What skills does Bilbo exhibit when dealing with Gollum?

Before he even meets Gollum, Bilbo has already shown himself to be brave, resilient and capable of taking initiative. When Chapter 5 begins, Bilbo wakes up in the dark, disoriented and alone. He has been dropped and left behind in the goblin tunnels. Though scared, he manages not to panic. He draws his little sword, finds that it glows in the dark, and decides that to "go forward" is the "only thing to do."

It is under these circumstances that he steps into the edge of Gollum's lake, which, as far as Bilbo is concerned, is the end of his road. Now he really has no idea what to do. It is then that Gollum approaches him and starts speaking to him.

Bilbo draws his sword, which shows that he is prepared (if not very well-equipped) to defend himself. Gollum, nervous of the sword and curious about Bilbo, suggests they sit and tell riddles. Bilbo, the author tells us, is

anxious to agree, until he found out more about the creature, whether he was quite alone, whether he was fierce or hungry, and whether he was a friend of the goblins.

Here we see Bilbo's adaptability. He is willing to sit in the dark and talk with a strange creature, if it seems like that is called for. We also see his savvy, or cautiousness. He is aware of possible danger, aware of the many things he does not know, and wishes to survey the situation before acting. Finally, we see his basic civility. He does not immediately attack Gollum with the sword. His default is to try to get himself out of trouble with words rather than with violence. 

During the riddle competition, Bilbo shows that he has a wealth of traditional knowledge, as well as the ability to keep cool and think clearly in a very scary situation. When he wins, he again shows his savvy by not assuming that Gollum will show him the way out (as agreed) rather than attack him. This savvy comes in handy a few minutes later when Gollum does come after him to attack him, having guessed that Bilbo has his ring. 

Bilbo flees up the tunnel, accidentally puts on the ring, and falls flat on his face, invisible. Gollum goes right past him. Bilbo, without fully understanding what has happened, makes the gutsy decision to follow Gollum. This again shows Bilbo's ability to take a risk when it seems like the best solution. As he follows Gollum, he uses the skill, a trait of hobbits, of being able to move absolutely silently.  

Gollum talks to himself about what might happen now that Bilbo has the ring. From listening to Gollum's talk, Bilbo is able to piece together that the ring is Gollum's and that it makes people invisible, and also that Gollum is, without meaning to, showing Bilbo the way out.

Finally, Gollum comes to the goblins' "back door" and decides to wait at the entrance to the tunnel that will lead out. This means that Bilbo is trapped. Gollum is blocking the way. Even invisible, Bilbo cannot squeeze past him, and if he waits long enough, Gollum is likely to hear or smell him.

Bilbo considers killing Gollum, but he is stopped by his sense of fair play. "No" (he thinks), "not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost." At this moment, Bilbo experiences insight into what Gollum's life must be like, and feels pity for him. He does not kill Gollum, but leaps over him. Besides showing some athletic skill, the leap also shows the ability to take action in a crisis situation, rather than sitting frozen. 

Luck played a key role at several moments in Bilbo's adventure with Gollum. He could not have survived without luck. But he also could not have survived without the skills and traits which are highlighted above.

1) Is there room for progressive education within a world of high-stakes testing? Are our schools setting high standards for our students?...

There is room for progressive schools in a world where high-stakes testing exists. While it may be easier to accomplish this in private schools, which are not required to give so many high-stakes tests, there are options available in public schools that are considered progressive.

In public schools, there are ways to still provide progressive education. In the Winnetka School District, students do not receive letter grades until they are in seventh grade. Instead, these...

There is room for progressive schools in a world where high-stakes testing exists. While it may be easier to accomplish this in private schools, which are not required to give so many high-stakes tests, there are options available in public schools that are considered progressive.

In public schools, there are ways to still provide progressive education. In the Winnetka School District, students do not receive letter grades until they are in seventh grade. Instead, these students receive a written summary of their progress. At Mission Hill School in Boston, the school only gives one mandated test and refuses to give additional tests. In order to get federal money, the school gives the minimum amount of tests required, which is one test.

Progressive educators believe in accountability. They believe it can best be achieved by not giving tests that require students to fill in computer-graded answer sheets.

All educators want to have high standards for students. A growing number of educators believe that high-stakes testing and high standards do not go together. Students can be held to high standards without having to take so many standardized tests. Utilizing hands-on learning, learning by doing, problem-solving, and stressing skill development instead of content are ways to promote high standards without high-stakes tests. Having high standards does not mean that students are being set up to fail.

Progressive schools can still exist in a world with high-stakes testing.

What are the catalysts of change, both externally and internally?

There are different approaches to the question of social change and whether the catalyst to this change may be attributed to the properties of actors and their actions or to social factors—mechanisms that are external to these actors.

Theories that focus on the properties of actors (subjective factors) are "actionist" paradigms in which social change is the product of "individual actions." On the other hand, theories that emphasize causes, processes, and structures of a collective...

There are different approaches to the question of social change and whether the catalyst to this change may be attributed to the properties of actors and their actions or to social factors—mechanisms that are external to these actors.

Theories that focus on the properties of actors (subjective factors) are "actionist" paradigms in which social change is the product of "individual actions." On the other hand, theories that emphasize causes, processes, and structures of a collective nature adopt a "holistic paradigm" in which these factors are external to individual actors.

Further, approaches that emphasize the catalyst of change in subjective factors seek to understand internal beliefs first; understanding these beliefs then explains social change (for example, Max Weber’s interpretive sociology). In contrast, approaches that focus on external factors seek to explain social change in the collective dimensions of social life. In identifying these objective forms of the social, it is then possible to understand subjective factors and changes in meaning (e.g. Emile Durkheim’s social facts).

Both these approaches lead to problems due to their inherent limitations. There are attempts to resolve these limitations through models that combine individual and collective factors as part of one process (e.g. Anthony Giddens’ structuration theory) and others aim to maintain their distinction to study their interplay over time (e.g. Margaret Archer’s analytical dualism).

Further reading:

Sociological Theory by George Ritzer & Jeff Stepnisky

In "A&P" by John Updike, what is the story's central conflict? Does it seem to be a serious or trivial conflict?

"A&P" by John Updike is a coming of age story about a teenager named Sammy. He is a local in a resort town, from a family that is struggling financially--and therefore he works part time as a cashier at A&P, a supermarket that was part of what was, at the time the story was written, the largest supermarket chain in the United States. 

The main conflict in the story is between Sammy and his supervisor...

"A&P" by John Updike is a coming of age story about a teenager named Sammy. He is a local in a resort town, from a family that is struggling financially--and therefore he works part time as a cashier at A&P, a supermarket that was part of what was, at the time the story was written, the largest supermarket chain in the United States. 

The main conflict in the story is between Sammy and his supervisor Lengel. A group of teenage female tourists have entered the supermarket. They are, by local standards, wealthy and scantily clad. The manager tells them, “We want you decently dressed when you come in here.” Sammy defends the girls and makes a grand gesture of quitting.

On one level, Sammy is behaving in a silly manner. His family needs the money, the girls don't notice him, and the issue is a trivial one. On the other hand, this is a key moment in Sammy's own imagination, where he decides to identify himself with the outside world of the tourists and a cosmopolitan society with freer sexual mores rather than his small town. It is a gesture of adolescent rebellion, which is a key stage in the development of a young person into an independent adult. Although the events and gesture are both silly from one point of view, from a broader perspective, they are important to Sammy in creating a sense of his own identity. 

Does Walter Mitty succeed in changing his wife's view of him?

While Walter Mitty does try to change his wife's view of him, there is no indication by the end of the story that he has succeeded in his task. At the same time, there is every indication that Walter will continue to try to exert his individuality, even though his prospects are hardly encouraging.

In the story, Walter uses his daydreams as an escape mechanism. He has no less than five daydreams while he is...

What are the themes of I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem?

One of the themes of this novel is the dehumanizing effects of slavery.By allowing Tituba to tell her own life story, the author makes a powerful choice that restores some agency to this real-life figure whose complete life story is not part of the historical record. Tituba is conceived when her mother is raped by a white sailor aboard a slave ship from Africa to Barbados, so Tituba is a a product of the...

One of the themes of this novel is the dehumanizing effects of slavery. By allowing Tituba to tell her own life story, the author makes a powerful choice that restores some agency to this real-life figure whose complete life story is not part of the historical record. Tituba is conceived when her mother is raped by a white sailor aboard a slave ship from Africa to Barbados, so Tituba is a a product of the cruelty of slavery. Her mother is later executed for refusing the sexual advances of a white slave master. 

Another theme is persecution for one's cultural or religious beliefs. When Tituba arrives in Salem, the Puritans regard her with distrust and isolate her because of her spiritual healing abilities and her background. Similarly, they isolate her eventual master and lover, Benjamin Cohen d’Azevedo, a Jewish merchant who must eventually leave Salem for Rhode Island, so that he can practice his religion freely.

Finally, the novel is about feminism and the power of women. Tituba meets the fictional character Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter in jail and celebrates her feminism when Hester protests against her imprisonment for out-of-wedlock motherhood, while the father of her child remains free. At the end of the book, Tituba is reunited with her mother and the healer Mama Yaya in the afterlife, and they continue to help the slaves fight for their freedom. They are powerful female figures with the ability to use their spiritual healing techniques to help others in a way that men can't. 

How does Hester transform herself during the encounter with Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter?

