Blog: December 2017

What are the problems with Uganda's government?

Youth unemployment and corruption are two problems that face the Ugandan government.

Modern governments all over the world face many problems. The two I identified are what I consider some of the most pressing that must be addressed.

Youth unemployment and corruption are two problems that face the Ugandan government.

Modern governments all over the world face many problems. The two I identified are what I consider some of the most pressing that must be addressed.

Young people in Uganda are not finding steady and long term work. Data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics reveals "64% of the total unemployed persons were between the ages of 18-30." There are different reasons for this condition. Some believe that Ugandan youth are deficient in employable skills, while access to quality education is not widespread. Others believe that an over-reliance on agriculture has prevented young people from participating as viable parts of the labor force. The Ugandan government needs to figure out how to reverse this trend. Played out over the long term, it does not bode well that so many young people cannot find work. Unemployed young people can trend into older unemployed people. It is difficult for a government to lead its nation into a steady and prosperous future when youth unemployment is a significant issue.

Another problem that the Ugandan government faces is corruption. On both political and social levels, corruption is a significant issue in Uganda. According to Peter Wandera, the Executive Director of Transparency International Uganda, "the rate of corruption in institutions like police, lands, courts, health and private companies in Uganda is way above the average in Africa." Corruption is seen on both small and large scales. In the most recent appointment of his cabinet, President Yoweri Museveni admitted that "patronage played a part in selection." Many Ugandans believe that corruption is a part of their daily lives. They see it in the institutions that should be free from it. The government has a problem when administering bribes and other examples of fraud are seen as a part of common experiences. As with youth unemployment, Uganda will find it difficult to confidently walk into the future if corruption is such a systemic part of its existence.

How does energy get from the Sun to a second-level consumer?

Energy is transferred through an ecosystem as organisms eat and are in turn eaten by other organisms.

The original energy source in most ecosystems is the energy of the sun, which is captured by primary consumers, or autotrophs. These are green plants and algae capable of carrying out photosynthesis. During this chemical reaction, light energy is converted to chemical energy in the form of glucose. Other organisms called primary consumers or herbivores, will eat the producers. Secondary consumers, which are carnivores, eat the primary consumers and obtain energy. Therefore, they indirectly get energy from the sun when they consume their prey.

As the trophic levels increase from producer, to primary consumer, to secondary consumer, and so on, the amount of energy decreases at each level. If 100% of available energy is at the producer level, the primary consumers will get 10% of that energy when they consume that producer, and secondary consumers will get 1%. This loss of energy is due to the fact that much of the energy is converted to heat and radiates into the environment.

I have included a link to the pyramid of energy to help you better visualize the concept.

What does "a score" mean in the poem "Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now"?

Now, of my threescore years and ten,Twenty will not come again,And take from seventy springs a score,It only leaves me fifty more.

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

The word score means twenty. "Score" is not commonly used anymore, but it is not entirely obsolete. In the first line of the stanza quoted above, the poet is estimating that his lifetime should be threescore (sixty) years plus ten, or seventy years. In the second line he reveals that he is now twenty years old; so in the third line, when he says, "And take from seventy springs a score," he means he is mentally deducting twenty years (a score) from his seventy years of life expectancy.

Cherry trees blossom very early in the spring. The poet is calculating that he has fifty springs of life expectancy left. It is a nice way of paying tribute to the beautiful cherry trees. He is thinking only of how many times he can hope to see them in bloom again. Many people will agree with him that the cherry tree is the loveliest of trees. They are not only beautiful, but they are harbingers of spring.

The English poet A. E. Housman, who is remembered for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad, was born in 1859 and died in 1936; so he actually lived to be seventy-seven years old, a little longer than he had expected.

What are Winston Smith's apartment and the view of London from his window like? What do these details suggest about his life?

In 1984, Winston Smith must live a strictly monitored and horrendously bleak life--his apartment and the view from his window reflect this.

He has a spartan apartment that is almost wholly dominated by a telescreen he can never ever turn off. As such, because the telescreen is able to both transmit and record audio and visuals, Winston has to constantly control himself even in the privacy of his own apartment.

"You had to live...

In 1984, Winston Smith must live a strictly monitored and horrendously bleak life--his apartment and the view from his window reflect this.

"You had to live - did live, from habit that became instinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized."

Therefore, because Winston can never be sure when he is not being monitored, he needs to control his every sound and movement. He states that, though it is safe to have your back turned to a telescreen, "even a back can be revealing." In the above ways, Winston's apartment reflects how he must live a controlled life or face being punished by the Thought Police. It also plays into one of the overall themes of 1984--freedom and enslavement.

The view of London from Winston's apartment depicts how almost all those living in Oceania, under the totalitarian eyes of Big Brother, experience a fearful and bleak existence. Winston can see a large poster of Big Brother proclaiming "Big Brother is watching you" and the street below is painted as cold and unforgiving. Not to mention Winston can see all of the government ministry buildings. However, the Ministry of Love (in charge of punishment and law) intimidatingly stands out in Winston's mind and against the London skyline.

"The Ministry of Love was the really frightening one. There were no windows in it at all. . . .It was a place impossible to enter except on official business, and then only by penetrating through a maze of barbed-wire entanglements, steel doors, and hidden machine-gun nests."

This desolate and unyielding world outside Winston's apartment speaks to how Winston has weathered his wretched environment and can only rebel with small acts or thoughts.

No matter what, Winston can never wear his true thoughts on his sleeve because, in truth, Big Brother is always watching him and all other Party members.

What type of conflict is presented in Toni Cade Bambara's story "Raymond's Run" and how is it revealed?

The main type of conflict revealed in Toni Cade Bambara’s short story “Raymond’s Run” is inner conflict. The protagonist of the story, Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, known as Squeaky, faces and defeats conflict within herself.

Although Hazel is small in stature, she has a mighty attitude, and a need for perfection in her running. In her Harlem neighborhood, Squeaky often endures taunting from other children, and lives with her nickname, which is based on her high-pitched voice. In her group of classmates, she is not the best speller or the most musically talented, but she is the swiftest runner. She fiercely defends herself and her disabled brother, whom she cares for on a daily basis.

Squeaky deals with her inner demons as she reacts to the taunting of the other girls her age, and views the new girl, Gretchen, as an adversary to be reckoned with in the May Day Race. She does not understand how to be Gretchen’s friend. In fact, she is not a true friend to any of the girls because she sees them as frauds and competition. Hazel is devoted to practicing her craft and caring for Raymond, who is her constant companion, and whom she defends against any type of insult. Before the race, she sees her brother as someone who needs constant care, but she does not see his potential.

Only after the May Day Race, when Gretchen proves herself to be a viable competitor, does Squeaky realize that they have a common bond, and the ability to develop a meaningful friendship. In addition, she comes to see Raymond’s potential as a coachable runner. Although he was on the other side of the fence, he matches her stride for stride in the race. These two revelations help Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker come to terms with her inner conflict, and assist her in realizing that there is more to her young life than struggling with others. She and Gretchen exchange a “genuine” smile built on respect, and Squeaky thinks the two of them might even be able to coach Raymond together.

What kind of a letter did the kidnappers write to Ebeneezer Dorset? What were its contents?

Sam and Bill concoct a surprisingly credible and grammatically correct ransom letter. Ordinarily this would be effective, because it would show the father than he was dealing with intelligent men and not with a couple of ignorant hoodlums. The entire text of the letter Sam and Bill sent to Ebeneezer Dorset is shown below.

Ebenezer Dorset, Esq.:

We have your boy concealed in a place far from Summit. It is useless for you or the...

Ebenezer Dorset, Esq.:

We have your boy concealed in a place far from Summit. It is useless for you or the most skilful detectives to attempt to find him. Absolutely, the only terms on which you can have him restored to you are these: We demand fifteen hundred dollars in large bills for his return; the money to be left at midnight to-night at the same spot and in the same box as your reply--as hereinafter described. If you agree to these terms, send your answer in writing by a solitary messenger to-night at half-past eight o'clock. After crossing Owl Creek, on the road to Poplar Cove, there are three large trees about a hundred yards apart, close to the fence of the wheat field on the right-hand side. At the bottom of the fence-post, opposite the third tree, will be found a small pasteboard box.

