What is the main function of the fool in "King Lear"? What is the secondly function?

The fool as a character is confusing, but part of this is the difference between the 1600s and today, as well as the difference in place. If somebody made a joke about your local sports team, would people several hundred years from now get it?

Shakespeare also wrote his plays for his group of actors, and the original actor portraying fool was a comedian of sorts, that was the type of character he played. So it can be really hard to understand the fool. 

He does serve as a counter to Lear, especially in the Storm scene, a kind of reasonable-ish counterpart to the absolutely insane Lear. The fool's position also gives him the ability to say things that no body else can say, even if they believe them. He is the ultimate character allowed to "speak truth to power."

What is elasticity of demand?

The price elasticity of demand, sometimes simply called price elasticity, measures how much the quantity demanded of a good changes when its price changes. The precise definition of price elasticity is:

The percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price.

ED = (percentage change in quantity demanded) / (percentage change in price)

Economic factors determine the size of price elasticities of individual goods. Elasticities tend to be higher when the goods are luxuries, when substitutes are available, and when consumers have more time to adjust their behavior.

When ED > 1, the good has price-elastic demand. In this case a price decrease increases total revenue.

When ED < 1, the good has price-inelastic demand. In this case a price decrease decreases total revenue.

When ED = 1, the good has unit-inelastic demand. Under this condition total revenue stays the same even when the price changes.

When ED = 0, the demand is completely inelastic.

When ED is infinite the demand is completely elastic. Even the tiniest change in price causes a huge change in quantity demanded, so huge that, for all intents and purposes, we can call the response infinite. When demand is perfectly elastic, then no matter how much people are buying, the demand curve will be a horizontal line. The demand for a single brand of salt may fall into this category.

In The Outsiders, what differences can be seen between Ponyboy and Johnny? I just found about school, and aboutt theirs family's background. What...

Other than their backgrounds, there are a few differences between the two characters.  Ponyboy is definitely a stronger character in terms of the mental anguish that he is able to deal with.  Pony is constantly fighting with his brother; however, it does not affect him the way that Johnny’s relationship with his parents affects him.  This could have to do with the difference in the two relationships but it is a character difference as well – the end of the novel does a great job of showing Ponyboy’s strength.  Johnny is also always nervous while Ponyboy seems to be able to handle situations with ease most of the time.  Finally, Johnny makes rash and impetuous decisions while Ponyboy always seems to think things through before he acts on anything.  

How does Laura Esquivel use literary devices to build the mood in "Like Water for Chocolate"?

Esquivel uses several literary devices, including foreshadowing, metaphors, symbolism, imagery, and hyperbole, in order to create different moods in her novel, "Like Water for Chocolate." For example, passion is apparent when foreshadowing is introduced. John tells Tita about his grandmother's theory of love and life. She said that "each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves." We need the breath of the person we love to light them and thus nourish our souls. She warns, however, that lighting the matches all at once would be fatal. This process occurs at the end of the novel when Pedro's suppressed passion for Tita is finally "lit," and the intense flame is too much for him to bear. It is then that he dies of a heart attack and she is consumed by a literal and metaphoric/symbolic flame.

Imagery and hyperbole are also helpful in constructing mood in the novel. Through the vivid descriptions of Tita's magical cooking, the reader can imagine the smells, tastes, and feelings that the food evokes. Also, magic realism is evident when these feelings of love, sadness, lust, and resentment are exaggerated through the characters as they cause orgasms, sobs, and even death.

What is the relationship between me and the daughter of my mother's sister? Actually, my mother is not directly related to her mother.

Many riddles or "messy" problems begin with an apparent conundrum and they intentionally mislead the reader by the way they are phrased. Solving a riddle routinely requires original thought and resourcefulness although the answers are often almost ridiculously simple with hindsight. This question poses a simplistic riddle. Problem-solving techniques help to solve riddles as analytical skills are needed. The reader or problem-solver must look beyond any unnecessary detail by analyzing information in order to solve the problem. The idea is to search for key information and to break questions into smaller parts. In problem-solving, the difficulty lies in trying to find the overall answer without taking time to consider each step. Each step has to be considered on its own merit and as part of the whole.

To consider the relationship described in the question requires breaking the question down into elements. First find the potential answers to the each part. 

1. My mother's sister would be my aunt.

2. The daughter of my mother's sister would be my mother's niece. 

3. This would make me and the daughter of my mother's sister cousins.

4. My gender, male or female has no bearing on the question.

However, the question has another element. If my mother is not "directly" relater to her mother and yet they are sisters, the reader has to decide if this is relevant to the question and if it will in fact change the answer at all or if the information, upon analysis is unnecessary for the purposes of finding the answer.

There is a need therefore to understand "directly."

1. It could mean that the are not biologically-related. The reader can deduce that this will not change the answer as the statement has been made that they are nonetheless sisters. 

2. It could mean that they are step-sisters and so have no biological connection. Again, the answer remains the same. Interestingly, this answer could change if there were any marriages within step-families.  

3. It could be that the term sister is used for sister-in-law. This means that either the "sister" is my father's sister  (and so my mother's sister-in-law) so the answer remains the same because the daughter is my father's niece in this case anyway. It could be my mother's brother's wife which makes her my uncle's wife which means the answer still remains the same.  

The answer to this riddle is, as aforesaid, that we are cousins. 

Explain Claudius' comments to Hamlet regarding his father's death. What advice is given?

In Act 1, Scene 2. Claudius is trying to lift Hamlet out of his depression. He thinks the depression is caused by the death of Hamlet's father. So, he says to Hamlet that Hamlet's father lost his father, and his father lost his father, etc. Thus, death of a father is a natural thing and Hamlet ought to snap out of it. Then he says, "think of us[Claudius] as your father. This is probably one of the worst condolences Claudius could choose. What he doesn't realize is that one of the reasons Hamlet is so depressed is that such a short time has passed since his father's death and his mother has just married his uncle. During Elizabethan times, when the play was written, this act would have been considered incest---not to mention tasteless and unthinking. But Claudius is so wrapped up in his new power, that he can't imagine why Hamlet would be upset.

What is the summary for Chapter 1 of Into the Wild?

Jim Gallien, a union electrician, picks up a hitchhiker about four miles out of Fairbanks on Tuesday, April 28, 1992.  The hitchhiker introduces himself only as "Alex", and asks for a ride to the edge of Denali National Park, from which point he will walk "deep into the bush and 'live off the land for a few months'".  Alex, a congenial young man who looks to be only eighteen or nineteen, shows Gallien a map of the Stampede Trail, a seldom-traveled road which winds "for forty miles or so before petering out...(in a) trackless wilderness north of Mt. McKinley".  This is where Alex intends to go.

Gallien is concerned because Alex seems woefully underprepared for such an undertaking.  He carries only a small rifle and a backpack weighing just "twenty-five or thirty pounds", and admits that he is afraid of water and that the only food he has is a ten-pound bag of rice.  Gallien tries to dissuade Alex from what appears to be a foolhardy endeavor, but says, "There was just no talking the guy out of it".  He offers to drive Alex back to Anchorage to buy him "some decent gear", but the young man declines.  Gallien finally convinces Alex to take "an old pair of rubber work boots" he has in the truck, and the lunch his wife had packed for him earlier in the day.  Gallien drops Alex off at the trailhead, and watches as the young man "disappear(s) down the snow-covered track" (Chapter 1).

What does Carl Rogers mean by "organism?" I know he is referring to people, but I don't understand why. How does the person centered approach...

Rogers believed that all living things are organisms.. including humans and that just as plants need certains conditions in order to promote their growth, so do humans.

The conditions that Rogers thought the human organisms need in order to promote their growth are the core condition of his 'person centered' model. (Rogers is referring to emotional rather than physical growth.)The conditions are

Empathy

Congrence (genuineness - from others and ourselves)

Unconditional positive regard (to feel that we are loved or approved of unconditionally by someone)

Hope this helps.

What are some of the literary elements found in To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men? Please mention foreshadowing, contrast, climax, simile,...

There are numerous examples of these literary techniques in the two works. Here are a few.

Foreshadowing: Bob Ewell threatens to "get" Atticus no matter how long it takes. His threat foreshadows his subsequent attack on Jem and Scout. Lennie's accidentally killing the mouse foreshadows his accidentally killing Curley's wife

Contrast: Atticus' understanding and acceptance of others and his refusal to judge them based on their race or social class contrast Aunt Alexandra's prejudice and snobbishness. Slim's kindness and gentleness contrasts Curley's viciousness. 

Climax: Scout finally meets Boo Radley. George shoots Lennie.

Simile: During the fire when Miss Maudie's house burns, Scout describes the smoke as "rolling off our house . . . like fog off a riverbank." Steinbeck writes, ". . . the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones."

Metaphor: Boo Radley is "a malevolent phantom." George and Lennie want to live off  "the fat of the land," a metaphor for the abundant crops the Earth produces for us.

Parallels: Tom Robinson parallels the mockingbirds Atticus says must not be shot; like them, Tom is innocent, gentle, and harmless. Slim's shooting his dog parallels George's shooting Lennie; both are very pain-filled acts of kindness

Archetypes: Atticus can be seen as the archetype of courage and integrity. George and Lennie are archetypes of those who live on the fringes of society, never experiencing the good things life has to offer.

What is another term for an unreactive element? The letters scrambled up are: ngora. I am doing a word scramble for chemistry class.

Argon

It is called an unreactive element because it has a stable electronic configuration and does not share its electrons with other atoms.

Argon, discovered in 1894, makes up 0.93% of the earth's atmosphere, which makes it the third most abundant gas. It is a byproduct of the production of oxygen and nitrogen.

Argon is used to fill incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs to prevent oxygen from corroding the hot filament. It is also used in arc welding, growing semiconductor crystals, and "processes that require shielding from other atmospheric gases."

Visit the links below for more information, especially the site scienceonline.org, from which most of my info cam.

Why was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" written?Why was the play written, how did Elizabethans veiw magic and fairies, how would this affect...

I'm afraid this one really gets the standard Shakespeare answer: we just don't know. Shakespeare didn't leave us any solid information about why he wrote certain plays or what occasions they were written for!

What makes talking about "A Midsummer Night's Dream" particularly difficult is is that, while most of Shakespeare's other plays borrow their plot from a key source, although the "Dream" does have several sources, it is mainly Shakespeare's own invention.

