`y=(x+4)/(x-3)` Graph the function. State the domain and range.

To be able to graph the rational function `y =(x+4)/(x-3)` , we solve for possible asymptotes.

Vertical asymptote exists at `x=a` that will satisfy `D(x)=0 ` on a rational function `f(x)= (N(x))/(D(x))` . To solve for the vertical asymptote, we equate the expression at denominator side to `0` and solve for x.

In `y =(x+4)/(x-3)` , the `D(x) =x-3.`

Then, `D(x) =0 `  will be:

`x-3=0`

`x-3+3=0+3`

`x=3`

The vertical asymptote exists at `x=3` .

To determine the horizontal asymptote for a given function:` f(x) = (ax^n+...)/(bx^m+...),` we follow the conditions:

when `n lt m`     horizontal asymptote: `y=0`

        `n=m `     horizontal asymptote: ` y =a/b `

        `ngtm`       horizontal asymptote: NONE

In `y =(x+4)/(x-3)` , the leading terms are `ax^n=x or 1x^1` and `bx^m=x or 1x^1` . The values `n =1` and `m=1` satisfy the condition: n=m. Then, horizontal asymptote  exists at` y=1/1 ` or `y =1` .

To solve for possible y-intercept, we plug-in `x=0` and solve for `y` .

`y =(0+4)/(0-3)`

`y =4/(-3)`

`y = -4/3 or -1.333`  (approximated value)

Then, y-intercept is located at a point `(0, -1.333)` .

To solve for possible x-intercept, we plug-in `y=0` and solve for `x` .

`0 =(x+4)/(x-3)`

`0*(x-3) =(x+4)/(x-3)*(x-3)`

`0 =x+4`

`0-4=x+4-4`

`-4=x or x=-4`

Then, x-intercept is located at a point `(-4,0)` .

Solve for additional points as needed to sketch the graph.

When `x=2` , the `y = (2+4)/(2-3)=6/(-1)=-6` . point: `(2,-6)`

When `x=4` , the `y =(4+4)/(4-3) =8/1=8` . point:` (4,8)`

When `x=10` , the `y =(10+4)/(10-3)=14/7=2` . point: `(10,2)`

When `x=-16` , the `y =(-16+4)/(-16-3)=-12/(-19)~~0.632` . point: `(-16,0.632)`

Applying the listed properties of the function, we plot the graph as:

You may check the attached file to verify the plot of asymptotes and points.

As shown on the graph, the domain: `(-oo, 3)uu(3,oo)`

and range: `(-oo,1)uu(1,oo).`  

The domain of the function is based on the possible values of `x.` The `x=3` excluded due to the vertical asymptote.

The range of the function is based on the possible values of `y` . The `y=1` is excluded due to the horizontal asymptote. 

Thomas Paine, in his pamphlet "Common Sense," argued that the colonists in America should fight against Britain and, in the course of his argument,...

In his enormously influential treatise "Common Sense," Thomas Paine laid out his rationale for the revolutionary movement that would more formally commence seven months later with the Declaration of Independence. In so doing, Paine was instrumental in setting the stage for that movement while at the same time advancing the cause of nationhood. In the third section or chapter of "Common Sense," titled "Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs," Paine repeatedly writes in terms of a unified political entity known as America. Asserting that the time for armed revolt had arrived ("The Sun never shined on a cause of greater worth"), and that America had no better option than independence from England, the task Paine faced was to argue for the cohesiveness of an otherwise potentially unwieldy collection of colonies. As he wrote in this section, "Now is the seed-time of Continental union, faith and honour."

In making his case for national unity, Paine argued that America's only serious obstacles involved its compulsory ties to England; that, absent those ties, America would face untold peace and prosperity. Trade among nations, he argued, would ensure those developments absent affiliation with the English Crown. Paine emphasized, however, the heritage common to the colonists:

"This new World hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe."

With this observation, Paine was acknowledging that opposition to England was not in and of itself the basis of a lasting nation, and that the continent's inhabitants had much more in common that an English heritage. Rather, it was the struggle common to all of America's inhabitants, having emigrated from many regions, that united them as a single country. America transcended England. As he further observed,

"The Reformation was preceded by the discovery of America: As if the Almighty graciously meant to open a sanctuary to the persecuted in future years, when home should afford neither friendship nor safety."

National unity was, for Paine, the sine qua non of America's struggle against what it now considered foreign tyranny. It was in this vein that he continued:

"But the most powerful of all arguments is, that nothing but independence, i.e., a Continental form of government, can keep the peace of the Continent and preserve it inviolate from civil wars."

While not exactly prescient in this latter observation given the next century of American history, Paine was convinced that America's survival was dependent upon its ability to form and sustain a level of unity that would secure it against all threats, foreign and domestic. As he continued to argue for national unity and a sense of statehood, Paine asserted that the colonies had, to date, exhibited such proper conduct with respect to the notion of a Continental (read: "centralized") government, that a future of domestic tranquility was already assured once free of the yoke of English imperialism.

The shared heritage of the colonies' inhabitants—escape from religious and political persecution—provided the glue that would hold the center. Paine understood that a successful revolution, and a successful era of independence, were contingent upon a shared sense of nationhood, and it was in the third section of "Common Sense" where he advanced this argument most forcefully.

1968 has been called the most turbulent year of the 1960s. Describe what happened that year and why it was so turbulent. Include at least three...

Much came to a head in 1968. A baby boom after World War II fueled a 1960s youth movement.  Anti-war fervor on college campuses reached a fever pitch in 1968 as college students reacted to the Tet offensive and increasingly protested the Vietnam war. On February 27, trusted news anchor Walter Cronkite returned from a trip to Vietnam and gave a highly critical assessment of the war's progress. He said the United States should withdraw from the fighting "not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."

As the first generation to grow up with television, the baby boomers placed a great deal of faith in Cronkite's words, and tensions surrounding the war, already high, escalated. 

Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the Civil Rights Movement, was assassinated on April 4, 1968. It was also a presidential campaign year, and incumbent president, Lyndon Johnson, chose not to run.  Popular Democratic primary candidate Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 5. Movements for women's rights, black rights, worker rights, and anti-war activism converged in ways that would leave a lasting mark on society. Many people were left feeling that the world they knew was being overturned. Police turned on protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 28 and beat some protesters unconscious, shocking the country. 

In 1968, an important piece of legislation was passed that addressed issues raised by the Civil Rights movement, the Fair Housing Act. No longer could people be denied housing or "steered" into certain neighborhoods on the basis of their race, sex, ethnicity, or religion. This was an important step forward in attempting to build an integrated society.

As a result of the assassinations of King and Kennedy, Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968, prohibiting mail order sales of guns and rifles and forbidding certain groups of people, such as felons and the mentally unstable, from purchasing guns. In 1968, the Bilingual Education Act was passed, providing federal money to innovate educate for students for whom English was a second language.

President Johnson expressed the negative views of many in government when he disparaged the war protesters. He saw the country in black and white terms, divided  "between cut-and-run people [anti-war protesters] and patriotic people." He said "They have a real feeling for danger. . . . They see a fire and they turn off the hose because it is essential that we not waste any water." Likewise, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI perceived many groups working for social change, such as the United Farm Workers, as "subversive." He monitored these organizations. Overall, the power elite was frightened and suspicious of the changes that bubbled up in 1968.

1968 remains one of the most turbulent years in American history. Tensions among all sorts of groups unhappy with the status quo—black, Mexicans, women, students, laborers, and more—all seemed to erupt simultaneously. Additionally, the Vietnam war was going badly for the United States, and major public figures were assassinated. There were uprisings in Europe, and there was police violence at the Democratic National Convention. 

How should I write an essay titled "Love and War in Troilus and Cressida"?

In writing an essay on this theme, the first thing to consider is that a subject area is not the same as a thesis. The two main plots in the play, the love between Troilus and Cressida and the conflict between the Greeks and Trojans, are respectively concerned with love and war. Saying that one will write about "love and war in Troilus and Cressida" really is just saying that one will discuss the play in...

In writing an essay on this theme, the first thing to consider is that a subject area is not the same as a thesis. The two main plots in the play, the love between Troilus and Cressida and the conflict between the Greeks and Trojans, are respectively concerned with love and war. Saying that one will write about "love and war in Troilus and Cressida" really is just saying that one will discuss the play in fairly general terms. An essay, however, needs to be more focused and needs to make a specific claim about some aspect of love and/or war, rather than simply summarizing the main elements of the play. 

One interesting feature of the play is that it emphasizes the connections between the Greeks and Trojans far more than its sources. The plot of the young lovers is actually a medieval innovation and the connections between Greeks and Trojans in Shakespeare are far closer than those found in the Iliad. Thus, one interesting way to narrow your focus might be to explore how love and conflict are not merely two separate themes expressed in the two plots of the play; instead, you might posit that the uneasy relationship between the two young lovers is a microcosm of the relationship between the Trojans and the Greeks, who are portrayed almost as quarreling lovers but are bound by ties of friendship and kinship in a devastating war of pride and anger.

What can I write about in a letter to Jack from Ralph?

It would be best to analyze Ralph and Jack's relationship throughout the novel before drafting the letter and take into consideration which stage of the story Ralph would be addressing Jack from. The two characters feel differently about one another as the novel progresses. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph gets along well with Jack. If Ralph was writing a letter to Jack at the beginning of the story, he would probably generously ask...

It would be best to analyze Ralph and Jack's relationship throughout the novel before drafting the letter and take into consideration which stage of the story Ralph would be addressing Jack from. The two characters feel differently about one another as the novel progresses. In the beginning of the novel, Ralph gets along well with Jack. If Ralph was writing a letter to Jack at the beginning of the story, he would probably generously ask for Jack's opinion and help lead the group of boys. Ralph would more than likely have an open mind to Jack's ideas and would appreciate feedback from him.

