Why do managers need to know about elasticity of demand?

In fact, a manager must take into account the factors that influence the demand of a product to be more or less elastic.

For example, the type of needs satisfied by the product can influence the demand. If the product is of first necessity,the demand is inelastic, the product being bought, whatever the price. In return, if the product is luxury, the demand will be elastic, and if the price will increase slightly, more consumers would be able not to purchase it anymore.

Also, if there are  substitute products on market, their demand will be very elastic. For example, a small increase in price of olive oil can cause to a large number of women to decide to use sunflower oil, instead of olive oil.

Another factor that may influence the elasticity of demand  is asset's importance, in terms of cost. If the expenditure on that asset requires a very small percentage of their income, their demand will be inelastic. For example,the pencil. Variations in it's price  influence very little the consumer decision of buying it.

But it should be mentioned that there are different classes of elasticity. Phenomenon we've analyzed and called "elasticity" we should have been called "elasticity-price" , because it is trying to measure the sensitivity of demand to price changes.

Of course, demand may also be more or less sensitive to other factors and a manager is there to be able to identify and to assess,at first,all factors that will influence the demand.

Where does Rumble Fish take place?

Rumble Fish takes place in a southwestern town.  It is not clearly identified in the book, but the author has said that it is her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  In the work, the characters live on the 'wrong' side of town and most of the action takes place at night.

What if George Washington decided to become king instead of accepting the office of president?

George Washington probably would have made a pretty good king.  He was tall and dignified, he was a great warrior, and he commanded the respect of most of his countrymen.  He was also humble enough that he would have taken good advice from some of his talented courtiers, people like Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, etc., etc.

One major problem is that he had no children.  Who would take over after his death?  There was no one so universally popular as Washington who could be appointed king.  So, one of two things might have happened:

A peaceful election for King (or President) might have been held; or, there would have been a bloody feud between some of the men mentioned above. 

Although one never knows, I think we should thank Washington for refusing to be King.  

To whom does Napoleon sell the farm's pile of timber?

The sale of the pile of timber is an excellent illustration of the kind of manipulation and propaganda Napoleon practised to keep the animals on the farm in a constant state of confusion and uncertainty. Such insecurity enables a tyrant to keep his subjects guessing about the truth and when citizens are unsure in this regard, they can be easily manipulated to believe almost anything. This tactic worked extremely well with the animals, who had hardly ever questioned the motives of the pigs.

At first, Napoleon claimed to have excellent relations with Pilkington and would sell the timber to him. It was claimed that Frederick was desperate to get the timber, but would not settle on a fair price. It was also rumoured that Frederick and his men were planning to attack the farm and destroy the windmill. The animals were obviously outraged at the news. Frederick became their greatest enemy. Terrible stories about Frederick's maltreatment of his animals were also doing the rounds. For these reasons the slogan, "Death to Humanity" was altered to read, "Death to Frederick".

It was therefore a shock when the animals later learnt that Napoleon had actually sold the timber to Frederick! He had been in negotiations with him whilst seemingly also dealing with Pilkington. It was put out that this was a skilful ruse by Napoleon to get a better price for the pile of timber. As an illustration of Napoleon's genius, it was also mentioned that he had refused to be paid by cheque and opted for cash, which Frederick duly offered. It was later discovered that the notes were forgeries. Frederick had received the timber for nothing. The death sentence was announced on Frederick.

To add further insult to their injury, Frederick and his men invaded the farm and blew up the windmill. The destruction of the windmill, however, fired up the animals to such an extent that they attacked the invaders and drove them off the farm after a bloody and vicious battle in which nearly every animal suffered some kind of injury, and a cow, three sheep and two geese were killed.

The irony in this whole episode is that one of the least intelligent animals on the farm, Boxer, recognised the entire sequence of events, culminating in the Battle of the Windmill, for what they really were - a failure, since they had suffered and lost so much: their timber, the windmill, their injuries, the animals killed in battle. It is for this sentiment that he, probably the most loyal animal on the farm, later gets sold to the knacker after he suffers terrible injury. 

In That was Then, This is Now, what are some metaphorical symbols that reflect Bryon's personality? What would be the significance of these...

Bryon is a young man trying to find his way in the world.  He likes being a kid, likes having fun and getting into adventures, but as he gets older he starts to understand the consequences of his actions.  As he does so, he becomes morally responsible, although his guilt over hurting people he loves leaves him emotionally wrecked.  Here are some symbols from the story that sum up Bryon. 

Charlie's car -- The police give Charlie's car to Bryon and Mark.  It is a symbol of responsibility because it is a grown-up object and because it was Charlie's, the man who was most like a father figure to Bryon.

Broken Bottle -- This symbolizes Bryon's desire for adventure.  He likes fights because of the adrenaline, and even when he starts to question the reasons for fighting, he still admits that he enjoys the fight itself.

Pool Cue -- This is also Bryon's desire for fun and adventure, as well as for friendship.  He and Mark spent a lot of time at the pool hall, hustling people for money.  It is that action, however, that causes Charlie's death and leads to Bryon's coming of age.

M&M's Peace Symbol -- Bryon like M&M, even if he is a "little weird".  The peace symbol is symbolic of the peace that Bryon wants to have in his world.  He can't accept that his need to do the right thing has led to a rift between him and Mark - up to the very end, he keeps seeking Mark out in hopes that Mark will forgive him. 

Write a summary on the poem "The Village Schoolmaster" by Oliver Goldsmith.

The village Goldsmith is writing about is called "Auburn": it is not  real, but  an imaginary ideal one, possibly one of the villages he had observed as a child and a young man in Ireland and England. Goldsmith, the poet, returns to the village that he knew as vibrant and alive, and finds it deserted and overgrown.

The setting of the particular passage is described in the first three lines. Then Goldsmith discusses the character of the schoolmaster himself.  In his appearance, he is very severe and stern.  The reader would suppose him humourless, except that he likes to tell jokes.  When Goldsmith says "the boding tremblers learn'd to trace/The days disasters in his morning face," the reader comes to understand that the schoolmaster does not mince his words. In the last two lines, he indicates that the schoolmaster was no more.  All of his fame has gone and "the spot/Where many a time he triumph'd is forgot” 

The schoolmaster was a big presence in the village. In an age when literacy and numeracy were powerful the people of the village, looked up to him. He seems a kind of god. The children are fearful of him. They laugh at his jokes, even if they are not funny. “Full well “(9-10)

 The adults are equally impressed with the way he can survey fields ("lands he could measure", 17) and work out boundaries or the times of holy-days like Easter. He can even do more complex calculations ("gauge", 18). This is all ironic: the school-teacher appears knowledgeable to the "gazing rustics" (22).

The poem's jokes are gentle, wry and genial. The tone of the poem is balanced  and gentleness and humour imply a frame of mind that Goldsmith sees as important, as having a moral value in itself.

Goldsmith is gently mocking the schoolmaster: he is big fish in a small pond. He can impress the villagers with his learning, just because he can read a bit of Latin and knows how to do his sums. The parson, as the religious leader of the village, is of course the most respected man, but the schoolmaster loves a good argument and keeps arguing even when defeated(19-20). On the other hand, this is a loving, endearing portrait. Here's a man who is modest and doing a good job in a quiet and simple place: helping to spread a little literacy and numeracy among the people of the village, helping them  in doing calculations about "terms". He is at the centre of a community - and Goldsmith is mourning the passing away of that community, the passing away of the village itself. That is why the lovely yellow flowers on the furze are "unprofitably gay" (2) - there is now no-one about to enjoy their beauty. The schoolmaster is gone long ago, with all the children of his school. A fine community has been lost.

So, this is an affectionate portrait of a community that is no more, and the school-house now deserted. The affectionate portrait of the schoolmaster is a part of this world that has passed away.  

what statments do witches and macbeth make about "foul and fair"? what meaning does each remark have...

"Fair is foul and foul is fair" also refers to Macbeth's quest to be king. In order to be "fair" to Macbeth's talents and potential, he must have the opportunity to become king, at least according to Lady Macbeth and, later, Macbeth.  However, the murderous methods employed are a "foul" means to this goal.  In addition, the battle takes place in Dunsinane is "foul" as is all violence; however, in order to bring justice ("fair"), a battle must ensue to strip Macbeth of his tyrannical, murderous reign.

Why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to write out his name? What does the jury see when he does this?This answer will be found in chapter 17.

He wants to show that Ewell is left-handed.  Tom's left arm was injured, and he cannot use his left hand. Mayella's right eye was blackened, as Scout observes, indicating that a left-handed man probably beat her up, which makes it likely that Ewell, not Tom, is the guilty one.