The messenger will place the answer in this box and return immediately to Summit.

If you attempt any treachery or fail to comply with our demand as stated, you will never see your boy again.

If you pay the money as demanded, he will be returned to you safe and well within three hours. These terms are final, and if you do not accede to them no further communication will be attempted.

TWO DESPERATE MEN.

Bill had talked Sam out of asking for two thousand dollars because Bill was having such a hard time controlling the boy who called himself Red Chief that he was already desperate to get rid of him. The ransom letter demanded a reply at eight-thirty that night but gave Ebeneezer Dorset until midnight of that same night to pay the actual money. Sam's intention was to be hiding up in the tree above the spot where Dorset's messenger was supposed to leave the reply; but he gave him some extra hours in which to raise the fifteen-hundred-dollars in cash. Sam wanted to know exactly when the reply would arrive. He did not want to be seen crossing any open space in case Dorset should go to the law authorities and they should have a stakeout waiting. As it turned out, there was to be no ransom money. Dorset sent them a reply at exactly eight-thirty in which he stated that instead of paying them $1500, he would take his son off their hands if they paid him $250.

The story is based on heavy situational irony. The two kidnappers did not foresee what a problem they would have with their hostage. Neither did they foresee how indifferent a father might be to getting his son back. O. Henry may have given the father the first name of Ebeneezer as an allusion to Charles Dickens' miserly and hard-bargaining character Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

What's the setting of the story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London?

The story "To Build a Fire" takes place on the Yukon trail. The first line of the story is "Day had dawned cold and gray when the man turned aside from the main Yukon trail." Even for the Yukon, the day is very cold, and there is no sun. The Yukon lies under a thick blanket of snow and ice. The only thing that stands out in the whiteness of the snow is the black line marking the Yukon Trail, which travels 500 miles to the Chilcoot Pass and to salt water. It also leads 75 miles north to Dawson and then 1,500 miles further to the Bering Sea. The temperature is 75 degrees below zero, which does not mean much to the man in the story because he doesn't understand it. After all, he is a newcomer to the Yukon.

How does Tacitus's statement "The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws" connect to Animal Farm by George Orwell?

The statement, "The more corrupt the government, the more numerous the laws," directly reflects the environment created by the pigs after they usurped control of the farm.

When the pigs initially rise to power, two dominant pigs rule the animals: Snowball and Napoleon. Once Snowball is driven off the farm by Napoleon, Napoleon becomes corrupted by his absolute authority. To maintain his authority and oppress the other animals, Napoleon must subvert the initial "Seven Commandments"...

The statement, "The more corrupt the government, the more numerous the laws," directly reflects the environment created by the pigs after they usurped control of the farm.

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

As the pigs become corrupted by their power and their innate intelligence further divides them from the other animals, the pigs assume a more "human" role on the farm. They live in the farmer's former residence, sleep in beds, and consume alcohol.

To resolve their behaviors with the rules of Animalism and prevent a second revolution, the pigs systematically change and adapt the rules of Animalism to their needs. Commandment number four now reads, "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets." Commandment number six reads, "No animal shall kill any other animal WITHOUT CAUSE." Ultimately, the final commandment reads, "All animals are equal BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS."

This manipulation of the Commandments illustrates that, as a government becomes more corrupt, the laws are more numerous (and in this case, more convoluted).

A counterargument could be made that Tacitus's statement is in direct opposition to Animal Farm, though. In Chapter 10, the pigs replace the Seven Commandments with a single rule: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." At this point in the novel, the pigs are essentially behaving like people—they walk on two legs and Napoleon uses a whip. The pigs are at their most corrupt, but now only have one rule, which contradicts Tacitus's statement.

How did the visit to Baltimore change Helen's life in a great way?

Helen's parents thought a trip to Baltimore to see a prominent oculist would be the answer to their daughter's problems. After examining Helen's eyes, Dr. Chisholm delivered disappointing news: he could not help her eyesight. He did, however, give them information that would start a chain of events. This chain of events led Mr. and Mrs. Keller to hire Miss Annie Sullivan, the woman who became Helen's teacher.

Dr. Chisholm told Mr. and Mrs. Keller that...

Dr. Chisholm told Mr. and Mrs. Keller that Helen "could be educated, and advised [her] father to consult Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, of Washington, who would be able to give him information about schools and teachers of deaf or blind children" (Chapter III). They visited Dr. Bell, and he referred them to Mr. Anagnos of the Perkins Institution. This was a school for the blind located in Boston. They wrote to Mr. Anagnos, and he found Miss Sullivan to be Helen's teacher. Miss Sullivan taught Helen how to communicate, which changed her life. She remained Helen's teacher and companion for decades.

What is the metaphor in the Henry Phipps epitaph in Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters?

Henry Phipps's story is one with which many people, particularly in contemporary America, can probably identify: someone who spent his life making a lot of money for other people, though this deed provided him with no spiritual fulfillment. When he converted to Christianity, he thought that his newly found righteousness would save him. God, he believed, would reward him with longer life for his sacrifices, at the very least. Alas, this was not Henry's fate.

Henry worked with important people and maintained positions of leadership, though in rather unglamorous roles:

I was the Sunday school superintendent,

The dummy president of the wagon works

And the canning factory,

Acting for Thomas Rhodes and the banking clique;

My son the cashier of the bank,

Wedded to Rhodes' daughter,

My week days spent in making money...

He was not the actual president "of the wagon works / And the canning factory," but only a "dummy," a puppet figure who made appearances, but no actual decisions. He "[acted]" for others. His son, it seems, was also destined to a subordinate role. Though he is married to Rhodes's daughter, he is a mere cashier. Thomas Rhodes, whom we meet earlier in the anthology, is a thoughtless, insensitive man only concerned with accruing wealth. Henry acted in his service during the week, but his Sundays were spent "at church and in prayer," making it clear that he was devoted to spiritual fulfillment.

He was a man who did his duty, without questioning any of it, as he was cleansed of possible wrongdoing by his faith:

In everything a cog in the wheel of things-as-they-are:

Of money, master and man, made white

With the paint of the Christian creed.

Finally, the bank was destroyed. In its dilapidated state, it was revealed to be a thoroughly rotten machine, sullied and broken constantly from within and showing signs of shoddy patchwork:

The wheels with blow-holes stopped with putty

and painted;

The rotten bolts, the broken rods;

And only the hopper for souls fit to be used again

In a new devourer of life, when newspapers, judges and money-magicians

Build over again.

The "newspapers, judges and money-magicians" are the manipulators who lazily maintained the bank, who rendered Henry a mere cog within it, and who find new "souls" to feed it.

Henry was one such soul, "stripped to the bone," though he now lies "in the Rock of Ages." This line seems to refer to his commemoration in immortality. Perhaps, on his epitaph, there is a note dedicated to all of his hard work -- not that this matters to Henry, for he "[sees] now through the game" and is "no longer a dupe." His faith convinced him (using Proverbs 2:21 and 10:27 as inspiration) that his moral uprightness would be rewarded with long life, while the lives of those like Thomas Rhodes would be shortened.

Henry experiences a sort of existential crisis and lapse of faith when Dr. Meyers "discovered a cancer in [his] liver":

I was not, after all, the particular care of God!

His senses of singularity and justness are diminished by the revelation. He could stand to be a "cog," knowing that God took an interest in his existence. He discovered, on his deathbed, that this was not true.

He characterizes his life as a climb. On the cusp of death he is "standing on a peak." His mortal struggles are "the mists through which [he] had climbed." Alas, he is ready for "larger life in the world," or some discovery of meaning which will remain with him in the after-life. Instead, "eternal forces / Moved [him] on with a push." The "push" here seems not to be one of encouragement, but dismissal. Poor Henry is as neglected in death as he was in life.

Where did Gothic architecture originate?

According to Indiana University, Gothic architecture originated in the North of France. Specifically, this style of architecture began in Saint-Denis, a town to the north of Paris, when the local abbot, Suger, began a renovation of the eastern section of his abbey church. These renovations began in 1140 and, from its inception, it was clear that Suger's style was very different to what had gone before. This has led historians to credit Saint-Denis as...

