Blog: May 2017

True or False: The Austro-Prussian War in 1866 was the result of Austria's opposition to unification.

I would say that this statement is false. Austria was not opposed to the idea of Germany uniting. What Austria opposed was the idea of Germany uniting under Prussian domination. Austria wanted Germany to unite, but it wanted to dominate the new, united country of Germany.

At this point in history, the area that is now Germany was divided into many little states. Prussia was the biggest of these and the most powerful. It wanted...

At this point in history, the area that is now Germany was divided into many little states. Prussia was the biggest of these and the most powerful. It wanted to unite Germany and it wanted to dominate the new country. However, Austria was also an ethnically German country. It wanted to create a larger united Germany than Prussia wanted to create. Austria wanted a larger Germany that would include Austria and it wanted to dominate this new country.

The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 came about because of this dispute. The two countries fought over whether a united Germany would be bigger or smaller and whether Austria or Prussia would dominate the new country. This means that the war was about the unification of Germany, but it happened because Austria and Prussia could not agree on how the unification should happen, not because Austria opposed unification completely. Therefore, the statement in your question is false.

What are the benefits of students studying contemporary art?

As the previous educator mentioned, "benefits" are subjective. There are some who say that studying art is a waste of time and that students benefit more by focusing on more "practical" subjects, such as science, technology, engineering, and math, otherwise known as the STEM fields.

What these detractors do not realize is that the study of the arts, particularly visual art, is very helpful in teaching young people new ways of seeing their worlds. Visual...

What these detractors do not realize is that the study of the arts, particularly visual art, is very helpful in teaching young people new ways of seeing their worlds. Visual artists, such as painters and photographers, encourage us to see those aspects of life that we might take for granted or not otherwise notice.

Art can inspire imaginative exploration, which can expand into other areas, such as technological innovation. The study of the arts encourages us to "think outside of the box," or to see other possibilities beyond what we already know.

Subjects in contemporary art tend to deal with themes in contemporary life or with the subjects that interest us now. It also applies versatile techniques that encourage us to think beyond our traditional understanding of what art can be. Contemporary art includes not only painting and photography, but also a lot of conceptual art, such as textual art (e.g., Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner). It also allows for the use of non-traditional materials, such as recycled trash.

Finally, the study of contemporary art, along with the other humanities, is key in teaching students empathy. Art allows us to "see" through another person's eyes, which gives us access to an experience we might not otherwise have. The ability to empathize is fundamental to a cohesive society.

Is Romeo and Juliet's love for one another true love or just infatuation in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet's love for one another is more than infatuation; yet, although they do love one another, theirs is a love that is essentially erotic, rather than being a higher, more spiritual love.

In what he terms as an enquiry into the nature of love, The Art of Loving, renowned psychoanalyst Erich Fromm defines erotic love as

...the craving for complete fusion, for union with one other person....Erotic love is exclusive, but it loves in the other person all of mankind, all that is alive.

After speaking to Juliet, under her balcony, Romeo emotionally exclaims,

How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night,

Like softest music to attending ears! (2.2.168-169)

Further, Romeo includes "all that is alive" as he tells Juliet that he wishes that he "...were thy bird" (2.2.185) because she could have him in her chambers all night and day. Earlier, Romeo remains in the orchard as the Nurse calls Juliet in, exclaiming, "Oh, blessed, blessed night!" (2.2.139), expressing his joy in the natural world, as well.

That Romeo loves as Fromm describes, "in the other person all of mankind," is exemplified in Romeo's actions and words to Tybalt in Act III when he demonstrates his new love as he tries to avert a dangerous sword fight between Mercutio and the fiery Capulet, Tybalt.

Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage...

I do protest I never injured thee,

But love thee better than thou canst devise,

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love. (3.1.33-41)

Unfortunately, Mercutio angrily interprets Romeo's words as "vile submission," and Tybalt, too, becomes enraged, striking out at Mercutio.

Fromm writes further that erotic love has but one premise:

That I love from the essence of my being--and experience the other person in the essence of his or her being.

In the final act of Shakespeare's tragedy, it is evident in the scene of the two lovers' deaths in Act V that Romeo and Juliet's erotic love demonstrates this love from the essence of their beings. For, they both wish to remain eternally with the other, "And never leave from this place of dim night...." (5.3.116).

Their desperate acts--Juliet's drinking of the potion to feign death and avoid marrying Paris, as well as her suicide, and Romeo's purchase of poison and his act of suicide--are evidence of their all-consuming erotic love for each other that leaves no other experience of value but that of the other person.
Tragically, however, this erotic love of Romeo and Juliet is meteoric as in its passion it ignites their entire beings and tragically burns out. That is, as Friar Lawrence expresses earlier in the play, "These violent delights have violent ends" (2.6.9-10).

In Into the Wild, why did Chris McCandless keep to himself?

Without being able to directly ask Chris McCandless, the answer to this question will probably forever remain a mystery. Krakauer does a nice job of trying to "get inside" McCandless and figure out what makes him tick, but it's still Krakauer's best guess. Krakauer also does a nice job of illustrating how McCandless wasn't the only ascetic to be drawn to the road and Alaska. Krakauer spends chapters eight and nine comparing McCandless to Gene Rosselini, John Waterman, Carl McCunn, and Everett Reuss. All of those men felt the pull of a solitary life. They all died in that life too. That doesn't mean that they were unsuccessful though. Similarly, I don't think that McCandless failed in his quest either.

But why exactly McCandless wanted to live the life that he chose to live might best be explained by using a Henry David Thoreau quote.

"I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms."

I think that is exactly why McCandless kept to himself. He wanted to live his life to the fullest. For McCandless that meant paring his life down to the bare essentials. It also meant that he needed to be free to make his own decisions about his own life direction all of the time. In order to do that, McCandless had to live a solitary life. Being around people always resulted in those people trying to force their will and opinion on McCandless. Even Ronald Franz tried to do that to McCandless at one point.

After attending church that Sunday, Franz decided to talk to Alex “about how he was living. Somebody needed to convince him to get an education and a job and make something of his life.”

By living alone, McCandless is free to do what he wants to do.

In "The Red-Headed League," Sherlock Holmes lists the "obvious facts" that he deduces from Mr.Wilson's appearance. What are they and how did...

At the beginning of the story Holmes tells Watson:

“Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else.”

Jabez Wilson expresses considerable surprise because all of Holmes' deductions are correct. He wants to know how Holmes drew such accurate conclusions from his appearance.

Holmes explains that he knew Wilson had done manual labor because his right hand was noticeably larger than his left, showing that he had done considerable work with it. Wilson tells him he was ship's carpenter. Holmes could see that Wilson was wearing an arc-and-compass breastpin, showing he was a Freemason. The detective refused to explain how he knew Wilson used snuff because the signs of snuff on his waistcoat were too obvious. Wilson later takes a big pinch of snuff, showing he is a heavy user.

The fact that he has been in China is shown, according to Holmes, by the delicately colored tattoo on Wilson''s wrist which could only have been made in China. Wilson is also wearing a Chinese coin on his watch-chain as a souvenir.

The author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, does not use these particular deductions solely to show off his protagonist's powers of deduction. In the days of sailing vessels, Wilson must have been out of the country for many years working on ships and spending time in China. This would explain why he would not have heard about the formation of the fictitious Red-Headed League, which his assistant told him was big news at the time.

When Watson first sees the visitor he describes him as "a very stout, florid-faced elderly gentleman." This would explain why Wilson would have been extremely unlikely to venture down the steep steps of his own cellar to see what his new assistant, who calls himself Vincent Spaulding, was doing down there. Wilson is grossly overweight. The fact that he is "florid-faced" shows that he has high blood pressure. He is elderly and also a heavy user of snuff. Snuff is a finely ground tobacco, and it would have the same deleterious effect on his lungs as tobacco that was smoked.

Vincent Spaulding (John Clay) is digging a tunnel right under his employer's nose, but Wilson thinks his assistant is an amateur photographer developing films. Clay is a very dangerous man. If Wilson had ever ventured down there and seen the tunnel and piles of dirt, Clay would not have hesitated to murder him with his shovel and bury him in his own cellar.

So Holmes' deductions from Wilson's appearance serve a dual purpose. They display the great detective's analytical powers, and they explain how John Clay could have been digging a tunnel right under his boss's nose. Evidently the two thieves needed to hurry up the tunnel-digging because there was some danger of the French gold being moved; so they invented the Red-Headed League to get Jabez Wilson out of the shop six days a week for four hours a day plus travel time, thus making it possible for both men to work unimpeded.