Explain how the witch-hunt years were a time of "general revenge."

Revenge was certainly a chief motive for the witch hunt. The years leading up to the witch hunt were ripe with feuds (notice how Proctor and Parris dislike each other - since Parris arrived Proctor has all but ceased attending church, mainly because Parris is greedy and worried about possessions rather than a religion), disputes (recall how Putnam accuses Proctor of taking wood from his land. Giles, though, steps in and reminds him how his grandfather had a habit of willing land that he did not own), and old resentments (recall how Putnam is angry that his man for minister did not get selected or how Tituba holds a grudge against Parris for capturing and enslaving her during his time in the Barbados).

All of these factors are building up in the community. Then throw in the strict Puritan religious code where children are to be silent and near invisible, where you have the 'elect' (those who are predestined for heaven) and everyone else and you have the scenario that leads to the mass hysteria and general revenge of the witch hunt.

Note, however, that the witch-hunt years aren't devoted just to getting revenge. The girls begin to like the attention and power they gain from the trials. This becomes a factor for how long the trials go on. Really until Abigail oversteps her authority by implying that Judge Danforth is not out of the devil's reach, she was pretty much allowed to accuse at free will.

Why did Jem not want Scout to tell Atticus about Bob Ewell's comment? Was this a wise thing to ask her to do?This answer will be found in chapter 25.

When Bob Ewell reacts to Tom's death by saying "one down, two more to go," Jem realizes that Ewell's anger has not subsided.  He knows how courageous his father is, but Jem also suspects that Atticus is naive about how deep the feeling for revenge can run.  Jem feels that if Scout tells Atticus about the comment, Atticus might attempt to follow up with the threat and get himself into trouble.

From the standpoint of a 12 year old boy, this is an understandable thing to do.  From the perspective of hindsight, however, it proved foolish.  By telling Atticus, the extent of Ewell's rage might have been realized, and the events of Halloween prevented.

I have to write some poems in the language and writing style of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Where should I start?

I would also recommend using an existing sonnet as a template. With my students, I have them write a sonnet in the style of Sonnet 130. Because it starts off so seemingly insulting, my students seem better able to sink their ink into the task.

I have them follow the form and style, and try for iambic pentameter. If that's too hard, just count out ten beats a line. Then use a similar rhyme scheme (this one is ababcdcdefefgg). The main point is in the rhyming couplet at the end, and it is a reversal of the original point--she may not meet any of the conventions of beauty, but she's rare and she's real.

SONNET #130 By William Shakespeare My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses demasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.
      And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
      As any she belied with false compare.

1609

 You can keep them theme the same and change the comparisons but keep much of the original structure. Be creative and have fun.

What are examples of symbolism in "The Fall of the House of Usher"?

You can actually start with the title of the story, which alludes to the absolute chaos that lurks within the mansion. This "broken" house is "falling" in every way. Genetically speaking, the Ushers clearly sound like they are the product of generations of inbreeding, or else generations of careless mating. They are a sickly clan, vulnerable, and weak. 

He suffered much from a morbid acuteness of the senses; the most insipid food was alone endurable; he could wear only garments of certain texture; the odours of all flowers were oppressive; his eyes were tortured by even a faint light; and there were but peculiar sounds, and these from stringed instruments, which did not inspire him with horror. 

The Ushers' penchant for isolation also places them in a somewhat supernatural realm where they exist with the world, but not "in" the same world as everyone. It is as if "the house of Usher" is the only niche where they can actually exist...and now, it can no longer resist it: it is falling apart. 

The house, as well as its resident, is described:

with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium--the bitter lapse into everyday life--the hideous dropping off of the veil

All of this is symbolic of the mental, spiritual, and physical state of this rare family, which (as it is debated) could even represent a fragment of the narrator's own state of mind. As "a house", the "house of Usher" really encompasses the entire generation of Ushers. They are a dying race; they are disappearing and the house is falling from its foundation. 

Describe in your own words Phillip's experience of a large moray eel?This question is from Chapter 17 of The Cay, by Theodore Taylor. The answer...

Timothy had shown Phillip the special area off the reef where he could locate the most plentiful lobsters in Theodore Taylor's novel, The Cay. After Timothy's death, Phillip ventured to the hole with Stew Cat and began testing the waters. He made many exploratory dives before finding a particularly deep hole where he figured a large lobster might be hiding. When he reached far into the hole, something grabbed his hand. Because he was blind, he could not see the creature, but he knew it was not a langosta since the pain was so severe. Frightened, he could not pull away on his own, so he placed his feet against the coral and pushed. The creature was powerful and would not let go. With another powerful jerk, Phillip rose to the surface with the creature still attached to his wrist. Its tail flailed against Phillip's chest, its teeth buried in his flesh. With a scream, Phillip emerged from the water, and the thing let go. He was bleeding, and he rested on the edge of the pool to catch his breath. As he relived his unexpected experience, he realized that the object could not have been a fish, since it was long and narrow. Much later he realized that the thing had been a moray eel, and he had intruded upon his home. He decided to never go near the eel's hole again.

Why does Joe go and visit Pip in chapter 26/27?i looked it up in the book but i cant find a specific reason.

It is easy to see why this would be hard for you to find as it is not clearly stated -- Joe doesn't quite come out and say it.

But you should look at the part toward the end of Chapter 27 where Joe talks about his visit to Miss Havisham.  Miss Havisham tells Joe that Estella is back home and she (Estella) would be happy to see Pip.  She wants Joe to tell Pip this.

When Joe tells Biddy about this, Biddy tells him he should go tell Pip in person.  She says Pip would like that.

So Joe comes to London to tell Pip what Miss Havisham said.  But I think Joe also comes to see Pip because he misses Pip, who has never come back to see them.

Is there any foreshadowing that points out the surprise ending?

Early descriptions that characterize the protagonist also prepare us for the fact that she will be overcome by joy at her husband's death.  For example, "she does not react" to the news as other wives might. And then the narrator says, "She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength." Both "repression" and "strength," together with this "thing" arousing inside of her, prepare us for the joy she is about to experience.  Her "strength" proves ironic, for it is that aspect of her character--her extraordinary sense of freedom--that ultimately kills her.  Chopin often has her heroines die at the end of her stories, unable for one reason or another to "fit in" with ideologies of womanhood. For Chopin, "strength" in a  woman dooms her.  She wrote this at the turn of the 19-20th centuries.

In what ways did the fighting plan in the Pacific have to differ from the plan for Europe?

Differences in World War II allied strategies for Europe and the Pacific: In the Pacific, because of the long distance from allied bases to Japanese targets, and because of the ocean separating different Japanese targets, it took about three times as many ships to move and support a given number of allied troops as it took to move and support the same number of troops in the European theatre where great Britain was just a few tens of miles from Europe.  So plans between the two theatres had to differ in the number of ships committed.

Also, in Europe, Russia was fighting the Germans and appeared to be getting whipped.  The loss of Russia as an ally against Germany would have meant the loss of many soldiers to fight Germany and the capture of many war resources for Germany to use against Britain and USA.  Thus USA and Britain agreed to fight Germany first, then turn on Japan.  Actually USA ended up fighting both Germany and Japan at the same time, but USA gave more to its fight against Germany until Germany was defeated, then gave all to fighting Japan.  So, plans for Europe and Pacific had to differ as to which got the most war resources first.

From which Shakespearean work does the quote below come from and what are the circumstances in which it is spoken?By the pricking of my thumbs,...

The scene with the witches in Act 4.1 of Shakespeare's Macbeth is an amplification of the first two times the witches are featured.  Each time they appear in the play their presence and activities grow.  In this scene, the witches are preparing a brew, we assume for Macbeth to drink (and that's how it is usually acted out when the play is performed).  The witches are presented as even more unnatural, morbid, and grotesque than previously.  Their words and their additions to the pot contribute to the blood and animal imagery in the play, as well as the theme of the unnatural.  The brew enables Macbeth to see visions.

Shakespeare reserves the use of rhyme in the play for certain situations, and this is one of them.  Just before Macbeth arrives, the Second Witch announces:

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes.

Open, locks,

Whoever knocks.  (Act 4.1.44-47)

Of course, the mystique of the witches is added to here, since she appears to have been informed that Macbeth has arrived before he enters, by some sensation she experiences in her thumbs.  Macbeth's entry leads to his visions and more predictions by the witches.