Once the renovations at Saint-Denis were complete (by 1144), lots of buildings across France were commissioned in a similar fashion and, soon after, across Medieval Europe.

In "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury, is it fair for Eckels to die?

This question is asking about the final moments of the story. Eckels, Travis, and the rest of the safari group have returned to the present. Unfortunately, it is not the present that they left earlier that day. In the past, Eckels stepped on a butterfly which caused cataclysmic changes to occur in the timeline. Eckels is completely blown away that such a small change in the past could have such huge consequences. He begs for...

Eckels moaned. He dropped to his knees. He scrabbled at the golden butterfly with shaking fingers. "Can't we," he pleaded to the world, to himself, to the officials, to the Machine, "can't we take it back, can't we make it alive again? Can't we start over? Can't we-"

He did not move. Eyes shut, he waited, shivering. He heard Travis breathe loud in the room; he heard Travis shift his rifle, click the safety catch, and raise the weapon.

There was a sound of thunder.

Whether or not it is fair that Eckels dies is entirely up to individual reader opinion. You can safely state your opinion, but remember to explain why you think what you think.

Personally, I don't think it's fair or justified that Eckels dies. I believe that Travis shoots Eckels more out of anger and revenge than punishment. Nothing can be done about the changes that happened, so I don't feel that Travis shooting Eckels is a punishment. If it were a punishment, it's a useless punishment. It doesn't solve the problem in any way. Killing Eckels doesn't help the situation. Leaving Eckels alive won't cause any additional harm, either; therefore, I don't believe it is fair that Eckels dies.

What are three character traits of Tessie Hutchinson in the "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson? What can you infer about this character?

From her first appearance in the story, Tessie is shown to be a charismatic character. She shows up late to the lottery, but her absence doesn't go unnoticed. When she finally arrives, the crowd is said to have "separated good-humoredly to let her through", and some of the other villagers begin to let the others know of her arrival. When Tessie reaches her husband in the crowd, the following exchange takes place:

...

Mr. Summers, who had been waiting, said cheerfully, "Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie."

Mrs. Hutchinson said, grinning, "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?" and soft laughter ran through the crowd as the people stirred back into position after Mrs. Hutchinson's arrival.

Her reply to Mr. Summers' comment and the laughter that follows, along with the crowd's warm welcome, all indicate that Tessie is a charismatic character. It can be inferred that she has a strong presence in the village, perhaps because she is the ideal "housewife" type in this time period, as her first line was in reference to being late due to the dishes needing washing.

Tessie Hutchinson is also an outspoken character. When things start to unravel for her, she does not stay silent, but rather tries to start a debate on the subject. In response to her family's name getting picked for the lottery, she seems to have trouble keeping calm.

"I think we ought to start over," Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could. "I tell you it wasn't fair. You didn't give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that."

The mention that Tessie said these words "as quietly as she could" shows that she was having trouble keeping her voice calm and even, balancing her panic with her need for the village's cooperation.

"Tessie," Mr. Summers said. She hesitated for a minute, looking around defiantly, and then set her lips and went up to the box. She snatched a paper out and held it behind her.

Tessie also handled further action with resistance in the above passage, indicated by her hesitation, her defiant look, and the word "snatched" to describe the way she pulled the paper from the box.

On the other hand, this also makes Tessie seem like a selfish character, because while she arrived at the lottery in good spirits and willing to carry on with the ritual, she does not take the same attitude when it is her and her family that are put in danger.

While this may seem like a perfectly reasonable reaction for someone in Tessie's position, it speaks to her character in that she had no doubts about going forward with the lottery when she was out of harm's way. We can infer from her initial arrival to the lottery, when she was laughing and grinning with the others, that she would have stoned anyone else if they were chosen.

This, paired with her outspokenness, means that she refused to speak up about the sadistic nature of the lottery not because she was afraid, but because she thought nothing of it until it was her own life on the line. Her only motivation to speak up was the possibility of harm coming to herself or her family.

Therefore, using substantial evidence from the text and making logical inferences and connections, we can confidently say that Tessie Hutchinson can be considered a charismatic, outspoken, and selfish character.

Express `sqrt(20) - (45/sqrt(5))` in the form `k sqrt(a).`

In general, it is in bad form to have a radical in the denominator of a fraction. When you come across this, you must do what's called "rationalizing the denominator". The best way to ensure you get rid of the radical is to multiply your fraction by by a new fraction that has the radical in both the numerator and the denominator (and therefore has a value of 1). It would look like this:

`(45/sqrt(5))*(sqrt(5)/sqrt(5))`

...

`(45/sqrt(5))*(sqrt(5)/sqrt(5))`

It is very important to multiply the top and bottom of you original fraction by the same thing so that you don't change the value of the fraction!

Next you multiply your fractions together and get:

`(45sqrt(5))/(sqrt(5))^2=(45sqrt(5))/5=9sqrt(5)`

Now we are looking at the expression

`sqrt(20)-9sqrt(5)`

You are only allowed to add or subtract radicals that are the same. So we want to simplify the square root of 20 in the hopes that it will contain the square root of 5:

`sqrt(20)=sqrt(4*5)=sqrt(4)*sqrt(5)=2sqrt(5)`

Now we can simplify our expression. We only add or subtract the coefficients in front of the radical (and keep the radical the same):

`2sqrt(5)-9sqrt(5)=-7sqrt(5)`

So k=-7 and a=5

What is the character sketch of Dr. Roylott?

In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," Mr. Sherlock Holmes comes to suspect Dr. Grimesby Roylott of attempting to kill his stepdaughter. The first description of Dr. Roylott we receive comes from Miss Helen Stoner, who says that he is a hard man who must not know his own strength. She had previously mentioned that Dr. Roylott met and married her mother while working in India and now keeps many...

As soon as Miss Stoner has left Mr. Holmes' flat on Baker Street, Dr. Roylott bursts into the apartment in a fit of anger. He is described as a huge man with a large face, lots of wrinkles, a high and thin nose, and yellowish eyes and skin. He wears a top hat, a long coat, and rain boots. He is certainly an angry man, as he threatens Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson that if they investigate Helen's case, they will face his wrath.

As told in The Story of My Life, how did Helen keep herself occupied during the journey to Baltimore?

An illness left young Helen Keller deaf and blind. Her parents were determined to find help for their daughter. After doing some research, her "father heard of an eminent oculist in Baltimore, who had been successful in many cases that had seemed hopeless" (The Story of My Life, Chapter III). Hopeful, Helen's parents brought her on a train from Alabama to Baltimore. They hoped the oculist could recommend a treatment for Helen's eyesight....

Helen recalled many things about the train ride north. Many passengers on the train befriended young Helen. One woman gave her a box of seashells, which her father poked holes into so she could string them on a necklace. The conductor allowed Helen to follow him around, and he even let her play with his ticket puncher.

Her aunt also came along with them on the journey. To entertain Helen, she created a doll made from towels. Helen described the doll as being "the most comical, shapeless thing, this improvised doll, with no nose, mouth, ears or eyes–nothing that even the imagination of a child could convert into a face." Helen was particularly concerned about the doll's lack of eyes. She pulled two beads off her aunt's cape, and indicated that she wanted eyes for her doll. Her aunt sewed the beads onto the towel doll. Helen stayed entertained for most of the trip, and she was in good spirits.

What is elaboration in writing?

In the composition of essays, narratives, analyses, dissertations, etc., support and elaboration are essential in order to develop the main points of the work. Without elaboration, the support of the points of a composition are not explained or illustrated as they should be for understanding; consequently, the veracity and validity of the written work is greatly compromised.

According to Learn NC, two elements are necessary in elaboration: sufficiency and relatedness:

Sufficiency - There must be enough detail; in addition, the details need to be adequate and offer strong support.

Relatedness - The details that are used must be relevant to the support for the topic sentence. They also should be strong, substantial points.