When Hester meets with Dimmesdale in the forest (in chapter 18: "A Flood of Sunshine"), they speak for a while, especially after she confesses to him that Chillingworth (who's been torturing Dimmesdale) is her long-missing husband.  Although Dimmesdale is angry at her at first, the pair eventually begin to make plans to run away together on a ship, leaving Boston forever, because they are still very much in love.  Feeling joyfully for the first time...

When Hester meets with Dimmesdale in the forest (in chapter 18: "A Flood of Sunshine"), they speak for a while, especially after she confesses to him that Chillingworth (who's been torturing Dimmesdale) is her long-missing husband.  Although Dimmesdale is angry at her at first, the pair eventually begin to make plans to run away together on a ship, leaving Boston forever, because they are still very much in love.  Feeling joyfully for the first time in a long time, Hester removes the scarlet letter from her chest and takes off her cap, releasing her long hair onto her shoulders.  In this moment, "A crimson flush was glowing on her cheek, that had been long so pale.  Her sex, her youth, and the whole richness of her beauty, came back [...]."  The sun begins to shine on her as it has not done for years, and she seems to come back to life.  She did not realize the terrible burden of the scarlet letter until she removed it and felt the freedom of its weight having been lifted.  She smiled a "radiant and tender smile."  However, when she must replace the letter and cap, they functioned like a "withering spell," and the radiance and youthfulness that Hester exuded without them melted away.

What is the final temperature when 8 kg of ice at -5 deg C is mixed with 2 kg of steam at 126.8 deg C. The heat capacity of steam is 1.901...

This is a tricky problem because we do not know what the mixture of steam and ice look like after they come to the thermal equilibrium. Since there is such a large amount of ice (8 kg, compared to 2 kg of steam), let's calculate whether the heat given off by the cooling and condensation of steam will be enough to melt all of the ice.

The heat that the steam gives off while cooling to 100 degrees C is

`Q_1 = c_sm_s(100 - T_(is)) = 1.901*10^3*2*26.8 = 1.019*10^5 J`

The heat that the steam gives off while condensing at the constant temperature of 100 degrees is

`Q_2 = L_v*m_s = 2.265*10^3*2 = 4530 J`

Here, `L_v` is the latent heat of vaporization of water/steam.` `

While the condensed steam cools off to 0 degree C, it will give off heat equal to

`Q_3 = c_w*m_s*(100 - 0) = 4183*2*100 = 8.366*10^5 J`

The total heat released by stem during these three processes is

`Q_1 +Q_2 +Q_3= 9.429*10^5 J` .

The heat it would take to melt 8 kg of ice at the temperature of 0 degrees C is

`Q_4= L_f*m_i = 334*10^3*8 = 2.672*10^6 J`

Here, `L_f` is the latent heat of fusion of water/ice. 

Since the heat released by steam is less than the heat required to melt all ice, only some of the ice will melt while the steam will condense and cool down to 0 degrees. Thus, the final temperature of the mixture will be 0 degrees C.

It can be calculated how much ice will melt, `Deltam` , from considering that the heat released by steam will heat up the ice to 0 degrees and melt some of the ice:

`Q_1 + Q_2 + Q_3 = c_i*m_i*(0 - T_(ii)) + L_f*Deltam`

`9.429*10^5 = 2108*8*5 +334*10^3*Deltam`

`Delta m = 2.57 kg`

The final temperature is 0 degree C, with 2.57 kg of the ice melted and all steam condensed to water.

Suppose birdwatchers observed an increase in the falcon population in recent years. Suggest a reason for this increase.

Although there could be a number of factors for the same, the most significant one is the ban on DDT. 

DDT was a very commonly used insecticide in the agricultural fields around the world. However, its widespread use was associated with a decline in the population of birds, such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon. This chemical was later banned in the United States in 1972 and in several other countries in the following decades....

Although there could be a number of factors for the same, the most significant one is the ban on DDT. 

DDT was a very commonly used insecticide in the agricultural fields around the world. However, its widespread use was associated with a decline in the population of birds, such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon. This chemical was later banned in the United States in 1972 and in several other countries in the following decades. The elimination of DDT from the ecosystem resulted in an increase in the population of birds, such as the falcon and the bald eagle. 

Some other reasons, that may have attributed to a recent increase in the population of falcons, could be the captive breeding of falcons, which reduces the mortality rate of young birds, increase in their prey population, protection of birds through enactment and implementation of laws, etc. 

Hope this helps.

How could I analyze the character Y.T. from Snow Crash?

Y.T. is a great character. Her name, or her initials if you prefer, stand for Yours Truly. She is one of the main female protagonists of the story, and the reader is told that she is fifteen years old. When the reader meets Y.T. for the first time, she is working as a kourier (spelling intentional). She's a messenger on a skateboard with an electromagnetic "poon" (harpoon) that she can sling and attach to cars.

From the moment the reader meets Y.T., it's obvious that she is a brave girl. Her job alone is a dangerous profession. Drivers do not take kindly to being pooned, and they make it their mission to wreck her on the side of the road with very fast, evasive driving. None of those techniques work, because Y.T. is a streetwise kourier. She knows what to expect from the drivers and she knows how to avoid their attempts to harm her. I also think that Y.T. has a good sense of humor. Each time that Hiro attempts to get Y.T. off of his car, she slaps a sarcastic and insulting sticker on his window . . . while skating at 60 mph behind his car. 

The Kourier leans back -- the Deliverator can't help watching in the rearview -- leans back like a water skier, pushes off against his board, and swings around beside him, now traveling abreast with him up Heritage Boulevard and slap another sticker goes up, this one on the windshield! It says SMOOTH MOVE, EX-LAX

Lastly, Y.T., despite her snarky, street-wise antics, is not heartless. She could have left Hiro and his pizza on the side of the road. She could have let the pizza expire, and Hiro would have been killed by the mafia for it. Delivering the pizza on time is not her problem, but instead of moving on and harpooning another car to get out of the neighborhood, she takes the pizza from Hiro and makes it her mission to get it delivered on time. 

"Where?" she says. "Where's the pizza going?"

He's going to die and she's gamboling.

"White Columns. 5 Oglethorpe Circle," he says.

"I can do that. Open the hatch."

His heart expands to twice its normal size. Tears come to his eyes. He may live.

What are the character traits of Digory in The Magician's Nephew?

Digory is bold, curious, stubborn, and rash.  He also has a healthy skepticism.  These are the traits that drive the story.  Digory also has some softer traits, such as love for his mother, sorrow that she is dying, and a sense of honor and respect for authority.  

We see Digory's boldness and curiosity when he urges Polly to help him explore the attic and to use it to get down into the abandoned house.  These traits, plus his rashness, come up again when the children get into the Wood Between the Worlds.  Digory wants to explore the other worlds the pools lead to.  Polly, who is more cautious, has to be convinced to do this.  (Digory is stubborn during their many little fights.)  Then, when Polly finally does agree, Digory almost charges off to another pool without marking the one that they needed to go back by.  This would have left them lost in other worlds forever.  

These same traits of Digory's come up again when the children discover the bell and hammer, with its warning rhyme, in the ruined palace in Charn.  Digory is curious and wants to ring the bell.  Polly tries to stop him, but being stubborn, bold, and rash, he wrestles with her and rings it anyway.  This is what awakens the evil Empress Jadis, releasing her on London and eventually, on Narnia. 

Digory's boldness and stubbornness come in handy later, when he must approach Jadis on her rearing horse in order to grab her ankle and put on the ring so as to get her out of London. 

Digory is skeptical enough not to just believe anything that he is told.  For example, when Uncle Andrew is telling Digory that as a magician, he (Uncle Andrew) is above the ordinary moral rules, adding, "Ours, my boy, is a high and lonely destiny," Digory realizes that Uncle Andrew simply means he should be able to do whatever he wants.  He recognizes this same attitude later in Jadis.  It is Digory's skepticism (and his loyalty to Polly) that later help him to resist Jadis when she tempts him in the hilltop garden. 

These traits of being curious, stubborn, bold, and skeptical are exactly what make Digory such a good researcher and philosopher in later years, when he grows up to be "Professor Kirk."  

Despite being somewhat rebellious, Digory has been well brought-up and he has a soft heart.  Thus, he loves his mother and keeps trying to save her.  He keeps his promise to Aslan, and though not impressed by just any adult (such as Uncle Andrew), he is able to submit to the authority and goodness of Aslan, recognizing that Aslan is worthy of his service.  After meeting Aslan, Digory will carry the lion's influence with him all his life. 

How are adults generally portrayed in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone?

The adults in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the first Harry Potter novel) cluster in two opposite categories: the bad authority figures and the good authority figures. 

Bad authority figures include Harry's muggle guardians, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Petunia is the sister of Harry's mother, Lily. Both Petunia and Vernon have taken Harry in unwillingly. They treat him abusively and favor their own spoiled son, Dudley. They force Harry to sleep in a closet...

The adults in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the first Harry Potter novel) cluster in two opposite categories: the bad authority figures and the good authority figures. 

Bad authority figures include Harry's muggle guardians, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Petunia is the sister of Harry's mother, Lily. Both Petunia and Vernon have taken Harry in unwillingly. They treat him abusively and favor their own spoiled son, Dudley. They force Harry to sleep in a closet under the stairs. They let Dudley punch and bully Harry. Both parents fear doing anything in the least bit nonconformist. They worry that Harry will turn out like his wizarding mother—which, of course, he does.