How would the story be different if the man in the yellow suit had not died?What might have happened to the Tucks?

If the man in the yellow suit had not died, the Tucks would have continued their existence with no one knowing about them except Winnie.

When Mae Tuck kills the man in the yellow suit, the Tucks become on the radar of the local constable. If this had not happened, there is no reason to assume anyone would have ever found out about them. As it is, the constable does not know they are immortal. ...

If the man in the yellow suit had not died, the Tucks would have continued their existence with no one knowing about them except Winnie.

Mae Tuck explains to Winnie that the family has gotten adept at hiding what they are. They live on the outskirts of the community, travel to different towns to sell their wares, and move on once they have been in a place for a decade or so. This way, no one ever really gets to know them.

“… So Jesse, he does what strikes him at the moment, working in the fields, or in saloons, things like that, whatever he comes across. But they can't stay on in any one place for long, you know. None of us can. People get to wondering." (Ch. 10)

She does not mean to kill the man in the yellow suit. He was being very persistent about finding them. Once he did, he wanted to sell the spring water. This worried and angered Mae, and she acted when he threated to use Winnie as a demonstration. She hit him a little too hard, and the constable saw.

The Tucks knew that if Mae was hanged, she would not be able to die. This would give up her secret, and maybe the entire Tuck family’s. For this reason, Winnie agreed to help break Mae Tuck out of jail so the Tucks could disappear and no one would ever know.

The one other possible ending would be that the man in the yellow suit would find the Tucks later, and force them to tell about the water. That would be a very different ending, because he would try to sell it and everyone would know.

`int (x^2 + 1)/((x - 3)(x - 2)^2) dx` Evaluate the integral

Integrate `int(x^2+1)/[(x-3)(x-2)^2]dx`

Rewrite the rational function using partial fractions.

`(x^2+1)/[(x-3)(x-2)^2]=A/(x-3)+B/(x-2)+C/(x-2)^2`

`x^2+1=A(x-2)^2+B(x-3)(x-2)+C(x-3)`

`x^2+1=A(x^2-4x+4)+B(x^2-5x+6)+Cx-3C`

`x^2+1=Ax^2-4Ax+4A+Bx^2-5Bx+6B+Cx-3C`

`x^2+1=(A+B)x^2+(-4A-5B+C)x+(4A+6B-3C)`

Equate coefficients and solve for A, B, and C.

`1=A+B` (1)

`0=-4A-5B+C` (2)

`1=4A+6B-3C` (3)

Adding Equations (2) and (3) will give you

`1=B-2C`

`B=1+2C` (4)

Using equation (1) substitute variable A with `A=1-B`

into equation (3).

Using equation (4) substitute variable B with `B=1+2C`

equation (3).

...

Integrate `int(x^2+1)/[(x-3)(x-2)^2]dx`

Rewrite the rational function using partial fractions.

`(x^2+1)/[(x-3)(x-2)^2]=A/(x-3)+B/(x-2)+C/(x-2)^2`

`x^2+1=A(x-2)^2+B(x-3)(x-2)+C(x-3)`

`x^2+1=A(x^2-4x+4)+B(x^2-5x+6)+Cx-3C`

`x^2+1=Ax^2-4Ax+4A+Bx^2-5Bx+6B+Cx-3C`

`x^2+1=(A+B)x^2+(-4A-5B+C)x+(4A+6B-3C)`

Equate coefficients and solve for A, B, and C.

`1=A+B` (1)

`0=-4A-5B+C` (2)

`1=4A+6B-3C` (3)

Adding Equations (2) and (3) will give you

`1=B-2C`

`B=1+2C` (4)

Using equation (1) substitute variable A with `A=1-B`

into equation (3).

Using equation (4) substitute variable B with `B=1+2C`

equation (3).

`1=4A+6B-3C` (3)

`1=4(1-B)+6(1+2C)-3C`

`1=4-4B+6+12C-3C`

`1=10-4B+9C`

`-9=-4(1+2C)+9C`

`-9=-4-8C+9C`

`-5=C`

`B=1+2C`

`B=1+2(-5)`

`B=1-10`

`B=-9`

`A=1-B`

`A=1-(-9)`

`A=10`

`int(x^2+1)/[(x-3)(x-2)^2]dx=int10/(x-3)dx+int-9/(x-2)dx+int-5/(x-2)^2dx`

`=10ln|x-3|-9ln|x-2|+5/(x-2)+C`

The final answer is:

`=10ln|x-3|-9ln|x-2|+5/(x-2)+C `

In Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell, why is Nurse Palacio considered the town's favorite nurse, and what scenario portrays this?

Nurse Palacio is considered the town's favorite nurse because of her compassion and kindness to patients and their families. In Chapter 20, we learn that Nurse Palacio, a trained midwife, does her best for Toycie even as she miscarries.

In the end, despite the efforts of the doctor, Toycie loses her baby. Despite this heartbreaking scenario, Nurse Palacio retains her gracious nature even as she addresses Toycie's Aunt Eila. Her "sweet, quiet, consoling way" is a great comfort as she breaks the devastating news to Toycie's aunt. Nurse Palacio reassures Miss Eila that Toycie is fine after the two-hour operation.

When Miss Eila complains that no one brought news of Toycie for a long time, Nurse Palacio apologizes. She placates Miss Eila with a mention that the trainee nurse who was sent to apprise Miss Eila of Toycie's condition must have been detained. It was a very busy night at the hospital; things were more hectic than usual because the hospital was understaffed. Throughout the conversation, Nurse Palacio maintains her kind and soothing manner to Toycie's family and friends. In the aftermath of the miscarriage, she manages to encourage and comfort the family even as she tends to the patient herself. Her professional demeanor and compassionate nature makes Nurse Palacio the town's favorite nurse.

What does Laertes question about his father’s death?

The main thing Laertes wants to know is who killed his father. The matter has been kept a mystery from the entire populace because Claudius, for Gertrude's sake, did not want it known that Hamlet is mad and that he committed the murder. This explains why the funeral of Polonius was conducted with great celerity and simplicity. There are other things Laertes wants to know about. When Claudius offers to give him a full explanation in the presences of Laertes' wisest friends, he tells Claudius:

Let this be so.
His means of death, his obscure burial—
No trophy, sword, nor hatchment o'er his bones,
No noble rite nor formal ostentation,
Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heaven to earth,
That I must call't in question.

By "hatchment" Laertes means a tablet bearing his father's coat of arms to be fastened to the front of his home and on his tomb after the funeral. It is evident that Laertes is largely angered by the neglect of the formalities and ostentation of mourning he feels his father deserves. The same will be true when his sister Ophelia is given a perfunctory burial ceremony because, as the Priest explains to Laertes the reason for what Hamlet calls "such maimed rites":

Her obsequies have been as far enlarged
As we have warranty. Her death was doubtful;
And, but that great command o'ersways the order,
She should in ground unsanctified have lodged
Till the last trumpet. For charitable prayers,
Shards, flints, and pebbles should be thrown on her.
Yet here she is allow'd her virgin crants,
Her maiden strewments and the bringing home
Of bell and burial.

By "great command o'ersways the order," the Priest means that the King has given order to give Ophelia the best funeral possible. The Priest believes that Ophelia committed suicide, which was a mortal sin.

Laertes' fury is intensified by what he regards as the outrageous treatment of both his dead father and his dead sister. The playwright's apparent purpose is to justify Laertes' consent to kill Hamlet in a treacherous manner when they have their fencing match. Laertes is a noble young man who would hardly consent to such an ignoble action under any other circumstances. The fact that the King himself suggests this treachery helps to persuade Laertes to go along with the scheme. Laertes is young and naive. He has no idea what a sinister and guilt-infested schemer he is dealing with in King Claudius.

When Tom gets his paper back, does he finish his work?

Tom never finishes his work. When he breaks his own window and manages to get back inside his apartment, he decides not to stay there and rest as he has planned. Instead he gets his hat and topcoat and prepares to go to the movie-theater to find his wife. He takes the crumpled yellow sheet out of his pocket and lays it on his desk, weighting it down with only a pencil. But when he opens the door to leave his apartment, the warm air from the hallway rushes in creating a draft. The draft is much stronger now than it had been the first time it caused his precious yellow sheet to be blown out the narrow opening in the window. The difference is that now the whole window pane is gone. He broke it to get inside and had then crawled through to safety after

...picking away the protruding slivers and big wedges of glass from the window frame, tossing them in onto the rug.

