction, where the mind advances through stages of this development, allowing it to be more receptive to learning.  With Piaget's contribution, educators understand that there have be different need for different students and that the awareness of psychological development is critical in student comprehension and learning.  This is powerful in terms of evaluating students and understanding how to teach them.  The introduction of "stages" became a critical element in how teachers scaffold lessons and how schools can meet students' needs in a more beneficial manner.

What are some ways to divide a research paper about Gone with the Wind into three sections? What would be a good title for the paper?

Throughout the book, Scarlett expresses regret that the life she always knew is slipping away from her. She cannot control that, much as we cannot control which way the wind blows. You may choose to divide your paper into a study of the South before, during, and after the war. You could even use terms such as "diagnosis" for the time before the war, "treatment" for the actual war or time during the war, and "recovery" for the time after the war (i.e. how the country recovered from the war and moved forward). Perhaps you could entitle your paper "A Society that Slipped away like the Wind." The book, and the movie, refer to the way of life in the South as a civilization "gone with the wind." Good luck with your paper and I hope this helps you with some ideas!

From "To Kill a Mockingbird," what is a foot-washing baptist according to Miss Maudie?

In chapter 5 of "To Kill a Mockingbird", Dill and Jem start hanging out together, which leaves Scout left out of the action.  So, Scout spends a lot of time sitting with Miss Maudie on her front porch, chit-chatting about various subjects.  Since Boo Radley is a fascination with all of the kids, Scout naturally brings it up to Miss Maudie, to see if she has any new information to add to the sujbect.  Miss Maude tells Scout that old Mr. Radley, Boo's father, was a "foot-washing Baptist."  She goes on to explain that "footwashers believe anything that's a pleasure is a sin."  So, it is a religious sect that strictly follows the Bible, and keeps any form of pleasure out of their lives.  They are so strict about it that Miss Maudie tells Scout that one day some foot-washing Baptists walked by her house and told her that her "flowers were going to hell" right with her; I guess planting beautiful flowers, and admiring something so lovely is a pleasure, and hence, a sin.  The foot-washers also "think women are a sin by definition," probably because Eve ate the apple first in the garden of Eden, and tempted Adam to eat of it too, causing mankind's fallen state.  So, Scout gets a bit of background to Boo's very strict upbringing, which makes his father's extreme reaction to his pranks about town that much more understandable.  I hope that helps!

What are the rules for having your cell phone on a plane?

The rules regarding cell phone usage seem to be fairly clear and direct.  The Federal Communications Commission "prohibits the use of cellular phones using the 800 MHz frequency and other wireless devices on airborne aircraft" (see website below.) The belief is that it could interfere with communications capabilities between the plane and ground sources.  The individual airlines enforce this in their own manner.  Prior to the flight, some airlines allow you to have the phone and communicate on it.  Once they begin the process of leaving the gate, though, the phone can be with you, but it must be switched off and should not be used at any point until the plane lands.

In chapter 12 how does Ralph try to convince himself that the boys are harmless? Why doesnt he succeed?William Golding "Lord of the Flies"

In Chapter 12 of "Lord of the Flies."

He [Ralph] argued unconvincingly that they would let him alone, perhaps even make an outlaw of him.  But then the fatal unreasoning knowledge came to him again.  The breaking of the conch and the death of Piggy and Simon lay over the island like a vapor.  These painted savages would go further and further.  Then there was that indefinable connection between himself and Jack; who, therefore, would never let him alone; never.

Ralph's wisdom of intuition along with the past events fail to convince him otherwise.  "A spasm or terror set him shaking" and he tries to convince himself again.  He tries to ignore the "leaden feeling," but as he makes his way through a thicket, he comes into a clearing and upon the Lord of the Flies who has become a skull that "seemed to jeer at him cynically."

Ralph runs and kneels among the shadows, feeling

his isolation bitterly. They were savages it was true; but they were human, and the ambushing fears of the deep night were coming on....he knew he was an outcast.