_____________________________________________________________

For the purpose of illustrating what is meant, suppose a student must write on the following topic:

*Valuable Lessons That Scout and Jem Learned in To Kill a Mockingbird

After writing the introduction that ends with the thesis statement and its blueprint (the points that will become topic sentences), the student will need, then, to write the body of the essay. So, a topic sentence is composed from the first point of the blue print, which could be not to prejudge people.

Topic Sentence:

In her interpersonal relations, Scout has learned that she must
not pre-judge people; instead, she should try to
figuratively "climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Now, to support this topic sentence, the writer can use pertinent incidents from the narrative to support the point of not pre-judging, but being objective.

--At first, the children's perception of Boo Radley is generated from rumor and fears, but after they learn more about Boo, and Scout stands on his porch in the last chapter reflecting upon her experiences, she has "climbed into his skin."

(Next, this support needs elaboration; that is, writing that is rich in detail.)

Elaboration:

--Early in the narrative, Scout points to the Radley house as containing within it a "haint," or a "malevolent phantom." One winter, for example, when the azaleas froze in an unusual drop in temperature for southern Alabama, people maintained that Boo Radley had breathed on them. Or, whenever small, stealthy crimes were committed in the town, these acts were attributed to Boo Radley. In another instance, when a series of bizarre acts in the night were committed, acts that mutilated people's chickens and pets, these happenings were blamed on Boo Radley.
But, after Scout and Jem experience Boo's kind gestures of mending Jem's pants that he tears on the Radley fence and placing little "gifts" in the knothole of the Radley's tree which the children pass on their way home, they learn that Boo is really a thoughtful person. Later on, Boo's valiant act of rescuing Jem from the murderous hold of Bob Ewell teaches the children what a brave and kind person Arthur Radley truly is.

Are Shakespeare's views of human nature and interaction in Romeo and Juliet still relevant today?

Absolutely! Shakespeare shows us so much about human nature that still remains true today. He seems to have understood something vital about violence. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues, for example, is completely futile. No one seems to even remember exactly why the families are at odds, and the younger generation only seems to fight over some vague notion of family honor. Their violence and hate has unintended effects, wounding their own family...

Further, Shakespeare completely identifies the rash and impulsive intensity felt by young people, and he doesn't present it as something that needs to be stifled so much as understood. Whether or not the reader thinks that Romeo and Juliet are truly in love, whether they can truly be in love, is irrelevant. They believe that they are and if their parents, Juliet's especially, were more respectful of their feelings, then it seems likely that the couple never would have ended so tragically. Communication between parents and their adolescent children was apparently pretty difficult during Shakespeare's time, just as it is in ours, and he makes a compelling case for treating teenagers and their feelings with empathy and compassion rather than ridicule and judgment.

What are some predictions for the future of each character (Amanda, Laura, Tom, and Jim) in Williams' The Glass Menagerie?

The Glass Menagerie follows the closely intertwined lives of Amanda Wingfield and her adult children, Tom and Laura. Jim, Tom's coworker and Laura's former classmate, joins the family for dinner and the play continues by delving into the illusions each of the four main characters uses to survive in a harsh reality. While the play itself ends on a somber note with Tom leaving his family, as Amanda always feared he would, and Jim admitting that he is engaged and unable to court Laura, the final scene is very open-ended. This open-endedness has resulted in significant speculation on the future of each of the main characters.

Laura and Jim

Towards the end of the play, Jim tells Laura that she should be more confident in herself before kissing her. Although he soon after apologizes and admits that he is engaged, the depth of the conversation shared by these two characters gives reason to suggest that they might reconnect in the future. Jim does not seem fully happy in his relationship with his fiancee, and he is so taken with Laura's gentle spirit and kindness that it is conceivable that he will have a change of heart and pursue a relationship with her in the future. The play closes before we can determine what the impact of Tom's departure will have on the family, but it is certain that Laura and Amanda will continue to search for someone who can provide for them. The play ends on a somewhat hopeful note with Laura blowing out the candles, which is often a literary symbol for making a wish. In the future, Laura's wish for a stable life with Jim or someone else who appreciates her for who she is could come true.

Amanda

The play ends with Amanda's fantasy of Laura living the life she previously led as a sheltered Southern belle being shattered. It is heavily implied that she will continue to retreat into this fantasy world, remaining unable to accept the fact that Laura is disabled and she no longer belongs to the world of glamor and sophistication she grew up in. If Todd's abandonment forces Amanda to stand on her own, she may once again become part of reality and find her own way in the world. If not, it is likely that she will continue turning inward to her memories and that Todd will replace her ex-husband as the person she blames, somewhat rightly, for her sufferings in life.

Todd

As the primary character in the play, Todd's future is easier to speculate about than his family's and Jim's futures. At the end of the play, Todd leaves to pursue a career as a Merchant Marine, but guilt and memories of the family he left behind plague his new career from the beginning. It is reasonable to speculate that, given what we know of Todd's character, he will eventually return to his mother and sister. The Glass Menagerie is an autobiographical account of Tennessee Williams' own life and struggle to build a future for himself, despite being haunted by the needs of his family and his disabled sister. Williams viewed his sister as both a source of guilt and inspiration in his own career, so it is likely that Todd will develop a similar perspective as he continues through life.

As a whole, it is likely that the future for Todd, Amanda and Laura will be mixed with sadness as well as triumph. Todd's choice to leave will either be a catalyst for Amanda and Laura to carve out futures of their own or to become lost in their fantasies forever. Amanda's fantasy world is the decadence of her past, while Laura's is in her collection of glass animals and records. In this sense, Todd's future is far more certain than that of the two women in the play. His ability to move through the world as an able-bodied man, capable of controlling his own destiny, makes his future easier to predict, while Amanda and Laura must either succumb to the habits and misfortunes that have characterized their lives throughout the play or find a way to succeed in life against the odds that are stacked against them.

What does Sergius bet on in Arms and the Man?

This question refers to events in Act III, when Major Petkoff complains that he can't find his old coat. Catherine, his wife, insists that it's in the blue closet; Petkoff protests that he looked there and didn't find it. Catherine sends her servant, Nicola, to get the coat from the blue closet, and Petkoff responds by proposing a bet: He'll buy her "any piece of jewelry" against a "week's housekeeping money that the coat isn't...

Sergius eagerly responds, proposing to bet one of his horses -- "my best charger against an Arab mare for Raina that Nicola finds the coat in the blue closet."

We learn later that Sergius owns twenty horses, so this represents a sizeable bet for him. The choice is also characteristic of the image he wants to project. It's aristocratic, because fine horses are a status symbol of the nobility, and it reminds people of his reputation as a heroic cavalry officer. It suggests family intimacy, because he proposes to submit his winnings to Raina, Petkoff's daughter and Sergius's future wife. And it is chivalrous. Not only is he showing courtesy to the ladies (in pledging his winnings for Raina, and betting in favor of Catherine), the very word "chivalry" is derived from the French for "knight," a horseman warrior.

What are three motifs and one theme in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men?

One theme that prevails in Of Mice and Men is that, during the Great Depression, the American Dream failed in its idealism in an unfeeling, materialistic society.

With the setting of the 1930s, George and Lennie find themselves among the thousands of disenfranchised, itinerant men who went to California for jobs on ranches and farms. In their hearts, they entertain a hope of owning a little farm of their own where they can raise some animals and crops and "live off the land." According to Steinbeck, this dream is constantly threatened by capitalism and its class system. For instance, Curley is pugnacious and arrogant because, as the boss's son, he is confident enough to antagonize any of the men. In Scene 2, Curley approaches Lennie and goes into the slight crouch of a boxer and asks, "You the new guys the old man was waitin' for?" When George answers for Lennie, Curley "lashed his body around" and says,

"By Christ, he's gotta talk when he's spoke to. What the hell are you getting' into it for?"

"We travel together," said George coldly.

"Oh, so it's that way."

George was tense and motionless. "Yeah, it's that way."

Similarly, the mechanic Carlson bullies others because he is more confident in his position than the field hands who can be easily replaced. He shows little consideration for others' feelings. When he comes into the bunkhouse in Scene 3, he exclaims,

God, awmighty, that dog stinks. Get him outa here, Candy. I don't know nothin' that stinks as bad as an old dog. You gotta get him out.