The connection between the witches and Macbeth, and the Second Witch's ability to sense him before he enters, should not come as much of a surprise by this point in the play.  Macbeth and the witches have been connected since Act 1.3 when Macbeth echoes their fair is foul line.

What is the main theme of the sonnet 116?

The main theme of this sonnet, like so many of Shakespeare's sonnets, is love.  In the poem, he is talking about the constancy and permanency of love.

In this sonnet, Shakespeare talks about how love does not change.  He says love does not change depending on the circumstances.  He says it does not change over time.  He says it stays solid like a lighthouse.

He says that he is absolutely sure of these things -- if he is wrong, there has never been love in the world.

There really is not any other theme going on in this poem.

in Chapter 27:Describe the actions of Bob Ewell. What was he up to and what was motivating him?

Last sentence in the chapter:  "Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he'd get him if it took the rest of his life."  Spitting in the face is an insult; it was meant to show Ewell's contempt for him. From Ewell's point of view, Atticus insulted him but implying Ewell, not Tom, assaulted Mayella.  The subsequent threat proves true at the end of the novel when Ewell attacks Scout and Jem while walking home in the dark.

In the color of water: Should Ruth have tried to get an education earlier in her life?

Hello, Student90,

There is a quick and easy answer to this question, since everyone should get an education as soon as possible, but as you know from reading the book, there is no way that Ruth would have been able to get a college education when she graduated from high school.

The situation was not one conducive to going to college for a number of reasons.  First, this was the middle of the Depression and getting a college education was not as much a priority as food, shelter, and clothing.  Ruth's family was not the poorest, but life was a struggle for them.  Another difficulty for Ruth was her sex. Had there been any money to spare for college, that money would go to educate a male, since women were expected to marry.  Finally, Ruth had been staying with her New York relatives during her high school years because of her pregnancy, and when she graduated, she felt a strong need to escape from her family for a number of reasons. Going to college would have meant help from her nuclear family or help from her New York relatives, and she needed to be able to take care of herself by earning a living.

What was the one thing Tom Walker refused to do for money and what was one sign of his stingy nature ?The devil and Tom Walker

Tom Walker refused to be a slave trader.  The devil insisted that the money he gave to Tom be put to use in some nefarious business, i.e., something that reflected low values. The devil suggested to Tom that Tom become a slave trader but Tom said that even though he was of low moral standing, even he did not have the ultra low value of human life as does a slave trader so he refused to enter into that business.  There were many signs of Tom's stinginess, but perhaps the greatest signs were those connected to his dealings with his wife. At first he didn't want to tell her about his bargain with the devil for fear she would make him share with her any gains he made.  When he does tell her and then refuses to finish the deal, she goes to make her own deal.  When all that is found of her is her apron with a heart and a liver tied up in it, Tom's chief regret is not that his wife most likely met with a terrible death, but that she took some household valuables with her.

Discuss the play Look Back in Anger in reference to the image of the "angry young man."

The term "Angry Young Man" was coined in reference to John Osborne, the author of the 1956 play Look Back in Anger. The play was rejected by every agent and theatre in London before Osborne sent it to the newly formed English Stage Company at Royal Court Theatre. English Stage Company had been formed precisely to give a platform to young contemporary playwrights with innovative plays who were unlikely to gain acceptance at London's commercial theatrical center, the West End (synonymous with New York's Broadway).

When Osborne's play first opened, the reception was negative. Audience members generally responded very badly to Jimmy's volatile character, though some individuals recognized in the emotional play the truthful rendition of the condition of young men in post-world war England. The BBC changed the fate of Look Back in Anger when it ran an excerpt of the play. Attendance soared, and the play came to be advertised by describing John Osborne as the "Angry Young Man," thus equating him with Jimmy and with the predicament facing young men in the 1950s.

The term was then reversed to describe such young men in England who identified with Jimmy and suffered his experience in one way or another. They, like Jimmy, had to find a way to reconcile individuality and humanity with irrational pain and suffering, always an inescapable reality as England rebuilt itself from the rubble of war.

These young men had to find a way to make a place for themselves in a world where the hierarchy of class distinctions was coming to a close--though not without a no-holds barred fight from the upper classes. They had to find a way to make a place for themselves in a world where the upper classes went out kicking by placing price controls on goods to prevent upward economic mobility. They had to find their way in a world where the Victorian and Post-World War II role of repression and subordination of women seem to create an unbridgeable gulf between men and women as with Jimmy and Alison.

In Chapter 5, what is the paradox of the boys' attitude toward the beast?

Golding blends irony with paradox so effectively that it becomes difficult to distinguish one from the other. A paradox is a statement that appears to be contradictory or impossible but expresses a striking truth.  Irony—in this case structural—refers to an implication of a reversed meaning that we might not appreciate the irony until we finish reading the entire piece. It is paradoxical that something that doesn’t exist could frighten someone, because logic would suggest that we must be frightened about something. The greater truth here, however, is that people are frightened more about what they don’t know than what they do know, and it is this fear of the unknown that terrifies the children. Golding ultimately locates this fear inside the children, which we especially see when Simon encounters the Lord of the Flies. Piggy’s insistence that beasts don’t exist because if they did “things wouldn’t make sense…they wouldn’t work,” which is his way of dismissing the “unknown” turns out to be ironically true, for as “civilization” breaks down on the island things don’t make sense and tragic actions that are not intended occur.

I am writing my final exam on happiness, and it's such a broad topic. What should I focus on?

I would take an issue that is relevant to today's youth, and try to indicate how it impacts happiness.  For example, today's youth are incredibly "plugged in," which means that they text, email, IM, Facebook, Tweet, and are in constant communication with one another.  Does all of that communication increase their happiness?  Does a technologically advanced world help or hinder in self-esteem?  You could approach it from that angle.  There are so many different products on the market these days that seem to promise happiness and contentment, so you could discuss that topic also.  For example, most magazines for women are filled with beauty products; they are trying to make you feel like you need to go buy them to be beautiful.  What impact do those magazines have on self-esteem and happiness?  There is quite a bit of research in academic journals that would lend support for that thesis.

If you can think of something that impacts the happiness of you and your peers, that might give you an approach for this topic.  Narrow it down to one particular thing that impacts happiness, and try discussing that.  I hope that helps a bit; good luck!

In what ways has the pigs behavior come to resemble human behavior?

An easier question to answer might be in what ways have they NOT come to resemble human behaviors because there are so many ways they do.

Each of the commandments the pigs, I mean animals, created were to establish a distinguishing difference between themselves and humans. As we watch the pigs break these and change them subtly throughout the book, more and more human characteristics occur.

I think a very pointed thing to notice is the humans that the animals come to resemble, those magnified by the efforts of communism that Orwell intended to criticize. I also think it ironic that the animals chosen to mimic humans were pigs.

From the beginning, Squealer's manipulation through propaganda resembles the human effort to control other humans thoughts.

In Chapter 9, when Napoleon generates a new liter of pigs almost single-handedly, we see the natural effort of humans to create a superior race. Throughout history, as different leaders have risen to power, their 'kind' whether that be in race or religion or something else, tends to have privileges, just like the new liter of pigs were about to receive special treatments by the other animals, and education.

What is the problem in Tangerine and how was it resolved?

The conflict is one of a first born child getting all the attention of parents while the youngest is neglected. Erik is the shining star in his father's eyes. The Erik Fisher Football Dream seems to be the goal of the family. Paul is a talented soccer player whose life takes a back seat to his brother's. To add to the issue, Erik has something to do with his youngest brother's vision problem. Only, nothing is ever said in the family to reveal what really happened.

The resolution occurs after Paul assaults a coach at the football awards program. Paul runs away and heads home. When he encounters the gray subdivision wall behind his house where the words "Seagulls Suck" had been cleaned off, his flashbacks result in the reason his vision was so impaired. At that point, Paul no longer fears Erik, and helps to identify Erik and his friend Arthur as the cause of Luis Cruz's death. Erik's true nature is unveiled to his father, and the neglect of his youngest son is driven home.

What is the importance of the father-son relationship in The Road?

The Road chronicles a father and a son who tread along a forsaken patch of highway peopled by marauders and cannibals.  The father and son may be the last of the “good guys” left on earth.  The book certainly plays upon a parent’s worst fears, but because its father-son relationship is crafted so tenderly, the overall effect is, ironically, anything but morbid.