He, then, hears the cries "Kill the beast! Cut his throat!  Spill his blood!"  Shortly after this, Samneric appear and tell his to go, pleading that "they made us";  Eric tells Ralph, "Never mind what's sense.  That's gone--"  They explain that Roger is coming to check on them. 

Ralph realizes that he can only hope that he can remain hidden when the boys pass by the next morning and then, perhaps, the boys will have become more rational. But, in the morning he is awakened by a chant and he wiggles into the thicket only to see the legs of a savage coming his way.  He hears Roger and Jack asking Sam and Eric where he is hiding.  They are going to come for him.  Soon he is a cornered animal, but breaks free as there is smoke.  Ralph becomes the prey until he runs into the naval officer.  Ironically, the fire that the boys started to smoke out Ralph becomes the fire of redemption.

How does the author show us that Ralph is finally beginning to face the realities of their existence?

In the beginning of the story, Ralph is content to play and sees their plight in terms of being free from adult intervention in his life. The idea that he (and the others) can do as they wish is not only intriguing to him, but rather liberating. It slowly dawns on him (with Piggy's influence), that he's destined to become the reluctant leader. Over time, Piggy is able to open Ralph's eyes to the reality that he (Ralph) must assume a leadership role. While Ralph is, at first, reluctant to assume the role, he nonetheless, realizes that his best interests (rescue) are best served if he serves the best interests of the group as well.

Ralph follows Piggy's advice to use the conch as a way to summon the others and comes to realize the role that the use of the conch can serve as a means of maintaining some semblance of order.

Ralph also comes to reluctantly accept Jack's assertion that procuring food as a key element to their survival. While he doesn't necessarily agree with the passion of Jack's pursuit of the hunt, he does come to respect Jack's efforts, however misguided they appear.

Finally, in the face of their society's disintegration, Ralph presses ahead, keeping in mind the end goal of being rescued. He goes from an initial "immaturity" to a grudging acceptance that he has no other alternative than to press ahead against the odds. This takes a maturity that, while thrust upon him, should be regarded as a worthy endeavor.

How would you describe the relationship between John and Mond?

This is a complicated relationship between the two men. At first, Mustapha Mond appears determined to "teach" John, to bring him over to the World State way of thinking. By the end however, John has proven himself Mond's equal, and claims his right to unhappiness. Mond and John engage in a chapter's worth of verbal and mental sparring. Mond offers up the history of the World State and examples of why happiness in any form is better than pain and suffering. What John sees though is an attempt to control his life, to force him to relinquish his autonomy.

Mond is pleased with John's mental prowess, and enjoys the philosophical debate. He challenges John's notions of art and religion, pointing out that members of the World State have no need for such distractions. Ultimately, Mond tries to prove he has the upper hand by denying John’s request to join Helmholtz or Bernard in exile. For a while, John is distressed by this. Then he builds his own exile by taking residence in an abandoned lighthouse. Soon though, his place of solitude is discovered. John eventually proves he has the power in the relationship by taking his own life, thereby denying the World State control.

How do Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function in relation to Edna and the novel's view of women's roles?

Mme. Ratignolle shows the society's view of women as mothers. Her advice to Edna is to "remember the children." Ratignolle is loving and nurturing, but devoid of independence or personality. Mlle. Reisz, though, is living her life as she desires, not caring what society thinks of her. She is able to be extravagant and lavish, fully embracing her artistic capabilities because she does not have other obligations. She denies society's structure, and encourages Edna to do the same. This free lifestyle is what Edna comes to desire and seek for herself.

What are four quotes from Of Mice and Men that have to do with abuse/use of power?

One relationship you will definitely want to examine is that of the boss and his workers. The first time the boss meets George and Lennie it is clear he has power over his workers, as they need employment to survive, and he has the ability to hire and fire at will. We can see this in his suspicion about Lennie and why he doesn't answer any questions and he checks very carefully why they finished their last job. He then says to George and Lennie: "'All right. But don't try to put nothing over, 'cause you can't get away with nothing. I seeen wise guys before...'" Clearly the future of the workers lies in the boss' hands - he will not be messed around, and if George and Lennie don't work hard or cause any problems they will be fired.

