Describe the differences between a Federalist and an Anti-Federalist.

The modern USA has a federal, or central, government; but after the ratification of the Constitution in 1788, there were many who were opposed to placing too much power in the hands of a central government, preferring to keep power with the states. This was because they felt that many of the issues with the United Kingdom lay with the fact that the government had too much power. The terms 'anti-federalism' and 'federalism' need not...

The modern USA has a federal, or central, government; but after the ratification of the Constitution in 1788, there were many who were opposed to placing too much power in the hands of a central government, preferring to keep power with the states. This was because they felt that many of the issues with the United Kingdom lay with the fact that the government had too much power. The terms 'anti-federalism' and 'federalism' need not refer exclusively to the United States, as they can be applied in any nation that has county or regional governments as well as a national governmental body, but for the purposes of this question, I will assume you are referring to the Federalists and Anti-Federalists in the US following the American Revolution. 

The Federalists, who wanted a strong and unified national government in order to go about repairing the nation after the damage that had been wrought there by war, were led at their peak by Alexander Hamilton. These people tended to be more educated and more sophisticated, believing that the only way to undo the crippling debt of the young country was to establish a centralized system of banking and a single economic policy for the whole country. Federalism tended to thrive in the larger cities. Federalists supported the Constitution strongly. George Washington was strongly in support of Federalism. 

Anti-Federalists, many of whom were farmers and others who lived in the rural areas which had been most damaged by the war, feared that centralized policies would only lead back to the same issues of underrepresentation and economic disparity that had been suffered under the colonial government. They strongly believed in the free agency of states, whom they felt were best placed to act in the interests of the local people. Anti-Federalists included the likes of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. 

Describe the New York Police Department up to 1993. Based on this lesson, what would you do to control corruption in this department?

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has a long and distinguished history in the nation's most populous city. It also, unfortunately, has a long and infamous history of wide-spread corruption among its officers and detectives. As with many police departments, law enforcement has often been stretched thin, forced to patrol vast, heavily condensed areas with limited personnel. Especially in New York, with its long history of violence and corruption, the task is even more difficult. Police riots occurred in the nineteenth century, and instances of systemic corruption have been somewhat regular occurrences throughout the department's history.

The student's question specifies 1993 as a benchmark beyond which changes or reforms may have been institutionalized in the NYPD related to instances of corruption. The year may have been chosen because of the notoriety of what became known as the "Dirty Thirty" case, in which officers at the city's 30th Precinct were implicated in large-scale corruption, a case which followed the previous year's arrest of individuals, including NYPD officers, of "the Long Island Cocaine Ring." In response to the "Dirty Thirty" case, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly reformed the department's Internal Affairs Bureau, traditionally a much-loathed and occasionally inefficient branch responsible for ferreting out corruption within the department. Kelly's reforms gave added authority to the bureau and assigned a former federal prosecutor as its head.

With this as background, the question of how the post-1993 New York Police Department can better deal with corruption can be addressed. Unfortunately, the answer is a little grim. As noted, the NYPD has been riven with major corruption scandals throughout its history, and Commissioner Kelly's reforms did not end that problem. On the contrary, investigations into police corruption continue to reveal instances of police officers violating their oaths and breaking laws for personal enrichment. The 2015 revelation of wide-spread cheating on the exams police sergeants must pass for promotion to the rank of lieutenant, as well as the 2016 indictment of officers for corruption, suggest that the problem has not, and probably never will, go away. That said, there are measures that could be adopted that could help minimize the problem of police corruption. No police officer wants Internal Affairs or federal agents looking over his or her shoulder every shift, and the personnel do not exist that would allow for such an arrangement anyway. Internal Affairs Bureaus, however, must be robust and properly resourced, and Commissioner Kelly's policy of conscripting officers into Internal Affairs rather than relying on volunteers did constitute a promising start. By minimizing the stigma that accompanies assignment to Internal Affairs, there is a chance that more officers will be deterred from taking those fateful steps down the path of criminal corruption.

Most law enforcement officers do not join police departments with the intention of taking bribes and subverting investigations into criminal activities. As many cases nationwide have demonstrated, however, that evolution does occur, and with disturbing frequency. Policing a city like New York is inherently stressful, and occasional faults in the criminal justice system, at least from the police officer's perspective (e.g., evidence thrown out on a technicality), combine to adversely influence an officer's commitment to the law. This does not excuse police corruption, but it does, partly, explain it. The NYPD could, however, adopt a practice from the federal government's intelligence community. Polygraph exams and background investigations of all officers at regular intervals would put a serious dent in instances of corruption. It is the rare police officer who can pass a lie detector test targeting corruption, and increased frequency of background investigations would uncover cases of officers living beyond their means—often positive indicators of officers engaged in illicit activities.

Added scrutiny on individual officers is the only measure likely to decrease instances of corruption. Such measures, however, are very expensive and manpower-intensive. They represent the best option for tackling a centuries-old problem.

Who is Susan Orlean in The Orchid Thief?

Susan Orlean is the author of . At the time, Orlean was working for The New Yorkeras a writer. Orlean was intrigued when she heard that a white man and three Seminole tribe members had been arrested for stealing orchids from a preserve in Florida. Intending to write an article about the men, Orlean travelled to Florida to meet the white man in question, John Laroche. As Orlean learns more and...

Susan Orlean is the author of . At the time, Orlean was working for The New Yorker as a writer. Orlean was intrigued when she heard that a white man and three Seminole tribe members had been arrested for stealing orchids from a preserve in Florida. Intending to write an article about the men, Orlean travelled to Florida to meet the white man in question, John Laroche. As Orlean learns more and more about the world of plant breeders and the circumstances surrounding Laroche’s arrest, her article morphs into an entire book. Orlean herself becomes invested in the plant world as she learns about the breeder community and speaks with various plant dealers about what it takes to create new species of plants. She learns about the high stakes aspects of breeding, such as plant competitions where dealers like Laroche attempt to make a name for themselves in the plant breeding world. As her investigation continues, Orlean becomes slightly obsessed with the ghost orchid, the rare breed of orchid that Laroche was attempting to take from the preserve. Unfortunately, Orlean is not able to achieve her goal of seeing the ghost orchid in person. Ultimately, Orlean concludes that Laroche’s obsession with horticulture is not actually that unusual, and she discovers an entire community devoted to the care, breeding, and business of plants.

How does the setting help develop the main character in the story "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury?

I'll start with the setting of this story in broad detail. The story takes place in Allendale, California. The year is 2026. That year doesn't sound all that far off right now, but Bradbury published the story 76 years before that date. In other words, the time setting of this story is nearly a century in the future. 76 years from right now would be 2092. With the pace of current technological growth in the...

I'll start with the setting of this story in broad detail. The story takes place in Allendale, California. The year is 2026. That year doesn't sound all that far off right now, but Bradbury published the story 76 years before that date. In other words, the time setting of this story is nearly a century in the future. 76 years from right now would be 2092. With the pace of current technological growth in the world, I can barely fathom what homes might be like in that future.  

That's what Bradbury was going for with his setting. His setting helps sell the possibility and probability of his main character. The main character is the house itself. The house is so smart and self-sufficient that it is capable of operating completely on its own. It doesn't need humans. The house is capable of waking people up, making breakfast, and cleaning up. In fact, the house is even capable of disposing of dead bodies. As the fire begins in the house, readers get a sense that the house can feel. There is a frantic pace to the house's actions.  

The house shuddered, oak bone on bone, its bared skeleton cringing from the heat, its wire, its nerves revealed as if a surgeon had torn the skin off to let the red veins and capillaries quiver in the scalded air. Help, help! Fire! Run, run!

The above quote nicely illustrates the frantic pace and fear of the house. What I also like about the above quote is how it describes the house in human biological terms. The house has bones and a skeleton. It has nerves, skin, veins, and capillaries. The house is alive. In order to sell that kind of concept to readers about a home being alive and intelligent, the story has to be set in the future. Readers can look at current technological innovations, and they can then imagine what those things might look like in the future. A living house with a personality that loves and fears makes sense in the future.

What part did Diana, Betsy, and Brigid play in Lyddie's life?

Diana, Betsy, and Brigid all play important roles in Lyddie's life.  

Diana is really the first to welcome Lyddie to being a factory girl.  Diana takes Lyddie under her wing and teaches Lyddie how to operate within the very busy factory.  Diana is also the woman who first treats Lyddie's injury on the factory floor.  Additionally, Diana secures Lyddie access to a doctor.  Lastly, Diana is the woman that really encourages Lyddie to sign...

Diana, Betsy, and Brigid all play important roles in Lyddie's life.  

Diana is really the first to welcome Lyddie to being a factory girl.  Diana takes Lyddie under her wing and teaches Lyddie how to operate within the very busy factory.  Diana is also the woman who first treats Lyddie's injury on the factory floor.  Additionally, Diana secures Lyddie access to a doctor.  Lastly, Diana is the woman that really encourages Lyddie to sign the petition. 

Betsy's main role is that she turns Lyddie toward the importance of education and learning.  Betsy first does this by reading Oliver Twist to Lyddie.  Eventually Lyddie learns that Betsy is working in the factory to put herself through college.  The possibility of that for Lyddie had never really crossed her mind until she met Betsy.  

Lyddie does not like Brigid at first.  Lyddie is forced to help her learn how to work in the factory.  That causes Lyddie's production to fall a bit, and Lyddie isn't happy about that.  Eventually, Lyddie becomes Brigid's protector in the same way that Diana was Lyddie's protector.  Near the end of the book, Lyddie helps Brigid escape from Mr. Marsden's sexual advances.  The incident leads to Lyddie being fired. 

