Because a concave lens cannot form a real image of a real object, it is difficult to measure its focal length precisely. One method uses a second,...

Hello!

We need a formula which establishes a relation between a lens' focal length `F,` a distance `d` from an object to the lens and a distance `f` from an image to a lens.

For a convex (collecting) lens and a real image the formula is

`F=(d*f)/(d+f),`

for a concave (diverging) lens and a virtual image the formula is

`F=(d*f)/(d-f).`

Please look at the picture attached. The focal length of the convex lens is

...

Hello!

We need a formula which establishes a relation between a lens' focal length `F,` a distance `d` from an object to the lens and a distance `f` from an image to a lens.

For a convex (collecting) lens and a real image the formula is

`F=(d*f)/(d+f),`

for a concave (diverging) lens and a virtual image the formula is

`F=(d*f)/(d-f).`

Please look at the picture attached. The focal length of the convex lens is

`F_(convex)=(42*37.5)/(42+37.5) approx 19.8 (cm).`

For the concave lens the object is the real image produced by the convex lens. So the distance between the lens and the object is 37.5-15=22.5(cm). The distance from the concave lens to its real image is given (35 cm). Therefore its focal length is

`F_(concave)=(22.5*35)/(22.5-35) approx -63(cm).`

Yes, it is negative because the lens is diverging.

The answer: the focal length for the convex lens is 19.8 cm and for the concave lens is 63 cm (or -63 cm).

What are Trojan Horses? How do they work? How does social engineering figure into their distribution (i.e., what is misleading about their...

A Trojan Horse is a kind of computer program that is used to break into a computer by masquerading as something else. It is named after the Trojan Horse, a trick used by the ancient Greeks to invade Troy, as the Trojans believed the horse was a harmless gift. These programs work by lurking within other programs, but they do not invade other files or spread like computer viruses do. 

Trojan Horses are often spread...

A Trojan Horse is a kind of computer program that is used to break into a computer by masquerading as something else. It is named after the Trojan Horse, a trick used by the ancient Greeks to invade Troy, as the Trojans believed the horse was a harmless gift. These programs work by lurking within other programs, but they do not invade other files or spread like computer viruses do. 

Trojan Horses are often spread by social engineering—the manipulation of the computer user into thinking the files are safe. For example, a Trojan Horse can be spread by sending a user a form that looks harmless but isn't. Some examples of Trojan Horses are backdoors, which send information to a user who is remote from the computer. The remote user then has total control over the computer and can send, receive, change, or delete files. The infected computer can also be used as a "botnet" to send spam or as a way to conduct attacks or carry out illegal activities with other computers as the targets. One particularly noxious kind of Trojan Horse promises to destroy viruses on your computer but instead installs them. 

To recover from a Trojan Horse, you should disconnect your computer from the Internet, back up files, and then scan your system with an antivirus program. Once you've found and removed the corrupted files, you should reinstall your operating system. To prevent being affected by Trojan Horses, do not open attachments in e-mails that seem suspicious or that you did not ask for. In addition, install and update antivirus software on your computer, and install an Internet firewall.

Analyzing Macebeth quotes: "If chance will have me king, why, chance may not crown me, / Without my stir."

Macbeth is saying that what happens will happen; if fate, or "chance," wants him to be king, then it will happen no matter what he does.

Macbeth has seen some of the prophecies of the witches come to pass. He is now the Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor. Naturally, he wonders whether he will eventually become the king.

Macbeth isn't particularly enthused about the idea of being king. Banquo, earlier in the scene, agrees...

Macbeth is saying that what happens will happen; if fate, or "chance," wants him to be king, then it will happen no matter what he does.

Macbeth has seen some of the prophecies of the witches come to pass. He is now the Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor. Naturally, he wonders whether he will eventually become the king.

Macbeth isn't particularly enthused about the idea of being king. Banquo, earlier in the scene, agrees with him that it might happen as the witches foretold. Macbeth gets distracted and says to himself, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir." He is thinking about his chance to become king—and realizing that he may not have an option. He doesn't have to act to become king. 

If something is fated to happen, it will—whether Macbeth chooses it and works toward it or not.

What did George do once that made him stop playing jokes on Lennie in Of Mice and Men?

One day George told Lennie to jump into the Sacramento River, assuming Lennie knew how to swim. Lennie did jump, but he did not know how to swim, so he nearly drowned before the frightened George and other men could rescue him. After this experience of nearly causing Lennie's death, George has played no more practical jokes on him.

In Chapter 3, George is in the bunkhouse and talks with Slim, who remarks on Lennie's...

One day George told Lennie to jump into the Sacramento River, assuming Lennie knew how to swim. Lennie did jump, but he did not know how to swim, so he nearly drowned before the frightened George and other men could rescue him. After this experience of nearly causing Lennie's death, George has played no more practical jokes on him.

In Chapter 3, George is in the bunkhouse and talks with Slim, who remarks on Lennie's strength and his ability to do so much work. "There ain't nobody that can keep up with him," Slim declares. Then, Slim observes that George and Lennie make an odd pair, inviting George to talk about himself and Lennie. George tells Slim that they are from the same town and Lennie was cared for by his aunt. After Lennie's Aunt Clara died, he started to work with George. "Got kinda used to each other after a while," George remarks.

George then confesses that he became accustomed to playing jokes on Lennie because he was "too dumb to take care of himself" and it made George seem smarter. George even admits that he could be abusive to Lennie, and the big man would not even become angry. "That wasn't so damn much fun after a while" (Chapter 3). Finally, George explains that he stopped playing practical jokes on Lennie after the time he ordered him to jump into the Sacramento River and Lennie jumped without even knowing how to swim. Because Lennie nearly drowned before being rescued, and he had forgotten that George was the one who told him to jump, George felt so guilty about this trick that he stopped his pranks against Lennie, saying, "Well, I ain't done nothing like that no more" (Chapter 3).

Is it possible to prepare for extreme stress while working as a first responder?

Yes, it is possible for first responders to prepare for extremely stressful situations. In fact, such occupations as police officers, firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and others train hard precisely to prepare for extremely stressful situations.

Professions such as those listed above are inherently stressful. Confronting armed suspects, or suspects who may or not be armed but who are encountered in a particularly tense environment, is extremely stressful, as is entering a burning building or...

Yes, it is possible for first responders to prepare for extremely stressful situations. In fact, such occupations as police officers, firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and others train hard precisely to prepare for extremely stressful situations.

Professions such as those listed above are inherently stressful. Confronting armed suspects, or suspects who may or not be armed but who are encountered in a particularly tense environment, is extremely stressful, as is entering a burning building or attending to victims of a shooting while the shooter remains in the area. All of these are routine scenarios for which first responders prepare. 

Stress cannot be eliminated from inherently stressful scenarios, such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster. And, it is the exceedingly rare individual who is immune to the kind of stresses that can diminish the mental capacities of untrained individuals. That is why first responders train and train and train. They train because that is the only way they can be ready to respond to extremely stressful situations. That is why law enforcement academies include live fire ranges where recruits are subjected to different types of scenarios that require split-second decisions on whether to discharge their firearms. It is the reason firefighters attempt to recreate the most realistic training scenarios possible--so that prospective and active personnel will know how to respond if and when the scenarios depicted actually occur. And, it is why EMTs are incorporated into training exercises that involve large numbers of individuals who are enlisted into the exercises to act as "victims" of a shooting, airplane disaster, large-scale automotive accidents, and other possible contingencies. 

There is a problem with the training regimens described above, however. That problem is budgetary. Training costs money, and the more specialized the training, or the more elite the unit, the higher the costs. Plus, training takes time—time not spent on the street patrolling, for instance. Consequently, not every department with first responders is as well-prepared as circumstances may dictate. This, however, is a bit of a digression. First responders can be prepared for extreme stress. That preparedness comes from training in real-life scenarios, including on mock-ups of actual city streets or buildings into which first responders will likely have to enter under difficult circumstances. Pay a visit to a modern law enforcement academy, or the one operated by the United States Secret Service or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and you will observe recruits and others being subjected to real-life, extremely stressful scenarios in fake towns designed to simulate the kinds of situations they may have to face during the course of their careers.

In the movie The Breakfast Club, what role does leadership play? What types of leadership are used? In what ways does leadership help the group...

It is ironic that the sole authority figure in The Breakfast Club is someone who does not show much in the way of leadership. Mr. Vernon does not want to be there that Saturday morning any more than the kids do. He makes $31,000 a year, has a home, and he is at the stage of his teaching career where he really does not care anymore. He hates the kids; they are a constant source...

It is ironic that the sole authority figure in The Breakfast Club is someone who does not show much in the way of leadership. Mr. Vernon does not want to be there that Saturday morning any more than the kids do. He makes $31,000 a year, has a home, and he is at the stage of his teaching career where he really does not care anymore. He hates the kids; they are a constant source of vexation and he does not want to have anything to do with them. To Vernon, kids are just those annoying creatures who get in the way of the smooth running of Shermer High.

So Vernon does not lead. He does not inspire the kids with anything but loathing and contempt. He simply lays down the law and leaves the kids to their own devices. Bender, however, unexpectedly shows leadership skills, albeit of a more unorthodox variety. As well as being a perennial screwup and troublemaker, he also has great charisma, which he uses not just to challenge Vernon's formal authority, but also to inspire the other kids to rebel.

And their rebellion is not just against Vernon, but against their parents and the society they represent. The unlikely figure of Bender provides the catalyst for the kids to explore and express their deepest, innermost feelings. They are not about to start acting like Bender when they return to school on Monday morning; but he has led them to get in touch with their true selves. This is something that only Bender's charismatic leadership could ever have achieved, and certainly not the formal, rules-based leadership of Mr. Vernon.

