What is the giant panda's niche (include its symbiotic relationships it has with other organisms in its community)

The panda lives in Asia and China and lives in the mountains. They used to live in the lowlands but because of deforestation they have been forced up into the mountains.

Panda are solitary so they really do not have relationships with other living things. The only time they spend with other pandas is when they mate or raise their young.

Their diet consists mostly of bamboo but they will eat eggs or small creatures if they come across them. Sometimes they eat different plants as well.

A major concern is the loss of bamboo that is available to the panda. When a shortage of bamboo occurs, it is possible that it may starve.

The sum of ages of Lisa and her mother is 45. The product of their ages is 126. Find their ages.

Let us say that Lisa's age ix x and her mothers age is y. Then as per the data given in the question:

x + y = 45   ...   (1)

x*y = 126   ...   (2)

Dividing both sides of equation 2 by y we get:

x = 126/y

Substituting this value of x in equation 1 we get:

126/y + y = 45

multiplying both side of above equation by y and taking all the terms on one side we get:

y^2 - 45y + 126 = 0

Therefore: y^2 - 3y - 42y + 126 = 0

Therefore: y(y - 3) - 42(y - 3) = 0

Therefore: (y - 3)*(y - 42) = 0

Therefore y = 3 or y = 42

Out of these two values 3 represents age of Lisa and 42 represents age of her mother.

Answer:

Lisa is 3 years old.

Her other is 42 years old.

NOTE: We could have found the answer by a much simpler method of trial and error of dividing the number 45 in two numbers successively as 1+44, 2+42, 3+43 and so on and calculating the product of the two components. till we get the multiplication amount as 126. As a matter of fact we have applied this method to find out factors of the equation: y^2 - 45y + 126 = 0.

Why did Filipinos fights against Spanish rule? How long had Spain controlled the Philippines?

Spain established their first settlement in Philippines in 1565, and then expanded their presence and power there. By 1572 they gained control of many of the islands in the Philippines. During this period they wee also able to prevent any other country to gain a foothold there. Starting from that time,and up to 1898, Spain ruled over Philippines without break till they ceded the country to USA as a part of the treaty following Spanish-American war.

However the Spanish rule over Philippines was not entirely without opposition from the local Filipino people, particularly the people who practiced Muslim faith. There were almost continuous warfare between Spaniards and Muslims people of Mindanao and Sulu throughout the Spanish colonial rule.

Also oppressive practices of Spanish rule that furthered economic interests of Spain at the cost of Filipinos created resentment among local people. First major resistance occurred in 1822 in the form of revolt by Filipino workers against harsh treatment by government and factory bosses. This resulted in weakening of tobacco industry for many years.

The intensity of the Filipino resistance increased with the increasing exposure to ideas of freedom and equality which were sweeping the entire world as a result of increasing interaction between people of different regions of the world. Spread of such Ideas also created support for the Filipino cause among some liberal Spaniards.

How does Peter get the bread which Elli forgets to bring upstairs?

Peter goes down to the main office and "crouches in front of the door to make himself as small as possible and crawls towards the steel lockers...so as not to be seen from outside, gets the bread".  After this he wants to disappear back into the annex, but Mouschi the cat has escaped and Peter cannot lure him back in.  After trying and failing to retrieve the cat, Peter gives up and returns to the annex with the bread but without the cat.

(Diary entry Friday, 20 August, 1943)

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, what does Hamlet mean by saying "O my prophetic soul!" in Act 1, Scene 5?

Hamlet is actually describing what is a common experience. We have all had moments of insight in which we realized that something we only felt or sensed was a glaring and sometimes menacing reality. We pick up clues intuitively, but it often takes time, or some new development, for the truth to break through into our consciousness. Here is how Henry James describes this truly very common experience in his excellent short novel Washington Square:

A sudden fear had come over her [Catherine Sloper]; it was like the solid conjunction of a dozen disembodied doubts, and her imagination, at a single bound, had traversed an enormous distance.

Hamlet had been sensing that there was something more to his father's death, his uncle's coronation, and the marriage of his uncle and his mother than had been thoroughly explained. There may have been many clues he picked up intuitively but hadn't pieced together into a picture until the Ghost gave him the one missing piece of the puzzle. For example, his uncle and mother were showing unusual concern about what he was thinking and feeling. Claudius was acting much differently than his uncle had acted in the past, and the new king was doing an unusual amount of drinking. The story about a serpent killing Hamlet's father was fishy enough in itself. Such a thing might happen in India or Borneo, but how often do poisonous snakes kill people in a cold climate like Denmark's? In fact, are there any poisonous snakes in Denmark at all? 

Hamlet is sincerely overwhelmed with grief at the death of his father. He is also disgusted with his mother. He has plenty of things to occupy his mind without focusing on his feelings, or suspicions, or vague intuitions, about Claudius. Hamlet might have picked up clues long before his father's death that would make him sense that his uncle might be sexually attracted to Gertrude and might have sinister ambitions. Our unconscious minds will often give us warnings in our dreams. It might be said that we all have "prophetic souls," but most of us often fail to heed them. This, in fact, was true of Hamlet. He was all wrapped up in his studies of languages, ancient history, and philosophy at Wittenberg and didn't pay attention to practical matters at home. Otherwise, he might have become king instead of his wicked and cunning uncle.

Use 'Cloning' as an example of a scientific development and indicate briefly what the moral and ethical issues raised are?

Just this evening I saw a report on television on this topic.  Recently they have collected enough DNA from and ancient body.  Scientists believe they may be able to make a clone using the DNA.  The ethics committees are debating if it is ethical to clone a being that is closely related to a human.

The problem that arises is one that is already common to science.  Science is moving faster than the laws that can define the results.  One of the biggest moral issues in regards to cloning is does man have the right to create life?  This issue also co-insides with many spiritual beliefs and the crossing of the lines between science and religion.

Other concerns are should cloning be allowed with humans and should it be successful, what is the level of emotional and physical ramifications would exist for a cloned human being?  There are not easy answers and like so many other advanced areas in science, the questions will arise more and more as science progresses.

Another concern is that cloning may lead to many damaged or deformed fetus' during the learning process and then what would happen to those clones could be tragic or create even more unethical outcomes.

What is the theme of Frindle?

There are several themes in Clements' work.  In my mind, I think that most overwhelming theme is the relationship between language and power.  Nick and Mrs. Granger have a battle which is constructed over the use and application of language.  In the final analysis, the power struggle between both is rooted in the control of language.  When Nick tries to get underneath her skin, Mrs. Granger gives the assignment of examining word roots in the dictionary.  This act reflects her control over language, and in the process, her power over Nick.  Once he invents the word "Frindle," he begins to assert his power over her and the society at large through the control of language.  The idea of being able to control language and assert power through it is a theme of Clements' work.

Can someone please give some push and pull factors about Australia?Please give me as mny as possible!

It is not clear exactly what you mean here, but I will try to answer.  I assume that you are talking about push and pull in terms of reasons to immigrate to Australia.  Geographers usually talk about "push" as reasons immigrants have for leaving their country and "pull" as reasons they have for coming to a particular country.

I also do not know what time period you are talking about.

The main pull for Australia has historically been economic opportunity.  This was true in its early days when the immigrants were European and it is true today when Asians want to immigrate.  Today, political freedom is also a major pull factor for Australia.

The push factors are, of course, specific to the countries that the people come from.  But they are usually poverty and political repression.

What would the Style be for Jane Austen's poem, "I've a Pain in my Head?"I'm having difficulting with the whole concept of style and when i was...

Top Answer

When you're trying to describe the style of a poem, imagine how you would describe it if it were a person. The style of Jane Austen's poem "I've a Pain in my Head" is very similar to her prose style: satiric and sly.

It is a narrative poem, which means it tells a story. Actually, the story could be considered a joke as well. A "suffering" lady named Beckford asks her doctor, the "dread" Newnham, what to take for a headache. His reply? "Ah, what can you do Ma'am?" Not much of a doctor, right? Beckford comes up with her own solution, and the doctor is in such agreement, he decides he needs the same medicine. This is funny in two ways. First, it satirizes the medical profession, which must have been very unhelpful in Austen's time. Second, it makes fun of hypochondriacs, who probably do give their doctors headaches.

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Describe the background of social learning theory according to abnormal psychology?

Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory explains that we acquire tendencies in behavior through the observation and imitation of the behaviors of others, like the previous editor wrote. In terms of its correlation to Abnormal Psychology, theorists argue that two factors influence how we use what we learn from others: Nature and Nurture.

What this means is that some of us, no matter who our peers are (whether good or bad people) will behave in a way that is genetically inherited and with tendencies that are genetically acquired regardless of social learning. - That is the theory in favor of Nature.

Nurture would be the pure social learning we receive from meeting our basic social, physical, and emotional needs. Through good nurturing the psychological development of the individual is argued to not be corrupted. Yet, that is also theoretical.

So, in conclusion, social learning is always a constant in an individual's development as we are in consistent exposure to others and our social support systems- however- it may very well be ultimately nature which will shape how the social learning is used, and vice versa. Nature and nurture, behavior and psychology are interconnected.

A hockey puck on a frozen pond with an initial speed of 18.50 m/s stops after sliding a distance of 224.1 m. Calculate the average value of the...

A hockey puck on a frozen pond has an initial speed 18.50 m/s, it stops after sliding a distance of 224.1 m. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the puck and the the ice surface is K, the frictional force acting on it is N*K where N is the normal force equal to M*g, M being the mass of the puck and g the acceleration due to gravity.

The deceleration due to the frictional force is K*g. The puck travels 224.1 m before stopping, use the formula v^2 - u^2 = 2*a*s.

18.5^2 - 0 = 2*K*g*224.1

As the gravitational acceleration is 9.8 m/s^2

18.5^2 = 2*K*9.8*224.1

=> K = 0.0779

The coefficient of kinetic friction between the puck the ice is 0.0779

In chapters 36 to 48 of Great Expectations, what is the first thing that Pip does with his yearly allowance?