With no regard for Candy's feelings, Carlson insists he be allowed to shoot the dog, and does so with Slim's approval.

George and Lennie try to "get a stake," but it is hard for them to save money. When Candy asks to join in on the ranch and offers to put up $300 he has in the bank, George begins to believe it might be a possibility to have a little place of their own. Lennie, the character Steinbeck created to represent the frustration and helplessness of men in a capitalistic society, inadvertently affects the failure of this dream.

Three motifs in Of Mice and Men are fraternity, loneliness/ insecurity, and women as temptresses.

—Fraternity

George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks's talk of working together toward having a place of their own almost becomes a reality. Whenever George recites their dream, they point with pride to their friendship:

Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. . . With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us (Scene 1).

Crooks, who is marginalized and made to stay in the barn, talks with Lennie. He speaks of his loneliness and explains the importance of fraternity:

A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you (Scene 4).

Crooks adds that a man needs someone else by whom to "measure" himself or tell him what he has seen.

—Loneliness/ Insecurity

The many bindle stiffs and dispossessed men of the Depression travel across the country from job to job. They have no stable home, and few even have friends. When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch, George looks cautiously around the bunkhouse. Candy, the old swamper, shows them their bunks. He is careful about what he says, but tells them Curley does not give anyone a chance.

Crooks is very lonely because he is forced to stay in the barn. While he is cruel to Lenny when he first enters the barn and starts into Crooks's room, Crooks soon talks with Lennie, and he even welcomes Candy, who has never entered his room. Crooks says he has only had two visitors the entire time he's lived in the barn.

Guys don't come into a colored man's room very much. Nobody been here but Slim. Slim an' the boss (Scene 4).

Curley's wife, the only woman on the ranch, is very lonely. When she enters the barn in Scene 4, Candy tries to get her to leave, as does Crooks, who tells her "We don't want no trouble." Curley's wife tells the men she, too, is lonely.

Well, I ain't giving you no trouble. Think I don't like to talk to somebody ever' once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time? (Scene 4)

—Women as Temptresses

George warns Lennie against women since they have had to flee the trouble in Weed. After Curley's wife stands in the doorway of the bunkhouse, George again warns Lennie, telling her to stay away from Curley's wife, who he describes as a "piece of jail bait." Indeed, Curley's wife is portrayed as a temptress:

She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. . . She smiled archly and twitched her body (Scene 2).

While Curley runs back and forth trying to locate his wife, George comments,

You give me a good whore house every time. . . A guy can go in an' get drunk and get ever'thing outa his system all at once, an' no messes. . . These here jail baits is just set on the trigger of the hoosegow (Scene 4).

When Curley's wife talks to Lennie in the barn, she laughs at his childishness. Thinking he is someone to toy with, she then asks him if he would like to touch her hair, which she claims is very soft.

This suggestion causes Lennie to stroke her hair with his powerful hands. When she becomes frightened by his strength and struggles, Lennie panics and tries to restrain her from crying out, accidentally breaking her neck.

Certainly, Lennie and George are unfortunate men in an unfortunate and cruel time in America.

In Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, how does Anne describes her classmates, and how does this show her ability to assess the character of...

Anne Frank is a very social girl who writes that her closest friends from the Jewish Secondary School are Lies Goosens an Jopie de Waal. On June 21, 1942, Anne writes about her classmates, worrying over testing and whether they will move up to the next level in school. She says the following about them:

"According to me, a quarter of the class should stay where they are; there are some absolute cuckoos, but teachers are the greatest freaks on earth, so perhaps they will be freakish in the right way for once. I'm not afraid about my girl friends and myself, we'll squeeze through somehow" (6).

It would be interesting to know specifically what Anne's definition of "freaks" is. The next entry tells about Anne being the chatterbox of the class, so maybe she is one of the reasons that the class is full of freaks. However, one can infer that since she believes that one quarter of the students should be held back, it is possible that "freaks" means to Anne that they are not smart enough, or capable enough, to move on in school. On the other hand, she also says the teachers can act "freakish," so these words could also connote acting in a different way than Anne feels they should. Either way, Anne seems to judge people according to her own prejudices and whether someone meets her expectations or not.

As far as the disclosure to Dussel of the rules for living in the annex, Anne writes them down in the entry dated 17 November, 1942. Anne cites the fact that the rules were produced by Mr. Van Daan and entitled, "Prospectus and Guide to the "Secret Annexe" (51). The listing reads like a luxurious vacation brochure or a rental advertisement, which is humorous because of the sad irony that the annex is anything but luxurious or a vacation spot. The "brochure" is sectioned off into categories such as "Board and lodging," "Special fat-free diet," "Running water," "Own radio center," "Rest hours," "Holidays," "Lessons," "Mealtimes," "Duties," "Baths," and "Alcoholic beverages." After each category, the rules are displayed, although the words ring with sarcasm that suggests the harsh reality they must really face. For example, under "Use of language" it says the following:

"Speak softly at all times, by order! All civilized languages are permitted, therefore no German!" (52).

This rule indirectly states that Germans are uncivilized, thereby making a political joke of the situation. Another funny comment regarding "Running water" says, "in the bathroom (alas, no bath) and down various inside and outside walls" (51). This comment creatively shows that even though they don't have a bath tub, one could find water leaking down the walls at any time for use. The rest of the rules follow the same pattern; the rule is given through some sort of sarcastic comment, which also reflects the irony of their situation. Anne ends the entry, however, by stating that she is grateful for what they do have in the annex because so many of her Jewish brothers and sisters do not have what they do.

In "Chee's Daughter" by Juanita Platero, why is Chee at a hard point in his life?

Chee is at a hard point in his life because his wife has just succumbed to the coughing sickness; her death, though not unexpected, has left him comfortless. To add to his grief, his wife's family has claimed Chee's little daughter for their own.

Chee's mother tells her son that there is nothing he can do about it, as the custom is that a little girl belongs to her mother's people. Undeterred, Chee goes to...

Chee's mother tells her son that there is nothing he can do about it, as the custom is that a little girl belongs to her mother's people. Undeterred, Chee goes to reason with his father-in-law, Old Man Fat, but he is unsuccessful in claiming his daughter back. So, not only is Chee bereft of his wife, but he has also lost custody of his little daughter.

In the end, Chee decides to earn his daughter back. He works the land and plants a variety of vegetables, believing what he has always been taught: "that a man took care of his land and it in turn took care of him." At the end of the season, after collecting a full harvest, Chee again approaches his in-laws. This time, however, the tables have been turned. His in-laws are no longer confident in their ability to earn an easy living. The trading post has been closed, and tourists have become scarce. This means that Old Man Fat can no longer collect rent from the trader who rented his strip of land, and he can no longer make money off of tourists.

When his in-laws see the wonderful harvest Chee has brought to them, they grudgingly consent to let Chee take his daughter back with him. So, with the harvest from his work in the fields, Chee is finally able to banish his grief by reclaiming the one who is most precious to him.

In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, does Ralph ever show interest in the welfare of the group? If yes, in which part of the novel?

Yes. Towards the end of Chapter 7, the majority of the boys are on an expedition to hunt pigs and find the beast. The boys continue to climb the mountain after missing an opportunity to kill a pig, and the sun begins to go down. Ralph notices that it is getting late and thinks about Piggy and the littluns on the other side of the island. Ralph imagines how scared Piggy and the littluns are and suggests that the group turn back while the sun is still out. Jack mocks Ralph for worrying about Piggy, but Ralph insists that someone head back through the forest to let Piggy know they will be back after dark. Fortunately, Simon volunteers to travel alone through the forest to bring the news to Piggy. Jack then tries to take the lead and insists the boys continue climbing the mountain. Ralph again thinks about the welfare of the boys by considering that there will not be enough light to traverse the rough terrain up the mountain. Ralph doesn't want any of the boys to hurt themselves climbing the dangerous path up the mountain at night. In both instances, Ralph shows interest in the welfare of the group of boys.

How are Snowball and Napoleon different in Animal Farm?

Snowball is more interested in having all animals collectively maintain the farm and benefit from it, while Napoleon just wants power.

