Describe the character traits of Okonkwo, Nwoye, Obierika.

Okonkwois an insensitive, powerful individual who is attracted to violence. He is also a proud man who values titles and prestige throughout his tribe. Despite Okonkwo's achievements, he is ignorant and continually loses his temper. Okonkwo's anger stems from his insecurity. Okonkwo fears becoming like his father and deliberately represses his emotions in order to appear masculine. Okonkwo thrives off of emotion and struggles to communicate with others. His quick temper and stubbornness result...

Okonkwo is an insensitive, powerful individual who is attracted to violence. He is also a proud man who values titles and prestige throughout his tribe. Despite Okonkwo's achievements, he is ignorant and continually loses his temper. Okonkwo's anger stems from his insecurity. Okonkwo fears becoming like his father and deliberately represses his emotions in order to appear masculine. Okonkwo thrives off of emotion and struggles to communicate with others. His quick temper and stubbornness result in his downfall.

Nwoye is Okonkwo’s naive son. Throughout the novel, Nwoye does not understand Umuofia's culture and is confused about the fate of the twins and death of Ikemefuna. He is also sensitive and does not share Okonkwo's affinity for violence. Unlike Okonkwo, Nwoye is sympathetic and gentle. Nwoye eventually decides to join the Christian church in order to find a peaceful, structured life.

Obierika is Okonkwo's trustworthy, reasonable friend. Unlike Okonkwo, Obierika is thoughtful and intelligent. He is also compassionate and selfless. He tries his best to help his family, Okonkwo, and his tribe throughout the novel. Obierika gives Okonkwo advice and shares his wisdom, but Okonkwo rarely listens to him.

Fairmont has a linear domestic supply and linear demand for sneakers. The world price for sneakers is $5. Fairmont is at first a closed economy...

The key here is to realize that the world price is going to hit the (domestic) demand curve further along than it hits the supply curve; that difference is the amount imported. It actually looks a lot like a price ceiling on the graph, only that gap isn't deadweight loss from transactions that don't happen; it's now gains from trade.

Thanks for giving me the demand function. I've graphed it in blue.

We aren't given the supply curve, but we can infer it because we're told that it is linear. Initially we are selling 30 units at $10; after opening trade we are selling 15 units at $5. So the supply curve must be the line that connects those two points, which is just P = 1/3Q. (I've drawn that in red.)

Once we open trade, we add a line for the world price of $5, which like I said acts a bit like a price ceiling. (I've drawn that in green.)

Now we add a tariff of $2, which effectively raises the world price to $7. (I've drawn that in a lighter green.) Notice how the total quantity purchased (where $7 intersects the demand curve) has decreased to 36 units instead of 40 units.

Domestic production has risen, to where $7 intersects the supply curve, at 21 units. Imports have therefore fallen, from 25 units to 15 units. (Vertical lines in orange show these cutoffs.)

This does make the domestic suppliers better off; their producer surplus rises by the (trapezoidal) segment to the left of the supply curve. It reduces the consumer surplus by the total (trapezoidal) segment to the right of the supply curve. It raises revenue for the government, but only on the 15 units actually sold, a rectangular segment which is $2 by 15 units.

As a result, there is a deadweight loss segment, which is two triangles (shaded in orange). Each has a height of $7-$2. One has a width of 40-36 = 4 units, while the other has a width of 21-15 = 6 units.Thus the total deadweight loss is the area of those two triangles, 1/2($2)(4) + 1/2($2)(6) = $10. Therefore choice C is correct.

In general, if the government could find a way to redistribute income from the buyers to the sellers without the tariff, and with no other market distortions, they could achieve a Pareto improvement relative to the tariff.

What might a 2016 Magna Carta look like?

Signed in 1215, the original Magna Carta was one of the first Western legal documents to protect the rights of the individual against the power of a despotic ruler. The rights it offered--such as the right to a swift and fair trial--seem rather basic to us today, but in 1215 they were radical. A 2016 Magna Carta would hopefully preserve the radical spirit of the original and present a robust protection of the liberties of...