What does architecture represent in the poem Beowulf?

The best way to ascertain what architecture represents in Beowulf is to closely analyze the poem's most important architectural structure: Heorot, Hrothgar's celebrated mead hall. 

Overall, Heorot is described as being an elegant structure built of wood and decorated with gold. It is an important gathering place for Hrothgar and his most trusted allies, and it primarily serves as a space for eating, drinking, celebrating, telling tales, and sleeping. More importantly, it is noted to...

The best way to ascertain what architecture represents in Beowulf is to closely analyze the poem's most important architectural structure: Heorot, Hrothgar's celebrated mead hall. 

Overall, Heorot is described as being an elegant structure built of wood and decorated with gold. It is an important gathering place for Hrothgar and his most trusted allies, and it primarily serves as a space for eating, drinking, celebrating, telling tales, and sleeping. More importantly, it is noted to be a place of light and joy, especially at night, and these latter qualities are ultimately the characteristics that anger Grendel. 

In short, we can see Heorot as a valuable community space in which members of a society are (supposedly) safe and secure from the dangerous wilderness. By extension, we can hypothesize that Heorot (and architecture in general in Beowulf) represents the safety and security of civilized society set apart from the chaos of the wild. As such, it's hardly surprising that Grendel's attacks are so subversive. They are not only acts of violence, but also attempts to undermine the order and stability of civilization itself. 

Based on Chapters 5-9 of Ian Haney López's Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class:...

In his 2000 election, George W. Bush toned down the racist messages and dog whistle politics that had long been used by Republicans. He had experience governing in Texas, a state with large numbers of whites, African-Americans, and Latinos, and as the author writes, "the advantages of using dog whistle racism seemed to be waning" (page 115). For example, Clinton, a Democrat, had used dog whistle politics to his advantage in the 1990s, and it...

In his 2000 election, George W. Bush toned down the racist messages and dog whistle politics that had long been used by Republicans. He had experience governing in Texas, a state with large numbers of whites, African-Americans, and Latinos, and as the author writes, "the advantages of using dog whistle racism seemed to be waning" (page 115). For example, Clinton, a Democrat, had used dog whistle politics to his advantage in the 1990s, and it was no longer just a Republican tactic. In addition, Bush's campaign strategist, Karl Rove, urged Bush to pursue a strategy of "compassionate conservatism" to win the votes of moderate voters as well as some Latino voters.

In Bush's very close 2000 election against Gore, which was ultimately decided by conservative justices in the Supreme Court, 21% of nonwhites voted for Bush (page 115). At the outset of his administration, Bush supported overturning or revising policies that had been deemed racist, such as stop-and-frisk tactics. However, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Bush began to use dog whistle politics and coded racist attacks against Muslims, Arabs, and eventually Latinos, in the wake of the national security fears Americans felt following those attacks. 

In "Raymond's Run," is Squeaky a dynamic or static character? Why?

Squeaky is a dynamic, or changing, character because she matures through the course of the story "Raymond's Run." At the beginning of the story, she is relentlessly competitive and mainly thinks about winning. She walks down 34th Street like a pony to strengthen her knees, and she likes to brag in front of other people that she will win races. Squeaky does not get along with girls like Gretchen, who is also a runner, and...

Squeaky is a dynamic, or changing, character because she matures through the course of the story "Raymond's Run." At the beginning of the story, she is relentlessly competitive and mainly thinks about winning. She walks down 34th Street like a pony to strengthen her knees, and she likes to brag in front of other people that she will win races. Squeaky does not get along with girls like Gretchen, who is also a runner, and she forces herself to smile at Gretchen when they are competing in a race together (but it is a fake smile).

While running in the May Day race, Squeaky begins to change. She suddenly realizes she has won enough races and she should now turn her energies to coaching her brother, Raymond, who is developmentally disabled, to run. At the end of the race, Squeaky smiles at Gretchen, as Squeaky comes to regard the other girl with respect rather than with wariness or a competitive spirit. By the end of the story, Squeaky is more interested in helping and respecting others than competing against them.

How do you stop procrastinating?

I find that I procrastinate most about the tasks I dislike doing, and I think it's likely that is true of most people. Therefore, one of my most successful methods of dealing with procrastination is to first do the task that I least want to do. This has two advantages.  First, the task I have procrastinated about is done, and second, for the rest of my day, I do not have that task hanging over my head, draining my energy and making me feel guilty about what is undone.  For example, when I practiced law, I never minded doing research and writing briefs, but I hated to write boilerplate complaints and answers.  So I always got those out of the way.  Now that I teach, I find that I dread having to grade handwritten work, as opposed to work that is typed.  I do the handwritten quizzes first and then reward myself with the typed quizzes.  When you have schoolwork to do, first do the work you like the least. You will be amazed at how much more productive you are. 

Why do many of the characters in Long Day's Journey into Night feel dead or like ghosts?

Most of the main characters in Long Day's Journey Into Night retain a ghost-like appearance in that they are haunted. The sad, faded world they inhabit is no longer occupied by flesh and blood human beings, but by flickering shadows, half-existing in a drab, melancholic netherworld. Indeed, famed literary critic Harold Bloom once said that the play could be re-titled "The Ghost Sonata" and he was surely right.

Throughout the long, tragic, drawn-out journey to...

Most of the main characters in Long Day's Journey Into Night retain a ghost-like appearance in that they are haunted. The sad, faded world they inhabit is no longer occupied by flesh and blood human beings, but by flickering shadows, half-existing in a drab, melancholic netherworld. Indeed, famed literary critic Harold Bloom once said that the play could be re-titled "The Ghost Sonata" and he was surely right.

Throughout the long, tragic, drawn-out journey to the call of the midnight bell we are introduced to characters no more than ghosts of their former selves. Mary is no longer the bright, refined convent girl of years gone by. Now she is little more than a pathetic, shambling morphine addict, an object of pity and contempt. James's heyday as a great stage actor is long since gone. He appears oblivious to the impending financial hardship about to befall his family, determined to keep his money tied up in property to avoid the worse-than-death fate of the poorhouse. And Jamie's promise as an actor has been shamefully squandered in a life of drunken dissipation.

Amidst all the human wreckage is the figure of Edmund. Potentially, he provides a sense of hope, a chance to transcend the chilled confines of this haunted summer house. His poetic reveries lift him up out of his grim surroundings to a much brighter place, and bring before his glittering imagination "a saint's vision of beatitude." But it's all too brief. Though on the cusp of literary fame, for now Edmund crashes straight back down to the drink-sodden kingdom of the living dead. As he says: "You have to go on living as a ghost." Before long, Edmund too will be a shadow of his former self.

And in the final, heartrending scene, as a wasted Mary pathetically clutches her wedding dress, we see what Edmund means by "a ghost within a ghost." Mary, now irretrievably lost in a drug-induced haze babbles incoherently about her younger days. The unquiet spirit of Mary's charmed youth is still there, somewhere, buried deep beneath the haggard wanness of her ghostly complexion. In the silvery gray apparition of Mary Tyrone are united the ghosts of past and present. But tragically, the past and present combine to point towards a haunted future not just for Mary, but for the whole of the Tyrone family.

What is reed in "THE HAPPY PRINCE" BY OSCAR WILDE

"The Happy Prince" is one of a collection of short stories for children written by Oscar Wilde.

In the narrative, the Happy Prince was once a real live human being, but is now a statue that is personified throughout the story. In the beginning, all the people who live in the city where the Happy Prince rests on his column admire him for his golden beauty and because they believe he is constantly happy, unlike...

"The Happy Prince" is one of a collection of short stories for children written by Oscar Wilde.

In the narrative, the Happy Prince was once a real live human being, but is now a statue that is personified throughout the story. In the beginning, all the people who live in the city where the Happy Prince rests on his column admire him for his golden beauty and because they believe he is constantly happy, unlike them.

Other non-human things are personified as well. The Reed is an actual, literal reed, a tall plant growing near a river. A Swallow falls in love with the Reed after being "attracted by her slender waist" but eventually leaves the Reed behind, because she's not much of a conversationalist. The other Swallows say she has "no money, and far too many relations," because Reeds are growing all over the river.

What are some quotes that help the reader determine Ralph's character?

Ralph is a responsible leader who has his priorities in order. Ralph understands the importance of maintaining a signal fire to attract passing ships and continually reminds the group of boys about its significance. In Chapter 5, Ralph holds an assembly and says,

"The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for...

Ralph is a responsible leader who has his priorities in order. Ralph understands the importance of maintaining a signal fire to attract passing ships and continually reminds the group of boys about its significance. In Chapter 5, Ralph holds an assembly and says,

"The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?" (Golding 113).

Ralph is also a self-conscious individual who does not have confidence in his leadership abilities. Throughout the novel, Ralph continually mentions that he does not have the intelligence needed to be a proper chief. After the majority of the boys decide to leave Ralph's group, he tells Piggy,

"I ought to give up being chief. Hear ’em" (Golding 131).

Although Ralph is not a successful leader, he is a brave person who is sympathetic to the needs of others. In Chapter 11, Ralph travels to Castle Rock in order to retrieve Piggy's glasses. Ralph courageously challenges Jack to his face and says,

"You could have had fire whenever you wanted. But you didn’t. You came sneaking up like a thief and stole Piggy’s glasses!" (Golding 254).

What is the importance of plotting in Act III, Scene 1 of Macbeth?

The word "plotting" refers to an act in which the perpetrator(s) secretly plan to commit an evil deed. In this sense, then, plotting, by its very nature, seeks a malicious outcome, meaning those who indulge in the act do not wish to do any good and are, consequentially, evil.