From the beginning, Napoleon is scheming and Snowball seems clueless about it. Snowball seems to have bought in to Old Major’s vision of the farm, and is trying to make it happen. Napoleon, on the other hand, does nothing but create division and try to benefit himself.

Snowball also busied himself with organising the...

Snowball is more interested in having all animals collectively maintain the farm and benefit from it, while Napoleon just wants power.

Snowball also busied himself with organising the other animals into what he called Animal Committees. ... On the whole, these projects were a failure. The attempt to tame the wild creatures, for instance, broke down almost immediately. (Ch. 3)

Snowball wanted to get all of the animals educated. He succeeded in getting the pigs to read, and some of the other animals learned to read or learned the alphabet. The animals become divided on whether they agree with Snowball’s plans to build the windmill or Napoleon’s idea that it is a waste of time and effort.

Snowball and Napoleon become increasingly at odds. Eventually, Snowball can’t even make a speech without the sheep blurting out “Four legs good, two legs bad” to interrupt him. Napoleon and Squealer support them doing this.

Napoleon takes the puppies and trains them secretly to be his guard dog force. He uses them to run Snowball off, and then uses Snowball as a scapegoat for everything. Snowball never saw it coming. Napoleon goes from opposing the windmill to announcing it will be built.

On the third Sunday after Snowball's expulsion, the animals were somewhat surprised to hear Napoleon announce that the windmill was to be built after all. He did not give any reason for having changed his mind, but merely warned the animals that this extra task would mean very hard work, it might even be necessary to reduce their rations. (Ch. 5)

Squealer, Napoleon’s mouthpiece, tells the animals that Napoleon was never opposed to the windmill. Snowball was a traitor, working with Jones. If the animals do not work hard, Jones will come back.

In short, Snowball is idealistic and cares about all of the animals. Both Napoleon and Snowball are ambitious, but Napoleon's ambition is directed at getting power for himself. He knows how to use other animals, such as Squealer and the puppies, to make that happen.

What positive and negative arguments does Kipling offer in his defence of Western imperialism in "The White Man's Burden?"

In "The White Man's Burden," Kipling puts forward a number of positive arguments to encourage empire-building. In the fourth line, for example, Kipling suggests that the colonised people are in genuine need of rescuing ("to serve your captives' need"). So, by going abroad, the imperialists are, in fact, doing the native people a great service.

In addition, in lines 15 and 16, Kipling emphasises the financial benefits of imperialism:

To seek another's profit/And work another's...

In addition, in lines 15 and 16, Kipling emphasises the financial benefits of imperialism:

To seek another's profit/And work another's gain.

By this, he means that imperialists should exploit the natural resources and labour potential of lands abroad. This will bring them great financial rewards as well as creating a strong work ethic among the native people.

Imperialism does, however, come at a cost and Kipling outlines a number of negative arguments. In lines 2 and 3, for instance, Kipling admits that the imperialists must prepare to separate from their families when they colonise a country abroad ("Go send your sons to exile"). Furthermore, the people they encounter will have strange customs and beliefs and may be difficult to control, as we see in the following line:

Your new-caught sullen peoples/ Half-devil and half-child.

Finally, Kipling also refers to the negative impact that imperialism can have on a person's reputation. He does this in the final two lines of the poem when he talks about the "judgement" of peers. Kipling was, therefore, very aware that many people were opposed to imperialism but he believed that the positives of this practice far outweighed the negatives.

In the poem, "Mending Wall," why does Frost say there is something that does not love a wall?

Sometimes it's not a bad idea to look at a poem as a kind of mini-essay. In Frost's "Mending Wall," the narrator wants to make the point that the wall between himself and his neighbor benefits no one. This is his thesis. He presents a variety of points to support that thesis, and he even includes a counter-argument, the position his neighbor is taking on the matter. The narrator's first point is stated in the very first line and used again later in line 35, a kind of refrain and review. The "something" that does not love a wall is nature. Nature does not build walls, and when it encounters them, it seems to do its best to tear them down, with the cycles of freezing and thawing, "the frozen-ground spell under it" (line 2), which dislocates the bottom stones. He goes on to make the point that hunters are another problem, harming walls as they give chase to their prey, so it is pointless to maintain the wall. And he continues to make various points, arguing with his neighbor's position, which he provides for the reader, that walls are good, that "'Good fences make good neighbors'" (line 9). There is a great deal more to this poem, of course, than a rant against a wall. The wall represents to some degree our way of not letting nature take its course, to our detriment. The "mending" ritual represents the meaninglessness of so many of our interactions with one another. Nevertheless, whether one analyzes as an essay or a literary text, the point remains that nature is not fond of walls.

Who are the characters in From The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler?

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is an award-winning children's book that was published in 1967. It features three main characters: Claudia Kincaid, Jamie Kincaid, and Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Claudia Kincaid is the main character. She is the one who decides to run away from home and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and she is also the one who figures out how to do so. Claudia is also fascinated by a statue that originally belonged to Mrs. Frankweiler, and that part of the story leads to the end of the book.

Jamie Kincaid is Claudia's little brother. He is financially capable because he saves all his money. This is why Claudia chooses him as her companion on this adventure.

Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a wealthy widow. She allowed the museum to purchase a statue that could have been by Michelangelo for under $500. She is also eccentric; when Claudia and Jamie show up at her doorstep, using the last of their money, she lets them look in her oddly-arranged files, and they figure out where the information about the statue is.

There is one ancillary character, Saxonberg, who is Mrs. Frankweiler's lawyer. The book is Mrs. Frankweiler's account to her lawyer for why she wants to leave the statue information to Claudia.

In John Keats's ode "To Autumn," who are the "bosom-friends"? Why are they "conspiring"?

Keats's ode "To Autumn" is an apostrophe, which means it directly addresses someone or something absent or merely rhetorical. In this case, as the title of the poem indicates, the speaker addresses the season of autumn:

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun (ll.1-2)

The image describes the close friendship of autumn and the sun that has helped the crops to grow; together, they have "conspired" to produce the abundant...

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun (ll.1-2)

The image describes the close friendship of autumn and the sun that has helped the crops to grow; together, they have "conspired" to produce the abundant harvest detailed in the rest of the first stanza.

In establishing a personal relationship between inanimate entities, Keats introduces the personification of autumn that will run throughout the poem. Indeed, his use of apostrophe already endows the season with a degree of humanity, but it is enhanced in later stanzas as we see him sitting on the floor amidst the grain, napping in a meadow, and engaging in various harvest-time tasks. These actions depict autumn as a productive figure who can nevertheless stop to appreciate the beauty around him in the "winnowing wind" (l.15) or the "fume of poppies" (l.17).

This picture of a vibrant individual seems meant to contradict the hint of anxiety the speaker feels at the waning of the year that autumn brings, and the coming of winter, the metaphorical season of death. This hint is already present in the "maturing" sun of the second line - autumn and his best friend are not exactly young anymore. Yet the speaker urges autumn, "Think not of [the songs of spring], thou hast thy music too" (l.24). Although autumn is not the time of new birth symbolized by spring, the poem insists on the value of its different beauty. This assertion is perhaps especially poignant considering that this was one of the last poems Keats wrote before his early death of tuberculosis. So near the end of his life, the poem articulates the beauty and richness still to be found in maturity and endings.

Do you agree with the Supreme Court's majority ruling that the Westboro Baptist Church has every right to protest at soldiers' funerals? Why or...

The First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The idea behind freedom of speech is that citizens need to know they have the right to state their opinions without governmental limitations. This is a valuable freedom because it allows citizens to have a voice in changing unjust laws. Had there not been freedom of speech, the Civil Rights movement would have been significantly impeded, especially in the South.

This amendment doesn't allow limitations on free speech, even if the nature of the speech is heinous. I consider what Westboro Baptist Church does to be morally wrong, especially from a Christian perspective. In the Gospels, the four books of the Bible that describe Jesus Christ's life, Jesus had plenty of opportunities to speak out against sinners and even have them killed. For example, a woman was brought to Jesus because she was caught in adultery, a crime punishable by death at that time.