Signed in 1215, the original Magna Carta was one of the first Western legal documents to protect the rights of the individual against the power of a despotic ruler. The rights it offered--such as the right to a swift and fair trial--seem rather basic to us today, but in 1215 they were radical. A 2016 Magna Carta would hopefully preserve the radical spirit of the original and present a robust protection of the liberties of the individual. Here are some ways a new Magna Carta might seek to do this:

• Prohibit forced service in the armed forces (conscription, more commonly known as "the draft")


• Prohibit government surveillance of citizens without a warrant


• Prohibit civil asset forfeiture, which allows the government to confiscate a person's property without convicting him or her of a crime


• Prohibit official government discrimination against individuals for any reason, such as belonging to an unpopular or anti-government group

Why is Bob's nickname "Silky" Bob in "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

Even Bob's first name is not mentioned until near the end of the story, and the nickname "Silky" Bob is mentioned only once. This is when the plainclothes detective tells him, 

You've been under arrest for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob.

Bob's last name is never mentioned in the story. O. Henry has some reason for not wanting to identify Bob by his name. This is undoubtedly because Bob is continually on the lam and probably uses many different names. Jimmy Wells, of course, would know Bob's last name, but he cannot call him by his first name, last name, or nickname when he is talking to him in front of the hardware store because he has quickly decided not to reveal who he is or that he knows who Bob is. Jimmy makes this decision when Bob lights his cigar and Jimmy sees that his old friend is the man who is wanted by the Chicago police. From that point on, there is no exchange of names. Bob speaks of Jimmy Wells, but he does not know he is talking to Jimmy Wells. Bob is called "the man" and "the other," and at one point he is called "the man from the West," but he is not called Bob until the arresting officer arrives on the scene and calls out:

“Is that you, Bob?” he asked, doubtfully.

The plainclothes detective only knows the name because Jimmy Wells has told it to him. O. Henry could not have had Jimmy addressing Bob by name because Jimmy was pretending he didn't know him. Bob would have had no reason to introduce himself by name to a strange cop unless asked to show some form of identification. Both Jimmy Wells and Bob's identities are unknown to the reader until near the end of the story, which is O. Henry's intention because he wants a surprise ending.

Bob probably got the nickname 'Silky' Bob for two reasons. One is because he is apparently a smooth talker, as he demonstrates when he encounters the cop while he is standing in the hardware-store doorway. Bob is slick. He is like silk. Another reason is that Bob has a taste for luxuries, as demonstrated by the diamond scarf-pin he is wearing and his diamond- studded pocket watch. He probably also favors silk clothing. This would easily get him the nickname 'Silky' Bob in underworld circles. Crooks generally go only by their first names or a nickname to avoid being caught.

The word 'Silky' appears only once. The plainclothes detective has to show that he knows the man he is arresting. He has to make a positive I.D. This is why O. Henry has him say,

You've been under arrest for ten minutes, "Silky" Bob.

It may be that the Chicago police do not even know Bob's last name but have identified Bob in their telegram as "Silky" Bob. This would be sufficient for the New York detective to arrest Bob, although Jimmy Wells could supply Bob's last name when booking him. Bob might have many reasons for wanting his last name to be unknown, and Jimmy could cause him a lot of trouble all over the Midwest when he reveals what it is. If Bob is wanted by the Chicago police, he may very well be wanted by the police in a lot of other towns.

What are some examples of the generation gap and its effects in Romeo and Juliet?

The effects of the "generation gap" in Romeo and Juliet are complex. On the one hand, we clearly witness Juliet rebelling against her father and mother through her romance and marriage to Romeo. She openly defies them in Act III after Tybalt's death when her father tells her of her arranged marriage to Paris, and her father responds with rage and exasperation with his young daughter:

Wife, we scarce thought us blestThat God had...

The effects of the "generation gap" in Romeo and Juliet are complex. On the one hand, we clearly witness Juliet rebelling against her father and mother through her romance and marriage to Romeo. She openly defies them in Act III after Tybalt's death when her father tells her of her arranged marriage to Paris, and her father responds with rage and exasperation with his young daughter:

Wife, we scarce thought us blest
That God had lent us but this only child;
But now I see this one is one too much,
And that we have a curse in having her.