Curley feels that he has power over the men at the farm due to his status as the son of the boss. This is why he struts around importantly, as his word to his father could result in one of the workers getting fired. He is full of self-importance and we can see in his fight with Lennie (although of course he loses it) that he feels he has more power than the workers. He says to Lennie: "'Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I'll show ya who's yella." This shows he does not expect any oposition and takes his power for granted.

You also have to examine the relationship between George and Lennie, because George definitely has power over Lennie, though he, perhaps unlike others, uses his power for good, to help Lennie and eventually to save him from a nasty end. George says about Lennie that "he could have broke every bone in my body but he never lay a hand on me", thus showing although Lennie is so much more physically powerful than George, it is George who has the power over Lennie, and it is to George that Lennie looks when he needs comfort and advice.

Lastly, Curley's wife has power over Lennie in her ability to manipulate and persuade him. Although George has told Lennie not to talk to her, she persuades him to stay and talk anyway: "'What kinda harm am I doin' to you?". Curley's wife obviously misuses her power for her own ends, although she doesn't realise the folly of spending time with Lennie until it is too late.

Does Santiago feel the hook will kill the fish in Old Man and the Sea? If not, what will?

Santiago knows that the hook can kill the fish, and he hopes at first that it will.  He tells the fish,

"Eat it well...eat it so that the point of the hook goes into your heart and kills you".

Santiago quickly realizes, though, that in this case, the hook is not going to kill the fish.  He thinks that the outcome of this particular situation might be that the fish, caught by the hook, will pull the boat until it becomes exhausted.  At that point, he predicts that the fish will "come up easy and let (him) put the harpoon into (him)".

Santiago remembers a time when he killed a fish in just this way.  There was a pair of marlin in that particular situation, and Santiago had hooked the female.  The stricken fish "made a wild, panic-stricken, despairing fight that soon exhausted her", and when she was spent, Santiago was able to draw her close, gaff her, and club her to death.  In a note of extreme pathos, the male fish stayed close through the whole process, jumping high into the air next to the boat when the body of his mate was drawn on board.  Santiago remembers the incident as "the saddest thing (he) ever saw".

How is the quote about Galatea and Pygmalion found in the Sequel of Pygmalion relate to the events discussed in the Sequel?The quote is: "Galatea...

Shaw's Pygmalion is based on the tale of "Pygmalion" the sculptor in Ovid's (Roman poet) Metamorphoses, which is fifteen tales written in Latin in heroic hexameter. In Ovid's "Pygmalion," the sculptor creates a statue and calls her Galatea, then calls upon the goddess Venus, the goddess of Love, to bring her to life so he might wed her. In Ovid's story, as stated by Shaw in the "Sequel" of Pygmalion, Galatea can never fully overcomes the barrier between herself and Pygmalion, feeling that he is godlike and in some ways unlike her.

Shaw applies this Ovidian point to his play and prohibits Liza from becoming romantically attached to Higgins even though, as Shaw says, that while "Eliza's instinct tells her not to marry Higgins. It does not tell her to give him up." Shaw is suggesting that to be true to his source, Ovid's "Pygmalion," he has to keep a barrier between Liza and Higgins, and the barrier must in time demonstrate some of the friction and some of the same sort of dislike as exists between Ovid's Galatea and Pygmalion.

Shaw accomplishes this by having Higgins about twenty years older than Liza; by making him an unquestionable bachelor; by providing an "irresistible rival in his mother ...  who has intelligence, personal grace, dignity of character without harshness, and a cultivated sense of the best art ... to make her house beautiful"; by making him ill-temperedly brusque and rude. On top of which, he gives Liza a sufficiently deprived and constricted background so that she is unable to understand Higgins words when he sincerely addresses her about (1) equality of address to persons and (2) his affection and respect for her

(Act V: "You call me a brute because you couldnt buy a claim on me by fetching my slippers and finding my spectacles. ... I think a woman fetching a man's slippers is a disgusting sight ... If you come back, come back for the sake of good fellowship; ... .").