One popular theory is that, because of the play's emphasis on fertility, children, and - at the end, particularly - weddings, marriages, and weddings nights, the play was written for some sort of wedding. Some critics think that Elizabeth I is explicitly mentioned in these lines of Oberon's from Act 2, Scene 1:

And the imperial votaress passed on,
In maiden meditation, fancy-free.

David Wiles, the scholar, in particular believes that the play was composed for the wedding of Elizabeth Cary and Thomas Berkeley in February 1596. Was the "imperial votaress", Elizabeth I, present at the wedding feast that the "Dream" might have been played at? Perhaps. Is there any real evidence? No. We just don't know.

I'd caution you against generalising about what the Elizabethans believed about fairies - just like today, there were probably a wide spectrum of varying beliefs. But I've linked to a great website below with info about Elizabethans and fairies.

What is the main idea of O.Henry's story, ''The Ransom of Red Chief''?

In short, the answer is "be careful what you ask for."  In O. Henry's story, the narrator and his friend, Bill Driscoll, have decided to kidnap the son of a prominent local citizen in hopes that his father will fork over money the pair need "to pull off a fraudulent town-lot scheme in Western Illinois."

However, when they manage to get the boy, (who calls himself "Red Chief") they get much more than they bargained for. The child fancies himself the subject of one of his favorite games, cowboys and Indians.  He fights them "like a welter-weight cinnamon bear." 

Despite their disparity in sizes, the boy manages to best the men at every turn:

"He put a red-hot boiled potato down my back," explained Bill, "and the mashed it with his foot"

Later, the narrator is awoken by horrific screams from his companion: 

I jumped up to see what the matter was. Red Chief was sitting on Bill's chest, with one hand twined in Bill's hair. In the other he had the sharp case-knife we used for slicing, bacon.

The men know they have made a terrible mistake and want to get "Red Chief" home as quickly as possible.  But the boy doesn't want to go.  He's having too much fun with his friends. 

So, again, be careful what you wish for....As the poet Robert Burns says, "The best laid schemes of mice and men/Often go astray." 

What is Henry David Thoreau's best quote?

I think his best quote is "Simplify, simplify, simplify." Even though Thoreau wrote that over 100 years ago, it's still so applicable today. If Thoreau was telling the people of his time to simplify their lives, can you imagine what he would think of our society today? We, as a society, have become so materialistic, needing, relying on, depending on things like cell phones, internet, iPods, cars, airplanes, ATMs, laptops, coffee shops, Super-Mega-Ultra Wal-Marts, and even things like refrigerators, stove, microwaves, electricity, indoor plumbing. Some of us would be fine without a cell phone, iPod, cable, video game system, but there are few among us who could go even close to as simple as Thoreau got. I have students who would rather I took away an arm or a hand than their cell phone. I wonder if Thoreau would marvel at our advances or be disgusted at how dependent we've become.

In Animal Farm, what is the symbolism of the knacker?the knacker was affiliated with Boxer's death but i dont know what the knacker symbolized.

When Old Major delivered his speech which contained the idea for the animal revolution, one of the things he forecast was that, if human rule continued, Boxer would be sold to the knacker “the very day that those great muscles ... lose their power.” The irony is that the pigs, who were supposed to be better and kinder leaders of the animals had now done the same thing Old Major predicted the humans would do. This exemplifies the idea that the pigs have now become just as brutal and uncaring as the humans whom the pig replaced. The pigs now symbolize repression and greed just as the human had once symbolized the same characteristics.

How were the soldiers treated after returning from the Vietnam War in The Things They Carried?

In general, they were treated as outcasts and demonized by many whom they encountered back here in "the world."

Specifically, many had difficulty adjusting without those whom they had grown so close to over in Vietnam.  Their families expected them to be the same, and they wanted to be the same, but are unable to do so.  Norman Bowker is a good example.  He writes Tim and tells him that he can't keep a job; he's restless; no one understands him or seems to care about understanding him.

Unfortunately, Tim O'Brien's portrayal of Americans' treatment of Vietnam Veterans is spot-on. They never received a hero's welcome, and for many of them it is too late for us to try to make up for that.

In Act II of "The Crucible", how do you interpret Mary's visions and accusations?This is your interpretation, you may include what clues Miller...

The visions and accusations that Mary Warren mentions in Act II are due to the mass hysteria that she is being exposed to. I believe that she is "caught up in the moment" and is following what the other girls are doing at first. Once she begins to do this on a daily basis, she begins to think that she really sees or feels what she is pretending to see or feel. This is evident when we get to Act III, and Mary Warren can not prove to the judges nor can she explain to the judges why she can not faint at this point when, meanwhile, she had been pretending to do it for weeks prior.

In Othello, why did Emilia give the handkerchief to Iago?

In Othello, Iago is manipulative and uncaring. He is self-serving and is happy to cause distress to anyone if it furthers his cause to "serve my turn upon" Othello (I.i.42). Iago, whilst revealing to Roderigo that "I am not what I am" (66) becomes Othello's trusted "ancient" and all that Othello sees or thinks he sees strengthens the "ocular proof" which Othello ironically demands in Act III, scene iii, line 364. Othello will reject all other sensible options and rational reasons why Desdemona may have lost the handkerchief. He won't even listen to her as she tells him that Cassio must have found it. He fails to recognize her innocence because of his trust in "honest Iago" which confirms that one of the main themes is the conflict between appearance and reality.

Emilia is also entrapped by Iago although she does recognize that he is "wayward" (III.iii.296). She admits that he has asked her to steal the handkerchief many times which she would never do, especially as she knows how much it means to Desdemona but as Desdemona has just dropped it, Emilia realizes that she can now please her husband and not feel guilty. Emilia does not know the extent of Iago's deceit and is content to "please his fantasy" (303). She gives him the handkerchief because she knows it holds some significance for him and is prepared to allow him that indulgence. Emilia's conflict becomes apparent when the audience sees her loyalty to Desdemona and her outspokenness when she realizes what Iago has used the handkerchief for. Emilia refers to Iago's "pernicious soul" (V.ii.159) and shouts out that Othello has committed "murder! murder!" (170). 

How does Hemingway indicate tone in "Hills Like White Elephants"?

To a certain degree, tone is subjective. In stories, as in real life conversations, people can misinterpret one another's tone, leading to subtle or overt conflict. In fact, much of the power of this story depends precisely on this sort of dynamic of misreading and misinterpretation between the two main characters.

Much of the tone in the story is created by the awkward silences between the two characters. Another way Hemingway creates this sense of awkwardness or discomfort is by what is sometimes called "non-responsive" dialogue or talking at cross-purposes. In other words, one character will make a comment, and rather than the other character responding directly, the second character will pause and then say something completely irrelevant. This gives the impression that the characters are not communicating, adding to the awkward, uncomfortable tone of the conversation.

Finally, the short, declarative sentences add to the awkward tone and sense of unresolved tension. The spareness of the description also contributes to the intensity of the unspoken emotions, just as a neutral backdrop will make a striking visual image stand out.

What is Scrooge's initial attitude toward the spirit?

When Scrooge first sees the spirit of his partner, Jacob Marley, he cannot believe his eyes.  He mutters that the vision must me caused by "an undigested bit of beef or an old potato".  Because he does not believe that the ghost is real, he acts in an arrogant manner, loudly proclaiming, "You are an old potato!"  It is not until Marley's ghost shrieks and begins to describe events from his life that Scrooge becomes frightened at what he sees.  When Scrooge is carried through the air to witness the poor souls who are caught between the worlds as Marley is, he whimpers and crijes like a child until he is dropped back into his bed.  As soon as the vision disappears, Scrooge begins to doubt that the incident ever took place at all... until the Ghost of Christmas Past appears.

When and where does Frankenstein take place?

The novel Frankenstein begins with the preface that describes Victor as following the monster on an iceberg somewhere close to the North Pole. However, the majority of the story takes place in Europe. Victor Frankenstein is born in Italy in 1770, moved Switzerland in 1777, and then travels to Germany in 1788 where he studies. It's also in Germany where Victor creates the monster in 1792. Once the monster is created, Victor travels back to Switzerland in 1794, where he is followed by the monster. The monster also follows Victor to London in 1795 and Scotland. The author, Mary Shelley, also writes about Holland, Paris, Russia, and a small town on the Mediterranean Sea.

So many different settings helped Shelley promote the themes of escape and pursuit in her novel.

How are the witches' appearances deceiving in the play Macbeth?

Although this question could be interpreted in a number of ways, I believe the best answer to be the difference between cause and effect.  Are the witches truly revealing the future effect of a true prophesy in Act I when they say, "Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! . . . Thane of Cawdor! . . . that shalt be King hereafter!"?  Perhaps the witches are actually the cause of the whole problem.  If they hadn't revealed the prophesy (and if Macbeth hadn't written that pesky letter asking his wife for advice about it), it is almost certain that Macbeth wouldn't even have entertained the  notion of killing Duncan more than just a passing thought, especially when one considers the number of times Macbeth falters in his goal.  Macbeth starts to hear and see things (like floating daggers, for example).  He even lists in a long soliloquy the reasons why he shouldn't kill Duncan!  Perhaps the key is in one of the witches' first statements:  "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."  What is truly exciting is that it can be argued either way.

List techniques and quotes from Acts I, II or III of "The Crucible", that are about, or explain, Abigail not belonging.

From the beginning of the play, Arthur Miller puts Abigail Williams on the outside of the community, Puritanism and her family.  Abigail violates the rules that govern her behavior as a young Puritan woman, first by having an adulterous affair with John Proctor, and then by engaging in conjuring of spirits and dancing in the woods, behavior that is strictly forbidden.  Abigail acts as a catalyst for the start of the witchcraft hysteria.

She does not seem to care how her behavior will affect her family, her uncle who has taken her into his home after her parents were killed by Indians.  Abigail does not concern herself with the welfare of her cousin Betty, who now lies in her bed, too firghtened to open her eyes and face her father.  Abigail is a troublemaker and brings much grief to Reverend Parris.

She uses the events to try to shape her own fate, namely getting rid of Elizabeth Proctor so that she can be John's wife.  When this does not work for her, when she loses her ability to control the situation to her satisfaction, she leaves Salem, sneaking away in the night leaving her uncle with the responsibility of explaining to the court why she has gone.