Ironically, the draft picks up the yellow sheet again. This time Tom isn't even concerned when he sees his worksheet perversely following the identical route it had taken before. The story ends with these words:

He turned to pull the door closed and the warm air from the hall rushed through the narrow opening again. As he saw the yellow paper, the pencil flying, scooped off the desk and, unimpeded by the glassless window, sail out into the night and out of his life, Tom Benecke burst into laughter and then closed the door behind him.

What alliteration does Jaques use in his speech about the seven ages of man?

Jaques' "Seven Ages of Man" speech is fantastic, and one of my favorite Shakespearean speeches. There's a great example of alliteration toward the end of the speech, but, before we can look at the example, it's important to remember what alliteration is. Alliteration is the repetition of a particular sound at the beginnings of several words in a particular grouping, such as a phrase or sentence. It's worth pointing out that alliteration is based on...

With that definition in mind, take a look at the following lines toward the end of the "Seven Ages of Man" speech: "His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide, / For his shrunk shank" (22-3). This section of the speech employs two kinds of alliteration. First, there's the repeated "w" sound in "a world too wide"; then, there's the repeated "sh" sound in "shrunk shank." Alliteration is easy to spot once you get the hang of it, so I'd encourage you to read the rest of the speech to see if you can find any more examples of alliteration.

If there is probable cause due to the activities of a drug trafficker, can a policeman place a GPS on the suspect's car without a search warrant?...

I would argue that the police officer acted illegally when he placed the GPS unit on the suspect’s car. Therefore, any evidence collected by the GPS, or through investigations that were launched because of information from the GPS, should be excluded from evidence in a trial.

To prove this, we need to look first at United States v. Jones, which was a case that the Supreme Court decided in 2012. In that case, law...

To prove this, we need to look first at United States v. Jones, which was a case that the Supreme Court decided in 2012. In that case, law enforcement officers placed a GPS on a suspect’s car without a warrant. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that this was a violation of the 4th Amendment. Clearly, then, warrantless GPS surveillance is generally illegal.

However, we know that courts do sometimes allow warrantless searches of people, cars, or even homes. Most commonly, courts allow such searches when they are necessary to prevent the destruction of evidence. In other words, imagine that a police officer has probable cause to believe that there are drugs in the back of a car. If the officer does not search the car, the driver can very easily drive away and get rid of the drugs, thus destroying the evidence of the crime. This leads us to ask whether the planting of the GPS is justifiable under this logic.

Here, too, I would argue that the answer is “no.” We have no reason to believe that the police officer had to place the GPS when he did. There is no reason to think that he could not wait to get a warrant. The police presumably know where the drug dealer lives and could find his car again after they got a warrant. For this reason, there is no emergency that requires the police to place the GPS without first obtaining a warrant.

Thus, we can see that it was illegal for the officer to plant the GPS. Any information from the GPS is illegal and evidence gained on the basis of that information is “fruit from the poisonous tree.”

How is the tension in the relationship between Elizabeth and John Proctor evident in The Crucible?

The tension between John and Elizabeth Proctor becomes evident in Act II. Early in this act, John tells his wife, "I mean to please you, Elizabeth," and she replies, "I know it, John," but "it is hard [for her] to say," according to the stage direction. Then, when John moves to kiss her, she merely "receives it" but does not kiss him back. He is visibly disappointed. The fact that it is difficult for Elizabeth to acknowledge that her husband is making an effort to make her happy is telling, and her inability (or unwillingness) to return his affectionate touches is also a major clue that all is not well in their relationship.

A few moments later, John asks her if she is "sad again" and though "she doesn't want friction," according to stage direction, "she must" voice her concerns and suspicions about his whereabouts that evening. That Elizabeth anticipates "friction" means that there must have been a good deal of it lately, as well. Further, the narrator tells us that "A sense of their separation rises" up between them. There seems to be a wide gulf between them as the scene continues: John is caught in a small lie, and Elizabeth grows instantly suspicious of him; he is angered by her suspicion, and the tension grows.

What is the meaning of the phrase "with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actors and prima-donnas"?...

There is a certain timelessness to Oscar Wilde's 1887 story The Canterville Ghost. During both World War II and the so-called "British invasion," there was a sense among many in England that its culture was being spirited away. During the former, American soldiers stationed in England in preparation for the Normandy landings married British women and returned after the war to the United States with their foreign brides. During the "British invasion," American culture was inundated with British influences in the form of The Beatles, Herman's Hermits and many other British bands. Even today, the British often complain when American filmmakers appropriate British history with fictionalized, Americanized, stories of heroism, as was the case with the films The Great Escape and U-571. In this sense, Wilde's novella was more than a little prescient.

As The Canterville Ghost begins, Lord Canterville is showing his aristocratic family's estate to an American diplomat and the latter's family. During the course of their tour, Lord Canterville, displaying his sense of propriety, warns the American, Hiram B. Otis about the house's macabre history, explaining that the structure has long been haunted by a ghost. Otis's response to this information is revealing:

"My Lord," answered the Minister, "I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I have come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy; and with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actors and prima-donnas, I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show."

With his reference to "spry young fellows painting the Old World red," Otis is referencing the phenomenon discussed above: The "New World" Americans have persistently raided the "Old World" British for the latter's culture through the appropriation of many of Britain's more talented artists. It could be said that there was a tendency on the part of the British to 'look down their noses' at their American cousins, seeing the latter as a culturally inferior spin-off of the former. Hiram Otis is merely accentuating that perception with his comments. In other words, there is a very good chance that the American family moving into the Canterville estate will eventually return home to the United States and take the ghost with it.

What makes Pride and Prejudice comical?

Certain characters like Mr. Collins, Caroline Bingley, and Mrs. Bennet help to make the novel comical. Mr. Collins is a prize idiot, something that everyone but Mrs. Bennet and Mary seem to realize. He has stupid opinions about marriage and women's reading and propriety and how to treat women, and he fails to realize just how ridiculous he is. Then, Miss Bingley tries again and again to lower Elizabeth in the eyes of Mr. Darcy, failing repeatedly. Her machinations to tempt him into love with her are so transparent and obvious that they end up being funny. Mrs. Bennet is another such character: her constant complaining about her "nerves," her desperation to marry her daughters off to whomever she can, and her husband's complete inability to be in the same room with her for more than five minutes together make her comical too.

Further, scenes like the one at the Netherfield ball, when Elizabeth is almost convinced that her family has conspired to make themselves ridiculous all at once are quite comical as well. Her mother is talking loudly about a wedding between Jane and Mr. Bingley (when he's not proposed yet), Mary is hogging the attention of the party by singing, badly, Mr. Collins embarrasses himself first in front of Mr. Darcy and then, again, in front of the entire party when he waxes philosophic about music, and even her father publicly redresses Mary, interrupting her mid-song. As the reader can most likely relate to poor Elizabeth's feelings, her mortification both makes her more appealing to us and more sympathetic as well, but we cannot help but chuckle at how perfectly timed everyone's bad behavior is.

What is Modern English??

Language is a dynamic ‘cognitive’ object and sociological phenomenon. Language change is natural and uncontrollable. Languages mainly change when they come in contact with other languages (read language contact and bilingualism for more details). New words may also be introduced in the language for effective communication.

Like any other language, English too has changed a lot over time. The language that we call English today is very different from what was spoken a few centuries...

Like any other language, English too has changed a lot over time. The language that we call English today is very different from what was spoken a few centuries ago. Historically speaking, English language can be classified as follows:

1. Old English (450 AD to 1100 AD)

2. Middle English (1100 AD to 1500)

3. Modern English (from 1500 AD…)

Modern English arose from Middle English somewhere around the end of the 15th century. One of the notable developments during this time period was the use of the printing press. Also, this was the time when Shakespeare wrote many verse plays in English. This is the reason why the age of Modern English is also popularly named as the age of Shakespeare or the age of Elizabeth. Modern English was different from Middle and Old English on many linguistic levels, chiefly lexically (loan words from Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.), morphological (changes in the inflectional endings of some words), phonological (the "great vowel shift"), etc.

After that, British Colonialism also gave rise to significant changes in the language. Note that language change did not stop here. English continues to change even in contemporary times. One can see plenty of examples for that on social media.

How does Sherlock Holmes make a good literary detective in relation to other detectives?What qualities does he have?

Sherlock Holmes is a good literary detective because he is entertaining. He has a complete understanding of human nature, but at the same time a complete disregard for other people’s feelings. He is as self-centered as he is brilliant. His deductions and interesting cases make him fun to read.