Therefore, she goes all her days--though remaining attached to and dependent on Higgins (and Pickering) for affection and advice--believing in her own opinion of Higgins (which is that he has no respect and only wants her to fetch his slippers and find his glasses) and quarreling with him to the point that Pickering must ask her to be a little more gentle with Higgins. In this way, Shaw relates the "Sequel" to Ovid's story of Galatea and Pygmalion.

How is the writing in "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy in some ways more like poetry than narrative prose?Cormac McCarthy has an unmistakable prose...

The reasons that you stated above in your question partially answer the question itself; McCarthy has a very unique feel to his writing, and he does jump in and out of dreaming and reality within a passage.  Poetry tends to do that much more than narrative prose.  One of the main purposes of narratives is to tell story; the emphasis is on plot. Poetry is more about mood and feeling, and McCarthy's storytelling has a definite mood to it, so in that sense, it is very poetic.

Adding to its poetic tone is his unique grammar.  Poetry takes liberties with grammar, using the language, words, and grammar for impact, rather than for understandability.  Take for example the opening sentence:  "When he woke in the woods in the dark and the cold of the night he'd reach out to touch the child sleeping beside him."  Although not necessarily incorrect in grammar, it is a lengthy sentence with a lot of "ands" that makes it seem like a long, drawn-out breath.  It is exhausting to read, which is probably how the father feels, exhausted at his quest for survival, and in his worry for his son.  So, McCarthy uses the grammar and the sentence structures, to convey the sense of never-ending exhaustion that the travellers must feel.  That is a definite poetic angle there.

Another poetic angle seen is his use of those long sentences, mixed with incomplete sentences (poetry often uses incomplete sentences) thrown in with tiny sentence fragments that up an entire line.  For example, "I'm right here," and "I know," take up their own lines.  This emphasizes their importance, how being there for each other is important, and, being isolated on separate lines like that is a poetic structure.  He also uses a lack of correct dialogue quotations.  When they speak, he doesn't set it off with "Are you okay?" the father asked the son.  Instead, he just throws it in as part of the line, not setting it off with quotes.  Poetry doesn't use direct dialogue very often, so McCarthy's text models poetry in that sense.  It gives the entire thing a more passive feel, a more dreamlilke quality.  McCarthy also uses a lot of poetic techniques-imagery, similes, metaphors.  Consider the following line:

"Then they set out along the blacktop in teh gun-metal light, shuffling through the ash, each the other's world's entire."

He uses imagery and metaphor to describe the light, and concise langauge to describe how much they mean to each other.  That is more like a poem than narrative.

So, through weaving reality and dreams, using distinct sentence structures and grammar, the lack of dialogue markations, and poetic techniques, McCarthy's narrative is very poetic, giving it all a very distinct voice.

In chapter 4 of "Night", how did Elie initially avoid losing his gold crown?

After work one day Elie is ordered to report to the dentist after he finishes his meal.  Elie tells the guard that he "doesn't have a toothache."  He has to report to the dentist anyway and when he arrives the dentist and asks him what the dentist intends to do.  The dentist informs Elie that he is simply going to pull out his crown.  Elie avoids this by telling the dentist that he is ill.  He asks the dentist to wait a few days.  The dentist says okay, but tells Elie to come back in a few days and "don't wait for me to call you!" 

Elie actually went back a week later with the same excuse and the dentist once more granted him a reprive.  Elie then learns that after the second visit the dentist's office has been closed and the dentist was arrested.

What is the meaning of sublimation?

"Sublimation" has slightly different meanings, albeit related ones, in psychology and chemistry.

In psychology, sublimation is the act, conscious or unconscious, of taking a form of energy and redirecting that energy toward a constructive purpose.  This might be sexual energy or anger, for example, that one cannot express for some reason.  Have you every been angry or dissatisfied and engaged in a cleaning spree?  You have redirected that energy.  I believe this concept originated with Freud, but perhaps a psychologist can speak to that. 

In chemistry, and other sciences, sublimation is the act of purifying or refining some substance.  One act that comes to mind is that of taking plasma from blood.  I would imagine that is an act of sublimation. 

Why did Shakespeare write his plays?What made William Shakespeare start writing plays and having people perform them?

