What is the importance of value maximization in the theory of the firm?

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of value maximization in the neoclassical theory of the firm. Value maximization is essentially the core of neoclassical firm theory. It says that all firms do — or should (it's often vague on precisely that point) — seek to maximize their total market value, and maximizing social welfare as a result. There is a mathematical theorem that supports this, which rests upon extremely strong assumptions about complete markets, perfect information, and perfect rationality.

Of course, none of these assumptions are anywhere close to true, and if you relax them even slightly the whole theorem falls apart (as shown in the first linked paper), but this has not stopped value maximization from remaining the core of neoclassical firm theory. Its chief competition is stakeholder theory, which essentially argues that social welfare would be maximized if firms sought to maximize social welfare. Stakeholder theory has often been argued to be trivial and useless (as is argued in the second linked paper), but, unlike value maximization, it at least has the virtue of not being obviously and completely wrong.

At best, value maximization might be a useful descriptive theory of how firms do behave, and perhaps there is some way of showing approximate value maximization is approximately social-welfare optimizing under more realistic conditions, but surprisingly few economists have even attempted such an argument. Instead, there is this weird notion that if the math works in some idealized imaginary universe, this must actually be a good policy in the real world.

What is the distance from the Earth to the Sun?

Q: What is the distance from Earth to the sun?

A: The distance from the Earth to the sun varies slightly as Earth orbit around it. However, the average distance is extremely far. On average throughout its approximately 365-day orbit, Earth is about 149,600,000 kilometers or 92,900,000 miles from the sun. That is to say, it is almost 150 MILLION kilometers or 93 MILLION miles. 

This distance is so vast, light from the sun takes minutes to...

Q: What is the distance from Earth to the sun?

A: The distance from the Earth to the sun varies slightly as Earth orbit around it. However, the average distance is extremely far. On average throughout its approximately 365-day orbit, Earth is about 149,600,000 kilometers or 92,900,000 miles from the sun. That is to say, it is almost 150 MILLION kilometers or 93 MILLION miles. 

This distance is so vast, light from the sun takes minutes to reach Earth. Even at light speed--which is almost 300,000 km per second or 186,000 miles per second--it takes about 8 minutes 20 seconds for light from the sun to reach Earth. 

The first accurate scientific estimates of the distance from Earth to the sun were made by the astronomer Cassini in the late 1600s using a technique called parallax. This technique uses measurements taken from objects from different angles to estimate their actual distance. 

Although the sun appears relatively small in the sky, its actual diameter is about 864,000 miles, around 109 times the size of Earth (see https://www.nasa.gov/sun). This may help give some idea of just how far away the sun actually is. 

In "Where The Mind is Without Fear," what should the poet's countrymen do to be led into the heaven of freedom ?

The speaker in the poem believes that his fellow citizens should "wake up" and embrace what can be in light of what is.

In order to enter a world "where the mind is without fear," Tagore tells his fellow citizens to shed their inhibitions. Tagore believes that change is possible if people willingly embrace it:

Where the mind is led forward by theeInto ever-widening thought and actionInto that heaven of freedom, my Father,...

The speaker in the poem believes that his fellow citizens should "wake up" and embrace what can be in light of what is.

In order to enter a world "where the mind is without fear," Tagore tells his fellow citizens to shed their inhibitions. Tagore believes that change is possible if people willingly embrace it:

Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

In order to enter "that heaven of freedom," the nation must "awake."  It is clear that Tagore believes that people in the nation have allowed fear to take over their sensibilities.  This is why he sees them as asleep.  

Tagore's poem articulates a world of possibility.  It is a world where "knowledge is free" and "narrow domestic walls" are broken.  It is a setting where there is a "tireless" pursuit of "perfection" that avoids "the dreary desert sand of dead habit."  Tagore argues that his fellow citizens can achieve such a world through the embrace of an internal change.  The world where "the mind is without fear" does not exist outside the individual.  Rather, it is within us.  We need to have to courage to see things as they can be and not be tethered to the way things are. Tagore believes "that heaven of freedom" is entirely possible when we shift our mind accordingly.  When we move our thoughts into embracing what can be, Tagore sees greatness for all of us.

Why is DNA important?

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is important as a genetic code in a living organism.

Humans are not the only creatures with DNA. Plants have DNA, animals have DNA, and even fungi and bacteria have DNA. 

DNA as a molecule is really a code that the cell can read, containing all of the information that governs the body. Cells can read this code to determine the structures the cell will build and destroy, and how long...

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is important as a genetic code in a living organism.

Humans are not the only creatures with DNA. Plants have DNA, animals have DNA, and even fungi and bacteria have DNA. 

DNA as a molecule is really a code that the cell can read, containing all of the information that governs the body. Cells can read this code to determine the structures the cell will build and destroy, and how long the cell should wait between different actions.

Mutations are really changes in the code of an organism's DNA. When DNA is altered, the cells will change how they are built.

DNA is the most likely originator of viruses, and is used by viruses to replicate.

DNA is especially important in the study of genetics and medicine, as it can be responsible for many ailments.

What was Silas Marner's vocation?

Silas Marner is a linen weaver. He works out of his own cottage, as weavers did in the early years of the nineteenth century before textile weaving became mechanized and the work was done in big factories under arduous conditions. Silas has to spin flax fiber into thread and then weave the threads into linen. The fact that Silas Marner works at home enables him to adopt the little golden-haired girl named Eppie who wanders...

Silas Marner is a linen weaver. He works out of his own cottage, as weavers did in the early years of the nineteenth century before textile weaving became mechanized and the work was done in big factories under arduous conditions. Silas has to spin flax fiber into thread and then weave the threads into linen. The fact that Silas Marner works at home enables him to adopt the little golden-haired girl named Eppie who wanders into his home one night after her mother dies in the snow. The identity of the child's father is unknown. Marner is able to look after the little girl personally even though she is very young when she first comes into his life. They develop a loving relationship, and she becomes a substitute for him in place of the hoard of gold he accumulated with years of work and had stolen from him on night by a drunken wastrel named Dunstan.

How does "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats reflect the theme that art is immortal?

The images on the urn are frozen in time. Presumably, if the urn survives the effects of erosion and decay, those images will remain there forever. Likewise, a poem (such as "Ode on a Grecian Urn") can exist forever as long as it continues to be read. There is an immortality to poetry that visual art cannot capture because the poem can be written or passed on orally. 

Keats isn't just suggesting that art is...

The images on the urn are frozen in time. Presumably, if the urn survives the effects of erosion and decay, those images will remain there forever. Likewise, a poem (such as "Ode on a Grecian Urn") can exist forever as long as it continues to be read. There is an immortality to poetry that visual art cannot capture because the poem can be written or passed on orally. 

Keats isn't just suggesting that art is immortal. He is philosophizing on what that immortality means and what its value is. The melodies he imagines from the pipes on the urn are "sweeter" because they are always there to be imagined. Melodies that are actually heard (in real life) might be flawed and only exist for a certain amount of time. Therefore, the unheard melodies shown on the urn are superior. On the other hand, isn't there something flawed about a melody that is not heard? The lovers are always almost kissing, but they never do. So, although the urn expresses immortal images and ideas, they do not "live" so to speak. 

In short, there are benefits and drawbacks to art's immortality. The urn shows a number of things that are immortal and frozen in time, but those images lack the lived experience that makes them come alive. The urn is immortal but "cold." Art, such as the urn or this poem, is flawless in its immortality, but also lifeless. How can something be immortal but not alive?

Keats ends with a cryptic line about beauty and truth. Given this discussion of life and art, he might be suggesting that truth and beauty manifest in life and art in different ways. In other words, the truth of art's immortality is not the same as the truth of an immortal (human) life, but there is beauty in both notions. 

What are the common elements in all of Walter Mitty's daydreams?

In all of Walter Mitty's daydreams he is playing an heroic leading role. It has been pointed out that the roles and settings are the kinds that would be found in popular fiction and Hollywood movies.  The film roles might be played by popular movie stars of the period such as James Stewart or Clark Gable. In other words, the roles tend to be stereotypical. Mitty casts himself in age-appropriate roles in these daydreams. He...

In all of Walter Mitty's daydreams he is playing an heroic leading role. It has been pointed out that the roles and settings are the kinds that would be found in popular fiction and Hollywood movies.  The film roles might be played by popular movie stars of the period such as James Stewart or Clark Gable. In other words, the roles tend to be stereotypical. Mitty casts himself in age-appropriate roles in these daydreams. He is never doing anything that would require youthful athleticism, and he is not involved in love affairs with beautiful young women. It the first episode, for example, he is a naval commander. He would have to be in his forties or fifties to have worked up to such a senior rank. The same is true of Walter Mitty as a distinguished surgeon. One possible exception is the role of a flying ace--but he sets the episode back in time to World War I, and even then he appears to be a senior officer in charge of the whole flying corps. In most of his daydreams Mitty has nerves of steel and remarkable expertise. The Walter Mitty of his daydreams are the man he would like to be rather than the man he knows he really is. 

Young boys typically indulge in fantasies in which they are doing heroic deeds on athletic fields, or battlefields, or perhaps somewhere in outer space. It is interesting that Walter Mitty is still indulging in daydreams of glory but that his fantasy roles have aged along with his real chronological age. In his daydreams he is a middle-aged hero who does not have to exert himself physically--or romantically. In the finale he only has to stand in one place smoking a cigarette while the firing squad gets ready to shoot him, probably for being a legendary spy.