Abigail is definitely an outsider, in the town, she is not given the benefit of the doubt when she is fired from the Proctor home.  She has a long conversation with her uncle in Act I, when he feels pressured to explain her behavior in the woods the night before and because his daughter Betty lies sick in bed unable to wake up. 

In Act I, when Abigail and her uncle are discussing the previous nights events, the dancing in the woods and what he saw Tituba doing while standing over the fire, Parris realizes that whatever they were doing is going to reflect badly on his as the Pastor of the church.  He tells Abigail:

"Abigail I have fought three long years to bend thesestill stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character.  I have given you a home, child, I have put clothes upon your back-now give me upright answers.  Your name in the town it is entirely white, is it not?" (Miller)

He questions her further about having been dismissed by Goody Proctor, and wonders why she is unable to get another job.

"And yet it has troubled me that you are now seven month of out of their house, and in all this time no other family has ever called for your service?" (Miller)

No one wants to hire Abigail in the town because everyone knows that she had an adulterous affair with John Proctor while she worked as a house servant in his home.

What are the suitors' plans for Telemachus? How does Penelope hear of the plans?

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus' son Telemachus decides to go out in search of his long-lost father. At the end of Odyssey 2, Telemachus sets sail from Ithaca. In Odyssey 3, Telemachus travels to visit King Nestor in Pylos, and in Odyssey 4, Telemachus questions King Menelaus and Queen Helen in Sparta.

Near the end of Odyssey 4, Penelope's suitors plot to ambush Telemachus upon his return and kill him (lines 625-674). The suitor Antinous declares that "I’ll lie in wait for him in the straits as he makes his solitary passage between Ithaca and rocky Samos, and his voyage in search of his father will end sadly" (Kline translation).

Immediately after the plot is made, Medon, who serves as the herald of the suitors, goes to Penelope and reports the plot to her (Odyssey 4.675-720).

Homer keeps the audience in suspense about this plot, though, and we do not learn what happens until Odyssey 15.1-55, where Athene visits Telemachus and warns him about the suitors' plot. Thus, thanks to the help of the goddess, Telemachus avoids the suitors' trap.

What is the theme of "Far From the Madding Crowd " by Thomas Hardy?

In Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd" there are several different themes at work. One of the obvious is of course the theme of unrequited love. This is shown by Gabriel Oak's love for Bathsheba, Boldwood's feelings for Bathsheba, and Bathsheba’s feelings for Sergeant Troy.  Beside this theme there is also the theme of catastrophe.  When Oaks, loses his sheep and eventually his farm is simply an occurrence of one bad event on top of another.As in all of Hardy's novels the concept of Class structure is also a recurring theme.  Many of the people in England at this time were moving from the country to the city as England became more industrialized.  Hardy was very concerned by the hierarchy.  This novel demonstrates

"how important social position was in England in the nineteenth century and of the opportunities that existed to change class, in either direction. In the beginning, Oak and Bathsheba are social equals: he is an independent farmer who rents his land, and she lives on her aunt's farm next door to his, which is presumably similar in value. The only thing that keeps her from accepting his proposal of marriage is the fact that she just does not want to be married yet. After Oak loses his farm and Bathsheba inherits her uncle's farm, there is little question of whether they can marry—their social positions are too different."

In "The Crucible", Reverend Parris is worried that Abigail's actions have jeopardized something important. What is jeopardized?

There are actually three instances in the play that your question can be referring to.

The first one occurs in the beginning of Act One when Rev. Parris realizes what the girls were doing in the forest the night before and notices that many people are going to blame their actions (and the results of those actions) on witchcraft. If this is to happen (and it does happen) then Abigail's actions have jeopardized his position and power as Salem's reverend.

The second instance occurs in the same act when Parris questions Abigail about her involvement with John Proctor. It is revealed in this act that Abigail and Proctor have had an affair, and this has seriously jeopardized Abigail's good name in the village. Goody Proctor will not go anywhere near Abigail and has obviously told the other women of the village that they should not hire Abigail as their house servant.

The final instance occurs between Acts Three and Four when the reader finds out that Abigail and Mercy Lewis have stolen money from Parris and have fled Salem. At this point Rev. Parris thinks that his life has been jeopardized, especially since someone has stabbed a dagger into his door. He feels that once everyone finds out about Abigail's actions they will blame the entire situation on him because it was his house where the witchcraft was originally discovered.

What is one of the ironies in the short story, "Just Lather, That's All"? Explain.

The supreme irony of the Hernando Tellez short story, "Just Lather, That's All," concerns the secret identity of the barber. When Captain Torres enters the barber's shop, he announces that he wants a shave. The barber recognizes him immediately as the killer of the rebels with whom the barber is secretly affiliated. Throughout the shave, the barber contemplates cutting Torres' throat, but thinks better of it, preferring to give him "just lather, that's all." He refuses to kill Torres in order to protect his secret and to uphold his professional code of a bloodless cut. But, as we find out at the end, Captain Torres has already heard of the barber's possible connection, and he has come to test the man himself. This is the irony--that the barber's secret was no secret at all, and that the captain had one of his own.

What does Proctor's decision to confess his involvement with Abigail reveal about his character and why does Elizabeth lie to Danforth in Act III?

Proctor's decision to admit to the crime of adultery illustrates that he is a man who is in search of the truth.  He is determined to bring to light, in the court, the real reason behind the accusations and Abigail's authority to make them.  He is determined to prove that the reasons behind the accusations have nothing to do with actual witchcraft, but are an attempt to get rid of his wife.  Abigail conveniently is using the witch trials to get what she wants, John Proctor as her husband.

Proctor's confession, he hopes, will shock the court into looking at Abigail in a different way.  Up until now, she has successfully captivated the court and been made a supreme authority on accusing others of witchcraft.  Proctor is trying to break this spell that she has over the court by confessing.

Elizabeth lies to the court for two reasons.  1. Because she is trying to protect her husband's reputation.  2. Because she feels guilty about the affair, feeling partly responsible for John turning to another woman for warmth and love, she admits later on to him that she was a cold wife. 

How is contrast used in "The Leap," and how effective is it?

The narrator uses contrast throughout the story to illustrate what her choices were and how her decisions shaped her life.  The story is told by the daughter of an acrobat named Anna, who made choices that the narrator tells the reader have saved her life, the daughter, three times.

One perfect example of the author's use of contrast, in particular, is when the acrobat's daughter, the narrator, is stuck in their burning house.  Told that rescue is hopeless,  the acrobat, mother makes a different choice, however, swinging onto the roof of the house, inching her way towards her daughter.  She saves her daughter, climbing out a window and jumping into the fireman's net.   

"The most obvious are the two physical leaps made by Anna, as a trapeze artist, to save herself and her children from fire."

What are the features of the island in "The Most Dangerous Game"?What's the shape of the island? Where is it located? Where is the death swamp, the...

The features of the island are described as Rainsford is washed up on the island in thevery beginning of the story.  There are jagged cliffs on the shore and a dense jungle surrounds the island; this is evident in the following description: "Dense jungle came down from the very edge of the cliffs.  What perils that tangle of trees ... might hold for him...."  The mansion is on a cliff near the coastline.  Although, the author does not say which side of the island the mansion is on, he does say, "...on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows."  This is telling you that the terrain surrounding the mansion is rough and dangerous.

Can you help me describe the ravine, Simons nature area, the bathing pool, the mountain, and the pig fire?

Simon's nature area is described as being not too far from the beach off the path and surrounded by trees with flowers and lots of creepers that dangle down to cut off the light and prevent easy entrance.  The soil was also soft.

The entire little area was ringed with "dark aromatic bushes" and there was not a whole lot of light coming in.  The ring itself was not growing plants because it had rock coming close to the surface.  There was a particular sound to it as well, busy and buzzing and it helped to create the atmosphere that Simon seemed to crave.

The bathing pool is a small pool at the end of the river that is dammed up by sand and is full of white water lilies and other plants.

What is the symbolism of "rose" in "A Rose For Emily" and why does Faulkner use it? What does it mean in the storyline?

Except for its use in the title, rose is never explicitly mentioned in the story.  Much like the lonely rose that stands amidst the thorns and barren ground outside the prison door in Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," the rose is symbolic of a passionate and strong nature which is not allowed to develop in the main character.  Like Hester Prynne, Emily Grierson is denied her "rose."  Dominated by her father and the mores of the dead culture of the Old South, Emily, like Hester, loses her bloom of youth, her pride and her passion, all of which are symbolized by the rose.  In her youth suitors are turned away; after the death of her father, Emily leads a secluded life withdrawn from most adults.  Her pride destroyed by such waste and indigency, Emily finds herself teaching china painting as an older woman and keeping company with an outsider to her Old South:  a Yankee laborer.

Certainly, Faulkner's use of the rose in the title is effective in its sublety.  For, the connotations of this flower are in the mind of the reader as the narrative progresses.  In this way, the gothic effect is created as the narrative concludes with the meaning of the symbolic rose turned in a grotesque manner. The reader can imagine a withered, dead rose in the place of the single grey hair.

The symbol of everlasting love, the rose of Emily dies with her one chance at boldness, passion, love:  Homer lies dead and decaying in her bed where Emily's womanhood should have found its fruition.

Tell me about an important event from the Age of Exploration. What happened? What did they do? What was the problem and what was the solution?

The 'Age of Exploration' refers to a time in world history where human curiousity and its possibilities met face to face with scientific advancements of the day. For example, the compass, cartography, and advances in ship building all led to the 'Age of Exploration'. There were many important events that took place during this time. I can give offer you several topic suggestions, however you must do the research. In that way your assignment is 'your' assignment.

1. What was the connection between Juan Sebastian de Elcano and Ferdinard Magellan?

2. Where did Christopher Columbus actually land?

3. How was Hernan Cortez able to conquer Mexico?

4. Did Francisco Vasquez de Coronado ever find his 'city of gold'?

5. What happened to Sir Walter Raleigh's colony at Roanoke?

5. Why is Captain James Cook considered one of the worlds greatest explorers?

What are the moral lessons in "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde?"