Your topic is a little vague, so I am not sure what you mean by other detectives. By comparison to Watson, who is not really a...

Your topic is a little vague, so I am not sure what you mean by other detectives. By comparison to Watson, who is not really a detective, Holmes is much more intelligent. He is the one who solves the cases, and Watson follows along and assists. Watson is always enamored of Holmes and believes him to be so brilliant that he doesn’t mind his personality quirks, including the insults Holmes seems to throw his way.

“I am afraid, my dear Watson, that most of your conclusions were erroneous. When I said that you stimulated me I meant, to be frank, that in noting your fallacies I was occasionally guided towards the truth...." (The Hound of the Baskervilles, Ch. 1)

Sherlock Holmes was a model for many other literary detectives, including Nero Wolfe, Rex Stout’s American version of Holmes. Wolfe was similar to Holmes in that he was brilliant and quirky. He, too, was antisocial. Both of them could be languid, staying home for days at a time either pouting or thinking. While Holmes dabbled in drugs, it was food that pleased Nero Wolfe. Neither liked women. Both had a trusty assistant, but Nero Wolfe’s assistant Archie Goodwin did most of the legwork. Wolfe rarely left the house. He was as fat as Holmes was thin.

Besides Nero Wolfe, Sherlock Holmes inspired scores of other literary detectives in books, radio, television, and movies. Some of these are adaptions, such as the BBC's Sherlock, which modernizes Holmes and Watson by bringing them to present-day London, and others are just detective procedurals. One thing is for sure: People seem to love a good mystery with a quirky detective.

What is strange about the woods and what effect did they have on the cows in Tuck Everlasting?

The wood is otherworldly like it is asking to be left alone.

There is something strange about the woods outside Winnie Foster’s house. The woods seem to be telling people to leave them alone. Is there magic there?

But the wood had a sleeping, otherworld appearance that made you want to speak in whispers. This, at least, is what the cows must have thought: "Let it keep its peace; we won't disturb it." (Ch. 1)

In fact, there is magic in these woods. The woods hide a special spring, and if a person drinks from this spring he or she turns immortal. The spring has not been found by many people, presumably. The Fosters, who own the wood, are not even aware of it. The Tucks drank from it by accident one day, and now they will live forever.

We are told that the cows are the reason no one found the spring, because the cows made their road around the wood instead of going through the wood. Everyone else followed the cows, so no one ever found the spring.

The people would have noticed the giant ash tree at the center of the wood, and then, in time, they'd have noticed the little spring bubbling up among its roots in spite of the pebbles piled there to conceal it. And that would have been a disaster so immense that this weary old earth, owned or not to its fiery core, would have trembled on its axis like a beetle on a pin. (Ch. 1)

The Tucks were traveling through the wood when they drank from the spring. It was not until later when they did not die after accidents that they realized what had happened. The horse even drank, and it could not be killed. The cat didn’t drink, and it lived a natural life.

A small electric motor with a power rating of 3.5 W is mounted on top of a desk. It is used to lift a 1.2kg mass up from the floor to the desk top...

To solve for the height of the desk, apply the formula that relates power to work which is:

`P = W/ (Delta t)`

where

P is power,

W is the work done, and

`Delta t` is the time interval.

Plugging in the given values P=3.5W and `Delta t ` = 2.8s, the formula becomes:

`3.5 = W/2.8`

Isolating the W, it yields:

`3.5*2.8=W/2.8*2.8`

`9.8=W`

So, the work done in lifting the object from the floor...

To solve for the height of the desk, apply the formula that relates power to work which is:

`P = W/ (Delta t)`

where

P is power,

W is the work done, and

`Delta t` is the time interval.

Plugging in the given values P=3.5W and `Delta t ` = 2.8s, the formula becomes:

`3.5 = W/2.8`

Isolating the W, it yields:

`3.5*2.8=W/2.8*2.8`

`9.8=W`

So, the work done in lifting the object from the floor to the desk is 9.8J.

Take note that work is calculated by multiplying the force by the amount of movement.

`W = F * Delta x`

where

F is the force and

`Delta x` is the displacement.

In this problem, the only force present in lifting the object is its weight.

`W = mg * Delta x`

Plugging in the values W=9.8J, m=1.2kg and g=9.81 m/s^2, the formula becomes:

`9.8=1.2*9.81*Delta x`

Isolating Delta x results to:

`9.8=11.772*Delta x`

`9.8/11.772=(11.772*Delta x)/11.772`

`0.8324 = Delta x`

Therefore, the desk is 0.8324 meters high.

To solve for the time it took to lift the new object that has a mass of 2kg, the same formulas are to be used. However, the order of the steps will be different.

Here, the work done in lifting the object should be computed first. Plugging in the values m=2kg, g=9.81 m/s^2 and `Delta x` =0.8324m, the work done is:

`W=F*Delta x=mg*Delta x=2*9.81*0.8324=16.3317`

Then, plug in P=3.5W and W=16.3317J to the formula of power.

`P=W/(Delta t)`

`3.5=16.3317/(Delta t)`

Isolating the `Delta t`, the formula becomes:

`3.5*Delta t= 16.3317/(Delta t)*Delta t`

`3.5*Delta t = 16.3317`

`(Delta t)/3.5=16.3317/3.5`

`Delta t=4.67`

Therefore, it took the motor 4.67 seconds to the lift the new object from the floor to the desk.

In "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K. Jerome, what are Montmorency's objections to the boat trip? Are they valid?

Montmorency is a fox terrier – the dog represented in the title, Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog). By the end of Chapter I, the men have decided to take a trip along the River Thames. To be fair, the fourth member of the crew is granted a vote:

The only one who was not struck with the suggestion was Montmorency. He never did care for the river, did...

The only one who was not struck with the suggestion was Montmorency. He never did care for the river, did Montmorency.

“It’s all very well for you fellows,” he says; “you like it, but I don’t. There’s nothing for me to do. Scenery is not in my line, and I don’t smoke. If I see a rat, you won’t stop; and if I go to sleep, you get fooling about with the boat, and slop me overboard. If you ask me, I call the whole thing bally foolishness.”

So, the dog’s perceived objections are that (1) he would have nothing to do on the boat, (2) he would be bored by the passing scenery, (3) he was not one to sit back and smoke a pipe or cigar to wile away the time, (4) the boat would likely not stop when he would want to explore something, and (5) he could accidentally fall overboard while sleeping. A few of these concerns are well founded. Montmorency has nothing to do on the trip, and he may have been bored. He does not drop into the water while sleeping, however. He doesn’t anticipate any problems or interactions with the tea kettle, either. And when he does spy a water-rat, he is able to grab it and donate it to a project George undertakes in Chapter XIV. He does indeed participate fully in this journey, and he does stay with the three men for the course of their adventure. He may have even enjoyed the experience and may have forgotten his earlier protests, by the end.

What are three ways Elie Wiesel's father helped him stay alive in the camps, as detailed in Night?

Despite the fact that his father is often a burden to Elie, the older man's presence in the camps is one of the major reasons why Elie ultimately survived. Throughout their internment, Elie is constantly concerned with his father's well being and considers himself indispensable to his father's survival. This attitude probably helped keep Elie from succumbing to exhaustion and starvation. There are two good examples of this in section six. During the forced march from Buna to Gleiwitz, Elie suggests that his survival was prompted by his father's presence running at his side. He believed that if he faltered and could not go on, his father would also certainly perish:

My father's presence was the only thing that stopped me....He was running at my side, out of breath, at the end of his strength, at his wit's end. I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support.

A little later in this section, Elie is again on the verge of giving in to exhaustion when his father saves him. After marching (more like running) forty-two miles, he drops to the snowy ground to sleep. His father pleads with him to move on and not to fall asleep on the frozen "carpet" of snow:

"Don't let yourself be overcome by sleep, Eliezer. It's dangerous to fall asleep in the snow. You might sleep for good. Come on, come on. Get up."...I got up, gritting my teeth. Supporting me with his arm, he led me outside.

Even though Elie's father does not survive the camps, it could certainly be argued that Elie lived on primarily because he had a purpose in life during the horrible year he spent imprisoned. In his book Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl, also a camp survivor, argued that apathy and lack of purpose was one of the major reasons why prisoners died. They simply gave up because they could see no reason to carry on such an abominable existence. For Elie, no matter how bad things got, he always had his father (his father died shortly before the liberation of Buchenwald) to give him a purpose and a reason for living.

Did Einstein become Jewish to get caught by the Nazis?