Well, within these chapters the first thing that Pip does with his yearly allowance (since he has turned 21 and now handles his money affairs himself) is to set up a job and partnership for Herbert. Pip goes to Walworth to meet with Wemmick and arranges through Wemmick that Herbert will become the partner of a young merchant in exchange for Pip's giving the merchant 250 pounds and regular payments. It will remain a secret that Pip is the one financing the arrangement.

Why is Miyax trying to go to San Francisco in Julie of the Wolves?

Miyax is trying to get to San Francisco because she essentially feels that she has nowhere else to go. Her own life situation has become unbearable, but she has received a friendly letter from a penpal on the mainland, telling her about San Francisco and inviting her to visit. San Francisco sounds wonderful to her, and so she sets out to get there on her own.

Miyax' mother is dead, and although she had lived an idyllic life for a time with her father at seal camp, he had sent her to live with a disagreeable aunt so that she could go to school as required by law, while he himself had gone to war. Miyax has since been told that he is dead too. Although she has trouble fitting in with her more Anglicized classmates, Miyax loves to learn, but her aunt does not have the money to send her to the mainland to further her education when she has gone as far as she can go at the local school. In accordance with old Eskimo tradition, Miyax' father has made arrangements for her to marry Daniel, the son of his friend Naka. Hoping that Naka will send her away to school if she marries his son, Miyax does so, only to find that something is wrong with Daniel. Still a child, Miyax has been promised to a boy with delayed mental development whom she has never even met, and when Daniel clumsily and forcefully tries to assert his marital rights with Miyax, she runs away. She carries with her a precious letter from Amy, her penpal in California. Amy has written about all the wonderful things they will do if Miyax can come to visit, and so, having no options left, Miyax sets off to get there by herself.

Is Walton just a story teller or does he serve any thematic purposes?

Walter serves many purposes in the novel, all directly or indirectly related to a theme. Some of these purposes include offering parallels to both Victor and the creature, reflecting the tension between rationalism & romanticism, and providinga filter through which Victor's biases & perspectives are revealed/concealed.

Through Robert Walton, Victor's story is filtered by an unbiased third-person narrator. Walton is separated from the action, so he can remain impartial in areas where Victor cannot. He is also a man of science, a practical man. this leds an air of realism to an otherwise unbelievable story. Walton's letters begin and end the novel, creating a frame for Victor's and the creature's narratives. In this way, Walton combines the most important qualities found in both Victor and his creature. As an Arctic explorer, Walton, much like Victor, wishes to conquer the unknown. We find out that his crew is near mutiny due to the pressures he has put on them. Yet he does what Victor continually failed to do throughout the novel: he listens to the creature's anguished tale with compassion and empathy.

We also discover that Walton originally wanted to be a poet, but, having failed that endeavor, he embraced the scientific advancements of the age and became an Arctic explorer. Walton's letters begin and end the novel, framing Victor's and the creature's narratives in such a way that Walton embodies the most important qualities found in both Victor and his creature. Walton, in other words, balances the inquisitive yet presumptuously arrogant nature of Victor with the sympathetic, sensitive side of the creature.

What kind of poem is "Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath (poetic device)?

Sylvia Plath's strong feministic views can be found in many of her works; "Mushrooms" seems to be overlooked as a manifestation of this, possibly due to the subtlety in her use of metaphors. Persistent struggle is a central theme overall in this poem but Plath's word choices clearly narrow the minority down to women. Written in 1960, "Mushrooms" is a striking social commentary on the struggles of women to overcome the restraints of the housewife image. Plath parallels a mushroom's growth, determination, and population expansion with women's fight for notability, independence, and as she sees it, inevitable control of the majority.

There is also a reference to the Bible in Beatitudes where the meek will inherit the earth. It says, 'Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth'. So in a way, there is irony as it comes across as a blessing on one level, but the fact they are inheriting the earth presents a threat on another level.

The fact the poem contains enjambment could show that the 'mushrooms' cannot be contained, though they may go unnoticed, there is nothing to stop them again this poses a potential threat.

As the mushrooms are 'Earless and eyeless, /Perfectly voiceless' this on one hand may seem to mean they are of little significance, but the mere fact they can survive entirely independently poses another threat.

The build up of adverbs in the first stanza suggests a threat, where the 'mushrooms' are slowly building up and planning towards this subtle invasion to 'inherit the earth'.
Mushrooms could be a metaphor for the people in general, but it could also be to do with the liberation of women as the poem was written just after WW2.

Due to the time in which this poem was written, it is possible interpret the poem to be about the rise of women in social standing, hence providing them with power. For example, the phrase "Our toes, our noses" refers to parts of the human anatomy which are traditionally delicate and women were, at the time, seen to be delicate. It is said that the mushrooms "Take hold on the loam". Loam is a type of fertile earth and as women are the fertile gender, it could be said that Plath is referring to women here. Consequently, it can be seen that mushrooms is an extended metaphor for women and the growing of the mushrooms refers to the uprising of women in society.
There are many, many more examples which link mushrooms to women throughout the poem, such as domestic imagery, "We are shelves, we are
Tables", and references to certain qualities which women were expected to have in the 1950's, e.g.: "meek

Explain "Not for nothing on face, on character, on fact makes much impression on him, and another none."

This quote appears in the second paragraph of Emerson's famous essay.  He begins the paragraph by discussing the fact that each man comes to a point in his life when he realizes that the power to know and to do lies only within him.  Emerson states that "imitation is suicide," and in doing so, he establishes his thesis to be supported by the quote from your question.

The quote specifically refers to the idea that an individual's perception is solely his own.  There is no standard or reason for why some things, people, or ideas leave an impression and why others do not--it is simply up to the individual to interpret what he sees with his "eye."  Emerson believes that not only must a person be reliant upon self in providing basic necessities, but he must also be self-reliant in his thinking, beliefs, and perceptions.

Is Benvolio's description of Tybalt as the "fiery" Tybalt an apt description of his action, behavior and language?

If you take a look at Tybalt's own words in Act I alone you see him as fiery, or fiesty . . . always looking for that fight.

In scene i: "What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Have at thee coward!"

In scene v, Tybalt refers to Romeo as a slave, and then he uses the word "villian" 3 times.

Finally, in that same scene, Tybalt says, "I will withdraw; but this intrusion shall, Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt'rest gall."

If Tybalt isn't fighting, he is threatening to be fighting in the future.

Who is the narrator in The Great Gatsby?

The narrator in this story is a man named Nick Carraway.  He is from a pretty well off family that lives somewhere in the Midwest.  He is related to Daisy Buchanan, who is one of the major characters in the story.

He is able to function as narrator because he ends up living right next door to Gatsby.  Because of that, he meets Gatsby and can narrate about him.  Because he is related to Daisy, he meets her husband and Jordan Baker and the Wilsons and can talk about them.

He functions as a first person narrator, which gives us insight into his attitudes and feelings about the other characters.

To what extent is the theme of loneliness presented in Come Back, Little Sheba?

Lola's husband, whom she annoyingly calls "Doc," is lonely too. He fell in love with her when she was young and pretty. But after they were married he came to realize that she was unintelligent and incapable of understanding him or sharing any of his intellectual or cultural interests. He had planned to become a medical doctor, but they were forced to get married because she became pregnant and he was the kind of man who would do the right thing. Instead he has become a chiropractor and does not feel like a real doctor, so every time she calls him "Doc" it is like a tiny stab, a reminder of his lost hopes. He has had a very serious drinking problem because he was obviously drinking to drown his regrets and perhaps especially to forget his fury at his dumb, well-meaning, fading wife, who trapped him into marriage and then couldn't even provide the baby or any future babies. Evidently he has vented his repressed anger at her in the past when he was drunk, and she lives in fear that he will fall off the wagon again and attack her with verbal abuse and threatened physical abuse again. They are two lonely people being lonely together. This is common in a lot of marriages, although it may be more or less concealed in most. 

In Leo Tolstoy’s famous story “The Kreutzer Sonata,” the narrator says:

“We were like two convicts fastened to one chain, hating each other, each poisoning the life of the other and striving not to recognize the fact. I did not then realize that ninety-nine per cent of the married people live in the same hell as mine, and that it must be so. Nor did I then realize that it was so of others or true of myself."

Little Sheba was a toy dog that went missing. It either represents Lola's lost youth or her lost baby--or both.

What does Goodman Brown expect the rest of his life to be like in Young Goodman Brown?

pohnpei397's answer is good.

All you really need to do, though, is read the opening paragraphs of the story for yourself. (The full text can be found in many places online, including the link below.) pohnpei's answer includes a direct reference to a thought that Young Goodman Brown has in paragraph seven of the story, including the line:

she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.

The very next paragraph of the story, however, opposes this image of purity:

With this excellent resolve for the future, Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose. He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind. ...

On this dark journey, his "present evil purpose," Young Goodman Brown abandons both his wife (Faith) and his belief in all that is good (faith).

In A Separate Peace what makes Finny give up his denial of war?

In reality, Finny had always known that there was a war, he was just playing an elaborate denial game with himself, in order to deal with not being accepted into it.  Not being accepted into the war is too hard for him to face, so his way of coping was concocting a story about it being fake.  However, what makes him kind-of snap out of that denial is hearing about how basic training had pretty much caused Leper to snap and lose it.  That was pretty shocking, and Finny states of it,

"When I heard that about Leper, then I knew that the war was real...if a war can drive somebody crazy, then it's real all right."

If Leper, their calm and eccentric friend is pushed over the edge because of the war, then its reality is brutal and undeniable, and it is what forces Finny to admit its reality to Gene.  I hope that helped a bit--for your other questions, try submitting them separately, as the format of this website allows for one a day.  Good luck!

What trifles in the story Trifles have implications?There are some trifles in the story which have some implications to demonstrate the theme such...

The play Trifles is presents us with two worlds: the world as men see it and the world of women, which, as we see in the play, men are blind to. The title of the play comes from a line that Hale gives: "Well, women are used to worrying over trifles." This is in response to the Attorney's statement that Mrs. Wright should have been worrying about more than just her preserves. Very quickly, the opening pages establish that the kitchen is full of what to the men are just "trifles" that they cannot understand or interpret, but which the women are able to comprehend and gain meaning from. For example, when the Attorney criticises Mrs. Wright because of the dirty towels, Mrs. Hale is able to correct him by explaining how quickly towels get dirty by men's hands.