Plotting in Act III, Scene 1 is important because it reveals the extent of Macbeth's perfidy. The scene illustrates that he has reached such a state...

The word "plotting" refers to an act in which the perpetrator(s) secretly plan to commit an evil deed. In this sense, then, plotting, by its very nature, seeks a malicious outcome, meaning those who indulge in the act do not wish to do any good and are, consequentially, evil.

Plotting in Act III, Scene 1 is important because it reveals the extent of Macbeth's perfidy. The scene illustrates that he has reached such a state of ruthless and cold-blooded malice, that he has lost all rectitude. There are no boundaries to his pervasive perversion, so much so that he plots the murder of his confidante and friend Banquo and Banquo's son, Fleance.

It is clear from the beginning of the scene that Macbeth has already started plotting Banquo's assassination. Macbeth, who earlier somewhat reluctantly acquiesced to his wife's insistence on killing king Duncan, has now become a master in the art of murder. His conversation with Banquo most pertinently illustrates his sly and wicked intent. He seeks as much information about Banquo's journey as possible so he may perfectly plan the assassination.

When Macbeth meets the assassins, he blatantly lies to them about Banquo's role in their misery and strife, giving them a reason to kill the general. He absolves himself from all blame. Furthermore, he challenges their courage and their will to destroy those who had supposedly done them harm—in this instance, Banquo. They are easily convinced and swear revenge. Macbeth, just to make sure, reminds them that Fleance should also be killed.

Macbeth's cold-blooded statement at the end of the scene most potently indicates the depth and magnitude of his evil:

It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul's flight,
If it find heaven, must find it out to-night.

The once-honorable and -admired general has truly lost his way—the fair has become absolutely foul.

Explain the possible meaning of the last line of The Invisible Man.

There are a number of different ways of looking at the final sentence. In keeping with the title, the unnamed narrator is invisible throughout to those who patronize, insult, and oppress him. Like many African Americans in society, his experiences of a hostile world are at best ignored and at worst treated with contempt.

Yet the narrator still has a voice. And he still needs to use that voice to communicate the full range and...

There are a number of different ways of looking at the final sentence. In keeping with the title, the unnamed narrator is invisible throughout to those who patronize, insult, and oppress him. Like many African Americans in society, his experiences of a hostile world are at best ignored and at worst treated with contempt.

Yet the narrator still has a voice. And he still needs to use that voice to communicate the full range and depth of his life experience. But most people, never having gone through the narrator's experience, will never truly comprehend what he has to say. His message, then, is subtle and clandestine. It operates on a lower frequency that will only be picked up if we attune ourselves to it, if we listen carefully and imagine ourselves in the shoes of society's invisible.

On a specific and immediate level, the final sentence of Invisible Man is of course addressed to those who've endured a similar degree of prejudice and racial intolerance in their lives. At the same time, in an increasingly atomized society in which more and more people become "invisible" for one reason or another, it can also speak to anyone who feels themself cut adrift from their fellow human beings.

Characterize the three kinds of medieval theology: monastic theology, scholastic thinking, and a third position that tried to integrate the assets...

Monastic theology is largely defined by its emphasis on inner spirituality. It emphasizes spiritual withdrawal from the material world and ecstasy in the divine presence. In the medieval world, the monastics were monks who immersed themselves in the Scriptures under the spiritual tutelage of an abbot. Theirs was a life of contemplation and self-denial; they eschewed worldly distractions as a matter of practice. Additionally, the monks preached and practiced the doctrine of spiritual warfare and self-purification. Thus, a monastic life consisted of confession, prayer, meditation, and copious self-examination on a daily basis.

On the other hand, the scholastic theologians were learned magistri or masters who favored logic over unconditional faith in matters of theology. Unlike their monastic peers, scholastic theologians preferred to focus on a scientific approach to faith; they championed dialectical and syllogistic reasoning, which involved seeking truth through the process of debate. Scholastic theologians reveled in questions raised by authoritative texts in the religious realm and welcomed the fusion of scholarship and reason in the quest to understand God (using what is called the quaestio method). The masters claimed that the marriage of doctrine and reason produced a sounder faith.

In the meantime, a third position involved combining elements of monastic theology with that of scholastic theology. Peter Abelard, a 12th Century theologian and philosopher, attempted to do this. Abelard did not discount reason in matters of theology, but he maintained that logic had its limits. On the other hand, Abelard also argued vehemently against the anti-dialectic faith in semantic realism. Semantic realists believed that all Scripture is plain, explicit, and invites no profound interpretation of its words.

Abelard preferred to admit that, while logic had its limits, it could prove useful as a frame of reference. For example, Abelard held that the three persons in the Trinity were numerically different but theologically similar. He argued that logic explained this phenomenon to a certain degree, at which point faith carried the day. Essentially, Abelard tried to marry faith and reason in his theology. For more, please refer to the links below.

`sum_(n=1)^oo (-1)^n/sqrt(n)` Determine the convergence or divergence of the series.

To determine the convergence or divergence of the series `sum_(n=1)^oo (-1)^n/sqrt(n)` , we may apply the Root Test.

In Root test, we determine the limit as:

`lim_(n-gtoo) root(n)(|a_n|)= L`

or

`lim_(n-gtoo) |a_n|^(1/n)= L`

 Then ,we follow the conditions:

a) `L lt1 ` then the series converges absolutely.

b) `Lgt1 ` then the series diverges.

c) `L=1` or does not exist  then the test is inconclusive.The series may be divergent, conditionally convergent, or...

To determine the convergence or divergence of the series `sum_(n=1)^oo (-1)^n/sqrt(n)` , we may apply the Root Test.

In Root test, we determine the limit as:

`lim_(n-gtoo) root(n)(|a_n|)= L`

or

`lim_(n-gtoo) |a_n|^(1/n)= L`

 Then ,we follow the conditions:

a) `L lt1 ` then the series converges absolutely.

b) `Lgt1 ` then the series diverges.

c) `L=1` or does not exist  then the test is inconclusive.The series may be divergent, conditionally convergent, or absolutely convergent.

For the given series `sum_(n=1)^oo (-1)^n/sqrt(n)` , we have `a_n =(-1)^n/sqrt(n)` .

Applying the Root test, we set-up the limit as: 

`lim_(n-gtoo) |(-1)^n/sqrt(n)|^(1/n) =lim_(n-gtoo) (1/sqrt(n))^(1/n)`

Note: `|(-1)^n| = 1`

Apply radical property: `root(n)(x) =x^(1/n)` and Law of exponent: `(x/y)^n = x^n/y^n.`

`lim_(n-gtoo) (1/sqrt(n))^(1/n) =lim_(n-gtoo) (1/n^(1/2))^(1/n)`

                          `=lim_(n-gtoo) 1^(1/n) /n^(1/2*1/n)`

                         ` =lim_(n-gtoo) 1^(1/n) /n^(1/(2n))`

                         ` =lim_(n-gtoo) 1 /n^(1/(2n))`

Apply the limit property:` lim_(x-gta)[(f(x))/(g(x))] =(lim_(x-gta) f(x))/(lim_(x-gta) g(x)).`

`lim_(n-gtoo) 1 /n^(1/(2n)) =(lim_(n-gtoo) 1 )/(lim_(n-gtoo)n^(1/(2n)))`

                     ` = 1/1`

                     ` =1`

The limit value `L = 1` implies that the series may be divergent, conditionally convergent, or absolutely convergent.

To verify, we use alternating series test on `sum (-1)^n a_n` .

`a_n = 1/sqrt(n) ` is positive and decreasing from `N=1` .

`lim_(n-gtoo)1/sqrt(n) = 1/oo = 0`

Based on alternating series test condition,  the series `sum_(n=1)^oo (-1)^n/sqrt(n)` converges.

Apply p-series test on `sum |a_n|` .

`sum_(n=1)^oo |(-1)^n/sqrt(n)|=sum_(n=1)^oo 1/sqrt(n)`

                     ` =sum_(n=1)^oo 1/n^(1/2)`

Based on p-series test condition,  we have `p=1/2` that satisfies `0ltplt=1` .

Thus, the series  `sum_(n=1)^oo |(-1)^n/sqrt(n)| ` diverges.      

Notes:

In p-series test, we follow:

-if `p` is within the interval of `0ltplt=1 ` then the series diverges.

-if `p ` is within the interval of `pgt1 ` then the series converges.

Absolute Convergence:  `sum a_n`  is absolutely convergent if `sum|a_n|`  ` `is convergent.             

Conditional Convergence:  `sum a_n` is conditionally convergent if `sum|a_n|` ` ` is divergent and `sum a_n` ` `is convergent.       

Conclusion:

The series `sum_(n=1)^oo (-1)^n/sqrt(n)` is conditionally convergent since  `sum_(n=1)^oo (-1)^n/sqrt(n)` is convergent  and `sum_(n=1)^oo |(-1)^n/sqrt(n)|` is divergent.

How did slavery support mercantilism in Great Britain?

Slavery was downright essential to mercantilism in eighteenth-century Great Britain. This was because mercantilism depended on the use of colonies to produce raw materials, particularly cash crops, for the mother country. These cash crops, with sugar being by far the most important, represented a major source of revenue for Great Britain. Other important cash crops included tobacco, rice, and indigo. These crops were imported by British merchants, and, theoretically at least, had to be carried...