Why is Roy so interested in the boy he sees running in Hoot by Carl Hiaasen?

There are several possible reasons why Roy, the main character in Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot, is interested in the running boy. One of the main reasons is that Roy's interest in the running boy is how Hiaasen advances the plot. Without Roy's interest in the running boy, he wouldn't meet Beatrice Leep or her step-brother Napoleon Leep, also known as Mullet Fingers. If he hadn't met those two, he wouldn't have known about the burrowing...

There are several possible reasons why Roy, the main character in Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot, is interested in the running boy. One of the main reasons is that Roy's interest in the running boy is how Hiaasen advances the plot. Without Roy's interest in the running boy, he wouldn't meet Beatrice Leep or her step-brother Napoleon Leep, also known as Mullet Fingers. If he hadn't met those two, he wouldn't have known about the burrowing owls on the property where the new Mother Paula's restaurant is being built.  

Roy attracts Beatrice's attention when he develops an interest in the running boy and begins asking questions about him, as well as following him. This is how he discovers Mullet Fingers is a runaway. Mullet Fingers vandalizes a construction site because he knows about the burrowing owls and wants to protect them.  

Roy forms a friendship with Mullet Fingers. With Beatrice's help, they uncover the truth: Chuck Muckle and the construction foreman, Curly, hid the environmental impact report. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet Fingers tell the town about the owls, prompting Officer Delinko to arrest Chuck Muckle, which stops construction.  

Another reason Roy is so interested in the running boy is that he sees him out of the window of the bus when Dana Matherson is choking him. His interest in this strange boy gives him a distraction from Dana's torments. It also gives him something to focus on, since the move to Florida was not his choice. He loved living in Montana and did not want to leave.  

Another reason the running boy piques Roy's interest is that the boy is breaking the rules, and Roy is a person who follows the rules. Mullet Fingers should be in school, but he ran away from the boarding school he is supposed to attend. When Roy gets involved in saving the owls, he is the one who wants to find a legal way to help them. This contrasts with the methods of vandalism that Mullet Fingers uses.

How are stereotypes enacted in Walter Mitty's dreams?

The most overt stereotype is that of the confident hero. The first daydream portrays Walter as the commanding officer on an airplane. He and the crew are actually flying into a hurricane. Walter, as commander, orders them to fly through it. His subordinates have complete confidence despite the insanity of trying to fly through a hurricane. This is a cliche of a confident, flawless leader. Walter's dreams are full of stereotypes and cliches. In order...

The most overt stereotype is that of the confident hero. The first daydream portrays Walter as the commanding officer on an airplane. He and the crew are actually flying into a hurricane. Walter, as commander, orders them to fly through it. His subordinates have complete confidence despite the insanity of trying to fly through a hurricane. This is a cliche of a confident, flawless leader. Walter's dreams are full of stereotypes and cliches. In order to escape the dullness of his daily life, he tries to fill his dreams with hyperbolic and dramatic scenarios where he is the hero. Everything is exaggerated so that he can imagine himself in the most stereotypical and simplistic ways. In other words, in his daily life, things are complicated and he is inept. In his dreams, he wants things to be simple and heroic. Stereotypes communicate with generalized characters and simplicity. 

In another daydream, he is an impossibly resourceful and renowned surgeon. When the anesthetizer stops working (and there is no one in the "East" who knows how to fix it), Dr. Mitty fixes it magically with a pen. Like many of his heroic personas of his dreams, Mitty is impossibly good, too good to be true. 

In another daydream, Walter is a captain who fits the stereotype of the rugged, hard-drinking, absolutely confident leader and soldier. He gulps down some brandy before heading into an impossible mission and his sergeant says he's never known anyone who could hold his liquor like Walter. Walter is so confident that he gives a nonchalant "Cheerio" to the sergeant as he departs for the mission. 

The stereotypical confident man is a prominent theme in his dreams. In the end, facing apparent certain death, Mitty is calm and collected. 

In the book You Are Not So Smart, what is McRaney asking you to believe about cognition and decision making? How does this challenge your...

McRaney is asking you to believe your judgements are often guided by irrationality rather than by reason and that you do not always understand why you make the decisions you do. For example, you have preconceptions, biases, and shortcuts in your thinking (called heuristics) that make you prone to errors of judgment and decision making. An example is priming, when a stimulus from the past affects your current decision. In a study cited by the...

McRaney is asking you to believe your judgements are often guided by irrationality rather than by reason and that you do not always understand why you make the decisions you do. For example, you have preconceptions, biases, and shortcuts in your thinking (called heuristics) that make you prone to errors of judgment and decision making. An example is priming, when a stimulus from the past affects your current decision. In a study cited by the author, subjects were asked to remember a sinful memory. Half of the participants washed their hands, while others did not. Those who did not were more likely to agree at the end of the study to help a graduate student for no money, and the researchers posited that it was because the people who had washed their hands had unconsciously washed away their guilt. This study is an example of how the unconscious plays a powerful role in our decision making. 

The premise of the book might challenge your ideas that your decisions are always guided by logic and reason, or that you even know why you choose to make the decisions you do. Many people are surprised when they realize that illogic, the unconscious, and other forces beyond their control affect their decisions in powerful ways and that cognition is not entirely rational and conscious.

What is the significance of the frontier in American history?

According to historian Frederick Jackson Turner's so-called "Turner Thesis," the frontier played a critical role in furthering American democracy. As the frontier was absent of established churches and landed gentry, it allowed people to lay claim to land and to free themselves from established ways of thinking. Turner, whose thesis was highly influential when he delivered a speech called "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" before the American Historical Association in 1893 in...

According to historian Frederick Jackson Turner's so-called "Turner Thesis," the frontier played a critical role in furthering American democracy. As the frontier was absent of established churches and landed gentry, it allowed people to lay claim to land and to free themselves from established ways of thinking. Turner, whose thesis was highly influential when he delivered a speech called "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" before the American Historical Association in 1893 in Chicago, believed that the frontier was critical to the renewal of American democracy. 

The 1890 Census had determined that the frontier was closed and that there was no more land on which Americans could renew themselves. As a result, many thinkers believed that Americans had to expand abroad to allow for renewal, and this belief further the drive towards American imperialism. 

To some degree, the American frontier has served as a myth. As much as it allowed for some latitude of social mobility for white Americans, the western movement of white settlers displaced Native Americans and Mexican-Americans who had lived in areas long before the arrival of white settlers. However, the frontier did provide greater religious freedom for groups such as the Mormons and was often a place in which women, who were fewer in number than in the east, enjoyed political and social power that they did not have in more established communities back east.

Evaluation of a Weight-Loss Plan or Program Describe the food program promoted by the publication or organization. Is the program flexible...

You can choose which plan or program to analyze; one you could look at is Nutrisystem. The online system asks a user for his/her weight and height and then customizes a menu plan for that person. The system allows the user to choose from certain menu items, and the user can order these foods online and have them shipped to their house. The website also encourages users to exercise, but that is not part of...

You can choose which plan or program to analyze; one you could look at is Nutrisystem. The online system asks a user for his/her weight and height and then customizes a menu plan for that person. The system allows the user to choose from certain menu items, and the user can order these foods online and have them shipped to their house. The website also encourages users to exercise, but that is not part of their plan. 

This plan is not very flexible, as people have to order pre-packaged food from the company and cannot eat out or travel on the plan. Although there are different menu choices, there isn't as great a variety as dieters would have if they chose food at a market. The portion sizes of the meals are controlled; however, if people try to maintain their weight without ordering from Nutrisystem, they may not be able to. In other words, people won't necessarily be able to control their portion sizes and eat a certain number of calories if they don't order the food from the system. In addition, the plan promises that people can lose up to 13 pounds in the first month, which might be too much to be medically sound for certain people. Any plan that promises to make people lose weight fast, as Nutrisystem does, may not be medically sound. 

How does George Wilson represent that the Valley of Ashes is a place where citizens who can never achieve the American dream reside?

George Wilson is the perfect symbol for the downside of the American Dream. He runs a fairly unsuccessful garage in the Valley of Ashes, a place whose residents seem to be unable to get on in life, who only live there because they have no place else to go. George certainly can't keep his wife, Myrtle, in a style to which she wants to become accustomed, hence her affair with Tom Buchanan, which provides her...

George Wilson is the perfect symbol for the downside of the American Dream. He runs a fairly unsuccessful garage in the Valley of Ashes, a place whose residents seem to be unable to get on in life, who only live there because they have no place else to go. George certainly can't keep his wife, Myrtle, in a style to which she wants to become accustomed, hence her affair with Tom Buchanan, which provides her with an entree into a world of wealth, glamour and opulence, one far removed from the general air of boredom and hopelessness in the Valley of Ashes.

Amid all the wild parties, the glamorous fashions and ostentatious displays of wealth, it's important to bear in mind when reading The Great Gatsby that far more Americans in the 1920s lived like George Wilson than Gatsby, Tom, or Daisy Buchanan. George and his neighborhood, the Valley of Ashes, represent the forgotten men and women of the American Dream in the Roaring Twenties –– ordinary, decent, hard-working people, generally anonymous and chronically unable to escape from a life of toil and thwarted ambition.

What are the challenges and trends facing retailers? Give practical examples.

Targetjobs.co.uk lays out some of the challenges and trends facing retailers for 2016, which will be useful as the foundation of your discussion. These include the challenges of (1) finding ways to adapt to changes in government policy, such as insurance requirements or minimum wage increases, and of (2) finding ways to adapt to increasing ethical and environmental demands, such as transparency about suppliers, manufacturing, and sourcing. These also include the trendsof (1) finding...