A sad story about undying and altruistic love, "The Nightingale and the Rose" is essentially a parable that reads like a romantic story, and is presented as a fairy tale. In typical Wilde style, the narrative is injected with irony, sarcasm, paradox, and surprise. These are all conduits that deliver the same message: There is no fairness in love or life. 

The Nightingale represents the dreamers. Those who decide to love for love's sake and are willing to give up everything to live up to that standard. The bachelor student is also a dreamer, but a shallow and petulant one who does not really suffer the way that he says he does: for the love of a young woman who refuses him unless he gives her a red rose. 

The Nightingale, as a martyr for her cause of love, goes from rose tree to rose tree tree in search of that red rose for the allegedly love-striken man. The red rose would come at a very high price: the life of the bird. For this reason, the Nightingale feels that to sacrifice for a principle that she truly abides by makes her belief even stronger. 

If you want a red rose,' said the Tree, 'you must build it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart's-blood. You must sing to me with your breast against a thorn. All night long you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart, and your life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine.'

This is an ultimate sacrifice, but the Nightingale accepts and thus she dies. 

Unfortunately, the bachelor could not even understand the message that the Nightingale sends right before dying. In a very heartfelt and dramatic moment, the Nightingale asks the student to do something in exchange for her sacrifice:

All that I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover, for Love is wiser than Philosophy, though she is wise, and mightier than Power, though he is mighty. Flame-coloured are his wings, and coloured like flame is his body. His lips are sweet as honey, and his breath is like frankincense.

Nothing happened. The sacrifice brings no joy, makes no difference, and is-literally- a waste of time. The young woman refused the red rose because it did not go with his dress. The student throws the red rose to a gutter and a cartwheel drives over it. The sacrifice was nothing. The philosophy was nothing. The martyrdom amounted to nothing. There is no fairness in life, nor in love. 

The morals are, then:

1. Believing in anything is a choice that comes with the consequences of believing. If you believe in a cause, and are willing to commit to it terminally, then you will have to abide by that. 

2. Not two people understand philosophical concepts, nor matters of the heart, in the same way. One cannot expect that the idea of love is the same in any two minds. The Nightingale took a tremendous risk by assuming that the student embraces the same principles as the bird. 

3. Everyone gives personal meaning to concepts. The young woman calls the student "rude" for even daring to come near her. He is beneath her station and, as such, he has no business going to meet her. Her definition of rude is as audacious as his definition of "love". No two people name the same thing the same way. 

4. Being that there is no fairness in love or life, the takeaway is risk. Either take the risk, or not. There are no winners when there is no risk--there are no losers either. It is entirely the call of each individual. 

The narrator in "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a murderer. What are examples of his insanity?

The narrator is indeed mad, which also makes him an unreliable narrator. We know he is mad because he has no real reason to murder the old, defenseless man other than the fact that he has a peculiar eye. The palish-blue eye taunts and irks the narrator to the point of insanity. The man decides to murder the bearer of the eye but cannot do so when his eyes are closed. The insane narrator rationalizes that his crime must be committed when the eye is in view because he is in fact antagonized by the eye and not by the old man. This rationalization, although perfectly normal to the story teller, makes no sense to a sane person.

For eight nights, the madman stalks his victim as he meticulously plans his crime. Ironically, this carefulness to him is a sign of his sanity, and he assures the reader that no madman would be able to be so keen. However, the reader sees the man's reasoning of the ploy as utterly lunatic, and we watch the narrator on his path through madness.

Once the murder has been committed, the narrator demonstrates his insanity once again by imagining the sound of the victim's heart. It beats louder and louder until he finally confesses.

Does the mRNA model more closely resemble the DNA strand from which it was transcribed or the complementary strand that was not used?

mRNA more closely resembles the strand of DNA that was not transcribed. 

Why: Bases in DNA always make one of two pairs, either C-G or A-T.  So, a strand of DNA coded ATCG would have a complementary strand of TAGC.  

 RNA bonds to DNA in the same manner, except instead of T, it uses U.  So, the DNA strand mentioned earlier, ATCG, would be transcribed into UAGC.  

Why do magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc exhibit slightly higher first ionization energies than the general trend within each of their periods?

The 1st ionization energy, (1st ie) the amount of energy needed to remove the most energetic electron, increases going bottom to top (up the family) and left to right (across the period) on the periodic table in almost all cases.  The actual amount of energy needed to remove that electron is contingent upon four factors: Proximity to the nucleus (proximity), number of protons or the amount of positive charge on the nucleus (charge),  number of electrons between the  electron being removed and nucleus (screening), and spin state, or the amount of negative charge in a given orbital (repulsion). These first 2 factors account for almost the whole ie pattern; the aberrations usually indicate not something unique with a given element, but a change in one of these factors altering the ie of another element around it.  So Magnesium, through the screening effect, makes Aluminum have a lower ie than expected. Sulfur, through repulsion, gives it a slightly lower ie than Phosphorus, where no repulsion effects occur. However, Zinc, relative to Copper, holds all its electrons a bit tighter with its additional proton, so the charge effect is prominent; this occurs because in zinc's configuration of electrons, there's no screening nor repulsive effects; the electrons get that much closer to the nucleus, and the ie goes up.

How does polygenic inheritance differ from Mendelian inheritance?

Mendelian inheritance refers to the expression of inheritance of monogenic traits, that is traits that are controlled by one gene.  We will use flower color as an example.  Suppose we have two of the same kind of plant.  Plant A has red flowers, and plant B has blue flowers.  Red is dominant, and blue is recessive.  Therefore the color genes for plant A are either AA or Ab.  Plant B is bb.  If we cross A with B, the color of the flowers will either be red or blue but not purple.  The gene composition can only be AA, Ab, or bb.  If it is AA, then the flowers will be red.  If it is Ab, then the flowers will be red because the A gene will mask the expression of the b gene.  "Ab" does not result in a purple flower.  If it is bb, then the flowers will be blue. 

However, when we consider polygenic inheritance things become more complicated.  Polygenic inheritance refers to the expression of traits controlled by two or more genes and environmental interactions.  Polygenic traits do not follow Mendelian patterns of dominance and recessiveness.  Skin color is a good example.  Not only do multiple genes affect skin color, but the environment does as well.  Changing a specific gene or factor may result in only minor changes in the expression of the gene.  Suppose one person has black skin and their mate has white.  Their offspring may have black skin, white skin, or some shade in between.

What does Henry Dobbins carry, what does he do with it, and why does he still keep it even after his girlfriend dumps him?

Henry Dobbins carries his girlfriend's pantyhose. He keeps them tied around his neck, supposedly for good luck. Ironically, he continues wearing the pantyhose even after she dumps him, saying that they're still lucky. Maybe he likes the way they feel around his neck. Or maybe he the pantyhose are simply his strongest connection to home, and he is unwilling to let go of how they have made him feel.

How does Juliet seem to feel about Romeo and characterize Juliet in Act 1 scene 5.This can be found in Act 1 of Scene 5 from the Tragedy of Romeo...

Juliet falls for Romeo just about as easily as he falls for her. The way they speak to each other with religious undertones explains how serious they are about each other.  They use words like "pilgrim," "devotions," and "shrine" to discuss their feelings for one another. 

When it is time for all to leave for the evening, Juliet runs to the Nurse immediately to find out who he is.  After running back and forth, the Nurse finds out that Romeo is the only son of their enemy, the Montagues.  the fact that Juliet goes out of her way to find out Romeo's name and information about him shows how interested she is in him.  Earlier she played the perfect daughter who was dutiful and respectful to her parents.  Now she is venturing out a little bit on her own, which is a little risky for her in such a time period.

What are the causes and types of noise in communication?i need some answers pertaining to principles of communication

In the field of communication, noise refers to the distortions that takes place in communication during the process of communication.

Communication takes place between a sender or originator of the communication and a receiver of communication. The distortion in communication or the noise can take place during any of the five steps of communication process listed below.

1. The sender formulating the message to be communicated to the receiver. The message is formulated in terms of the thoughts and facts to be conveyed.


2. The sender coding the message in a form suitable for transmission. The senders thought and faccts to be communicated in some form suitable for communication such as speech.


3. Transmission of the coded message. In case messages in the form of speech will be carried to the recipient through a suitable medium such as air for face to face communication.


4. Receipt of message by the recipient.


5. Understanding of the decoded message by recipient.

Distortion of the message can take place at any of these five steps of communication. The sender may not formulate the message very cleanly in his or her mind. The message as coded by the sender may not represent the intended message completely or correctly. The message may get distorted, or part of it lost during the transmission process. For example, voice of sender may get mixed up with other environmental noises. The receiver may again receive only part of the message, and may also distort the message during the process of receipt. For example the recipients may not listen carefully to all that is being said, and attach much more importance to some part of the message than to others. Finally the interpretation of the message received may not be the same as intended originally by the sender. These are the various type of noises that occur in communication.

Explain the effect of the supernatural on "The Scarlet Letter"examples and reason

For the Puritans, (the people about whom Hawthorne was writing), the supernatural was as real and palpable as their own skin and bones.  Evil manifested itself in others who were not among God's "chosen" ones, those who could expect a life of eternal rewared.  The problem was that no one knew who was one of the "chosen."  The potential for evil was everywhere. 

Chillingworth, then, is not simply a metaphor for evil.  He is evil incarnate.  Here are a few examples of Chillingworth as the embodiment of supernatural evil:

• "Satan’s emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth”  (The Leech)
• Pearl calls Chillingworth “the black man” …”Come away, mother!” Come away, or yonder old Balck Man will catch you!  He hath got hold of the minister already!  Come away mother, or he will catch you. But he cannot catch little Pearl!”  (The Child at the Brookside)
• Had a man seen old Roger Chillingworth at that moment of his ecstasy, he would have had no need to ask how Satan comports himself when a precious human sould is lost to heaven and won his kingdom.  (The Leech and his Patient.) 

Why are Group 1 metals so reactive and what are they called?

Group 1 of the Periodic Table, or the Alkali Metals, include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium, and francium.  The columns of the Table reflect a "family" of elements; each member within the family has the same number of electrons in its outer shell, but those electrons are further from the center of the atom (nucleus) going down the column, as a general rule.  All atoms tend towards a completely full outer shell, some achieving this by shedding electrons, others by gaining them. In the case of the Alkali family, each possesses a single electron in its outermost shell, which they want to "give away" to achieve that more stable  outer shell, which makes them very reactive with other atoms or compounds that want an additional electron in their outer shell to achieve stability. 