As the play progresses the irony of the situation becomes clearer. The men are constantly active in this play - moving from one room to the next, trying to find anything that would give a motive to explain the crime and incriminate Mrs. Wright. They are blind to the kitchen and overlook key clues. The women, on the contrary, remain in the kitchen, perhaps a symbol of their world, full of signs and objects that only they can interpret. Thus they are able to comment on the jobs that remained unfinished and what Mrs. Wright was going to do before the disaster happened, such as the bread that was set, and where she was going to put it.

The women's ability to interpret what they see becomes key upon the discovery of the discovery of the bird, which Mrs. Hale implicitly relates to Mrs. Wright: "She used to sing. He killed that, too." Thus the women are able to piece together the motive for the crime that the men are so intent on finding, discerning that Mrs. Wright finally killed her husband because he killed her bird, which was the final straw. In the end, they women agree together to hide the bird, in case the men are able to draw any conclusions from it. Another repeated reference is made to the quilt of Mrs. Wright that is found. The men laugh at the women's debating whether Mrs. Wright was going to "quilt it or not it", and they refer repeatedly to this as if to underline the women's inability to focus on anything other than "trifles". Of course, this only adds to the irony that it is the women through the knowledge of their trifles have solved the mystery whereas the men remain ignorant.

In The Giver how did Jonas feel the pain and war?The Giver

In the book, Jonas was able to feel pain and to feel the suffering of war because the Giver gave him those sorts of memories.

The first negative memory that the Giver gave Jonas was a painful one.  It was a memory of a sunburn.  That shows us how little real pain anyone ever felt in the community.  Jonas had never felt anything that bad before.

Later on, the Giver gives Jonas the memory of a battle.  Jonas occupies the memories of a young soldier who is dying in the battle.  But after the soldier dies, Jonas continues to experience the horrors of the battle.

In Poe's poem "The Raven", what does the speaker think when the raven first say 'Nevermore"?

The speaker first tries to rationalize the raven's answer.  The word "nevermore" seemed to answer the question the narrator had just asked, which is "what is your name"?  The way the narrator explains this coincidence is to assume that the raven is repeating what a previous owner said.  Here are the lines from the poem:

`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore

The narrator also assumes that the raven will fly away the next morning.  He is wrong in both assumptions.

How does Roderick Usher compare to his house?

For Edgar Allan Poe's "The House of Usher," you will have more than enough for three paragraphs if you review the story, noting the parallels between the house and the family.  For an opening, you can certainly draw upon the double entendre of the title:  the house as the mansion and the house as the family [the narrator alludes to this in paragraph 3].  For, both the mansion and the family are of aristocratic stature, they have been around a long time, and they are both isolated and fast becoming victimized by their internal decay.

With these three conditions in which the family and the mansion are parallel, you can easily construct the body of your essay, locating supporting details in the narrative.  For instance, in the exposition of the story, the description of the "mansion of gloom" is much like that of one that follows of Madeline as the narrator shudders upon gazing at the

inverted images of the gray sedge, and the ghastly tree stems, and the vacant and eyelike windows

In fact, the atmosphere of the mansion seems connected with the underworld and with decay and disease (par.4)  Later in the narrative, the life of Roderick is, indeed, connected with the subterranean regions of the house and the decay and disease of his sister.

These parallels run throughout the narrative; you will have no difficulty if you return to the story and peruse with such parallels in mind.  As an aid to the actual writing of your essay, see the site below that has helpful points.

What songs describe Ackley's personality in The Catcher in the Rye (in that the lyrics deal with people who are rude or annoying)?

Ha ha! What a funny question. There is a song from the 60's rock band, The Kinks, that reminds me of Ackley. It is called Well Respected Man. It is a British rock group, so you will have to "translate" some of the words, but it is about an annoying hypocrite that is "well respected" about town, but really a jerk. See the link below for the words.

Also, another song that comes to mind is You're So Vain by Carly Simon. It is also about a person that is pretty impressed with himself/herself - "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you......" etc.

Simon supposedly wrote this song with a specific person in mind, but over the years, many have tried to speculate as to the identify of the song's subject. Some have guessed Warren Beatty, the actor. Others have guessed Mick Jagger, David Geffin and a host of other celebrities.

The reason that these two songs could be good with reference to Ackley is because they both are about rich people. Since Cather in the Rye is not about poor people but rather young men whose families can afford to send them to expensive prep schools like Pencey Prep, these would be good songs to use.

Perhaps some younger person would have better examples from more modern times, but I'm a child of the 60's so these two songs come to my mind.

In what directions are the rooms laid out in "Masque of The Red Death"?

The rooms are laid out from East to West and they are done so as a metaphor for life. Many people use the sunrise and the sunset as a metaphor for life. The sun rises in the East the world lights up and so life begins. The sun shines brighter until midday and then the light begins to wan just like life. Finally the sun sets in the west and the world goes dark, just as when we die. The rooms in the abbey are also set up as such and the colors represent each stage of life that we pass through.

How can I get the reference of the ring episode in "The Merchant of Venice?"

The following three references trace the ring leit motif found in the second half of the story.

The recourse to an element of three (three caskets, three rings, three confrontations, etc....) are tritely a "fairy tale" element in this already farfetched tale. Shylock the usurer conveniently replaces the ogre and Portia, the fairy godmother!

Describe the background/setting (place, weather, mood) of Treasure Island.

Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure novel, Treasure Island, begins in southwest England, moves to the Caribbean, then on to Savannah, Georgia and, finally, back to the West Country of England. The site of the actual Treasure Island is probably based upon the small, uninhabited island of Dead Man's Chest (or Dead Chest Island) in the present day British Virgin Islands. Blackbeard the pirate supposedly isolated a group of mutinous crew members on Dead Chest with a single bottle of rum--thus the origins of the famed sea shanty.

Treasure Island is one of the greatest pirate stories ever told, and it has been retold and used as the basis for many films, including the recent Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean series. Action, murder, deceit, and tropical climes are just a few of the alluring attributes of the novel.

Discuss the role of Egdon Heath in The Return of the Native.

Egdon Heath in Thomas Hardy's novel The Return of the Native is more than just a space or a setting. It is almost an overwhelming presence, a functional character in a way.

1. It stands for fate, an almost Greek notion of deterministic universe. It is commanding, vengeful, retaliative and so on.

2. It has a temporal autonomy of its own. It prides on its antiquity and resists all the civilizing projects of Modernity.

3. It is a pagan force as opposed to the Christ-like Clym.

4. It works through the lives of its people through chance and coincidence.

5. It is full of mastery, obscurity, austerity and asceticism. It only gives happiness to its conformists and the people who try to change or modernize it (e.g. Clym) or other figures of individualist authoritarianism like Mrs. Yeobright or Eustacia fall prey to its vindictive machinations. Conformists like Thomasin find it no trouble at all on the other hand.

Which are the curiosities about giraffes?

The tallest living animal on land is the giraffe. It is 5.5 meters tall while its shoulders stand at a height of 2.5 meters. Some facts about the Giraffes are as follows:

. An adult male giraffe is called a bull, a female is called a cow and a young giraffe a calf. 

. A new born giraffe measures about 6 feet.

. A giraffe is one of the animals who is born with a horn.

. A giraffes age can be calculated from its spots, as the     darker the spots, the older the giraffe.

. A giraffe's heart is 24 pounds in weight and 2 feet in length.

.Giraffes can survive for long periods without consuming water.

. The tongue of an adult giraffe measures 27".

. Giraffes sleep for no more than 5 to 30 minutes in 24 hours.

In the short story "The Cask of Amontillado," about how many days would it take for Fortunato to die?

Poe leaves it somewhat unclear whether the stone wall would cut off Fortunato's air supply entirely. If so, Fortunato would die in a few minutes, as the answer by clane says. But Montresor wanted a terrible revenge. He would not have wanted his victim to die in a few minutes but to die a long, lingering death. Therefore it seems to me that--even though Poe does not say so--there must have been enough air to keep Fortunato alive. Montresor refers to the dampness and dripping water many many times throughout the story. For example:

“Pass your hand,” I said, “over the wall; you cannot help feeling the nitre. Indeed, it is very damp. Once more let me implore you to return. No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must first render you all the little attentions in my power.”

The wall to which Montresor refers is the one to which his victim is chained. This seems intended to show that Fortunato could get some water but would have to do so by licking it drop by drop off the granite wall. Montresor also refers to the nitre many times. The chemical formula for nitre is KNO3. Without knowing much about chemistry, this seems to me to indicate that the catacombs are full of nitre which contain three parts oxygen. So the place, which as Montresor says is under the river, seems to be full of oxygen and water.

“The nitre!” I said; “see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among the bones. Come, we will go back ere it is too late. Your cough—”

Poe seems to be taking pains to assure the reader that Fortunato will have enough water and enough foul air. This suggests that Fortunato will starve to death. As clane says in her answer, this means he could stay alive, albeit in total misery, for about three weeks. That would suit Montresor just fine.

What is a major theme in To Kill a Mockingbird? How is it developed through different characters?

A major theme in this novel is prejudice, and not just racial prejudice.  This is a small town in the 1930s south, and despite the fact that there are some liberal folks there who believe people should be treated equally (Atticus and Miss Maudie, for example), there are still an awful lot of people who think blacks have their place and should just stay in it.  During the trial of Tom Robinson, it is shown that even though progress has been made (think of how hard Atticus worked to defend Tom), they still have a long way to go when there is overwhelming evidence to acquit Tom of the rape charges against Mayella Ewell - and yet the jury still finds him guilty.

I said above that the book isn't just about racial prejudice.  It's also about intolerance of any kind.  Boo Radley is someone who Scout and Jem learn to respect and treat the way they would want to be treated, even though he and his family is vastly different from their own.