As the story advances, Jack becomes increasingly jealous of Ralph and attempts to usurp his power. Ralph quickly becomes frustrated and agitated when dealing with Jack. Ralph realizes that Jack is a jealous, polarizing figure who is trying to gain power. If Ralph were to write Jack a letter in the middle of the story, it would be best for Ralph to threaten Jack with punishment for his insubordination. Ralph would have to assert his power by setting clear limits and addressing Jack's negative behavior. Ralph would also benefit from attempting to include Jack in some of his future decisions to appease his thirst for power.

By the end of the novel, Jack is a tyrannical leader who is attempting to hunt and kill Ralph. If Ralph were writing him a letter at the end of the novel, it is possible that Ralph would probably beg for mercy and agree to become a subordinate member of Jack's tribe in order to survive.

Do you think the man will be able to reach camp safely?

Sadly, the protagonist of To Build a Fire does not reach camp safely. He dies at the end of the story.

One of the important themes in To Build a Fire is preparedness. The nameless narrator is not prepared for his journey across the Yukon. Though it is only ten miles, the freezing cold weather makes the trip impossible because the man is not adequately prepared. Any trek into desolate territory should include adequate gear....

Sadly, the protagonist of To Build a Fire does not reach camp safely. He dies at the end of the story.

One of the important themes in To Build a Fire is preparedness. The nameless narrator is not prepared for his journey across the Yukon. Though it is only ten miles, the freezing cold weather makes the trip impossible because the man is not adequately prepared. Any trek into desolate territory should include adequate gear. Jack London describes the protagonist early in his journey:

He was glad he was without a sled. Actually, he carried nothing but the lunch wrapped in the handkerchief. He was surprised, however, at the cold. It certainly was cold, he decided, as he rubbed his nose and face with his mittened hand. He had a good growth of hair on his face, but that did not protect his nose or the upper part of his face from the frosty air.

He is even proud of the fact that he has only brought lunch. He is aware of the cold but unaware that he needs actual protection from it. London explains that to the man, 50 degrees below zero is merely a temperature. It should mean "80 degrees of frost" and cause him to choose adequate protection.

Later, after he gets wet and fixes that immediate problem, the man thinks about the advice given to him by an old man before his journey: 

He remembered the advice of the old man on Sulphur Creek, and smiled. The man had been very serious when he said that no man should travel alone in that country after 50 below zero. Well, here he was; he had had the accident; he was alone; and he had saved himself. Those old men were rather womanish, he thought. All a man must do was to keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone.

The foolish confidence of the man is what eventually leads to his death—he chooses to ignore the warnings of those older and more experienced. Instead, he writes them off. By the end of the story, just before he dies, he says, "You were right, old fellow. You were right."

He dies peacefully as he goes into "what seemed to him the most comfortable and satisfying sleep he had ever known." The dog that accompanied him runs back toward the trail the man had lost, heading for the camp where people will be.

When writing a speech introduction for high school seniors concerning the process of applying to colleges, what are the best ways that you can grab...

Unfortunately, there is no single answer. I'll review the reason why, and some general principles, to help you start your speech.

The reason why there is no single answer is that there is no single audience of high school seniors. Imagine two different high schools. One is a well-funded magnet school where 90+% of the students go to college. The other is poorly funded, and is one of many schools in the United States where...

Unfortunately, there is no single answer. I'll review the reason why, and some general principles, to help you start your speech.

The reason why there is no single answer is that there is no single audience of high school seniors. Imagine two different high schools. One is a well-funded magnet school where 90+% of the students go to college. The other is poorly funded, and is one of many schools in the United States where only 60% of the students graduate high school, let alone go on to college. Those two audiences need very different speeches and very different appeals.

Start your process by knowing your audience. In the first example, students assume they'll pass through the application process smoothly, and you mainly need to guide them in the best ways and away from dangerous mistakes. In the second, students likely assume college isn't for them at all. For that first audience, yes, statistics could be useful, if they are simple and focused. You want to grab and focus their attention. So, something like knowing which colleges students at the school apply to is essential, as well as what worked for them and why. You could try something like like this:

There are 450 students in this auditorium. If you're like last year's class, 320 of you will apply to University X. And half of you will get rejected. Half. That number can go down if you do the following when you start your college application process...

The second audience would likely need a less stark challenge, and would probably benefit from something encouraging. I would likely use a story about successful students from their high school who attended and did well in college to show them it is possible. I'd introduce the process of applying for college later.

Who is the main character in this story?

A Horse and Two Goats is a collection of short stories. The book, written by R. K. Narayan, illustrated by his brother R. K. Laxman and published in 1970, includes five stories. 

The title story features a poor Indian couple living in Kitram (South India) and an American businessman. 

Muni was, in the past, a rather successful herdsman, but his flock is now composed of only two goats, as the rest have died. Despite having...

A Horse and Two Goats is a collection of short stories. The book, written by R. K. Narayan, illustrated by his brother R. K. Laxman and published in 1970, includes five stories. 

The title story features a poor Indian couple living in Kitram (South India) and an American businessman. 

Muni was, in the past, a rather successful herdsman, but his flock is now composed of only two goats, as the rest have died. Despite having only two goats, Muni takes them every day to graze near the highway. As they graze, he sits by an old clay statue of a horse rearing next to a warrior.

One day, as he is watching the world go by, a strange car suddenly appears and runs out of gas right in front of Muni. An American steps out of the car and, enraptured by the clay horse statue, decides he wishes to buy it. As the American speaks in English and Muni in Tamil, the negotiation is hilarious and full of misunderstandings. Muni is in fact convinced that the American wishes to arrest him!

In the end, the American offers one hundred rupees for the horse; Muni accepts happily but is convinced that the American is actually buying the two goats. For this reason, he runs home to show his wife the money but leaves his goats with the American. His wife, however, thinks that Muni has stolen the money, especially since his two goats follow him home. She does not believe he has legitimately earned the money, and she is scared of the consequences of theft. 

In the end, however, despite the difficulties and the language barrier, both parties achieve their aims. Muni has the money which is essential for his survival, and the American has acquired the statue he loves, despite not knowing where to put it and having absolutely no idea of its history and cultural meaning!

What are the themes of Act II, Scene 2 in The Merchant of Venice?

Most of the themes in this scene are also themes in the larger play. Let us take the themes in the order they appear:

In lines 1 - 29, the clown Launcelot is wrestling with himself about whether he should run away from Shylock, whom he works for as a servant. Launcelot feels his conscience is telling him to stay with Shylock, but "the devil" is telling him to run away. Though he uses funny, convoluted language, Launcelot is expressing the theme of being torn between duty and self-preservation, which will become a problem for Antonio later.

For both Launcelot and Antonio, this conflict is caused directly by the fact that they have dealings with Shylock, who tends to use the rules to make other people's duties hateful to them.  So another theme in this scene and in the play is the harshness of Shylock and of Jews in general (with the exception of Jessica). This seems awfully anti-Semitic (and perhaps it is), but it is less-objectionable if we see Shylock as standing for a strict legalism under which no one can live. 

In lines 30 - 88, Launcelot encounters his father Gobbo. Gobbo is partially blind ("sand blind"), and apparently has not seen Launcelot for some time (a few years?). Launcelot pretends to be someone else and tells his father that Launcelot is dead. He doesn't keep up the joke for very long, but once he does try to reveal his true identity to his father, the old man remains confused and does not believe it's really Launcelot until Launcelot mentions his mother's name. This is a comic variation on the theme of the difference between appearance and reality, which we will also see in the subplot with Portia and the caskets, and again when Portia dresses up a young lawyer. 

In the same part of the scene (lines 69 - 71), Launcelot makes an ironic and insightful comment: "Nay, indeed [even] if you had your eyes you might fail of the knowing me; it is a wise father that knows his own child." This idea of parents not knowing their own children is also a minor theme in the play. Shylock does not realize how much Jessica hates living with him, and he is shocked when she runs away. Portia's father, with the way he set up the casket test in his will, seems to have handed her a frustrating limitation, although he had her best interests at heart. 

Comic confusion is a theme throughout the whole scene. Launcelot and his father are there to provide comic relief. It starts with Launcelot's tongue-twisting monologue, continues when Gobbo doesn't know his own son, and goes further when the two of them try to talk to Bassanio, interrupting each other with one malapropism after another (line 115: “he hath a great infection to serve" and line 123: “as my father, being I hope an old man, shall fruitfy unto you“).

The scene becomes a little more serious at the end, when Gratiano shows up asking Bassanio if he may go with him to Belmont. (Bassanio is going to Belmont to try to win Portia's hand. We will find out later that Gratiano hopes to go because he is interested in Portia's maid, Nerissa.) Bassanio quickly agrees, but warns Gratiano to restrain his usual tendencies to be "too wild, too rude, too bold of voice" while they are in Belmont.  Bassanio says he personally doesn't mind these things about Gratiano, but if Gratiano behaves that way in Belmont, it may hurt Bassanio's chances with Portia. In short, Bassanio fears he will be exposed to loss and trouble by the character flaws of a good friend. This is exactly what happens to Antonio, when Bassanio's need for money causes him to fall into the hands of Shylock.

Explain commodity fetishism. Do you believe we fetishize commodities in society today? Why or why not?

According to Karl Marx, commodity fetishism occurs when an object holds significance or social power beyond its utility. An object becomes a commodity when it carries some social significance beyond its use-value, and the fetishism of these commodities is a reflection of the social relations surrounding the production and consumption of that object. The term fetishism is borrowed from anthropology and describes an otherwise mundane object which is perceived to have some special, even supernatural, quality about it. Through commodity fetishism, members of an economic unit (the producers and consumers) come to understand each other in relation to the money and goods exchanged. 

Consider the following: many people in modern society define themselves in relation to the goods they interact with, or use goods to assert their identity. Consumers aren't just purchasing a table, a pair of shoes, or a set of dinner plates. Through their purchase, they are engaging in self-narrative; they become the sort of person who buys this table, or those shoes, or these plates. Here, decisions of consumption are not made on the basis of use-value or utilitarianism, but on the extraneous perceived qualities these goods carry. Similarly, producers have the opportunity to create a narrative about what kind of company they are and attract consumers on that basis. 