Identify three characteristics of "The Stone Angel".

By characteristics, do you mean themes or characters?  Themes include: Pride, Aging and alienation

"By pride, Hagar means a number of related qualities, such as stubbornness, rebelliousness, willfulness, and a refusal simply to respond naturally to her own feelings. Pride made her cover up her real emotions and reactions to people and events" 

"The indignities, infirmities, and fears associated with old age are continually present in the novel"

"Hagar's alienation finds expression in her attitude to religion and to God. She never declares herself to be an atheist, but she has no belief that the universe is under the care of a loving God."

For character descriptions, click on the second link, there are too many characters to list in this answer.  

If this does not properly address your question let me know.

How many people ride to Canterbury in The Canterbury Tales?

I think it's important to go directly to "The Prologue" to answer this question in order to not speak in generalities.  In fact, it's only about 30 lines into the first section of The Canterbury Tales where we can find the answer to your question:

Ready to go on pilgrimage and start / For Canterbury, most devout at heart, / At night there came into that hostelry / Some nine and twenty in a company / Of sundry folk happening then to fall / In fellowship, and tehy were pilgrims all / That towards Canterbury meant to ride.

So here Chaucer writes of the "nine and twenty."  Ah, but not so fast!  Keep in mind that it is the narrator that joins the group.  The narrator brings the number to 30, then.  Also, there is the ethereal character called "the Host" who joins and brings the number to 31.  Therefore, taking Chaucer's words as well as these two important additions into account, the number of people goint to Canterbury during The Canterbury Tales is exactly 31.

What type of novel is Fahrenheit 451?

Fahrenheit 451, which originally began as a short story, by Ray Bradbury is typically considered to be a work of science fiction because of the futuristic society he creates. However, it is was also his way of speaking out against the conformity and censorship that was present in society at that time.

Bradbury wrote this to express the concerns he had with society at the time (the early 1950's after WWII). This was the heyday of McCarthyism. Speaking out and having your own ideas often lead you to be a social outcast. 

Does the beast warn Simon of his destiny/fate?

Yes, indeed he does. Simon knows, the beast says, that the beast is a part of the boys themselves, and the beast warns him to run away and not to share his knowledge with the others.

“I’m warning you. I’m going to get angry. D’you see? You’re not wanted. Understand? We are going to have fun on this island. Understand?
We are going to have fun on this island! So don’t try it on, my poor misguided boy, or else—”
Simon found he was looking into a vast mouth. There was blackness within, a blackness that spread.
“—Or else,” said the Lord of the Flies, “we shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?”
Simon was inside the mouth. He fell down and lost consciousness.

Of course, Jack and Roger and co. do "do" Simon: they kill him in a mock  beast hunt. And it is exactly because of the beast within: which they think they are killing, that Simon is killed. So it makes sense for him to fall down inside an imaginary version of a "vast mouth", a "dark" mouth: the mouth of the beast, of the darkness within people. Simon is about to become a victim of darkness.

What is the role and value of women in Things Fall Apart?

In the Ibo tribe, women play the role of care-takers who are submissive to their husbands and tend to the needs of their families.  Their rights and freedoms are limited, and their marriages are negotiated by their fathers and other male figures within the tribe.  Many of the men freely beat their wives when they do not behave properly or complete tasks ineffectively and there are usually no repercussions for this.  Women are viewed by the tribesmen as inferior, but upon closer examination of the roles the two genders play within the novel, we can see that women are truly a source of strength and sustenance for their families.  They nurture and care for their husbands and children and therefore sustain the very life of the tribe. 

We are told of Roger moving towards Sam'n'Eric as one 'weilding a nameless authority'. What is this, and why is it nameless?

Throughout the novel, Roger's actions show him to be a boy who is the first to break with civilization.  He is the first to throw rocks near a lilun, the first to stab a piglet, and the first to take a cheap shot against Piggy.  The nameless authority that Roger wields is violence.  He has no qualms about picking on the smaller children and torturing Sam'n'Eric to get the knowledge he wishes from them.  If you're not willing to go so far as to call his authority violence, it is, at absolute least, self-assuredness.

How does the society react to eye color and color in the society in "The Giver"?

The people in the society cannot actually see color; they have no memory of it.  Jonas, who can see splashes of red on occasion, has a special gift in this area.  The people can see shades of dark and light, however.  While "almost every citizen in the community (has) dark eyes", there are "a few exceptions...Jonas himself, and a female Five", and the little boy child Gabriel all have "pale eyes".  Light eyes are "a rarity...(and give) the one who (has) them a certain look...Depth...as if one were looking into the clear water of the river, down to the bottom, where things might lurk which hadn't been discovered yet".  Light eyes in the community appear to indicate that the person who has them has special gifts of perception, and are likely candidates to one day become the "Receiver of Memory".

There are few mirrors in the society and although Jonas knows he has unusual eyes, he does not dwell on this fact, and is a little self-conscious when it is pointed out.  The people in the society generally ignore this difference; "no one mention(s) such things; it (is) not a rule, but (is) considered rude to call attention to things that (are) unsettling or different about individuals".  Contrary to accepted behavior, Lily, being young and impetuous, points out "with delight" that Gabriel "has funny eyes like (Jonas's)" as soon as she sees the baby.  Jonas is offended, and decides that Lily needs to be taught the rules of etiquette on what should and should not be said (Chapter 3).

Explain the images of death, suicide, and murder in Fahrenheit 451. What are their relationships to the totalitarian society?

Well, beginning with death & murder, which often tend to be linked; we see several different forms in the novel. The most prominent are the deaths by cars. Teenagers (and later, we find out through Mildred, adults as well) blow off steam by racing in super-fast cars and mowing down animals and people alike. Mildred talks about how great it feels to kill rabbits and dogs, & at least once it mentions how people who take walks are considered fair game, seeing as how they are seen as abnormal. These incredibly violent deaths are a result of the complete lack of emotion perpetuated by the totalitarian society. Similarly, Montag openly murders Captain Beatty, as well as other members of his squad. This act is a direct response to the oppression and lies that characterize the government and culture of the novel. Montag feels that his only recourse is violently attacking another human being.

Finally, images of suicide appear twice in the novel. First, Mildred attempts suicide by overdose. She has her stomach pumped, & can't remember anything afterward. This leads Montag to begin questioning the purpose of their lives, & the true happiness (or lack thereof) in their marriage. It also shows that material possessions cannot guarantee a fulfilling life, & that the absence of love can drive anyone to the ultimate decision. The second image is that of the woman who chose to burn herself with her books. Having been forced by the government to give up what she cherished, she chose to leave the world of tyranny and ignorance.

What is Walter Cunningham like?

One of the most telling episodes regarding Walter Cunningham happens in Chapters 2-3.  The town's new teacher, Ms. Caroline, asks all students who are not going home for lunch to take out their lunches and set them on their desks. Walter doesn't have a lunch, and Ms. Caroline insists that he take a quarter to buy himself a lunch for the day. She says he can pay her back the next day.  Walter refuses many times, and finally Scout jumps in and explains to Ms. Caroline that Walter is a Cunningham, and Cunninghams "never took anything they can't pay back." 

Later in the chapter, Scout rubs Walter's nose in the dirt, so Jem invites him over for lunch that day. During lunch, Walter and Atticus have a very adult-like conversation about crops and the problems of farming, until Scout interrupts and questions/scolds Walter for drowning his food in syrup. 

This chapter shows the reader much about Walter Cunningham. First off, we see that he is a proud little boy, probably because his family has raised him that way. He refuses to accept Ms. Caroline's quarter, even though he is clearly hungry, because he knows he cannot repay it. We see that he is forgiving since he goes to Scout's house and sits peacefully at the table with her, even after she rubbed his nose in the dirt.  We see in his conversation with Atticus that he is mature and wise, though not academically inclined.  He can't seem to pass the first grade, but he can carry on a conversation with an adult about farming.  All of these details really come together to show how poor Walter and his family really are. His description of having "no color in his face" and looking as if "he had been raised on fish food" illustrate how the child is not receiving enough nutrition, further reinforced by the fact that he pours syrup (extra calories) all over his food.  

What makes Dimmesdale a good minister in "The Scarlet Letter"? what ways did dimmesdale torture himself?

Ironically, because he feels like such a sinner, Dimesdale's sermons become more fiery and effective. In addition, people believe he is holy because many times on the pulpit he confesses that is the worst of sinners. What he always plans on doing is going on and confessing he is the father of Pearl. But, he never does. So people assume that if such a good man thinks he is an awful sinner, he must be some kind of saint. His self-torture includes all night prayer vigils, fasting obsessively, and flogging (or hitting) himself with a whip. Of course, these forms of physical torture cannot curse a malady that is basically psychological and caused by guilt. The only cure for that is to confess his guilt to his congregation. Unfortunately, Dimmesdale loves the admiration of the people and cannot bring himself to do the one thing that would free his conscious.

Why does the protagonist in Araby feel "driven and derided by vanity?

Araby is one of James Joyce's short stories from The Dubliners' collection. The stories all have similar enduring topics. In some instances, as with Araby, there appears to be a sense of hope when opportunity presents itself, but it is often overshadowed by hopelessness, as a kind of paralysis or apathy and indifference dominates the characters' surroundings.  

The boy's actions are prompted by his boyhood crush and he thinks of Mangan's sister, the object of his pursuit, in the most unlikely of places, her name always inspiring him: "Her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood..." He promises to bring her a gift from the bazaar and is excited to have actually spoken with her.

Having waited anxiously for his uncle to return home so that he can leave for the bazaar, he arrives at the bazaar very late and hurries inside the "magical" building. He is disappointed that many of the stalls are closed or closing and a conversation which he overhears brings him to a stark reality that the bazaar is certainly not the amazing and exotic place he anticipated, with the possibility of improving his chances with Mangan's sister. He can see now that he is insignificant in the scheme of things.

This ultimate realization, his epiphany, when, even as a child, he comes to the conclusion that his actions are misguided, even  futile, and that he is "driven and derided by vanity," makes the boy feel quite ridiculous and even irritated with himself that he has been so naive as to expect the bazaar where he now stands looking at objects that hold no real value, to have been the turning point in his life, in his transition from boyhood to manhood. This self-realization is difficult to accept.  