Walter Mitty is not unique. A lot of us have secret lives--but nobody suspects us because we keep them secret!

How should I go about an essay on the topic "Choose a character you identify with from either The Hunger Games or Catching Fire and explain how you...

It is hard for me to get too specific on this topic since I do not know which character you identify with, but I can give you some general advice. First, to choose a character you identify with, you need to identify a character that means something to you personally. This could be someone that seems to be like you, or someone you admire. For example, you might admire Katniss’s frankness and courage. You might...

It is hard for me to get too specific on this topic since I do not know which character you identify with, but I can give you some general advice. First, to choose a character you identify with, you need to identify a character that means something to you personally. This could be someone that seems to be like you, or someone you admire. For example, you might admire Katniss’s frankness and courage. You might admire Peeta’s loyalty and skill. Either way, the choice of a character is the first step.

The second step is to find a series of reasons why you identify with this character. It is an essay, so you should list three reasons why you identify with whichever character you choose. For each reason, you need to choose a supporting quote and then explain how the quote is relevant to your point.

Let’s say you choose Katniss as the character you admire because she is brave, loyal and intelligent. One of the examples you could give is her famous act of choosing to volunteer as tribute in her sister’s place for the Hunger Games.

I don’t need to shove through the crowd. The other kids make way immediately allowing me a straight path to the stage. I reach her just as she is about to mount the steps. With one sweep of my arm, I push her behind me.

“I volunteer!” I gasp. “I volunteer as tribute!” (Ch. 2)

This quote could be used to describe Katniss’s commitment to her family, her bravery, or her strength of character. You could explain how she is selfless and refused to allow her sister to go into the Hunger Games, choosing to risk her own life instead.

How could you argue that Agamemnon deserves Achilles' armor in The Iliad?

The story of what happens to Achilles' armor after his death is not actually told in the Iliad but appears in a lost epic called the "Little Iliad". Sophocles's Ajaxis based on the dispute between Odysseus and Ajax over who should be awarded the armor. The two kings, Agamemnon and Menelaus, judge the dispute, but were never actually in the running for the armor, which was to be awarded to the greatest remaining warrior. Neither...

The story of what happens to Achilles' armor after his death is not actually told in the Iliad but appears in a lost epic called the "Little Iliad". Sophocles's Ajax is based on the dispute between Odysseus and Ajax over who should be awarded the armor. The two kings, Agamemnon and Menelaus, judge the dispute, but were never actually in the running for the armor, which was to be awarded to the greatest remaining warrior. Neither of the two kings were outstanding warriors.

Ajax is a warrior of the traditional heroic mold, physically strong and brave, proud, stubborn, and quick to anger. Odysseus, although lacking in Ajax's strength or heroic flair, is far cleverer and more effective. He is known for his cunning and his intelligence enables him to be more effective than the physically more impressive Ajax. Thus the kings with the collusion of Athena (the patron goddess of Odysseus) award the armor to Odysseus, at which point Ajax goes mad.

There would really be no point awarding the best available armor to Agamemnon who is not one of the stronger fighters in the army and does not really belong on the front lines. 

What is the mood of the carnival in the story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe?

Montresor, the first-person narrator of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," describes the carnival as "supreme madness." By this, he is referring to the raucous drinking and celebration which occurs during the days before Lent. Lent is a Catholic religious observance leading up to Easter Sunday. During Lent, people often abstain from drinking alcohol and eating meat. Therefore, they view the carnival as a time to drink and eat before a period of abstinence. The term...

Montresor, the first-person narrator of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," describes the carnival as "supreme madness." By this, he is referring to the raucous drinking and celebration which occurs during the days before Lent. Lent is a Catholic religious observance leading up to Easter Sunday. During Lent, people often abstain from drinking alcohol and eating meat. Therefore, they view the carnival as a time to drink and eat before a period of abstinence. The term "carnival" literally means a farewell to meat, and the celebration involves a great indulgence in both drinking and eating. People also often dress in bright-colored and absurd clothing.

Montresor says Fortunato "wore motley," including a "tight fitting parti-striped dress" and a "conical cap and bells." Montresor also notes that his servants have all left his estate "to make merry in honor of the time." Thus, the mood of carnival is happy and festive with people enjoying themselves and many becoming quite drunk. In fact, Montresor describes Fortunato as being partially inebriated when they meet. For Montresor, the holiday atmosphere is perfect for his plot. No one is paying attention to what he is doing as he lures Fortunato into the catacombs below his estate with the pretext of getting Fortunato's opinion on a bottle of wine.   

What is the theme of freedom and loss of innocence in Lord of the Flies?

The book is about a group of boys who end up stranded on a deserted island in the middle of a war when their plane crashes.  They have no adults, since the only adults die in the plane crash and no one knows where they are.  The theme of freedom and loss of innocence is explored by the boys’ reaction to their situation. 

The boys have to set up a little society on their island.  They begin by electing a leader.  They choose Ralph because he found a conch shell and blew it, bringing them all together.  This symbolic leadership is all they have.  

They obeyed the summons of the conch, partly because Ralph blew it, and he was big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority; and partly because they enjoyed the entertainment of the assemblies. But otherwise they seldom bothered with the biguns and their passionately emotional and corporate life was their own. (Ch. 4) 

Ralph has trouble keeping everyone in line. He can’t get things accomplished.  He wants to get a signal fire going and tended.  He wants to get shelters built.  He wants to keep the boys together and organized.  Unfortunately, it is sort of like herding cats.  The older ones are uncooperative and the younger ones are ditzy. 

The other complication in the boys’ efforts to enjoy their freedom, and directly related to their loss of innocence, is the contrasting personalities of Jack and Ralph.  Ralph wants order and democracy.  Jack wants adventure and control.  Ralph tries to placate him by assigning him the leader of the hunters, but this is the beginning of the end for the boys. 

The descent into anarchy and loss of innocence the boys experience is a direct result of their inability to compromise.  Jack and Ralph cannot agree, and Ralph has no leadership skills to speak of.  The hunts for the pig become more and more violent.  The boys begin celebrating with pig dances.

Then Maurice pretended to be the pig and ran squealing into the center, and the hunters, circling still, pretended to beat him. As they danced, they sang.

“Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Bash her in.”

Ralph watched them, envious and resentful. (Ch. 4) 

Especially as war paint gets involved, the pig hunts become symbolic of the lifestyle the boys are turning to.  It is less about democracy and maintaining order, and more about the fun of the hunt, the taste of the meat, and the pull of the savagery.  The first time the dance gets out of hand, the boys kill Simon imagining he is the Beastie.

After the death of Simon, the schism is complete and Ralph knows he has lost.  Any connection to the civilized world, and the innocent nature of the boys' past, is gone.  By the time Piggy is killed, it is not much of a shock to the reader.

Which line from the text shows that Capulet believes Tybalt should respect him because he is Tybalt’s uncle?

When Tybalt sees Romeo at Lord Capulet's masquerade party, he becomes instantly enraged, feeling as though the young Montague's presence is an insult to his family's honor.  He wants to confront Romeo himself, and is rushing off to do so when Capulet stops him.  Tybalt explains that he's spotted Romeo and details his belief that the young man has come "in spite" to mock their festivities (1.5.70).  However, Capulet, quite reasonably at first, instructs Tybalt...

When Tybalt sees Romeo at Lord Capulet's masquerade party, he becomes instantly enraged, feeling as though the young Montague's presence is an insult to his family's honor.  He wants to confront Romeo himself, and is rushing off to do so when Capulet stops him.  Tybalt explains that he's spotted Romeo and details his belief that the young man has come "in spite" to mock their festivities (1.5.70).  However, Capulet, quite reasonably at first, instructs Tybalt to leave Romeo alone and not to let his presence be a bother because Capulet would never treat Romeo badly in his own house, especially not in front of his guests.  He says,

Take no note of him.
It is my will, the which if thou respect,
Show a fair presence and put off these frowns,
An ill-beseeming semblance for a feast.  (1.5.80-83).

In these lines, then, Capulet seems to demand his nephew's respect for his will, asking him to stop being upset and just enjoy the party.  However, when Tybalt says that he cannot endure Romeo's presence, Capulet becomes angry, saying,

He shall be endured.
What, goodman boy?  I say he shall.  Go to.
Am I the master here or you?  Go to.
[....]
You will set cock-a-hoop, you'll be the man! (1.5.86-91)

Here, Capulet insults Tybalt, calling him "goodman boy," emphasizing Capulet's rank as a gentleman above Tybalt, and then he further underscores the disparity between their respective statuses when he rhetorically asks who the master is here.  (It is obviously Capulet.)  Finally, he accuses Tybalt of recklessness when he says that his nephew "will set cock-a-hoop," and mocks him for wanting to "be the man," and, essentially, take charge (over Capulet, his uncle).  Thus, Capulet says quite a few things to reinforce his power over Tybalt: this is his home, his party, his guests, he is a gentleman, the master, the man in charge.

"Contrast the Democratic party nominating rules with the Republican party nominating rules in New York. Which set of rules used advantages the...

The Democratic Party primaries are all proportional in some form: If you get 30% of the votes, you get 30% (or so) of the delegates.