According to McCarthy, the key to survival in the post-9/11 world is keeping his son, "the fire," alive.  We learn that the father is going to die, so his survival is not the question: he has a horrific cough because he has breathed so much ash. The boy is a personification of the fire and survival.  The father is holding on to dear life to get his son on down the road, out of harm's way, toward a new family, to the coast.  The entire human race may very well depend on the boy's survival: he is a kind of savior (Christ-figure) and Holy Grail.  The boy is prince Hamlet to his father’s Ghost of King Hamlet. The boy is the meek and forgiving Christ to his father’s vengeful Yahweh.

The conversations they have keep the fire going as much as anything. They are a joy to read. McCarthy omits conventions (commas, quotations, and sometimes question marks) because they intrude on the poetry and prose.  He's a poet novelist, and he's got a lot of e.e. cummings in him.  He wants to expose the words in their bare beauty.

Since they only have each other to talk, the two resort to this Socratic method of dialogue.  The boys asks, and the father answers.  Toward the end, the boy arrives at a conclusion, and the father answers.  The boy is the student, and the father a teacher.  The Road, then, is a kind of mobile Socratic seminar, a walking discourse.

what thematically related insights do scout and dill receive outside the courtroom? |Chapter 20

In terms of prejudice and tolerance, when Scout and Dill realize that Mr. Raymond isn't really the town drunk (drinking Coca Cola instead), they are shown a new insight into his character.  They realize that he is giving the white community the impression he is a drunk because then they will make life so difficult because he prefers to live with African Americans.  Indeed he has several bi-racial children.  He advises them to not cry over the trial but to cry over the evil people practice upon each other - regardless of race - each and every day.  Once we can conquer that evil, then we won't have to worry about racism and intolerance.

This little scene also ties into the role of innocence and experience.  There are several examples in the book where Scout has her innocent world view challenged, such as when she sees Atticus shoot the rabid dog, when she sees how Calphurnia acts differently at the black church, when she sees Miss Maudie's attitude after her house has burned down, when she feels sorry of Mayella Ewell during her testimony.  This is just another moment in their lives where they realize that the people are not always what they appear to be.

What is the theme of the poem "Death be not Proud" by John Donne?

The central theme of the poem "Death be not Proud" by John Donne is the powerlessness of death. According to Donne, death is but a pathway to eternal life, and as such is not something "mighty and dreadful" as some may believe it to be. Contrary to death's own conception of itself as a forbidding entity powerful enough to destroy and "overthrow," in reality it only brings the best men to a state of "much pleasure" and "soules deliverie." In essence, Donne is telling death that it has no basis for bragging and being "proud," because it is not the ominous, frightening force it would make itself out to be. The speaker's tone is almost belittling; his purpose is to cut arrogant death down to size.

Donne almost seems to poke fun at death's inflated sense of itself, telling it that, in reality, it is a "slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men." Even in its capability to bring rest it is not the best, because "poppie or charms can make us sleep as well." Death's influence is not final, nor even long-lasting; the speaker says that "one short sleep past, wee wake eternally." Death has not reason to be proud because its power is an illusion, its reign fleeting. Once it has served its purpose of transporting its victims out of earthly life, it is "no more," overcome by life which lasts eternally.

Do lip balm come from whale sperm?what is lip balm made of?

My lip balm, at least, contains no products from whales.  The main ingredient of the lib balm that I use is bees' wax.

To my knowledge, nothing (other than other whales) has ever been made from whale sperm.  I think that you may be a little confused because of the word "sperm" in the name "sperm whale."

One of the things that was valuable in a sperm whale was this stuff called "spermaceti."  It was used in cosmetics.  However, it was not really sperm.  It was something that came from the head of sperm whales and it looked a bit like semen, but it wasn't really semen or sperm.

act II. Scene III. how does the night described by Lennox compare with the night as experienced by Macbeth in the previous scene?Also, how can I...

Lennox described a violent storm that had occurred earlier the night of Duncan's murder.  In the previous scene, Macbeth heard, while committing the murder of Duncan, voices saying that Macbeth had "murdered sleep" and "Macbeth shall sleep no more" among other things.  It's fitting that the night of the murder was unruly (the old man in the last scene of Act 2 describes a night of very strange events) because it was the night that a king was killed.  King James I, the king of England when Macbeth was written, believed that he was divinely chosen to be king after a plot to assassinate him was thwarted.  Since it was God's plan that he be king, any disruption of that plan such as murder, should result in a disruption in the natural ways of nature.  Shakespeare wanted to flatter James I, so when the king in the play is killed, the result is that wild night of strange weather and odd events.

In scene 2 of Act 2, Macbeth has just killed Duncan and he is in a stunned state.  He shows remorse when he looks at his bloody hands, when he can't go back into Duncan's room and look at him, and when he says that he wishes the knocking at the gate could waken Duncan.  In scene 3, Macbeth shows cunning when he quickly kills the guards and then declares that his rage over their crime caused him to do so.  His desire to get away with his crime overruns his remorse.

Describe an experiment to illustrate the laws of reflection.

The laws of reflection state that:

1. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.

2. The incident ray, the normal and the reflected ray are coplanar.

Experiment:

Apparatus required: a drawing board, a white sheet of paper, a few common pins and a plane mirror.

Procedure: Pin the white sheet of paper firmly on the drawing board. Place the plane mirror on it and trace its outline on the paper. Then remove the mirror and draw the 'normal.' The normal is the 90 degrees vertical line drawn to the outline of the mirror.

Now place the mirror again on the outline. The normal will be reflected clearly on the mirror.

Next place two pins in a straight line on one side of the normal on the white sheet of paper.

Next place two pins on the other side of the normal in such a way that these two pins are in a straight line with the reflection of the two pins on the other side of the normal.

Now remove the mirror and the pins and join the pin marks to the normal.

It will be seen that the angles which the lines make on both sides of the normal will be equal. So, if one line represents the incident ray - the ray which is travelling from the source of light - and the other line represents the reflected ray - the ray of light which has been reflected - it is proved that the angle which the  incident ray makes to the normal is always equal to the angle which the reflected  ray makes to the normal.

Since the lines representing the normal and the incident and reflected rays are all represented on the sheet of plain paper. The second law that the incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal are coplanar.

Explain Nick's fascination with Tom's transition "from libertine to prig."

First, concerning your question about The Great Gatsby, I suggest rethinking your use of the word "fascination."  I think that's probably too strong.  I don't think he's fascinated, I think he's just disgusted.  Using fascinated here has a bit of a negative connotation, as if there's something odd about Nick's telling this part of the story.  And Nick's disgust here is normal and appropriate.

Nick is revealing the fact that when Tom cheats on Daisy he is liberal-minded, but when Daisy cheats on him, he is conservative.  In other words, it's okay for him to cheat on Daisy, but not for Daisy to cheat on him.  Tom says:

...Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white.

The point of Nick's comment about the transformation from libertine to prig, of course, is that Tom doesn't raise these objections when he cheats on Daisy, only when he thinks Daisy is cheating on him. 

With his comment, Tom is revealed to be hypocritical, as well as closed-minded and bigoted.  Nick just lays this out for us.

In Julius Caesar, what was the purpose of having the two soldiers come and sleep in Brutus’ tent?

Brutus tells Varro and Claudius that he wants them to sleep in his tent because he may have to wake them to take a message to Cassius. I think that Shakespeare also has them there so that Brutus was not alone when the ghost of Caesar comes to him. After the appearance of the ghost, Brutus wakes both Varro and Claudius but although Lucius spoke in his sleep, neither of them heard anything of the ghost. Thus the only other potential witnesses to the ghostly visitation saw and heard nothing, calling into question the veracity of the visitation. Did Caesar truly return, or was the ghost a figment of Brutus' guilty conscience?

What subject are Lord Capulet and Paris discussing in lines 1-5 of Act 1,Scene 2?

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Act 1.2.1-5, Lord Capulet tells Paris that Lord Montague is required to bring an end to public disturbances caused by the feud between the two families, just as he, himself, is.  The most significant part of these five lines comes next, however:

...'tis not hard I think

For men so old as we to keep the peace.

In other words, it shouldn't be too hard for the two men to keep their families from fighting in public.  Of course, this turns out to be very hard.  This line contributes to the idea of the feud, and serves as a bit of foreshadowing.

Paris contributes to the conversation by stating that this, indeed, shouldn't be too difficult since both men have a reputation of being honorable.  One could interpret this comment as direct characterization, or as Paris flattering Capulet in order to further his "suit," which he asks about in line six of the scene. 

Finally, the fifth line, again spoken by Paris, adds background to the feud, as Paris says that it is a pity that the two families have been fighting for "so long."