Slavery was downright essential to mercantilism in eighteenth-century Great Britain. This was because mercantilism depended on the use of colonies to produce raw materials, particularly cash crops, for the mother country. These cash crops, with sugar being by far the most important, represented a major source of revenue for Great Britain. Other important cash crops included tobacco, rice, and indigo. These crops were imported by British merchants, and, theoretically at least, had to be carried on British ships. Slaves were absolutely essential to the production of these crops, which formed the foundation of the colonial British economy. Enslaved people labored on the sugar plantations of Barbados, the rice fields of Carolina, and the tobacco plantations of the Chesapeake producing the goods upon which the colonial economy depended. Even the slave trade itself was crucial to mercantilism, as the state, through the granting of monopolies, became not only the biggest consumer of cash crops and seller of manufactured goods, but the biggest supplier of labor as well. 

How can one prove that Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a realistic novel?

It is difficult to classify Jane Austen's works into one literary movement because she reacted against major literary movements of her time and thus created a style all her own. While it is difficult to classify her novels under Realism, we can certainly say that all aspects of her novels are realistic.

Austen began writing in the late 1790s, the same time in which Romanticism was developing, and along with Romantic literature came Gothic literature. Romanticism was a protestation against the Enlightenment, which placed emphasis on logic and reason. In contrast, Romanticism placed emphasis on emotions, especially on the emotions of the individual. Gothic literature used horror and death to paint mankind in a fallen state while also capturing ideals of Romantic literature. In many of her letters, we find Jane Austen protesting against the actions, emotions, and story lines found in both Romantic and Gothic literature. Plus, her novels Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey parody Gothic literature and Romantic ideals. While parodying such literary works, she also strove to create characters, circumstances, and story lines that were realistic.

The Realism literary movement began developing in the mid-1800s as a reaction against Romanticism, just as Austen reacted against Romanticism. In contrast to Romanticism, Realism authors strove to capture life the way it truly was. Authors strove to be objective and not make any value judgements about life, which is the way in which Austen's novels diverge from Realism. Austen uses her realistic novels to moralize about humanity, class, and society.

Austen's creation of realistic characters, settings, situations, and story lines can be seen all throughout her works. Looking at Pride and Prejudice as an example, we see that, while Longbourn is fictional, it exists in England's real county of Hertfordshire. In addition, the characters in Austen's Bennet family can exist as real people: There certainly are men like Mr. Bennet who marry women for their beauty and soon fall out of love with such women because the women are too ignorant and self-serving; there truly can be a family consisting of five sisters; there certainly can be women like Elizabeth who are attractive, witty, and intelligent but think a bit too well of themselves; and there certainly are vain, dangerous flirts like Lydia, etc. The characters also participate in realistic activities fitting of Jane Austen's own social class, the landed gentry, such as attend balls, travel to London, and take summer trips. In short, Austen strives to capture life and society the way it truly was among her own social class, and, in doing so, she moralizes about the actions of members of her own class.

What would be an example of a scenario or conversation between a humanistic therapist and someone he is treating who has generalized anxiety...

Humanistic therapy helps patients develop a more holistic and positive view of themselves and their lives. The field, which developed in reaction to behavioral therapy, puts forth the idea that the patient is at the center of the therapy, not the diagnosis or the behavior. One of the fathers of humanistic theory, Carl Rogers, emphasized "unconditional positive regard" for the patient and his or her beliefs. This means that the therapist values the subjective thoughts...

Humanistic therapy helps patients develop a more holistic and positive view of themselves and their lives. The field, which developed in reaction to behavioral therapy, puts forth the idea that the patient is at the center of the therapy, not the diagnosis or the behavior. One of the fathers of humanistic theory, Carl Rogers, emphasized "unconditional positive regard" for the patient and his or her beliefs. This means that the therapist values the subjective thoughts and feeling of the patient.

Humanistic therapy for someone who has generalized anxiety disorder would emphasize the patient's freedom to make meaningful choices. The therapist would value the patient's own views and subjective take on his or her life and would help the person make choices that help him or her achieve self-actualization, or the meaningful use of his or her talents. For example, if the patient wanted to work with animals and saw this work as more meaningful and less stressful than their current office work, the therapist would value the patient's interests and choices and help them work towards a more meaningful career.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety would involve the therapist helping the patient to examine the cognitions, or thought patterns, and behaviors that are making him or her anxious. For example, many people engage in irrational automatic thought patterns such as catastrophizing, in which they image the worst possible outcome of a situation. For example, they assume a call from their boss means that they will be fired. A therapist would help a patient recognize and shift these types of anxiety-producing thought patterns. In addition, the therapist would help the person develop behavior patterns, such as regular exercise and meditation, that could help the person reduce his or her anxiety.

Catherine travels from Fullerton to Bath to Northanger. Elinor and Marianne travel from Norland to Barton to London to Cleveland. Why do the...

All three heroines have to journey from the sheltered safety of their birth homes to learn, suffer, and grow. Catherine is sheltered and naive when she arrives in Bath under the protection of an older family friend. At first, Catherine takes the people she meets at their word, for example, not comprehending the manipulations and hypocrisies of her new "best friend" Isabella Thorpe. Much of the comedy of the first part of the novel hinges...

All three heroines have to journey from the sheltered safety of their birth homes to learn, suffer, and grow. Catherine is sheltered and naive when she arrives in Bath under the protection of an older family friend. At first, Catherine takes the people she meets at their word, for example, not comprehending the manipulations and hypocrisies of her new "best friend" Isabella Thorpe. Much of the comedy of the first part of the novel hinges on Catherine's unworldliness and the dramatic irony it produces. Dramatic irony is when the the audience knows what a character in a work of literature doesn't, and in the case of Northanger Abbey, we as readers quickly understand that Catherine is being used by people who don't really care about her. Catherine gradually wakes up and learns to discern the difference between words and deeds. This enables her to mature and become a worthy companion for Henry Tilney.

Marianne in Sense and Sensibility is likewise an innocent, sheltered by a comfortable life, until the death of her father throws her, her mother, and her sisters on the world. Like Catherine, Marianne is initially deceived by words, in her case the language of romanticism, or sensibility. She believes that money doesn't matter, that people should be judged based on how much emotion and sensitivity they express, and that true love will overcome all obstacles. When she travels to London, which like Bath, represents the colder, harder values of the "world," she realizes that her romantic dreams are merely dreams: Willoughby, her "true love," marries another woman for money. It is only by journeying outward and learning to face reality (which almost kills her) that Marianne can enter into marriage with the less dashing but more stable Colonel Brandon.

Finally, Elinor, "sense" in Sense and Sensibility is treated scornfully as a poor relation by her Dashwood in-laws when she travels to London, and must also endure the deceit of Lucy Steele. She learns that instead of suffering in silence through all her troubles, she might have done better to open up more to the people around her. Her sufferings, as with the other characters, increase with her travels, and from these sufferings she learns and matures.  

Why did Daniel Shay rebel?

Shays’ Rebellion, led by Daniel Shays, took place in 1786–1787 in central and western Massachusetts. The farmers were suffering and were having a hard time paying their debts. As a result, they were losing their farms or being put in jail. They wanted the government of Massachusetts to take actions that would help those in debt. These actions could have included forgiving the debt and printing more money. When these actions did not occur, a...

Shays’ Rebellion, led by Daniel Shays, took place in 1786–1787 in central and western Massachusetts. The farmers were suffering and were having a hard time paying their debts. As a result, they were losing their farms or being put in jail. They wanted the government of Massachusetts to take actions that would help those in debt. These actions could have included forgiving the debt and printing more money. When these actions did not occur, a rebellion began. The farmers believed that taxes were too high and that the government was not being responsive to their needs.

The rebellion had several actions. The rebels forced the courts to close. They also freed some people who were jailed because they did not pay their debts. The governor of Massachusetts eventually organized a military force that crushed the rebels and ended the rebellion.

In Zindel's The Pigman, why does Lorraine become angry with John about going to Mr. Pignati's house?

In Paul Zindel's The Pigman, Lorraine makes a prank phone call to Mr. Pignati one night, which ends with John convincing the senior citizen to donate ten dollars to a fake cause. John promises Mr. Pignati that they will come over and collect the money soon. However, Lorraine has different feelings:

"The next day Lorraine chickened out and said she wouldn't go with me to collect the money. 

'Give me one good reason,' I...

In Paul Zindel's The Pigman, Lorraine makes a prank phone call to Mr. Pignati one night, which ends with John convincing the senior citizen to donate ten dollars to a fake cause. John promises Mr. Pignati that they will come over and collect the money soon. However, Lorraine has different feelings:

"The next day Lorraine chickened out and said she wouldn't go with me to collect the money. 

'Give me one good reason,' I demanded.

'Because it's wrong to take money from an old man, that's why'" (31-32).

Lorraine clearly does not feel comfortable taking an old man's money, especially after hearing how sweet Mr. Pignati sounds over the phone. John is accustomed to taking advantage of other people because he is the puller of many different pranks over the phone and at school. Lorraine only makes the prank call to Mr. Pignati during a prank calling game with John's friends. Lorraine is nervous because she has a conscience and cares about other people. As a result, Lorraine tries to back out of meeting Mr. Pignati. The following excerpt shows Lorraine becoming angry with John about collecting the ten dollars from Mr. Pignati.

"'I've been thinking, and I've decided we'd better go over and collect the ten bucks.'

'I've been thinking, and I've decided we'd deginitely better not,' she snapped.

'We're not doing anything bad,' I insisted.

'Ha!'" (36).

Eventually, Lorraine goes to visit Mr. Pignati because John tells her that old people like visits. He even manipulates her by saying that the old man might be suicidal if they don't go visit him. Lorraine does go to see Mr. Pignati, and they end up becoming good friends.

Why was Charlotte the only one to defend Zachariah against the Captian?