Some Republican Party primaries, including New Jersey, are not proportional but winner-takes-all: If you get more votes than anyone else, you get all the delegates. Others have high thresholds for getting delegates, which has a similar effect.

The general election is also winner-takes-all, for both parties.

The winner-takes-all system gives a substantial advantage to the front-runner relative to the proportional system. The threshold system gives a smaller but still significant advantage to the front-runner over a true proportional system.

Let's take a look at the actual results for New Jersey, shall we?

In the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton received 63% of the vote and Bernie Sanders received 37% of the vote. Clinton got 85 delegates, which is, sure enough, 63% of the allocated delegates; and Sanders got 49 delegates, 37% of the delegates.

In the Republican Party, Donald Trump got 81% of the votes, John Kasich got 13% of the votes, and Ted Cruz got 6% of the votes. But Donald Trump got 100% of the delegates, all 51 of them. Had they been allocated proportionally, Trump would have only gotten 41 delegates, while Kasich would get 7 and Cruz would get 3. Over many states, that difference can add up to a substantial advantage for the front-runner.

You asked about New York specifically though.

The New York primary is also proportional for both parties, but the Republican Party has a higher threshold for delegates. As a result, it behaves more like a winner-takes-all system.

Hillary Clinton got 58% of the votes, and 56% of the delegates. Bernie Sanders got 42% of the vote, and 44% of the candidates. The rounding was actually slightly in favor of Sanders.

While Donald Trump got 60.4% of the votes in New York, he got 89 delegates, which is 94% of the delegates! This happened because only John Kasich beat the threshold for getting any delegates, and only barely, getting 25% of the vote and only 6% of the delegates. Ted Cruz got 14% of the vote but no delegates at all.

It's not quite winner-takes-all like New Jersey, but it's quite close.

In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, will George, Lennie, and Candy achieve their dream of buying their own ranch?

When Candy overhears George telling Lennie about all of the things they will do with the ranch once they own it, the old swamper asks to get in on the deal. George is skeptical at first, but when Candy offers $350 towards the $600 that they need to buy it, the reality of owning the ranch becomes possible in his mind. George figures that at the end of the month he and Lennie will have...

When Candy overhears George telling Lennie about all of the things they will do with the ranch once they own it, the old swamper asks to get in on the deal. George is skeptical at first, but when Candy offers $350 towards the $600 that they need to buy it, the reality of owning the ranch becomes possible in his mind. George figures that at the end of the month he and Lennie will have $100; and with $450, he figures that the old couple that needs to sell might let them have it for the lower price until they can come up with the rest of the money. Candy and Lennie could start working the land, chickens, and sell eggs while George finds one more job to help with finalizing the payments. The plan seems realistic and logical; so, if a student were asked at this point to predict if the friends will achieve their dream or not, he or she might confidently say that they will. Unfortunately, trouble seems to follow Lennie and events beyond George's control prohibit them all from ever buying the ranch together. 

A boy drops a ball from the roof of a house which takes 3 sec to hit the ground. Calculate the velocity before the ball reaches the ground and the...

Because the ball is dropped, we know that it starts at a velocity of zero meters per second (fully stopped). 

Gravity is a force of acceleration. As given in the question, we will assume the acceleration force of gravity to be `(10 m)/(sec^2)` . We can think of this as a constant force of acceleration. Therefore, after one second, the ball is falling at 10 meters per second; at two seconds, it is falling at 20...

Because the ball is dropped, we know that it starts at a velocity of zero meters per second (fully stopped). 

Gravity is a force of acceleration. As given in the question, we will assume the acceleration force of gravity to be `(10 m)/(sec^2)` . We can think of this as a constant force of acceleration. Therefore, after one second, the ball is falling at 10 meters per second; at two seconds, it is falling at 20 meters per second; and, at three seconds, it is falling at 30 meters per second. 

The ball is an object in free-fall. It is falling at a constant acceleration, although its velocity and distance are changing. Thus, the instantaneous velocity is simply given by `v = g*t`

Since the acceleration is uniform, the velocity at the midpoint time t (1.5 seconds) will give us the average velocity. Plugging in 1.5 for the above, we get: 

`(10 m)/(sec^2) * 1.5 sec = (15 m)/(sec)`

Using this average velocity, we can multiply this with the total time (3 seconds) to obtain 45 meters, the final answer. Thus, the ball was dropped from a height of 45 meters and reached a velocity of 30 meters per second before hitting the ground.

` `

` `

Why is water really wet?

I am guessing that by wet, you are referring to several things: coolness, dampness, lubrication, and the ability to saturate things or make things wet.

The coolness of water is caused by a few things. First, water is a better conductor of heat than air. If you put a thermometer into a cup of fifty degree air and fifty degree water, the one in the fifty degree water will drop faster. Second, water can evaporate...

I am guessing that by wet, you are referring to several things: coolness, dampness, lubrication, and the ability to saturate things or make things wet.

The coolness of water is caused by a few things. First, water is a better conductor of heat than air. If you put a thermometer into a cup of fifty degree air and fifty degree water, the one in the fifty degree water will drop faster. Second, water can evaporate from the skin, absorbing energy from the skin to change into a gas. This is how sweat works. Third, water can get more surface area on your skin than most solids. Water can get into all the pores and folds of skin, while solids are left with much less on the surface.

Dampness is when water changes the properties of other things by being in them. For example, when a paper towel is damp, it gets floppy and limp. Damp hair clings together better. Damp skin is more flexible. This is caused by dehydration of dried out fibers, allowing greater flexibility.

Lubrication is from the ease in which water molecules slide past each other. By having at least two layers of water molecules between sliding surfaces, they glide effortlessly.

What is an example of personification in "The Lady or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton?

One example of personification in "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton is the following:

This vast amphitheater. . . was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.

The amphitheater itself is described as a person who can exercise judgment and bring about justice, so an inanimate object is personified (that is, made into a living being). In...

One example of personification in "The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton is the following:

This vast amphitheater. . . was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.

The amphitheater itself is described as a person who can exercise judgment and bring about justice, so an inanimate object is personified (that is, made into a living being). In this example, the amphitheater becomes the agent of justice, rather than the king, which suggests the king does not really accept responsibility for the terrible system of justice he established. Instead, the building itself, with its constantly changing doors containing a maiden on one side and a tiger on the other, becomes the instrument of justice. The personification in this story is a deliberate choice the author makes to emphasize the way in which the king absolves himself of blame for the barbaric system he has established.

When is Mildred asked if she is happy in Fahrenheit 451?

In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred is never directly asked if she is happy but, at the end of Part One, she declares that she is happy to Montag as he bemoans his unhappiness:

"I am." Mildred's mouth beamed. "And proud of it." 

To put this into context, she has just advised Montag to "take the beetle" and go driving, as a means of making himself happy. According to Mildred, it feels "wonderful" to go out...

In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred is never directly asked if she is happy but, at the end of Part One, she declares that she is happy to Montag as he bemoans his unhappiness:

"I am." Mildred's mouth beamed. "And proud of it." 

To put this into context, she has just advised Montag to "take the beetle" and go driving, as a means of making himself happy. According to Mildred, it feels "wonderful" to go out into the countryside and drive fast, sometimes for the entire night. Evidently, this is how she copes with bouts of unhappiness when they occur. 

It is ironic that Mildred would declare her happiness in the novel, considering that she attempted suicide just a little while earlier. The fact that she will not admit it, even to her husband, demonstrates the extent of her self-imposed repression and her need to appear happy on the outside, no matter how she feels inside. 

Why does Hamlet delay? Why does he eventually act?

These questions have been debated for centuries. They are called "The Hamlet Problem." I think the best answer was given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who said Hamlet procrastinates because he thinks too much. When he acts on impulse, he can act very courageously. A good example is the way he is the first to board the pirate ship which kidnaps him. When Hamlet finally kills Claudius, it is impulsively, in the heat of emotion. He doesn't have time to think about it. He holds the poisoned foil right in his hand.

When Hamlet is on his way to England, he discovers his escorts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are carrying a letter asking the English king to have him executed immediately upon arrival. Hamlet forges a substitute letter in which he has Claudius asking the English king to execute Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This is before Hamlet is kidnapped by the pirates and then ransomed in Denmark by Horatio. At that point, Hamlet knows his life is in extreme danger because Claudius will soon receive word from England that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been beheaded. Claudius will know Hamlet forged a new letter and will certainly have Hamlet executed as a punishment and for the king's own self-protection. The following dialogue shows this.

HORATIO
It must be shortly known to him from England
What is the issue of the business there.

HAMLET
It will be short. The interim is mine.

Hamlet knows he must kill Claudius without further deliberation or Claudius will have him killed. He does not know Claudius has already made plans to have him killed in the forthcoming fencing match with Laertes.

Hamlet had other reasons for his previous delays. One was that he sincerely believed the ghost he met in Act I, Scenes 4 and 5 might be a devil instead of his father. In Act II, Scene 2 he says to himself:

The spirit that I have seen
May be a devil; and the devil hath power
T' assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me. I'll have grounds
More relative than this. The play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.

Hamlet had to stage the play-within-a-play to prove to himself that Claudius was actually guilty, as the ghost had told him. After that, he felt free to act against the king, but he was forestalled by being sent to England as an ambassador. 