What is the setting of "The Oval Portrait"?

This excellent short story by Edgar Allen Poe is all to do with the relationship between art and life and is noted for both its brevity and the way that it features a framing narrative, or a story within a story. However, the framing narrative which begins the tale describes the setting. We are presented with a narrator who is clearly escaping some kind of battle or pursuit. He is in a "desperately wounded condition" and his valet finds a deserted and abandoned chateau for him where he can rest, rather than sleeping in the open air. It is set in the Appennines of Spain, and the narrator himself describes the chateau in Gothic terms:

The chateau into which my valet had ventured to make forcible entrance, rather than permit me, in my desperately wounded condition, to pass a night in the open air, was one of those piles of commingled gloom and grandeur which have so long frowned among the Appennines, not less in fact than in the fancy of Mrs. Radcliffe.

Mrs. Radcliffe was a famous Gothic author of the time, renowned for creating Gothic tales set in abandoned castles or similar settings. The narrator and his valet establish themselves in a room that lay in a "remote turret" of the building, thus setting the scene for the Gothic action that is to follow in the tale.

what threetricks does rainsford use to elude Zaroff?

Aside from the initial doubling back several times to confuse the path and then hiding in a tree (an attempt that does not work because Zaroff is just playing with Rainsford), Rainsford develops three traps to escape Zaroff.  First, Rainsford rigs a trap that when Zaroff trips it, a dead tree will fall on the latter.  When that does not work, Rainsford then digs a pit with sharp sticks in the Death Swamp, and covers the opening with branches and weeds.  The second trap fails as well, killing only one of Zaroff's dogs, so Rainsford attempts a third method:  he affixes a knife to a sapling, to cut Zaroff when he follows the path.  However this fails as well, killing Ivan instead of Zaroff.  Yet, Zaroff manages to avoid all three tricks.

What effect does the contrasedative have on Mildred in Farhenheit 451?

The contrasedative is given to Mildred by two "handymen" who arrived to revive her from her suicide attempt. Montag is worried, but the men assure him that these things happen nine or ten times a night and not to worry. On their way out the men say that they have given her a contrasedative and that she will wake up hungry. A contrasedative has the opposite effect of a sedative- this will revive someone and give them energy, whereas a sedative will put a person to sleepw. Mildred wakes up with color in her cheeks and no recollection of her suicide attempt. 

describe what happens during the banquet that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have after Macbeth becomes king

Macbeth discovers Banquo's ghost and talks with him. Of course, the guests cannot see him. Lady Macbeth assures the guests that he has had these spells since his childhood. She attempts to control him, and host his guests but is unsuccessful. Finally, she asks the guests to leave so that he can rest.

In the play "Hamlet", how is Laertes more admirable than Hamlet? In what scenes is this most apparent?

Laertes is decisive, confident, and a strong leader.  Hamlet is indecisive, self-conscious, and unable to lead.  Hamlet wavers - he wants revenge desparately, but he is too scared to follow through.  This is seen in the "To Be or Not to Be" speech in Act III, scene i, where Hamlet specifically mentions his fear of taking action.  Also, in Act III, scene iii, Hamlet has a clear chance to kill Claudius when Claudius is alone, but he is unable to.   

After Polonius' death, however, Laertes barges in ready to take action.  He challenges Claudius to his face, rather than trying to trap him in a confession like Hamlet does, and then challenges Hamlet to his face.  In all his actions, Laertes is more upfront.  He is a good leader in Act I, scene iii, when he shows responsibility in his speech to Ophelia, cautioning her with specifics and calling upon her duty to follow his direction.

Laertes is a steadier character overall, and this gives him an edge over Hamlet.

In chapter thirteen of Grapes of Wrath, what is Tom's ironic comment about the government?

After Grampa dies, the family realizes that they do not have the money to give him a proper burial.  Much as they dislike the idea, they have no other option that to bury him along the road on their own.  Tom points out that workers might accidentally dig Grampa up and think he was a murder victim.  He notes ironically, "The gov'ment's got more interest in a dead man than a live one.  They'll go hell-scrapin' tryin' to find out who he was and how he died" (Chapter 13).  He suggests burying Grampa with a note telling who he was and how he died.

Tom's comment ties directly into the theme of the novel.  The same government that will expend huge resources trying to bring the killer of an assumed murder victim to justice does nothing to help that victim while he is alive, along with untold thousands of others, while they are desperately seeking means to sustain themselves and their families.

In Of Mice and Men, why was George forced to kill Lennie?

In short, since you asked several...

1. George is small, square-faced, smarter, and a father-figure. Chapter 1 would give you the best quotes on the 2nd-5th pages of the chapter. Lennie is big, rounder-faced, dumb, childish and mentally slow. He is compared to a bear in the beginning.

2. The setting given in the beginning is on purpose because it is the exact spot that the story ends. The setting in chapter 1 is by a river, more specifically a pool, just off the road on a quiet and serene day.

3. George had to kill Lennie because he would have hurt others again, and had George let someone else kill Lennie, Lennie would have suffered.

What final statement by Jem makes Scout finally go along with the plan to peek in the windows of the Boo Radley's in chapter 6?

Jem says, "Scout, I'm tellin' you for the last time, shut your trap or go home--I declare to the Lord you're gettin' more like a girl every day!"

Jem and Dill were Scout's only real "summer" friends, and they were both boys, so she needed to keep up.  At this point in the story, Scout doesn't think there is much good in being a female.  Later in the story, observation and interaction with Calpurnia open her eyes to the fact that there is "some skill" necessary to be a girl.

Does the house really whisper and why only the children and the toy hear thr whisper?

The story is written in a fairy tale or fable style.  Just look at the first paragraph where we are introduced to the characters and conflict.  If you view it as a modern day fairy tale, which magical elements, then the house could certainly whisper to the kids. 

One reason the children are only able to hear it is because the mother is oblivious to their needs and the house's needs.  She is living beyond her means, so there is always a need for money.  However, she does little about it.  When Paul is able to earn money for her, she doesn't save it.  Instead she burns through it, causing the house to call louder than ever for more money. 

The fact, that her mother cannot hear the whispers is one reason Paul is driven to ride the rocking horse in order to compensate for the money his mother desires and the money his father isn't luck enough to bring in.

What happens during the Christmas party? Why does Jody run away? He is most hurt by whom? What natural disaster takes place in September?...

Here are your answers to your questions from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings novel, The Yearling.

CHRISTMAS PARTY.  A Christmas party is planned for the church in Volusia, but before the Baxters can leave, Slewfoot strikes again, eating their calf. While Ma Baxter heads on to Volusia, Penny and Jody take off after the bear; first failing to hunt him down, they finally kill the dreaded Slewfoot. On their way back, they meet up with the Forresters, who are already celebrating Christmas. They agree to help the Baxters carry Slewfoot for half the meat, and Penny agrees. The Foresters break up the church party later, using Slewfoot's skin in a surprising way.

JODY RUNS AWAY. Jody runs away after the death of Flag. After Flag has again eaten a portion of the Baxters' crops, Penny orders Jody to honor their agreement and shoot Flag. (They both know that the domesticated fawn will not survive in the wild.) Jody can't do it, so Ma takes over. Her aim is not sure, however, and she only wounds Flag. So Jody must finish Flag off himself.

JODY IS HURT.  In anger at his mother, Jody runs away and heads to the river. He is mostly angry at his mother for shooting Flag in the first place and for not finishing the deer off when she does shoot. Jody is also angry at his father since Penny had promised that Flag was his pet and could do with it as he wanted. Jody conveniently forgets their agreement that if Flag again harmed a crop, he would have to be destroyed.

NATURAL DISASTER.  A hurricane hit the Baxter farm, destroying much of their planted crops. In reality, a hurricane struck the cast of the movie version of The Yearling, shutting down production on the Marion County, Florida set for several weeks.

In "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner describe the towns feelings toward Emily. Explain what the people dislike about her & why they miss...

First, in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," I'm not sure the town does miss her.  I don't see any evidence of that. 

Concerning the town's attitude toward her, that would be for the most part the same as the narrator's.  The narrator is the townspeople, or at least one of them.  He reveals whatever information the town knows about her, whatever the town experiences of her and her house.

The narrator tells the reader that early on the townspeople think Emily a little high and mighty.  They think she is a bit self-important.  As her father dies and Homer leaves her (as far as they know at the time), though, they feel like she has been brought down and begin to not resent her so much.

In general, in addition to the above, the townspeople think she's a bit weird and spooky, and certainly eccentric. 