When Harry gets to Hogwarts, his life improves immensely, but he still runs into bad authority figures, such as Professor Severus Snape, who dislikes and bullies him.

At Hogwarts, however, Harry finally gets under the tutelage and protection of some wise and kind (if at times gruff and stern) authority figures, such as the school headmaster, Dumbledore, and Professor Minerva McGonagall— both of whom have Harry's best interests at heart. The giant, Hagrid, the school's gamekeeper, also becomes a friend and protector of Harry. 

How do the novels Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness differ in their portrayal of colonialism?

The representations of colonialism in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness differ in a major way. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad depicts colonialism as a violent force deconstructing a society of savages and barbarians. In contrast, in Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe depicts colonialism as a violent force deconstructing a sophisticated and highly developed culture. As such, though both novels display the savage nature of colonial enterprises, Conrad makes the assumption...

The representations of colonialism in Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness differ in a major way. In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad depicts colonialism as a violent force deconstructing a society of savages and barbarians. In contrast, in Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe depicts colonialism as a violent force deconstructing a sophisticated and highly developed culture. As such, though both novels display the savage nature of colonial enterprises, Conrad makes the assumption that cultures subjected to colonialism are entirely primitive, whereas Achebe recognizes the nuanced, complicated, and culturally advanced natures of societies dominated by colonialism.

This distinction is critical. While Conrad's critique of colonialism is very important, it's undeniable that he depicts African cultures in a racist manner: native Africans are represented as primitive and less-developed than Europeans, and the latter are driven mad by the dark and "primitive" cultures of Africa. Achebe, however, depicts his native Igbo individuals as normal human beings: they can be virtuous and noble, they exist in a complicated social hierarchy, and they also make entirely human mistakes. Thus, Achebe's depiction of colonialism is ultimately harder to bear. While Conrad shows colonial powers destroying apparently "savage" cultures, Achebe shows colonialism destroying sophisticated and cultured human beings. In this way, Achebe truly gets to the heart of colonial injustice. 

Should Arnold's responsibility to his family, culture, or community take precedence over his individual goals?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel that is based, at least in part, on the real-life experiences of its author, Sherman Alexie. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington, as does his protagonist, fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit Jr. (who is often referred to as Junior).

Let us talk about what the expectations are for Junior. The short answer is not very much. Poverty, violence, and alcoholism are big...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel that is based, at least in part, on the real-life experiences of its author, Sherman Alexie. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington, as does his protagonist, fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit Jr. (who is often referred to as Junior).

Let us talk about what the expectations are for Junior. The short answer is not very much. Poverty, violence, and alcoholism are big problems on the reservation, and those cycles tend to repeat themselves across generations. To make matters worse, Junior was born with hydrocephalus, so he is small, has poor vision, and has a stuttering problem. His parents are poor, and Junior is considered a weak child even within that context.

The community's low expectations are illustrated in the first parts of the book. One day, on Junior's first day of high school on the reservation, the geometry teacher is passing out textbooks. Junior sees his mother's maiden name written inside one, and he realizes that the textbooks have not been replaced in decades. This detail speaks volumes about the value of education in the community, and the relatively low expectations that the school would have for him.

However, there are individuals who recognize Junior's capabilities: he wants to be a cartoonist, and he is smart and artistically talented. One teacher at the reservation high school realizes this and encourages him to attend a different high school, one off the reservation, where he will have better opportunities and access to better resources.

Junior does exactly that. It is a big responsibility to represent his family and community at a nearly all-white high school. Even though he experiences social difficulties as he makes the transition, it seems clear that his responsibilities to the world he comes from will not—and should not—take precedence over his individual pursuits. In succeeding in the world outside the reservation, he serves as a positive representative of the Spokane reservation, and he may even change a few minds about what it means to be "Indian."

How would you characterize Emily and her father's relationship?

Emily and her father have a very strange and strangled relationship.  In the story, Faulkner mentions how "the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were," thus "None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such."  He had such a stranglehold on Miss Emily that she never in fact married, though the closest she came was in being courted by Homer Barron.  However, that courtship came...

Emily and her father have a very strange and strangled relationship.  In the story, Faulkner mentions how "the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were," thus "None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such."  He had such a stranglehold on Miss Emily that she never in fact married, though the closest she came was in being courted by Homer Barron.  However, that courtship came after her father's death.  Homer would not have been the type of man that Miss Emily's father would have approved of because he was "a Yankee--a big, dark, ready man, with a big voice and eyes lighter than his face."  The people in the town even comment, "'Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer.'"  When Homer disappears later in the story, the reader believes that Miss Emily has dismissed him.

However, while Miss Emily's father may have been overbearing, she also had this strange connection to him.  When he dies, "She told them [the ladies calling] that her father was not dead.  She did that for three days, with the minsters calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body."  Without her father in her life, Miss Emily did not know how to behave because he had controlled every aspect of her life.  This same scene is repeated with Homer Barron.  When there are rumors that he is going to leave Miss Emily instead of marrying her, she poisons him with arsenic and lays him out in an upstairs bedroom:

The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him.  What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay...

Emily decides to keep Homer in her clutches, in a way that she could not with her father.  

How did John Milton impact the Renaissance era?

Renaissance literature is known for the elevation of the sonnet form and the drama. John Milton, a poet and scholar, influenced the period by ushering in the return to the epic, a longer poetic form. Milton wrote in a variety of poetic forms, including the sonnet, but is best known for the epic Paradise Lost.

As a Puritan and supporter of Cromwell in the English Civil War, Milton approached the story of Lucifer's fall...

Renaissance literature is known for the elevation of the sonnet form and the drama. John Milton, a poet and scholar, influenced the period by ushering in the return to the epic, a longer poetic form. Milton wrote in a variety of poetic forms, including the sonnet, but is best known for the epic Paradise Lost.

As a Puritan and supporter of Cromwell in the English Civil War, Milton approached the story of Lucifer's fall from Heaven and the subsequent temptation he poses to Adam and Eve as an allegory. On one level it retells the story of Genesis with purely religious implications. On another level, he uses that very story to describe the English Civil War, with the omnipotent God representing the king, and the inspirational Lucifer, who demands equality with God, representing Cromwell.

The political and religious implications of the work influenced the culture and society of the time. Additionally, the actual poetic form encouraged a transition to longer works by Alexander Pope and others who transitioned from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.

What is the figurative language in "The Road Not Taken"?

Robert Frost uses "the road" as a metaphor for a course not taken in life. In the first line, the narrator recalls his fateful choice: "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood." "Two roads" are a metaphor for two options. The "yellow wood" signifies an autumn light. Frost's decision to set the moment in the Fall could be a metaphor for a narrator that is in his or her "autumn years."

Like many of those faced with two good options but forced to choose one, the narrator expresses sorrow that he could not choose both—we can only walk down one path. 

In the second stanza, he muses that he initially believed that his choice was the better of the two but later thought differently:

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same...

The option we choose is always less appealing after it is chosen, for we wonder about the choice that we did not make. Thus, in the end, the narrator realizes that both choices were about equally good.

In the third stanza, the narrator mentions time of day: it is "morning." Morning could signify a new beginning. When we are presented with a new choice, or opportunity, this offers us a chance to do something new—even to start again. It is here, too, that the narrator recognizes the finality of his or her choice:

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

The speaker knows that once a choice is made, it cannot be undone. One must continue on the "path" that was chosen.

The final stanza reveals a kind of wistfulness for choices not made:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The "difference" is not an ode to non-conformity, as so many have thought but instead an acceptance that choices determine the outcome of one's life. The path the speaker chose is "the one less traveled by," not because it was less ordinary, but only because it looked more appealing at first. Yet, both options, or paths, were "really about the same."

In McEwan's Atonement, what is the significance of imagination?

The power of imagination is seen as a vehicle for redemption, even as it is a vehicle for harm. Cecilia calls Briony "fanciful" as a way of saying she makes up stories and willfully presents them as truth, as she did with accusing Robbie of raping Lola. Briony's imagination is responsible for the novel's central conflict: the separation of Robbie and Cecilia for reasons that have nothing to do with anything they themselves have done....

The power of imagination is seen as a vehicle for redemption, even as it is a vehicle for harm. Cecilia calls Briony "fanciful" as a way of saying she makes up stories and willfully presents them as truth, as she did with accusing Robbie of raping Lola. Briony's imagination is responsible for the novel's central conflict: the separation of Robbie and Cecilia for reasons that have nothing to do with anything they themselves have done. Briony's claim that she saw something she didn't (Robbie attacking Lola) is what forces Robbie to go to war, in order to be able to leave prison, and causes Cecilia to refuse to engage with her in any but the most cursory way.

Briony imagines that the two lovers do manage to meet up again, as a way of atoning for her actions. Interestingly, her imagining of their intimacy mirrors the scene she stumbled upon in the library, when they were making love, but which Briony in her youth and inexperience saw as a violent act. This in turn fed into the fantasy she created of Robbie raping Lola, because she did not want to think of Robbie as anything other than a "sex maniac" because it would mean he preferred Cecilia to her, and it was Robbie's scolding of her that made Briony, harboring a schoolgirl crush, feel rejected.

As Briony matures, she comes to realize how wrong her actions were, and also that her sister can never forgive her. She writes the novel as atonement for her actions, using the act of imagination once again in an attempt to redeem the pain she has lived through, and the pain she has caused others.

What does the telephone call from Chicago tell us about Gatsby's business?