Though Romeo's relationship with his parents is not fully explored in the play, he also goes against his family by marrying Juliet. Of course, there is a powerful sense in which the young people of the play are bound by the traditional hatreds of their elders, and Romeo and Juliet reject these hatreds through their marriage and their deaths, which ironically reconcile the two families. On the other hand, we witness another dimension to the generation gap at the Capulet family masque, when Lord Capulet restrains the hot-blooded Tybalt from attacking Romeo, who has decided to show up for the party. This fateful decision results in Romeo's meeting with Juliet. Friar Laurence also remarks on the impulsiveness of young love throughout the play, as does the Nurse. So the relationship between young people and their elders is very complex, and always shaped by the ancient hatred between the Capulets and Montagues that dooms the young lovers. 

In Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, what are three effects Maniac Magee has on the Beale household?

Amanda loses her bedroom, Hester and Lester are better behaved, and Maniac helps with the chores.

Maniac becomes a part of the Beale family.  He reads to Hester and Lester, who love having an older boy in the house. Maniac is a role model. 

He was there when Hester and Lester came screaming down the stairs with a book, Amanda screaming even louder after them, the kids shoving the book and themselves onto Maniac's lap,...

Amanda loses her bedroom, Hester and Lester are better behaved, and Maniac helps with the chores.

Maniac becomes a part of the Beale family.  He reads to Hester and Lester, who love having an older boy in the house. Maniac is a role model. 

He was there when Hester and Lester came screaming down the stairs with a book, Amanda screaming even louder after them, the kids shoving the book and themselves onto Maniac's lap, Amanda finally calming down because they didn't want to crayon the book, they only wanted Maniac to read. (Ch. 13) 

Hester and Lester soon lose interest in “crayoning everything in sight,” as a matter of fact.  Amanda even starts to leave her books at home during the day. 

Maniac also takes over Amanda’s room, and Amanda moves in with them, but they do not mind at all.  They get to sleep in the bed with Amanda.  You would think that she would mind, but this seems to be the time that Amanda actually likes her younger siblings.  She enjoys sharing her room with them. 

Maniac fits in as if he belongs at the Beale house and has always been there.  He also does chores, including taking out the trash and mowing the grass.  He is very neat.  His room is clean, and he puts the cap on the toothpaste tube.

He played with the little ones and read them stories and taught them things. He took Bow Wow out for runs and he did the dishes without anybody asking. (Which made Amanda feel guilty, so she started to dry.) (Ch. 14) 

Maniac unties Hester and Lester’s shoelaces, which are always in knots.  He also is able to get them to take a bath without Amanda.  They generally become much more manageable with this heroic older brother figure in the house.

In "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde, what does the ghost's honorable burial tell us about basic human traits?

In Chapter Seven of the story, the Canterville ghost is buried in a "wonderfully impressive" ceremony at Canterville Chase. This about-turn in the treatment of the Canterville ghost illustrates an important point about human nature: that people are prepared to forgive any sin, so long as there is atonement. We see this most clearly in Chapter Five when the Canterville ghost admits to all manner of sins, including the murder of his wife, to Virginia...

In Chapter Seven of the story, the Canterville ghost is buried in a "wonderfully impressive" ceremony at Canterville Chase. This about-turn in the treatment of the Canterville ghost illustrates an important point about human nature: that people are prepared to forgive any sin, so long as there is atonement. We see this most clearly in Chapter Five when the Canterville ghost admits to all manner of sins, including the murder of his wife, to Virginia Otis. Despite her disgust towards his many atrocities, Virginia realises that the ghost genuinely seeks forgiveness and thus agrees to help him to enter the Garden of Death. This is not only evidence of her kind and generous nature but also of Wilde's message that no sin is too great to be forgiven. Furthermore, it is this idea of forgiveness which brings about the story's climax when the Canterville and Otis families are reconciled at the ghost's grandiose funeral.