In Kidnapped, what five quotes or sentences give negative connotations to or about David Balfour's Uncle Ebenezer?

Stevenson starts setting up negative connotations around Uncle Ebenezer with David's own thoughts as he approaches the Balfour manor house. David muses about how dim the lights in the windows are and remembers the glow form his father's windows, a candle glow seen a mile away. The negative atmosphere surrounding Ebenezer continues to grow as David advances when David hears a dry cough and not even a dog's bark; these establish a forsaken dry and parched environment around a forsaken dry and parched person. The picture is accentuated when David notes that the door upon which he is to knock is studded with nails and that the person inside kept deadly silent for a long time after hearing David's knocks.

**Why, in my father's house on Essen-Waterside, the fire and the bright lights would show a mile away, and the door open to a beggar's knock!
**I came forward cautiously, and giving ear as I came, heard some one rattling with dishes, and a little dry, eager cough that came in fits; but there was no sound of speech, and not a dog barked.
**The door, as well as I could see it in the dim light, was a great piece of wood all studded with nails;
**but whoever was in that house kept deadly still, and must have held his breath.
**beheld a man's head in a tall nightcap, and the bell mouth of a blunderbuss, at one of the first-storey windows.

The voice and appearance of Uncle Ebenezer confirm the negative connotations. From an upstairs window, he points a musket at David and speaks words that don't portray family love and welcome. The facts that Ebenezer is startled to hear David's name and has a curious change in the tone of his voice add further negative connotations. Then when he orders David to touch nothing in the kitchen and reclaims the food he had just given David affirm the rightness of impressions. Finally, when their eyes meet by accident and David describes him as a guilty theif, even though David doesn't know how right he is, the finishing touch is added so that the reader is prepared for all the diabolical things Uncle Ebenezer proceeds to do.

**At that, I made sure the man started, for I heard the blunderbuss rattle on the window-sill; and it was after quite a long pause, and with a curious change of voice, that the next question followed:
**"Is your father dead?"
**"Ay" the man resumed, "he'll be dead, no doubt; and that'll be what brings ye chapping to my door."
**Presently there came a great rattling of chains and bolts, and the door was cautiously opened and shut to again behind me as soon as I had passed.
**"Go into the kitchen and touch naething," said the voice;
**there was not another thing in that great, stone-vaulted, empty chamber but lockfast chests arranged along the wall and a corner cupboard with a padlock
**He was a mean, stooping, narrow-shouldered, clay-faced creature; and his age might have been anything between fifty and seventy.
**Once only, when he had ventured to look a little higher, our eyes met; and no thief taken with a hand in a man's pocket could have shown more lively signals of distress.

Cite one example of explicit language and one of implicit language in "The Most Dangerous Game."

To state something explicitly, one goes directly to the point, whereas if one speaks implicitly, innuendos are employed, meanings are not directly expressed and are, therefore, open to interpretation. Intriguingly, the title of Connell's story has both explicit and implicit meanings: Explicitly, it means a sport or activity which involves great opportunities for harm to a person; implicitly, it can mean a creature that is hunted who possesses an intelligence which makes it a serious threat.

In "The Most Dangerous Game," there are certainly instances in which both explicit and implicit language are used by the characters. For instance, in his dinner conversation with Rainsford, General Zaroff employs both explicit and implicit language:

     Zaroff explains to Rainsford that he is familiar with him because he has read all Rainsford's books on hunting published in three different languages. Then, he says explicitly, "I have but one passion in my life, Mr. Rainsford, and it is the hunt."

Rainsford observes one of Zaroff's "wonderful heads" and remarks explicitly, "I've always thought...that the Cape buffalo is the most dangerous of all big game." To this remark, Zaroff replies implicitly, 

"Here in my preserve on this island," he replied in the same slow tone, " I hunt more dangerous game." (implicit language--he implies a meaning other than what Rainsford considers)
Rainsford expressed his surprise. "Is there big game on this island?" (explicit language)
The general nodded. "The biggest." (implicit language--the general is not speaking of size; he implies the intelligence level.)

Their conversation continues in this manner, until Rainsford finally grasps the implied meanings of Zaroff's remarks and is horrified at the realization that the general has been implying that he hunts men.

"But you can't mean---gasped Rainsford."    (explicit language)
"And why not?....I am speaking of hunting." (very implicit language)
"Hunting? General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder." (very explicit language)

What are some of the figures of speech in The Gift of the Magi?

It would be difficult to list them all in a single answer because this story is full of them, but here are a couple more examples. 

O Henry uses in allusion in refering to the riches of King Solomon (this is also humor as O Henry chooses to make King Solomon a janitor during this reference!)

Jim is similed to a hunting dog in the line, "Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a sett at the scent of quail."

And of course, the big one, lots of irony in this story.  Della sells her hair for the watch chain, and Jim sells his watch for the set of combs.

Why is it ironic that McMurphy begins to see himself as a symbol of the inmates’ right to individuality in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

McMurphy is in actuality a person with anti-social issues.  However, he is up against a great foe in Nurse Ratchet who controls the ward and many aspects of the hospital.  Initially, McMurphy does things to break down her personality and resist her attempts to dominate him.  He gets the other patients involved in speaking out against her.

No one had dared to stand up to Nurse Ratchet before.  When they see how brave and strong McMurphy is, they begin to speak out.  McMurphy has Cheswick finally ready to complain at one of the meetings with Nurse Ratchet.  What Cheswick does not know is that McMurphy just learned that Nurse Ratchet has the power to determine when he will be released, controls shock therapy treatments, and can even send patients for lobotomies.  When Cheswick takes a stand against Ratchet, McMurphy does not support him.  Later, Cheswick kills himself by getting his hand wedged in the pool grate.

The surprising thing that begins to change McMurphy into his idea as the advocate for the patient's is when he learns that many of them are there voluntarily.  He is shocked that the prison like hospital would be how they would choose to spend their lives.  It is at this point that he begins to believe that he has to take on the cause of helping them to gain their individuality.

Cheswick's death has been the catalyst that had demonstrated to McMurphy that his actions were not just a game.  He takes his role more seriously.  However, the irony is that he is trying to advocate for a group of people who had functioned well under the strict structure of the hospital and they could have left had they chosen to do so.  Therefore, McMurphy is advocating for change for people who are frightened of change.  In addition, McMurphy's methods for advocating the change become more violent such as his breaking glass to get his cigarettes.

Why did the Supreme Court reverse its ruling in PLESSY v. FERGUSON? In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that racial segregation...

This is me again; if you're answering this question, please read the following first....

1. I meant to say, "fight injustice half a world away...."

2. Sorry about misspelling "ideological."

to those who are answering this inquiry, thanks again for your time and your input.

Why is "Two Dancers on Stage" by Degas an Impressionistic painting? Why is "The Little 14-Year-Old Dancer" by Degas an Impressionistic...

Impressionism was a 19th century art movement that utilized "visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on light in its changing qualities...ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles." In impressionism, freely brushed colors were of more importance than line; the brush strokes, of "pure and unmixed color, were not smoothly blended," and, used thus, created "a different way of seeing." Impressionism was an art "of immediacy and movement, of candid poses and compositions, of the play of light expressed in a bright and varied use of color."

The painting "Two Dancers on the Stage" by Degas is an example of the impressionistic style. The dancers are painted in the candid action of their dancing, and the details of their appearance are not intricately reproduced on the canvas. Instead, the artist uses varied brush strokes of color to create the impression of texture, and movement in their dance. This method is especially evident in the background, and in the dancers' skirts. The texture of the background is only suggested, and an impression of the gauzy, ethereal quality of the skirts, flowing in the dance, is created through the unique use of color, giving the viewer a multi-dimensional sense of the whole experience of two dancers performing on stage.

From what I can see, "The Little 14-Year-Old Dancer" by Degas is actually a sculpture. The subject, the young dancer, is sculpted in an untraditional, candid pose, and instead of attempting to reproduce the details of her skin and dress, the artist focuses on the play of light on her person as she stands in a unique but at the same time ordinary attitude of dance. A close examination of the sculpture evidences the "strokes" of the artist's working; her skin in particular does not have the texture of skin, but instead gives off the impression of how it might look with the light playing upon it.

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, how old is Santiago when the story begins? How do you know?