In chapter 9, Nick answers a phone call for Gatsby that comes in from Chicago from a man named Slagle. The caller does not realize at first that he is talking to someone other than Gatsby, and he says to Nick,

Young Parke's in trouble . . . They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving 'em the numbers just five minutes before.

...

In chapter 9, Nick answers a phone call for Gatsby that comes in from Chicago from a man named Slagle. The caller does not realize at first that he is talking to someone other than Gatsby, and he says to Nick,

Young Parke's in trouble . . . They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving 'em the numbers just five minutes before.

When Nick eventually gets a word in, telling Slagle that Mr. Gatsby is, in fact, deceased, there is an exclamation followed by a lengthy silence, and then the line goes dead. This phone call makes it almost certain that Gatsby was involved in organized crime, which has been long associated with Chicago, and that he was not simply a bootlegger. No, now it becomes clear that he was involved in something much bigger, as Tom Buchanan had suggested during the confrontation in New York City several days earlier. We see that Gatsby's criminality was actually far more advanced than just selling illegal alcohol.

`sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n/((2n+1)!)` Determine the convergence or divergence of the series.

To determine the convergence or divergence of the series `sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n/((2n+1)!)` , we may apply ratio test.

In Ratio test, we determine the limit as:

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

or

`lim_(n-gtoo)|a_(n+1)*1/a_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...

To determine the convergence or divergence of the series `sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n/((2n+1)!)` , we may apply ratio test.

In Ratio test, we determine the limit as:

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

or

`lim_(n-gtoo)|a_(n+1)*1/a_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 series `sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n/((2n+1)!)` , we have:

`a_n=(-1)^n/((2n+1)!)`

Then,

`1/a_n=((2n+1)!)/(-1)^n`

`a_(n+1)=(-1)^(n+1)/((2(n+1)+1)!)`

            `=(-1)^(n+1)/((2n+2+1)!)`

            `=(-1)^(n+1)/((2n+3)!)`

            `=((-1)^n*(-1))/((2n+3)(2n+2)((2n+1)!))`

Applying the Ratio test on the power series, we set-up the limit as:

`lim_(n-gtoo) |((-1)^n*(-1))/((2n+3)(2n+2)((2n+1)!)) *((2n+1)!)/(-1)^n|`

Cancel out common factors: `(-1)^n` and `(2n+1)!` .

`lim_(n-gtoo) |(-1)/((2n+3)(2n+2))|`

Evaluate the limit.

`lim_(n-gtoo) |(-1)/((2n+3)(2n+2))| =|-1| lim_(n-gtoo) |1/((2n+3)(2n+2))|`

                                         `=1* 1/oo`

                                         `=1*0`

                                         `=0`

The `L=0` satisfies ratio test condition: `Llt1`  since `0lt1` .

Thus, the series `sum_(n=0)^oo (-1)^n/((2n+1)!)` is absolutely convergent.

What the cat symbolizes in "The Blue Bowl"?

"The Blue Bowl" by Jane Kenyon does not seem to be a highly symbolic poem, but the way the family handles the burial of the cat could be said to represent how people deal with all sorts of losses. 

The first eight lines of the poem read,

Like primitives we buried the cat

with his bowl. Bare-handed

we scraped sand and gravel

back into the hole. It fell with a hiss

and thud on his...

"The Blue Bowl" by Jane Kenyon does not seem to be a highly symbolic poem, but the way the family handles the burial of the cat could be said to represent how people deal with all sorts of losses. 

The first eight lines of the poem read,

Like primitives we buried the cat

with his bowl. Bare-handed

we scraped sand and gravel

back into the hole. It fell with a hiss

and thud on his side,

on his long red fur, the white feathers

that grew between his toes, and his

long, not to say aquiline, nose (1-8).

Kenyon's speaker describes how she and her family members buried their dead cat with its bowl as being "like primitives." This seems to reference ancient cultures that believed they should bury the dead with objects that they could use in the afterlife. It is also "primitive" that they use their hands to cover the hole. The cat is then described in some detail, but it is the bowl that falls "with a hiss," as the cat can no longer make such noises. Kenyon's choice to start the poem with "like primitives" sets up the idea that the family's feelings about the loss of the cat are universal and instinctual. 

To describe the family's feelings and behaviors after burying the cat, the speaker continues, 

We stood and brushed each other off.

There are sorrows much keener than these.

Silent the rest of the day, we worked,

ate, stared, and slept. It stormed

all night; now it clears, and a robin

burbles from a dripping bush

like the neighbor who means well

but always says the wrong thing (9-16).

When the speaker says, "We stood and brushed each other off," she seems to suggest that the burial has allowed the family to bond and also that, symbolically, humans help each other to recover in times of loss. The speaker next acknowledges that there are losses greater than that of a family cat; however, the family's behavior during the rest of the day and the closing thought of the poem suggest that losing a pet can have as significant an impact as any other death. The family goes through their routine, but there is no energy in their movements. Then, after it storms all night, a bird sings in the morning, as though the pain is over and everything is better now. Of course, that is not the case; the bird is compared to "the neighbor who means well / but always says the wrong thing." The bird cannot understand that the family still feels the loss of the cat, just as those outside the community that is grieving cannot truly know how those inside feel. The singing is a nice gesture, but it does not make the family forget about the death of the cat. Yes, life goes on, but everyone moves on at a different pace. 

Ultimately, the loss of the cat allows Kenyon's speaker to reflect on universal reactions to loss and the feelings and behaviors that are part of its aftermath. 

What are the men about to do on page 31 of A Gathering of Old Men, and what role does this action have in the larger context outside of Marshall...

Two old men named Mat and Chimley are out fishing when they are told about Mathu and what Candy wants them to do. After they consider the situation, they decide to help.

Mat and Chimley, two men in their seventies, are fishing on a favorite bank when a young boy rushes up to them and tells them that Clatoo says that Miss Merle has told him to tell the two older men that Miss Candy...

Two old men named Mat and Chimley are out fishing when they are told about Mathu and what Candy wants them to do. After they consider the situation, they decide to help.

Mat and Chimley, two men in their seventies, are fishing on a favorite bank when a young boy rushes up to them and tells them that Clatoo says that Miss Merle has told him to tell the two older men that Miss Candy Marshall wants them "on the place" right away. She wants them to bring twelve-gauge shotguns and to have some empty number five shells and get to the quarter right away. When the two old men ask what all this is about, the boy replies that it has something to do with Mathu, as well as something to do with Beau Boutan, who is dead in Mathu's yard. 

After the boy departs, the two old friends sit where they are, and they ponder the situation, wondering what would happen to them if they were in the position of Mathu. The two men do not look at each other, for they are deep in their own thoughts of what happens to a black man who has a fight with a white man, a man he kills.

"I'm seventy-one," Chimley finally says to his friend. Then, he recalls that Mathu is the only one of them who has ever stood up to white men. In response, Mat tells his friend, "I don't have the strength to climb under the bed," meaning that he no longer wants to run and hide from the conflicts they have always had in life. Mat ponders things a while and responds,

"I have to go. This could be my last chance. Now when we are old men, we have to be brave."

The two old men have decided to gather together with others and protect Mathu by pretending that they have all shot Beau, a Cajun farmer, a white man. These old black men hope to transform themselves with this powerful act of group assertion. This powerful act of theirs is one of self-affirmation, restoring in them their manly pride. In addition, this act by the old men may encourage others outside the old plantation to find strength in unification with others of their ilk.

Mr. Loisel worked as what?

Monsieur Loisel works as a minor official in the Ministry of Education. It's not a bad job. It doesn't pay much but it does put food on the table, even if the food in question often happens to be a rather uninspiring beef stew. The Loisels live what can fairly be described as a solid petit bourgeois existence, one shared with millions of others in Paris.

But Madame Loisel is heartily embarrassed at her standard...

Monsieur Loisel works as a minor official in the Ministry of Education. It's not a bad job. It doesn't pay much but it does put food on the table, even if the food in question often happens to be a rather uninspiring beef stew. The Loisels live what can fairly be described as a solid petit bourgeois existence, one shared with millions of others in Paris.

But Madame Loisel is heartily embarrassed at her standard of living. She thinks she is so much better than her surroundings. She yearns for the finer things in life: beautiful clothes, rich tapestries, liveried footmen, sumptuous banquets. It is the huge chasm between the Loisels' respective social ambitions that provides the impetus for what subsequently happens in the story. When Monsieur Loisel receives an invitation to the Ministry of Education ball, it provides a rare opportunity for his wife to live out her wildest, snobbiest fantasies.

Ronald Reagan, campaigning for president in 1984, told voters, "It's morning again in America." How might Americans from different backgrounds...

Ronald Reagan's allusion to the sun rising on the US was in reference to the economic, social, and political stagnation of the 1970s that the US was recovering from during his first term in office. The 1970s was a pretty rough decade for the US. Nixon had been impeached earlier in the decade, the Vietnam War had divided the country and caused a rift internationally, and the country had endured an energy crisis and economic...

Ronald Reagan's allusion to the sun rising on the US was in reference to the economic, social, and political stagnation of the 1970s that the US was recovering from during his first term in office. The 1970s was a pretty rough decade for the US. Nixon had been impeached earlier in the decade, the Vietnam War had divided the country and caused a rift internationally, and the country had endured an energy crisis and economic recession. His reference was meant to signal how things were looking up and would continue to do so.