There is no evidence that Einstein “became Jewish” or converted to Judaism in order to be “caught by the Nazis.” Furthermore, there is no reason to think that he, or anyone else, would actually want to do so.

All of the evidence shows us that Einstein’s family was Jewish. There is no evidence that Einstein converted to Judaism. Moreover, it does not seem at all logical to think that Einstein did convert. He was a secular Jew, which means that he did not practice Jewish religious rituals or observe Jewish religious law. It makes no sense that someone would convert to Judaism and then not follow Jewish teachings.

Additionally, it is very difficult to imagine anyone would have wanted to be “caught by the Nazis.” Because Einstein was Jewish, he was forced to leave his homeland. He lost his job (though he easily found another in the United States) and had his property confiscated when the Nazis came to power in 1933. (Luckily for Einstein, he was already in the US at that time.) It is inconceivable that someone would voluntarily change their religion specifically in order to be persecuted.

There is no reason to believe Albert Einstein converted to Judaism for any reason, let alone that he did so in order to be persecuted by the Nazis.

I need to compose a short parable about what God is like using something in my life and world that is familiar to me.

Obviously, as an educator who is not personally acquainted with you, I cannot know what are important and familiar elements of your personal life; therefore I will focus on the parable as a genre and provide some tips concerning how you might approach the task of writing one.

The parable is an important literary genre in many religious traditions, and is often quite similar to moral fables such as those of Aesop. It is usually...

The parable is an important literary genre in many religious traditions, and is often quite similar to moral fables such as those of Aesop. It is usually relatively short narrative concluding with a moral point or parallel. Often used to convey religious or moral conceptions to children or the illiterate, parables are characterized by simple, direct language and use of elements from everyday life. The characterizations tend to be simple and generic. Characters rarely have names and are not individuated (they are often just described as "a laborer" or "a rich man").

For a modern parable, you might take an event or experience shared by your peers such as driving, attending school, shopping for groceries, or cooking. For example, you could contrast buying fast food with cooking a healthy dinner and use that to explain that God often requires us to do things in ways that are difficult but which end up being good for us.

Why do you think Morrison would choose to include racial slurs when telling the story of how the hilltop town of Medallion came to be called "The...

Morrison may have chosen to include the racial slurs to underline how pervasive racism was in her time. The unofficial name of Medallion (The Bottom) was actually derived from sophistry and deception; essentially, "The Bottom" was a cruel joke played by a white farmer on his slave.

According to Morrison, a white farmer had promised his slave freedom and a piece of bottom land if he consented to perform some very difficult chores. Bottom land...

According to Morrison, a white farmer had promised his slave freedom and a piece of bottom land if he consented to perform some very difficult chores. Bottom land is a reference to the fertile land of the valleys (as opposed to hilly land). However, the white farmer pretended that the hilly land was actually bottom land (or valley land). Unwilling to part with the fertile land he owned, the farmer tricked his slave into believing that the hilly land he was giving him was essentially good land. He even reiterated his lie by asserting that the hilly land was the bottom of Heaven and "the best land there is."

However, the slave soon discovered the lie when he tried to farm the hilly land, where "planting was backbreaking, where the soil slid down and washed away the seeds, and where the wind lingered all through the winter." So, the racial slurs Morrison mentioned underlines how the slave was played for a fool by the white farmer. It also highlights the themes of suffering and betrayal in the novel.

What is the Ceremony of Twelve, and why is this the most important ceremony in The Giver?

The Ceremony of Twelve takes place each year in December; at this time the Elders select the position that each Twelve will hold in the community. Since this is the final ceremony, it represents a rite of passage into adulthood and is, therefore, the most important ceremony performed for members of the community.

No other ceremonies are performed after the Ceremony of Twelve. Also, this is the occasion on which differences are acknowledged. The Elder...

No other ceremonies are performed after the Ceremony of Twelve. Also, this is the occasion on which differences are acknowledged. The Elder tells the soon-to-be Twelves:

"You Elevens have spent all your years till now learning to fit in, ....But, today we honor your differences. They have determined your futures. (Ch.7)

The new Twelves are called one-by-one according to their birth order; then they are given their Assignments, their roles in the community which they will perform for the rest of their lives. The Twelves are assigned roles in the community that the Elders have chosen for them, based upon their observations of each child. After this ceremony age is no longer important, and birthdays are no longer celebrated.

Does the U.S. government today meet the democratic, social, and deliberative mandates developed at its inception?

The democratic, social, and deliberative mandates developed at the inception of the U.S. are best expressed in the Declaration of Independence, which famously reads that everyone has "inalienable rights," including "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness." In addition, the document states that the power of government comes from the consent of the governed. These are mandates to give each person in the U.S. (though that was not what the founders intended at the time, as...

The U.S. government has evolved to grant Americans more of these mandates, as African-American men were given the right to vote with the 15th Amendment in 1870, and women were given the right to vote with the 19th Amendment in 1920. However, it could be argued that there are still significant limitations on the power of each vote and the ability of people to live freely. For example, gerrymandering, or the process of creating voting districts by political entities, is regarded by some experts as reducing some people's voting power while increasing the powers of others. That is because many of these districts are created to maximize voting to support the incumbents and to create winner-take-all voting districts in which 51% of the electorate controls 100% of the vote (see the link below). Others might disagree with this idea.

In addition, many people believe that members of minority groups in the U.S. face discrimination to the extent that they cannot live freely. The federal government has been involved historically in helping minority groups, but critics feel that they have not done all they could. In addition, state and local governments across the country vary with regard to how much they help different groups access the rights due to all Americans. In this way, the government has not always met the mandates developed at its inception.

''A Rose for Emily'' is set during the late 1800s and early 1900s. I need help writing an essay in which I present an argument for its relevance...

There are several possible strategies you could use to approach this assignment. The first might be to deconstruct the notion of "relevance". This literary technique involves looking at unstated assumptions, arguing that they are just as important as what is said.

First, you might argue that the point of reading is to broaden your horizons and sympathies by learning about people different than yourself. Thus a story distant in time and culture by its nature...

First, you might argue that the point of reading is to broaden your horizons and sympathies by learning about people different than yourself. Thus a story distant in time and culture by its nature helps you achieve that purpose. The very notion of "relevance" suggests that one should live in a bubble, only learning things familiar to you. Making this assumption explicit is a way to deconstruct it.

Next, one could argue that Emily herself shows an interesting evolution of female power from the passive entitlement of the aristocrat to an active role taking charge of her own destiny. As she loses her conventional female beauty she increasingly takes charge of her own life, facing down anyone who wishes to interfere with her and even poisoning the lover who takes advantage of and tries to jilt her. The issue of the relationship of female beauty to power is one not tied to any particular era, despite its specific configuration in the story being localized in the old south.

In "The Destructors" by Graham Greene, how does Mr. Thomas's house reflect the character of the postwar era?

The house is a remarkable survivor of the blitz. Although its neighbors have been destroyed by a bomb, somehow this house avoided destruction. It's still standing, even though it leans badly and must be supported by wooden struts. The house also functions as a kind of symbol of the social upheaval going in in postwar Britain. Built by Christopher Wren, it's an architectural masterpiece that, like the rest of the country, is hanging by a thread, a last bit of beauty in an otherwise grim and bombed-out neighborhood. As such, it also becomes the occasion for a kind of class warfare that was also typical of the postwar era. Trevor, the new leader of the gang, comes from an educated family—his dad was an architect "come down in the world." It's Trevor's father that tells him the house was built by Wren, and that distinction makes it a target for Trevor's "anti-Architecture," the artful demolition of the house from the inside with the boys working like "worms inside an apple." In this way, the house and its fate suggest the "rottenness" of postwar Britain, as well as its lost grandeur and prestige; one has to laugh. As the truck driver says to Mr Thomas, who emerges from his outhouse to find his house a pile of rubble, "You got to admit it's funny."

How is Scout Finch innocent in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Scout, who is very young when the novel opens, is innocent because she has not yet internalized the values of the adult world. Her innocence is on open display in an early comic interlude when she inadvertently offends her new, out-of-town schoolteacher by already knowing how to read. The teacher condemns this because she fears that Scout will be polluted by having been taught the "wrong" method, highlighting the adult community's anxiety about controlling and...

Scout is also largely innocent about the importance of gender norms, preferring to be a tomboy and spend her time with Jem and Dill rather than act like a lady.

Above all, however, Scout's innocence exposes the racism that infects the Maycomb community. Because she is too young to know better, she can see that Tom Robinson is being framed and even hope, though Atticus indicates otherwise, that Robinson could be found innocent. She respects Calpurnia as a mother figure with authority although Calpurnia is black, evaluating her on the basis of her character rather than the color of her skin. She is innocent, too, in not realizing until late in the novel that Calpurnia has a life in the black community outside her job in the Finch household.