In Paulo Coelho's novel The Alchemist, it can often times be misleading in trying to ascertain the age of Santiago for he is often times referred to as "the boy." There are probably several reasons for this. Quite literally in his culture, he may be considered a boy because he has not chosen a "fixed" career and married. He may not have taken on the responsibilities of a grown man in having a plan for his life. He is much like a child still filled with dreams and a desire not to settle down (though as the story progresses, he isexperiencing the first desires to stay in one place, with a merchant's daughter). For the sake of the novel, he has not yet determined his Personal Legend; at the beginning of the novel, he does not even know there is such a thing. So the sense that he is a boy simply may indicate that in terms of searching out his destiny, Santiago has not yet begun his journey.

As with most stories, we learn about our main characters at the beginning of the novel, where we begin to form our initial impressions. As with many first impressions, these perceptions will remain with the reader and should be "in sync" with what the character does: this is certainly the case with Santiago.

We meet a young "man" who knows what he does not want, and vaguely what he does want: he does not want to join the church as his family would have him do. He does want to travel (and has since he was a small boy), and logically decides that shepherding would provide him with this opportunity. And in keeping with this persona, he comes to love and know his sheep, care for them and appreciate them. He is a good person.

When the story begins, Santiago has found a ruined church, and it is here that we learn that he provides shelter for his sheep and accounts for each one—he will even search the entire next day if one sheep wanders away. (It his here that we see Santiago presented as a Christ-like figure.)

When the boy wakens, we learn several things: he is a "serious" reader, so we can assume that he is relatively smart. He has had "the recurring dream" again, he is aware of an undefined energy that he shares with his sheep and he has been with his sheep for two years.

It was as if some mysterious energy bound his life to that of the sheep, with whom he had spent the past two years...

Again, later, the boy thinks of the two years he has traveled the "Andalusian terrain." And immediately thereafter, he reveals his age:

He was planning, on this visit, to explain to the girl how it was that a simple shepherd knew how to read. That he had attended a seminary until he was sixteen...

So we know he is at least eighteen, though he might be a littleolder.

Ironically, Santiago thinks to himself...

But ever since he had been a child, he had wanted to know the world, and this was much more important to him than knowing God...

As the story progresses—after he meets Melchizedek and crosses the desert to the oasis where he will meet Fatima—he will encounter the alchemist who will boast of Santiago's ability to change himself into the wind, and here Santiago will meet God.

Though he is referred to as a boy, it is only because he has not been tried by the world and found his Personal Legend that he is not considered a man. By the novel's end, this is not the case.

What's it the best way to conclude an essay?I am writing an essay on 'Power' in Othello.

In general, I would always advise referring back to the original assignment or task description given by the teacher/ instructor.  There might be information within it that specifies what has to be in a conclusion to your essay and this, naturally, has to supersede all else because your instructor is the one who assesses your work.  With this in mind, I think that a good conclusion is one that emphasizes the thesis statement in more specific and contextual terms.  For example, if your thesis statement is something like "power is misused," I would think that your conclusion can review the specific instances highlighted that show power as being misused.  I don't think you need to repeat the thesis statement, but in restating it in more specific terms, you bring a sense of symmetry to the paper.  Finally, I think that there should be some level of reminder as to why the thesis statement and scope of the paper is meaningful and how it helps to enhance understanding of the work.  I have always liked conclusions that actually help to delicately raise more questions at the end of it. The link below might help.

What does Atticus say is the one thing that “doesn’t abide by majority rule”?

The answer to this is that a person's conscience is the one thing that, according to Atticus, does not abide by majority rule.  He says that he has to be able to live with himself and therefore he has to follow his own conscience.

You can find this in Chapter 11.  Scout tells Atticus he must be wrong about defending Tom Robinson.  She says this because so many other people say Atticus is wrong.  At that point, Atticus says he could not live with himself if he did not do what he thought was right.

Alexander Hamilton called the national judiciary "the least dangerous branch." Is the judiciary the weakest of the three branches?

The judicial branch is not necessarily weaker than the other branches because Hamilton called it "the least dangerous branch."  Perhaps Hamilton felt it is the least dangerous of the three branches of government because it does not make the laws as the legislative branch does; it simply interprets the laws that have been passed by the legislative branch and that have been approved by the executive branch.

Dangers enter into the law-making process because congressmen can be pressured by their constituents, lobbyists, and powerful people to write laws or vote for laws that are against the dictates of their consciences.  Or they may wish to include in bills things that will enable them or their constituents.  At any rate, there may seem to be more opportunities for corruption in both the legislative branch and the executive branch in lawmaking than in the judicial branch's interpretation of these laws. 

The legislative branch is designed to manage conflict over interpretation, application, or enforcement of laws whereas the legislative branch can be embroiled with such conflict--a more dangerous situation.

What does Faber give Montag at the end of their conversation?why?

I assume you are talking about their conversation at Faber's house, not the one in the park.  And I'm assuming you are talking about the first conversation at Faber's house.  If so, Faber gives Montag the "bullet."

The "bullet" is a two way communicator.  With it, Faber can talk to Montag (the bullet will be in Montag's ear) and Faber can hear what Montag is saying.

Faber is giving this to Montag so that Faber can help him out.  This way, he can give Montag advice on what to do in certain situations.  Specifically, he wants to tell Montag what to say to Beatty.

What are some instances of irony and foreshadowing in Pride and Prejudice?

In Pride and Prejudice, one very large irony is that while Elizabeth was being dismissive toward Darcy and while she believed he was being mercilessly critical of her, he was actually falling in love with her and then, despite his understanding of superiority of position and wealth, he had no emotional or personal choice but to break down and (badly) propose marriage to her. Another irony is that while on holiday with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner hoping to forget about Darcy, she encounters him at his own home, to which he has returned suddenly without notice. This led to another great irony in that Darcy became involved in searching for and saving Lydia, who, ironically wouldn't have been in danger if he had disclosed Wickham's true nature.

Foreshadowing appears in the encounter between Darcy and Wickham, which opens the gate to conflict and conflict resolution involving an uncomfortable alliance between the two men. Another instance of foreshadowing occurs when Darcy praises the virtues of a fine pair of eyes on the occasion of Elizabeth's journey to Bingley's estate to see Jane, who is stricken with illness, thus foreshadowing Darcy's growing love of Elizabeth.

In Chapter 24 of the Kite Runner, what symbols does the author use?

Sohrab is the most significant symbol in the chapter.  As Hassan's son, he is a symbol of redemption to Amir - by saving the child Amir can alleviate his guilt and pay back a small portion of the debt he owes his friend.  Both Hassan and Sohrab are brutalized by Assef and defend themselves against him with a slingshot and stone, adding another level of symbolism to the symbolic reincarnation of the father in the son - of the Biblical David going up against Goliath. As an abused and molested child, a "wounded little boy", Sohrab may also represent the innocent children of Afghanistan, victimized by "history and religion" in their homeland. 

Other symbols include the television, representing Western influence as well as fulfillment of a promise Amir made to Hassan in Chapter 6, the "fake dusty palm tree...flying pink flamingoes on the wallpaper...Formica...counters" of the hotel lobby, signifying the falseness of Western affluence and modernity, and the pigeons at the Blue Mosque, faithful and trusting, flocking to the peace and safety offered by Islam.  Also, the Les Miserables poster next to the American map at the embassy is a Statue-of-Liberty-like representation of America as a refuge for the downtrodden, Mr. Anderson's small, manicured hands signify sterility and unwelcoming, and his caressing of the tomato plant symbolizes his yearning for his dead daughter.  

Why should Woodrow Wilson be on Mount Rushmore? Why? Explain.

I like him just fine historically, but I don't think he can hold court with the other faces on that monument, just my opinion.  But if I were to make a case for him, I can argue that only he and Jimmy Carter were Presidents that made serious efforts towards establishing and maintaining peace.  His Fourteen Points, while a failure diplomatically for the most part, were genius and revolutionary for the time. 

An idea of Freedom of the Seas, for example, was foreign to most imperial wisdom of the time, and today it is commonly accepted international law.  His League of Nations, which seemed pie in the sky optimistic (and it probably was) at the time, was the forerunner of the United Nations today which, while it still has issues, has done a lot of good in this world over the past 65 years.

So Wilson avoided war as long as possible, then tried to cure the world of war once it was over, and I'd have to give him some credit for that, even if not a face on Rushmore.

Please give the explanation of the poem "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats.

The basic idea behind this poem is probably best summed up by the phrase "things fall apart."  The speaker in the poem seems to be worrying that the world is getting to be out of control -- the falcon is spiraling around, getting out of control of its owner, the center cannot hold, etc.