Targetjobs.co.uk lays out some of the challenges and trends facing retailers for 2016, which will be useful as the foundation of your discussion. These include the challenges of (1) finding ways to adapt to changes in government policy, such as insurance requirements or minimum wage increases, and of (2) finding ways to adapt to increasing ethical and environmental demands, such as transparency about suppliers, manufacturing, and sourcing. These also include the trends of (1) finding ways to adapt to the competition of online e-commerce entrants into previously physical-location shopping activity, like grocery purchasing, and of (2) finding ways to adapt to retail entrants who sell at discounted prices, such as adapting by broadening product range.

One example of challenging changes in government policy is the on-going concern in United States retail about dealing with Affordable Care Act regulations. One adaptive strategy has been to limit retail clerk employment to less than full-time and split shifts between two employees. Another example of challenging changes in government policy is the introduction of a higher minimum wage in the United Kingdom. One strategy for adapting to higher wages has been to enter into partnership with Amazon marketing, which is what the United Kingdom's Morrisons Supermarket did in February of 2016. HelloLife.net in the U.S. also entered into an adaptive Amazon partnership in homeopathic health supplements in 2016.

One strategy used by grocery stores adapting to trends in e-commerce retail in the United Kingdom is the introduction of "smaller, food-based outlets to meet the needs of commuters, such as in train and petrol stations." One strategy used by clothiers adapting to trends in retail is to scale back in new store openings, as Uniqlo of Japan has done in its U.S. market; with 44 U.S. stores by October 2015, it scaled back its plan for an additional 15 stores per year to only 5 additional stores per year.

Despite Watergate, did Richard Nixon's presidency start the Republican ascendency of the following period? Why and how did this happen?

Despite Watergate, Nixon established the Republican ascendancy that followed him. Nixon claimed to represent what he called the "Silent Majority," by which he meant the conservative white Americans who had not benefited from the liberal policies of Kennedy and Johnson. By the time of Nixon's election in 1968, many white Americans felt left out and disregarded by the federal government. They felt that policies such as Johnson's War on Poverty were not aimed at helping...

Despite Watergate, Nixon established the Republican ascendancy that followed him. Nixon claimed to represent what he called the "Silent Majority," by which he meant the conservative white Americans who had not benefited from the liberal policies of Kennedy and Johnson. By the time of Nixon's election in 1968, many white Americans felt left out and disregarded by the federal government. They felt that policies such as Johnson's War on Poverty were not aimed at helping them, and they also resented federal regulations and were eager to see them repealed or rolled back. In addition, growing inflation and the sense that Vietnam was going to be a lost cause made them eager for a stronger America, militarily and economically.

Although Carter, a Democrat, won the election in 1976, Republicans after Nixon, including Reagan and the Bushes, won office using many of Nixon's strategies and building on his appeal to the white voters who felt that the federal government had abandoned them and had jettisoned the idea of a strong America. For example, Reagan's 1984 promise that "it's morning in America again" was designed to restore American voters' faith that the U.S. could be an economic and military powerhouse, as it had been in years past. Nixon and his Republican successors established the idea that Democrats were associated with international and economic weakness, while Republicans could bolster the economy and the American military. 

In "Odalie Misses Mass," by Kate Chopin, what does the author say about the Southern region? Is she being sentimental, ironic, or muckraking?

Given the three choices, I would argue that Kate Chopin is being sentimental about the Southern region in this story.

Now, we'll examine the reasons why. First, Chopin excelled in short fiction in the tradition of Guy de Maupassant. She focused on character rather than plot, and her works were imbued with the kind of psychological realism that shocked the readers of her time. Additionally, her seemingly amoral stance on social issues and innovative distillation of the Southern female experience characterized many of her stories. Odalie Misses Mass represents one such story in her radical pantheon of works. 

In the story, Odalie misses church in order to sit with Aunt Pinky, a senile, elderly black woman. The young Odalie is only thirteen years old. Like many girls her age, she revels in dressing up and looking her best on special days. Yet, despite her desire to show off her finery at church, Odalie decides to keep Aunt Pinky company when she realizes that everyone else has deserted her old friend. 

Now, in many respects, Odalie is the typical Southern young lady. Her locus of influence encompasses the domestic sphere, and her character represents all that is revered in Southern femininity. In the story, Odalie speaks in the Creole dialect of her region, and her sincerity is both endearing as well as disarming. Despite charges of racism, Chopin didn't try to hide what Odalie and Aunt Pinky would have sounded like in real life. When Aunt Pinky reminisces about vaguely unsettling experiences from the past, Odalie takes on the mantle of a fictitious personality. She becomes "Paulette," someone "who seemed to have held her place in old Pinky's heart and imagination through all the years of her suffering life."

Odalie's behavior is typical of many of Chopin's heroines, who often sacrifice their own comfort for the happiness of others. In Chopin's South, the completely feminine woman is faithful and self-sacrificing. Odalie's attitudes contrast with that of Edna Pontellier, Chopin's revolutionary heroine from The Great Awakening. Through Edna, Chopin highlights the dilemma of a woman torn between her sensual nature and her domestic role. Chopin's Edna was a radical departure from the traditional Southern heroine. While The Great Awakening gave us an unflinchingly honest insight into the feminine psyche, Odalie Misses Mass firmly remains within the realms of Southern conventionality.

Odalie's relationship with Aunt Pinky is a sentimental portrayal of Southern unity. In the story, Chopin highlights a unique fellowship untarnished by generational conflict and feminine friction. She also explores the possibility of camaraderie between the races. Odalie Misses Mass may be sentimental in nature, but it is also radical in its implications.

Sources:

1) The Southern Woman in the Fiction of Kate Chopin by Marie Fletcher, Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Spring, 1966), pp. 117-132.

2) Unveiling Kate Chopin by Emily Toth.

What might cause the change in demand for an iPod?

It's important to be precise with questions like these, because subtle changes in wording and context can change the answer.

Demand can mean the number of iPods that consumers will buy. In that case, raising the price will decrease demand, and vice versa. This is common sense: the more expensive something is, the less likely people are to shell out the money for it.

However, microeconomics and business textbooks frequently use Demand as shorthand for...

It's important to be precise with questions like these, because subtle changes in wording and context can change the answer.

Demand can mean the number of iPods that consumers will buy. In that case, raising the price will decrease demand, and vice versa. This is common sense: the more expensive something is, the less likely people are to shell out the money for it.

However, microeconomics and business textbooks frequently use Demand as shorthand for the Demand Curve. The Demand Curve is a function that correlates the possible prices of a product with the number of buyers at any given price. Under this paradigm, a change in supply or price does not constitute a change in demand; it simply moves the current market to a different point on the same curve. That is to say, if you increase an iPod from $300 to $400, fewer will sell, but the number who would have bought at $300 is unchanged. Those people still count as "demand" for the iPod, since they do still want an iPod, just not at its current price.

To change a Demand Curve, we can answer with almost anything that makes the iPod more or less desirable regardless of price. New features, brand recognition, or improved warranties could all increase collective desire for an iPod; high-class competitors, poor reviews, lack of reliability, or an ugly redesign could all decrease that desire. In fact, there are more valid answers that invalid ones. The only catch is that we cannot answer with "how much it costs."

Proof from the book that Jack Ryan learns to lead, do what is necessary and use whatever power is at his disposal.

The book contains several examples of Ryan leading, taking charge of a situation, and using whatever force is necessary to solve the problem.  I believe the best example of this occurs fairly late in the book.  Ryan is already aboard the Red October, and the crew has gotten off of the submarine.  Ryan, Ramius, and a few others are left aboard to bring the secret submarine into the United States.  Ryan hears a gunshot...

The book contains several examples of Ryan leading, taking charge of a situation, and using whatever force is necessary to solve the problem.  I believe the best example of this occurs fairly late in the book.  Ryan is already aboard the Red October, and the crew has gotten off of the submarine.  Ryan, Ramius, and a few others are left aboard to bring the secret submarine into the United States.  Ryan hears a gunshot from somewhere in the submarine.  Ryan announces that he is going to go check it out, and Ramius orders him to stay put. 

Ryan stood up. "That may be, Captain, but I know a shot when I hear it." He unbuttoned his jacket and pulled out the pistol.

[...]

"I'm going forward to check."

"You will stay at your post!" Ramius ordered. "You will do as I say!"

"Captain, I just heard something that sounded like gunshots, and I am going forward to check it out. Have you ever been shot at? I have. I have the scars on my shoulder to prove it. You'd better take the wheel, sir."

As the text continues, readers get to see that Ryan is not thrilled about hunting down an armed combatant on an unfamiliar submarine loaded with nuclear weapons. 

"Why me?" he whispered to himself. He'd have to get past thirteen missile tubes to get to the source of that light, cross over two hundred feet of open deck.

Despite his natural inclination to avoid a violent conflict, Ryan leads Ramius toward the threat.  The threat is a GRU intelligence officer named Igor Loginov.  He has been masquerading as Red October's cook, and he is attempting to destroy the vessel.  With no choice but to use deadly force, Ryan shoots and kills Loginov.  

It occurred to Ryan to pray briefly—but for what? For help in killing another man?

[...]

The man was turning as Ryan jerked off six shots. Ryan didn't hear himself screaming. Two rounds connected. The agent was lifted off the deck and twisted halfway around from the impact.

What do the boys want Braithwaite to do in To Sir, with Love?

The boys want Mr. Braithwaite to box Denham and answer the boy's challenge.