Because she is a young child, able to see the world with fresh eyes and a child's innate sense of justice, she becomes an ideal vehicle for exposing the racism at the heart of Maycomb's social order.

What kinds of behavior and folklore is Frank Stockton satirizing in the short story "The Lady or the Tiger?"?

This short story is very reminiscent of the ancient tradition of gladiator fights and justice dealt in arenas. The text proclaims the king to be "barbaric"--he always has to get his way. Typically, someone considered a barbarian is uncivilized, and any form of justice would be considered primitive. In this story, this barbaric king believes that he has developed the best form of justice: he will put the accused in an arena and allow him to choose between two doors, one hiding a lady and one hiding a tiger. If the accused chooses the door with the lady, he is innocent of the crime and will marry the lady. If he chooses the door with the tiger, he will be considered guilty of the crime and eaten.

There are many things at work here. The punishment of being eaten by a tiger is barbaric, and allowing the accused to "choose" his fate leaves the king blameless. The king believes this is a perfect system; he is a barbarian who believes his system elevates him.

The author is mocking the belief that bad things happen to bad people, or that "karma" will correct the issue. If the accused is guilty, they will choose the door with the tiger--it's like fate.

What is the role of money and gold in the life of Silas in the book Silas Marner?

Gold and money are the substitutes for love and companionship in the life of Silas Marner.

Silas was once a relatively happy man. He was well-known in his town of Lantern Yard, had a strong standing in his church, was engaged to be married, and enjoyed his life fully

His life, before he came to Raveloe, had been filled with the movement, the mental activity, and the close fellowship, which, in that day as in this, marked the life of an artisan early incorporated in a narrow religious sect.

Then, tragedy struck. Silas was framed by his so-called best friend, William Dane, and accused of robbery. The sadness that accompanied the accusation was made worse when Dane also takes Marner's fiancée from him, prompting Silas to leave town a broken man.

Once in Raveloe, he discovers that the grief of the events of Lantern Yard were superficially soothed by working long hours and collecting the fruits of his labor. To Silas, money was not as important in Lantern Yard. He used it for the typical comforts of any citizen who works for a living. Since none of the daily happenings that filled his life existed anymore, however, money and gold became the substitutes of love and companionship that he really missed so much.

Chapter 2 tells us as much when it asks the question of what the guineas really meant to Silas.

It was pleasant to him to feel them in his palm, and look at their bright faces, which were all his own: it was another element of life, like the weaving and the satisfaction of hunger, subsisting quite aloof from the life of belief and love from which he had been cut off.

This is the evidence that money and gold were essentially substitutes of joy in the new life of Silas, one which was lonely and lacked the velocity of his life in Lantern Yard.

For twenty years, mysterious money had stood to him as the symbol of earthly good, and the immediate object of toil. He had seemed to love it little in the years when every penny had its purpose for him; for he loved the purpose then.

Hence, the former "purpose" that propelled Silas to live day by day is no longer there, and he needs a way to make up for the emptiness he feels in his life.

Finally, notice how money and gold also seem to move Silas away from his gloomy depression—or at least that is what he thinks. In a metaphorical way, Eliot explains that the money and gold shine in the darkness. This is an allusion to the state of mind of Silas, and of the false sense of joy that these material possessions bring him.

Silas walked homeward across the fields in the twilight, he drew out the money and thought it was brighter in the gathering gloom.

What are the ideological differences between liberals, radicals, and conservatives?

The first post to this question noted that liberals and conservatives have differing ideas on the role of government. This post specifically addresses their differences on social issues.

Liberals and conservatives have always disagreed on what government should do and how it should do it. In the past, a lot of this disagreement has been based on government spending and military policy. However, in recent years, we have seen an even greater schism between liberals...

The first post to this question noted that liberals and conservatives have differing ideas on the role of government. This post specifically addresses their differences on social issues.

Socially, liberals generally advocate for a more inclusive, tolerant society. Issues such as gay marriage, abortion, universal healthcare, and immigration have been keystones of Democratic party platforms and proposals.

Conservatives, on the other hand, usually prefer to maintain the status quo. We see this with their attempts to define marriage as a union of a man and a woman, or their opposition to Obamacare legislation. Sometimes they go beyond maintaining the status quo and propose reverting back to a previous condition, as when they consider repealing Obamacare. We have also recently seen a fracturing of conservative ideology along religious lines, with parties such as the Tea Party and the Constitution Party seeking to frame their political views within a religious context. You might consider these parties to the be the more "radical" conservative wing.

The social aspects of political ideology have become more divisive than ever before. How these divisions are addressed by the existing political parties will have a lot to do with how political power is won and exercised in the future.

In "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns, why does the speaker say "so deep in luve am I"?

The speaker says this because he's very much in love with his lady, a "bonnie lass." In fact, he's so much in love that he promises to love her even when the seas go dry. Perhaps, through his proclamation, he hopes to make clear to his beloved the depths of his emotion for her.

The whole poem speaks about the narrator's obsession and preoccupation with his lady. To him, she's as beautiful as a red...

The whole poem speaks about the narrator's obsession and preoccupation with his lady. To him, she's as beautiful as a red rose in June, and she's like "the melody / That's sweetly played in tune." He promises to love her until the end of time, even when the "rocks melt wi’ the sun and "the sands o’ life shall run." Towards the end of the poem, we discover that the narrator is going away. He bids farewell to his lady love and promises that he will return once more to her, even if ten thousand miles separate them. So, before he goes away on his journey, the narrator basically wants his lady to know how deeply he loves her.

As to whether his words are written to assure his lady or to cement a romantic promise made between both of them, the narrator does not say.

How does Oliver Parker's 2002 film The Importance of Being Earnest compare to Oscar Wilde's play?

Oliver Parker's 2002 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play remains relatively true to its source material and does not compromise Wilde's satiric playfulness. The play points out and pokes fun at many of the flaws of the Victorian upper class -- especially their tendency to adopt a very high moral tone while, simultaneously, indulging their less acceptable, but very human, desires -- and the movie retains this purpose. In the interest of pacing, the movie does mix elements of the first and second acts of the play; therefore, the audience meets Cecily, Ms. Prism, and Doctor Chasuble just after becoming acquainted with Jack, Algernon, Gwendolyn, and Aunt Augusta. Rupert Everett is a perfect Algy: irreverent, charming, and lovably and incurably dishonest; likewise, Reese Witherspoon's Cecily, fantasizing that she is the heroine of some pre-Raphaelite painting, is appropriately hilarious and absurd. The movie is as smart and witty as the play, its satire as playfully pointed, and the casting is superb.

One major difference, however, is that the play ends with Jack finding that his name really is Ernest, but the movie ends with him learning that his name is actually John (for which "Jack" is typically short). Perhaps the movie's producers felt that the play's ending was a little too convenient; further, making the choice to have Jack end the film with a lie (when he tells Gwendolyn that his name is really Ernest) makes it clear that he will not change, and that he will continue to be trivial until the last.

Politicians are known to use figurative language in their speeches. Below is an excerpt from former president Thabo Mbeki's resignation speech....

Thabo Mbeki compares the work of political advancement to the Comrades Marathon, South Africa's annual race between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is also the world's oldest and largest ultramarathon race. The spirit of the Comrades Marathon is said to embody virtues such as comradery, perseverence, and ubuntu which, in Bantu, means "humanity toward others."

This comparison to the marathon is helpful because it is one aspect of nationalistic importance around which all...

This comparison to the marathon is helpful because it is one aspect of nationalistic importance around which all South Africans can rally. Everyone can identify with the spirit of competitive sport. The spirit of the race be compared to the spirit of nation-building. Also, the metaphor of a marathon, a measure of one's endurance, can apply to politics.

In this case, "the course" is the path toward building a better nation. Nation-building is laborious work that causes "fatigue," both for those who lead and for those who are led. However, completion of the task requires one not to give up, though fatigue sets in.

Citizens and leaders do not convince themselves that "the road is still too long," or, in political terms, that the task will take too long to complete. "Inclines" could be a metaphor for progress, which is as challenging to achieve nationally as an actual incline is to mount. Finally, a marathon runner might feel "loneliness," or a sense of isolation in the completion of the race. Mbeki, as a leader whom everyone was watching and counting on -- in the way in which one might watch and count on a marathon runner -- might have felt this loneliness that was "impossible to bear."