Zachariah and Charlotte are both exceptional among the Seahawk crew- one being a Black man and the other a girl. Zachariah stresses the importance of their getting to know each other and looking out for one another on ship because their respective differences put them at risk for mistreatment. Of all the people on board, Zachariah is really the only one who treats Charlotte with respect. Sure, the Captain speaks to her, but only in...

Zachariah and Charlotte are both exceptional among the Seahawk crew- one being a Black man and the other a girl. Zachariah stresses the importance of their getting to know each other and looking out for one another on ship because their respective differences put them at risk for mistreatment. Of all the people on board, Zachariah is really the only one who treats Charlotte with respect. Sure, the Captain speaks to her, but only in a way that builds up his own identity as a dominant force on board.

When Zachariah is about to be whipped as punishment for the crew's mutiny, Charlotte stands up for him as a friend. She is the only one to do so, however, perhaps because the other crew are thankful it is not them being whipped. As the only Black man on board, Zachariah is scapegoated because his life as regarded as less valuable than those of the white crew members. As a high-society girl, Charlotte has grown up with the institution of racial oppression, but she has no familiarity with it in a ship setting. I think that the foreignness of the ship's social structure makes her more free in challenging the Captain because she does not yet know what it means to violate those unspoken rules. 

Explore the ways that Jack and Ralph are contrasted in the Lord of the Flies.

From the very beginning of the novel, Jack is given an angry persona that Ralph stands in contrast to. When Golding describes Ralph, he mentions a certain coolness about him, a quiet authority that leads the boys to vote for him rather than Jack whose entrance has frightened some of the boys with its intensity. Ralph also clearly has an interest in maintaining some kind of order and trying to do what they can to...

From the very beginning of the novel, Jack is given an angry persona that Ralph stands in contrast to. When Golding describes Ralph, he mentions a certain coolness about him, a quiet authority that leads the boys to vote for him rather than Jack whose entrance has frightened some of the boys with its intensity. Ralph also clearly has an interest in maintaining some kind of order and trying to do what they can to get rescued while Jack is interested in hunting and quickly wants to focus on having fun and enjoying the island instead of focusing on a rescue.

Though there is a moment when Ralph realizes he has thoroughly enjoyed the act of wounding a pig, he does not continue down the road that Jack does where he seems to see killing pigs and hunting as a way to prove his power and worth. Jack and his hunters find ways to dehumanize themselves by painting their faces and quickly losing the inhibitions they may have had when they landed on the island.

At the close of the story, Jack has become a violent tyrant, bent on controlling the island and eliminating any enemies. This includes Ralph who is fleeing for his life, broken-hearted at having seen any hope of rescue disappear along with the innocence the boys lost in the midst of the violence.

In Romeo and Juliet, why is Romeo banished?

Romeo is banished in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet after killing Tybalt in a street duel. In spite of the fact that Tybalt started this duel and killed Mercutio, one of Romeo's dearest friends, in the process, Romeo is the "last man standing" and must bear the responsibility and consequences for the bloodshed. 

At the beginning of the Play, Prince Escalus finds the Capulets and Montagues brawling in the streets and, thus, declares that there will...

Romeo is banished in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet after killing Tybalt in a street duel. In spite of the fact that Tybalt started this duel and killed Mercutio, one of Romeo's dearest friends, in the process, Romeo is the "last man standing" and must bear the responsibility and consequences for the bloodshed. 

At the beginning of the Play, Prince Escalus finds the Capulets and Montagues brawling in the streets and, thus, declares that there will be severe punishment if they are caught fighting again:

By thee, old Capulet, and Montague.

Have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our streets,

And made Verona's ancient citizens

Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments,

To wield old partisans, in hands as old,

Canker'd with peace, to part you canker'd hate:

If ever you disturb our streets again,

Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.

Thus, when the Prince discovers that violence has once again broken out between the Capulets and Montagues in Act Three, the punishment he hands down to Romeo is actually relatively gentle. Rather than make Romeo pay with his life (as he had previously threatened), the Prince merely exiles Romeo from Verona. This is especially compassionate given the fact that the Prince has lost a relative in the duel, as Mercutio was related to him. 

Alas, for impulsive, stubborn Romeo, this punishment--which will result in him being separated from his new wife--is just as unbearable as death. 

What is surprising to the signalman when the narrator calls to him in "The Signal-Man"? Why?

When the narrator calls to the signalman, the man has something "remarkable in his manner. . . His attitude was one of such expectation and watchfulness," as though he is wary of the narrator. It is as though he has seen the narrator before and is afraid of him.

Once the narrator descends and talks with the signalman, the man reveals to the narrator that his calling down from above has reminded the signal-man of an apparition he has seen before because the narrator called out the very words of the apparition. Hearing this in such a dismal, dark, and lonely place, the narrator wonders if the signalman himself is not some sort of apparition. Nevertheless, the narrator establishes a relationship with the strange man, who describes his job to him. Further, the man confides in him that he has seen a man covering his eyes and his right arm who waves violently and calls out, "For God's sake, clear the way!" 

Shortly after this conversation, the narrator sees what seems to be an apparition at the opening of the tunnel. The man stands with his arm over his eyes; he waves desperately at the mouth of the tunnel. After he runs to the signal box, he is informed that the signalman has been killed by a train that morning. Eerily, just as the signalman described his apparition, a man covered his eyes to prevent himself from seeing the train run over the signalman.

The narrator asks the men around the opening of the tunnel what has happened. "Signalman killed this morning, sir," one replies. "Not the man I know?" the narrator asks fearfully. When he is brought to the poor, dead man, the narrator asks how his death has occurred, and the men describe exactly what has happened to the signal-man. It is eerily familiar to the narrator.

"What did you say?" the narrator asks the engineer. He replies, "I said, 'Below there! Look out! Look out! For God's sake, clear the way!"

Shaken, the narrator realizes what occurred is exactly like what the ghostly apparition has done as described by the signalman.

In Act 3, Bottom says, "Reason and love keep little company together nowadays." How would I write a well-written paragraph explaining what Bottom...

Bottom is saying that love makes people do crazy, irrational things. His statement reinforces a major theme in the play: love is a form of insanity.

To create a well-written paragraph, you could, first, explain what Bottom means. Then you could back up what he says—that love makes people do crazy things—by showing some examples from the play. How crazy is it that Titania, queen of the fairies, falls in love with Bottom, especially since...

Bottom is saying that love makes people do crazy, irrational things. His statement reinforces a major theme in the play: love is a form of insanity.

To create a well-written paragraph, you could, first, explain what Bottom means. Then you could back up what he says—that love makes people do crazy things—by showing some examples from the play. How crazy is it that Titania, queen of the fairies, falls in love with Bottom, especially since he now has an ass's head? Does this show that love is blind? Does it show that when we fall in love we do not see our beloved's most glaring flaws? And what of Helena's love for Demetrius? Is it crazy of her to run after him into the forest, when he has told her quite clearly that he is in love with Hermia? Why would she abase herself so much for his love? Is he worth it, or is this another example of love's irrationality? Can you think of other examples of love (or love potions) making people act irrationally in the play?

What are advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action?

Although many people would like to claim that we are living in a "post-racial" world, the fact of the matter is that the United States continues to host horrifically racist and prejudiced behaviors and attitudes. We can see this everywhere from the fight in the South to maintain the use of Confederate flags (a Civil War symbol of those fighting to protect slavery) to Presidential nominee Donald Trump's message to "build a wall" to keep out "terrorists" and "rapists" (his discriminatory descriptors of Syrian refugees and Mexican immigrants) to the spree of police shootings of young Black, Latino, and Native American individuals.

Affirmative action was introduced to the United States in the 1960s to prevent discrimination based on race, creed, color, or national origin. There are many advantages of these policies. They ensure that space is carved out in  historically privileged academic systems for minorities, and they promote diversity. They also provide job opportunities that may not otherwise be accessible due to the personal judgments of employers (who are often white), help protect people of color from hate crimes, and promote a moral commitment to working toward racial and social justice after centuries of oppression. 

One might argue that one of the disadvantages of affirmative action is that it doesn't seem to be doing a whole lot to resolve racial tensions in America--especially given the aforementioned issues we've faced over the last five years alone. It also seems to give privileged white individuals "fuel for the fire," as they can wield the presence of affirmative action as "evidence" that they are being unfairly treated, despite the fact that their class status and race imbues them with huge perks. Even more sinisterly, many racists use affirmative action as an excuse to continue their racist behaviors, with these controversial policies seemingly serving as just another reason to hate or resent people of color. 

Ultimately, I would argue that affirmative action does more good than harm. It may not solve the problem, but it is offering room for people of color to have their voices heard in important places, be it the classroom or the office. 

Does The Bridge on the Drina provide an overall picture of ethnic/religious tolerance or ethnic tension in which violence lurks under the surface...

To a large extent it provides both, and it keeps them in constant tension throughout the story. This is just one of many factors that makes The Bridge On The Drina such an important book.

What we see throughout is the way in which violent conquest in history brings about immense change: change both good and bad, change that more often than not is completely unpredictable. The Ottoman Empire has just conquered the Balkans; the Ottomans have a fearsome reputation which the local villagers know all too well. They carry out a barbarous practice, a blood tribute, whereby they kidnap Christian boys and take them back to Turkey to be raised according to the local customs and traditions.

Yet Mehmed Pasha, as he eventually becomes, does not forget his roots. Understandably, he is still deeply traumatized by what happened to him as a child. But at the same time, he wants to reconnect with his childhood in a positive way. In ordering the construction of a bridge over the river Drina, he is symbolically rebuilding the intimate relationship with both his mother and his motherland. The symbol of the bridge is an important element in the story, as it provides a means of linking different cultures, religions, and ethnicities together, whatever turmoil and conflict may grip the world around it.