One of the disadvantages of bilingualism is that you might mix up your languages when you speak. How so ?

If you speak only one language, your reference points are limited to what is correct within that particular language structure. Your brain encodes this; everything outside this perimeter is registered as "alien" or "wrong." When you introduce a second language, your perimeter widens to accept new rules and applications as being correct as well. If the two languages concerned are very different from one another (for example, Japonese and Spanish), there is usually no mixup problem since the difference in signals sent is very clear.

However, if the languages are similar, confusion can happen since your mind can momentarily encode one language structure as being part of another. (Similar to jumping from one soundtrack to another by mistake or having simultaneous radio reception from two different channels).

The chance of this happening is greater if the speaker is continually jumping from one language to another instead of staying within a "pure" linguistic environment. A common case is the bilingual family. Ideally, to avoid confusion each parent should only speak in his or her native tongue, at least when addressing the children. In that way, the languages are encoded separately and (to the child) the distinction between the two is clear.

For the same reason, it is not a good idea to take on two new languages to learn at the same time. The perimeters of one language need to be clearly established before introducing another.

Below are references citing two particular case studies.

What is the theme of "The Five-Forty-Eight"?

The most likely theme in The Five-Forty-Eight is that of the male chauvinism that took place between the stereotypical "bosses and secretaries."  The main character Blake has evidently seduced Miss Dent, and then abandoned her when the personnel department of his company dismissed her.  Although she follows him as he heads home, and she appears to be "crazy" through the mentioning of her being a "mental patient," Blake remains confident.  He goes to a gentleman's bar and ends up taking a later train home than normal. 

Then when she appears on the train with a pistol, we see Miss Dent differently.  She could easily shoot him when she takes him out to the freight house and coal yard, yet she is in control mentally after all.  She shows him that she can forget him, and that she knows more about love and life than he ever will.  He must grovel in the dirt--face down--as she delivers her last line of "Now I can wash my hands of you."  The chauvinism has been addressed and although he will continue on, she has been able to move on without him.  It shows her strength as a woman in a period when women had no rights to strength.

In "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket," what are two ways the story uses man verus society? What are details about man versus society in the story?

There are several examples of man vs society in "Contents of A Dead Man's Pockets.

"One example is when Tom is out on the ledge "And he remembered how habitually, here in New York, he himself heard and ignored shouts in the night. If anyone heard him, there was no sign of it, and presently Tom Benecke knew he had to try moving; there was nothing else he could do."

Another example from the story is when Tom is looking around trying to find help. 

"No more than twenty-odd yards from his back were scores of people, and if just one of them would walk idly to his window and glance out. … For some moments he stared over his shoulder at the lighted rectangles, waiting. But no one appeared. The man reading his paper turned a page and then continued his reading."

A final example of man versus society:

"There were a dozen coins in Tom Benecke's pocket and he dropped them, three or four at a time. But if they struck anyone, or if anyone noticed their falling, no one connected them with their source.

It occurred to him irrelevantly that his death on the sidewalk below would be an eternal mystery; the window closed—why, how, and from where could he have fallen? No one would be able to identify his body for a time, either—the thought was somehow unbearable and increased his fear."

In Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" what happens to those who refuse to be hunted?

Most of the men choose to hunt.  However, if they choose not to, they are turned over to Ivan.  In the text, Connell says,

"Oh," said the general, "I give him his option, of course. He need not play that game if he doesn't wish to. If he does not wish to hunt, I turn him over to Ivan. Ivan once had the honor of serving as official knouter to the Great White Czar, and he has his own ideas of sport. Invariably, Mr. Rainsford, invariably they choose the hunt."

They are given a knife and some food, so they think that they can survive.  Zaroff is too good, though, because he has not yet been beaten in his new hunting game.

What is the resolution of the book "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry"?

A lynch mob comes after TJ, and it looks as though TJ is done for. Papa and Mr. Morrison go to stop the mob, then the cotton fields catch fire. The mob has to divert their attention to the fire, momentarily saving TJ from the danger of being lynched. Everyone must work together to get the fire under control. The fire is quenched, and TJ is arrested. Cassie comes to the realization that her father set the fire to distract the mob from its purpose. Unfortunately, while TJ will not be murdered by the mob, he still may not survive his sentence. There is a bittersweet resolution here -- whites and blacks end up working together to control the fire, but it does not change the reality of racism of 1930s Mississippi. Cassie undergoes a lot of character growth, and even though she is only about nine or ten years old, she comes to understand much about the world over the course of the novel.

What is the summary for Chapter 15 of Twilight?

In chapter 15, Bella wakes up and sees that Edward is still there. He tells her that Charlie left an hour earlier and disconnected her battery cables, apparently trying to keep her at home in case she snuck out. She gets ready in the bathroom. When she comes back, she notices that Edward is wearing different clothes than he had been the night before. He says that he left while she was in a deep sleep. He further reports that she was talking in her sleep and that she said that she loved him. He tells her this was nice to hear (even though he already knew it). She says it again, and he tells her that she is his life. While she is eating, Edward suggests that she should meet his family. When she asks how much his knows, he tells her that keeping secrets in his family does not work and lets her know that they are expecting to meet her. Bella asks Edward if Alice saw her coming and he does not really answer. Then he tells her that he thinks she should introduce him to Charlie as her boyfriend. She finishes getting ready and Edward tells her how nice she looks. He kisses her, which makes her collapse. She tells him that it is different from before.

They continue with the visit. Edward takes Bella to his house and she is impressed by how beautiful the house is, both inside and out. Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Esme Cullen are there and both are very friendly. Jasper is not so friendly. Even though she took lessons when she was young, Bella says she can’t play and asks Edward to play for her, and he does so beautifully. Everyone else leaves. They talk about why Rosalie and Emmett are not around. Rosalie is jealous of Bella for being human, while Emmet likes her but thinks Edward is crazy. Jasper is staying away because Edward told him to. Esme and Carlisle just want him to be happy, and Alice (who is very enthusiastic) just has her own way of looking at things.

He shows her the rest of the house, including a huge cross. She is surprised. Edward explains that it came from the church of Carlisle’s father who was an Anglican pastor. She learns Carlisle was born in London in the 1640s. His father persecuted Roman Catholics and hunted witches, werewolves and vampires. Carlisle found a coven of real vampires and became one, then hid from his father so he would not kill him.

What's the main theme in "School for Scandal?"

I would say that the main theme centers around morality.  There are distinct groups of characters - those who are members of the "school for scandal" and those who are not.  In the first group, we see characters who maintain a facade of morality (or "sentiment"), but who spend their days gossiping and manipulating to destroy others.  These are the members of the "school for scandal" - Lady Sneerwell, Joseph Surface, Snake, Sir Benjamin Backbite, etc.  In the moral group, we see Peter Teazle and his friends, who try to live morally and uprightly.  Then there is a group that doesn't fit either category.  Charles Surface and his friends; this group behaves badly (drinking and womanizing, etc.), but makes no excuses for it.  

Sheridan paints the first group as the most corrupt and the ones who rightly deserve the punishment they receive (banishment from society) when their duplicitous ways are discovered by the end of the play.  Lady Teazle is forgiven for consorting with them, as she is genuinely apologetic and contrite.  Charles, who is nothing but honest, is rewarded for that, in spite of his immoral behavior. 

I believe Sheridan's main message is about being truthful and upfront, not playing games with others' feelings.  The play, which is a Sentimental Comedy, can very much be seen as reaction to the excess of the English Restoration.

What is the lesson Papa is trying to teach when he gives the comparison of the fig, oak and walnut trees in the novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

Cassie's father is trying to make a point about giving up in the Mildred Taylor novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. When Mr. Avery announces that most of the black families who have agreed to refuse to patronize the Wallace's store are caving in, Cassie asks her father if "we giving up too?" David draws upon an analogy of the fig tree in their yard, surrounded by the much larger oak and walnut trees. Because the fig tree's

"roots run deep... it belongs in that yard as much as the oak and walnut. It keeps on blooming, bearing good fruit year after year, knowing all the time it'll never get as big as them other trees... It don't give up. It give up, it'll die... we're like it. We keep doing what we gotta, and we don't give up. We can't.

The trees serve a double meaning: The fig represents the Logan family, surrounded by larger trees. Despite its small size, the fig can still produce ample, quality fruit and thrive. Additionally, the larger trees represent the larger, white families--the Grangers, Simms and Wallaces--who would like to starve out the fig tree--the black family of Logans.

How old is Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Tom took the oath and stepped into the witness chair. Atticus very quickly induced him to tell us [sitting in the courtroom]:
   Tom was twenty-five years of age; he was married with three children; he had been in trouble with the law before: he once received thirty days for disorderly conduct. (Chapter 19)

Tom is in the courtroom being questioned by Atticus, his defense attorney, when we learn how old Tom is. The above quotation gives Tom's age as twenty-five. For a young man, he already had a wife and three children, a fact later brought forward by the prosecuting attorney as a challenge to the truth of Tom's testimony: if a young man of twenty-five had a full day's work to do, had a wife and family to go home to and had chores of his own at home to do, what was he doing stopping to do chores for Mayella, a white woman with a father and brothers and sisters at home to give her help if it was needed? 

An interesting consideration when thinking about Tom's age is that, for a little more than half of his life, he has had one arm that is useless, a point Atticus brings up in his defense of Tom, because when a boy still, Tom's left arm was caught in a cotton gin and crushed, leaving it in tact but useless. So for approximately twelve of his twenty-five years, Tom has not had a functioning left arm; he has had only one arm that functions, a fact Atticus uses to illustrate that it would have been impossible for Tom to leave two-handed markings on Mayella's neck.

Thomas Robinson reached around, ran his fingers under his left arm and lifted it. He guided his arm to the Bible and his rubber-like left hand sought contact with the black binding. (Chapter 19)

In the scene in which we are told Tom's age, Mayella has already testified about Tom and, as Scout puts it, "looked at him as if he were dirt beneath her feet" when she left the witness stand although it was she who lied about him, not he who lied about her; to the contrary, Tom had befriended Mayella when no one else would. In a compliment that bespeaks Tom's greatness of mind and heart, Scout compares Tom to Atticus, even though Atticus is a much older man than Tom's twenty-five years, by saying that Tom's manners were "as good as Atticus's" manners. Considering that To Kill a Mockingbird is a tribute to Atticus, the protagonist, as well as a tribute to the entrapped victim, Tom, to equate these two men--a young man of twenty-five with woefully limited experience and a mature man with broad experience and education--makes a significant comment about the protagonistic qualities of Tom and, in essence, makes Tom a second protagonist.