Described as a "husky blasé" student, Denham is insolent and defiant. He is "watchfully hostile" to his teacher, and makes snide remarks whenever he can. One day Braithwaite notices that Denham and his friend Sapiano are snickering at something which Denham hides inside his half-open desk. When Braithwaite pulls open the desk, he discovers that Denham has a pornographic magazine with an enlarged picture of a scantily clothed woman. When his teacher takes this photograph from him, Denham smiles insolently at him, having intended that Braithwaite discover it. After tearing up the picture and starting back to the front of the room, Braithwaite hears Denham's racial insult, and he realizes that something will happen soon.

On Thursday of the week in which Denham's picture was taken from him, there is an air of expectancy and excitement in the classroom, and at recess students stand in small clusters and whisper. Then, in the afternoon physical education class, Braithwaite notices that Sapiano has his arm bandaged. When he asks the class to line up, Denham, who is interested in boxing and is in great shape, requests that they have boxing first this day. Agreeing to do this, Mr. Braithwaite instructs the boys to arrange themselves in pairs according to their sizes. Soon, Denham points out that his sparring partner Sapiano is hurt this day, and he asks if he can box with his teacher. 

"Go on, sir, take him on," the students encourage their teacher.
"No, Denham, I think you'll have to skip it for today." (Ch. 11)

Then, Denham takes off his gloves and he drops them by Braithwaite, who can read the disappointment in his students' faces, as well as their disgust because they believe he is afraid. Braithwaite changes his mind, saying, "Okay. Let's go." When they box, Braithwaite tries mainly to dodge the jabs of Denham, who is a good boxer. "Come on, Sir, go after him," Patrick Fernham calls out. Suddenly, Denham punches his teacher hard in the face; the blood he has drawn and the encouraging shouts to "Go after him" from students incite Braithwaite and he punches Denham solidly in the solar plexus. When this blow doubles the boy over and he collapses on the floor, the other students react as though their teacher has "suddenly grown up before their eyes."

Ordering everyone else to line up for vaulting, Braithwaite takes Denham to sit against a wall. After class he tells the boy that he simply landed "a lucky punch," and he suggests that Denham soak his head in some cool water.

This incident marked a turning point in my relationship with the class. Gradually, Denham's attitude changed, and...that of his cronies....now [Denham's comments] were more acceptable to all of us, for they were no longer made in a spirit of rebellion and viciousness. (Ch. 11)

This incident is, indeed, a turning point as Braithwaite receives the students' obedience and respect from then on. Denham still makes some derogatory comments, but the venom and bitter sarcasm is no longer in his words.

What are some similarities and differences of a haiku and a free verse?I need at least 3 points for each.

The main differences between the forms known as haiku and free verse are as follows:

1. Haiku is classified in the "traditional" category (as opposed to the "organic" category).

2. Haiku has a fixed pattern to it (the five-seven-five pattern of syllables in its three lines), whereas a free verse poem is not restricted to any specific structural pattern.

3. Haiku in its original historical usage typically contained a juxtaposition of two dissimilar images, as...

The main differences between the forms known as haiku and free verse are as follows:

1. Haiku is classified in the "traditional" category (as opposed to the "organic" category).

2. Haiku has a fixed pattern to it (the five-seven-five pattern of syllables in its three lines), whereas a free verse poem is not restricted to any specific structural pattern.

3. Haiku in its original historical usage typically contained a juxtaposition of two dissimilar images, as well as a word or phrase making a seasonal reference, whereas a free verse poem is not restricted in its imagery and language usage.

Because free verse poetry does not follow established structural rules as traditional forms do, there is a lot of flexibility in looking for ways a free verse poem and haiku could be similar to one another in some cases. For example:

1. A free verse poem might be written about nature or seasons, etc. like haiku traditionally has been (but again, it may not).

2. A free verse poem and a haiku may both lack any rhyme scheme or pattern of rhythm.

3. Free verse poetry and haiku both have pre-modern, non-English origins in their respective cultural backgrounds. Haiku finds its origins in 17th century Japanese poetry, and free verse is a derivative of 19th century French poets' work with language that mimics natural speech patterns. In both cases, modern versions of the two forms have evolved somewhat from their original restrictions of subject and style.

What is the name of Effia's village?

Homegoingis truly a fascinating book. It was quite difficult to find the information you were searching for, and what I have discovered is that the village itself is not named. It is mentioned that Effia was born in Fanteland but that the region was divided among the larger Fante clans. It is possible that the tribe itself did not name its village and instead identified it through other means (such as who was the...

Homegoing is truly a fascinating book. It was quite difficult to find the information you were searching for, and what I have discovered is that the village itself is not named. It is mentioned that Effia was born in Fanteland but that the region was divided among the larger Fante clans. It is possible that the tribe itself did not name its village and instead identified it through other means (such as who was the chief at the time). Effia and the characters around her always seem to refer to the place as just "the village," including her son Quey when he goes there as an adult.  

In short, Fanteland is the closest answer that you may be able to get. I hope this is sufficient!

Consider depictions of the human body during the Middle Ages (476 AD -1350 AD). Discuss a reason how and why they are so different from the...

During the Middle Ages (476 AD-1350 AD), the focus on Christianity changed the way in which the human body was depicted. In contrast with the Greco-Roman period, which had many nudes, this period of art produced very few nudes. Religious figures (except for Adam and Eve) during the Middle Ages were rarely shown nude, and other exhibitions of nudity that were common during the period of paganism (such as nude bathing or nude athletics), were...

During the Middle Ages (476 AD-1350 AD), the focus on Christianity changed the way in which the human body was depicted. In contrast with the Greco-Roman period, which had many nudes, this period of art produced very few nudes. Religious figures (except for Adam and Eve) during the Middle Ages were rarely shown nude, and other exhibitions of nudity that were common during the period of paganism (such as nude bathing or nude athletics), were not in favor.

A piece of art that shows this transition is the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassius, completed in Late Antiquity in 359 AD. This sarcophagus shows nudity as something about which to be embarrassed, as Adam and Eve are depicted as trying to shield or cover up their naked bodies. Art in the Middle Ages often featured religious figures; an example is the stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral constructed around 1200, which feature religious figures in stories from the Bible. The human body in this era is simplified and even a little grotesque, as the artists showed little interest in the human form and instead concentrated on the spiritual. 

Give two possible themes for "Battle Royal." Give examples from the story to support your answer.

"Battle Royal" is chapter one of Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man.  Many of the themes that run throughout the book are present in chapter one.  The two themes that I will discuss from this chapter are oppression and sexual objectification. 

Let's look at oppression in "Battle Royal" first.  What I find interesting about this chapter is that the events of the chapter not only show that the narrator is oppressed because of his skin color, but the chapter also shows that women are oppressed.   

The narrator is asked to give a speech at a gathering of the town's leading white citizens, and the narrator is both proud and excited for the opportunity.  Unfortunately, the narrator is forced to take part in the evening's "entertainment."

Everyone praised me and I was invited to give the speech at a gathering of the town's leading white citizens. It was a triumph for the whole community.

It was in the main ballroom of the leading hotel. When I got there I discovered that it was on the occasion of a smoker, and I was told that since I was to be there anyway I might as well take part in the battle royal to be fought by some of my schoolmates as part of the entertainment.

The entertainment is the "battle royal."  It is not entertainment, but instead intentional humiliation and oppression of both black boys and white women.  The black boys are forced to fight each other while blindfolded.  The white men then shout racial slurs and obscenities at the boys to encourage them to fight harder. 

"Let me at those black sonsabitches!" someone yelled.

"No, Jackson, no!" another voice yelled. "Here, somebody, help me hold Jack."

"I want to get at that ginger-colored nigger. Tear him limb from limb," the first voice yelled. 

After the fighting is over, the boys are then suckered into diving down for coins on an electrified rug.

I heard, "These niggers look like they're about to pray!"

Then, "Ready", the man said. "Go!"

I lunged for a yellow coin lying on the blue design of the carpet, touching it and sending a surprised shriek to join those around me. I tried frantically to remove my hand but could not let go. A hot, violent force tore through my body, shaking me like a wet rat. The rug was electrified. . . . The men roared above us as we struggled.  

The narrator is forced to do these awful things simply because he is black.  He learns that the white men do not view him as a fellow, "equal" man.  

"You sure that about 'equality' was a mistake?"

Whether they do not view him as a man at all or simply not an equal man is debatable; however, it ultimately doesn't matter to the narrator.  He realizes that the men do not see him as a man.  That's why the first paragraph tells readers that the narrator had to learn about his invisibility.  

But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man!

Women are also oppressed and abused in this chapter.  Before the boys are forced to fight each other, they are forced to watch a naked white woman dance in front of them.  The boys are ordered to watch her dance, and the men enjoy watching the woman and the discomfort of the young boys.  The sequence is incredibly demeaning to the woman because she is being forced to present herself as a sexual object to the boys.  What makes it worse, is that the white men view her this way too.  That is made clear when some of the white men can't control themselves anymore and begin groping her.  Some of the men eventually grab her and throw her on the ground.  

Chairs went crashing, drinks were spilt, as they ran laughing and howling after her. They caught her just as she reached a door, raised her from the floor, and tossed her as college boys are tossed at a hazing, and above her red, fixed-smiling lips I saw the terror and disgust in her eyes, almost like my own terror and that which I saw in some of the other boys. As I watched, they tossed her twice and her soft breasts seemed to flatten against the air and her legs flung wildly as she spun. Some of the more sober ones helped her to escape.  

The woman is oppressed in two ways.  She is oppressed for being a woman, and she is oppressed further because she is only valued as a sexual object.  That's an incredibly demeaning and dehumanizing way of looking at a woman.  Because she is an object, she is just as powerless as the boys. Simple grammar teaches that subjects act and do, and objects are acted upon by the subject.  The narrator describes this concept to readers when he describes what he would like to do to the naked woman. 