Finally, he addresses the ways in which one might question the value of such arduous work: "the prize itself of doubtful value." Once the race is won, a marathon runner might not feel ecstatic about its completion, despite the accomplishment. His or her physical exhaustion might outweigh all else. In the same regard, a nation that exhaustively pursues a political goal might not sense its value once it is reached.

Mbeki tries to dissuade his listeners from taking this cynical view, arguing that the effort is always worthwhile, for a nation's foremost goal should be to propel itself forward and to challenge itself to achieve greatness.

What is CH4 and what does it stand for?

CH4 is the chemical formula for methane.

Methane is normally found as a gas, and is the simplest hydrocarbon and one of the most common molecules created by living organisms. It's also called natural gas and can be created when organic materials decay, such as in fossil or oil deposits, or landfills. Methane is also a powerful greenhouse gas.

The "CH4" name is describing the atoms the methane molecule is composed of. C is for...

CH4 is the chemical formula for methane.

The "CH4" name is describing the atoms the methane molecule is composed of. C is for carbon, which is usually found at the center of such molecules and is unique in that it has the ability to form four strong bonds, which few other common elements can do. The "H4" represents four atoms of hydrogen, each of which is equally spaced around the carbon in three dimensions, so that the actual molecule looks something like a pyramid.

What are some points against the statement "Lord Ullin's daughter was right in her decision to defy her father"?

In the ballad “Lord Ullin’s Daughter” by Thomas Campbell, the daughter defies her father by eloping with the man she loves. Was she right to do this? Considering it leads to her and her lover's death, she probably made the wrong decision. When this poem is analyzed, it is often argued she should have been allowed to marry for love. Unfortunately, dueling Scottish clans were the norm at the time, and Lord Ullin’s daughter was...

She was aware her father and her lover were heads of separate Scottish clans, and knew her father would never approve of their relationship. When she leaves with “the chief of Ulva's isle,” she knows her father’s men will follow them, and they will kill her lover on the spot if the two are caught. Therefore, she puts her lover's life in jeopardy by defying her father’s wishes. One could interpret this as selfishness on her part.

Two lives could have been spared if Lord Ullin's daughter chose to obey her father, but would she and her lover have found happiness without each other?

What might you do to improve upward communication within the company? What can Google do to communicate effectively on an organization-wide basis...

There are several strategies that organizations such as Google can use to improve the quality of upward communications.

The first group of strategies is structural. Flattening management structures means fewer people between the researchers and creative workers involved in developing products and upper management, something that facilitates vertical communication. Another strategy is splitting off project groups so that workers report to someone focused on the specific project to which they are assigned, aligning authority, project...

There are several strategies that organizations such as Google can use to improve the quality of upward communications.

One traditional strategy is having regular meetings, but these are often considered as unproductive, especially in a corporate atmosphere in which workers may be afraid of negative career repercussions if they speak frankly. Hewlett-Packard popularized a strategy know as "management by walking around" which emphasized that managers should simply wander around for a few hours a week and engage in casual, water cooler style conversations to get a feel for how workers are thinking.

Another possibility is creating electronic suggestion boxes which reward workers for ideas or suggestions made directly to upper management. Often these work best if the suggestions can be anonymized initially with the name of the person making the suggestion only revealed if it is rewarded in some fashion.

Company blogs and social networks also allow direct and frank upward communication within large organization. As with other means of communication, groups should be assigned on the basis of interests or projects rather than upper management being isolated from workers.

Where is the narrator writing about the events in Poe's "The Black Cat"?

The narrator of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Black Cat" is writing the story from his prison cell.

The man is writing everything down, and thus confessing everything, because he will not live past tomorrow. He is in prison for murdering his wife, and since he is going to be hanged in the morning for his crime, he doesn't see a problem with writing out his story.

The narrator actually might have gotten away...

The narrator of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Black Cat" is writing the story from his prison cell.

The narrator actually might have gotten away with the murder of his wife, but he became overconfident with the investigating police. Just as the police officers were about to give up searching the cellar for the buried body, the narrator began bragging about its rugged construction. He tapped the wall exactly where his wife was buried, which caused the still alive cat to make a noise behind the wall. The men tore down the wall to rescue the cat and found the wife's dead body. They promptly arrested the narrator and took him to be hanged.

The corpse, already greatly decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the eyes of the spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman. I had walled the monster up within the tomb.

Who is responsible for causing the deaths in the Iliad, Achilles or Agamemnon?

First, the Iliadis a poem about the Trojan War. In this poem, Menelaus and the Greeks have declared war on Troy with the avowed purpose of obtaining back Helen, wife of Menelaus, who had been abducted by Paris. In this war, all of the soldiers on the Greek side are trying to kill Trojans, and the Trojan soldiers are trying to kill the Greek soldiers. That is what happens during wars; soldiers try to...

First, the Iliad is a poem about the Trojan War. In this poem, Menelaus and the Greeks have declared war on Troy with the avowed purpose of obtaining back Helen, wife of Menelaus, who had been abducted by Paris. In this war, all of the soldiers on the Greek side are trying to kill Trojans, and the Trojan soldiers are trying to kill the Greek soldiers. That is what happens during wars; soldiers try to kill each other.

In the conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles over the war prizes, both are equally culpable. From a modern perspective, of course, seizing young women from their families, enslaving them, and raping them is morally wrong and thus both men are acting in a way we now would consider grossly immoral. From an ancient Greek perspective, both men were concerned about their honor and maintaining face.

Agamemnon failed to demonstrate good leadership but Achilles also failed to act as a team player, letting his pride get in the way of his duty of obedience and his loyalty. Thus the actions of both men ultimately harmed the Greek cause.

Solve the equation `sin(x/2) + cos(x) - 1 = 0.`

Hello!

I suppose that "sinx/2+cosx-1=0" means "sin(x/2)+cos(x)-1=0" (it can also mean "(sinx)/2+cos(x)-1=0" and "sin(x/2)+cos(x-1)=0").

To solve this equation, recall the double angle formula `cos(2a) = 1 - 2sin^2(a),` and apply it to `cos(x):` `cos(x) = 1 - 2sin^2(x/2).` This way our equation becomes

`sin(x/2) + (1 - 2sin^2(x/2)) - 1 = 0,` or `sin(x/2) - 2sin^2(x/2) = 0,` or `sin(x/2)(1 - 2sin(x/2)) = 0.`

The product is zero means at least one of factors is zero,...

Hello!

I suppose that "sinx/2+cosx-1=0" means "sin(x/2)+cos(x)-1=0" (it can also mean "(sinx)/2+cos(x)-1=0" and "sin(x/2)+cos(x-1)=0").

To solve this equation, recall the double angle formula `cos(2a) = 1 - 2sin^2(a),` and apply it to `cos(x):` `cos(x) = 1 - 2sin^2(x/2).` This way our equation becomes

`sin(x/2) + (1 - 2sin^2(x/2)) - 1 = 0,` or `sin(x/2) - 2sin^2(x/2) = 0,` or `sin(x/2)(1 - 2sin(x/2)) = 0.`

The product is zero means at least one of factors is zero, i.e. `sin(x/2) = 0` or `sin(x/2) = 1/2.` These equations are well-known and their solutions are

`x/2 = k pi, or x = 2k pi,`
`x/2 = pi/6 + 2k pi, or x = pi/3 + 4k pi,`
`x/2 = (5pi)/6 + 2k pi, or x = (5pi)/3 + 4k pi,`

where `k` is any integer.

At `[0, 4pi],` which is a period of `sin(x/2)+cos(x)-1,` the solutions are `0,` `pi/3,` `(5pi)/3,` `2pi` and `4pi.`

What is an interpretation of the final line of the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck?

It is significant that the crass and callous Carlson says "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?" For, this statement points to the naturalistic nature in man that emerges with the degradation men experience as a result of their alienation and disenfranchisement.

Just as Carlson has been insensitive to Candy in shooting his old dog because "he stinks," he also has no pity or sympathy for George, whom Slim consoles. Indeed,...

Just as Carlson has been insensitive to Candy in shooting his old dog because "he stinks," he also has no pity or sympathy for George, whom Slim consoles. Indeed, Carlson exemplifies the men George describes to Slim earlier in Chapter 3:

"[men who] go around on the ranches alone....after a long time...get mean."