But your question asked how specific groups would respond to this claim, which is difficult to answer because groups don't think in unison. Reagan's deep cuts to social programs hurt many people, not just minorities. His belief in a smaller federal government also made minority groups wary. Similarly, his determination to prevent the spread of communist revolutions in the Western Hemisphere also brought sharp reactions, both for and against.

One can look at the polling data and make conclusions about groups' opinions, but that data would also leave many things out. For example, Reagan was the first president to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court, which he did in his second year in office. He also expanded the military, which historically has seen a disproportionately high number of blacks relative to their total population. Reagan had a mixed record with Hispanics, but in 1986 he granted amnesty for three million illegal immigrants, most of whom were from Latin America. Granted, your question asks about 1984, but there was a big shift in opinion following the amnesty. Had that amnesty occurred two years prior, the 1984 election would have likely seen even more Hispanics vote for him.

As with any president, Reagan's record would likely be a mixed bag. Although one could guess what Americans from different backgrounds would say regarding his "morning" comment, it would have to take into account that a high variability exists. No group has a singular, monolithic opinion.

What is an analysis of The Hate U Give?

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is centered around a topical issue -- the killing of unarmed black men by police officers. Through the character Starr, who witnesses the shooting of her friend Kalil, Thomas explores issues of racism, justice, and personal acceptance. Even with the difficult, sad themes, Thomas is able to create an engaging narrative supported by an intelligent and thoughtful main character that ends with hope rather than despair.

When Khalil and Starr are pulled over, the officer doesn't say why he's stopped them. He shoots Khalil when the teenager moves to ask Starr whether she's okay. Ultimately, a grand jury decides there's no reason to prosecute him; nothing happens to bring justice to Khalil. The protests, riots, and national news come to nothing.

In fact, the only person brought to justice in the story is King, the leader of the King Lords. He tries to burn down a building with Starr, Chris, DeVante, and Seven inside; the neighborhood comes together to accuse King and his gang of arson. DeVante goes a step further and testifies against them from his position as a former gang member so that the neighborhood will be free of their wrath. 

Racism is a major issue in the novel, largely because Khalil's murder exposes peoples prejudices more clearly to Starr than before. She discusses how her friends at school treat her like a token black person, how her father wouldn't understand her dating a white boy, and how people approach her about Khalil's death, unaware she's the witness. A friend at school, Hailey, removes her from social media so she doesn't have to see her posts that highlight issues black people face in America. The same friend later admits that she feels Khalil's shooting is justified.

One interesting choice that strengthens the story is that there is no resolution between Hailey and Starr or for the murder of Khalil. Starr decides that Hailey's apology is weak and exposes her for the awful person she is. Many young adult books have people come awake to their prejudices so that relationships can heal; it's a very pat approach. Thomas, on the other hand, leaves Hailey and Starr apart -- Starr is able to accept that Haily won't change or recognize her own prejudice anytime soon.

The murder of Khalil is another thing that isn't resolved. He's dead and no one will pay for that. The officer who shot him claimed he mistook a hairbrush for a weapon -- and that's enough to let Khalil die from three gunshots. The reader experiences the same feeling of frustration first as the police department refuses to try the officer and later as the grand jury says there isn't enough evidence to go to trial. 

Personal acceptance is something Starr achieves during the story. Starr lives differently in two worlds. At school, she's Williamson Starr, who doesn't discuss her family or Garden Heights. At home, she changes and acts differently than she does at school to fit into her neighborhood. She grows throughout the novel and comes to terms with each part of herself, integrating them so that she can be one person all the time. 

Starr is uncomfortable with her boyfriend, Chris, until the end of the book when she's able to expose her real self to him. Until she could combine all the parts of her life into a single whole, Starr is incomplete and unable to make a real connection. once they're honest with each other about her being the witness to Khalil's death -- and Chris being silently aware of that -- she's able to accept that he can love her even knowing that she's from Garden Heights and used to live in the projects.

She's also not able to fully accept her family -- in the form of Kenya, her sister through Seven -- until the end of the novel. When Kenya points out that Starr was always ashamed of her, Starr is horrified to realize it's true. That's why she didn't invite Kenya over and acknowledge their relationship when she was with her friends from Williamson. Starr realizes those feelings are in the past; she can accept Garden Heights and love the people she cares for without shame or the need to hide who she is.

The Hate U Give has the ability to make an impact on readers, as reflected by its inclusion on the National Book Award Longlist. Thomas's willingness to look closely at thorny issues and allow some things to remain unresolved are two of the major strengths of the book, along with the intelligence and thoughtfulness of the protagonist Starr. Though the officer isn't brought to justice, Thomas closes the book with hope rather than despair; Starr promises Khalil that people aren't forgetting, that she won't forget, and that she won't remain silent.

In "The Guest" by Albert Camus, what details are omitted from the story as a whole? How might your response to the story be different if they were...

That is a great question.

First, let us acknowledge that all fiction leaves things out, and short stories leave more things out. They have to, in order to create the focus authors need. So, leaving things out is not a weakness in a story. It’s essential.

Turning to this classic short story by Camus, a number of crucial details are left out. Some of these would reshape my response to the story considerably. Consider, for...

That is a great question.

First, let us acknowledge that all fiction leaves things out, and short stories leave more things out. They have to, in order to create the focus authors need. So, leaving things out is not a weakness in a story. It’s essential.

Turning to this classic short story by Camus, a number of crucial details are left out. Some of these would reshape my response to the story considerably. Consider, for example, the accusation scrawled on the blackboard in the final paragraph. If we knew that the person wrote that was mentally ill, or had a feud with Daru, or simply didn’t represent the community, that would radically change the ending of the story.

A second key detail relates to Daru, where he’s teaching, and his internal states. Camus tells us Daru lives simply, like a monk. Why does he live so simply, and why did he take this teaching position? Camus presents us with the current reality of the story, but not the background, and that could change our emotional response to Daru (and his actions in the story). We’d feel differently about Daru with more background.

Finally, it would change many people’s reaction to the story if Camus gave more details about the crime for which the prisoner was being held. If we knew there was some sort of justification to the killing, it would be different than if it were an outright, cold-blooded murder. Our sympathies would change.

`x = y+2, x=y^2` Find the x and y moments of inertia and center of mass for the laminas of uniform density `p` bounded by the graphs of the...

First lets find the bounds of integration. When looking at the graph the furthest that the lamina is bounded on the y-axis is where the curves interest. Lets find those points.

`y+2=y^2`

`0=(y+1)(y-2)`

Therefore the y bounds are y=-1 and y=2. Then we will integrate between the furthest right curve (x=y) and the furthest left curve.

The center of Mass is:

`(x_(cm),y_(cm))=(M_y/M, M_x/M)`

Where the moments of mass are defined as:

`M_x=int int_A rho(x,y)*y dy dx`

`M_y=int int_A rho(x,y)*x dy dx`

The total mass is defined as:

`M=int int_A rho(x,y)dy dx`

First, lets find the total mass.

`M=int^2_-1 [int^(x=y+2)_(x=y^2) rho dx] dy`

`M=rho int^2_-1 [(y+2)-(y^2)] dy`

`M=rho [(1/2)y^2+2y-(1/3)y^3]|^2_-1`

`M=9/2 rho`

Now lets find the x moment of mass.

`M=int^2_-1 y*[int^(x=y+2)_(x=y^2) rho dx] dy`

`M=rho int^2_-1 y*[(y+2)-(y^2)] dy`

`M=rho int^2_-1 (y^2+2y-y^3) dy`

`M=rho ((1/3)y^3+y^2-(1/4)y^4)|^2_-1`

`M_x=9/4 rho`

Now the y moment of mass.

`M=int^2_-1 [int^(x=y+2)_(x=y^2) rho x dx] dy`

`M=rho/2 int^2_-1 [x^2|^(y+2)_(y^2)] dy`

`M=rho/2 int^2_-1 (y^2+4y+4-y^4) dy`

`M=rho/2((1/3)y^3+2y^2+4y-(1/5)y^5)|^2_-1`

`M_y=36/5 rho`

Therefore the center of mass is:

`(x_(cm),y_(cm))=(M_y/M, M_x/M)=((36/5 rho)/(9/2 rho),(9/4 rho)/(9/2 rho))=(8/5,1/2)`

The moments of inerita or the second moments of the lamina are:

`I_x=int int_A rho(x,y)*y^2 dy dx`

`I_y=int int_A rho(x,y)*x^2 dy dx`

I won't solve these integrals step by step since they are very similar to the others, but you will find that:

`I_x=63/20 rho`

`I_y=423/28 rho`

What are the main influences of Against the Grain on Dorian Gray in terms of aestheticism?

Aestheticism is a nineteenth-century movement that advocates "art, for the sake of art" and beauty for the sake of beauty.

Essentially, morality and education are pushed aside, and human creativity is given full liberty of expression. No longer will art portray emotion or morals; no longer will it be used to convey the importance of religion or to remind us of saints, nature, or even God. Art is used to feed the senses and to take creativity to the next level. 

Keep in mind that this was a radical way of thinking in the Victorian era. These were times when people bought into the philosophies of domestic virtuosity that Queen Victoria so avidly proposed. All aspects of life were to have a backdrop of morality. Therefore, for someone to create something without a "purpose" or without a "rationale" behind it, just for the sake of satisfaction, would have seem hedonistic.

Speaking of hedonism, that is precisely the main influence that fuels the themes and characters in the writings of Joris-Karl Huyssman with À rebours (Against the Grain) and, as a consequence, in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde was quite taken with À rebours, and he mirrored his fascination for the novel in his main character. In fact, Dorian Gray may have been entirely inspired by À rebours; at least we know that Dorian was indeed fascinated enough to live his life by the book, although Wilde never exposes the title of the book that changes Dorian forever.