I wanted at one and the same time to run from the room, to sink through the floor, or go to her and cover her from my eyes and the eyes of the others with my body; to feel the soft thighs, to caress her and destroy her, to love her and to murder her, to hide from her, and yet to stroke where below the small American flag tattooed upon her belly her thighs formed a capital V. 

The woman is something that the narrator wants to possess.  In this regard, he isn't any different than the lecherous men that attempt to grope and subdue the woman.  By the end of the chapter, a reader has been given a very vivid picture of what sexual objectification and various types of oppression look like.  

How do Valentine and Peter resolve the issue of their disagreement about the politics on Earth?

I am going to assume that the question is asking about events that occur during chapter 9 of Ender's Game.  Near the start of the chapter, Peter approaches Valentine about the state of the world.  He sees a great world war coming.  He's afraid that mankind is on the verge of destroying itself, and he wants to stop it:

"Do you understand? I want to save mankind from self-destruction."

She had never seen him speak with such sincerity. With no hint of mockery, no trace of a lie in his voice. He was getting better at this. Or maybe he was actually touching on the truth.

"So a twelve-year-old boy and his kid sister are going to save the world?" 

Of course Valentine is very skeptical.  She believes that her brother is smart enough and power-hungry enough to make a power play of his own; therefore, she is not immediately willing to help her brother out.  

After some more talking, Peter eventually convinces Valentine to help; however, she still doesn't think they can have any impact on the world: 

"Val, if you don't help me, l don't know what I'll become. But if you're there, my partner in everything, you can keep me from becoming––like that. Like the bad ones."

She nodded. You are only pretending to share power with me, she thought, but in fact I have power over you, even though you don't know it. "I will. I'll help you."

The main reason that Valentine is skeptical is because of their relative ages.  They are kids, and she knows that the world won't listen to a pair of kids:

"Peter, you're twelve years old. I'm ten. They have a word for people our age. They call us children and they treat us like mice."

"But we don't think like other children, do we, Val? We don't talk like other children. And above all, we don't write like other children."

Peter's solution to the age problem is anonymity.  The Internet gives them a way to hide their identity and age.  They can write inflammatory and logical pieces that push and pull public opinion in the desired direction.  Peter and Valentine also agree to write from two different perspectives.  Peter will be Locke and write the more rational and empathetic pieces, and Valentine will be Demosthenes and write more hostile and paranoid pieces.  Basically, they are writing the opposite of their own personality.  This forces Peter and Valentine to be inextricably tied to each other.  They can't write their piece without seeking out the advice of the other person:

Demosthenes began to develop as a fairly paranoid anti-Warsaw writer. It bothered her because Peter was the one who knew how to exploit fear in his writing -- she had to keep coming to him for ideas on how to do it. Meanwhile, his Locke followed her moderate, empathic strategies. It made sense, in a way. By having her write Demosthenes, it meant he also had some empathy, just as Locke also could play on others fears. But the main effect was to keep her inextricably tied to Peter. She couldn't go off and use Demosthenes for her own purposes. She wouldn't know how to use him. Still, it worked both ways. He couldn't write Locke without her. 

How did Sojourner Truth defy the gender norms of her time period throughout The Narrative of Sojourner Truth?

Sojourner Truth, born in 1797 by the name of Isabella Baumfree, was a slave until she escaped in 1826. She eventually became a traveling minister. She also joined the abolitionist movement and began to speak about the evils of slavery. It was uncommon for women to be public speakers during the 1800s. Most women tended to stay at home and take care of responsibilities around the house.

Sojourner Truth also purchased a home in 1850....

Sojourner Truth, born in 1797 by the name of Isabella Baumfree, was a slave until she escaped in 1826. She eventually became a traveling minister. She also joined the abolitionist movement and began to speak about the evils of slavery. It was uncommon for women to be public speakers during the 1800s. Most women tended to stay at home and take care of responsibilities around the house.

Sojourner Truth also purchased a home in 1850. She continued to travel and promote various social causes. Sojourner Truth had her memoirs published in 1850 under the title of The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave. During the Civil War, she supported the Union and worked with slaves who had been freed. She also met President Lincoln.

Sojourner Truth’s various activities were not normal activities for women during the 1800s.

Caesar made a big mistake by disregarding Calpurnia's dream. State your comments.

Calpurnia's dreams, which are described in Plutarch's "Life of Caesar," were probably the only valid warnings Caesar ever received. The other supernatural phenomena and omens, including the findings of the augurers, were interpreted by superstition and probably had no meaning at all; dreams often give us warnings we fail to heed. What is most interesting about Calpurnia's dream, both as history in Plutarch and as drama in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is the way in which...

Calpurnia's dreams, which are described in Plutarch's "Life of Caesar," were probably the only valid warnings Caesar ever received. The other supernatural phenomena and omens, including the findings of the augurers, were interpreted by superstition and probably had no meaning at all; dreams often give us warnings we fail to heed. What is most interesting about Calpurnia's dream, both as history in Plutarch and as drama in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, is the way in which it shows how the unconscious mind can receive and process information which eludes the conscious mind.

Psychologists have known for many years that there is such a thing as unconscious learning. Calpurnia undoubtedly sensed there was something suspicious about the ways in which many of Caesar's friends and followers were behaving. A number of these men concealed their knowledge of the fate they had in store for Caesar. Calpurnia could have intuitively picked up clues from men's glances, false smiles, body language, and tones of voice which were so subtle she was not even conscious of perceiving them but which her unconscious mind remembered and translated into explicit dreams to sound a warning. No doubt the ancients, including Plutarch, would have viewed these dreams as messages from the gods, but Sigmund Freud, in The Interpretation of Dreams (1900), argued that dreams originate in the depths of the human mind.

Caesar himself is strongly impressed by his wife's vivid dream. In Act II, Scene 2, he tells Decius,

Calpurnia here, my wife, stays me at home;
She dreamt tonight she saw my statue,
Which like a fountain with an hundred spouts,
Did run pure blood, and many lusty Romans
Came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.

It is uncanny how closely Calpurnia's dream is fulfilled in reality when Brutus urges the assassins to cover their hands with Caesar's blood.

What are Curtis' motivations?

Paul Fleischman's novel Seedfolks is set up as a series of vignettes which tell the stories of thirteen individuals. All of the individuals in this novel are connected by a community garden that is started by a young Vietnamese girl who wants to connect with her father. Kim's father died eight months before she was born. She hopes that by planting beans in a vacant lot, her father will see and know that she is...

Paul Fleischman's novel Seedfolks is set up as a series of vignettes which tell the stories of thirteen individuals. All of the individuals in this novel are connected by a community garden that is started by a young Vietnamese girl who wants to connect with her father. Kim's father died eight months before she was born. She hopes that by planting beans in a vacant lot, her father will see and know that she is his daughter.

This simple act by the young girl inspires a neighborhood to plant various things for various reasons in the vacant lot. Curtis is the seventh character readers meet after Kim. His motivation for planting in the garden is his ex-girlfriend, Lateesha. He plants tomatoes in the vacant lot because he knows how much she likes tomatoes. Curtis is a self-described buff young black man who gets a lot of attention from the ladies. Lateesha was a few years older than he was, and she wanted to get serious. He wasn't ready for that and ended up cheating on Lateesha. She broke up with him after finding out. Here is what Curtis says about his motivation to plant the tomatoes: 

You don't know what you got till it's gone. All that was five years ago. I've caught up with her now. Done fooling around. She was looking for a husband, and now I'm looking for a wife. But when I came up to her on the street, she turned her back. Wouldn't let me explain. Twice it happened. No chance for words. So I decided to give her some deeds instead.

Curtis finds beefsteak tomatoes because he remembers Lateesha really loved them. He labels his tomatoes with a sign that says, "Lateesha's tomatoes."

What is an example of man versus nature in Night by Elie Wiesel?

At the end of chapter 5, the Jewish prisoners are forced to evacuate the Buna camp because the Russian Army is quickly advancing toward their position. After the Jewish prisoners clean their block, they form organized lines and begin marching out of the camp in the middle of the night while SS officers order them to increase their pace. The man versus nature conflict in this scenario is the harsh winter winds and heavy snowfall,...

At the end of chapter 5, the Jewish prisoners are forced to evacuate the Buna camp because the Russian Army is quickly advancing toward their position. After the Jewish prisoners clean their block, they form organized lines and begin marching out of the camp in the middle of the night while SS officers order them to increase their pace. The man versus nature conflict in this scenario is the harsh winter winds and heavy snowfall, which pose an extraordinary challenge to the unhealthy Jewish prisoners. The Jewish prisoners suffer from the frozen terrain as they march like automatons in the thick snow. The prisoners are barely clothed, and the freezing conditions take a toll on their emaciated bodies. Elie recalls how his feet go numb during the arduous trek and mentions that the snow feels soft enough to sleep on. When the prisoners finally arrive at a destroyed brick factory, Elie lays down in the snow, and his father warns him not to fall asleep. Elie and his father struggle to stay awake as they walk over the corpses of people who died of hypothermia. Overall, the harsh winter environment presents a difficult challenge to the emaciated Jewish prisoners.

What are the themes in the story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson?

A couple of major themes of this story have to do with the subject of tradition. First, the story conveys that people do not like to go against tradition, even if they do not particularly care for the tradition itself. The narrator says that when Mr. Summers spoke to the town about making a new black box for use during the lottery, people responded poorly because "no one liked to upset even as much tradition...