One other reason Hamlet might have been slow in carrying out his obligation to kill Claudius is that Hamlet is aware he is supposed to inherit the throne when his uncle dies. All he has to do is wait. If he kills Claudius, it might be impossible for Hamlet to inherit the throne, especially if everyone believes he is mad. They would think Hamlet was motivated purely by ambition and would not believe Claudius murdered Hamlet's father in order to usurp the throne and marry King Hamlet's wife Gertrude. As a result, Hamlet is torn between acting and waiting for the crown to drop into his lap.

What is a quote from Moneyball that describes Billy Beane as a smart or great general manager?

One quote that describes Oakland Athletics' Billy Beane as a smart general manager relates to his resourcefulness.

Moneyballhighlights baseball's financial landscape. Teams that play in large media and consumer markets like the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees are part of baseball's upper class because of their financial position. At the same time, small-market teams like the Oakland Athletics are at a competitive disadvantage because they lack financial resources. In order for...

One quote that describes Oakland Athletics' Billy Beane as a smart general manager relates to his resourcefulness.

Moneyball highlights baseball's financial landscape. Teams that play in large media and consumer markets like the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees are part of baseball's upper class because of their financial position. At the same time, small-market teams like the Oakland Athletics are at a competitive disadvantage because they lack financial resources. In order for Oakland's general manager Billy Beane to put forth a quality team, he had to be resourceful. He had to harvest data and look for value where he could find it.

This was not the only part of his daunting task to make Oakland a competitive baseball team. Beane also had to communicate his vision to athletes and executives who were operating under outdated paradigms. This required a specific skill set that makes him a great general manager:  

It was hard to know which of Billy's qualities was most important to his team's success: his energy, his resourcefulness, his intelligence, or his ability to scare the living s**t out of even very large professional baseball players.

In Moneyball, Billy Beane's greatness as a general manager is not only his ability to judge talent through sabermetric analysis. He is resourceful in the way he conveys this methodology and approach to athletes and baseball scouts who are mired in a philosophy that was not going to work under Oakland's financial reality. Sometimes, he has to lead by example. Other times, he has to use direct force and intimidation to make his point.

Beane's resourcefulness comes from being a former athlete and now seeing reality as an executive. Straddling both worlds enhances his resourcefulness. This unique skill set is a significant reason why he is seen as a great general manager.

Which effects are yielded by the stage directions in The Crucible?

One effect of the stage directions is that the reader has an opportunity to interpret characters' actions that are described but not addressed aloud, and these actions or descriptions of the tone in which certain lines are to be spoken sometimes tell us even more than the words themselves.  They allow us to understand more fully what characters are thinking and feeling in moments when they may not be saying everything aloud or telling the whole truth.  For example, in Act II, the opening stage direction tells us that John Proctor seasons the stew his wife has prepared while she is out of the room.  When she serves him, stage direction tells us that "She sits and watches him taste it."  This helps us to understand that his response to her cooking is important to her, so important that she watches for his reaction when he tries it.  She is anxious.  Further, he tells her that "It's well seasoned."  Now, we, the audience, know that he's not being entirely truthful: he adding seasoning to it, so he must not have found it well-seasoned to begin with; however, he now compliments his wife on the stew when we know that he was "not quite pleased" with it as she'd prepared it.  This is a man who's willing to tell a small lie if he thinks the reason is good; readers know this because of stage direction.

A moment later, Proctor tells his wife that he "means to please [her]," but when he tries to kiss her, she only "receives it" and, "With a certain disappointment, he returns to the table."  With only their words and no stage direction, readers would be much less likely to pick up on the tension in this relationship.  The words themselves are, for the most part, all good, kind, typical of a loving relationship, but the actions betray the sense that not all his well between these two people. 

What is the difference between the subject matter and the main point of a work?

The subject matter that a book or article treats is the field or area that it touches on. For example, the subject matter of Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities is the French Revolution and its effect on people. The main point of a book is the principle idea the work is trying to convey. For example, the main point of A Tale of Two Citiesis the nobility of sacrificing oneself to save...

The subject matter that a book or article treats is the field or area that it touches on. For example, the subject matter of Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities is the French Revolution and its effect on people. The main point of a book is the principle idea the work is trying to convey. For example, the main point of A Tale of Two Cities is the nobility of sacrificing oneself to save others, particularly during difficult times such as the French Revolution.

Of course, the subject matter and the main idea can be similar and overlap, but they are not always the same. It might be useful to think of the subject matter as where you would find that book in the library. For example, a book about fish would be found in the animal section of the library. However, different books about fish can have different main ideas. For example, one book might discuss the study of fish, another might be about extinct fish and why they became extinct, and another might be about how to fish. These differences would be related to the main idea of each book. 

What are the characteristics of the characters in Chapter 1 of Steinbeck's The Pearl?

The main character is Kino.  Kino is an aboriginal in Baja California.  He is a fisherman, and he lives in a brush hut in a village by the sea with his wife Juana and their baby Coyotito.  Kino feels a deep connection to the past.  Heritage is very important to him.  He loves his wife and child, and considers his role as provider important.  Masculinity is important to him. 

Kino has a violent temper, as evidenced by his reaction to the scorpion who bit his son.

Then, snarling, Kino had it, had it in his fingers, rubbing it to a paste in his hands. He threw it down and beat it into the earth floor with his fist, and Coyotito screamed with pain in his box. But Kino beat and stamped the enemy until it was only a fragment and a moist place in the dirt. (Ch. 1) 

Kino continues to attack the scorpion long after there is no value in doing so.  Kino is a passionate man.  When Juana wants to take Coyotito to the doctor and the doctor refuses them for not having money, he gets angry again and punches the gate, injuring his hand.  It is another useless angry gesture of hopelessness. 

Juana is Kino’s steadfast mate.  She is always there for him.  Her eyes are open as soon as his are in the morning.  She takes care of him and their son, making them breakfast.  When the scorpion attacks, she says prayers in old magic and sucks the poison out while her husband hovers helplessly by. 

But Juana had the baby in her arms now. She found the puncture with redness starting from it already. She put her lips down over the puncture and sucked hard and spat and sucked again while Coyotito screamed. (Ch. 1) 

Unlike Kino, who lashes out in helpless anger, Juana acts in a mixture of practicality and hopefulness.  She believes in the old magic, yet she calls for a doctor.  Both of these are acts of dreaming, because neither are likely to help.  Yet at the same time she takes practical action in sucking out the poison. 

The doctor is another important character in this chapter.  He represents the colonial establishment.  The people of the village know the doctor. 

And they knew the doctor. They knew his ignorance, his cruelty, his avarice, his appetites, his sins. They knew his clumsy abortions and the little brown pennies he gave sparingly for alms. They had seen his corpses go into the church. (Ch. 1) 

To him, the Indians are animals. He refuses to treat Kino because he doesn’t have money.  He considers himself above all of them, and couldn’t care less that a baby is sick. 

What testimony has been given in court by the old man who lives in the same building as the suspect in Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose?

After the jurors cloister themselves in the jury room and they take a vote, Juror No. 8 is the only one who votes "Not Guilty." When Juror No. 12 suggests that they convince him, No. 3, a very opinionated and intolerant man, goes over the facts. First, he refers to the neighbor's testimony.

The old man, who lives on the second floor under the room where the murder occurred, has testified that he heard noises...

After the jurors cloister themselves in the jury room and they take a vote, Juror No. 8 is the only one who votes "Not Guilty." When Juror No. 12 suggests that they convince him, No. 3, a very opinionated and intolerant man, goes over the facts. First, he refers to the neighbor's testimony.

The old man, who lives on the second floor under the room where the murder occurred, has testified that he heard noises that were quite loud coming from the upstairs apartment. To him, there seemed to be an argument going on; then, he heard the boy say to his father, "I'm gonna kill you." Right after this, he heard someone falling; so, he ran to his door to look out, and he saw the suspect running down the stairs and out of the house. After witnessing the boy's running away, the old man phoned the police. When the police arrived, the father was found with a knife in his chest.

This testimony seems rather damning, but it is the perseverance of Juror No. 8 in examining and re-examining the testimony and other facts of the case which lead them to feel that there is reasonable doubt about the son's being the one who stabbed his father. 

How does passion work against the characters in Hamlet?

Passion tends to lead characters to behave impulsively or make decisions which are not very sound in the long run.  Passion leads Claudius to kill his brother and marry his brother's wife, apparently without concern for his immortal soul (a concern which we can understand as appropriate to this play based on the ghost's experiences), which Claudius has now blackened for eternity. It might be fun to be king for now, but Claudius's passion compels...

Passion tends to lead characters to behave impulsively or make decisions which are not very sound in the long run.  Passion leads Claudius to kill his brother and marry his brother's wife, apparently without concern for his immortal soul (a concern which we can understand as appropriate to this play based on the ghost's experiences), which Claudius has now blackened for eternity. It might be fun to be king for now, but Claudius's passion compels him to take an immoral route to the throne. On top of his, he married Gertrude, who is, according to the Bible, his sister (because she was married to his brother), so he's committed incest as well.

Hamlet's passion causes him to become obsessed with avenging his father's murder, a process whereby his own hands become dirty as well. He has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed, and is also responsible for the death of Polonius. His machinations also lead to the deaths of his lover Ophelia, his mother Gertrude, and Ophelia's brother Laertes. Hamlet's passion causes him to lose sight of everything else, and he makes a number of bad decisions — such as murdering Polonius in haste because he thought he was Claudius — as a result. 