Check the link below for more information about the themes of this great book.  Good luck!

How is Angela Shepard described in That Was Then This Is Now?

Angela is beautiful, but there is little she won't do to get what she wants.  She drops Bryon for Ponyboy, but when Ponyboy will have nothing to do with her, Angela goes running back to Bryon. She gets a friend to start a fight with Ponyboy, causing Mark to get injured when he helps Ponyboy. Bryon learns Angela set up the fight and later cuts off her hair when she gets drunk one night. She has her brothers beat Bryon up for that.

What are the themes in Lysistrata?

One of the themes in Lysistrata is obedience. The women are no longer willing to be subservient to the men. This shocks the men when the women are vocal about their discontent, and willing to fight about it if necessary. They are giving up the usual, traditional roles of wife and mother to fight.

Another theme is that of sex. The women are using sex as a weapon to fight the men. They band together and withhold sex in an attempt to weaken the men and have them give in. It is one of the few true weapons that these women have in their arsenal.

Heathcliff ruins certain people's lives in the novel. How does he ruin Edgar's life? And Isabella's?

In the novel "Wuthering Heights" Heathcliff has returned from being away and has managed to gain a fortune and achieve some degree of manners.  He is attractive and very manipulative.  He sets out to make life miserable for Hindley.  Once he has manipulated his way into Wuthering Heights he proceeds to abuse the drunkard Hindly and eventually gains control of his property.

Heathcliff next sets out to destroy Edgar Linton.  He tries at first to get Catherine away from him, but when she finds out that she is pregnant she stays.  He develops a plan to take what Edgar cherishes second most, his sister.  He begins to win her affections and goes to the Grange where she accepts him as her visitor.  Catherine tries to get her to understand that he is tricking her.  When Edgar tells her that she can not see Heathcliff, she elopes with him.  He abuses her thereafter and she has been disowned by her brother. 

Heathcliff and Isabella have a son.  He is a weak and sickly boy named Linton.  He takes him out of school and makes him live with him.  He treats him badly but he sets his sights on having him marry Edgar and Catherine's now grown daughter.  His true love died during her childbirth.  He tricks the girl into coming to his house while her father, Edgar is on his death bed.  He traps her and arranges for her to marry the sickly Linton.  They marry and when her father dies Linton has the family fortune.  Linton dies and because a girl can not inherit the estate, Heathcliff inherits everything.  He has stolen Edgar's child from him and his wealth.  He has destroyed Isabella's life and caused her son's early demise. 

And to think, we call this one of the greatest love strories of all time!

During the crying out in The Crucible, who is accused of what and by whom?

It really depends on which act you are referring to, because there sure is a whole lot of "crying out" that occurs in the play.  So let's start with Act One.  At the very end of Act One, the first person to "cry out" against another person is Abby.  The adults are circling, accusing her of making potions and spells.  Hale has found out about the dancing, and about the frog that Abby claimed "leapt in" to the pot of its own accord.  She is afraid that she is going to be accused of being a witch.  So, she lashes out at Tituba.  She says, "Not I, Tituba" in response to their questions about whether or not they were conjuring spirits.  That gets the heat off of her back for a bit as they turn on Tituba.

Tituba is then accused of witchcraft, and told that if she doesn't confess, she is going to be whipped or hanged.  So, she takes the "easy" route, and starts to "confess" her crimes.  She admits to trafficking with the devil, and when they ask her who else she saw with Satan, she accuses Goody Osburn and Goody Good.  As soon as she does this, her accusers turn friendly, and treat her like an angel.  Abby clues in on this, and thinks, "Hey, that could work," and then too "confesses" and blames other women for making her do evil things.  Then, following Abby's lead, all of the other girls chime in, naming people.  During this initial spat of accusations, no one is directly accused of anything; the girls and Tituba just said that they saw various women "with the devil."  The reason they are accused is so that the girls can get out of getting in trouble for the dancing.

In Act Two, offstage, Martha Corey is accused of curing Walcott's pigs, making them die, and Goody Nurse is accused of the "supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies."  Goody Osburn is accused of witchcraft and mumbling curses.Then, Elizabeth is accused of trying to kill Abby through a voodoo doll.  In Act Three, Proctor is accused of trafficking with the devil.

That should cover most of the major accusations that are given.  I hope that helped; good luck!

Who abuses power in the "Lord of the Flies"?William Golding's "Lord of the Flies"

In addition to the previous post, I would like to add that Roger also abuses power in the novel. Although he is not the chief, he certainly represents the darkest side of human nature. One might compare him to military commanders in dictatorships or police states: they may not be the one with power nominally, but they surely hold the power behind the scenes. For example, when one of the lookouts tells him Jack is beating a follower, Roger muses on the possibilities of irresponsible authority. He recognizes how much freedom exists in chaos. In such an atmosphere, where there are no legal or moral restraints, he is free to act as he pleases and satisfy his sadistic tendencies. Unlike Jack, who sees violence as necessity, Roger views it as opportunity.

The twins, Samneric, recognize this too. After being beaten and forced to join Jack's tribe, they speak to Ralph, who attempts to win them over to his side again. but they are terrified.

“You don’t know Roger. He’s a terror.”
“And the chief—they’re both—”
“—terrors—”
“—only Roger—”

You can see that it is not really Jack they are afraid of: it's Roger. They confirm this with their final statement to Ralph “Roger sharpened a stick at both ends.” That one line sums up the delight Roger has discovered in abusing others. He uses the power of Jack to enact his own torture fantasies. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in Piggy's death. Roger watches the rock crush Piggy almost serenely, seeming to revel in his first kill. He is truly the one who reveals the beast within.

What is conveyed about the position of women in Victorian society through "Goblin Market?"

Like many of her contemporaries, Rossetti's writing reflects her isolation from a typical social lifestyle, her introspection as a result of that isolation, and her desire to be taken seriously as both a woman and a poet.

Two unifying themes of the works of Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti is first, the idea of self-renunciation, and second, a fascination with death.  "Goblin Market" is a long narrative poem which presents two sisters who are tempted by goblins into eating fruit.  One sister has a taste which later begins to kill her.  In the end, it is her sister who heroically risks her own life, faces the goblins again, resists them, and ends up saving her sister's life.

Women authors during the Victorian times were fighting for a voice in a mostly male-dominated art.  Through this publication, arguably the one which made the author most famous, it has been speculated that Rossetti had adopted a popular mindset of female authors of the 19th century.  It seemed that in order to be successful in writing, these women had to personally sacrifice the more socially acceptable and certainly expected institution of marriage.  Instead of acting as traditional housewives and mothers, Victorian female authors often ended up growing old as single women with a lot of time to themselves.

The resisting of the goblin fruit in "Goblin Market" has been related to the author's resisting of things of the flesh.  Additionally, with the time she must have spent alone, it seems she became very introspective.  Because she was a religious woman, it is not a wonder that life after death would have been of interest to her.  Finally, the two sisters in the poem value their relationship with one another above everything else.  The one sister even risks her life for the other.  The desire to portray strength in females and the sister-relationship is the final message that likely came directly from Rossetti's life as a Victorian author.

How does the setting function as more than mere backdrop in "A Good Man is Hard to Find"? How does the setting affect the story and the...

The setting of the murders is significant as well. Here the family goes off the main highway, down a dirt road which is "hilly and there were sudden washes in it and sharp curves on dangerous embankments.  All at once they would be on a hill . . .then the next minute,they would be in a red depression with the dust-coated trees looking down on them." They are looking for a house that the grandmother remembers, but after the accident she remembers it was in fact in a different state altogether. They are, in short, lost. The "dirt road" signifies the primitiveness of the surroundings; they are away from civilization where rules would otherwise apply. Here, with no rules, they meet the Misfit, a man who does not play by any rules. The "red depression with the dust-coated trees looking down on them" seems to suggest their smallness in the universe, in that nature cuts them down to size so that they can no longer think of themselves as people with control over their destiny. The grandmother dies in a ditch, with "her face smiling up at the cloudless sky," an ironic portrayal of her gruesome death, for in death she becomes innocent and childlike, and the "cloudless sky" suggests this.

Would Hamlet have been a good King? What qualities does he possess that a just and wise ruler would need?

Hamlet is a good person, but he would not necessarily have been a good king. He is a thinker, not a ruler. He spends too much time considering questions of morality, and not enough time acting.

This would make him the type of person I wish would rule, but, also (unfortunately) not the type of person destined to hold power. The qualities that Hamlet does possess that would have made him a good king: loyalty (he is both fiercely loyal to his father and actively angry at what he sees as his mother's disloyalty); morality (he has a clear sense of right and wrong); wit (although some might argue that intelligence is not necessarily a quality essential in a ruler...); sufficient powers of observation to know where his friends are and are not (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, for example); the ability not to act impulsively but to plan revenge carefully (the play); and, in an Elizabethan world, moral superiority... quite simply he is the person in the play closest to God, the one who is most likely to have had the divine decree to rule, for he is just and wise. I would also argue that his apparent failure to act decisively might also be a point in his favour, for his actions are not rash, but are delivered after much deliberation and after sufficient planning as to appear justified.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how is the structure of neighbourhood prejudicial, and are there any quotes supporting this? And also, how should I...

One prevalent motif in To Kill a Mockingbird is the tendency of the citizens of Maycomb, like the inhabitants of many a small town, to label people.  In the small neighborhood of the Finches, for instance, there are several neighbors who are labeled by Scout, Jem, Dill, and others.  One such neighbor is, of course, Boo Radley, a "malevolent phantom" whom the neighborhood gossip, Miss Stephanie Crawford, claims is a "Peeping Tom" because, she says, he tries to look into her bedroom window.  The children think of him as some kind of a reclusive monster who has tried to kill his father with a scissors.  The "foot-washing baptists" condemn Miss Maudie for her brightly colored garden, and two doors up the street from the Finches is Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose,

neighborhood opiion was unanimous that Mrs.l Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived.

When it snows in Maycomb, the children fashion a snowman that is a caricature of Mr. Avery, the neighbor across from Miss Maudie who sits upon his porch in the evenings, sneezing and making odd noises.