While these two men are favorably compared to each other, the difference between the two men goes beyond age, education and experience to encompass ethnicity, sociocultural "psychosis," as historian Paige Smith called it, and socioeconomic barriers. Because of Atticus's position in the society, culture, economy, and race divisions, being entrapped by Mayella--had he been--may have resulted in her doom: she would have born the brunt of her folly in profound ways. In contrast, because of Tom's position in society, culture, economy, and race divisions, being entrapped by Mayella results in his doom in the most profound way. This difference between these otherwise comparable men--racial, social, cultural, economic difference--is what twenty-five year old Tom was feeling when he said, "if you was a nigger like me, you'd be scared, too."

"Why did you run?"
"I was scared, suh.
"Why were you scared?"
"Mr. Finch, if you was a nigger like me, you'd be scared, too."

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, how does the river permit physical variety?

The river is used as a narrative device to move the action of the story from one place to another. Thus, the physical setting of the story moves as Huck and Jim travel down the Mississippi River. This enable Twain to incorporate a variety of episodes, each with a different theme, and each helping Huck to mature in different ways. For instance, in the Grangerford episode, Huck encounter his first real experience with death when his friend Buck is killed. This helps him mature and see the consequences of fighting that , for many, represents the Civil War. In the Wilks episode, Huck sees the consequences of real con artists. Huck has been a small con artist all his life, but when he gets a crush on Mary Jane Wilks, he finds a conscience and sees the result of hurting people without thought of the consequences. Each of these episods take place in a different physical place and allow Huck to learn different lessons about life. Instead of keeping the action in one place like St. Petersburg, where Huck would learn the same values over and over, Twain physically moves the characters so he can experience different values and learn from them.

What is symbolic in the sun shining as Reverend Dimmesdale gives his sermon in "The Scarlet Letter"?

Throughout the novel, light is connected with revealed truth, whereas darkness or shadows are connected with hidden truth. The truth of Hester's sin is revealed on the open scaffold in broad daylight; the true nature of Pearl is revealed as she plays by the brook in the sunlight, while Hester and Dimmesdale talk in secret in the shadows of the woods. The sun shining during Dimmesdale's sermon is also connected to revealed truth. More specifically, it is foreshadowing the coming confession of Dimmesdale upon the scaffold.

What tablet of The Epic of Gilgamesh contains a creation story?

The Epic of Gilgamesh contains an ancient story of a flood which has been compared to the flood during the time of Noah mentioned in the Book of Genesis, Chapters 6-9. In the Gilgamesh version, found in Tablet 1.108, Gilgamesh is told the story of a flood during his search for everlasting life. The link below has more information about the Epic of Gilgamesh, but although there are references to how Gilgamesh was born, there is no creation myth in the story.

What purpose is served by Squealer reading the production figures to the animals in Chapter VIII of Animal Farm?

By Chapter VIII, Napoleon has begun involving the farm in trade with other farms, and as a result he demands much higher production of food from the animals on the farm.  During the course of Chapter VIII, Squealer comes to the animals and reads them the production figures.  While the figures are informative to the animals, Squealer's purpose in reading them to the animals takes on an added significance.  The figures serve as an illustration of the success of the farm/state.  They are meant to instill pride and a sense of motivation in the animals, though the opposite it most often the case.  It speaks quite clearly to the often uneasy relationship between the needs of the individual (workers) and the needs of the state characteristic of socialism.

In "Great Expectations", why is it unusual that Miss Havisham and Pip's mysterious benefactors are also Jagger's clients? chapters 20-25

I think it is surprising but also a really remarkable way of connecting all of the stories together. Upon learning who Pip's mysterious benefactor is, we can begin to put all the pieces of Pip's story together. It would be logical for Miss Havisham and Magwitch to have the same lawyer because of Compeyson. Compeyson was Magwitch's partner and he also is the one who jilted Miss Havisham. When Magwitch needed a lawyer, it makes sense he would turn to Jaggers because he probably knew of Jaggers from Compeyson and/or Miss Havisham. And with Magwitch in jail, it also makes sense that Molly, Magwitch's wife had no means of support and turned to crime. Jaggers arranges for her daughter to be brought up by another client who wanted a child, Miss Havisham. Jaggers had no idea at the time that Magwitch would escape one day and find Pip, who lived also lived near Miss Havisham and wanted a playmate for Estella. I think Dickens showed a brilliant way of connecting all the dots of his story into one cohesive plot.

Is the climax of "The Tell-Tale Heart" when the narrator kills the old man, or when his deed is discovered?

Hearing the old man's heartbeat beating unusually and dangerously quick from terror, the narrator decides to strike, jumping out with a loud yell giving the old man a heart attack and then smothering the old man with his own bed. The narrator proceeds to chop up the body and conceal the pieces under the floorboards. The narrator makes certain to hide all signs of the crime. Even so, the old man's scream during the night causes a neighbor to call the police.

What are the group names of the periodic table? What are their traits?

The groups of the periodic table are the vertical columns, running up and down.  There are eighteen groups; each of which is given a different family name.  The group / family names are as follows:  (1) lithium family  (2) beryllium family  (3) scandium family  (4) titanium family (5) vanadium family  (6) chromium family   (7) manganese family   (8) iron family  (9) cobalt family  (10) nickel family   (11) copper family  (12) zinc family  (13) boron family (14) carbon family (15) nitrogen family (16) oxygen family (17) fluorine family (18) the helium family.  The periods are the horizontal rows that run from left to right.  There are eight periods when looking at the periodic table.

In the story "Luck" by Mark Twain, what elements are amusing? How does the development of humor depend on Twain's arrangement of words?

This story can be considered humorous in that there is a lot of irony contained within the text.  Scoresby is a fellow who gets by basically on luck... dumb luck, to be completely frank.  He cannot pass anything in school, so the reverend, a man of strict veracity (amusingly enough), decides to help the poor boy fail with some dignity by drilling him on Caesar... the only topic he really knows anything about.  It turns out the only questions asked on his exam were about Caesar, thus enabling Scoresby to earn high marks on the exam.

Another example that comes to mind is the battle in the Cremean War, during which Scoresby misunderstands an order, mistakes his left from his right, and surprises the Russian reserves, causing everyone else to believe he is a military genius.  This clearly isn't the case, but one has to wonder... at a certain point, doesn't consistent luck perhaps lead to skill?  One can't be lucky each time, although it seems Scoresby is.  Maybe he's not as stupid as the reverend thinks?

The conversational style in which the reverend tells the story (to the narrator, as a follow-up to the conversation during which he tells him that "privately, he's an absolute fool") also lends to the humor.

How is Freud different from Carl Rogers? Did the gestalt theory influence Rogers?i wan to get to the essence of the person centered therapy

Carl Rogers "humanistic psychology" is much less authoritarian and based more on the conscious mind than Freudian psychology. Freudians are much more directive in their therapy and tend to focus on unconscious motivation when patients are in therapy. Rogers believed in a close, personal relationship with patients and allowed patients themselves to choose the direction of therapy. His philosophy seems to have been influenced more by the theories of Carl Jung and Otto Rank than either Freud or the Gestalt Theorists. Rogerian therapy is focused more on the individual as a whole that a collection of units that Gestaltists believe can be mapped and then put into patterns and studied. For more information, see the links below.

I need help comparing and contrasting the traditions for "A Rose for Emily" and "The Lottery".

The traditions in A Rose for Emily are defined by the customs of the Old South.  Miss Emily's father was controlling, dominating and in complete control of her life.  Her existence is guided by a belief system and culture that was dying.  However, her father, of the old guard, would never surrender his southern honor by allowing his daughter to marry someone he considered unworthy.  So in view of this tradition, Emily's life is sacrificed. Although she lives, she has no life to speak of, except the brief time she has with Homer Barron, the man she poisons.

Comparatively speaking, there is a similarity in The Lottery, in that Tessie Hutchinson, a random victim, her life is sacrificed against her will also.  She is a victim of a cruel and outdated tradition, like Emily, and has no power to stop the events that determine her fate.

Both stories highlight the tragic effects of outdated traditions that remain dominant in societies way beyond their significance or value.  Clearly in Emily's case, she was a victim of the dying South.  Tessie Hutchinson, in The Lottery, is a victim of a lottery system that chooses a random victim for an annual stoning to death.  No one can remember why this annual ritual takes place, but they are afraid to abandon it.

Both the Old South and the village in The Lottery are male dominated societies.  The actions of the men in these stories is not questioned.       

What does Claudio do at his wedding to Hero in Act IV of Much Ado about Nothing?

Claudio has been deceived into thinking that Hero has been unfaithful to him by standing at a window at night and speaking to Boracchio.  Boracchio had been speaking to the waiting gentlewoman Margaret, but had the intent to deceive Claudio.  Claudio, who is in love with Hero and had every reason to believe that she has always been pure in word and action, was cruelly hurt by this and, by the standards of the day, had every right to repudiate his bride-to-be.

And repudiate her he does.  He says, in a fit of anger, the most damning things about a woman in Hero's position.  "She's but the sign and semblance of her honor./Behold like a maid she blushes here!... She knows the heat of a luxurious bed;/Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty."  He refuses to marry her on the grounds that she is impure (which Hero refutes) and gives her back to her father Leonato.  This incredibly dramatic scene becomes even more so when Hero swoons, and Claudio, Don Pedro, and Don John leave the scene not knowing if Hero is alive or dead.

Don John had engineered all this deception, purely, it seems, to cause trouble for Count Claudio and, by extension, his half-brother Don Pedro.  Like other of Shakespeare's villains (Iago in Othello, for example), the illegitimate character has obscure motives for wanting bad things to happen to the legitimate characters.  In this instance Don John seems to be causing trouble for others, because he believes doing so "blesses himself every way."

In To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Aunt Alexandra treat Calpurnia?