Laertes's passion also causes him to behave dishonorably.  He challenges Hamlet to a dueling exhibition, but he tips his rapier with poison so Hamlet will die if Laertes so much as scratches him. Laertes allows his passion to overrule his reason, which ultimately leads to his own and Hamlet's deaths. 

While Schatz thinks he is dying, his father goes out to hunt. How does this contrast with how the father might have acted if he, too, were afraid...

Hemingway's "A Day's Wait" centers around Schatz's misunderstanding and the trauma this creates within him. Had his father understood what his son believes, the boy's trauma may have been avoided, but his father appears to be uncomprehending of his child's condition. Therefore, one must wonder how he would have acted if the boy's condition were life-threatening.

When his father goes out to hunt while knowing Schatz has a temperature that is one hundred and two,...

Hemingway's "A Day's Wait" centers around Schatz's misunderstanding and the trauma this creates within him. Had his father understood what his son believes, the boy's trauma may have been avoided, but his father appears to be uncomprehending of his child's condition. Therefore, one must wonder how he would have acted if the boy's condition were life-threatening.

When his father goes out to hunt while knowing Schatz has a temperature that is one hundred and two, he does not seem worried about Schatz's condition. In fact, he might believe leaving him alone to sleep will provide his son the atmosphere he needs. When he returns and sees Schatz staring with his cheeks flushed with fever, he takes his temperature again and finds it is still one hundred and two. He tells his son not to worry. When Schatz asks if drinking the water will do him any good, his father does not perceive his anxieties. Instead, he picks up the book he has been reading, and it is only then that the father notices something is bothering Schatz.

I sat down and opened the Pirate book, and commenced to read, but I could see he was not following, so I stopped.

Since Schatz's father does not display the concern one would expect from a parent whose child's temperature is only two degrees from a dangerous level and the boy has not slept and is obviously uncomfortable and traumatized, it is difficult to assume what he would do if he thought his son was dying. He does not seem to fear the child having convulsions or other complications from a 102-degree fever. He simply picks up a book to resume reading to his son.

The reader must hope the man has enough sense to be afraid for his child's life and stay with him and act to reduce his temperature by bathing him in cool water. Above all, he should phone the doctor again and obtain his advice. He should also feel guilty because his crassness and lack of observation is what causes poor Schatz to be traumatized by his fear of dying because he thinks his temperature is given in degrees Celsius.

What would happen in the market for car tires if there was an increase in the price of rubber used to produce tires and a decrease in the price for...

To start, I will make a graph for the initial state of tire supply and demand. This graph has supply and demand curves in red, with a positive supply curve and a negative demand curve.

If the cost of rubber increases, then the cost for a supplier to make a tire will increase as well. If the supplier wants to make the same amount of profit per tire, this pushes up the price at which...

To start, I will make a graph for the initial state of tire supply and demand. This graph has supply and demand curves in red, with a positive supply curve and a negative demand curve.

If the cost of rubber increases, then the cost for a supplier to make a tire will increase as well. If the supplier wants to make the same amount of profit per tire, this pushes up the price at which tires are sold.

If the cost of a car goes down, more people will purchase cars. If more people have cars, demand for tires will increase.

This means the supply of tires will decrease, and demand for tires will increase. When I move the curves on my graph with new green curves, it shows the equilibrium price of tires increasing, but little change in equilibrium quantity.

What was inflation during the Civil War?

There are several ways a government can pay for a war. It can raise taxes on its citizens. It can also borrow money, or it can just print it. The South was generally against tariffs and especially raising them, which restricted one source of revenue for the South. The South had fewer people and was generally poorer than the North. This made it harder for the South to borrow money. The South was able to...

There are several ways a government can pay for a war. It can raise taxes on its citizens. It can also borrow money, or it can just print it. The South was generally against tariffs and especially raising them, which restricted one source of revenue for the South. The South had fewer people and was generally poorer than the North. This made it harder for the South to borrow money. The South was able to generate less than half of the revenue to cover the cost of the war through taxes and through borrowing. Thus, the South turned to printing money. As a result, inflation was a significant issue for the South. By January 1862, inflation in the South was about 12% a month. Overall, by the end of the Civil War, the South experienced an inflation rate of 9000%.

There was inflation in North. However, inflation was more manageable in the North because the North was able to raise more revenue from tariffs and from the sale of bonds. The North was able to generate about 90% of the revenue needed to cover the cost of the war from these sources of revenue. The North did print money, but not to the extent that the South did. The North experienced an inflation rate of about 180%. While this wasn’t ideal, it was far better than what the South faced.

Inflation was an issue for both sides during the Civil War. However, it was much worse in the South.

Why would I recommend A Christmas Carol?

One of the reasons to recommend this book is that it has been very popular since it was written in 1843.  For a book to be popular consistently for that long must mean there is something to it!  Why do people love A Christmas Carol so much?

First of all, the book is an uplifting tale.  Even if it is not Christmastime people like the story, and around Christmas, people are sentimental and enjoy it...

One of the reasons to recommend this book is that it has been very popular since it was written in 1843.  For a book to be popular consistently for that long must mean there is something to it!  Why do people love A Christmas Carol so much?

First of all, the book is an uplifting tale.  Even if it is not Christmastime people like the story, and around Christmas, people are sentimental and enjoy it even more.  It explores the themes that go with the holiday, such as taking care of others and enjoying your family.

The characters in this book are also compelling.  Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation from grouchy and lonely miser to munificent old uncle warms the heart.  Anyone can recite Scrooge’s favorite line from the beginning of the story, or Tiny Tim’s Christmas toast, “God bless us every one!

“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

“Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!” (Stave 1)

Let’s not forget, this is a ghost story!  Dickens loved ghost stories, and he gives us four creatively different ghosts: Scrooge’s former partner who worried about him since his death, a ghost that is neither young nor old, a charming Santa Claus-like jolly ghost, and a spooky phantom.

Finally, the story gives us faith that people can change. We would all like to believe that we can become better versions of ourselves.  Dickens tells us that it is never too late to become that better person.  All you have to do is take the first step.

“Spirit!” he cried, tight clutching at its robe, “hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope!” (Stave 4)

When Scrooge sends the Cratchits a turkey and goes to his nephew Fred’s house for dinner, it warms the heart.  The story has a happy ending.

What is the evidence of sacrifice in Arthur Miller's The Crucible?

Evidence of sacrifice can be seen in the suffering of specific characters in The Crucible.

The suffering that characters endure reflects the sacrifices they make for their beliefs. Giles Corey sacrifices greatly for his beliefs. He is convinced that people like Putnam use the witch trials as a way to advance their own agenda. He sacrifices for his outspoken nature, evident in how he calls out for "more weight" while being pressed to death. 

In...

Evidence of sacrifice can be seen in the suffering of specific characters in The Crucible.

The suffering that characters endure reflects the sacrifices they make for their beliefs. Giles Corey sacrifices greatly for his beliefs. He is convinced that people like Putnam use the witch trials as a way to advance their own agenda. He sacrifices for his outspoken nature, evident in how he calls out for "more weight" while being pressed to death. 

In a similar manner, Elizabeth Proctor sacrifices for her husband. To protect his reputation, she lies in court, sacrificing her name. She then refuses to beg him to reconsider his confession because of how it shows his "goodness," something she will not take away from him. Elizabeth sacrifices her happiness as a married wife because of the love she holds for her husband. 

Proctor makes the ultimate sacrifice for his beliefs. In Act III, he knows Abigail and the girls are lying. His commitment to truth and stopping the suffering they are inflicting causes him to implicate himself in court. He goes to jail in the name of his beliefs. In Act IV, Proctor sacrifices again. Unwilling to "sign himself to lies" and ashamed at his momentary willingness to do so, Proctor sacrifices his own life for the truth. As a result, Proctor stands up for truth in a world that does not value it. 

Characters like Giles Corey and Elizabeth and John Proctor have to sacrifice mightily for their beliefs. Their desire to be decent in an indecent time compels them to forgo a great deal. Through these characterizations, Arthur Miller suggests the commitment to our values and the sacrifice they entail become more important when situations are difficult. The need to sacrifice in trying times underscores our commitment to ideals, something that represents the ultimate currency in a world of shifting values.

How can I identify DIDLS terms in Chapter 1 of Golding's Lord of the Flies?

In order to identify DIDLS terms, you will need to first pay attention to the "diction" of the author - the implication of his or her word choice. For example, you must ask yourself why the author chose to use certain words over others. What might the purpose of this be? Perhaps the author wrote the word "chuckle" instead of "laugh" in order to set a particular tone or to let the reader know about a particular character to help characterize that person. Ask yourself, for example, what makes a character "mature" instead of just "old." 

The second step you'll need to take is to identify some imagery in the passage or chapter - vivid descriptions or figures of speech that help you, as the reader, identify the author's tone. To do this, you may want to look for and identify metaphors, similes, personification, hyperboly, understatement, synecdoche, oxymoron, paradox, overstatement, symbolism, irony, puns, and allusions. Also look for sound devices, like alliteration, repetition, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia and rhyme. In Lord of the Flies, what might the pink conch shell and the trapped wild pig symbolize? Are they metaphorical? 