Finally, a prejudice surfaces as Cecil Jacobs, who lives on the far end of the street, tells Scout that her father is a "nigger-lover."  When she asks Atticus about his defending of a black man, he replies that other lawyers have done the same.  Later that night, Scout overhears her father as he responds to his sister's request for him to refuse to defend Tom Robinson.  He tells her,

Do you think I could face my children otherwise?...I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb's usual disease.

Scout overhears Atticus, but figures out only years later that he has intended that she overhear.  For, Atticus wants his children to "walk in other people's shoes" so that they will not have such myopic views of others who are different from them; so they will not have "Maycomb's usual disease."

What are some of the health problems associated with smoking? Explain one of these problems.

Smoking refers to inhaling of tobacco smoke by various means such as cigarettes, cigars and pipes. People have been smoking tobacco indifferent forms since many centuries, for relaxation and pleasure. However with regular smoking a person gets addicted to a substance called nicotine contained in the tobacco and then the major objective of smoking becomes satisfying this craving for nicotine.

This craving for nicotine and compulsion to smoke because of it is, in itself, a significant problem of smoking. However since 1900 scientists have found increasing evidence of many harmful effect of smoking on health.

Smoking has now been associated with diseases like lung diseases, cancer of mouth, lungs and other organs,and heart problems.

Tobacco smoke contains thousands of different chemicals as particulate matters, which are very harmful for the health of the smoker. Some of these harmful chemicals include hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide. Continued high level of carbon monoxide associated with smoking is known to cause heart problems.

The particulate matters in the smoke gets deposited in mucous lining of lungs and the air passages leading to the lungs. This deposits get accumulated over a period and scar lung and the airways.

Smoking by women during pregnancy can harm the unborn child leading to low weight at birth and defective development of baby.

In addition to these problems classified as diseases, smoking cause general loss of stamina and causes breathlessness in smokers.

What does Faber say about Jesus and what does this say about the controllers of the society?

What he says about Jesus is that he has been made into just another person in one of the parlour "families."  He has been made into just another character who advertises stuff and says nothing controversial.

He's a regular peppermint stick now, all sugar-crystal and saccharine when he isn't making veiled references to certain commercial products that every worshipper absolutely needs.

In the part where Faber is talking to Montag and is getting to look at the Bible, he talks some about religion.  He says that he himself is not religious, but he clearly thinks that the society has lost something when this has happened.

In my opinion, what this says is that they are trying to remove religion from society, probably because it is one of the things that tends to stir up problems in the society.

What does the word juxtaposed mean in relation to Romeo and Juliet?

In literature, juxtaposition refers to placing passages of text close to one another in order to imply a connection or a contrast might be found between the two parts. I'm not sure what your teacher is after here, but there are several instances in the play when the juxtaposition of one scene with another leaves the reader with something to wonder about. For instance, Romeo's rant about how he'll never love another girl but Rosaline is juxtaposed with the scene where Paris is asking for Juliet's hand in marriage. Both scenes involve thwarted love: Romeo is stopped from getting near Rosaline because she will not be bought or sweet-talked; Paris is stopped from getting to marry Juliet because her father insists that she is too young and inexperienced. Viewers might wonder how the two scenes relate because it is not obvious the first time through, but the placement of scene 1 beside scene 2 suggests that there is some connection to be made.

In a different vein, Shakespeare also juxtaposes the marriage scene with the murders of Mercutio and Tybalt. The juxtaposition of these two scenes heightens the emotional intensity of the fight and viewers feel the conflicted emotions much more acutely than we would if the marriage and fight scenes were farther apart. Similarily, within the final scene, juxtaposing Juliet's awakening with Romeo's suicide not only increases the emotional intensity of the scene but also heightens the tragedy.

Why does Beowulf insist on fighting Grendel without weapons in Beowulf?

In the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf insists on battling Grendel with his bare hands, instead of using a weapon, because, he says, Grendel doesn't use one. 

The sense of honor Beowulf displays here is one of the main themes of the poem.  Beowulf sees using a weapon against a beast that uses no weapon as dishonorable.  He will fight Grendel on equal terms.  It is the honorable thing to do.  Grendel is charmed and cannot be cut by swords, but Beowulf does not know this as far as a reader can tell, and this is not why, according to his own words, he refuses to use a sword. 

As he says:

...I have heard,

Too, that the monster's scorn of men

Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none.

Nor will I.  My lord Higlac

Might think less of me if I let my sword

Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid

Behind some broad linden shield:   my hands

Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life

Against the monster.  God must decide

Who will be given to death's cold grip.  (261-270)

Of course, no one else mentions this, and others have fought Grendel with swords.  But this is one of the character traits that makes Beowulf different and special.  His sense of honor is even greater than that of the rest of his society.  That's why he's an epic hero.  He could also give a great speech!

Demonstrate the inequality a +1/a>=2

To examine the inequality a+1/a >2.

Solution:

Let f(a) =a+1/a >=2. This implies,

(a^2-2a+1)^2/a >=0 or

f(a) = (a-1)^2/a >=0

Now the numerator is positive for all a ,postive or negative and zero when a= 1. But the denominator is positive only for a>0. Therefore, f(a) is positive only for a>0, and equals to zero when a = 1.

Or  f(a) = a+1/a >= 2 for all x>0 and

At a = 0+   f(0+)  = +inf

At a=0- , f(0-) =-inf.

So at a = 0,  f(a) undefined and excluded.

Therefore.

a+1/a >=2 is only valid for a > 0  and does not hold for x < or = 0. or

a+1/a remains undefined for x=0.So,a+1/a >2 does not hold for x = 0.

a+1/a < 2 for x<0. So a+1/a >2 doesnot hold when x<0

Can you compare and contrast the style in Of Mice and Men and All My Sons?

Comparing the style of these two works is somewhat difficult as one work was written intially in novel format (Of Mice and Men) and the other as a play (All My Sons). However, Steinbeck's work was also produced as a play and a film. 

The natural way to compare these two works would not be to focus on style but on content. These are both works of social consciousness and social politics. Both Steinbeck and Miller were interested in dramatizing the effects of economic and political circumstances on the lower classes. 

To do this, both writers use a style that directly and indirectly uses character as a mouthpiece for political ideas. Forces of economic and social opposition are pitted against each other in stark, simple and explicit conflict. The conclusion of each work is similarly dark and even tragic. 

Death is the final comment on the extremity of the effects of political reality on characters who feel powerless to change their role, their fate, or their state of deep moral compromise. The system forces this compromise. This comment is built into the structure of both works (and structure is an element of style). 

The style of Steinbeck's novel resembles other forms like myth and morality tale, to some degree, where Miller's play maintains a decidedly more modern form.

This conclusion is drawn from the relative complexity of each work. Steinbeck's work utilizes repetition (the dream is repeated three times, Lennie kills three creatures, the setting of the opening is the setting of the final scene, etc.). The character interactions/dynamics are also simplified. Miller's play is more "naturalistic" in the work's complexity of relationships. Miller also demonstrates an interest in the subtleties of psychology and deceit, where Steinbeck's treatment of deceit is practical, not psychological. 

How do Curley's wife and Crooks symbolise loneliness?I know they are both lonely people but I don't know how they symbolise it

The whole novel Of Mice and Men is filled with lonely characters.  Candy is lonely as an old man with no family and no secure future.  George is lonely for companionship because he takes care of Lennie and because he is a migrant worker and never has the time to cement friendships or relationships.  Curley and his wife are alienated from each other, and Curley from the whole ranch it would seem.  Crooks is physically lonely, as no one socializes with him, and there is no one else from his race or culture to socialize with.

Curley's wife and Crooks do not, by themselves, then, symbolize loneliness.  Rather, the whole novel portrays the all-encompassing loneliness of a broken society in the depths of the Depression, and of those who are most vulnerable in it.  This includes Curley's wife and Crooks, but it also includes almost everyone else in the story.

In what ways is Hamlet a hero or a non hero?this is for an essay and i need some ideas

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the character Hamlet is a tragic hero.  He has a task to do, but a personality flaw gets in the way.  Although he ultimately succeeds in avenging his father's death and cleansing Denmark of the evil, his waiting so long to do it causes a blood bath.  Other people besides Claudius (the guilty party) die needlessly.  This makes Hamlet, by definition, a tragic hero.

Your question, however, contains a number of layers.  Hamlet is probably not an anti-hero in our modern sense, if that's what you mean by a "non hero."  He isn't a good-hearted rogue, or an extremely flawed figure who just happens to do something heroic. 

But is he a hero, in any sense other than as a tragic figure?  He is brave and fearless at times, he is intelligent, he can be good hearted though he is merciless to those who betray him, he is deeply loyal to his father, and he is an excellent swordsman.  He is good, if that's important to your definition of a hero. 

In his environment and in his role, he is probably a great hero.  He is royalty, and he avenges a king's murder.  He is also, Claudius says, beloved of the Danish people.

I'll leave the conclusions to you.

Explain why Volpone is a comedy of humours.

The comedy of humours is comedy based on the exaggeration of the greek explantaion for health -the body was balance by the four humours black bile, yellow bile/cholor, blood and phlegm. If any of these were out of balance, the body and the personality were influenced.

Volpone is lustful - sin of meloncholia (too much black bile)

and decietful - sin of sanguine (too much blood)

Mosca is covetous - sin of choloric (too much cholor/yellow bile) reference 1

the characters also draw from beast characters, and the italian commedia del arte (italian commedia del art reference

T.F. Heck, 1988, Commedia dell’arte: a guide to the primary and secondary literature, IUniverse, New York, p155)

Ben Jonson does move away from the strict comedy of humours after 1603, but they still remain a basis for his characters - refence . O. Brockett and F. Hildy, 2008, History of the Theatre, 10th edition, Allyn & Bacon, Boston , p110

Explain how the science below is actually put to use in ways that weren’t originally intended?Science - The synthetic ammonia process. Fritz...