But Andrić doesn't shy away from addressing the intermittent conflicts that break out between different groups over the course of centuries. Even the titular bridge, that great, shining symbol of a link between different worlds, faiths, and cultures, is mired in ambiguity itself. The bridge is built by serfs, little more than slave laborers, forced to toil in the most appalling conditions imaginable. And when they stage a strike against their Ottoman overlords, they are brutally suppressed. In the central symbol of the bridge, then, we can see that for the author ethnic tension and tolerance are by no means clear-cut and that they can, to a large extent, co-exist, albeit uneasily.

The construction of the bridge also forces us to ask uncomfortable questions about how ethnic tensions can arise in the first place. The Ottomans see themselves as ethnically and culturally superior, bringing the benefits of civilization to a remote backwater. The bridge is not just a potential symbol of peaceful co-existence; it also stands as a reminder of the imperial power often needed to advance civilization.

The perspective of the Serbs is understandably different. They groan under the lash of Ottoman oppression. They see the bridge as an imposition upon their land by an alien power, another unwanted manifestation of a foreign invasion. They try to sabotage the bridge's construction, using acts of violence to destroy something that was itself an act of violence against Serb culture, tradition and national self-determination.

Over time, the Ottoman Empire weakens in the face of nationalist uprisings and is forced to retreat from the Serb lands. But one form of imperialist domination is merely replaced by another, this time that of the Habsburgs. Crucially, the village of the story remains at the heart of a multi-ethnic empire. On the face of it, people seem to get along—mainly, though, because they have no choice. They simply must go about the business of making a living. Yet underneath the surface, the threat of inter-ethnic violence and conflict is never very far away.

Once again, the bridge itself is skillfully used to symbolize an important element in the story. It's noticeable that the bridge becomes a focal point of acts of violence that reflect in miniature the wider conflicts in this teeming, ever-changing multicultural society. Not just acts of physical violence, either; the bridge becomes a place of violent disputation in which intense debates concerning nationalism and ethnic identity take place.

And yet despite this, the locals, whatever their religion, ethnicity, or nationality, do still look upon the bridge as the still point of a turning world, a place of stability and civic pride amidst the gathering storm of war. It is noteworthy that when the Drina floods, as so often happens, the villagers put aside their differences and come together to help each other in the midst of adversity.

But there is nothing remotely sentimental about this; Andrić is much too good of a writer for that. He knows that each ethnic group has, to some extent, appropriated the bridge as its own; it has become a blank canvas onto which everyone can project their own wants, hopes, dreams, and desires. So long as it exists, it can to some extent serve as a reminder of common humanity and so keep ethnic tensions in check. But once that bridge is no more, then the tenuous thread that held everyone together will also be destroyed and, with it, the chance of any meaningful reconciliation.

What does the short story "Raymond's Run" teach us about family?

Toni Cade Bambara examines both positive and negative family dynamics in the short story “Raymond’s Run.”

In “Raymond’s Run” each member of Squeaky’s family makes a significant contribution for the good of the whole family.  For example, Squeaky’s mother is responsible for the workings of the family home while her husband works. Squeaky’s brother contributes by doing odd jobs and she is responsible for Raymond who needs constant care due to his developmental disabilities. The...

Toni Cade Bambara examines both positive and negative family dynamics in the short story “Raymond’s Run.”

In “Raymond’s Run” each member of Squeaky’s family makes a significant contribution for the good of the whole family.  For example, Squeaky’s mother is responsible for the workings of the family home while her husband works. Squeaky’s brother contributes by doing odd jobs and she is responsible for Raymond who needs constant care due to his developmental disabilities. The author is highlighting the need for each family member to take responsibility for the others.

She also, describes how Squeaky’s father allows her to win when they run against each other. Her father helps her maintain her reputation, and helps her hone her skills as a runner. It is important for family member to support and bolster each other. On the other hand, Squeaky complains about the time she had to dress up and dance during the May Day. Her parents came to watch her. Squeaky did not appreciate her parents attempt to make her into something she was not.  

One of the most important family lessons the author emphasizes is that of Squeaky’s loyalty to her brother. Throughout the story she defends him against those who mock him for his disabilities, but she sees him as her responsibility not as a person with his own abilities. When he demonstrates his personal running skills, she sees her brother very differently.  At first she is his caretaker but at the end of the story she becomes his champion.

Toni Cade Bambara uses her short story to describe the value of family dynamics, and how significant it is for family members to remain loyal one another.

In what ways is Achilles a bit like John Gardners Grendel?

Many similarities exist between the characters of Achilles and Grendel. One could begin by arguing that the two are, in effect, mirror images: Achilles is a man made superhuman by supernatural intervention, while the monster Grendel possesses human qualities in his level of intelligence, wit, and propensity for social commentary. Temperamentally, the two characters are alike: both have volatile tempers and can act rashly, even dangerously, when that temper is provoked. Driven by intense, sometimes...

Many similarities exist between the characters of Achilles and Grendel. One could begin by arguing that the two are, in effect, mirror images: Achilles is a man made superhuman by supernatural intervention, while the monster Grendel possesses human qualities in his level of intelligence, wit, and propensity for social commentary. Temperamentally, the two characters are alike: both have volatile tempers and can act rashly, even dangerously, when that temper is provoked. Driven by intense, sometimes rigid moral codes, both embark upon an heroic quest. Furthermore, both Achilles and Grendel can be arrogant in the assertion of their respective beliefs. Possessing superhuman strength, the two are fierce warriors who hate to lose or even admit defeat. One might also argue that both are tragic heroes who share a fatal flaw: pride.

if you change the amplitude, of a sound wave, you change its ....

Q: If you change the amplitude of a sound wave, what do you change?

A: If you change the amplitude of a sound wave, you change its power and intensity. You also change its perceived loudness. In more general terms, you are changing the energy content of a sound wave when you change its amplitude. The amplitude of a sound is a measure of the change in pressure (force over a given area) that...

Q: If you change the amplitude of a sound wave, what do you change?

A: If you change the amplitude of a sound wave, you change its power and intensity. You also change its perceived loudness. In more general terms, you are changing the energy content of a sound wave when you change its amplitude. The amplitude of a sound is a measure of the change in pressure (force over a given area) that it exerts on the air through which it passes. 

The power of a sound is its amplitude over a given period of time. Power, like electrical power, is expressed in Watts, which is equal to 1 Newton of force per second. An increase in amplitude therefore causes a corresponding increase in power.

Sound is a 3D phenomenon. It radiates in a sphere from the source that creates it (like a speaker, human voice, airplane, or musical instrument). The power of a sound is the total force exerted by this sphere. Intensity is the power (as defined above) of the sound divided by a square unit area (usually per square meter). Intensity is usually measured in decibels (dB). This is a logarithmic measure because both power and intensity are proportional to the square of the sound's amplitude. That is, doubling the amplitude of a sound will actually quadruple the sound's power and intensity. Therefore, decibels, a logarithmic scale, are used to make the units on the measurement of intensity smaller and more tractable.

In psychological terms (that is, the way that we actually hear sound), changing the amplitude of a sound wave will also change its perceived loudness. Loudness is a function of a sound's intensity and is also measured in decibels (dB). Depending on the loudness of the sound as a function of this change in amplitude, it can vary from being impossible to hear to causing pain and, eventually, hearing loss.

Macbeth Character Development

From the outset of the play Macbeth is ambitious; his zeal in defending king and country is praised by the injured captain, who describes the courageous and bloody killing of the traitor, Macdonwald. He is happy to receive an additional title from Duncan. The first encounter with the Weird Sisters turns his ambition in a new direction as he quickly comes to the conclusion he must remove any obstacle that would prevent him from attaining...

From the outset of the play Macbeth is ambitious; his zeal in defending king and country is praised by the injured captain, who describes the courageous and bloody killing of the traitor, Macdonwald. He is happy to receive an additional title from Duncan. The first encounter with the Weird Sisters turns his ambition in a new direction as he quickly comes to the conclusion he must remove any obstacle that would prevent him from attaining the throne of Scotland.

Even so, his wife's plan to kill Duncan unsettles him, and he briefly considers backing out of their planned regicide. This scene, however, marks the end of Macbeth's loyalty to Scotland and his king and the end of his morality.  Once Duncan and his chamberlains are dead, Macbeth's ambition continues to grow unchecked. Acting independently of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth seems to have no reservations about arranging the deaths of Banquo, Lady Macduff, and Macduff's family. He attempts to have Fleance killed as well because he fears that Fleance could one day interrupt his reign. It could be said that once he has killed Duncan, Macbeth's ambition is forever wed to ruthlessness and an intensified drive to remain king.  

The death of Lady Macbeth does little to alter Macbeth's trajectory. He kills Young Siward and plans to kill Macduff, as well, in his attempt to remain in power.  Macbeth's ambitiousness follows him to his final moments; he tells Macduff he will neither yield nor fall on his sword. Among his finals words, he proclaims, "I will try the last."

What is Ralph’s reaction when he sees the pig's skull?

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, after Jack has broken away from the main group led by Ralph to become the leader of a new tribe of boys, he decides that they must slaughter a pig. Afterwards, they put the head of the pig on a stick, acting as a sort of offering to what they think is an ape-like beast that has been stalking them on the island. 

A bit later in the...

In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, after Jack has broken away from the main group led by Ralph to become the leader of a new tribe of boys, he decides that they must slaughter a pig. Afterwards, they put the head of the pig on a stick, acting as a sort of offering to what they think is an ape-like beast that has been stalking them on the island. 