And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (John 8:3-11, King James Version).

The Westboro Baptist Church does not show the kind of love, mercy, and understanding that Jesus did. From a moral standpoint, Westboro Baptist Church members are completely in the wrong.

Despite the fact that Westboro Baptist Church is morally wrong, if freedom of speech is compromised because someone uses it aggressively to hurt others, our country will ultimately lose the ability to improve justice over time.

When we have freedom of speech, we have to allow crackpots to speak. We don't have to listen to them, we don't have to choose to associate with them, we can use our freedom of speech to criticize them, and we can encourage people to find a different church to attend, but the long-term safety of this country depends on people being able to speak their minds.

In The Merchant of Venice, what reasons are given by Salarino and Salanio for Antonio's depressed state in Act 1, scene 1?

Antonio's two friends suggest a variety of reasons for his somber mood. A condition he, himself is at a loss to explain. He tells them at the beginning of the scene:

In sooth, I know not why I am so sad:
It wearies me; you say it wearies you;
But how I caught it, found it, or came by it,
What stuff 'tis made of, whereof it is born,
I am to learn;
And such a want-wit sadness makes of me,
That I have much ado to know myself.

He admits that his sadness is wearisome for both he and his friends but he does not understand why he feels as he does and that he is at sixes and sevens and needs to learn much about himself to understand his melancholy.

Salarino proposes that Antonio might be concerned about his merchandise at sea. Since he is a sea-merchant, he should surely be concerned about the vagaries of the oceans. Salanio adds that if he were in the same situation, he would be constantly anxious about the direction of the wind and that he would be so worried about every possible risk that, indeed, he would be sad as a result.

Salarino then continues in the same vein, stating that he would be apprehensive about every possible weather condition. He would want to know which way the wind blows or if there is a stillness at sea which could hamper a speedy journey. He would want to know whether there are dangerous rocks or shallow waters which might further impede the delivery of his obviously precious cargo. He asks a rhetorical question in which he expresses the idea that it would only be natural that if one is in such a state of bother that one would obviously be sad.

Antonio, however, assures the two gentleman that it is definitely not his ventures at sea which worry him. He mentions that he is very fortunate in this regard since he has not invested his entire fortune in only one ship or one destination, but that he has a number of ships sailing to a variety of ports. He is confident that his ventures will be a success since he has not placed all his eggs in one basket.

Salarino then suggests that Antonio then might be in love but the merchant rejects the idea as nonsense. Salarino then cleverly and cryptically suggests that if Antonio is not in love either, then he must be sad because he is not happy. It is just as easy as it would be to say that he is laughing and jumping with joy because he is not sad. The suggestion is, of course, meaningless and is obviously an attempt to lighten Antonio's mood.

Salarino then alludes to Janus, the two-faced god and suggests that there are some people who have the strange nature of laughing at practically anything, whilst there are others who will remain sour and not even produce as much as a hint of a smile even though Nestor (a character from Greek mythology who was wont to give advice) would have said that there is much to laugh about if a joke had been told.

Antonio's discussion with the two indicates his naive confidence in destiny. He emphatically believes that fortune will smile in his favor. It is this belief that later drives him into freely signing a bond with extremely punitive conditions with the moneylender Shylock, as a favor to his friend and confidante, Bassanio. Central to this agreement is that Antonio will have to forfeit a pound of his flesh to Shylock if he should not meet the terms of the bond. Unfortunately, it later seems that Antonio might have tempted fate too much and things go horribly awry. But that is another story.

Express sin32+sin54 as sum or difference.

Hello!

This expression is already a sum of two numbers, `sin(32)` and `sin(54).` Probably you want or express it as a product, or as an expression involving trigonometric functions of sum or difference of the arguments, `32` and `54.`

For this, we need the well-known formula

`sin(x) + sin(y) = 2sin((x+y)/2)cos((x-y)/2),`

which is true for any real `x` and `y.`

For the given numbers it gives us

`sin(32) + sin(54) = 2sin((32+54)/2)cos((32-54)/2) =`

`= 2sin(43)cos(-11)...

Hello!

For this, we need the well-known formula

`sin(x) + sin(y) = 2sin((x+y)/2)cos((x-y)/2),`

which is true for any real `x` and `y.`

For the given numbers it gives us

`sin(32) + sin(54) = 2sin((32+54)/2)cos((32-54)/2) =`

`= 2sin(43)cos(-11) = 2sin(43)cos(11).`

If you misspelled the expression, and it is actually `sin(32)*sin(54),` then we really can express it as a sum with the help of the formula

`sin(x)sin(y) = 1/2(cos(x-y)-cos(x+y)),`

for the given numbers it is

`sin(32)sin(54) = 1/2(cos(-22)-cos(86)) = 1/2(cos(22)-cos(86)).`

How did the Robinson family always have a fresh turtle in The Swiss Family Robinson?

The answer to this question can be found in Chapter 20 of The Swiss Family Robinson, at least by the way the chapters are numbered in our summary. Different versions are divided into chapters in different ways. The answer is, for example, found in Chapter 9 of the Gutenberg version in the link below. The Robinson family is always able to have fresh sea turtle because they capture the turtles but keep them alive...

This happens at one point while the family is at Tentholm, on the beach. They discover that turtles often come on shore to lay eggs there. When more than one turtle would come up, they would sometimes catch the turtles and tie them up. They would drill a hole in the turtle’s shell and would use the hole to tie the turtles up with rope. As the book says, the family would

fasten them to a stake, driven in close by the water's edge, by a cord passed through a hole in their shell.

The cords must have been long enough to allow the turtles to swim around and find food because the turtles “throve well” in this set-up and were still in great condition after weeks of captivity. By tying the turtles up like this rather than killing them immediately, the family was able to have fresh turtle more often.

Why did the man in the doorway start speaking to the policeman in "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

Bob speaks to the policeman because he doesn’t want his behavior to raise suspicion.

Jimmy and Bob have been friends for a long time. They made a date twenty years before to meet on a certain spot on a certain date. When Bob arrives, having gone out west, he discovers that the restaurant is now a hardware store. He wants to keep his date, so he stays in the doorway of the now-closed hardware store.

...

Bob speaks to the policeman because he doesn’t want his behavior to raise suspicion.

When Bob sees the policeman, he doesn’t want his behavior to seem suspicious. Bob is a criminal, so he is used to acting suspiciously and being suspected. He calls out the policemen to let him know what he is doing there. He speaks “quickly” when the cop walks toward him.

“It’s all right, officer,” he said. “I’m waiting for a friend. Twenty years ago we agreed to meet here tonight. It sounds strange to you, doesn’t it? I’ll explain if you want to be sure that everything’s all right. About twenty years ago there was a restaurant where this shop stands. ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant.”

The two of them have a discussion about the restaurant and the date between Jimmy and Bob, but the policeman never introduces himself. He just comments that twenty years is a long time between meetings. Bob expounds on Jimmy’s traits, explaining what a good friend he is.

“… I moved around everywhere, and I moved quickly. But I know that Jimmy will meet me here if he can. He was as true as any man in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand here tonight. But I’ll be glad about that, if my old friend comes too.”

The policeman moves on, and a man shows up pretending to be Jimmy. Bob gets wise when he realizes that the man looks too different from his old friend. He then hands Bob a note from Jimmy explaining that Jimmy was actually the policeman he talked to earlier. He recognized him as the criminal wanted in Chicago, but did not want to arrest him himself, so he got another cop to do it. That's what friends are for.

What are the differences and similarities between Stanley and Zero in Louis Sachar's Holes?

Stanley "Caveman" Yelnats and Zero are first and foremost bound by the crime for which Stanley is doing time at Camp Green Lake. Stanley is wrongfully accused of stealing a pair of sneakers—shoes which, in reality, Zero had stolen out of desperation. The intersection of their personal and family histories both happened to land them at the same juvenile detention center. Once there, it is clear that both Stanley and Zero possess personal grit and...

Their differences lie in their environments of origin and their upbringing. Zero is extremely uneducated and comes from a place of poverty (having been left homeless after his mother abandoned him), whereas Stanley has attended school, possesses a family, and is comfortable enough, although not by any means rich. Zero is the best digger at the camp despite his small stature, whereas Stanley possesses more intellectual acumen.