The discussion of the question reflects a major theme that has to be present within scientific research.  Scientists' seek to make things better and more innovative.  Presumably, they do so in order to satiate their own curiosity, present solutions to a problem that has vexed others, or to make the world better.  However, when science becomes influenced, manipulated, or guided by other forces such as government or industrial interests, there is a greater chance to have its application different from its original intent.  Haber is one of many scientists who saw their work appropriated to work for other ends that might have been divergent from the original purpose.  At some point, science and scientists have to be mindful of how this process of influence can play a role in their findings and work.

Why has modern Korean history proven to be tumultuous?

In the most modern sense, one can look at the long term division of Korea produced by the Post-World War II era and the Cold War, in that it led to the formation of long term military style dictatorships on both sides of the 38th parallel. 

For many years after World War II and the Korean War, South Korea was led by a virtual dictator, or at the least the military and government had much more power over individuals, and civil rights were severely limited.

In North Korea, of course, a family dynasty was established that has led to a cult of personality for its current leader, Kim Jong il, and his father before him, Kim il-Sung.  Their harsh and repressive rule, along with massive poverty, border clashes, and a new nuclear program has led to a very tumultuous half century for the Korean Peninsula.

How do high interest rates and a high dollar affect a business?how does a high interest rate affect a small business and how does a high dollar...

Generally speaking, small businesses get hurt from high interest rates, because they always need to borrow money. This means that they would need to pay back more money every month. Even a few percentage points make a big difference. In addition, some people may not even attempt to start small businesses, because of the interest rates. There is another side to the equation though. If the interest rates are too low, then too many business may start, which may not be a good thing, since they may not be viable.

When it comes to a "high dollar," I assume that you mean inflation. Steady inflation is good, but if the inflation goes up suddenly, all people get hurt.

In "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," what has prevented the villagers from achieving greatness?

Gray's "Elegy" is one of the major lyrics of the eighteenth century, and one of the representative poems of the "graveyard school" of poetry, a major theme of which was the need for living a sensible, good life in view of the inevitability of death. As a biographical note, you might point out that Gray himself was the only one of his parents' twelve children to grow to adulthood. A concern with death and how to take life is therefore not an unexpected aspect of his art.

The setting of day of the poem is twilight. The cattle are heading back to the barn to be milked, the farmer is returning from the fields, the sun is setting, and the curfew bell is ringing from the church tower. For much of the poem, the speaker seems to be addressing no one in particular, but in line 37 he does address “yeproud,” and in line 93 he seems to speak to a person who is buried in the country churchyard. 

The people buried in the church graveyard are humble, rural folk. Yet the speaker asserts that they are not contemptible because of their simplicity; instead he emphasizes their “useful toil” and “homely joys,” pointing out that death is the great leveler, and that “the paths of glory lead but to the grave” (one of the more famous lines of English literature). Some of those buried here might have made great rulers, musicians, defenders of human rights, or poets. But the speaker balances the missed opportunities for good that are buried here by pointing out that the people never had the chance to do evil either. In short, the churchyard is the occasion of reflection on the need for goodness and piety, and the inevitability of death is cause for people to live their lives to their fullest potential.

In The Kite Runner, why do you think Amir ran away from Hassan after the tournament? Was he hiding from the bullies or from himself and Hassan?I...

There is no doubt that Amir runs away in fear. A boy his age is immediately going to be afraid that if he interferes, the other boys will rape him as well. Part of it is also his jealousy over Baba's feelings for Hassan. Amir wants to become closer to his father and resents it when Baba takes notice of Hassan. I think this adds to the guilt Amir feels and why he's willing to plant "stolen" money and objects in Hassan's bed. True, he wants to be rid of Hassan because he's a reminder of Amir doing nothing to help Hassan, but I think this also proves that Amir is willing to sacrifice Hassan and their friendship for whatever Amir wants.

How did the Industrial Revolution change the way Americans worked?Please Explain.

Industrial workers before the industrial revolution, usually learned how to manufacture a complete item, such as a wagon, or a rifle.  They learned their trade from a master craftsman.  They lived with this master craftsman in his household with his family while they learned their trade.  For some trades, this period of apprenticeship lasted years.  After the apprentice had fulfilled his contract to the master craftsman and had become good enough at his trade to set up in business for himself, he did so.  Each worker could feel pride in what he made.

After the industrial revolution, workers did not learn how to manufacture a complete item, rather they learned a small part of the manufacturing process and repeated it over and over all day long.  Each previous and subsequent step in the manufacturing process was done by a different person.  Employers tried to break the steps down into such simple tasks that anyone they hired could perform one of them with very little training, consequently, very low wages were paid for this unskilled labor.  Factory labor did not enstill pride, indeed it was often demeaning.  The workers did not live under the supervision of the master, but on their own and so they went drinking and carousing more often and in a more public manner, sometimes makeing a nuisance of themselves.

The industrial revolution made the manufacture of labor-saving machinery for the farmer much cheaper so that more farmers could afford such machines.  Now the farmers could do more work with fewer hired hands.  The surpless hired hands had to go off to the city and find a job in a factory. 

How is the theme of political legitimacy dealt with in The Tempest?

The theme of political legitimacy  is dealt with through the initial conflict of Prospero's loss of his dukedom; through his treatment of the other people on the Island; through the tempest Prospero conjures; and through his eventual relinquishing of his magic "Art."  A note is in order first to specify that Shakespeare would not have thought in terms of "political legitimacy" as this is a new linguistic construct defined by modern political organization.

In the first place, Prospero loses his Dukedom through the mechanizations and intrigues of his brother. He had entrusted Antonio, his brother to act as regent of his dukedom of Milan while Prospero pursued studies. Antonio tired of being regent and conspired to become the new Duke of Milan. Prospero and his three year old daughter were sent to sea in a boat designed to drown them or strand them helplessly without out food or shelter. Here we have the question of legitimacy, and it has two sides. Was Prospero's extended sabbatical from governing a legitimate exercise of power in a ruler. Antonio thought not. Is it legitimate for Antonio to have wrested power away from an absentee ruler to legitimize his regency rule?

In the second place, on the Island, Prospero has absolute rule over the other few inhabitants. He enslaves those whom he chooses; punishes those whom he chooses; educates and shows mercy to those whom he chooses. Is this the legitimate exercise of political legitimacy? Do the kindnesses he shows fit with or contradict the enslavement ans punishments he bestows? Thirdly, Prospero conjures up a storm with his magic that is designed to wreck Antonio onto the shores of Prospero's island after which Prospero will turn the tables of justice and reclaim his rightful place as Duke of Milan. Does he have the right to wreak revenge in this way or was his usurpation actually legitimate because of his absence? In other words, is it an exercise of political legitimacy to conjure (manipulate) a raging tempest in order to achieve restitution and justice for former injustice?

Finally, when fate and his magic have turned all things toward Prospero's desired ends, he gives up his magic. This could symbolize a final relinquishment of the obsession that kept him from exercising legitimate political power to start with, which is what set him up for being overtaken by his regent brother, Antonio. If this relinquishment is a reconciling act of repentance on the rightful Duke's part, is it sufficient to restore him to political legitimacy, especially after his manipulations of events and people through magic? 

What is the main conflict in the book Treasure Island?

The primary conflict in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is a simple one: Who will get to the buried treasure first? We never fully understand why Billy Bones never attempts to return for the loot himself, but it could have been because he was wary of being followed by his former mates. After Jim Hawkins and his mom find the map, Squire Trelawney agrees to finance the voyage and cut Jim in on the treasure. After the squire's loose lips spread the word around Bristol about the voyage for treasure, Long John Silver becomes the main adversary for the squire's men. Silver and the majority of the crew mutiny and, after several battles with the loyal crew, they head for the treasure. Unbeknownst to them all, Ben Gunn has been marooned there, and he has already found the treasure. Eventually, Ben teams up with Squire Trelawney's men; Silver's men turn on him; the squire's group returns to the ship with Gunn and the treasure--and Silver; and the remaining pirates are left behind. Gunn receives a small share; Silver steals a small amount before disappearing; and Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and Jim return to England--rich men all.

What rumors are being spread throughout the villages about the white man in Things Fall Apart?

The rumor being spread among the villages is that the Igbos of Abame have been wiped out. Apparently, a white man "had appeared in their clan" during the previous planting season. The white man had been riding an iron horse. The elders had consulted their Oracle about the strange visitor, and the Oracle had said that the man "would break their clan and spread destruction among them." Consequently, the tribe killed the white man and tied his iron horse to their sacred tree so that it would not run away. Before they killed him, the white man had said nothing, according to some people. Others said that he did say something, but no one could understand him, as "he seemed to speak through his nose." Still other people claimed that the white man "repeated over and over again a word that resemble Mbaino." Whatever the case, the man was killed, and his iron horse tied to a tree, and for a long time, nothing further happened.

After some time had passed, three white men came to the clan and saw the iron horse. They went away, and again, for a long time, nothing happened. Then one day, when the market was crowded, the three white men returned with "a very large number of other men," and they began to shoot. Almost everyone in the village was killed.

The rumors circulating about the demise of Abame say that the clan is now completely empty, and that the fish have fled from the lake and the lake has turned red, like blood. According to the information being passed around the villages, white men who make "powerful guns and...strong drinks" have come to take slaves away across the sea, but most of the tribesmen do not believe the stories are true. Some of the Igbo wonder, however, about the few albinos who live among them; perhaps they have come to their land by mistake, and have "strayed from their way to a land where everybody is like them" (Chapter15).

In The Great Gatsby, why do Nick’s feelings towards Jordan change?

A good example of how Nick comes to see Jordan is revealed in an early chapter when he is driving with her in her car.  She is reckless and a very bad driver.  When he tells her that she should be careful, she responds by saying why should she be careful; there are other drivers on the road—they can be careful.

After all the events of the novel, especially the death of Myrtle when Daisy leaves Gatsby to take the blame, Nick comes to a realization that their kind (Jordan, Daisy, Tom, etc.) are careless people.  They are careless drivers (there are a number of car accidents) and careless with people's lives and feelings.  Nick eventually realizes that he cannot be with someone like that and he comes to dislike Jordan like the rest of the them. 