We learn all about this in chapter 10. Those of us who have read À rebours know that Wilde is referring to this book when he writes,

It was a novel without a plot and with only one character, being, indeed, simply a psychological study of a certain young Parisian who spent his life trying to realize in the nineteenth century all the passions and modes of thought that belonged to every century except his own . . .

There is the evidence of hedonism and how this one young Parisian, Jean Des Esseintes, decides to go for it and explore passion and expression to the highest degree.

We learn Des Esseintes is rich enough to fulfill every desire he wants. He can go as high or as low as he wishes when it comes to experiencing "pleasure." Dorian Gray engages in behaviors very similar to those of Des Esseintes. As such, both characters suffer similar fates. Des Esseintes's life becomes ruined by bad health, genetic illnesses, and an overall rotting of the body. In contrast, Dorian Gray's body remains intact, and it is his soul that becomes putrid, only finally transferring back to his body when the picture that granted Dorian eternal youth is finally destroyed.

In the end, both men end up suffering due to an extreme exposure to passions and pleasures. Still, this is the legacy of these novels: they expose the nature of the "new hedonism" that Lord Henry Wotton talks about, how that hedonism fascinates people, and how some people die to experience every pleasure in life for the sake of pleasure.

Again, that was a wild way of thinking and viewing life for the times. Still, it was influential enough to produce two of the most memorable writings of the era, with À rebours being the key source of inspiration for Dorian Gray.

Upon entering the Promised Land, the people expected to enjoy ________, the deep peace of God.

The Hebrew term Shalom is often used to refer to the peace of God. It is a polysemous word, used in many different contexts with different connotations. It can be used as a greeting, in places where one would say "hello" or "goodbye" in English, and is the root of the custom practiced in many churches of "exchanging the peace", and in English liturgy is often translated as "the peace of the Lord."

The term...

The Hebrew term Shalom is often used to refer to the peace of God. It is a polysemous word, used in many different contexts with different connotations. It can be used as a greeting, in places where one would say "hello" or "goodbye" in English, and is the root of the custom practiced in many churches of "exchanging the peace", and in English liturgy is often translated as "the peace of the Lord."

The term shalom can refer to two different types of peace, that among humans (in contrast to war) and that between God and humans, in the sense of reconciliation and forgiveness. It refers to a state of wholeness, and spiritual well-being, as opposed to material prosperity. 

The "Promised Land" is mentioned is several of the books of the Old Testament, as a place given by God to the Israelites, where they could cease their wandering and live in peace. 

Can traditional elements of crime writing be applied to Rime of the Ancient Mariner?

The traditional elements of crime writing—an eerie setting, a terrible crime involving a death and a victim, vengeance, guilt, punishment, and a transgression against morals and/or laws can be applied to Coleridge’s famous long ballad. Indeed, the crime of the Mariner is so dreadful that it has disturbed the spirit world, which wreaks vengeance on him for shooting the sacred albatross, which can be viewed allegorically as a Christian soul. Pride, or "hubris," is the...

The traditional elements of crime writing—an eerie setting, a terrible crime involving a death and a victim, vengeance, guilt, punishment, and a transgression against morals and/or laws can be applied to Coleridge’s famous long ballad. Indeed, the crime of the Mariner is so dreadful that it has disturbed the spirit world, which wreaks vengeance on him for shooting the sacred albatross, which can be viewed allegorically as a Christian soul. Pride, or "hubris," is the Mariner’s flaw, both in thinking he would escape punishment —even though he transgressed against the life force of the albatross—and in embarking on a voyage of discovery, which, in the 1790s, might have been seen as contrary to biblical teaching because of the sailors' attempt to "play God" by embarking on an over-ambitious expedition. The Mariner suffers guilt, as would be portrayed in a crime story, and learns a moral lesson, realizing that he has done a "hellish thing." Although there is no conventional "trial" of the Mariner, the spirit voices act as judges and represent the Mariner’s own guilt.

What images of coldness can you find in "The Cold Equations"?

The story is indeed full of imagery expressing the "coldness" inherent in the decision to jettison Marilyn into space. Here's an example:

“And it won’t come back—but there might be other cruisers, mightn’t there? Isn’t there any hope at all that there might be someone, somewhere, who could do something to help me?” She was leaning forward a little in her eagerness as she waited for his answer. “No.” The word was like the drop of a cold stone and she again leaned back against the wall, the hope and eagerness leaving her face. “You’re sure—you know you’re sure?”

The word "no" is likened to the "drop of a cold stone." The lone word is grim in its finality and does little to comfort Marilyn. The decision to jettison Marilyn is a calculated, uncompromising one. The pilot simply tells Marilyn that "there is nothing and no one to change things." Essentially, the softer impulses (such as mercy or pity) will never be part of any scientific equation.

Another example of "cold" imagery is:

They would hate him with cold and terrible intensity, but it really didn’t matter. He would never see them, never know them. He would have only the memories to remind him; only the nights of fear, when a blue-eyed girl in gypsy sandals would come in his dreams to die again . . .

The pilot knows that his decision is based on cold, hard math. Yet, he also understands that Marilyn's parents would never forgive his detachment; he fears that their hatred would be unrelenting, unswerving, and irrevocable in its intensity. 

The text tells us that the laws of nature are "irrevocable and immutable" and that "Men could learn to use them, but men could not change them." Although the pilot can provide logical reasons for jettisoning Marilyn, he knows that her parents will never view his decision as anything other than a vile, merciless move to preserve the status quo. Their hatred towards him will be as "cold" and deliberate as his decision.

How would you describe the main character in Nightjohn?

Sarny is the protagonist in Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen. She is a twelve-year-old slave who has higher aspirations for herself. Her mother is sold, leaving her motherless. There is a misconception that she is not a bright child because her speech is impacted by a birth defect which is referred to in the book as "a stuck tongue.” Some even believe she is a witch. In reality, she is a very introspective, smart child. Nightjohn,...

Sarny is the protagonist in Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen. She is a twelve-year-old slave who has higher aspirations for herself. Her mother is sold, leaving her motherless. There is a misconception that she is not a bright child because her speech is impacted by a birth defect which is referred to in the book as "a stuck tongue.” Some even believe she is a witch. In reality, she is a very introspective, smart child. Nightjohn, a former slave, returns to the South, and when he gives her the opportunity, she easily learns to read and write, proving her intelligence. 

As a slave, Sarny’s literacy sets her up for problems, but she is determined, showing perseverance in the face of adversity. Despite the dangers, she helps Nightjohn as he educates other slaves because she is adamant that literacy is the key to a better life for those who were enslaved.

What is Citizen: An American Lyric about?

Claudia Rankine's book Citizen: An American Lyric is in essence a collection of prose and poetry that tackles the current state of race relations in the United States and beyond. Ultimately, it poses two questions to readers: What is the definition of poetry in an artistic landscape where genres are simultaneously expanding their boundaries and becoming ever intertwined? And, what is the definition of a citizen in a society where the rules as they are written down are often incongruous with the rules as they are acted out? 

The first section of the work is structured as a series of prose poems, all bound together by a consistent second person voice: the recurring “you.” While at first glance it may seem as though this “you” is the author simply speaking to herself, Rankine actually interviewed 25 of her friends, both black and white, in order to collect material for her poems. As a result, this first section, along with several other sections that feature the recurring “you,” becomes a composite of racial and social experience focused on the idea of the micro-aggression. A micro-aggression is basically just a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group.

In the more essayistic sections of the book, Rankine really digs into the ways in which micro-aggressions, when repressed by their victims, build up over time, leading to reactions that are deemed insane or immature. She uses Serena Williams' outburst in regards to a series of bad calls against her by a white line judge during a tennis match as a primary example. Rankine also comments on a white-dominated society’s ability to erase the people of a race and culture through acts of violence and prejudice, such as in the case of Trayvon Martin, and thus really opens up the question of who gets to be a citizen in U.S. culture.

What impact did slavery have on African Americans, both free and enslaved, throughout the South?

Slavery in the American South proved to have a devastating impact on African Americans. 

Slaves who were forced to work as field hands began their day before dawn and did not finish until after sunset. Their only break was for a noon meal (which often consisted of barely suitable food). For six days a week, they operated under the constant supervision of their overseers, who would exact swift and painful punishment if they exhibited any...

Slavery in the American South proved to have a devastating impact on African Americans. 

Slaves who were forced to work as field hands began their day before dawn and did not finish until after sunset. Their only break was for a noon meal (which often consisted of barely suitable food). For six days a week, they operated under the constant supervision of their overseers, who would exact swift and painful punishment if they exhibited any behaviors that they did not like.

Families were often separated from each other when wives, husbands, and children were sold off to neighboring—or even very distant—plantations. Life on these plantations involved sleeping on a dirt floor in small slave shacks. 

Domestic slaves lived in slightly better conditions and received superior food, which marked them as higher up within the caste system of the community. However, women living in plantation households were often subject to sexual violence and rape from their white male slave owners. 

Slaves were faced with severe laws that limited their rights; they were not allowed to possess a gun, receive an education, assemble without a white individual present, or enter into a legally binding marriage. 

On top of these physical demands was the psychological and emotional burden of knowing that one belonged to another human being. For many African Americans, the ramifications of this social injustice have lasted until today.