Marx argues that the social value of labor is directly tied to the fetishization of commodities. Not only does human labor transform raw materials into usable goods, the amount of human labor necessary for production is indicative of its commodity value. Though it may not be visible with our own eyes, we have an understanding that more labor time in production means an object is inherently more valuable. 

Marx uses the example of the table in Capital, so let's work with this same idea. What really goes into the production of a table, and how does that make one table more valuable than another? Imagine two identical wooden tables, entirely the same in utility and visual appearance. Now imagine one has been produced on a factory line in a mere matter of hours, with only minimal human labor. Imagine the other table was painstakingly hand-carved and assembled over many months by a woodworker. Wouldn't you feel that the table which required more human labor was essentially more valuable? Wouldn't it seem more socially impressive to have the table which required more human labor? In this way, even though both tables are comparable in use-value and visual appearance, we have fetishized the hand-made table on the basis of human labor.

I believe that many societies today absolutely do fetishize commodities. Especially in capitalist societies, consumers have the opportunity to construct self-narrative through the perceived qualities of goods. In a capitalist society, workers are alienated from the goods they produce and so cannot truly define themselves in relation to their labor. Through consumption of goods which are produced in an equally alienated context, capitalists can employ the social value of goods they do not receive from their own labor. An example from recent years in the United States is the production of "green" goods. Many companies which produce personal and household care items have caught onto the trend of offering more eco-friendly and sustainable goods at reasonable prices. A number of these companies have not made any real efforts to ensure the sustainability, environmental health, or ingredient quality of their products, though, but label these goods as green, simple, and natural because they understand the social value of such terms. For example, the textile Lyocell, while biodegradable and made from fast-growing trees, has been criticized because the production process requires lots of energy as well as chemicals to break down and reorder the cellulose it is made from. This "green" fiber may not actually have a positive environmental impact, but nonetheless it carries social value (and is fetishized) based on the myth that it is more environmentally friendly than fabrics like cotton.

A lot of commodity fetishism in the modern world has to do with money. In a society which employs money, the paper or metal does not hold any real value in itself, but members of the group have agreed upon the representative value it holds. People who have a lot of money aren't necessarily in control of a lot of value, just a lot of paper, metal, or numbers. Because we have agreed that the paper, metal, and numbers are representative of a real-world value, money holds social value and translates to social power. Brand names and logos hold a lot of social value in conspicuous consumption and the illusion of power. Someone who owns a Chanel purse—which is notoriously expensive—may be perceived as having more social power than someone who buys a handbag without any logos or designer-names on it. Here, the purpose of a logo is to imply that someone has a lot of money and therefore a lot of social power. Of course, the power of logos only really works if a group collectively fetishizes the brand name or representative symbol as holding special power beyond use-value.

Why do Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey's fates affect John Proctor powerfully?

John Proctor has a lot of respect, admiration, and liking for both Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey. They all share varying degrees of dislike for Reverend Parris and are initially suspicious that the girls are behaving disingenuously when they make their accusations.

When Rebecca Nurse chooses execution instead of giving a false confession to save her life, John admires her deep faith and personal integrity. Rebecca will not commit the sin of lying or turning...

John Proctor has a lot of respect, admiration, and liking for both Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey. They all share varying degrees of dislike for Reverend Parris and are initially suspicious that the girls are behaving disingenuously when they make their accusations.

When Rebecca Nurse chooses execution instead of giving a false confession to save her life, John admires her deep faith and personal integrity. Rebecca will not commit the sin of lying or turning her back on her religion because she cares more about her eternal life than her earthly one. When John is considering a false confession to save his own life, he ultimately finds he cannot do it, but he refuses to think of himself as being on the same moral plane as her. He knows he is flawed, while he sees no fault in her.  

John's feelings about Giles Corey are similar. Giles will neither enter a plea nor give up the name of the person who heard Putnam tell his daughter to accuse George Jacobs because Giles believes that to do so would lend credibility or legitimacy to the trials. By remaining silent he takes a moral stand, and like Rebecca, Giles will not give a false confession to save himself from execution.

Though he is younger than them and has two children and a pregnant wife, John's ultimate decision is to emulate their behavior, perhaps finding in it some personal redemption.  

Explain how the Dawes Plan addressed Europe’s war debt and made the United States a world banker.

After World War I, Europe had significant debt. Germany owed the Allies $33 billion in reparations as required by the Versailles Treaty. The Allies also owed us money from loans made to them during the war. As Germany drifted into a deep economic depression in the 1920s, in part because of the huge amount of money they had to pay in reparations, it became clear that Germany wasn’t going to be able to pay the...

After World War I, Europe had significant debt. Germany owed the Allies $33 billion in reparations as required by the Versailles Treaty. The Allies also owed us money from loans made to them during the war. As Germany drifted into a deep economic depression in the 1920s, in part because of the huge amount of money they had to pay in reparations, it became clear that Germany wasn’t going to be able to pay the full reparation amount. This, in turn, threatened the ability of the Allies to pay their debts to us. This is where Charles Dawes stepped in to try to resolve the issue. His actions made the United States a world banker.

The Dawes Plan allowed Germany to pay a lower figure than the $33 billion in reparations. The Allies accepted the reduced amount. The United States would then loan the money to Germany to pay the Allies. The Allies, who were in debt to us, would use that money to repay their debt to the United States. The United States, at a later date, would collect the money it loaned to Germany. Thus, the United States was acting like a world banker because of the money we loaned to Germany and how that money would be used to repay us.

Unfortunately, the Dawes Plan wasn’t successful. Germany never repaid their debt to us.

Where does the plane crash in Hatchet?

In the novel Hatchet, Brian Robeson's parents get a divorce, and he flies to visit his father, who is an engineer, in the Canadian oil fields. While Brian is flying from New York to Canada in a small bush plane, the pilot has a heart attack and dies mid-flight. Brian is forced to land the bush plane in the Canadian wilderness, somewhere in the Northwoods, where it crashes and sinks into a lake....

In the novel Hatchet, Brian Robeson's parents get a divorce, and he flies to visit his father, who is an engineer, in the Canadian oil fields. While Brian is flying from New York to Canada in a small bush plane, the pilot has a heart attack and dies mid-flight. Brian is forced to land the bush plane in the Canadian wilderness, somewhere in the Northwoods, where it crashes and sinks into a lake. Brian, who is not an experienced outdoorsman, is forced to brave the elements and survive in the uninhabited forest by himself. As the novel progresses, Brian learns where to find edible berries, masters the ability to hunt wild animals, and even builds a shelter to protect himself from the elements. Fortunately, Brian is able to adapt to his environment and survives in the Northwoods before being rescued.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of interpersonal communication?

Textbook writers define "interpersonal communication" as "the nonverbal interaction between two or more interdependent people" (see citation below).

The term "interdependent" is important because social scientists want to distinguish interpersonal communication from impersonal communication.

Consider, for example, this scenario: You make a purchase at a supermarket and interact with the clerk in a rote, automatic way -- treating her as an "it" instead of as a "you." Is that interpersonal communication? Not according to scholars...

Textbook writers define "interpersonal communication" as "the nonverbal interaction between two or more interdependent people" (see citation below).

The term "interdependent" is important because social scientists want to distinguish interpersonal communication from impersonal communication.

Consider, for example, this scenario: You make a purchase at a supermarket and interact with the clerk in a rote, automatic way -- treating her as an "it" instead of as a "you." Is that interpersonal communication? Not according to scholars like Martin Buber. It's impersonal, so it doesn't count.

Interpersonal communication includes face-to-face communication, but it can also include other forms of communication, like instant messaging, exchanging email messages, and "talking" via online chat rooms. What's important is that each communicator responds to the other as a "you," not as an "it."

Interpersonal communication can serve many advantageous purposes. It allows us to influence the behavior, attitudes, and opinions of others. It allows for more effective, efficient cooperation, and can help us forge or maintain a social bond. It can help us learn, and relate to the problems or situations that other individuals face. Interpersonal information can help us negotiate, ask for help, offer aid, ask forgiveness, apologize, or achieve reconciliation. We may also use interpersonal communication in order to relax and play.

When psychologists and other social scientists talk about the disadvantages of interpersonal communication, they are usually thinking in terms of the harm that can arise from conflict and emotional turmoil.

For instance, in the academic volume, The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication, researchers talk about the ways that interpersonal communication can lead to negative outcomes. These range from bad moods to actual harm (psychological or physical). Examples include:

• the communication of complaints and criticism


• bullying


• teasing


• the communication of threats


• domestic abuse

The definition and clarifications about face-to-face and other forms of interpersonal communication are from:

Beebe et al. 2010. Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others, Fifth Canadian edition. Pearson. (Chapter 1, p. 4).

What are three specific scenes in the novel where Scout and Jem come to understand and value Atticus?

Early on in the novel, Cecil Jacobs criticizes Scout's father on the playground for "defending niggers." Scout gets upset and wishes to fight Cecil. That night, Scout comes home and asks Atticus if it's true that he defends Negroes. Atticus explains to Scout that he will be defending an African American named Tom Robinson and challenges her to hold her head high and keep her fists down. The next day, Cecil Jacobs continues to criticize...

Early on in the novel, Cecil Jacobs criticizes Scout's father on the playground for "defending niggers." Scout gets upset and wishes to fight Cecil. That night, Scout comes home and asks Atticus if it's true that he defends Negroes. Atticus explains to Scout that he will be defending an African American named Tom Robinson and challenges her to hold her head high and keep her fists down. The next day, Cecil Jacobs continues to criticize Atticus, but Scout remembers Atticus's comments about keeping her cool. Scout applies his lesson and calmly walks away while Cecil Jacobs calls her a coward.

At Tom Robinson's trial, Jem witnesses his father defend an innocent, harmless man. In Chapter 25, Jem applies Atticus's lesson about not harming mockingbirds when Scout attempts to squash a rolly-polly bug. Jem tells Scout, "Don't do that, Scout. Set him out on the back steps" (146). Jem understands the importance of protecting innocent beings by stopping Scout from squashing the harmless bug.