A bit later in the book, after Piggy is killed and Ralph barely escapes from Jack's group with his life, Ralph must hide in the jungle. When Ralph finds the skull of the pig, which is the physical embodiment of the titular Lord of the Flies (meaning the devil), it "seemed to jeer at him cynically." Jack sees the skull of the pig as mocking him, "like one who knows all the answers and won't tell." He feels a "sick fear and rage" and breaks the skull into two pieces, taking the stick it was on to use as a spear. 

How could the theme of family and friendship be supported in the novel Freak the Mighty?

There is definitely a strong theme of family and friendship in Freak the Mighty. What's nice about this story is that the family and friendship theme is not always a nice "feel good" theme, either. For example, Max's real dad is a horrible person. Kane killed Max's mother in front of Max. Max goes through the entire novel being terrified of his father and wanting nothing to do with him. Max hates the very genetics...

There is definitely a strong theme of family and friendship in Freak the Mighty. What's nice about this story is that the family and friendship theme is not always a nice "feel good" theme, either. For example, Max's real dad is a horrible person. Kane killed Max's mother in front of Max. Max goes through the entire novel being terrified of his father and wanting nothing to do with him. Max hates the very genetics that he holds inside of himself. It's not a fun way to look at family, but I appreciate how the author shows that not all families are perfect and wonderful. Grim and Gram are Max's grandparents, so they are family to Max. They take care of Max and treat him well, but they are not the emotional core of Max or the story.

Kevin is the emotional anchor for Max. Their relationship clearly illustrates a theme of friendship. This story is not about having lots of friends. This story is about the importance of having a good, close friendship. Max and Kevin do not have a lot of friends. They are both looked at as freaks of various kinds; however, that is what draws them together. They are both broken, but together they are whole. They find ways to support each other, and they find ways to have fun together, too. When Kevin dies, Max isn't just sad because he lost his friend. He's sad because he feels like he has lost a part of himself. That's what the theme of friendship shows in this book.

why did shakespear wright sonnet poatry?

Shakespeare wrote sonnets because they were a respected poetic form in his time period. A person who wanted to be taken seriously as a literary figure would write sonnets or other forms of poetry.

Shakespeare is primarily remembered as the world's greatest playwright, but his plays would have offered him less prestige while alive than his sonnets. Shakespeare took care with his sonnets in a way he did not with his plays. We do not...

Shakespeare wrote sonnets because they were a respected poetic form in his time period. A person who wanted to be taken seriously as a literary figure would write sonnets or other forms of poetry.

Shakespeare is primarily remembered as the world's greatest playwright, but his plays would have offered him less prestige while alive than his sonnets. Shakespeare took care with his sonnets in a way he did not with his plays. We do not know whether Shakespeare cooperated with the 1609 publication of his sonnets (he may or may not have), but we do know he never put out an authorized version of his plays.

Shakespeare spoke of love and time in his sonnets. He also created what is now called the English or Shakespearean sonnet form. His sonnets consisted of three four-line stanzas followed by a couplet (a verse of two lines). The older form of sonnet, the Petrarchan, consisted of one eight-line stanza followed by a six-line stanza. 

What was Mr. White's response to having three wishes in "The Monkey's Paw"?

In W.W. Jacobs short story "The Monkey's Paw" Mr. White is quite intrigued by the talisman and the idea it can grant wishes. In fact, he introduces the topic into the discussion when Sergeant Major Morris visits the White family. Morris had mentioned the paw in an earlier conversation and Mr. White brings it up again in the presence of his wife and son, Herbert. Despite the ominous stories about the paw, including that one...

In W.W. Jacobs short story "The Monkey's Paw" Mr. White is quite intrigued by the talisman and the idea it can grant wishes. In fact, he introduces the topic into the discussion when Sergeant Major Morris visits the White family. Morris had mentioned the paw in an earlier conversation and Mr. White brings it up again in the presence of his wife and son, Herbert. Despite the ominous stories about the paw, including that one man who had the paw wished for death, Mr. White purchases it from Morris. At first Mr. White is unsure what to wish for but after some light hearted banter with his son Herbert and at Herbert's suggestion, he wishes for two hundred pounds, the exact amount it would take to pay off the mortgage on his house. When the paw unexpectedly moves in Mr. White's hand and Herbert sees grotesque faces in the fire, it is not surprising that Mr. White's last two wishes will be for Herbert to first live again, and then to be dead again.

What does Winston mean when he says, “The proles are human beings. We are not human.” How does the age difference between Julia and Winston...

Winston recognizes that the proles have certain freedoms that Party members do not have and can express themselves in certain ways that Party members cannot. Unlike Party members, proles are not constantly under surveillance and are not required to attend government functions. They are free to engage in relationships with the people they choose and do not live in constant fear of the government. In contrast, Party members live restricted lives under the constant watch...

Winston recognizes that the proles have certain freedoms that Party members do not have and can express themselves in certain ways that Party members cannot. Unlike Party members, proles are not constantly under surveillance and are not required to attend government functions. They are free to engage in relationships with the people they choose and do not live in constant fear of the government. In contrast, Party members live restricted lives under the constant watch of government agents. Party members are forced to appear and act completely orthodox or else risk being arrested and tortured in the Ministry of Love. They are not free to love whoever they choose and must suppress their negative feelings at all times. In this sense, Party members do not enjoy typical, free lives like the proles, which is why Winston does not consider Party members human beings.

In regards to how the age difference between Winston and Julia affects their beliefs, she is less concerned with undermining the political system of Oceania and more focused on having a good time disobeying the strict rules of society. Winston is more concerned with understanding and challenging the entire government of Oceania. While Julia enjoys having an affair to fulfill her suppressed sexual desires, Winston views their first sexual encounter as a political act.

Address at least 3 possible alternative energy sources that could be used for the future in Iraq.

Iraq is rich in oil and natural gas deposits, so there has been minimal motivation on the part of the Iraqi government to pursue alternative sources of energy. Ideally, it would develop renewable energy sources such as solar (it is, after all, a desert land with a great deal of sunlight) and wind. If one is examining Iraq in the real-world context, however, the obstacles to developing or maintaining even existing energy resources are formidable. Obviously, Iraq has been torn apart by war since the U.S. invasion in 2003, and control over key resources, which are located in disparate parts of the country, will probably remain contentious. Insurgencies emanating from ethnic, religious and political rivalries had impeded economic progress in Iraq, and one of the country's most important oil fields, in the region of Kirkuk, is the subject of territorial disputes involving the region's Kurdish and Arab populations, with the main government in Baghdad representing the latter segment. Additionally, the Islamic State is active in the western part of the country, making development projects of any kind in that area difficult at best.

As noted, Iraq is a desert country, which makes it ideal for the development of solar power. As with other countries, including the United States, the will to invest in solar and other forms of renewable energy rises and wanes with the price of oil. Iraq has a well-developed oil industry and sees no reason to diversify at this time. It would, however, be an ideal location geographically to develop solar energy infrastructures.

Another, so far unmentioned, energy source is nuclear power. Nuclear power is in many ways an enormously efficient means of generating electricity. Fast breeder reactors actually produce more fuel than they burn. There are two huge problems involving this option, however. One problem involves the political instability discussed above. Nuclear energy plants are notoriously vulnerable to military attack. With the Islamic State and other insurgencies active, securing such a plant would prove prohibitively difficult. The growing threat of explosive munitions dropped from unmanned drones has become an additional area of concern with regard to protecting facilities of all kinds from attack.

The other problem with nuclear energy as a potential source of electricity in Iraq is political. The main reason for the 2003 U.S. invasion was concern about then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's presumed efforts at developing nuclear weapons. While those efforts, it turned out, ended around 1998, the U.S. government remained convinced that the Iraqi program was continuing. While the program had been terminated (although, the main blue prints had been concealed from United Nations and U.S. weapons inspectors), there would be residual concern about Iraq again developing nuclear energy facilities that would heighten concerns across the region about the potential for a nuclear armed state with a high level of political instability. (It should be noted here that some Arab nations would welcome a nuclear-armed Arab state to counter the threat from Iran, which is Persian rather than Arab, and to use to threaten Israel, which unilaterally destroyed an important Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981.)

Three potential, if highly improbably, sources of energy that Iraq could pursue, then, are solar, wind and nuclear.

How do tourists make their tourism choices and what are the factors that influence those choices?

First, different types of tourists are influenced by different factors. A well-educated elderly couple spending a summer traveling around Europe may have very different motivations than a college student on spring break in Florida. People with young children will obviously prioritize locations that have activities and facilities geared towards family travel, while the elderly or disabled may be concerned about accessibility.

The single most important factor influencing destination choice is recommendations from friends or family....

First, different types of tourists are influenced by different factors. A well-educated elderly couple spending a summer traveling around Europe may have very different motivations than a college student on spring break in Florida. People with young children will obviously prioritize locations that have activities and facilities geared towards family travel, while the elderly or disabled may be concerned about accessibility.

The single most important factor influencing destination choice is recommendations from friends or family. This effect is amplified by social media, on which people often share vacation photographs and anecdotes.

Price is an important factor, too, with sales or special offers sometimes motivating people considering a specific destination to decide to visit it; someone who is reluctant to visit a given hotel at $250/night might decide a $150/night special makes that hotel affordable. 

Often, people enjoy visiting places they have seen or read about, with Jane Austen fans deciding to visit Brighton or people who enjoyed the Lord of the Rings films visiting New Zealand to see the stunning scenery they enjoyed in the film. History enthusiasts will visit scenes of famous battles or other historical events, while on a more poignant note, Jews might visit the remains of Nazi concentration camps or Holocaust memorials, and many relatives of fallen soldiers or civilians may visit war memorials or the 9/11 memorial as part of exploring their own roots.