A couple of major themes of this story have to do with the subject of tradition. First, the story conveys that people do not like to go against tradition, even if they do not particularly care for the tradition itself. The narrator says that when Mr. Summers spoke to the town about making a new black box for use during the lottery, people responded poorly because "no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box." Despite the fact that it's literally just a painted wooden box, and a box that has splintered and cracked and faded over the years, people are resistant to replacing it because it's the only box they really remember ever using. This notion seems pretty ridiculous: they are so stuck in their ways that they cannot see the value in replacing a "shabby" wooden box.

Second, the story conveys the theme that traditions should continually be evaluated for their cultural relevance and humanity. Clearly, this tradition of choosing one person to stone every month is inhumane and does nothing to better the community. There's talk, we learn, of another town over discontinuing their lottery, and so we know that such a reevaluation can take place. We surmise by the cruel way Tessie Hutchinson is stoned to death by her friends and family that such a reevaluation would be positive and right.

I'm doing a report on "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. I have to have clues that state why the narrator might be dreaming the whole story or that he...

As many of Poe's narrators are often unreliable, "The Raven" is no exception. In first-person point of view, the narrator explains events that are difficult for a rational person to fathom; however, Poe's characters are rarely rational. In fact, it's arguable that the narrator is dreaming.

In the first stanza, the narrator admits that he was dozing: "While I nodded, nearly napping..." (line 4). He goes on to explain that it was a dreary evening, filled with...

As many of Poe's narrators are often unreliable, "The Raven" is no exception. In first-person point of view, the narrator explains events that are difficult for a rational person to fathom; however, Poe's characters are rarely rational. In fact, it's arguable that the narrator is dreaming.

In the first stanza, the narrator admits that he was dozing: "While I nodded, nearly napping..." (line 4). He goes on to explain that it was a dreary evening, filled with shadows and sadness, and he was trying to get some relief from the sorrow he's suffered since his wife's death, "sorrow for the lost Lenore," (Stanza 2, line 10). Again, as his soul grows stronger, he admits to his "visitor" that he had been (and possibly still is) asleep: "But the fact is I was napping," (Stanza 4, line 3).

The description of the rustling curtain, the "fantastic terrors never felt before" and the rapid beating of the heart all seem dreamlike (Stanza 3, lines 1-3). The narrator describes himself as repetitively trying to convince himself that the noises he hears are that of a "late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-- This is it and nothing more," (Stanza 3, lines 4-6).

Furthermore, the raven's ability to speak is unlikely in a waking world, yet makes perfect sense in a dream. "Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly..." (Stanza 10, line 1). The conversation continues and further inflames the narrator's unease with the news the raven has brought. The last stanza is perhaps the most successful in convincing the reader that the narrator is dreaming because the raven is described to be unmoving, with eyes "of a demon's that is dreaming," (Stanza 19, line 3). Lastly, the narrator describes his own soul as a "shadow that lies floating on the floor," (Stanza 19, line 5), which illustrates a dreamlike feeling.

In “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold, what does the speaker mean when he says that the “Sea of Faith” is retreating?

The speaker means that he is always painfully aware of the gradual diminution of religious faith throughout the Western world. He uses the retreating waves at Dover Beach as an extended metaphor, or symbol, of that withdrawal. The image is appropriate because the waters he is looking at are retreating with the tide. Like the tide, the retreat of religious faith is vast and unstoppable. Arnold is obviously disturbed by society's loss of religious faith...

The speaker means that he is always painfully aware of the gradual diminution of religious faith throughout the Western world. He uses the retreating waves at Dover Beach as an extended metaphor, or symbol, of that withdrawal. The image is appropriate because the waters he is looking at are retreating with the tide. Like the tide, the retreat of religious faith is vast and unstoppable. Arnold is obviously disturbed by society's loss of religious faith because he dreads the consequences. He is implying that everything in human civilization depends on religious belief, so human civilization is in serious danger. If people believe in God and believe that God has established laws to regulate human behavior, then if they stop believing in God in alarming numbers, they could be headed down a slippery slope.

The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. 
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world. 

What does "The Rape of the Lock" reveal about the 17th century?

"The Rape of the Lock" was actually written in the 18th century (in March of 1714, to be more specific) by Alexander Pope. In the form of a mock heroic epic, this poem dramatizes a minor theft within an aristocratic family: the Baron, who lusts after Belinda cuts off a lock of the woman's hair without her consent, creating an enormous melodrama. This crime gets escalated to the status of the gods, with comparisons of...

"The Rape of the Lock" was actually written in the 18th century (in March of 1714, to be more specific) by Alexander Pope. In the form of a mock heroic epic, this poem dramatizes a minor theft within an aristocratic family: the Baron, who lusts after Belinda cuts off a lock of the woman's hair without her consent, creating an enormous melodrama. This crime gets escalated to the status of the gods, with comparisons of the theft being made to the kidnapping of Helen of Troy and the other silly events of the day (a card game, Belinda waking up in the morning, coffee drinking) all being described in theatrically and mythologically large ways. 

So while Pope riffed off of 17th century literature (namely, taking his parodied "sylphs" from Nicolas-Pierre-Henri de Montfaucon de Villars' novel Comte de Gabalis), he was actually providing commentary about the 18th century and the shallowness and wastefulness of the newly formed English aristocratic class. By depicting the protagonists' vanity with such grossly overblown attention to detail, Pope makes it clear that he is criticizing the rich, their obsession with triviality, and their ignorance of the world outside their carefully curated and sheltered lives.

Pope points out that many of the relationships and interactions that occur within this realm of wealth are merely formalities or matters of convenience--the result of superficiality. The events of the poem were actually based on a real-life incident in which a certain Lord Petre, an acquaintance of Pope, cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor's hair, creating a huge rift between their respective families. The penning of the poem was meant to create a sense of reconciliation between the two, but ending up becoming one of the best known examples of satirical verse from this time period. 

What changes in Jerry does his mother perceive during their beach vacation in "Through the Tunnel"?

In "Through the Tunnel," Jerry's mother perceives that Jerry wants to become more independent, be more proficient at swimming like the older boys, and attain his rite of passage.

When Jerry and his mother come to the usual beach for the vacationers on their first day of vacation, she notices Jerry look toward a rocky bay and then back at the beach on which they have sat on previous vacations. She asks him if he would rather go somewhere else, but Jerry runs after his mother as though out of contrition for his desires.

And yet, as he ran, he looked back over his shoulder at the wild bay; and all morning, as he played on the safe beach, he was thinking of it. 

On the second day, Jerry's mother asks him again if he would rather go somewhere else. Jerry tells her he would like to have a look at the rocks over at the rather wild-looking bay. After some hesitation, his mother tells him,

Of course, Jerry. When you’ve had enough, come to the big beach. Or just go straight back to the villa, if you like.

Happy she gave him her approval, Jerry hurries to the wild beach and runs into the water. Initially, he feels lonely and looks back at his mother. Soon, however, Jerry ventures out to where some older boys were on some wild-looking rocks. They dive from a point into the sea that forms a pool among the rocks; then they emerge and swim around, pull themselves out, and wait to dive again in turn. Fascinated, Jerry watches. He then swims up to the rock and takes his place to dive, proud he can perform as well as the others.

When the boys dive down under the water and re-appear some distance away, Jerry realizes they must be passing through something under the water. He submerges himself, but cannot see exactly where they swim. He calls out, but the other boys gather their things and depart. Alone now, Jerry returns to the villa where he and his mother are staying. He goes to his mother and demands some swim goggles. As soon as his mother buys him goggles, Jerry runs off to the bay with them in his hands.

Jerry puts on the goggles and immediately submerges himself in his effort to discover the opening in the rocks where the boys have passed. After some time, Jerry discovers the hole of the tunnel through which the others have swum.

He knew he must find his way through that cave, or hole, or tunnel, and out the other side.

Jerry returns to the villa as he realizes he must learn to hold his breath for some time. Also, he must be able to propel himself through this tunnel as a rite of passage to adulthood. He practices holding his breath for hours. He looks at the clock one day after holding his breath and realizes he has held it for over two minutes.

When his mother announces that in another four days they will return home, Jerry decides to attempt his swim through the tunnel. After he submerges himself, he dives inside the hole in the rock. He swims for a while, then worries he will not succeed.

He must go on into the blackness ahead, or he would drown. His head was swelling, his lungs cracking. . . he feebly clutched at rocks in the dark, pulling himself forward, leaving the brief space of sunlit water behind. He felt he was dying.  

Finally, Jerry sees light and swims out through the tunnel, his rite of passage complete. Although his goggles are filled with blood, Jerry is satisfied because he has done what the other boys have. He returns to the villa, where he tells his mother he can hold his breath for two or three minutes.

Is there more than one tone in Zusak's The Book Thief? Is it situational or character dependent?

First, the tone is the author's (or narrator's) attitude towards an individual subject or story. Zusak's The Book Thief revolves around World War II, so the tone is not a happy one for the most part, anyway. Next, the book is written from Death's perspective, whose voice automatically creates a dark and somber mood because he has a depressing job. Additionally, Death tells Liesel Meminger's story through witnessing her life and by using her journal as...

First, the tone is the author's (or narrator's) attitude towards an individual subject or story. Zusak's The Book Thief revolves around World War II, so the tone is not a happy one for the most part, anyway. Next, the book is written from Death's perspective, whose voice automatically creates a dark and somber mood because he has a depressing job. Additionally, Death tells Liesel Meminger's story through witnessing her life and by using her journal as a source. Therefore, there are technically two narrators/characters telling the story. So, this fact adds to the question of whether there are two or more types of tone in the story. For the most part, though, the story recites the tragic events that face Leisel Meminger during the war. Fortunately, she does experience some happy moments. One theme might be that even though the world is at war, one can find a moment of peace and happiness once in awhile. For example, when the Hubermanns have a snowball fight with Max in their house, the following is shared:

"For a few minutes, they all forgot. There was no more yelling or calling out, but they could not contain the small snatches of laughter. They were only humans, playing in the snow, in a house" (312). 