Shakespeare never answered this question directly, but we can easily guess several motivations for him to write his plays.

The first is a simple desire to please other people, to do something remarkable that will attract praise. Shakespeare comes as close as he ever did to a direct statement in the final lines of The Tempest, probably his last full play, where Prospero seems to step partially out of his stage role and begin speaking in a different voice:

Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please. (The Tempest, epilogue)

Prospero, the character, has not been motivated by a desire "to please" -- this is Shakespeare talking here.

A second motivation was probably a desire to comment indirectly on contemporary events, to offer praise or warnings. Julius Caesar, for instance, is clearly a sermon on how it is permissible to deal with tyranny, and Macbeth both flatters King James and warns him of the results of ambition taken too far. The England of his time was not a democracy, and such indirect commentary gave Shakespeare a much more powerful voice than he otherwise would have had.

But finally, and probably most important, Shakespeare wrote plays to make money. He came from a family of modest means, living away from London, and made himself into a "gentleman," a successful enterpreneur, and a considerable property owner, all through the power of his pen. Thus, despite the genius of his work, we need not doubt that the primary motivation for Shakespeare's plays was a common one -- to put food on the table for himself and his family.

What is the point of output that will minimise the average total cost? answers should be supported by a digram

I an not sure if it is possible to draw diagrams on this forum of question and answer. However, I will answer your question in words and some simple mathematical expressions.

First of all let us understand the nature of costs involved in producing any item. Let us say we are producing toothbrushes on a simple tooth brush making machine.

Irrespective of number of toothbrush produced in a day we will incur some fixed costs such as rent for the place where machine is installed, depreciation on machine, interest on the money invested in the manufacturing facility, wages of the person operating the machine. This is the fixed cost of production which remains constant irrespective of the number of toothbrushes produced from the machine. As we increase the production of toothbrushes it gets distributed over increasing number of toothbrushes. If we draw a graph of fixed cost on Y-axis against the total production on X-axis it will be a downward sloping curve tending to meet X-axis  for very large production level.

In addition to the fixed costs, we also have a variable component of the cost. This cost varies along with the quantity of toothbrushes produced. More toothbrushes we produce higher is the variable cost. This is the cost of inputs like raw material, electricity, and  machine repair. This is called variable cost.

We can have two types of behavior for the variable cost. The variable cost per additional tooth brush produced remains same irrespective of the total number of tooth brushes produced. That is the marginal cost of producing every toothbrush remains same across the whole range of production level. If we draw a graph of total quantity produced on X-axis and marginal variable cost on Y-axis, it will be a horizontal straight line. In this case the marginal variable cost in all cases is same as the average variable cost

In the other alternative the marginal variable cost depends on the total level of production. Typically the marginal variable cost as production rises, till it reaches a minimum level, after which the cost begins to rise. Thus the marginal cost graph for this type of variable cost will be a U-shaped curve.

Having understood the basic cost behavior we will now determine level of production at which the average cost will be lowest.

We will first take the case where marginal variable cosy is constant. In this case the total cost and average cost of production are given by the following equations.:

Total Cost  = F + N*v

Average Cost = Fixed Cost/N = F/N + v

where F = fixed Cost; N = Number of toothbrushes produced; and v = variable cost per unit (this is fixed).

From this equation it is clear that the average cost will go on reducing as the total quantity produced is increased. Thus, theoretically the point of minimum average cost lies at infinity.

Taking the case of when marginal cost of production varies, it is clear that the average cost will definitely reduce till the minimum marginal cost point is reached. After that point the Fixed cost component of average cost (i.e. F/N) will reduce the average cost. At the same time increasing marginal cost will increase the average cost. Initially the effect of decreasing  average fixed cost will be higher than that of increasing average marginal cost, but as production level increases the two will become equal. This is the level at which the total average cost will be the lowest.

What does "And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays" mean?

The line is spoken by Bottom in William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Act III Scene 1. The full quotation is:

[Bottom:] Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that. And yet, to say the truth, reason and love keep little company together nowadays.