Next, look for specific details that the author either chooses to include, or chooses to omit. Details are different from imagery in that they are facts that don't have a strong sensory appeal. For example, the name of a character in the story might help to establish the tone by reflecting intelligence or education or a lack thereof. Is it figurative? It may serve as a symbol for a concept or idea. In Chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies, the chubby boy introduces himself to Ralph as "Piggy." This is an important detail that could give you clues as to the author's tone. 

Pay attention to the type of language that is being used by the author. Is it poetic? Formal? Does the author use a lot of slang words and colloquial vocabulary? What impression does that give you as the reader?

Last, pay special attention to the syntax used. This means sentence structure and how it affects your perception as the reader. For instance, does the author use parallel structure, similarly styled sentences, to convey interconnected emotions and ideas? Or does the author use shorter sentences to convey a passionate or flippant tone? Longer sentences might signify a more reflective, philsophical tone. 

As the reader, you can look for certain clues which present a shift in tone. You can look for key words like "but," "nevertheless," or "however." You can also pay close attention to any changes which occur in punctuation, sentence length, paragraph divisions, or diction. 

Explain the terms langue and parole given by Ferdinand de Saussure using an example.

The concept of Langue (language) and Parole (speech) was given by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. These terms appeared first in the book “A Course In General Linguistics” (Cours de linguistique générale) – a series of class notes that were compiled and published by Saussure’s students in 1916 after his death.

Saussure, a linguist from the Structuralist school of linguistics, believed Language to be a system of signs. Each sign conventionally signifies something. Also, the relationship between a sign and what it signifies is arbitrary. It is important to note here that Saussure defined language in purely structural terms.

Langue, then, for Saussure, is nothing but all the abstract rules and conventions of this system of signs (or language). These rules, as we know, do not occur in the world explicitly (as linguists, we only try to study and describe these rules).

It is interesting to know that every language user has an instinctive, innate understanding of these rules that make up language. Note that this statement was not actually given by Saussure. Structuralism in language did not describe language as an instinct (Pinker, 1995) or as a mentalist, cognitive object (Chomsky). These assumptions were postulated in later studies.

Nest, Saussure said that language users make use of Langue to produce “actual utterances”. These actual utterances (Parole), in this way, make concrete use of the abstract rules of languages.

For example, language users can have the concept of past tense in their language. They would know in an abstract fashion that auxiliary verbs get inflected for past tense in their language. Hence, English language users would use the auxiliary verb “was” for describing things of past. Similarly an abstract understanding of the rules for plurality would tell him to use “was” in singular contexts and the auxiliary verb “were” in case the context is plural. Similarly, they would have understanding of the rule that says addition of the suffix –ing to a verb is for progressive aspect or continuing action. This abstract understanding of the rules for marking a verb with aspect, making an auxiliary into past tense, singular or plural agreement, etc. is only a very small part of Langue. Langue is a system of so many rules and conventions. When language users actually make utterances about past events, each such utterance constitutes Parole. Hence, the utterance “They were sleeping” would be a part of Parole.

When a child acquires languages, he actually makes generalizations and forms hypothesis about these rules from the linguistic environment. As linguists, we try to explicitly state these rules, but these rules do not actually occur in nature as such.

What are some specific, direct quotes that people have stated about why Donald Trump is unfit to be President?

Firstly, instead of relying on second-hand information, it might be helpful for you to look up statements that Donald Trump himself has made. From those quotes, you could -- depending on your political leanings, of course -- assess what makes him fit or unfit to be President of the United States. 

To help you, here are a couple of statements that several people have made regarding Donald Trump's unfitness for the U.S. Presidency. Hillary Clinton, his opponent, has offered the following:

"This is a man who said that more countries should have nuclear weapons, including Saudi Arabia."

Since the 1980s, the United States, along with other developed nations, has made an effort to discontinue the use and development of nuclear weapons. Given the persistent conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites in the Middle East, Clinton is implying that encouraging the use of nuclear weapons in this region would be disastrous.

Here is another:

"He says climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese, and has the gall to say that prisoners of war like John McCain aren't heroes. (Pauses for boos) Exactly."

Trump's antagonism of McCain is subjective. Yet, it is also an example of bad public relations, given the respect that many people have for military service members and veterans. The first part of this statement, however, is grossly untrue. While scientists have nuanced disagreements about climate change, most assert that climate change has been exacerbated by human activity. All would assert that it is not "a hoax invented by the Chinese."

I would be remiss if I did not address Donald Trump's attitudes toward Latinos and women. Here is a quote from political organizer Alida Garcia:

"It’s clear Donald Trump has no intention to move away from his frightening immigration policies of deporting 11 million people in 18 months and revoking the citizenship of U.S. citizen children, which would tank our economy and create a modern day police state."

She neglects his popular insistence on building a wall to keep out Mexicans, but clearly expresses her concern about the humanitarian impact of his policies, as well as the likely economic fall-out.

After the Democratic National Convention aired, Trump criticized Ghazala Khan, the mother of a slain soldier, arguing that, because she is Muslim, her husband had not allowed her to speak at the convention. She responded soon thereafter, not only to explain her reason for not speaking, but also to address Trump's unfounded and prejudiced critique:

"Sacrifice - I don't think he knows the meaning of sacrifice, the meaning of the word. Because when I was standing there, all America felt my pain. Without saying a single word. Everybody felt that pain."

Though this quote is not a direct attack on his fitness for the Presidency, it is an attack on Trump's character, particularly his wisdom and ability to empathize with a mother in mourning. 

What are two internal changes in Scout throughout To Kill a Mockingbird?

Throughout the novel, Scout matures and develops into a morally upright individual like her father. As the novel progresses, Scout heeds her father's lessons and gains perspective on life. She begins to perceive situations from other people's points of view, which gives her insight into how people feel and behave throughout Maycomb.By the end of the novel, Scout has the ability to sympathize with and have empathy for others, particularly innocent individuals like Boo...

Throughout the novel, Scout matures and develops into a morally upright individual like her father. As the novel progresses, Scout heeds her father's lessons and gains perspective on life. She begins to perceive situations from other people's points of view, which gives her insight into how people feel and behave throughout Maycomb. By the end of the novel, Scout has the ability to sympathize with and have empathy for others, particularly innocent individuals like Boo Radley. In addition to increasing her perspectives and gaining insights into people and situations, Scout also becomes tolerant by the end of the novel. At the beginning of the story, Scout was known for her quick temper and continually trying to solve problems with her fists. After sitting down and talking with her father, Scout learns the importance of tolerance and self-control. Scout first exercises her tolerance by walking away from Cecil Jacobs on the playground. As the novel progresses, Scout witnesses her father treat their racist neighbors with kindness and walk away from a certain fight with Bob Ewell. Scout develops into a tolerant young girl who no longer reacts out of anger, but instead exercises self-control when faced with adversity.

Describe the merry war of wits between Beatrice and Benedict in Act 1 of Much Ado about Nothing.

Leonardo describes the relationship between Benedict and Beatrice thusly,

There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedict and her.  They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them.  

In the very next few lines, we see this "merry war" Leonardo is referring to.  It is a war of wits as each insults the other through puns, jokes, sarcasm, and irony.  What is obvious to all but the two young people...

Leonardo describes the relationship between Benedict and Beatrice thusly,

There is a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedict and her.  They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them.  

In the very next few lines, we see this "merry war" Leonardo is referring to.  It is a war of wits as each insults the other through puns, jokes, sarcasm, and irony.  What is obvious to all but the two young people is that they are in love with each other, and their outward shows of wit cover up their true feelings.  The scenes in which they engage in this competition of insults, of sorts, are some of the most entertaining in the play.  

So let's look at their first dialogue more closely.  Beatrice begins the attack by claiming that Benedick has no need to talk because no one is paying attention to him.  He returns the insult by calling her "Lady Disdain" and feigns surprise that she is still living.  She answers with the claim that Disdain cannot die when it has such meat as Benedick to feed on.  And Benedick vows that all women except Beatrice love him, but he loves no one.  And on it goes until Benedick ends with comparing the speed of his horse to the speed of Beatrice's tongue.  But Beatrice gets the last word by saying that he always ends with a "jade's trick."  This is a horseman's term for an abrupt stop.  

You get the idea.  What is important to note, however, is that intellectually the two are matched very well.  Both are proud, smart, quick-witted, funny, and not unkind.  Unlike in The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare does not let Benedick get the upper hand in the relationship (as Petruchio did).  We see this through their dialogue in Act 1 and are anxious to see how this relationship develops.  

What is the importance of understanding motivation and perception?

Motivation and perception are two psychological factors influencing human decision-making and behavior. Since they are at the root of human choices and behavior, there is great personal and social importance attached to understanding them. Also, since motivation and perception are psychological factors, they are complex in nature, and explanations for them have been developed by numerous schools of thought. Even so, there are uniform characteristics identified through each approach, making a basic discussion profitable.Motivation...

Motivation and perception are two psychological factors influencing human decision-making and behavior. Since they are at the root of human choices and behavior, there is great personal and social importance attached to understanding them. Also, since motivation and perception are psychological factors, they are complex in nature, and explanations for them have been developed by numerous schools of thought. Even so, there are uniform characteristics identified through each approach, making a basic discussion profitable.