Overall, though, a story about the tragedies of war generally creates an attitude of sadness and despair towards human kind. So I'd say that the tone can and does change in the novel based on different events that the characters experience. Since the characters all face the destruction and horrors of war, there is not just one who can change the tone or mood of the story; therefore, the tone changes as an event or situation changes.

What hints are there about George and Lennie about their relationship?

The relationship between George and Lennie begins when they are both young and Lennie's aunt, Clara, dies. George promises her he will take care of Lennie, a man who is cognitively delayed. By taking care of Lennie, George essentially gives up his personal freedom as well as his job security; Lennie will prove to be problematic everywhere they go due to his uncontrollable fits, his use of extreme strength, and his imposing build. 

Still, their relationship is symbiotic; both men need something from one another the very things that sometimes come as obstacles in their relationship. For instance, from the start of the novel, we learn that George, a relatively small-sized man, is in control of the duo. George calls the shots, decides where and when they will stop for the night, and he scolds Lennie when the latter acts out his strange behaviors. In the first part of the story, we see how George calls out Lennie about the mouse that Lennie is carrying in his pocket, which he accidentally kills from petting it too hard. George consistently accuses Lennie of being slow, of ruining his (George's) life, and for getting them in trouble all the time; all of these accusations, however cruel, are also true. 

Still, they remain together. Why? Because Lennie's strength and size compensates for George's smaller, less impressive frame. On the other hand, Lennie depends almost entirely on George's wit and quick thinking because Lennie's own mental capacity is limited. As such, he is the body while George is the brains. Together, they form one whole person. This is where the symbiotic nature of the relationship is evident. 

Moreover, they also remain together because they have absolutely nobody else to rely on. They have no family, no other friends and, as such, they greatly benefit from being each other's protectors and supporters.

We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us [one another]. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us."

On top of it, they do share a dream together: the dream of living "off the fat of the land" and being able to enjoy the benefits of farming for themselves, rather than doing it for others. These variables keep the men together. All of this gives us hints that their relationship is best considered fraternal because they act as if they are brothers that watch out for one another (probably better than brothers do), and they are also interconnected at many other levels: for protection, for support, for friendship, for company, and to help one another keep the dream of the land alive. 

To what extent does writing connect with people and society? Provide at least 5 sources that examine the topic from different perspectives that...

Below are some sources that relate to how writing connects with people and society. I've provided three relevant sources, and you can use these sources (including the "References" section at the end of the first article) to find more relevant sources.

• "Writing and Reading Relationships: Constructive Tasks" by Judith A. Langer and Sheila Flihan. A chapter in Writing: Research/Theory/Practice, Roselmina Indrisano and James R. Squire, Eds., Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2000. This...

Below are some sources that relate to how writing connects with people and society. I've provided three relevant sources, and you can use these sources (including the "References" section at the end of the first article) to find more relevant sources.

• "Writing and Reading Relationships: Constructive Tasks" by Judith A. Langer and Sheila Flihan. A chapter in Writing: Research/Theory/Practice, Roselmina Indrisano and James R. Squire, Eds., Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2000. This source is about the relationship between writing and reading and the way in which both activities help people create meaning (part of Constructivist theory). The authors also examine reading and writing as "literacy events" and write that "the interactions surrounding text and the ways in which interactions between and among individuals, who they are, and why they are writing and reading influence meaning making." In other words, the authors look at the way in which people's social interactions affect how they read and write and make sense of what they read and write. This is a reliable source, as it cites numerous scholarly sources and calls on extensive research.


• 
  Writing in Society by Raymond Williams (Verso, 1983). In this book, the author examines the connection between writers such as Shakespeare and Dickens and the culture they came from. He looks at the interaction between history and culture and written works. Raymond Williams was a well-respected Professor of Drama at Cambridge University, and he wrote from a Marxist point of view. This is a reliable source that offers a Marxist point of view on the subject of literature and society.


• "Falling in Love through Writing" by Aaron-Ben Zeev, Ph.D. Psychology Today, December 11, 2011. This article examines romantic letter writing from a psychological point of view and explains how it connects people differently than other forms of communication (see the link below). This article is written by a credible psychologist who knows the subject he is writing about. 

Why won't Miss Maudie attend the trial?

In Chapter 16, the children ask Miss Maudie if she will be attending the trial of Tom Robinson. Miss Maudie tells the children that she thinks it is morbid to watch a man on trial for his life. She compares watching the trial of Tom Robinson to a Roman carnival. Miss Maudie is a moral character throughout the novel and is not interested in seeing a man on trial for his life. Witnessing a man...

In Chapter 16, the children ask Miss Maudie if she will be attending the trial of Tom Robinson. Miss Maudie tells the children that she thinks it is morbid to watch a man on trial for his life. She compares watching the trial of Tom Robinson to a Roman carnival. Miss Maudie is a moral character throughout the novel and is not interested in seeing a man on trial for his life. Witnessing a man stand on trial for his life is no different than Roman citizens watching gladiators fight to the death in the Colosseum. Supporting an event where a man can possibly die displays a lack of humanity on the audience's behalf. Miss Stephanie, the Maycomb gossip queen, pretends that she is going to the Jitney Jungle before casually confessing she is going to the courthouse. Miss Maudie jokingly tells Stephanie that she needs to be careful she is not served a subpoena to testify. Miss Maudie refuses to witness such a disgusting event and wants nothing to do with Tom Robinson's trial.

To what extent may the approaches advocated by Byram and Teaching English as an International Language be said to be different from more...

Traditionally, teaching a foreign language asks learners to learn the target language as if they were native speakers, and this process does not account for the learner's own culture and the way in which it affects the acquisition of another language. In addition, traditional foreign language learning treats target languages as a single language associated with a single culture and a single territory (for example, French is only connected with France). In contrast, Byram's model...

Traditionally, teaching a foreign language asks learners to learn the target language as if they were native speakers, and this process does not account for the learner's own culture and the way in which it affects the acquisition of another language. In addition, traditional foreign language learning treats target languages as a single language associated with a single culture and a single territory (for example, French is only connected with France). In contrast, Byram's model of "intercultural communicative competence" and the method of teaching English as International Language take into account the ability of the learner to interact with people who have multiple identities and complexities to create a shared understanding. 

Byram suggests there are many facets of international cultural competence, including the following:

• attitudes/affective ability to recognize the identities of others and have empathy and tolerance for others


• behavior: the capacity to be flexible in one's communications


• cognitive ability to understand cultures

Byram's approach asks learners to not only use cognitive means to learn a new language but also to learn behavioral and affective competencies. Byram's model, unlike more traditional models, asks learners to adopt a more flexible and critical relationship between language and culture and to develop greater intercultural competence that they can use in any new culture. In other words, what people use in learning English can be applied to their acquisition of other languages and their understanding of other cultures. 

Sources:

Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Lai, H-Y T. (2014). Learning English as an international language: EFL learners' perceptions of cultural knowledge acquisition in the English classroom. Asian Social Science; Vol. 10, No. 1. http://doi:10.5539/ass.v10n1p1

In Triangle by David von Drehle, why was Charley Rose hired to beat up Clara Lemlich?

In the book, we are told that Charley Rose was hired to beat up Clara Lemlich because of her activist work: she had been guilty of leading a worker's strike at a blouse-making factory in Manhattan.

Charley Rose was a burglar by trade, but he also worked when there was money to be made. In other words, he was not averse to working as a mercenary-for-hire whenever the occasion suited him. Meanwhile, Clara Lemlich was...

In the book, we are told that Charley Rose was hired to beat up Clara Lemlich because of her activist work: she had been guilty of leading a worker's strike at a blouse-making factory in Manhattan.

Charley Rose was a burglar by trade, but he also worked when there was money to be made. In other words, he was not averse to working as a mercenary-for-hire whenever the occasion suited him. Meanwhile, Clara Lemlich was an immigrant employee who worked at the blouse-making and shirtwaist factories of New York City. She often led demonstrations to agitate for better pay and working conditions for garment workers.

With a handful of other young women, Clara joined the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union in 1906 and subsequently set up Local 25 as a local chapter. Clara's Local 25 was largely ignored by the larger male workers' unions; many of the men viewed the female workers as competition, and they felt that the women were unreliable at best in the fight for workers' rights.

However, Clara was an indomitable young woman, despite standing less than five feet tall. She led demonstrations and was indefatigable in her efforts to agitate for better working conditions for all female garment workers. In the end, her activism made her unpopular among the factory owners. Charley Rose was hired to beat Clara up. He brought along with him William Lustig (an amateur boxer) and other shady characters from the New York underworld.

After the men were finished, Clara was left for dead with bruises and broken ribs. However, she survived and became both a socialist martyr and a catalyst for the growth of the workers' movement in New York City.

Based on “Communicative and Cultural Memory,” by Jan Assmann, what is cultural memory and how does it apply to literature? How does the...

Assmann distinguishes between two forms of communal memory, the shared memories of a group of people. Communicative memory goes back only about 80 years and is the group memory of events at least some living people can remember. For example, the bombing of Pearl Harbor is a communicative memory because a cohort of individuals still recalls it. The assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King and the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001 would also qualify as living communicative memories.