At the beginning of the novel, Atticus teaches Scout a lesson in perspective. He tells her that in order to understand someone, she must stand in their shoes and walk around in them. In Chapter 31, Scout stands on Boo Radley's stoop and views the neighborhood from his perspective. She applies Atticus's lesson and is able to understand Boo Radley as an individual.

What are the salient features of Romanticism?

Romanticism was a literary and intellectual movement that lasted from the late eighteenth century through the mid-nineteenth century. Classic examples of Romantic novels are Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Though academics consider Romanticism difficult to define—the movement developed differently in European countries than it did in the US—there are a few key features we can talk about.

The first is important: Romanticism was reactionary. The movement was, at least in...

Romanticism was a literary and intellectual movement that lasted from the late eighteenth century through the mid-nineteenth century. Classic examples of Romantic novels are Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Though academics consider Romanticism difficult to define—the movement developed differently in European countries than it did in the US—there are a few key features we can talk about.

The first is important: Romanticism was reactionary. The movement was, at least in part, a response to the Industrial Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. Rather than focusing on science, logic, or reason, as was the zeitgeist on both sides of the Atlantic, Romantic writers were nostalgic, looking to a simpler past for inspiration. Much as we, as contemporary readers, may look back to the pre-internet era with some sentimentality (remember when we looked things up in an actual encyclopedia instead of Googling everything?), Romantic writers fondly remembered a pre-industrial era.

Which brings us to our second point. Romantic writers expressed emotion and imagination, engaging with aesthetics and the beauty of the natural world. In the poetry and novels of the era, emotion was more important than reason or science. It stands to reason that Romantic writers also rejected some of the structure or rules that had previously governed both novels and poetry, experimenting with freer styles.

All of this could be summarized with a third point: Romanticism is about the individual and his or her thoughts and experiences, not the trends or tendencies of a larger society.

What three things does Ponyboy learn about life through his interactions with Cherry and Randy? (Include quotations)

Ponyboy learns several important things from his interactions with Cherry and Randy throughout the novel. Ponyboy has many preconceived notions regarding the lives of the Socs. In Chapter 2, Ponyboy meets Cherry, and she tells him, "We have troubles you've never heard of. You want to know something?...Things are rough all over." (Hinton 35) Ponyboy says that he believes her, and this is the first time Pony hears that the Socs also have...

Ponyboy learns several important things from his interactions with Cherry and Randy throughout the novel. Ponyboy has many preconceived notions regarding the lives of the Socs. In Chapter 2, Ponyboy meets Cherry, and she tells him, "We have troubles you've never heard of. You want to know something?...Things are rough all over." (Hinton 35) Ponyboy says that he believes her, and this is the first time Pony hears that the Socs also have difficulties in life.

In Chapter 7, Randy Adderson has a conversation with Ponyboy before the rumble. Randy explains Bob's home life and Bob's relationship with his parents and says, "He kept trying to make someone say 'No' and they never did. That was what he wanted." (Hinton 116) Ponyboy never thought that someone would want to have boundaries, and realizes that people who truly care about you set limits to protect you.

In Chapter 8, right before the rumble, Cherry has another conversation with Ponyboy. She laments about her boyfriend and tells Pony, "You only knew his bad side. He could be sweet sometimes, and friendly." (Hinton 128) Later in the novel, Ponyboy is looking at a picture of Bob Sheldon and begins to see the boy Cherry describes. Ponyboy gains perspective on the dual nature of Bob Sheldon. Cherry was explaining Bob's friendly side, which Ponyboy never had the opportunity to see. Throughout the novel, Pony gains insight and understanding into the lives of the Socs and other characters.

Why did the defense have Ms. Moore testify?

During the trial, Asa Briggs uses Dorthy Moore as a witness to testify that James King was at her house during the robbery.She tells Briggs that James was at her home around three thirty. When Petrocelli cross-examines Moore, Dorthy mentions that she is James' cousin. Dorthy also says that James visited her about twice a month and was simply dropping off a lamp which happened to be a Christmas present. Petrocelli then asks her...

During the trial, Asa Briggs uses Dorthy Moore as a witness to testify that James King was at her house during the robbery. She tells Briggs that James was at her home around three thirty. When Petrocelli cross-examines Moore, Dorthy mentions that she is James' cousin. Dorthy also says that James visited her about twice a month and was simply dropping off a lamp which happened to be a Christmas present. Petrocelli then asks her the cost of the lamp and if she remembered whether James was working at the time. Dorthy Moore cannot recall the price of the lamp or if James was employed. However,  Dorthy insists that she isn't lying but continues to struggle when she is asked questions about James' life. Petrocelli then asks Dorthy if she still has the lamp, and Moore says that she does not have it because it broke. Asa Briggs uses Moore's testimony as an alibi that James King was not near the store during the crime. 

Do cats see in black and white like dogs do?

It's a misconception that either cats or dogs see in black and white. They can't perceive the same range of colors that we do, but they do perceive some colors.

Color vision depends on how many types of cone cells you have in your eye. Animals with four (like birds) are called tetrachromats. They see the broadest range of colors. Animals with three are called trichromats. They include humans, apes, and Old World Monkeys.

Cats...

It's a misconception that either cats or dogs see in black and white. They can't perceive the same range of colors that we do, but they do perceive some colors.

Color vision depends on how many types of cone cells you have in your eye. Animals with four (like birds) are called tetrachromats. They see the broadest range of colors. Animals with three are called trichromats. They include humans, apes, and Old World Monkeys.

Cats and dogs, like many other placental mammals, are dichromats. They have two types of cone. That's very different from having only one type of cone (which is the case for monochromats, like whales and owl monkeys). In experiments testing color discrimination (including a new study conducted in 2016), both cats and dogs have performed in ways that suggest their perception is similar to that of a human deuteuranope. In this condition, a person can see yellow-greens and blue, but not red. Reds and oranges are perceived as being olive or yellow-green.

Jem Finch Maturity Essay |

In order to write an essay concerning Jem Finch's maturity throughout the novel, one must identify significant moments that display his personality. Early on in the novel, Jem is an innocent, naive child, who fears Boo Radley and makes rash decisions. He gives a humorous description of Boo, makes a nighttime raid on the Radley home, and continually argues with his sister. Around chapter 10, Jem begins to show signs of maturity. He stops "bothering"...

In order to write an essay concerning Jem Finch's maturity throughout the novel, one must identify significant moments that display his personality. Early on in the novel, Jem is an innocent, naive child, who fears Boo Radley and makes rash decisions. He gives a humorous description of Boo, makes a nighttime raid on the Radley home, and continually argues with his sister. Around chapter 10, Jem begins to show signs of maturity. He stops "bothering" Boo and learns several valuable lessons from Atticus. His experiences of reading to Mrs. Dubose and witnessing Atticus shoot Tim Johnson give him an idea of what Atticus calls "real courage." In chapter 15, Jem displays his perspective, loyalty, and bravery by refusing to leave Atticus when he is surrounded by the Old Sarum bunch.

A significant moment in Jem's maturation takes place during Tom Robinson's trial. Throughout the trial, Jem naively believes that Tom will be found innocent. However, he drastically miscalculates the influence of racial prejudice. After hearing Tom's verdict, Jem loses his childhood innocence and becomes jaded with his racist community. Jem begins to question the justice system and has several enlightening conversations with Atticus regarding prejudice and their community. Jem's demeanor also changes as he becomes more sympathetic to those around him. He urges Scout not to harm innocent creatures, volunteers to walk her to the Halloween festival, and even defends her during Bob Ewell's attack. By the end of the novel, Jem develops into a morally upright, intelligent individual like his father.

write an argumentative essay on why homework is important

As you prepare your argumentative essay, it is important to bear a few things in mind. First, know the main components of an argumentative essay. (ThisPurdue University page is a great help). Of course, you should have the usual introduction (which introduces your thesis statement and gives the audience a basic overview of the essay itself), the body (each of your main points presented in concise paragraphs), and your conclusion (which summarizes your...

As you prepare your argumentative essay, it is important to bear a few things in mind. First, know the main components of an argumentative essay. (This Purdue University page is a great help). Of course, you should have the usual introduction (which introduces your thesis statement and gives the audience a basic overview of the essay itself), the body (each of your main points presented in concise paragraphs), and your conclusion (which summarizes your argument and brings your paper to a close).

Second, conduct the proper research necessary to not only argue your point well but also genuinely represent the opposing side. You will want to avoid a “strawman” fallacy, in which you establish the other side according to a false picture and then attack that false representation. It would be as if you said, “Those claiming that homework is unimportant do not have substantial evidence to back their claim.” Here, you claimed that the opposing side operated according to a certain lack of understanding, while in reality they likely have some representatives that have conducted research. Ironically, you would be committing the same fallacy that you are ascribing to the other side.

Third, pursue quality sources. Concerning the issue of homework’s importance, ask a librarian or your teachers where they might go to explore this idea. They will likely recommend certain books and articles that helped them in their own pursuit of this topic. Your local library system likely includes dozens of books on education and the effectiveness of certain classroom techniques. A quick Google or Wikipedia search is not the answer.

Concerning the topic itself, you will find (no doubt) that the vast majority of modern educational institutions among first world countries emphasize homework. This places a greater burden on you in representing the other side accurately. Those who argue for homework’s importance usually emphasize the value of repetition and uniformity in the class’s developed understanding. Those who devalue homework’s importance often point to the lack of the child’s own unique creativity and imagination being involved and further nurtured. Still, several other factors are involved, such as the child’s home situation, parental reinforcement, school system quality, and so on. It is up to you, then, to better understand how these factors relate to homework and to each other as you formulate your argument.

Why is Spencer's theory is an Evolutionary Theory. Was Spencer interested in social reforms? What would Spencer do about poverty in our society,...