Motivation
Motivation is influenced by inherent need and is defined as the desire to achieve a specific goal through goal-directed behavior. In a business setting, managers are successful when they have motivation to meet company expectations of production and growth. Managers can succeed when they can properly instill motivation in their employees to understand and achieve the tasks set before them relevant to production and growth. In a market setting, businesses can succeed if they understand consumer motivation and develop their brand and marketing to accord with it. These are some factors key in the importance of understanding motivation.

Perception
Perception determines how a person selectively attends to and organizes information. It is perception that drives motivation: if perception of task relevance is low, then the task will have low achievement priority; there will be low motivation to achieve the task. Perception is fluid, and each person selects information differently and organizes it differently. This selection and organization of information (perception) is affected by, depends upon and is filtered through personal circumstances of social, cultural, economic, religious, educational exposure and other background and experience. Perception has importance in a business setting because managers' and employees' motivation depends upon their perceptions of information related to task relevance, task performance, production specifications and company growth. Perception has importance in a marketing setting because successful branding and marketing depend upon how consumers in target markets perceive the product and the company. These are some key factors in the importance of understanding perception.

Why does Ralph feel "fright and apprehension and pride" after hitting the pig?

In Chapter 7, Jack leads the group of boys on a hunting expedition and Ralph comes face-to-face with a charging boar. This is Ralph's first hunting experience, and he is excited at the opportunity to kill a pig. From a distance of five yards, Ralph throws his spear and successfully hits the boar on the snout. The spear glances off its nose, however, and the boar continues to run through the forest. After hitting the...

In Chapter 7, Jack leads the group of boys on a hunting expedition and Ralph comes face-to-face with a charging boar. This is Ralph's first hunting experience, and he is excited at the opportunity to kill a pig. From a distance of five yards, Ralph throws his spear and successfully hits the boar on the snout. The spear glances off its nose, however, and the boar continues to run through the forest. After hitting the boar, Golding writes that Ralph was full of "fright and apprehension and pride" (162). Hunting is a dangerous activity, and Ralph is sure to feel some sort of fear when facing a wild boar that is charging at him. Ralph is apprehensive about killing the pig because he realizes it is a bloody affair. Ralph is also nervous about killing an animal for the first time. At the same time, he is proud of the fact that he struck the boar on his first attempt.

In the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, how do Bruno and Shmuel exhibit heroic attributes?

Throughout the novel, both Bruno and Shmuel exhibit heroic attributes through their selfless and courageous actions. Bruno risks getting into trouble when he takes food to give to Shmuel on his trips to visit his friend. Bruno has been told numerous times that he is not allowed to be near the fence, but he continues to venture outside in order to visit with Shmuel. Shmuel also displays courage by meeting with Bruno, who is on...

Throughout the novel, both Bruno and Shmuel exhibit heroic attributes through their selfless and courageous actions. Bruno risks getting into trouble when he takes food to give to Shmuel on his trips to visit his friend. Bruno has been told numerous times that he is not allowed to be near the fence, but he continues to venture outside in order to visit with Shmuel. Shmuel also displays courage by meeting with Bruno, who is on the other side of the fence. Shmuel risks being caught by the Nazi soldiers, who will more than likely physically punish him. Both boys enjoy being around one another and overlook the negative consequences of being caught visiting each other. Bruno also displays bravery and selflessness by helping Shmuel find his father. Bruno puts himself in harm's way by climbing underneath the fence and entering the concentration camp to help his friend. While the boys are searching for Shmuel's father, they are summoned by Nazi soldiers to march. Instead of running away, they continue to search for Shmuel's father. When they enter the gas chamber, both boys hold hands in order to comfort each other during the terrifying situation.

Richard Godbeer's title Escaping Salem does more than describe and examine "the other witch hunt of 1692." What might the title suggest about the...

In Escaping Salem, Godbeer examines another witch hunt that happened in 1692, the same year as the infamous Salem witch trial. The title suggests that Salem has come to embody the idea of a witch trial in the public imagination but other witch trials occurred in colonial America, particularly in New England, at that same time. However, as Godbeer points out, the other witch trial that occurred that year in Stamford, Connecticut, was in some ways more typical of a New England witch trial than the Salem trial was. The Salem witch trial included a greater number of people accused and executed than did the witch trials in the rest of New England during the entire 17th century. In the Stamford, Connecticut witch trial of 1692, a 17-year-old servant girl named Katherine Branch fell into fits and accused six women of bewitching her. One woman fled the state, and, of the other five, only one was sentenced to death (she was also eventually acquitted). The notoriety of the Salem witch trial blinds people to the variety of ways in which Salem was an outlier with regard to witch hunts at the time. 

I need some help with research topics on banking and finance.

Some research topics in banking and finance include investment bubbles, banking history, measuring personal wealth, annuity markets, banks and risk securities, and bank capital.Some specific subtopics within these topics include: past and present investment bubbles, bank panics, the statistical reliability of surveys to measure personal wealth, the health of the annuity market in relation to the health of the insurance market, justifiability of bank returns coming from risk investments, and regulation of bank capital....

Some research topics in banking and finance include investment bubbles, banking history, measuring personal wealth, annuity markets, banks and risk securities, and bank capital.

Some specific subtopics within these topics include: past and present investment bubbles, bank panics, the statistical reliability of surveys to measure personal wealth, the health of the annuity market in relation to the health of the insurance market, justifiability of bank returns coming from risk investments, and regulation of bank capital.

For example, you might research historical investment bubbles, such as the dotcom bubble of 2000, the housing bubble of 2008 or the current stock market bubble predicted by presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Trump's possible future Secretary of the Treasury, Carl Icahn. Granted, the predicted present stock market bubble would be more challenging to research, but the dotcom and housing bubbles could add background and comparative contrasts, thereby expanding your field of research.

As another example illustrating the suggestions above, under the topic of bank history, you might explore the history of the bank panic of 2007. A good title for beginning your research on the 2007 panic is Slapped by the Invisible Hand: The Panic of 2007, written by Gary B. Gorton. Gorton examines and seeks an explanation for the 2007 bank panic while putting it in perspective with earlier bank panics.

An example of a contemporary banking subtopic would be the new regulations on bank capital requirements proposed in 2013 by the "Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, along with the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency," as explained by the New York Times. This increase in bank capital (the equity funding financial transactions and the reserves keeping the bank solvent in the event of losses, such as housing derivative losses) would make banks' financial transactions more "expensive" for the bank because they could lend/invest less of their capital; they would conversely have to reserve more of their capital, leaving it idle.

To generate more topic and subtopic ideas for research on banking and finance, Questia.com has a topic-generating program that links topics to subtopics that link to appropriate titles for the subtopics. This topic-generating program provides a wealth of ideas. More topics are discussed in Emerging Topics in Banking and Finance, a collection of international expert commentaries edited by Emma J. Fuchs and Finn Braun, for example, the topic of "the cloudy performance of Chinese Banks."

Discuss the presidency of Thomas Jefferson and why it made such an impact on the future of America.

While I cannot write your entire eight-paragraph essay for you, I can suggest some main ideas that you might mention. Jefferson was important first because of the election of 1800, in which he narrowly defeated Aaron Burr for the Presidency. He was originally deadlocked with Burr, and the House of Representatives had to decide the election. This situation resulted in the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1804, which stated that electors would vote on separate ballots for the President and Vice-President (instead of voting for two people, as was formerly done, and having the winner be the President and the runner-up be the Vice-President).

Once in office, Jefferson began to reverse the Federalist fiscal policy that Adams and other Presidents had put into place. For example, he discontinued the excise tax on whiskey, which had been wildly unpopular among farmers, and he put into place a more agrarian fiscal policy that reduced the size of the federal government and reduced the deficit. He attempted to dismantle the Bank of the U.S., a central feature of the Federalist plan (started by Hamilton), but was unsuccessful doing so. He also pardoned several of the people who had been jailed under the Alien and Sedition Acts, passed under John Adams.

In a move that was somewhat contrary to his idea of reducing the size of the federal government, he bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the country, and Jefferson sent the explorers Lewis and Clark to investigate the purchase. Their expedition, from 1804 to 1806, uncovered knowledge of the natural world in the new territory as well as knowledge about the Native Americans who lived there.

In foreign affairs, Jefferson passed the Embargo Act of 1807 that made American exports to Britain and France illegal. The goal was to force Britain and France to respect American shipping rights during the Napoleonic Wars. The act unfortunately mainly hurt American manufacturing. In addition, Jefferson sent naval troops to fight the First Barbary War against the Barbary pirates off North Africa.

Jefferson's purchase of the Louisiana Territory had a lasting effect on the future of the U.S., as it vastly increased the complexity and size of the country. His intervention in foreign affairs, while not entirely successful, increased American power abroad over time. However, his attempts to keep the U.S. an agrarian society largely only caused sectional conflict between the North, which pursued a more industrial program, and the South, which wanted to stay agrarian. Agrarianism, in addition to the argument over slavery and states' rights, were causes of the Civil War. Jefferson's commitment to agrarianism and states' rights, as well as his continued commitment to maintaining his own slaves, were parts of his legacy that can be considered negative. 

How is the theme of relationships portrayed in S. E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders?