Cultural memories are also shared, communal memories, but they go back, according to Assmann, as far as myths of origins: they are collective stories, supported by art objects, dance, and ritual, that shape the identity of a group. Elites control how these memories are shared and framed. Therefore cultural memories reflect the beliefs of those in power.

Assmann cites religious elites that safeguard and form cultural memories, such as the Brahmins in Hinduism, a high-ranking caste, and the Jewish Kabbala, an elite group of Jewish scholars over the age of 40 who safeguard esoteric (secret) knowledge. More broadly, however, cultural memories are the narratives, including those dating back before any living person's birth, that tell a story about a culture. You might approach cultural memory in the United States through stories of the first Thanksgiving. You could look into retellings of this story and its reinforcement through an annual ritual feast that transmits a sanitized myth of origin that tells a story both benign and multicultural (the English and the "Indians" get along and help one other); this communicates a picture of the United States as a white, Protestant, English nation.

You might also look at how culture is transmitted through literature such as the biblical account of the Jewish escape from Egypt in the book Exodus, as well as its embodiment in other cultural forms, such as Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt. Cultural memories of the Holocaust reside in the works of Primo Levi and Victor Frankl, both camp survivors whose texts will continue to be influential past the 80-year mark for collective memory. Levi's Survival in Auschwitz is particularly interesting because he devotes a whole chapter to what we would now call cultural memory, describing how he, an Italian, regained a sense of humanity through reciting a canto from Dante's Inferno to another prisoner. Jane Austen's novels also function as artifacts of cultural memory because they are understood to transmit particularly English values. This led Kipling to valorize her as the emblem of civilization within the context of the barbarity of World War I in his short story "The Janeites" and has arguably led to her adoption as the face on the new British 10-pound note. 

Others who have done work on cultural memory include Susan Stewart and Pierre Nora.

What is the significance of minor characters in the transformation of Nora?

Drama criticism (in fact all literary criticism) divides characters into major and support characters.  In drama, the major character (Nora) is the one who undergoes changes; the minor or support characters (such as Nils Krogstad) are part of her mise-en-scene, part of her world of influences and consequences.  They change very little, because they merely serve the plot and development (an often-cited example is Horatio in Hamlet, who serves mainly as a devise for us to...

Drama criticism (in fact all literary criticism) divides characters into major and support characters.  In drama, the major character (Nora) is the one who undergoes changes; the minor or support characters (such as Nils Krogstad) are part of her mise-en-scene, part of her world of influences and consequences.  They change very little, because they merely serve the plot and development (an often-cited example is Horatio in Hamlet, who serves mainly as a devise for us to hear Hamlet's thoughts, through the dialogue between them).  Between major and minor characters are creations such as Torvald Helmer himself, who undergoes life changes as a result of Nora's new freedom.  The significance of the minor characters (Mrs. Linde, Dr. Rank) in Ibsen's A Doll's House is that they represent the status quo, in terms of the woman's subservient role in all of society; her "crime" of forgery pales in comparison with the moral injustice of her position in the world.

How did John Winthrop and the Puritans view their colony as a holy experiment?

From what I can see, it was William Penn who championed the idea of a "holy experiment." He envisioned a city (what is now modern Pennsylvania) that promised religious liberty and political freedom for all. As a Quaker, Penn was a pacifist, and he relished the idea of a peaceful colony that welcomed everyone. Meanwhile, John Winthrop promoted his "city upon a hill" concept. The phrase "city upon a hill" was first introduced by Winthrop...

From what I can see, it was William Penn who championed the idea of a "holy experiment." He envisioned a city (what is now modern Pennsylvania) that promised religious liberty and political freedom for all. As a Quaker, Penn was a pacifist, and he relished the idea of a peaceful colony that welcomed everyone. Meanwhile, John Winthrop promoted his "city upon a hill" concept. The phrase "city upon a hill" was first introduced by Winthrop in his sermon "A Model of Christian Charity."

It can be argued, of course, that John Winthrop and his Puritan colleagues did indeed approach their settlement in New England as a "holy experiment." To Winthrop and the Puritans, New England was the "city upon a hill." Winthrop stressed that the eyes of the world were upon the Puritans. If they failed to impress upon the world their faithfulness in obeying God's precepts, they would be made a "story and a byword through the world."

Essentially, Winthrop and the Puritans viewed the success or failure of their colony as a reflection of their faith. The settlement was a "holy experiment" in the sense that it would either reinforce the power of the Puritan faith or expose to the world its failures. To Winthrop and the Puritans, the success of the Massachusetts colony rested on the whims of human nature, which made the settling of the colony a very dangerous "experiment" indeed. 

How do I analyze an advertisement? I have to analyze, but I don't know which questions to ask. What I should look out for?

Firstly, there are different types of advertisements: print, radio and television commercials, and Internet ads, which may still be images or commercials similar to what one would see on television.

In the case of a radio advertisement, the focus is on the message:

• What does the announcer tell us about the product or service?


• What adjectives are used to describe it?


• What tone of voice does the announcer use? For example, you may have noticed...

Firstly, there are different types of advertisements: print, radio and television commercials, and Internet ads, which may still be images or commercials similar to what one would see on television.

In the case of a radio advertisement, the focus is on the message:

• What does the announcer tell us about the product or service?


• What adjectives are used to describe it?


• What tone of voice does the announcer use? For example, you may have noticed that announcers who are promoting retail sales tend to speak loudly and excitedly. Those who are selling an insurance service will speak more calmly and in a softer tone. 


• Is the speaker male or female? Why might the advertiser have chosen a male or female speaker for this particular product?


• What kind of music (if any) is playing in the background? What sound effects (if any) are used?

In the case of a print ad or still image, the focus is on the image and the brief message that accompanies it:

• What kind of font does the advertiser use? Why? What is the size of the font?


• How does the image draw attention to the quality of the product? For example, a recent Heinz ad creates a bottle of ketchup out of a tower of sliced tomatoes. The message below reads, "No one grows ketchup like Heinz." Heinz is clearly emphasizing the freshness of its product and its use of all-natural ingredients. It does not matter if this is true or not, it is what they want you to believe.


• Many print ads use models or celebrities. In these cases, think about why they may have chosen that particular person. To whom might they be marketing this product? How does this particular person appeal to that demographic?

In the case of a TV commercial or other moving image, the focus is on the narrative:

• Who are the characters in the commercial? You may have noticed that in commercials for household cleaning products, the main character—sometimes the only character—is a middle-aged woman, usually white, who is doing housework. Very often, advertisers reinforce our social prejudices.


• Once again, when a celebrity is used, why have they chosen this celebrity? On which aspect of the person's fame is the advertiser capitalizing?


• If there is music in the ad, what kind of music is it? Is it a famous song? Why might they have chosen this song?


• What is the slogan and how do they provide it to the viewer? Is it merely spoken or is it displayed?


• Who, if anyone, narrates the commercial? Is it a male or a female voice? What tone does the person use? What is the pace of his or her speech?


• Is this a commercial that emphasizes diversity? How might that relate to the promotion of this product?


• If the characters in the commercial are of a particular age group, race, or gender, why might the advertisers have cast in this way?

There are other things to explore, but this should help you get started.

Can you give an example of four prominent themes found in Capote's In Cold Blood?

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, features multiple strong themes throughout the narrative, some subtle while others are overt. These themes include life in rural America, the American dream, violence, and trust.

Life in Rural America

In Cold Bloodis a non-fiction novel that takes place in communities all across America. The main character, Perry, travels with his family from Texas to Oregon and later to Florida, Texas and Nevada as well as to...

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, features multiple strong themes throughout the narrative, some subtle while others are overt. These themes include life in rural America, the American dream, violence, and trust.

Life in Rural America

In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel that takes place in communities all across America. The main character, Perry, travels with his family from Texas to Oregon and later to Florida, Texas and Nevada as well as to the country of Mexico. Through Perry's travels, Capote explores the similarities between rural American communities despite the distance between them. Perry's childhood is spent traveling from one place to another, and it is this sporadic upbringing that contributes to his identity as a loner. The text explains that he "washed dishes in an Omaha restaurant, pumped gas at an Oklahoma garage, and worked a month on a ranch in Texas."

As the story progresses, the superficial differences between the states Perry has lived in are woven into the tapestry of what Capote considers the myth of America. Despite the differences in each location he travels to, Perry identifies a common loneliness and dissatisfaction among the rural populace he encounters.

The American Dream

The American Dream and life in rural America are themes that are closely intertwined throughout the narrative. Perry and Dick are motivated to commit violent crimes by perversions of the American dream, which was a prominent topic in the 1950s. As a self-made farmer, Herbert is living the traditional American dream. Perry and Dick seek to obtain the rewards of that dream without putting in any of the honest work it takes to achieve success. To do this, they devise a plan to murder Herb and his family and use their money to further their own dreams.

Violence

The central story of In Cold Blood revolves around the planned murder of Herb Clutter and his family. Perry Smith and Dick Hickock believe that the Clutters have thousands of dollars hidden somewhere in their home and kill the family in cold blood to obtain the money. In reality, they find only $40 in Herb's wallet. The ruthless ambition of Perry and Dick is used to showcase the reality of violence, which is so often inflicted for the sake of petty gain.

Trust

Capote grows close to Perry in an attempt to obtain his confession. He works to gain Perry's trust over time and becomes something of a kindred spirit, even as he comes to the conclusion that Perry and Dick are cold-blooded killers. Both men are isolated and consider themselves loners, which contributes to the trust that is built between them over time. In a subtler sense, the idea of trust in an orderly world is also explored through this narrative. Herb is a pillar of the community and he has no reason to believe that anyone would wish to hurt him. This trust is violated when two men he has no direct connection to break into his home and perpetuate violence against him and his family.