In addition to his callousness toward other men, with this remark Carlson exhibits his crassness, as well. This lack of discernment on the part of Carlson indicates that George will escape from being charged with the crime he has actually committed. For, Carlson simply believes that Lennie was in possession of his gun and George took it away and shot Lennie in either self-defense or because he killed Curley's wife. Whichever of these it may be, the men would feel the shooting justified, so Carlson wonders "what is eating" George and Slim that they should be upset.

That which "is eating" George is his conscience because he knows that he should have done something about Lennie after the incident in Weed. Consequently, he feels guilty about Curley's wife's death as well as his shooting of Lennie.

How were black women's rights affected by the actions of the white community during the 1960s in The Help by Kathryn Stockett?

In The Help, the white community reacts to the growing Civil Rights movement by continuing to exercise segregation and even trying to strengthen the segregation laws already in effect in Jackson, Mississippi. For example, Hilly Holbrook tries to maintain the hierarchy in which whites have more power by starting a campaign for whites to build outdoor bathrooms for their African-American maids. She claims that this campaign is to ensure white people's health, as African-Americans carry germs that are harmful to whites. Of course, this campaign is motivated more by Hilly's desire for power than by science, as African-American domestics cook white people's food and tend to their babies (work that Hilly does nothing to stop).

In addition, Hilly spreads rumors about maids, such as Minny, who speak back to her. Finally, Skeeter's mother, Mrs. Phelan, fires her long-time maid, Constantine, when Constantine's daughter insists on eating with the white women in her house. While the Civil Rights movement promises to bring eventual change to Jackson, the white community, as a whole, intends on maintaining its power, and the rights of the African-American community are curtailed as a result. They have little freedom to decide who they want to work for, and they are restricted in what they can say in front of their white employers if they hope to keep their jobs.

Which sentence in this excerpt from Mark Twain's "The £1,000,000 Bank-Note" is an example of hyperbole? I would have picked up the pear now and...

The sentence that is pure hyperbole is part of the narrator's description of the landlord:

He was worshiping, with all his body and soul, but he looked as if he couldn't stir hand or foot.

The landlord is looking at the £1,000,000 bank-note and experiencing a reaction which is common to most people when they behold an exceptionally large sum of money--or when they meet a man who possesses many millions. Mark Twain does not have to be afraid of misrepresenting the landlord's reaction. The reader understands precisely what the man is feeling and discounts the narrator's description proportionately. The landlord is not literally worshipping the bank-note but is stunned at the beauty and the potential of such a wonderful conception and creation.

Part of the quoted sentence is not hyperbolic--the part that says he looked as if he couldn't stir hand or foot. It is the first half of the sentence that contains the hyperbole. The landlord is the first person (after the narrator) who will see this marvelous bank-note. Mark Twain must have felt that he should describe the first man's reaction as one of extreme awe and wonder, because he couldn't keep describing subsequent reactions of other men to the same bill without getting diminishing effects or even incurring disbelief in the premise. The reader will understand that the other men who see the marvelous bank-note will be experiencing feelings comparable to those of the landlord.

Part of what makes the scene so funny is that the narrator acts as if the bank-note is nothing but petty cash.

I reached the note towards him, and said, carelessly:

"Give me the change, please."

Mark Twain continues with more hyperbole.

Then he was restored to his normal condition, and made a thousand apologies for not being able to break the bill, and I couldn't get him to touch it. He wanted to look at it, and keep on looking at it; he couldn't seem to get enough of it to quench the thirst of his eye, but he shrank from touching it as if it had been something too sacred for poor common clay to handle.

The "change" would have amounted to £999,999 plus approximately seventeen shillings, or in American dollars to $4,999,999. The narrator specifies that he had gone to "the nearest cheap eating house."

Mark Twain's story is the prototype of many such stories that have followed since "The £1,000,000 Bank-Note" was published in 1893. Invariably, a couple of fabulously wealthy men make a bet which involves giving some poor passer-by a huge sum of money to dispose of within a short period of time. In Mark Twain's story the protagonist is given the bank-note as a loan for thirty days.

What are three examples of characterization in "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury?

Authors develop and reveal the qualities, mannerisms, and thoughts of the characters of their literary work through characterization.

There are five ways in which characterization can take place:

through a physical description of the character

through the character's actions

through the character's thoughts, feelings, and speeches

through the comments and reactions of other characters

through direct statements giving the writer's opinion of the character

The first four methods are indirect characterization; they show or dramatize a character. The last is direct characterization; the author makes comments about the character.

____________________

Here are 3 examples of characterization:

Way #2. The character's actions:
Eckels nervousness is indicated by his actions:

Eckels swayed on the padded seat, his face pale, his jaw stiff. He felt the trembling in his arms, and he looked down and found his hands tight on the new rifle

Way #3. The character's thoughts, feelings, or speech.

After the Time Safari Machine returns with the two employees and Eckels, who has stepped off the gravity path, things appear differently to Eckels. He cannot read the sign and when he asks the strange man behind the desk who won the presidential election, he tells Eckels that a different candidate from the one who was President when he departed is in office.

Eckels felt himself fall into a chair. He fumbled crazily at the thick slime on his boots. He held up a clod of dirt, trembling, “No, it can’t be. Not a little thing like that. No!”

Way #4. The comments and reactions of other characters:

When Eckels asks why it is so important that he not step off the gravity path, the strong feelings that Travis has about the importance of not doing this are demonstrated in his speech and with his examples:

“We don’t want to change the Future. We don’t belong here in the Past.....
A dead mouse here makes an insect imbalance there, a population disproportion later, a bad harvest further on, a depression, mass starvation, and, finally, a change in social temperament in far-flung countries."

How many moons does each planet in our solar system have?

The number of moons varies from planet to planet. While some planets do not have any moons, others have many moons. Also note that several moons in our solar system are yet to receive official confirmation, while the rest are confirmed moons (and have names).

Mercury has 0 moons.

Venus has 0 moons.

Earth has 1 moon and we call it the Moon.

Mars has 2 moons: Phobos and Deimos.

Jupiter has more moons than...

Mercury has 0 moons.

Venus has 0 moons.

Earth has 1 moon and we call it the Moon.

Mars has 2 moons: Phobos and Deimos.

Jupiter has more moons than any other planet of the solar system. It has 67 moons, of which 53 are confirmed moons and 14 are awaiting official confirmation. Some of the famous moons of Jupiter include Io, Ganymede, Europa and Callisto.

Saturn has 62 moons, of which 53 are confirmed, while the remaining 9 are awaiting official confirmation. Titan is the most famous moon of Saturn.

Uranus has 27 moons.

Neptune has 14 moons, including one moon which has yet to receive official confirmation.

Pluto, which is no longer a planet, has 5 moons. Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.

Ceres, another dwarf planet, has 0 moons.

Among other dwarf planets, Eris has 1 moon and Haumea has 2 moons.

Hope this helps.

Who are Pyramus and Thisbe in A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare?

Pyramus and Thisbe are characters in the play the craftsmen are performing.

The characters of Pyrmaus and Thisbe (or Thisby), are characters from the Roman poem Metamorphoses by Ovid. Their story is similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. They were two young lovers whose parents kept them apart, and they met an untimely end. Why someone would choose this play to present at a wedding is beyond me.

The play Pyramus and Thisbeis...

Pyramus and Thisbe are characters in the play the craftsmen are performing.

The play Pyramus and Thisbe is being presented by the craftsmen, a group of men with no acting experience. They are presenting it at the royal wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta, so they really want to get it right. They don’t want to offend anyone.

Quince, the leader, introduces the play as a “lamentable comedy” and passes out the parts. (Irony means nothing to Quince.) He assigns the lead, Pyramus, to the pompous Bottom.

BOTTOM

What is Pyramus? a lover, or a tyrant?

QUINCE

A lover, that kills himself most gallant for love. (Act 1, Scene 2)

Flute is assigned the role of the girl. In those days, all roles were played by men, and this group is all men anyway. Shakespeare makes a joke about the fact that young men often played the female roles when Flute says he can't play the girl because he is getting a beard.

QUINCE

Flute, you must take Thisby on you.

FLUTE

What is Thisby? a wandering knight?

QUINCE

It is the lady that Pyramus must love.

FLUTE

Nay, faith, let me not play a woman; I have a beard coming. (Act 1, Scene 2)

The group decides to practice in secret so no one see their production (and no one will make fun of them). In the play, the lovers talk to each other through a wall only. The wall is played by an actor. The entire story is explained in the prologue, which is Shakespeare’s way of poking fun at prologues that give away the ending. Pyramus finds a shawl that has blood on it and thinks that Thisbe is dead, when in fact the lion did not maul her. He kills himself, and then she kills herself.