This passage contrasts reason with the fantastic world of the dream itself, with its magic and fairies. In this scene, Bottom has been transformed into a donkey and Puck has placed the magical drops in Titania's eyes that make her fall in love with him. Both of these transformations lie outside the possibilities of the real world of reason. 

Bottom's analysis, that Titania's declaration by love is not inspired by reason, is a statement regarding a particular instance of love, but then he follows it up with a more general conclusion that love is not rational. Thematically, that notion drives much of the play's plot, in that the love of Oberon and Titania for the changeling, the loves of the four young human lovers, and even Theseus' love for Hippolyta,lead them to irrational behavior.

Thematically, however, another major point of the play is that poetry, like love, is not in its nature fully rational, and just as the lovers act on emotions rather than reason, the duty of poetry is to be entertaining, as Puck suggests, and like a vision or a dream, not to contain philosophical or scientific arguments.

Who were Canada's allies during WW1? Do these allies include other countries that were considered to be part of the British Empire during the war?

All of the countries which were part of the British Commonwealth were allies during the war, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India as well as Canada.  India was part of the Empire, not a Commonwealth country.  These Allies were formally known as the Entente Powers. They were allied with Great Britain, France, Belguim, Rumania, Russia (until the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1917), Japan, Greece, Italy after May of 1915, the US after April of 1917, Montenegro and Serbia. And of course countries which were part of the French Empire sent troops or support personnel, such as Morroco, Algeria and the Indochinese countries.

Lord of the Flies Chapter 1: What does Ralph's dad do?

In chapter one there are two places that show what Ralph's father did. In the beginning when Ralph is talking with Piggy, Ralph says that his father, who is a commander in the navy, taught him how to swim. 

Ralph paddled backwards down the slope, immersed his mouth and blew a jet of water into the air. Then he lifted his chin and spoke. “I could swim when I was five. Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he’ll come and rescue us. What’s your father?”

Later in the chapter, as Ralph holds the conch shell, he encourages the boys by telling them that help is on the way. He speaks with authority, because his father was a navy man. Moreover, his father told him that there are no unknown islands left. 

“My father’s in the Navy. He said there aren’t any unknown islands left. He says the Queen has a big room full of maps and all the islands in the world are drawn there. So the Queen’s got a picture of this island.”

What do you learn about Hamlet by comparing him to Horatio, Fortinbras, and Laertes?

Hamlet is much slower to action than are the other three - Horatio, Laertes, and Fortinbras.  Hamlet thinks about actions and consequences and in doing so, is not quick to action.  In Act 3, sc. 1, in his famous "To be or not to be" speech, he questions what motivates people, and himself in particular.  He knows he promised his father he would seek revenge against Claudius, but he hasn't done it.  At the end of Act 2, he's decided that he needs to test the story the ghost told him to see if it was true, an action that says Hamlet is uncertain.  In contrast, we see Laertes in Act 4, sc. 5, rush into Elsinore with vengeance in his eye because he's found out about his father's death.  He wants to challenge Claudius for not doing anything to Hamlet.  He is quick to respond to his father's death.  In the scene right before that - Act 4, sc. 4, Hamlet is amazed at what Fortinbras is doing.  He doesn't agree necessarily with Fortinbras' method, but he admires the fact that at least Fortinbras is doing something as opposed to just thinking about it.  Because of his respect for Fortinbras, Hamlet ends that scene with the vow that he will concentrate now on revenge rather than on other things.  Horatio is the one who is more like Hamlet than the other two characters, but he is still more sure acting.  When Hamlet dies in Act 5, sc. 2, Horatio grabs the wine glass and says he wants to follow Hamlet to death.  Hamlet begs him to stay alive so that he can set the record straight about the events that occurred and what set the chain of events in motion.  Horatio doesn't dwell on the thought of suicide, the morals of it, etc. as Hamlet did back in Act 3, sc. 1.  So mostly what is learned about Hamlet from a comparison to the other three characters is that Hamlet is a thinker.  He ponders his actions from many angles before he acts.  He probably over-thinks, in fact.  All of his thinking and analyzing made him slow and caused more deaths.