What were the key distinctions among the Early, High and Late Middle Ages?

The Middle Ages refers to the period of time in Europe between the decline of the Roman Empire in the West and the Renaissance- from the fifth to fifteenth centuries. We can further break up this time period into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages based on cultural particularities in government, religion, education, and economy. 

The Early Middle Ages are characterized by the decentralization of government after the fall of the Roman Empire. Where much of Western Europe was previously united under the Roman Empire, now local kings were ruling territories and often invading and warring with each other. Much of the information we have about this time is archaeological, but there are some written sources from the clergy and nobility to fill us in on what happened. This was a time of rampant invasion and immigration, but many of the modern European nations trace their origins to groups who settled during this time. Some of those groups are the Lombards (who conquered much of modern-day Italy,) the Britons (as in Brittany,) and the Franks (as in France.)

Latin scholarship really fell out of fashion during this time, but many people turned to monasticism as a way of life. The church served to fill in some of the gaps where governmental administration fell short. Much of the population were poor, land-working peasants, but the feudal system had not really been formalized yet. Many practiced subsistence farming or worked for a landholder.

The eighth and ninth centuries saw the rise and fall of the Carolingian Dynasty. Charlemagne ruled from 771 CE and was coronated as Holy Roman Emperor in the year 800 CE. His coronation re-unified the church and state in the West, and during his reign he united much of Western Europe under the Carolingian Empire.

This unification was not to last. Raids by Vikings and migration among ethnic groups served to dismantle the Carolingian Empire. Western Europe returned to a localized system of kingdoms and feudalism was prevalent. Under the feudal system, all the land in a kingdom was divided up among the nobility, who further lent it to vassals in exchange for military service, and peasants worked the land for the vassals. There was a great population boom during the High Middle Ages, thanks to agricultural advancement, but much of the population remained poor peasants.

Many kingdoms had hereditary kingship, establishing dynasties of rule like the Capetians in France and the Ottonians in Germany. The Crusades took place during the High Middle Ages, and religion and military service were highly connected. This was also a time of religious reform throughout monasteries of Western Europe.

The Late Middle Ages were ushered in by climate instability, which caused crop failure, famine, economic stress, and encouraged the spread of plague throughout Europe. Many modern European nations trace their nationalist identities to the kingdoms consolidated under the kings of this time. Religious and secular law were revised and codified, and the use of the printing press enabled a slow but significant rise in literacy among the peasantry. Though education was still primarily for clergy and nobility, advancements were being made and laid the way for the Renaissance.

In Newjack, what are a few situations that Conover is faced with that require flexibility, communications skills, and common sense between Chapters...

One of the first situations that required Conover to be flexible occurred shortly after he received his appointment letter from the Department of Correctional Services. Conover was slated to begin his officer training on the same day he was to give a talk at a club about his recent Alaskan trip. In the end, Conover chose to reschedule, despite his personal feelings about the matter. He admitted that his excuse about a "trip that couldn't be postponed" was "the first of the thousand dodges and sorry-I-can't-talk-about-its" he had had to make for the next thirty months of his training. Conover learned that flexibility and communication skills were essential if he wanted to safeguard his personal mission.

In the book, we learn that Conover's original mission was to shadow a corrections officer recruit at the Albany Training Academy. Due to a frightening childhood experience, he had become fascinated with the subject of incarceration. As a writer, he wanted to observe and record the prison experience from the perspective of a corrections officer. After he was denied permission to shadow a recruit, Conover decided to become a corrections officer recruit himself. This courageous decision is another example of Conover's resourceful and practical nature: when cornered, Conover never admitted defeat. He employed a common sense approach to all his problems.

In yet another example of his flexibility and resourcefulness, Conover searched out Joe Puma, the executive director of the New York State guards' union, after his efforts to discuss the prison system was rebuffed by New York state department officials. Conover relished the information that Puma shared with him. According to Puma, corrections officers had the shortest life spans and the highest rates of divorce, alcohol addiction, and heart disease among civil servants. Conover enjoyed the interview sessions, but Puma eventually stopped returning his phone calls.

Determined to pursue more information, Conover got himself invited to the union's "initial bargaining sessions for its new contract with the state." There, he met Rick Kingsley, a union rep who worked at the Washington Correctional Facility in New York. Conover's friendly and unassuming nature led Kingsley to invite him to his prison to observe the conditions, but Conover found the experience sadly lacking in authenticity. This led to his decision to take the corrections officer exam in order to gain admittance to the Albany Training Academy. Throughout these three experiences, Conover used his communication skills, flexibility, and common sense to solve the logistical problems of compiling information about New York's prison systems.

Yet another example of Conover's practical nature can be seen when two inmates from galleries R and W on the second floor played a vicious practical joke on him. One of the inmates called to Conover as he patrolled the floor, while the other made a pretense of landing an uppercut punch on Conover's chin. Neither of the inmates had intended to hurt Conover, but their laughter showed that they had been trying to intimidate him on his first day at the prison. Despite his desire to use his baton, Conover didn't. He reasoned that a baton would have been useless against two burly prisoners; also, he was too slight of build to wield the baton effectively.

Next, he mulled over writing what was called an Inmate Misbehavior Report or "ticket." However, Conover came to the conclusion that writing a "wimpy ticket" would have hurt his chances of receiving real assistance when faced with dire situations in the future. So, he refrained from acting according to his emotions. In this instance, Conover's common sense approach allowed him to stay calm and to keep his courage. In all, Conover exhibited flexibility and exemplary self-possession.

On page 4 of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" reread the paragraph that starts with, “Men of passive tempers.” At the beginning of this paragraph,...

In this paragraph, Paine begins by claiming that these "men of passive tempers" hope for reconciliation with Great Britain out of a misguided faith in mankind and the historic ties between the Americans and the mother country. However, Paine claims that the relationship is past saving (and was never worth saving in the first place). Can Americans, he asks, reconcile with those who "carried fire and sword into your land?" He describes the death and...

In this paragraph, Paine begins by claiming that these "men of passive tempers" hope for reconciliation with Great Britain out of a misguided faith in mankind and the historic ties between the Americans and the mother country. However, Paine claims that the relationship is past saving (and was never worth saving in the first place). Can Americans, he asks, reconcile with those who "carried fire and sword into your land?" He describes the death and suffering that Americans suffered during the war and asks those who have lost family or seen their property taken or destroyed if they can still then be friends with the British. Having framed his argument in this way, he challenges the man who still seeks peace and reconciliation by saying that he is "unworthy of the name of husband, father, friend, or lover" and that he has "the heart of a coward, and the spirit of a sycophant." These were serious accusations—calling someone a coward in the eighteenth century was an invitation to a duel—and Paine does not issue these epithets lightly. He is trying to underscore the outrages that he accuses the British of perpetuating to show that the relationship between the American colonies and the British is fractured beyond repair.

What is the significance of the title of The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander?

Taran is a young boy who is beginning to grow into a man. He lives in Caer Dalben with Coll, Hen Wen (an oracular pig), and Dalben. Dalben is a 379-year-old wizard with many mysterious powers. He owns an important book called the Book of Three. Sometimes, he reads the stories in the Book of Three to Taran. The stories are about important people, like kings, princes, and bards. 

As a young orphan who doesn't...

Taran is a young boy who is beginning to grow into a man. He lives in Caer Dalben with Coll, Hen Wen (an oracular pig), and Dalben. Dalben is a 379-year-old wizard with many mysterious powers. He owns an important book called the Book of Three. Sometimes, he reads the stories in the Book of Three to Taran. The stories are about important people, like kings, princes, and bards. 

As a young orphan who doesn't know anything about his parentage, Taran is fascinated by these stories. He dreams that he could be unknowingly born of royal blood and that he too may have adventures one day. Taran leads a sheltered lifestyle in Caer Dalben, without much excitement or exposure to the outside world. The Book of Three symbolizes the excitement and glory he imagines will be waiting for him in the outside world. It tells stories of those who have done great deeds and acts of heroism. It is also something that is forbidden to Taran, who is not allowed to read the book himself.

When Taran sees Dalben napping, he decides to try and read the Book of Three without permission, thinking that the contents of the book will reveal to him new ideas and stories that Dalben is holding back from him. But as soon as he touches the book, it stings and burns his hands! Shortly after this, he leaves Cair Dalben alone to chase after Hen Wen after she escapes while under his watch. This catapults Taran into a series of adventures undertaken while he is trying to recapture Hen Wen.

The title The Book of Three symbolizes the adventures that Taran has throughout the course of the book, which were previously forbidden to him as too dangerous (just like the Book of Three was). It also symbolizes his need to learn more about the world and be a hero, just like the heroes in the stories in the Book of Three. He finds out that heroism is not quite all that it is portrayed as, and no longer values the excitement of violence and war the way he did when he first left Caer Dalben.

When Taran returns to Caer Dalben, he finds Dalben in his cottage, writing in the Book of Three. While this is not expressly stated, we can guess that Dalben is writing about Taran and his companions' adventures while Taran was away trying to find Hen Wen. This is a fitting culmination to the book because it shows how Taran's dreams were actualized through his own effort and bravery. In the end, he didn't merit glory because he found out his parents were royalty, or because of grand deeds. He earned it through his own bravery and effort, and by helping his friends succeed in their efforts to save Hen Wen and fight off the Horned King (one of the major antagonists in the story).

The title The Book of Three symbolizes Taran's intense need for adventure and glory, and his desire to learn and make his mark on the world.