Who is Goodman Brown's traveling companion? What clues tell you so?

Because one of the Puritan problems is that of distinguishing the elect from the damned, and the innocent from the corrupt, there is often ambiguity.  As an example of this ambiguity of character, Goodman Brown's traveling companion in Hawthorne's story "Young Goodman Brown" resembles his grandfather "though perhaps more in expression than features," while at the same time he has the "indescribable air of one who knew the world."

Other suggestions that the man dressed in "grave and decent attire" may be devilish are in the description of him as "he of the serpent," and in his knowledge of evil.  For instance, he tells Goodman that he helped his grandfather lash the Quaker woman

so smartly through the streets of Salem; and it was I that your father pitch-pine know, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village....They were my good friends, both....

With his twisted staff, this devilish man states that he is well-acquainted with the deacons of many churches and a majority of the "Great and General Court," who are firm supporters of his interest.  And, when Goodman mentions that his minister's voice makes him tremble on Sabbath Day, the old man laughs:  "Wll, go on; but prithee, don't kill me with laughing.

Finally, when Deacon Gookin and Goody Cloyse pass by, real historical characters who participated in the witch trials, and Goody Cloyse is touched by the old man's staff with "what seemed the serpent's tail, she exclaims, "The devil!"

 Yet, while there are these indications that the old man with the staff is likely the devil, there is present still some ambiguity, for the man throws Goodman the staff and leaves him.

What is the agreement between Abner Snopes and Major de Spain?

In William Faulkner's "Barn Burning," Abner is supposed to farm the major's land and grow crops, then presumably give a set percentage of the proceeds to the major.  Abner and his family stay on the major's property and live in the shack provided for them. 

After Abner dirties the major's rug, he is supposed to clean it for the major, although this agreement is only inferred by the reader since we don't hear the conversation. 

Of course, before Abner can grow the crops, he ruins the rug by having his daughters clean it with lye, which destroys the rug.

Finally, the justice of the peace rules in the court case brought by Abner himself that Abner should pay the major ten bushels of corn to replace the ruined rug once the crop is harvested.  Instead, Abner decides to burn his barn.

What is the significance of the “Golden Country” and why is it important to Winston?

In Chapter Three of 1984, George Orwell’s depiction of a then-futuristic dystopian totalitarian society where the government, Big Brother, monitors your every action, the Golden Country is a presented as Winston’s dream-like fantasy world, where he can stand among nature’s beauty and appreciate the nonchalance of the naked dark-haired girl’s gesture as she flings her clothes away.  Orwell describes this dream world as follows:

“The landscape that he was looking at recurred so often in his dreams that he was never fully certain whether or not he had seen it in the real world. In his waking thoughts he called it the Golden Country. It was an old, rabbit-bitten pasture, with a foot-track wandering across it and a molehill here and there. In the ragged hedge on the opposite side of the field the boughs of the elm trees were swaying very faintly in the breeze, their leaves just stirring in dense masses like women’s hair. Somewhere near at hand, though out of sight, there was a clear, slow-moving stream where dace were swimming in the pools under the willow trees.”

Later, in Part II, Chapter Two, Winston and Julia are seeking refuge in the vast open spaces of the outdoors, away from the otherwise omniscient presence of Big Brother and the Thought Police. 

“‘Isn’t there a stream somewhere near here?’ he whispered.

‘That’s right, there is a stream. It’s at the edge of the next field, actually. There are fish in it, great big ones. You can watch them lying in the pools under the willow trees, waving their tails.’

‘It’s the Golden Country—almost,’ he murmured.

‘The Golden Country?’

‘It’s nothing, really. A landscape I’ve seen sometimes in a dream.’”

The Golden Country is Winston’s ideal of how the world should look, although he remains tightly linked to the government and its strictures regarding speech and thought.  Late in the novel, Winston having been taken under Big Brother’s direct control, and being subjected to interrogation, resigns himself to his fate, which he anticipates will be a bullet to the back of his head.  He takes comfort in knowing how it will all end, and there’s a certain comfort and serenity about knowing his fate, at least in his dream:

“One day—but ‘one day’ was not the right expression; just as probably it was in the middle of the night: once—he fell into a strange, blissful reverie. He was walking down the corridor, waiting for the bullet. He knew that it was coming in another moment. Everything was settled, smoothed out, reconciled. There were no more doubts, no more arguments, no more pain, no more fear. His body was healthy and strong.”

Winston is back at the Golden Country.  He is dreaming again of an existence he has never, and will never know, and, startled awake, he is terrified, calling out for Julia.  His abysmal existence will continue, but at least now he will be resigned to it, which can be comforting.

In "Heart of Darkness" how did Europreans justify expansionism? How would things have been different if Europeans hadn't arrived when or how they did?

The Europeans in Heart of Darkness justified the rapid colonization of Africa by all major European countries in the nineteenth century primarily out of a sense of Christian morality and the Pauline missionary spirit of the same religion. In the novel, this sentiment can best be seen in Marlowe’s aunt, the same one who helped him get his job with the Company. Before leaving for Africa, Marlowe visits her, and she tells him that he is “an emissary of light, something like a lower sort of apostle.”  Of course, Marlowe, in hindsight, offers his assessment of ideas like these as he states, “there had been a lot of such rot let loose in print and talk just about that time.” Therefore, his aunt was not alone in thinking that the European nations were creating a presence in Africa out of a moral obligation to spread the European concept of civilization and Christianity to the native inhabitants of that continent.

Apparently, Kurtz himself at least pretended to view Europe’s involvement in Africa in the same manner before arriving there. After all, he was commissioned by the International Society for the Suppression of Savage Customs to make “a report, for its future guidance.”  This fact is further evidenced by Kurtz’s fiancée’s apparent naiveté regarding Kurtz’s actions and motives that is revealed to the reader in her conversation with Marlowe.

The Victorian era in which the novel is set certainly allows for the situation to develop as it does. If the novel had been set in earlier centuries, no such moral justification for a European presence would have been necessary. One would only need to reference the centuries of slave trading to see that this fact is true. If one is interested in the history of European involvement in Africa, the following books are excellent historical reference tools: The Scramble for Africa by Thomas Pakenham, The Slave Trade by Hugh Thomas, and King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild.  

What happened in the case Rylands vs. Fletcher? Why was the decision by the judge precedent setting?

This case was litigated in England in 1868.  In the case, the defendant was a mill owner who constructed a reservoir to provide water for the mill.  The plaintiff was a coal mine owner.

When the reservoir was dug, it came in contact with some old mine shafts.  The defendant thought they were harmless because they were filled with soil.  But the reservoir broke through the soil and flooded the mine.

The judge ruled that the defendant was liable for damages.  This was because of a concept known as "strict liability."  It states that if you have something on your property that can cause harm if it gets out, you are responsible for what happens if it does get out.  The only exceptions are if the plaintiff or an "act of God" caused the thing to get off your property.

The case is important because it established the idea of strict liability.

In Chapter 25 of To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Bob Ewell mean by Tom's death being "one down...two more to go."

We learn early on that Bob Ewell is not a very nice man. He is vindictive and wants to make those pay for things that have happened to him. He blames Atticus for all of his problems, and he knows the only way to make Atticus pay is to go after Jem and Scout.

Now that Tom is dead, Bob knows that the only two left to deal with are Jem and Scout. He knows that by hurting and even killing them, this is the only way to really make Atticus pay. Bob feels like Atticus is the one for all of his problems. He sees that the only way to get Atticus out of the way is to take away what matters most to him, which is his children. He attacks Jem and Scout after the Halloween pageant and nearly kills them. Boo saves Jem and Scout that night and Atticus thanks Boo for his children. Atticus knows exactly what kind of man Bob is. 

When Bob says "One down... two to go" he is talking about getting rid of Jem and Scout. He has already taken care of Tom and feels that getting rid of Jem and Scout will teach Atticus his final lesson. 

What is the weather in Chapter 23 of Tuck Everlasting?

In the book Tuck Everlasting the day is extremely hot.  It is the longest day and it is so hot that no one feels like they can even move around.  The sun's rays are oppressive causing even the trees to lay dormant and wilted.    Winnie's mother and grandmother have to fan themselves to try and get cool. 

Winnie has Jesse's bottle with the spring water hidden in her drawer.  The air began to get heavier with the clouds weighing down.  Wind gusts begin to start up.  They are small at first but blow harder and the smell of rain emerges.

The winds die down and as she waits for midnight, the sky waits for rain that has not come.

How does Lee use Miss Maudie's conversation with Jem and Scout the morning after the fire to illustrate the theme of racism?Chapter 8

Miss Maudie is outside in the cold when the children go and talk to her. When Jem finds that she has been out in the cold all morning trying to get her garden cleaned up, he takes her cold and dirty appearance in, and suggests that she hire "a colored man" to do the job for her. Jem does not consider that the colored man would be just as miserable out in the cold, nor does he suggests merely hiring "someone" to do it. It is indicative of racism that Jem would suggest that such an undesirable task be relegated to a man of race.

What does Borachio mean?

As I understand it, the name means "drunkard."  It sounds very much like the Spanish word for drunk "borracho," so I tend to believe this explanation.  The word is also supposed to refer to a type of skin for holding wine.

In addition, there is at least one line in the play where Borachio himself says something that would support this interpretation of the meaning of his name.  This is in Act III, Scene 3 (around line 95) where he says

I will, like a true drunkard,
utter all to thee.

I believe that, by saying this, he is making a pun on his name.

In all quiet on western front,in chapter 9,what two reasons are there for Paul bandaging the French soldier's wounds? pls summarise it.not...

There are two reasons why Paul bandages up the French soldier even though he was the one who stabbed the Frenchman in the first place.  One reason is selfish, one is not.

The selfish reason is for Paul's own safety.  He knows he might be captured by the French in that shell crater.  If he is, he wants them to see that he tried to help the guy.