The theme of relationships is significant to the novel The Outsiders. Throughout the novel, characters develop relationships with one another which affect their perspectives on life and emotional well-being.Relationships are formed among different social groups, as is the case with Ponyboy and Cherry, and unlikely bonds develop between individuals with drastically different personalities, such as the friendship between Dally and Johnny. As the novel progresses, relationships between characters are tested during adverse situations....

The theme of relationships is significant to the novel The Outsiders. Throughout the novel, characters develop relationships with one another which affect their perspectives on life and emotional well-being. Relationships are formed among different social groups, as is the case with Ponyboy and Cherry, and unlikely bonds develop between individuals with drastically different personalities, such as the friendship between Dally and Johnny. As the novel progresses, relationships between characters are tested during adverse situations. Hinton gives interesting dynamics to these relationships by introducing conflict which the characters must respond to. Some relationships flourish, like Ponyboy and Johnny's friendship, while others are destroyed, like Sodapop and Sandy's romance. Hinton portrays friendships as uplifting, supportive, and positive, yet fragile. Johnny has a unique relationship with each Greaser member and provides much-needed sympathy to each one of his friends. After Johnny dies, all of the Greasers mourn and Dally loses his mind. Despite experiencing tragedy, Ponyboy is able to repair his controversial relationship with his oldest brother Darry and develop new friendships with Cherry and Randy throughout the novel. Caring relationships and mutual friendships provide support for each character to survive and thrive during tragic events in a broken society throughout the novel.

What is a summary of the story "Mom Luby and the Social Worker" by Kristin Hunter?

Kristin Hunter's short story "Mom Luby and the Social Worker" examines a day in the life of Mom Luby, an elderly woman who is caring for two children--Elijah and Puddin'--while simultaneously operating a Prohibition-era speakeasy out of the back of her house. The tale opens with Mom Luby seeking financial assistance from the Social Welfare office so that she may better provide for her foster children; this request prompts a home visit from a social...

Kristin Hunter's short story "Mom Luby and the Social Worker" examines a day in the life of Mom Luby, an elderly woman who is caring for two children--Elijah and Puddin'--while simultaneously operating a Prohibition-era speakeasy out of the back of her house. The tale opens with Mom Luby seeking financial assistance from the Social Welfare office so that she may better provide for her foster children; this request prompts a home visit from a social worker named Miss Rushmore who has been tasked with evaluating the living conditions of Elijah and Puddin'. 

Although Miss Rushmore has her doubts about Mom Luby, she provides her with instructions on the lengthy process of applying to receive assistance, particularly for new clothing for the children. Mom Luby claims that she does not have enough time to go through such a process and winds up proving this fact to Miss Rushmore by bringing her along on her errands. At the end of this two hour time period, Miss Rushmore is exhausted and realizes that Mom Luby has accomplished far more in two hours that Miss Rushmore has accomplished in two years. The ironic twist of the ending involves Mom Luby suggesting that the Social Welfare office should hire her due to her productivity, but Miss Rushmore protesting that Mom Luby is not qualified for such a position. 

What does it mean if I got high scores on psychopath or borderline personality self assessments?

Online quizzes and personality tests can be fun, but should not be assumed to be accurate or used as a diagnostic tool.  The high scores you obtained on the stated websites are certainly not accurate according to any true measurement tools.  The "psychopath" test you posted is hosted by a person who only has a bachelor's degree and is far from qualified to produce, document or treat any mental health disorder.  Also, the host is...

Online quizzes and personality tests can be fun, but should not be assumed to be accurate or used as a diagnostic tool.  The high scores you obtained on the stated websites are certainly not accurate according to any true measurement tools.  The "psychopath" test you posted is hosted by a person who only has a bachelor's degree and is far from qualified to produce, document or treat any mental health disorder.  Also, the host is from India and it appears based on the syntax of the questions and the rest of the website that English is a second language.  The construct of questions on true testing instruments must be very precise in order to be accurate.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) does not have a category for "psychopath".  The only instrument used to diagnosis people who demonstrate psychopathic tendencies is the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PC-R).  Mental health experts have been arguing for years whether a true psychopath exists.  Currently, there are numerous characteristics which attribute to behavior deemed psychopathic but there is no standard diagnosis.

Personality tests are equally difficult to gauge because personality fluctuates over time.  Self-reporting questionnaires, although popular, have some major drawbacks on personality testing.  Self-reporting relies solely on the test subject understanding each question the same as the testing instrument.  If the subject defines "happy" in different terms, then the entire measuring device will not properly analyze the score.  Reliability comes into play as well because some people may not be entirely honest in an attempt to assuage a psychological guilt or otherwise taint the results.

There are personality disorders which can be diagnosed by a competent mental health professional.  Generally a diagnosis involves self-report type questionnaires which are usually hundreds of questions in length rather than thirty.  The goal is to gauge consistent answer patterns.  These are scored and used in conjunction with one-on-one counseling sessions to determine if a personality disorder exists.  Properly trained and licensed medical professionals should always be consulted and trusted over any internet website.

Where can I find quotes about women in World War I?

Most American History textbooks will contain quotes about women during World War I.

Many American History textbooks feature sections where they detail contributions of women during World War I. These would be solid locations to find general quotes about the role women played in the conflict.  However, I believe that you can find some very interesting quotes in the work of Kathryn Atwood.  Her book entitled Women Heroes of World War I:  16 Remarkable Resisters,...

Most American History textbooks will contain quotes about women during World War I.

Many American History textbooks feature sections where they detail contributions of women during World War I. These would be solid locations to find general quotes about the role women played in the conflict.  However, I believe that you can find some very interesting quotes in the work of Kathryn Atwood.  Her book entitled Women Heroes of World War I:  16 Remarkable Resisters, Soldiers, Spies, and Medics focuses on women during World War I.  The book is a collection of the powerful contributions that women made to the "Great War," endeavors that are sometimes overlooked in a textbook retelling of the war effort.  One of her quotes captures the important role women played in World War I by linking it to historical record:

During the conflict that was placed before them, they not only gained the gratitude of many in their own generation but they proved, for the first time on a global scale, the enormous value of a woman’s contribution, paving the way for future generations of women to do the same.

Atwood argues that what women did during World War I should earn them a place in "remembered history."  Her book goes very far in establishing such an idea.

I think that another place to find some interesting quotes made by a significant woman during World War I would be in the thoughts of Jeannette Rankin.  She was the first woman elected to the United States Congress.  She was also a passionate opponent of the war.  As the first woman to hold nationally elected office, Rankin fought for her beliefs.  Rankin once said, "War is the slaughter of human beings, temporarily regarded as enemies, on as large a scale as possible."  Emphasizing her opposition to war, Rankin also said that "There can be no compromise with war; it cannot be reformed or controlled; it cannot be disciplined into decency or codified into common sense." These quotes reflect Rankin's courageous attitude against war.  

Rankin's quotes are significant because we have a woman in the position of political power espousing how war is not the answer.  They are meaningful because they run counter to the dominant attitude of the time period where war was seen as absolutely necessary.  Rankin had the courage to speak her mind, and share unpopular opinions. She is as significant as the many women who sacrificed comfort and security to do what they felt was right in serving their country.  Rankin's words resonate today. She once said, "Men and women are like right and left hands; it doesn't make sense not to use both."  This idea might be one of the most powerful in communicating how men and women are essential to the American narrative. It speaks to Rankin's belief that America before, during, and after World War I is dependent on the efforts of both men and women.

Why does the brawny, red-haired woman get so angry at Mr. Lorry in A Tale of Two Cities?

Miss Pross is upset at Jarvis Lorry for telling Lucie Manette about her father, because it upset her. 

Dr. Manette has been locked in prison for political reasons for most of Lucie Manette’s life.  When she hears he has been “recalled to life,” she is upset.  She doesn’t really even remember him, and she has been told that he is much changed.  She says that she is going to be seeing his ghost, and...

Miss Pross is upset at Jarvis Lorry for telling Lucie Manette about her father, because it upset her. 

Dr. Manette has been locked in prison for political reasons for most of Lucie Manette’s life.  When she hears he has been “recalled to life,” she is upset.  She doesn’t really even remember him, and she has been told that he is much changed.  She says that she is going to be seeing his ghost, and not him. 

Jarvis Lorry is a little out of his element with Lucie.  Lucie does seem to faint at the drop of the hat.  She is a delicate creature. So Mr. Lorry upsets her, and she faints, and he does not know what to do. 

Perfectly still and silent, and not even fallen back in her chair, she sat under his hand, utterly insensible; with her eyes open and fixed upon him, and with that last expression looking as if it were carved or branded into her forehead. (Ch. 4) 

Lucie always has Miss Pross clucking after her like a mother hen.  Miss Pross is very protective.  She scolds Jarvis Lorry for springing the news on her little bird.  Miss Pross is rather imposing, so Lorry is even more frazzled. 

"And you in brown!" she said, indignantly turning to Mr. Lorry; "couldn't you tell her what you had to tell her, without frightening her to death? Look at her, with her pretty pale face and her cold hands. Do you call that being a Banker?" (Ch. 4) 

Jarvis Lorry asks Miss Pross if she will accompany Lucie to France.  Clearly, she is too much for him.  She would never consider Lucie going without her though.  Her mission in life is to protect Lucie.  If just hearing the news about her father upset her this much, imagine how she will react to actually seeing him!