Even free African American individuals were still forced to live under the shadow of slavery as they were subject to discriminatory laws. Despite these restrictions, they typically did their best to establish intellectual and religious autonomy and to speak out against the injustices of slavery.

How do the Christ figures (think about which characters could represent Christ) in UTC underscore the novel’s basic Christian messages?

Uncle Tom and Eva are the two main Christ-like figures in the novel. Through them, Stowe shows that true Christians sacrifice themselves for the good of others. Slavery, in contrast, sacrifices the good of others (the slaves) for the convenience of the slave owners. Slavery, therefore, is an evil, un-Christian institution.

Uncle Tom underscores a Christian ethic by continually sacrificing himself for other people. He doesn't try to run away when he is about to...

Uncle Tom and Eva are the two main Christ-like figures in the novel. Through them, Stowe shows that true Christians sacrifice themselves for the good of others. Slavery, in contrast, sacrifices the good of others (the slaves) for the convenience of the slave owners. Slavery, therefore, is an evil, un-Christian institution.

Uncle Tom underscores a Christian ethic by continually sacrificing himself for other people. He doesn't try to run away when he is about to be sold at the beginning of the novel, even though he is deeply grieved by the news. Being sold will separate him from his wife and children. It will leave him open to being purchased by a cruel master. Nevertheless, he knows Mr. Shelby is selling him because of the high price he will bring. This will save Mr. Shelby from having to sell many of his ––or even break up the plantation––to settle his debts. Tom sacrifices himself to protect the other slaves. He knows that Shelbys are kind masters and that the slaves there are in a good situation. Likewise, at the end of the book, Tom allows himself to be beaten to death rather than violate his conscience and turn on his fellow slaves. He dies to protect them, the ultimate Christ-like sacrifice. 

Like Uncle Tom, the angelic little Eva has a moral compass different from that of the society around her. She is not old enough to free the slaves or do anything as bold and courageous as Tom does in defying Simon Legree, but she puts the needs of others ahead of herself. She treats the slaves with great kindness, dignity, and love. The slaves all love her in return. When she is dying, she extorts everyone in the room, slave and free, to be good Christians and love and serve one other. 

If more people behaved like the true Christians Tom and Eva, Stowe believed, putting the needs of others first, there would be no slavery.

Should it be illegal for tourists to climb Uluru in Australia?

Uluru, located  in the Uluru-Kata Tjutu National Park of Australia, was given back to the Anangu people by the government of Australia, and the Anangu people leased it to Australia for 99 years, allowing tourists to visit the park and rock. Climbing Uluru, as well as preventing tourists from climbing Uluru, poses multiple ethical and cultural problems. First, the climb has "great spiritual significance" to the Anangu because they celebrate the Mala...

Uluru, located  in the Uluru-Kata Tjutu National Park of Australia, was given back to the Anangu people by the government of Australia, and the Anangu people leased it to Australia for 99 years, allowing tourists to visit the park and rock. Climbing Uluru, as well as preventing tourists from climbing Uluru, poses multiple ethical and cultural problems.
 
First, the climb has "great spiritual significance" to the Anangu because they celebrate the Mala "hare wallaby" people as creation beings who walked the sacred climb since creation (McClintock, "Climbing the Rock," ABC News). For this reason, tourists are dissuaded from making the sacred climb.

Secondly, 30 people have died climbing Uluru in the past few decades. These deaths are particularly disturbing to the Anangu who believe people should "take responsibility for their [own] actions" (McClintock). Since Uluru is the responsibility of the Anangu, they feel responsible for these deaths, which is very distressing for them.

However, making Uluru completely illegal to climb poses cultural problems. Since the Anangu believe people should be responsible for their own actions, they believe people should choose for themselves what is right or wrong. Therefore, hanging a sign on Uluru saying it's wrong, or illegal, to climb the rock contradicts the culture of the Anangu.

According to some views, such as Thomas Jefferson's Utilitarian view, it is ethical to create laws to protect both safety and happiness. While it would be ethical to create a law to protect the safety of tourists, it would be unethical to create such a law if doing so infringes on the culture and, therefore the happiness, of the people most affected by the law, the Anangu.

`1/3log_5(12x)=2` Solve the equation. Check for extraneous solutions.

To evaluate the given equation `1/3log_5(12x)=2` , we may apply logarithm property: `n* log_b(x) = log_b(x^n)` .

`log_5((12x)^(1/3))=2`

Take the "log" on both sides to be able to apply the logarithm property: `a^(log_a(x))=x` .

`5^(log_5((12x)^(1/3)))=5^(2)`

`(12x)^(1/3)= 25`

Cubed both sides to cancel out the fractional exponent.

`((12x)^(1/3))^3= (25)^3`

`(12x)^(1/3*3)=15625`

`(12x)^(3/3)=15625`

`12x =15625`

Divide both sides by `12` .

`(12x)/12 =(15625)/12`

`x =(15625)/12`

Checking: Plug-in `x=(15625)/12` on `1/3log_5(12x)=2` 

`1/3log_5(12*(15625)/12)=?2`

`1/3log_5(15625)=?2`

`log_5(15625^(1/3))=?2`

`log_5(root(3)(15625))=?2`

`log_5(25)=?2`

`log_5(5^2)=?2`

`2log_5(5)=?2`

`2*1=?2`

`2=2...

To evaluate the given equation `1/3log_5(12x)=2` , we may apply logarithm property: `n* log_b(x) = log_b(x^n)` .

`log_5((12x)^(1/3))=2`

Take the "log" on both sides to be able to apply the logarithm property: `a^(log_a(x))=x` .

`5^(log_5((12x)^(1/3)))=5^(2)`

`(12x)^(1/3)= 25`

Cubed both sides to cancel out the fractional exponent.

`((12x)^(1/3))^3= (25)^3`

`(12x)^(1/3*3)=15625`

`(12x)^(3/3)=15625`

`12x =15625`

Divide both sides by `12` .

`(12x)/12 =(15625)/12`

`x =(15625)/12`

Checking: Plug-in `x=(15625)/12` on `1/3log_5(12x)=2` 

`1/3log_5(12*(15625)/12)=?2`

`1/3log_5(15625)=?2`

`log_5(15625^(1/3))=?2`

`log_5(root(3)(15625))=?2`

`log_5(25)=?2`

`log_5(5^2)=?2`

`2log_5(5)=?2`

`2*1=?2`

`2=2 `  TRUE

There is no extraneous solution. The `x=(15625)/12` is a real solution for the given equation `1/3log_5(12x)=2` .

How did Sherlock Holmes know the person visiting him was a teacher?

In "The Red-Headed League," the person visiting Sherlock Holmes isn't a teacher—he's a writer.

The plot centers around Jabez Wilson, a former laborer who is now the owner of a pawn shop of middling success. Wilson is approached by his assistant, Spaulding, about a lucrative opportunity for work presented by the so-called "Red-Headed League." Having red hair himself, he inquires about the work. The job is busywork that pays far beyond the actual skill required...

In "The Red-Headed League," the person visiting Sherlock Holmes isn't a teacher—he's a writer.

The plot centers around Jabez Wilson, a former laborer who is now the owner of a pawn shop of middling success. Wilson is approached by his assistant, Spaulding, about a lucrative opportunity for work presented by the so-called "Red-Headed League." Having red hair himself, he inquires about the work. The job is busywork that pays far beyond the actual skill required to do it, specifically, four pounds per week to hand-write a copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. 

When Wilson arrives at Holmes's Baker Street abode, Holmes makes a number of deductions on sight—Wilson's history as a laborer, his travel to China, and, of course, his role as a writer. Holmes makes this deduction from Wilson's sleeves—the right hand, Wilson's writing hand, is "shiny" in the cuff of his shirt, and the left elbow has a worn spot from where Wilson rested it on his desk.

What are some examples of antithesis in Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"?

Antithesis is the opposition or contrast of ideas or words in parallel structure.  Parallelism occurs when structures within sentences or parts of a sentence take the same form.  Parallelism is a grammatical repetition.

One of King's most quoted lines is an example of antithesis: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  First, one must understand how this sentence is in parallel form.  If one were to break the sentence down to its parts of...

Antithesis is the opposition or contrast of ideas or words in parallel structure.  Parallelism occurs when structures within sentences or parts of a sentence take the same form.  Parallelism is a grammatical repetition.

One of King's most quoted lines is an example of antithesis: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  First, one must understand how this sentence is in parallel form.  If one were to break the sentence down to its parts of speech, it would follow this structure: noun, adverb, verb, adjective, noun, preposition, noun, adverb.  The two parts that are underlined show the two structures that are repeated, so one knows this is an example of parallelism.  Looking at those two parts in the sentence ("Injustice anywhere" and "justice everywhere"), one can see that the phrases are opposites of one another.

So what is the reason for antithesis?  King wants to show his audience (particularly the eight clergymen who sent him the letter to which he is responding) that his purpose in being in Birmingham is greater than Birmingham; it is about rooting out injustices across the country to protect and elevate justice for all.  It is not a Black or White issue; it is the country's issue.

Some other examples of antithesis (with the parallelism underlined):

1. "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." (para. 5)


2. "...the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood." (para. 10)


3. "We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." (para. 13)


4. "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." (para. 15)


5. "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." (para. 16)


6. "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal." (para. 17)


7. "Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

How do Troy's unyielding expectations result in his downfall? I have identified his expectations as a father and a husband, and I need one more...