The other reason has to do with Paul's new feelings about enemies (he started to have them in Ch. 8 because of the Russians).  Paul siimply says that he wants to help.  This is because he sees the Frenchman as a person like him.

Describe Ahab's character and how you know it? Do People who feel wronged ever have obsessive quantities?

There is a lot of readily available information online regarding Ahab's  character in Moby Dick. To get you started, he is often referred to as a monomaniac - a person obsessed with one idea, in this case, his relentless pursuit of Moby Dick. Read his physical description and you will see he is evil and intimidating. His sailors are petrified of him. He has a wild look, he stomps about the ship on his wooden leg, and everyone runs (if they can) when they hear him coming. He has no regard for his men and cares little about the danger he may be leading them into in pursuit of Moby Dick.

As to the second part of your questions. If people are unstable, they often have obsessive qualities when they are wronged. Mentally healthy people may be hurt, but they either confront the person and try to work things out, or move on. Ahab's obsession over catching up to and killing Moby Dick is madness. He defies every known logical fact (regarding weather, how far out of the way it will take the ship to catch up with Moby Dick, the fact that he is captain of a whaling vessel and should be fulfilling his contract to obtain whale products, etc.) in his obsession.

Literary Analysis: What are the themes & Imagery in Sonny's Blues and what do they mean?

"Sonny's Blues," by James Baldwin, is the story of a talented young black musician who is recovering from drug addiction and a stint in jail, and his brother, who is a school-teacher.

There are numerous themes in this relatively short piece.  Some of them are:

a) What it was like to grow up in Harlem:

These boys...were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low celing of their actual possibilities.

b) The different ways that people attempt to escape the ghetto: Sonny tries music and drugs, his brother tries to go "straight" and becomes a middle-class school teacher.

c) The complex relationship between two brothers.

d) The way that a musician expresses his feeling through music:

The man who creates the music is hearing somehitng else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air.

To me, the most powerful "image" is in the story's final two pages, in which the author describes Sonny's first gig after spending a trouble-filled year away from music.  This passage is clearly one of the best, maybe the best, description in literature of a musician using music to express his feelings by telling the story of his life.

What is an important quote in chapter 4? Why is it important to this chapter?

My favorite line in this chapter is the one about the city (New York City), described by Nick, as viewed from the Queensboro Bridge, which is,

...always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world" (73).

This description makes New York a dual symbol, first of the New World, which had all that "mystery and beauty" for those who came here, and second for the way Gatsby sees Daisy, who has the same "mystery and beauty."  Notice also that New York is always being seen "for the first time," as immigrants see the New World and as Gatsby sees Daisy. 

Why does Rudyard Kipling use paradoxes in his poem, "IF"?The impact it has on the poem

Rudyard Kipling makes a number of seemingly paradoxical statements in his famous poem "If."  For example, Kipling advises:

a) If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;

b)  If all men count with you, but none too much.

Does Kipling think that dreams and thoughts are or are not important?  Do men "count," or not?

I think that Kipling is telling us that we must develop the virtue of balance.  Dreams and thoughts should be important, but we must balance them with the proper dose of practicality.  What other people think and do is important--we should not ignore them; but we should not allow ourselves to be controlled by what other people think and do.

In philosophy, this idea is called "The Golden Mean"; the idea dates back at least to Aristotle.  See the link below.

How are aspects of humor displayed in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird?

I think Scout can be quite funny.  She has a quick wit and a fearlessness that is endearing.  Think about the incident with her teacher in Chapter Two, in which Scout tells Miss Caroline that her brother Jem believes she was switched at birth and that she could read the newspaper as soon as she was born. 

Other humorous incidents include Atticus' indulgent but amused listening to the problems of childhood, and the childish games Dill, Scout, and Jem play when they challenge one another to approach the Radley home. 

Although the novel is serious, the lightness of childhood, with all of its innocence and playfullness, is infused throughout. 

How to scan Sonnet 73. Mark the syllables, separate the feet with short verticles lines, and indicate the rhyme scheme. That time of year thou...

I love scanning poems. Once you get the system down, it's not hard to do, and sometimes the scanning will show you something that you might otherwise overlook (such as how stresses can bump up against each other just like the wagons of a train in Claude McKay's famous sonnet from the 1920s, "On the Road").

1. Mark the syllables: Simply count out the syllables (the units of sounds, usually a combination of a consonant and vowel) on your fingers.

That - time - of - year - thou - mayst - in - me - be- hold

Thus, the first line of the quatrain that you give in your question seems to contain 10 syllables. "Mayst" could possibly be pronounced "may - est," in two syllables, so I would recommend checking the other lines to see if 10 syllables are indeed the regular pattern. They are.

2. Separate the feet with short verticles lines: To complete this step, you need to understand what stresses and metric feet are. Stresses are natural emphases when you read the words aloud.

That - TIME - of - YEAR - thou - MAYST - in - ME - be- HOLD

You can see that the first line that you quote has alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. This pattern is a clue that a certain metric foot -- called iambic -- is being used in this poem. Iambs are units of two syllables; the first syllable isn't stressed and the second syllable is. Iambic meter is the natural rhythm of English and is the meter used in this sonnet. Here's the first line that you quote with the lines added:

That time | of year | thou mayst | in me | behold

Again, once you've found a pattern in one line, it's wise to double check to see if that pattern is indeed used throughout the poem.

3. Indicate the rhyme scheme: The rhyme scheme is found in the final words of each line. Assign each final sound a letter, starting with A; assign a new letter every time a new sound is added but use the prexisting letters every time a sound is reused.

behold = A

hang = B

cold = A

sang = B

Thus, this stanza has an ABAB rhyme scheme.

If necessary, you'll need to repeat this process for all of the other sections of the poem. Have fun!

"Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops." What does Vonnegut mean?

Vonnegut is referring to two things in his typical acerbic way.  For one thing, Americans often think that "things" will buy them happiness, and frequently these "things" are useless pretty junk. 

But more importantly, I believe Vonnegut is criticizing the platitudes found on gift shop trinkets, philosophically dumbed down phrases that have little or nothing to do with thinking.  For example, "Grow where you're planted!"  or "If you love something, set it free.  If it comes back to you, it's yours!" ... things like that. 

By purchasing these items with their words of dubious wisdom, we try to give the appearance of caring and thought, and fork over the $9.99, and hope it works.

Give a reasoned anwer to whether, in Hamlet, Cladius rather than Hamlet is the protagonist of the play.

The answer to whether Claudius or Hamlet is the protagonist of Hamlet resides in the definition of tragic hero, assuming, of course, that when referring to a Shakespearean tragedy "protagonist" is equated with "tragic hero." Though it may be said that Claudius has a flaw in personal moral character, Claudius's actions remove him from consideration under the Aristotelian definition of tragic hero. Claudius's actions are horrible instead of tragic.

The Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero requires that the tragic hero commit a tragic mistake that arises from a tragic error in judgment or from a tragic character flaw. The horrible events that the tragic hero precipitates are not out of intended deliberate manipulative plotting but out of error or flawed character. What about Macbeth? He is represented as being loyal to Duncan and tending toward graciously accepting his reward, though less than expected. He is swayed from his inclinations of loyalty by ambition, by the supernatural powers that come to thwart him, and by the overbearing influence of his intentionally and deliberately cruel wife. The difference between a tragic hero and a wicked character is intention and deliberation.

Shakespeare doesn't seem to deviate significantly on this point of definition except in his preference for tragic character flaw over tragic error in judgment. Shakespeare's tragic heroes were all men who were superior humans who were fallible to the point of tragedy. Claudius's character traits depart from this definition in that his fallability displays itself as deliberate choice rather than mistakes stemming from error or unperceived character flaws. In this, Claudius is more akin to Lady Macbeth than to, for example, Othello. In other words, Claudius's actions are derived from intention and deliberation; they are not mistakes that take him by surprise with their consequences.

Therefore, even though Claudius's character is flawed--by villainous levels of ambition and greed--and even though Claudius tries to pray for repentance and even though Claudius's affection for Gertrude may give a glimmer of redemptive power, his actions--which are manipulated and derived from  intention and deliberation with nothing mistaken or accidental about them and which he himself calls murder--are horrible, not tragic. Thus Hamlet is the protagonist/tragic hero of Hamlet. His mistakes and tragic end can be traced to errors in judgment and to one or more tragic flaws in his nature.

What is the most accurate location of the buildings identified in To Kill a Mockingbird?I've looked at a map available on the Internet, but I just...

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, describes the fictitious town of Maycomb with such verisimilitude, that after a few pages the reader feels as much a part of its streetscape as the characters who populate it. Creating a map of the town requires attention to the details of setting Lee herself provides in the description. The following examples from the text itself will provide all the directions the reader needs to create such a map: (1) "Maycomb, some twenty miles east of Finch's Landing, was the county seat of Maycomb County." From Atticus Finch's home, (2) "Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house, two doors to the north …" (3) "… the Radley Place three doors to the south." (4) "Jem and I heard something next door in Miss Rachel Haverford's collard patch." (5) "The Radley place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its front porch; the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot." (6) "The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot." (7) "… the longer he would stand hugging the lightpole on the corner." (8) "They left the corner, crossed the side street that ran in front of the Radley house, and stopped at the gate." (9) "Jem and I were leavin’...He pointed across the street. At first we saw nothing but a kudzu-covered front porch, but a closer inspection revealed an arc of water descending from the leaves and splashing in the yellow circle of the streetlight,..." (10) "Cecil Jacobs, who lived at the far end of our street next door to the post office, walked a total of one mile per school day to avoid the Radley place and old Mrs. Lafayette Dubose." (11) "Every Christmas Uncle Jack yelled across the street to Miss Maudie to come marry him." (12) "We leaped over the wall that separated Miss Rachel's yard from our driveway." (13) "Mr. Avery boarded across the street from Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house." (14) "We ran across the schoolyard, crawled under the fence to the Deer's Pasture behind their house, climbed our back fence, and were at the back steps [of our house] …" (15) "Mrs. Dubose lived alone except for a Negro girl in constant attendance, two doors up the street from us in a house with steep front and a dog-trot hall."