Spencer's theory of "survival of the fittest" is a kind of evolutionary theory. After reading Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Spencer applied some of the ideas of natural selection to the realm of sociology. He believed that groups, which he called "favored races," that possessed advantages would be most likely to survive. Though he applied aspects of natural selection to his ideas, his theory also has elements of Lamarckism, the (erroneous) concept that...

Spencer's theory of "survival of the fittest" is a kind of evolutionary theory. After reading Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Spencer applied some of the ideas of natural selection to the realm of sociology. He believed that groups, which he called "favored races," that possessed advantages would be most likely to survive. Though he applied aspects of natural selection to his ideas, his theory also has elements of Lamarckism, the (erroneous) concept that people can pass traits that they acquire after birth to their offspring. Spencer's theories were applied to sociology and became known as "Social Darwinism," a school of thought that inspired industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie. 

Spencer was a philosopher, not a social reformer. His theories justified the kind of laissez-faire capitalism that developed during the Industrial Revolution, and his theories explained that industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie should be at the top of the economic and social pyramid while others struggled below. Spencer's view on today's poverty would likely be that the economic situation is justified by the fact that those who are fittest have risen to the top, while those struggling in poverty should do so. That way, the poor may not be as likely to reproduce and pass along undesirable characteristics. Spencer was not sympathetic to the poor or working classes.

What opinion/ message/ lesson is Orwell attempting to convey to the readers on the subject of "socialism" in Animal Farm?

Animal Farmis an allegory about what went wrong in the USSR, which initially adopted socialism as an idealistic, utopic experiment meant to liberate workers from exploitation and share the fruits of labor equally, but which quickly turned into a totalitarian regime that robbed people of their rights and their labor. Orwell, writing at a time when many people still defended the Soviet Union, meant to show that a well-intentioned revolution can easily derail. Key...

Animal Farm is an allegory about what went wrong in the USSR, which initially adopted socialism as an idealistic, utopic experiment meant to liberate workers from exploitation and share the fruits of labor equally, but which quickly turned into a totalitarian regime that robbed people of their rights and their labor. Orwell, writing at a time when many people still defended the Soviet Union, meant to show that a well-intentioned revolution can easily derail. Key to this is language: the pigs are easily able to control the rest of the animals because they control the rhetoric. Language is very important, Orwell argues. We have to maintain vigilance over what is said and how it is said. The animals end up deceived because the pigs continually change the rules of the game through word games, finally changing "all animals are created equal" by adding to it the famous non-sequitur that some are more equal than others.

Violence--or putting controls on it-- is also important to maintaining freedom. Orwell illustrates this by showing how the pigs maintain a monopoly of violence by controlling the dogs, who act as executioners against the other animals. This combination of rhetoric and violence keeps the rest of the animals down, which is, of course, what happened under Soviet socialism--and more to the point, could also happen in nominally democratic states like Orwell's home county, England--or in the United States. 

How is isolation shown in Frozen?

Frozen (2013) revolves around the isolation of two sisters, Anna and Elsa. While these two princesses are best of friends as young children, Elsa, who has magical powers that she struggles to control, withdraws from the world, essentially locking herself in her bedroom. When their parents die in a shipwreck, their isolation deepens.

One way to trace the theme of isolation throughout the film is through its soundtrack. The hit song “Do You Want to...

Frozen (2013) revolves around the isolation of two sisters, Anna and Elsa. While these two princesses are best of friends as young children, Elsa, who has magical powers that she struggles to control, withdraws from the world, essentially locking herself in her bedroom. When their parents die in a shipwreck, their isolation deepens.

One way to trace the theme of isolation throughout the film is through its soundtrack. The hit song “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” appears in the film during a montage that reveals the progression of Anna and Elsa’s isolation. As the line “It doesn’t have to be a snowman” suggests, the titular question is not so much about building a snowman as it is a sister’s plea for companionship. When Elsa’s coronation day arrives and the castle is opened for guests, Anna celebrates that “for the first time in forever / I won’t be alone.”

Although popular culture has embraced “Let It Go” as a song about (female) empowerment, it is also a song about isolation. Consider the extreme long shots of Elsa as she climbs further and further up the mountain and away from everyone else. It is about her embracing her powers, but sadly it’s also about her withdrawing from her sister and the people that she is to rule. We see her embracing her identity, but it's from a great distance against a backdrop of snow. Even from the viewer, Elsa’s isolation deepens, as she becomes harder and harder to see—from this perspective, her visual transformation takes on a new significance. Fittingly, it is later in the film, also against a snowy backdrop, that this isolation is ended by true love’s kiss. In this late moment, it is their reunion that ends the snowstorm—the recurring symbol of isolation—and their isolation itself.

In what way does "Harrison Bergeron" contradict the idea of human equality as the basis of democracy in the United States? How can you defend the...

In the story "Harrison Bergeron," through the passage of the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments of the Constitution and "the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General," an equality of intellectual and physical abilities has been established in America: "It is the year 2081 and everyone is finally equal."

These amendments have made the equality of sameness mandatory by forcing anyone who has too much athletic ability, intelligence, beauty, or talent to...

In the story "Harrison Bergeron," through the passage of the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments of the Constitution and "the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General," an equality of intellectual and physical abilities has been established in America: "It is the year 2081 and everyone is finally equal."

These amendments have made the equality of sameness mandatory by forcing anyone who has too much athletic ability, intelligence, beauty, or talent to wear handicaps in order to become equal to those who possess what is considered the standard. In the society of 2081 in which Harrison Bergeron and his family live, a compulsory sameness is enforced. As requirements of this standard of equality, the people must accept oppressive measures or risk imprisonment. Harrison is imprisoned because he has plotted to overthrow the government. In a police photograph, Harrison is shown wearing three hundred pounds of handicaps.

His father, George Bergeron, is handicapped physically with forty-seven pounds of birdshot in a bag that hangs from his neck, and he wears a mental handicap that issues sounds that drown out his higher-level thoughts. His wife, Hazel Bergeron, needs no handicaps because she has been judged to be "perfectly average." These handicaps make all citizens equal to everyone else in their society.

As Hazel and George watch television, they notice that the ballerina wears a hideous mask to cover her beauty, along with several handicap bags to prevent her from being stronger or more graceful than any of the other dancers. She must also apologize for her voice, which is "a very unfair voice for a woman to use."

In this futuristic society, the concept of equality is considered to be sameness; everyone must be on the same level. Sameness supposedly ensures that all citizens are on what is metaphorically called a fair playing field. No one can be smarter than anyone else, no one can be stronger, no one can be better-looking, and so on. This sameness is strictly enforced, and those who do not comply are incarcerated or even shot and killed by the Handicapper General.

[In "Harrison Bergeron"] Vonnegut pokes fun at the absurd and extreme steps taken to ensure equality in the futuristic society, with cumbersome low-technology handicaps forced on above-average citizens upon pain of severe punishment.

The only way to defend the idea of placing everyone upon an even playing field and offering everyone opportunities is through programs that assist those who may be disadvantaged in some way. This is what is done in the contemporary United States with such programs as Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity programs, Outreach and Assistance programs, Head Start programs, voucher programs, HOPE schools, and other programs that work to assist people. These programs allow people to succeed and rise in their society. Also, their abilities and self-esteem are improved rather than destroyed as in the country of 2081, in which fortunate or talented people are forced to be made ugly, clumsy, dull, or apologetic for their talents.

Why did the US Federal Reserve not rescue banks from deflation after the stock market crash in 1929?

The Federal Reserve was unprepared for the depth of the disaster of the stock market crash late in 1929. It was a decentralized institution, split into districts with different governors. Although these governors understood that they should coordinate their efforts and tried to do so, they could not agree about the best solution to the crisis.

Since so much money was wiped out by the stock market crash, the supply of money in the US...

The Federal Reserve was unprepared for the depth of the disaster of the stock market crash late in 1929. It was a decentralized institution, split into districts with different governors. Although these governors understood that they should coordinate their efforts and tried to do so, they could not agree about the best solution to the crisis.

Since so much money was wiped out by the stock market crash, the supply of money in the US economy fell by almost 30 percent between 1930 and the winter of 1933. Because people had so much less money to buy goods, the price of goods naturally dropped by an equal amount, a significant deflation. This was destabilizing for the economy. For example, if you figure prices will go down, then you will wait to make purchases. If you have debt, then you are going to run into trouble. For instance, if the value of your house dropped from $10,000 to $7,000 and you owed $8,000, you could not very well sell the house to clear the debt. Also, with less money available (this was before the days of widespread consumer credit) people had less to spend, which contributed to a severe downward spiral: as businesses sold fewer goods, they had less money and so they laid off more people.

The Federal Reserve's biggest failure was its inability to prevent the deflation. It could have, for example, lent banks money so they did not collapse and wipe out people's savings or they could have printed more money. Normally printing money causes inflation, but in this case it would have merely prevented deflation.

As stated in the first paragraph, people with the power to change the course of the economy were surprised by the collapse and were confused about what had gone wrong. Decentralization meant nobody had sufficient authority alone to do what needed to be done in order to prevent deflation. Some thought raising interest rates and reducing the amount of money in the economy, although it was deflationary, was the cure. Now we know that was wrong, but hindsight is 20/20 and the people in charge had to deal with an unprecedented crisis in real time without a reliable road map. 

In Of Mice and Men, examine the significance of Steinbeck's phrase, "George's voice was taking on the tone of confession."

The significance of George's "confessional tone" reflects depth in George and Slim.

When George speaks to Slim, it is the first time in the novella that he has had a chance to openly talk to someone.  He is either burdened with taking care of Lennie or determining the next move for the pair.  He has never had a real chance to speak about his life and his own experiences.  However, when he sits down with...

The significance of George's "confessional tone" reflects depth in George and Slim.