Alexandra treats Calpurnia strictly as a black servant beneath Alexandra's station in life. When she comes to stay with Atticus and the children, Alexandra is sitting on the front porch when Calpurnia and the children come home to find her there. Alexandra's first words are "Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia." It was an order, not a request, and it was not preceeded by any recognition of Calpurnia as a person worth greeting. Without comment, Cal picks up the heavy bag and starts to take it inside before Jem takes it himself.

After living with Atticus for a while, Alexandra makes her feelings about Calpurnia quite clear. She disapproves of the children having gone to Calpurnia's church, and when Scout asks Atticus if she can go visit Calpurnia at her home, Alexandra intervenes before Atticus can even answer: "You may not."

This incident leads to an argument between Alexandra and Atticus. She insists that it is time for Calpurnia to leave, that she isn't needed anymore. Alexandra also suggests that Calpurnia isn't the proper person to influence Scout as she grows into a young lady. Atticus makes it clear that Calpurnia is one of their family and has done an excellent job in raising the children. Atticus ends the discussion just before Scout returns to the room: "And another thing, the children love her." Alexandra does not argue further, but Scout notices that her aunt is furious.

What role do the servants play in Act 1, Scene 2 of The Taming of the Shrew?

Grumio, Petruchio's manservant, is the first servant to appear, and his characterisation is in line with the traditional comic master-servant relationship. Grumio fails to understand (or, perhaps, pretends not to understand) his master, Petruchio's request, and consequently is given a box on the ears. He then, silenced and sulky, resorts to making sarcastic comments on the scene, and the conversation which follows.

In the same scene, we also see Lucentio treated as a servant by Gremio, though in fact, we know that he is actually a nobleman himself:

Hark you, sir: I'll have them very fairly bound:
All books of love, see that at any hand;
And see you read no other lectures to her.

And - to complete the equation - we also see Tranio, a servant, for the first time acting like the noble "Lucentio", in a burst of flowery, formal language:

Gentlemen, God save you. If I may be bold,
Tell me, I beseech you, which is the readiest way
To the house of Signior Baptista Minola?

"What roles...?" is actually a very good way of phrasing the question. I'd argue Grumio plays, initially, the role of a friend, and then the role of a wounded caustic commentator, while Lucentio (not a servant) plays the role of a servant, and Tranio (a servant) the role of a noble.

What is the atmosphere of "Fahrenheit 451"?

The atmosphere in Fahrenheit 451 is one of frustration and confusion. At the beginning of the novel, Montag, the main character, has just begun to question his job of burning books. He meets Clarisse, who asks him if he is happy. Montag realizes he is not truly "happy" and then walks in on his wife who has just tried to commit suicide. When he calls for help, he gets only a robotic response to help revive his wife because suicide attempts are so common. Thus, in a society where everyone is supposed to be "happy", that common emotion is elusive. This starts Montag on his quest to find "happiness" which he comes to realize means the ability to think freely. Books offer that chance and he is frustrated with his job and the society in which he lives because it prevents his ability to think freely and read the books which contain the ideas he begins to cherish. In his frustration, he tries to sabotage other firemen and to change the power structure of his own society---only to find that he is now considered an enemy of the state. His only hope is to leave his society altogether and live with the Forest People. Fortunately, for Montag, his desire for change comes rather quickly because in their search for happiness, they have ignored an international crisis and war soon annihilates the "happy" society.

Why does the case of the "Red-Headed League" interest Holmes?

What interests Holmes about the information given by Jabez Wilson is the strong possibility that Vincent Spaulding is a master criminal known to the detective as John Clay. The most significant details are contained in the following dialogue.

“What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?”

“Small, stout-built, very quick in his ways, no hair on his face, though he's not short of thirty. Has a white splash of acid upon his forehead.”

Holmes sat up in his chair in considerable excitement. “I thought as much,” said he. “Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced for ear-rings?”

“Yes, sir. He told me that a gipsy had done it for him when he was a lad.”

Holmes has never seen Clay in person but knows of his description, especially that he has a white splash of acid on his forehead and his ears have been pierced for ear-rings. The other features match what Holmes knows about Clay's appearance. He is small, stout-built, and about thirty years old. 

Later when Holmes sees Wilson's assistant on the pretext of asking for directions to the Strand he is sure of his man. He tells Watson:

“Smart fellow, that....He is, in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London, and for daring I am not sure that he has not a claim to be third. I have known something of him before.”

Obviously Clay would not be working at that obscure little pawnshop unless he was planning to commit a serious crime. Holmes sees the branch bank a short distance away and deduces that Clay is digging a tunnel and wanted to get Wilson out of the way with the Red-Headed League hoax. Holmes deduces that Clay is doing a lot of digging from the moist and wrinkled condition of the knees of his trousers. Later when Holmes, Watson, Mr. Merryweather the banker, and a policeman are waiting to surprise Clay in the bank's basement, Jones the policeman tells Merryweather about Clay's character and history.

“John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger. He's a young man, Mr. Merryweather, but he is at the head of his profession, and I would rather have my bracelets on him than on any criminal in London. He's a remarkable man, is young John Clay. His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has been to Eton and Oxford. His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and though we meet signs of him at every turn, we never know where to find the man himself. He'll crack a crib in Scotland one week, and be raising money to build an orphanage in Cornwall the next. I've been on his track for years and have never set eyes on him yet.”

Clay is arrested in the act of attempting to steal 30,000 gold Napoleons with a confederate. He is certain to be hanged for murder, but in Victorian times he could have been hanged for his other felonies, including the attempt to steal the French gold. Clay is associated with the infamous Dr. Moriarty, who is Sherlock Holmes' arch-enemy. They will later engage in a death struggle at Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, which is described in "The Final Problem."

I'm curious, can "Strange Meeting" by Wilfred Owen be called a Heroic Couplet even if it doesn't contain end stopped rhymes?

I am afraid not. Heroic couplets are a pair of rhyming iambic pentameters. Thus the rhyming is something that is a basic constituent part of heroic couplets. "Strange Meeting" is therefore a poem that cannot be described as being written in heroic couplets, because the couplets do not rhyme.

You are right, however, to identify the way in which Owen does write this masterpiece in iambic pentameters. The problem is that, as we have already identified, there is no end rhyme and also the structure of these iambic pentameters allows for a more fluid division in terms of the thoughts that these lines contain. Consider, for example, the first three lines:

It seemed that out of battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which titanic wars had groined.

Herer we have classic examples of iambic pentameters, but the lack of rhyme means that Owen is able to introduce his poem using three such lines rather than being constrained by having to make each pair of lines rhyme representing a single unit of thought. The poem's form thus allows Owen greater freedom in structurally presenting this diatribe against the horrors and futility of war.

What is meant by the line "security gives way to conspiracy" in Julius Caesar"?act 2, scene 3

In "Julius Caesar" this line,spoken by Artemidorus, a teacher of rhetoric, means that being overly confident can lead to carelessness which, in turn, allows conspiracy to form and proceed.  Caesar trusts too much Cassius, Cinns, Trebonius, Caius Ligarius, and others close to him; he is relaxed in this trust and fears no one.  Of course, the reader later realizes that this confidence in the love of the Romans is the tragic mistake that Caesar makes.

What are the characteristics that make up the genre of literature known as "gothic", and how does "The Yellow Wallpaper" fit in that genre?

The American Gothic movement sprang from Individualism.  The Individualists focused on the ideals of mankind, and on trusting yourself and your instincts.  Their intense focus on the individual nature of mankind eventually led to the Gothic movement, which focused on individuals also, but their dark side, their potential for evil.  The Gothic movement emphasized the power of the mind to create horror, fear, and reveal our darkest selves.  Mankind was no longer ideal and holy, but instead capable of weakness, insanity, and vice.

In "The Yellow Wallpaper", the narrator is dealing with her slowly crumbling mental health.  It focuses on her delusions and paranoias, and we see that the human mind can create a horrifying reality, and lead to unimaginable distress.  From the setting (an abandoned and creepy house), to the isolation (she's trapped in a room with horrid wallpaper, all by herself), to the bizarre state of her mind, there are Gothic themes throughout.  

What is the structural formula of carbohydrates?I am so confused. I searched for this answer many times, and I always find a different answer....

Carbohydrates, as the name imples, are composed of carbon and water.  The empirical formula for most of them is:

Cx(H2O)y

where x and y are integer numbers of carbon atoms and water molecules, although some carbohydrates deviate from the strict hydrogen to oxygen ratio.   Most carbohydrates have the suffix -ose on the end of their names, and this large class of molecules includes sugars, starches, and cellulose, and are components of DNA, RNA, and ATP.  The most common carbohydrate is the sugar glucose, which has a structural formula of C6H12O6

Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 5, pg. 304.

Summarize Beatty's explanation of how the need for firemen arose in "Fahrenheit 451".

Beatty says that since everything was fireproof, there was no more need for firemen to put out fires. However, schools were graduating people who could run, jump, and swim. The word "intellectual" became a swear word because intellectuals made people uncomfortable. All people wanted was pleasure and books contained ideas that confused people and "caused conflict". Beatty says, "A book is a loaded gun in the house next door." People believed that everyone should be equal and equality meant that everyone should be alike. No one should be smarter than another. Books contained things that made people feel unequal. So firemen were made "guardians of people's comfort". They burned the awful books that made people unhappy. With books gone, everyone could be happy and equal.

What is the plot of "The Swiss Family Robinson"?Introduction, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution.

The Robinson family, emigrating overseas from their native Switzerland, is shipwrecked on a deserted island.  Though the ship is destroyed, many supplies, as well as livestock, are preserved, making their survival on the island easier.

And yet, there are still difficulties to encounter and overcome.  Through their ingenuity and their faith, they face these difficulties through industry, creativity, and perseverance.  Supplementing the ship's supplies with materials on the island, they manage to make a small utopia for themselves, much in the way they had planned as colonists in their intended home.

After more than a decade, they have settled into their new environment, coming to terms with their isolation.  However, the arrival of a newcomer, Jenny Montrose, leads them to thoughts of civilisation. 

With the arrival of a ship, they make the choice to remain on the island, though establishing contact with the outside world.  Their orignal intent of establishing a colony has been achieved, yet not in the location they had planned.

Wyss's theme of faith, perseverance, and family are stressed throughout.  Though at times pedantic and unrealistic, this tale exemplifies human ingenuity in the most difficult of circumstances.