How does gender relate to globalization?

One effect of globalization on gender dynamics is the increase in employment for women, which is often exploitative of women in developing countries. The "feminization of labor" refers to the effects of globalization on women's work participation. Globalization has resulted in more flexible employment, which makes it easier for women with children to work, but with lower wages and deteriorating labor standards. While women have access to more jobs in the globalized economy, they are performing these jobs for lower pay in worse conditions than men in their countries, and without a decrease in their share of domestic and child-related responsibilities. Globalization has not solved other employment-related problems for women, including gendered segregation of occupation, the gender wage gap, and lack of job training. In many countries exploited for resources under globalization, including those in Latin America and East Asia, women are increasingly segregated to low-wage labor in the textile and garment industries.

What happened at Pearl Harbor and why is it significant?

December 7, 1941, was an important day in U.S. History. On that day, Japan attacked the United States by launching an attack at our main military base in the Pacific Ocean at Pearl Harbor.

The United States and Japan had been heading toward conflict prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States stopped selling Japan oil and scrap metal once the Export Control Act was passed in 1940. The United States also froze...

December 7, 1941, was an important day in U.S. History. On that day, Japan attacked the United States by launching an attack at our main military base in the Pacific Ocean at Pearl Harbor.

The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. The US could now openly help Great Britain in its fight against Germany and Italy. The US also had to respond to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The US went into wartime mode, producing materials to rebuild its military in the Pacific and help the Allies fight in Europe. People within the US had to make sacrifice; certain products were rationed, and people loaned money to the government. People also grew their own vegetables in Victory Gardens to help conserve food and make more food available for the military. The US instituted a battle strategy against Germany, Italy, and Japan. This strategy included fighting in North Africa, seizing Italy, controlling the Atlantic, freeing France, and invading Germany. In the Pacific, the US wanted to recapture islands one at a time in a strategy known as island hopping. This would then set the US up for an attack on Japan. With the United States' help, the Allies were able to defeat the Axis Powers in World War II.

What was the context in which Conrad's Heart of Darkness was written?

Heart of Darkness was published in 1899 as a serial and in 1902 as a book. During this time, the Congo Free State, where the novella takes place, was controlled by King Leopold II of Belgium as his personal domain. While he told the world he was a humanitarian, in reality, Leopold oversaw the extraction of ivory, rubber, and other valuable materials from the area under brutal conditions. While stating that he had outlawed slavery in the area, he employed a private police force to ensure that the local people met quotas for extracting rubber, and this force turned to flogging, rape, and murder to do so. They would also cut off the hands of children as part of their campaign of brutality. In 1903, Roger Casement, a worker in the British Foreign Office, published a report, called the Casement Report, that documented Leopold's abuses. As a result of this report, the Congo Reform Association was formed to publicize Leopold's actions, and, in 1908, the Congo was taken away from Leopold and became a Belgian colony known as the Belgian Congo.

How does the quote "We were both chumps. But you know what? It's not so bad when you're chumps together" fit into the novel "Okay for Now"?

This quote on page 330 of Gary D. Schmidt's novel "Okay For Now" represents a pivotal point in the life of the protagonist, Doug. In the novel, Doug has just moved to a new town with his abusive father and loser brother, and he is feeling lost. For once, he has a place in life and is experiencing real friendship with a local girl, Lil Spicer. She has procured him a job at the deli her parents own and he has begun to forge relationships with all the locals in Marysville that make him feel connected to the town in a way that he never expected. Lil, it seems, has had an extremely positive influence on his life, and is single-handedly responsible for everything good that is happening to him.

At this point in the book, however, she has experienced a tragic illness and is in the hospital fighting for her life. Doug visits her, but her illness has affected his newfound happiness in unexpected ways that make him feel like a "chump." The use of the word "chump" is significant because it refers to someone who feels stupid or foolish; in this case, Doug feels like a chump for believing that everything could end well for him. He feels foolish for allowing himself to be lead into a false sense of security and for letting himself experience happiness for the first time in a long time.

First, he feels like a chump because even when Mr. Spicer has to fire him to pay Lil's hospital bills, he offers to stay on for free. Then, when the neighbors ask about her, he almost bursts into tears, which makes him feel foolish. When he
returns to the deli and sees Mrs. Spicer crying, he cries and feels a little less foolish because they are "chumps together," meaning that they are crying and acting foolish together.

What is the role of the chorus in Antigone?

The first thing to note is that Greek tragedy evolved out of choral performance. Having actors who played individual roles was an innovation that began within Sophocles' own lifetime. You could even argue that the chorus is the center of the drama.

The chorus first serves as a form of spectacle, as in ancient productions choral odes were sung with the chorus dancing as they sang. This song and dance was deeply rooted in tradition...

The chorus first serves as a form of spectacle, as in ancient productions choral odes were sung with the chorus dancing as they sang. This song and dance was deeply rooted in tradition and religious ritual and thus emphasizes the sacred roots of tragedy. As Sophocles' plays were originally performed at a festival in honor of Dionysus, in a religious rather than secular context, the chorus functions to celebrate the gods and often expresses a particularly pious viewpoint, thinking about how the gods might be connected with or concerned about various events in the play. On a dramatic level, they often function as a narrative voice, explaining what happened before the start of the play and discussing events that occur offstage.

Finally, the chorus expresses the viewpoint of "everyman", of the society as a whole as an organic construct with certain beliefs and moral values. While both Creon and Antigone are outliers in their viewpoints, with Creon more rational and pragmatic than average and more an advocate of human rational law than tradition and Antigone more personally religious and devoted to family than average and more willing to rebel against human convention, the chorus expresses what would have been the "common sense" viewpoint of the period, against which we can judge more extreme positions.

What is the point of view in the short story "A Problem" by Anton Chekhov?

The point of view in Chekhov's story "A Problem" is that of the young college student Sasha Uskov, although Chekhov does not make this fact conspicuous. Sasha is sitting "in the hall by the door leading to the study," where his relatives are very heatedly discussing a problem the young man has created by cashing a "false promissory note" at a bank. This sort of thing could not be done in modern America, but evidently it was common in Russia at the time. Sasha had created a promissory note and forged another name to it. It other words it looked as if the other person owed Sasha that sume of money. Then he had cashed the note at a bank at a discount. He had intended to redeem the note before it became due, but when the due-date arrived he didn't have the money he had expected. The family is in an uproar because this is a criminal offense. They either have to pay to redeem the delinquent note or let the young man go on trial. The reason we know that this story is being told from Sasha's point of view is that Sasha can hear everything through the door.

Sasha Uskov sat at the door and listened. He felt neither terror, shame, nor depression, but only weariness and inward emptiness. It seemed to him that it made absolutely no difference to him whether they forgave him or not; he had come here to hear his sentence and to explain himself simply because kind-hearted Ivan Markovitch had begged him to do so. He was not afraid of the future. It made no difference to him where he was: here in the hall, in prison, or in Siberia.

Chekhov not only shows that Sasha can hear everything that is going on in the study, but he also describes the young man's thoughts and feelings. Then eventually Sasha is called into the study to be cross-examined and upbraided by the family.

Sasha went into the study. The official of the Treasury was sitting down; the Colonel was standing before the table with one hand in his pocket and one knee on a chair. It was smoky and stifling in the study. Sasha did not look at the official or the Colonel; he felt suddenly ashamed and uncomfortable.

So then Sasha can not only hear the people in the study but can see them and talk to them. It is unmistakably in his point of view. After Sasha leaves the study again, he has interactions with various family members, including especially his uncle Ivan Markovitch, and he overhears other family members, including his own mother.

unseen in the study at that moment...the unhappy, saintly woman was weeping, grieving, and begging for her boy.

Everything that occurs in the story can be assumed to be seen, heard, or felt by the principal character Sasha Uskov, who ironically does not display much of an emotional reaction to the nearly hysterical behavior of his gathering of close relatives. Although Sasha has created "a problem" for the entire family, he does not seem to regard it as his problem at all.