When George speaks to Slim, it is the first time in the novella that he has had a chance to openly talk to someone.  He is either burdened with taking care of Lennie or determining the next move for the pair.  He has never had a real chance to speak about his life and his own experiences.  However, when he sits down with Slim to talk and play cards, it is almost as if a weight has been lifted.  He has found an active audience and can let down his guard. From a therapeutic point of view, George has been able to find some form of release. This is why his tone takes on a "confessional." He is able to speak things to Slim that have been kept inside for so long. In his conversation with Slim, George is like a penitent who finds salvation from confession.

The "confessional" tone also reflects much about Slim. Steinbeck's initial description of Slim in Chapter 2 is distinctive:

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 or love.... His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought,  but of understanding beyond thought. 

Such a description makes Slim unique.  George's tone in speaking with Slim about what happened in Weed reflects this.  George senses that Slim can provide insight simply by listening. Even when George fears that Slim might say something to the others, he dismisses it.  George knows that Slim is different from the other men on the ranch.  He realizes that Slim inspires and breeds solidarity and community as opposed to so many who are incapable of nurturing it.  This is reflected in the "Confessional" tone that George takes with Slim.

Explain the title of the story "The Open Window."

The title seems to emphasize the importance of the open window in the story. It also sets a somewhat ominous tone. It suggests that something or other is going to cause trouble from the outside. Something is going to have to come in through that open window or the title wouldn't have been used for the story.

Vera takes advantage of the fact that there is a big French window standing wide open rather late...

The title seems to emphasize the importance of the open window in the story. It also sets a somewhat ominous tone. It suggests that something or other is going to cause trouble from the outside. Something is going to have to come in through that open window or the title wouldn't have been used for the story.

Vera takes advantage of the fact that there is a big French window standing wide open rather late on a not very warm day. The fact that Mr. Sappleton wore his white waterproof coat when he went hunting shows that the weather is overcast and threatening to rain. Vera gets Framton Nuttel's attention focused on the open window when she tells him her ghost story. The mischievous girl knows that her aunt will be sitting and looking towards the open window while she waits for her men to return for tea. 

The open window plays a prominent role in the story. It creates a reason to explain that the hunters are accustomed to leaving and departing through that window, so Framton will understand that the "ghosts" are heading straight towards him rather than entering through a side-door or backdoor in their wet clothes and muddy boots. 

The title focuses the reader's attention on the open window and gives it special and perhaps ominous significance. It dominates the setting in which the entire story takes place. Readers will remember the sight which caused Framton Nuttel to panic and flee from the house.

In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window, they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?"

`f(x)=3/(3x+4) ,c=0` Find a power series for the function, centered at c and determine the interval of convergence.

A power series centered at `c=0` is follows the formula:

`sum_(n=0)^oo a_nx^n = a_0+a_1x+a_2x^2+a_3x^3+...`

The given function `f(x)= 3/(3x+4)` resembles the power series:

`(1+x)^k = sum_(n=0)^oo (k(k-1)(k-2)...(k-n+1))/(n!) x ^n`

or

` (1+x)^k = 1+kx +(k(k-1))/(2!)x^2+(k(k-1)(k-2))/(3!)x^3+(k(k-1)(k-2)(k-3))/(4!)x^4+...`

For better comparison, we let `3x+4 = 4 ((3x)/4 + 1)` . The function becomes:

`f(x)= 3/4 ((3x)/4 + 1)`

Apply Law of exponents: `1/x^n = x^(-n)` .

`f(x)= 3/4((3x)/4 + 1)^(-1)`

Apply the aforementioned formula for power series on  `((3x)/4 + 1)^(-1)` , we may replace "x" with "`(3x)/4` " and "`k` " with "`-1` ". We let:

 `(1+(3x)/4)^(-1) = sum_(n=0)^oo (-1(-1-1)(-1-2)...(-1-n+1))/(n!) ((3x)/4) ^n`

 `=sum_(n=0)^oo (-1(-2)(-3)...(-1-n+1))/(n!)((3x)/4) ^n`

 `=1+(-1)((3x)/4) +(-1(-2))/(2!)((3x)/4)^2+(-1(-2)(-3))/(3!)((3x)/4)^3+(-1(-2)(-3)(-4)/(4!)((3x)/4)^4+...`

`=1-(3x)/4 +(2)/2((3x)/4)^2- 6/6((3x)/4)^3+24/24((3x)/4)^4+...`

`=1-(3x)/4 +((3x)/4)^2- ((3x)/4)^3+((3x)/4)^4+...`

`=1-(3x)/4 +(9x^2)/16- (27x^3)/64+(81x^4)/256+...`

Applying `(1+(3x)/4)^(-1) =1-(3x)/4 +(9x^2)/16- (27x^3)/64+(81x^4)/256+...`  we get:

`3/4((3x)/4 + 1)^(-1)= 3/4*[1-(3x)/4 +(9x^2)/16- (27x^3)/64+(81x^4)/256+...]`

                      `=3/4-(9x)/16 +(27x^2)/64- (81x^3)/256+(243x^4)/1024+...`

                     `= sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n(3/4)^(n+1)x^n`

The power series of the function `f(x)=3/(3x+4)` centered at `c=0` is:

`3/(3x+4)=sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n(3/4)^(n+1)x^n`

or 

`3/(3x+4)=3/4-(9x)/16 +(279x^2)/64- (81x^3)/256+(243x^4)/1024+...`

To determine the interval of convergence, we may apply geometric series test wherein the series `sum_(n=0)^oo a*r^n`  is convergent if `|r|lt1`  or `-1 ltrlt 1` . If `|r|gt=1` then the geometric series diverges.

Applying `(3/4)^(n+1) = (3/4)^n * (3/4)` on the series `sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n(3/4)^(n+1)x^n` , we get:

`sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n(3/4)^n(3/4)x^n =sum_(n=0)^oo(3/4) (-(3x)/4)^n`

By comparing `sum_(n=0)^oo(3/4) (-(3x)/4)^n` with  `sum_(n=0)^oo a*r^n` , we determine:`r =-(3x)/4` .

Apply the condition for convergence of geometric series: `|r|lt1` .

`|-(3x)/4|lt1`

`|-1| *|(3x)/4|lt1`

`1 *|(3x)/4|lt1`

`|(3x)/4|lt1`

`-1lt(3x)/4lt1`

Multiply each sides by `4/3` :

`-1*4/3lt(3x)/4*4/3lt1*4/3`

`-4/3 ltxlt4/3`

Check the convergence at endpoints that may satisfy `|(3x)/4|=1` .

Let `x=-4/3` on `sum_(n=0)^oo(3/4) (-(3x)/4)^n` , we get:

`sum_(n=0)^oo(3/4) (-3/4*-4/3)^n=sum_(n=0)^oo(1)^n`

Using geometric series test,  the ` r =1` satisfy `|r| gt=1` . Thus, the series diverges at `x=-4/3` .

 Let `x=4/3` on `sum_(n=0)^oo(3/4) (-(3x)/4)^n` , we get:

 `sum_(n=0)^oo(3/4) (-3/4*4/3)^n=sum_(n=0)^oo(-1)^n`

 Using geometric series test,  the `r =-1` satisfy `|r| gt=1` . Thus, the series diverges at `x=-4/3` .

 Thus, the power series `sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n(3/4)^(n+1)x^n` has an interval of convergence: `-4/3 ltxlt4/3` .

I need help interpreting the poem "Pursuit from Under."

First let’s try to pin down exactly what’s going on in the narrative of the poem before we break it down further into its more poetic meaning. We have a man walking through the grass, presumably on land near his father’s estate. He remembers reading the journal of some arctic explorers who died of starvation. He pays close attention to one journal entry in which the explorers describe the behavior of a killer whale beneath...

First let’s try to pin down exactly what’s going on in the narrative of the poem before we break it down further into its more poetic meaning. We have a man walking through the grass, presumably on land near his father’s estate. He remembers reading the journal of some arctic explorers who died of starvation. He pays close attention to one journal entry in which the explorers describe the behavior of a killer whale beneath the ice. He fixates on the terrifying image of this creature stalking you from the depths and rushing up to attack. He then superimposes this image, this fear, into his own life on a farm.

Now that we’ve discussed the basics, let’s get into what the poet means by all this. What is the significance of comparing the experience of the arctic explorers to the narrator’s own life? Well, the narrator seems haunted by the encroaching imminence of old age and death. For instance, in the second stanza, he mentions an ice age (usually connoting death) coming up through his feet while he is trying to emulate the way he behaved as a child, trying to hold onto things as they always were. Interestingly, it is not the blank page from the explorers’ journal (signifying their death by starvation) that scares him most. Rather, it is the entry describing the shadow of the killer whale hunting them. It is not the whale that ultimately kills them, but this specter under the ice is still what frightens the narrator the most. This could imply that he’s not so much scared of death itself but actually of the fear that the idea of death brings with it.

`int (6x)/(x^3-8) dx` Use partial fractions to find the indefinite integral

For the given integral problem: `int (6x)/(x^3-8)dx` , we may partial fraction decomposition to expand the integrand: `f(x)=(6x)/(x^3-8)` . 

The pattern on setting up partial fractions will depend on the factors  of the  denominator. For the given problem,  the denominator is in a form of difference of perfect cube :  `x^3 -y^3 = (x-y)(x^2+xy+y^2)`

Applying the special factoring on `(x^3-8)` , we get: 

`(x^3-8) =(x^3-2^3)`

              `=(x-2)(x^2+x*2+2^2)`

               `=(x-2)(x^2+2x+4)`

For the linear factor `(x-2)` , we will have partial fraction:` A/(x-2)` .

For the quadratic factor `(x^2+2x+4)` , we will have partial fraction: `(Bx+C)/(x^2+2x+4)` .

The integrand becomes:

`(6x)/(x^3-8) =A/(x-2) +(Bx+C)/(x^2+2x+4)`

Multiply both side by the `LCD =(x-2)(x^2+2x+4)` :

`((6x)/(x^3-8))*(x-2)(x^2+2x+4) =[ A/(x-2) +(Bx+C)/(x^2+2x+4)] *(x-2)(x^2+2x+4)`

`6x =A(x^2+2x+4) +(Bx+C)(x-2)`

We apply zero-factor property on `(x-2)(x^2+2x+4)` to solve for values we can assign on x.