Furthermore, the speaker implies that there is nothing coming to save us.  The second coming, he says, surely must be coming.  But then he goes on to say that it is not.  Instead, some monster "slouches towards Bethlehem to be born."

So, what he seems to be saying is that the world is falling apart and there is nothing that is going to save us.

How does the Fahrenheit 451 society relate to the society of 2010?Explain with details if you can and try to give specific examples. thank you so...

One of the main parallels between the society in Fahrenheit 451 and our society today is attacks on books and the media by special interest groups.  The whole idea of "political correctness" is exactly what Bradbury addresses in the novel.  Books, speeches, news reports, jokes, etc., are ripe for attacks by someone.  Large markets for textbooks, for instance, routinely attempt to dictate content, sometimes even attempting to rewrite history, as the society in the novel does.

As Bradbury writes in his "Coda" to the Ballantine edition of the novel:

...There is more than one way to burn a book.  And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.  Every minority, be it Baptist/Unitarian, Irish/Italian/Octogenarian/ZenBuddhist, Zionist/Seventh-day Adventist, Women's Lib/Republican,Mattachine/FourSquareGospel feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse....

Fire-Captain Beatty, in my novel Fahrenheit 451, described how the books were burned first by minorities, each ripping a page or a paragraph from this book, then that, until the day came when the books were empty and the minds shut and the libraries closed forever.

Our world is just as mindless as the world in the novel.  The media has dumbed down, presenting only what is easily accepted, repeating the same stories every thirty minutes because the big stories attract the most attention, presenting idiot sitcoms night after night. 

We are not far from the world of Fahrenheit 451. 

In All the Pretty Horses, have John Grady and Rawlins broken horses before? Do they seem knowledgeable about it?

Born and bred on Texas ranches, John Grady and Rawlins know just about all there is to know about horses.  Their prowess is tested in the first pages of Chapter 2, when they are presented with "as spooky a bunch of horses...as...ever (seen)" to break.  John Grady audaciously contends that they can break the whole string in four days, and they set out to accomplish this with an unorthodox combination of methods which include rope skill, hobbling techniques, talking to the horses, and patience.  Not only have the boys obviously broken horses before, but they probably have done it together - they work together like clockwork.  When it becomes apparent that they will succeed in their brash boast, a large crowd of local people turn out to watch.

In Animal Farm, what does the alteration of the first commandment mean?

The First Commandment reads, "Whatever goes on two legs is the enemy."  At the end of the novel, the pigs begin walking on two legs.  Therefore the commandment must be changed in their favour. 

In the course of the novel, the commandments are amended to and changed without the consent of the populace.  Generally, an animal will go to the barn wall to check what the commandment says and find it altered.  This shows that someone (the pigs) are in power and that they have the power to change what was once considered by the whole of the Animal Farm to be unalterable and agreed upon by all.

At the end of the novel, only one commandment is there and it says, "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."  At the end of the day, all animals are equal but the pigs are 'more' equal.  This is the best example of 'double speak' available.  The less intelligent animals will not think to question this idea.  But in effect, in equality is inequality and the animals are in the same state as they were with Mr. Jones.  The pigs are the new aristocracy.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of computers?

Disadvantage

1. It destroys your social life and interactions with humans if you do not maintain the balance.
2. It may effect to the destruction of your eye sight due to radiation.
3. It may cause pimples and wrinkles.
4. It may damage your studies and life.
5. Too much time in front of monitor may adverse effect your eye sight and can also make you fat.
6. The way it distracts and can deviate our thoughts and activities towards unproductive activities.
7. It could cause violation of privacy, impact on labor force, health risks, impact on environment, distraction from work, and possible antisocial influences.
8. getting away from their real life and getting into bad lines

ADVANTAGES

1. It helps you automate various tasks that you can not do manually.
2. It helps you organize your data and information in a better way.
3. It has much more computing and calculating power then an ordinary human.
4. It may help your work to be a lot easier.
5. It may be the storage of your important data and files.
6. It may be your handy book.
7. It may help you solve problems faster than an ordinary human being can do.
8. It has speed, storage, reliability, consistency and communications.
9. It helps you to find useful information using the Internet.
10. It helps in businesses, factories, offices, schools and homes.

How and why is Piggy considered by the others to be an outsider?

Piggy is an outsider for many reasons. His health is one. Boys like Ralph are strong and healthy. They are confident in their ability to act. By contrast, Piggy is fat and has asthma. He wears glasses, and his mom has been very protective of him, making him hesitant to act. However, he's also an outsider because he is fundamentally an intellectual. He lives in his mind, while the other boys in their bodies or the community. That makes him seem weird to them.

In Night, what is ironic about the prisoners' feelings about air raids? And explain their attitudes towards death.Chapter 4

The prisoners' attitudes about the air raid are very flippant- they don't really notice, nor do they care. The guards and took refuge in the bomb shelters and left the prisoners on the blocks, not so safely secured, but that was not the prisoner's primary concern. Death was so tangible to all the prisoners at this point that air raid warnings and aerial bomb attacks were welcome interruptions. The prisoners didn't mind dying if it meant that their enemies were going to be hit as well, not to mention that death would end the torturous suffering they had to endure. When it is said that the factory in which Elie's own father is working is being bombed at that moment he remarks,

"we no longer feared death, in any event this particular death. Every bomb that hit filled is with joy, gave us renewed confidence."

When the air raid bomb went off in Chapter 4 the prisoners' concern was not with safety but with two steaming cauldrons of soup that had been left out. Hunger was a more primary instinctual concern than surviving a possible aerial bomb attack, especially since it could mean that the end of the war and suffering of the Jews was close to coming to an end.

What are the structural elements and processes of an essay?

An essay is usually a non-fiction prose piece of writing that is persuasive in nature, in that it attempts to establish credibility in its author: its voice and message attempt to move its audience to a change in action or thought.

The structure of an essay depends on the type, but it usually is written in first or third person, and, according to Toulmin, it can be broken down into these parts:

Data: The facts or evidence used to prove the argument

Claim: The statement being argued (a thesis)

Warrants: The general, hypothetical (and often implicit) logical statements that serve as bridges between the

claim and the data.

Qualifiers: Statements that limit the strength of the argument or statements that propose the conditions under

which the argument is true.

Rebuttals: Counter-arguments or statements indicating circumstances when the general argument does not hold true.

Backing: Statements that serve to support the warrants (i.e., arguments that don't necessarily prove the main point being argued, but which do prove the warrants are true.)

In terms of process, Aldous Huxley advocates an abstract-universal type of appeal:

"essays belong to a literary species whose extreme variability can be studied most effectively within a three-poled frame of reference".

The three poles are:

• Personal and the autobiographical essays: these use "fragments of reflective autobiography" to "look at the world through the keyhole of anecdote and description".

• Objective and factual: in these essays, the authors "do not speak directly of themselves, but turn their attention outward to some literary or scientific or political theme".

• Abstract-universal: these essays "make the best...of all the three worlds in which it is possible for the essay to exist".

What was Maupassant's main purpose for writing "The Necklace"? What was he trying to show the reader?

The author was to show the difference between something real and false, and how our behavior can be affected by our misperception between the two, just as the protagonist's whole life is changed by mistaking false jewels for real. He also wanted to criticize vanity, especially the kind associated with wealth and materialism. To go beyond your means to look pretty, to be excessively concerned about how others perceive you—a perception based on expensive jewelry (in this story) or (in real life) designer jeans or Prada boots, diminishes your own sense of worth, which should be built on character, not what you wear or how you look.

What is the difference between writing a letter and an expository or a persuasive essasy?trying to study for the WASL. recognize how to write...

It all depends on audience and the type of letter or essay.  A letter to a familiar audience is much different than an expository essay, but a formal letter to an unknown audience will not differ greatly.

1.  Informal Letter vs. Expository Essay: a familiar letter is much more intimate in voice than an expository essay.  A writer of an informal letter to a familiar audience uses "sweet style": 2nd person, colloquial language, casual diction, perhaps humor.  It is likely filled with pathos, emotional language--perhaps laced with passionate love.  It is non-academic and has no formal claim or grounds with which to influence or change the audience's position.

2.  Formal Letter vs. Expository Essay: these may both be "stuffy" in style, which means they have theses (claims and grounds used to persuade).  This type of writing is academic and formal, highly organized (topic sentences, quotes, examples), and it relies on formal diction (3rd person).  It is likely filled with logos, logical and objective argumentation.  This is the language of academic discourse (high school and college).  Even though it is a letter, its purposes may be very similar to an essay.  Many "open letters" are meant to persuade a wide audience.