A tragic hero in literature is one who has flaws to which he or she is blind. These flaws bring about his or her fall. Troy in August Wilson's play Fencesis a tragic hero. As you write in the question, he has unrealistic expectations about himself as a father and husband. He believes that if he works hard, he can protect his family from misfortune, including not only poverty and racism but also death...

A tragic hero in literature is one who has flaws to which he or she is blind. These flaws bring about his or her fall. Troy in August Wilson's play Fences is a tragic hero. As you write in the question, he has unrealistic expectations about himself as a father and husband. He believes that if he works hard, he can protect his family from misfortune, including not only poverty and racism but also death itself. While trying to protect his family, he also alienates them; for example, he does not want his son Cory to play football because he fears that Cory will be the victim of racism. He does not want his older son, Lyons, to be a jazz musician because he fears Lyons will not succeed. In trying to protect them and steer them toward "safe" futures, such as working at the A&P or on a sanitation truck, Troy alienates them and drives a wedge between himself, his sons, and his wife, Rose. He also cheats on his wife and does not meet her expectations of being a good husband.

Like the tragic hero, Troy is blind to his faults. Perhaps his greatest fault, though, is that he believes he can defeat death by building a fence around his house. In this sense, he has unrealistic expectations of what it means to be a human being. By constructing this fence, he also makes his family alienated from him. In the end, death claims him, and he falls, like a classic tragic hero. 

`y=-x^2+4x+2 , y=x+2` Find the x and y moments of inertia and center of mass for the laminas of uniform density `p` bounded by the graphs of...

For an irregularly shaped planar lamina of uniform density `(rho)` bounded by graphs `y=f(x),y=g(x)` and `a<=x<=b` , the mass `(m)` of this region is given by:

`m=rhoint_a^b[f(x)-g(x)]dx`

`m=rhoA` , where A is the area of the region.

The moments about the x- and y-axes are given by:

`M_x=rhoint_a^b 1/2([f(x)]^2-[g(x)]^2)dx`

`M_y=rhoint_a^bx(f(x)-g(x))dx`

The center of mass `(barx,bary)` is given by:

`barx=M_y/m`

`bary=M_x/m`

We are given, `y=-x^2+4x+2,y=x+2`

Refer to the attached image. The plot of `y=-x^2+4x+2` is in red color...

For an irregularly shaped planar lamina of uniform density `(rho)` bounded by graphs `y=f(x),y=g(x)` and `a<=x<=b` , the mass `(m)` of this region is given by:

`m=rhoint_a^b[f(x)-g(x)]dx`

`m=rhoA` , where A is the area of the region.

The moments about the x- and y-axes are given by:

`M_x=rhoint_a^b 1/2([f(x)]^2-[g(x)]^2)dx`

`M_y=rhoint_a^bx(f(x)-g(x))dx`

The center of mass `(barx,bary)` is given by:

`barx=M_y/m`

`bary=M_x/m`

We are given, `y=-x^2+4x+2,y=x+2`

Refer to the attached image. The plot of `y=-x^2+4x+2` is in red color and the plot of `y=x+2` is in blue color. The curves intersect at `(0,2)` and `(3,5)` .

Now let's evaluate the area (A) of the region,

`A=int_0^3((-x^2+4x+2)-(x+2))dx`  

`A=int_0^3(-x^2+4x+2-x-2)dx`

`A=int_0^3(-x^2+3x)dx`

Using basic integration properties:

`A=[-x^3/3+3x^2/2]_0^3`

`A=[-(3)^3/3+3/2(3)^2]`

`A=[-9+27/2]`

`A=9/2`

Now let's evaluate the moments about the x- and y-axes using the formulas stated above,

`M_x=rhoint_0^3 1/2([-x^2+4x+2)]^2-[x+2]^2)dx`

`M_x=1/2rhoint_0^3{[(-x^2+4x+2)+(x+2)][(-x^2+4x+2)-(x+2)]}dx`

`M_x=1/2rhoint_0^3{[-x^2+5x+4][-x^2+3x]}dx`

`M_x=1/2rhoint_0^3(x^4-3x^3-5x^3+15x^2-4x^2+12x)dx`

`M_x=1/2rhoint_0^3(x^4-8x^3+11x^2+12x)dx`

Evaluate using the basic integration rules:

`M_x=1/2rho[x^5/5-8(x^4/4)+11(x^3/3)+12(x^2/2)]_0^3`

`M_x=1/2rho[x^5/5-2x^4+11/3x^3+6x^2]_0^3`

`M_x=1/2rho[(3)^5/5-2(3)^4+11/3(3)^3+6(3)^2]`

`M_x=1/2rho[243/5-162+99+54]`

`M_x=1/2rho[243/5-9]`

`M_x=1/2rho[(243-45)/5]`

`M_x=1/2rho(198/5)`

`M_x=99/5rho`

`M_y=rhoint_0^3x((-x^2+4x+2)-(x+2))dx`

`M_y=rhoint_0^3x(-x^2+4x+2-x-2)dx`

`M_y=rhoint_0^3x(-x^2+3x)dx`

`M_y=rhoint_0^3(-x^3+3x^2)dx`

`M_y=rho[-x^4/4+3(x^3/3)]_0^3`

`M_y=rho[-x^4/4+x^3]_0^3`

`M_y=rho[-1/4(3)^4+3^3]`

`M_y=rho[-1/4(81)+27]`

`M_y=rho[(-81+108)/4]`

`M_y=rho(27/4)`

`M_y=27/4rho`

Now evaluate the center of mass by plugging in the values of moments and area as below:

`barx=M_y/m=M_y/(rhoA)`

`barx=(27/4rho)/(rho9/2)`

`barx=(27/4)(2/9)`

`barx=3/2`

`bary=M_x/m=M_x/(rhoA)`

`bary=(99/5rho)/(rho9/2)`

`bary=(99/5)(2/9)`

`bary=22/5`

The center of mass `(barx,bary)` are `(3/2,22/5)`

I need help with the following assignment: Conduct a comparison of the websites of two community service organisations that target similar client...

As you have not specified which websites you are analyzing, it is difficult to make specific comments about your project. One starting point for finding examples of good and bad websites is:

http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2016/30455/the-companies-with-the-best-and-worst-website-experiences

Another site that gives you a sample of bad websites with analysis of what makes them bad is:

http://www.onlinetechnologyworld.com/10-worst-websites-2016-avoid-building-one/

For your project, you should begin by researching websites for community service organizations in your area to select two websites. Next, your essay...

As you have not specified which websites you are analyzing, it is difficult to make specific comments about your project. One starting point for finding examples of good and bad websites is:

http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2016/30455/the-companies-with-the-best-and-worst-website-experiences

Another site that gives you a sample of bad websites with analysis of what makes them bad is:

http://www.onlinetechnologyworld.com/10-worst-websites-2016-avoid-building-one/

For your project, you should begin by researching websites for community service organizations in your area to select two websites. Next, your essay should be divided into sections, each addressing the following issues:

1. Introduction: In your introduction discuss which two sites you have chosen and why.

2. Landing Page: A landing page should clearly identify the organization the website belongs to, what it does, and how to navigate with a single click to the key other pages on the site. Simplicity and clarity are both important.

3. Languages: For community service websites, it is important that they offer support for the languages used in the areas they serve. For example, in New Mexico, a website should offer English, Spanish, and Navajo versions of their pages.

4. Accessibility: As people with disabilities are one major audience for this sort of website, the website should be accessible to those with visual and hearing impairments. For a discussion of website accessibility, see:

https://www.w3.org/standards/webdesign/accessibility

5. Responsive to Devices: A good website design is responsive to the devices used to access it and can be viewed using computers with different screen sizes, tablets, and mobile phones.

6. Loading Speed: A good website should load in under two to four seconds, with under two seconds being ideal.

7. Bug-Free: You should test your two websites by clicking on all their links and making sure that the site does not crash. Any site with obsolete or broken links or which is prone to crashing is badly designed.

8. Contact Information: The website should have several clearly locatable options for contacting human beings if the site itself fails to answer key questions. 

9. Relevant to Users: The website should be clearly focused on the needs of its clientele.

Should I study business and major in it? Will it be a good choice for my future career?

Realistically, you are the only person who can answer this question. The first step in answering it is to think about your own talents and interests.

For example, if you are a skilled writer, and enjoy reading and writing, you might be suited for a career in technical writing, public relations, or journalism, and should major in one of those.

If your main skills and interests are numerical, you might enjoy a career in accounting...

Realistically, you are the only person who can answer this question. The first step in answering it is to think about your own talents and interests.

For example, if you are a skilled writer, and enjoy reading and writing, you might be suited for a career in technical writing, public relations, or journalism, and should major in one of those.

If your main skills and interests are numerical, you might enjoy a career in accounting or statistics, whereas if you love the outdoors you could choose geology or environmental science. If you like animals, agricultural or veterinary careers might be good choices. If your favorite activity is playing video games, you could consider a career as a game designer or working in marketing or product testing at a gaming company.

If you like working with your hands, you might consider training as a plumber or electrician or automotive mechanic. There are many well-paid jobs such as medical technologist, mechanical drafter, industrial technician, or air traffic controller that do not require a four-year degree. 

A generic business degree, without a specialization in some specific area such as finance or marketing, is not something really useful over the long run as it is often viewed as a generic major for students with no particular interests.

It is far better to major in something that interests you and leads towards a specific career for which you have some interest and aptitude than to just major in business as a sort of default.