`x-2 = 0` then `x=2`

`x^2+2x+4=0` then `x = -1+-sqrt(3)i`

To solve for `A` , we plug-in `x=2` :

`6*2 =A(2^2+2*2+4) +(B*2+C)(2-2)`

`12 =A(4+4+4) +(2B+C)(0)`

`12 = 12A +0`

`12/12 = (12A)/12`

`A =1`

To solve for `C` , plug-in `A=1`  and `x=0` so that `B*x` becomes `0` :

`6*0 =A(0^2+2*0+4) +(B*0+C)(0-2)`

`0 =1(0+0+4) +(0+C)(-2)`

`0=4 -2C`

`2C =4`

`(2C)/2=4/2`

`C=2`

To solve for `B` , plug-in `A=1` , `C=2` , and `x=1` :

`6*1 =1(1^2+2*1+4) +(B*1+2)(1-2)`

`6 = 1+2+4 +(B+2)*(-1)`

`6 = 1+2+4 -B-2`

`6 = 5-B`

`6-5 =-B`

`1=-B`

then `B =-1`

Plug-in `A = 1` , `B =-1,` and `C=2` , we get the partial fraction decomposition:

`int (6x)/(x^3-8) dx = int [ 1/(x-2) +(-x+2)/(x^2+2x+4)] dx`

                      `=int [ 1/(x-2) -x/(x^2+2x+4)+2/(x^2+2x+4)] dx`

Apply the basic integration property: `int (u+-v+-w) dx = int (u) dx +- int (v) dx+- int (w) dx` .

`int [ 1/(x-2) -x/(x^2+2x+4)+2/(x^2+2x+4)] dx =int 1/(x-2) dx- int x/(x^2+2x+4)dx+ int 2/(x^2+2x+4) dx`

For the first integral, we apply integration formula for logarithm: `int 1/u du = ln|u|+C` .

Let `u =x-2` then `du = dx`

`int 1/(x-2) dx =int 1/u du`

                 `= ln|u|`

                 ` = ln|x-2|`

For the second integral, we apply indefinite integration formula for rational function:

`int x/(ax^2+bx+c) dx =1/(2a)ln|ax^2+bx+c| -b/(asqrt(4ac-b^2))arctan((2ax+b)/sqrt(4ac-b^2))`

By comparing "`ax^2 +bx +c` " with "`x^2+2x+4` ", we determine the corresponding values: `a=1` , `b=2` , and `c=4` .

`int x/(x^2+2x+4)dx=1/(2*1)ln|1x^2+2x+4| -2/(1sqrt(4*1*4-2^2))arctan((2*1x+2)/sqrt(4*1*4-2^2))`

`=1/2ln|x^2+2x+4|-2/sqrt(16-4)arctan((2x+2)/sqrt(16-4))`

`=1/2ln|x^2+2x+4|-2/sqrt(12)arctan((2x+2)/sqrt(12))`

`=1/2ln|x^2+2x+4|-2/(2sqrt(3))arctan((2(x+1))/(2sqrt(3)))`

`=1/2ln|x^2+2x+4| -1/sqrt(3)arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3))`

`=(ln|x^2+2x+4|)/2 -(arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3)))/sqrt(3)`

Apply indefinite integration formula for rational function with `a=1` , `b=2` , and `c=4` :

`int 1/(ax^2+bx+c) dx = 2/sqrt(4ac-b^2)arctan((2ax+b)/sqrt(4ac-b^2)) +C`

Then,

`int 2/(x^2+2x+4) dx =2int 1/(x^2+2x+4) dx`

`=2*[2/sqrt(4*1*4-2^2)arctan((2*1x+2)/sqrt(4*1*4-2^2))]`

`= 2*[2/sqrt(16-4)arctan((2x+2)/sqrt(16-4))]`

`= 2*[2/(2sqrt(12))arctan((2x+2)/sqrt(12)) ]`

`= 2*[2/(2sqrt(3))arctan((2(x+1))/(2sqrt(3)))]`

`= 2*[1/sqrt(3)arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3))]`

`=2/sqrt(3)arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3))`

`=(2arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3)))/sqrt(3)`

Combining the results, we get the indefinite integral as: 

`int (6x)/(x^3-8) dx =ln|x-2| - [(ln|x^2+2x+4|)/2 -arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3))/sqrt(3)]+(2arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3)))/sqrt(3) +C`

`=ln|x-2| -(ln|x^2+2x+4|)/2 +(arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3)))/sqrt(3)+(2arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3)) )/sqrt(3)+C`

`= (2ln|x-2|-ln|x^2+2x+4|)/2 +(arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3))+2arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3)))/sqrt(3) +C`

`= (ln|(x-2)^2/(x^2+2x+4)|)/2+(3arctan((x+1)/sqrt(3)))/sqrt(3) +C`

`= (ln|(x^2-4x+4)/(x^2+2x+4)|)/2 +sqrt(3)arctan((sqrt(3)(x+1))/3)+C`

`= (ln|(x^2-4x+4)/(x^2+2x+4)|)/2 +sqrt(3)arctan((xsqrt(3)+sqrt(3))/3)+C`

I have homework for "The Lady or the Tiger" that is about themes. I need to write about a topic/subject but I do not have access to the book. Can...

I found the text for you online.  I have posted the link below.  You can often find text by googling the title, and you will get a pdf file.

“The Lady of the Tiger” is a short story about choice.  A young princess has fallen in love, but the king does not approve of her choice.  The suitor is put in an arena with two doors.   Behind one door is a man-eating tiger; behind the...

I found the text for you online.  I have posted the link below.  You can often find text by googling the title, and you will get a pdf file.

“The Lady of the Tiger” is a short story about choice.  A young princess has fallen in love, but the king does not approve of her choice.  The suitor is put in an arena with two doors.   Behind one door is a man-eating tiger; behind the other door is a beautiful maiden.  The princess bribes a guard and learns which door hides the lady and which door hides the tiger.  The princess has a decision to make.  If she tells her lover to choose the door with the tiger, he will be killed.  If she tells him to choose the door with the beautiful lady, he will have to marry the lady.  So, does she kill her lover or let him live to marry another woman?  I’ll let you finish the story!

Some themes for the story would be choice, love, jealousy, and faith in another's decisions.  I hope this helps!

http://www.english-literature.uni-bayreuth.de/en/teaching/documents/courses/Stockton1.pdf

In Lord of the Flies, why does Ralph say, "Meetings. Don't we love meetings?"

Ralph makes this statement sarcastically. He and Simon are attempting to erect the last of the three shelters, and they are having a hard time. Ralph is frustrated with the other boys because, although in the meeting everyone had agreed to "work hard until the shelters were finished," the boys didn't follow through. Now they've all run off to play, leaving only Simon and Ralph to try to get the shelter finished on their own....

Ralph makes this statement sarcastically. He and Simon are attempting to erect the last of the three shelters, and they are having a hard time. Ralph is frustrated with the other boys because, although in the meeting everyone had agreed to "work hard until the shelters were finished," the boys didn't follow through. Now they've all run off to play, leaving only Simon and Ralph to try to get the shelter finished on their own. In response to Ralph's complaint, which he makes to Jack, Simon tells Ralph that he's chief, and he should "tell 'em off." Ralph says that if he were to blow the conch, the boys would come running and they would all have great ideas during the meeting. But as soon as the meeting was over, they would forget what they had talked about and just go back to playing. This scene shows how Ralph and Simon are the boys who display the most altruism, putting the good of the society ahead of their own desires for pleasure. However, Ralph isn't enjoying his sacrifice at this point, so he uses verbal irony, saying the opposite of what he means, to express his exasperation. 

What are the yachts in the poem by William Carlos Williams? How does this fit with Williams's dictum "no ideas but in things"?

Williams's precept "No ideas but in things" is found in a line from the 1927 version of his poem "Paterson" and encapsulates his Imagist approach to poetry writing. Williams believed that poetry should focus on objects rather than concepts and that it should, essentially, move away from the abstract characterization of things. Objects or things create visual images and can be tangible or observable. The image that one has of a thing creates an idea about it and, therefore, gives it meaning. Thus, ideas exist in things.

In this poem, Williams describes the yachts in great detail. He provides the reader with carefully constructed images of their movements, what they look like, and those who man them. They are delicate objects, and the crews operating them seem almost insignificant; they are described as "ant-like." This confirms the fact that they (the yachts) are the central focus of the poem.

Smaller crafts follow in the yachts' wake, trailing behind and following a majestic object. They are like minions escorting a supreme leader or king. They follow in admiration, ready to do its bidding. 

The pleasant descriptions of these objects soon change, though, when the focus shifts from the yachts to the ocean. The last three stanzas convey a grim and bleak picture and personify the ocean as a mass of bodies despairingly clutching and reaching out to the yachts. The vessels, however, are not disturbed and "skillfully" continue their journey, ignoring the desperate cries of the sea, which has become "an entanglement of watery bodies."

It should be obvious that the objects in the poem depict specific ideas and are representations of more than what they seem. The yachts signify a great power or presence that is uncaring and reckless. It uses the ocean to meet a goal and does not consider the object (the ocean) it utilizes to further its end. Many interpretations suggest that the yachts symbolize the privileged elite who exploit the poor in order to enrich themselves and maintain their status.

It has also been suggested that the yachts are symbols for slave ships, on which the most horrifying atrocities were committed. The sea, becoming "an entanglement of watery bodies," represents slaves who were thrown overboard, either dead or alive, during the horrendous journeys undertaken by these vessels.

How could you use fabric architecture and its principles to design interiors that conserve natural resources? Use as an example a business, such as...

Fabric architecture includes the use of fabrics in tensile membrane structures, as well as fabric shades and sculptures. Fabric architectural pieces can be made of PVC coated polyester, which is very durable, flexible, and long lasting (with a life of up to 15-20 years). This type of fabric is often used for canopies for entrances to businesses and public spaces, and it could be used at the entrance to this store to provide additional shade...

Fabric architecture includes the use of fabrics in tensile membrane structures, as well as fabric shades and sculptures. Fabric architectural pieces can be made of PVC coated polyester, which is very durable, flexible, and long lasting (with a life of up to 15-20 years). This type of fabric is often used for canopies for entrances to businesses and public spaces, and it could be used at the entrance to this store to provide additional shade and conserve energy. 

To make a retail space such as an Apple store greener, or more sustainable, you could concentrate on using windows and doors that maximize energy efficiency. In addition, materials such as wood flooring could come from local or recycled sources to save shipping costs and conserve energy and trees. The tables in the store on which the products are displayed could be made from local or recycled natural products rather than from synthetics shipped from long distances. This practice conserves resources and reduces the use of fuel needed for shipping. The fabrics can also be made from durable local materials or be recycled from other sources. Display structures in the store could also be built using fabric architecture, structures made out of fabric. These structures are energy efficient and durable. The lighting can be generated from energy-efficient sources such as LED or compact fluorescent bulbs. Rather than having a windowless roof, the store can feature skylights to make the most of natural sunlight, and the skylights could be covered or shaded using fabric architecture. In addition, many stores such as Apple and Target are quite large. Making these spaces smaller makes them more energy efficient. 

What are at least two traits of Hazel Grace?

Let's start with a few obvious and simple character traits for Hazel.  Hazel is a sixteen year old female with cancer, but she doesn’t let the cancer define and rule her life.  Yes, it causes her to act certain ways, but she also doesn’t wallow in her own world of depression due to knowing that she is dying.  One character trait that I deeply appreciate about Hazel is just how selfless she is.  She is...

Let's start with a few obvious and simple character traits for Hazel.  Hazel is a sixteen year old female with cancer, but she doesn’t let the cancer define and rule her life.  Yes, it causes her to act certain ways, but she also doesn’t wallow in her own world of depression due to knowing that she is dying.  One character trait that I deeply appreciate about Hazel is just how selfless she is.  She is very self-conscious about her impact on other people, and she doesn’t want to be a burden in life or in death. One of her biggest concerns is how much her death will hurt her mom, and Hazel wants to minimize that.  

There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer when you're sixteen, and that's having a kid who bites it from cancer.

In addition to being a selfless and loving character, Hazel is also a very confident girl.  She simply doesn’t care what the world thinks.  She doesn’t try to “be cool” and follow trends.  She is confident in herself and her self-image.  Her short pixie haircut is a reflection of that attitude.  Hazel doesn’t try to hide this attitude and confidence from other characters either.  In chapter three, Hazel bluntly tells her mother that she simply doesn’t care to try to fit in with everything.  

"I take quite a lot of pride in not knowing what's cool."

I would be remiss if I didn’t say that another of Hazel's character traits is her bravery.  She’s dying from cancer, but she doesn’t wallow in fear and self pity.  She embraces the life that she has, and she is constantly working to make the best of a bad situation.  Given the same situation, I hope that I could be as positive and brave as Hazel.

Mr. Pignati told the kids to take care of two things until he returned. What were those two things?

At the hospital, Mr. Pignati asks Lorraine and John to take care of his house and Bobo (the baboon at the zoo).

Bobo is Mr. Pignati's favorite animal at the zoo. Since Mr. Pignati is in the hospital, he will not be able to visit Bobo until he is released. As a result, he asks John and Lorraine to feed Bobo properly when they next see him at the zoo; they are to make sure...

At the hospital, Mr. Pignati asks Lorraine and John to take care of his house and Bobo (the baboon at the zoo).

Bobo is Mr. Pignati's favorite animal at the zoo. Since Mr. Pignati is in the hospital, he will not be able to visit Bobo until he is released. As a result, he asks John and Lorraine to feed Bobo properly when they next see him at the zoo; they are to make sure that Bobo gets dry-roasted peanuts from the yellow package (not the red package) and half a hot dog. Mr. Pignati tells John and Lorraine that Bobo never eats the whole hot dog.

Mr. Pignati also tells the teenagers to take care of his home. He invites them to make themselves at home in his house and to use anything there they want. John and Lorraine take Mr. Pignati up on his offer, but their good intentions are soon obscured by their desire to have fun. They hold a party at Mr. Pignati's house, and a terrible fight breaks out between John and Norton (a classmate), resulting in the destruction of many of Mr. Pignati's pig figurines.

Mr. Pignati never fully recovers from his grief and later dies from a second heart attack.

What were Greek temples used for?

In Ancient Greece, temples were built as "houses" for deities that also served as a place of worship. People would worship at a temple by bringing offerings that a particular god was believed to have favored- for example, leaving wine at the temple of Dionysus. Some people may have also cleaned and decorated the temple in service to the gods, or sang and danced outside in honor of the god. Most people did not go ...

In Ancient Greece, temples were built as "houses" for deities that also served as a place of worship. People would worship at a temple by bringing offerings that a particular god was believed to have favored- for example, leaving wine at the temple of Dionysus. Some people may have also cleaned and decorated the temple in service to the gods, or sang and danced outside in honor of the god. Most people did not go inside of the temples, at least not into the innermost chamber, because this was considered a sacred and private place. Instead, people would make their offerings from the outside or an outermost portion of the temple. In the Greek style, these temples varied from large structures like the Parthenon, to smaller community temples or even household shrines. 

It is a little difficult for us modern-day people to understand how the Ancient Greeks related to and thought of their gods. It is possible that some people believed the literal, anthropomorphic embodiment of their gods to live inside of these temples. Most scholars feel it is more likely that people  understood that their temples were dedicated to the idea of the god and everything they ruled. Many Ancient Greek gods could turn into animals or natural forces in the world, so a temple served sort of like a post-office box. People could make prayers and leave offerings at the temple and trust that they were received by the god, even if that deity didn't actually live there. 

Many of these temples and their patron deities also offered a sense of communal identity. One city might be considered protected by a particular deity, and within that, people might choose to worship their communal or household deities as well. Which gods a person chose to interact with reflected their values in life.

Why is Juliet's dishonesty unjustified in the play?

In order to argue that Juliet is unjustified in her deceit the audience must make a positive assessment of Lord Capulet's intentions, both toward his daughter and toward Romeo. In Act I Capulet comes across as a wise and benevolent father. In Scene 2 he appears to be a man that is totally interested in the happiness of his daughter. He initially claims that his daughter is too young to marry but when pressed by...

In order to argue that Juliet is unjustified in her deceit the audience must make a positive assessment of Lord Capulet's intentions, both toward his daughter and toward Romeo. In Act I Capulet comes across as a wise and benevolent father. In Scene 2 he appears to be a man that is totally interested in the happiness of his daughter. He initially claims that his daughter is too young to marry but when pressed by Count Paris he insists that the Count win Juliet's heart. He will not approve of any marriage unless his daughter is in approval as well. Likewise, in Scene 5 Capulet warns Tybalt against fighting Romeo and even suggests that Romeo is an honorable young man:

Content thee, gentle coz. Let him alone.
He bears him like a portly gentleman,
And, to say truth, Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and well-governed youth.

If not for the outburst in Act III, Scene 5 in which he berates Juliet and threatens to disown her if she doesn't marry Paris it would be easy to come away with an affirmative reaction to Capulet. It's at least worth pondering whether the Capulet we meet in Act I would look favorably on the relationship between his daughter and the only son of his mortal enemy. Nevertheless, the ugliness in Act III cannot be overlooked. Obviously, Juliet knew her father well, and she understood that she could never reveal her true feelings to him about such a sensitive issue. Therefore, it must be concluded that Juliet is correct to lie to her parents about what was going on. In all likelihood Capulet would have forbidden her to see Romeo and the situation may have led to more violence between the families.   

What does "The Lottery" imply about traditions and ceremonies?

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a powerful argument against ritual and tradition. She is not arguing that all traditions and ceremonies are inherently evil. What she is showing us is that following a ritual mindlessly can lead people to evil acts. The people in the village clearly have no idea why this ritual is performed every year. They speculate about it, that perhaps it owed its origin to some sort of sacrifice to improve the...

Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a powerful argument against ritual and tradition. She is not arguing that all traditions and ceremonies are inherently evil. What she is showing us is that following a ritual mindlessly can lead people to evil acts. The people in the village clearly have no idea why this ritual is performed every year. They speculate about it, that perhaps it owed its origin to some sort of sacrifice to improve the harvest, but they seem to realize how silly that is. They acknowledge that other villages are abandoning the tradition, but they adhere to it blindly, doing something because it has always been done. We are civilized human beings, who should be able to reason about right and wrong and leave behind foolish and superstitious ceremonies, which is why tribes no longer practice cannibalism and we know better than to throw young virgins into volcanoes to placate the gods. Committing a barbaric act cannot be justified just because it has always been done, nor can it be justified on the basis that our leaders have told us to commit it.

In the book Guns, Germs, and Steel, what does living on the same latitude mean and why was it important?

Jared Diamond, in the book Guns, Germs, and Steel, attempts to explain why certain groups of people developed civilization earlier than others. He traces the dissemination of food production from nine locations in the world where plant and animal domestication happened at the earliest point of history.  He surmises that food production spread on a deliberate east-west axis along the same lines of latitude.  Moving food production technologies was more difficult when crossing lines...

Jared Diamond, in the book Guns, Germs, and Steel, attempts to explain why certain groups of people developed civilization earlier than others. He traces the dissemination of food production from nine locations in the world where plant and animal domestication happened at the earliest point of history.  He surmises that food production spread on a deliberate east-west axis along the same lines of latitude.  Moving food production technologies was more difficult when crossing lines of longitude.  The spread of crop and livestock species can spread easier across the same latitude because the days are of the same lengths. Also, the seasons are the same along the same latitude.  This makes it easier to transfer planting and agricultural knowledge than when moving north and south.