What is satire in A Christmas Carol?

Charles Dickens’ satire is always based upon the issues of the industrial revolution and how it specifically affected Victorian England.  Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is no exception.  During the industrial revolution the rich become richer (in that they own the workhouses and factories) while the poor become poorer (in that they are left to work in the factories for low pay and are often unable to feed their families while they grow ever sicker because of poor conditions).  Scrooge, of course, is an example of the rich in society.  Luckily, he has a grand transformation to see the error of his ways.  The poor are exemplified by many characters such as Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim. 

Satire, of course, is the use of elements such as humor, irony, and exaggeration in order to highlight the problems in society.  In my opinion, the best examples of satire are provided by the ghost of Christmas present quoting Scrooge’s own words.  Earlier in the novel, Scrooge tells a couple of humanitarians that the poor, if they want to, should simply die to “decrease the surplus population.”  Later in the novel, Scrooge becomes well acquainted with the poverty stricken (and crippled) Tiny Tim.  The second spirit wastes no time in telling Scrooge that Tiny Tim is the very kind of person for whom Scrooge suggested death to decrease that surplus in the population.  The spirit then reprimands Scrooge severely by using exaggeration saying the following:

Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child.

It is examples just like this one (that often make the reader chuckle) that show Dickens’ satire of the rich in Victorian England in order to indicate the plight of the poor.

How did Bright Morning feel when she heard the river running?

Bright Morning is the main character and narrator in Scott O'Dell's 1970 novel entitled Sing Down The Moon. Bright Morning is part of the Navajo (spelled Navaho in the novel) tribe. The novel is set in 1864, and it is a wonderful portrayal a difficult part of American history. I love getting a glimpse of Navajo life, as well as seeing a historical event from the perspective of those who were victimized. It is a Newbery Honor award winner, as well.

It is beautiful to see the characters' relationship to nature in this novel. They depend on nature, and they revere it as well. Nature is often depicted as having a sort of supernatural power. For example, when her brother shoots the six prong deer and was singing with happiness because of this, lightning struck him and he died. Bright Morning believes this happened because the gods do not like to see people showing happiness by singing and they punish those who do not obey. 

When Bright Morning hears the river running in chapter one, she says she felt like singing. She said she wanted to leap and dance with joy because hearing the water of the river rushing is a sign that spring has begun. The first line of the novel indicates that spring came early that year, so hearing the river run when she did would have been somewhat of a surprise, as well. She describes it in the following way: 

The day the waters came was a wonderful day. I heard the first sounds of their coming while I lay awake in the night. At first it was a whisper, like a wind among the dry stalks of our cornfield. After a while it was a sound like the feet of warriors dancing. Then it was a roar that shook the earth. I could hardly wait until the sun rose.

A little later, she describes her feelings about the river running and the sounds and sights of spring:

I felt like singing. I wanted to leap and dance with joy, yet I stood quietly and watched the river running between the greening cottonwood trees, for I knew that it is bad luck to be so happy.

What is the total number of hydrogen bonds in a DNA that has 200 Adenines and 500 Guanines?

DNA is a double-helix formed from two complementary strands that are attached by hydrogen bonds connecting the nitrogenous base pairs in the middle.

The rules for base-pairing in DNA are as follows: adenine pairs to thymine and cytosine pairs to guanine. If there are 200 adenines in the DNA, it follows there must also be 200 thymines. Each adenine and thymine are held together by a hydrogen bond. Therefore, there must be 200 hydrogen...

DNA is a double-helix formed from two complementary strands that are attached by hydrogen bonds connecting the nitrogenous base pairs in the middle.

The rules for base-pairing in DNA are as follows: adenine pairs to thymine and cytosine pairs to guanine. If there are 200 adenines in the DNA, it follows there must also be 200 thymines. Each adenine and thymine are held together by a hydrogen bond. Therefore, there must be 200 hydrogen bonds between them.

If there are 500 guanines, there are also 500 cytosines because they are complementary and form base pairs. Again, there must be 500 hydrogen bonds holding each guanine to each cytosine.

The total amount of hydrogen bonds in this molecule of DNA is 700. And, when DNA replicates, these weak bonds are broken, the double helix unwinds and separates, and either half can be used as a template for replication.

I have included a link showing the placement of hydrogen bonds in the DNA double helix.

What are harmful short-term and long-term effects of excessive alcohol use? How can you reduce your intake of refined sugars each day and replace...

The short-term effects of alcohol use include nausea/vomiting and impaired judgment. Two long-term effects of excessive alcohol use include liver disease and higher blood pressure, which can lead to potential heart disease. Excessive alcohol use has an overall negative effect on health in many ways, including also the potential to cause brain disease. 

Ways to reduce your intake of refined sugars include eating fruit instead of candy or cookies and eating whole-grain breads instead of...

The short-term effects of alcohol use include nausea/vomiting and impaired judgment. Two long-term effects of excessive alcohol use include liver disease and higher blood pressure, which can lead to potential heart disease. Excessive alcohol use has an overall negative effect on health in many ways, including also the potential to cause brain disease. 

Ways to reduce your intake of refined sugars include eating fruit instead of candy or cookies and eating whole-grain breads instead of white breads that have added sugars. Can you think of another method that would reduce sugar and improve your diet?

The typical American diet includes meals such as a beef hamburger on a white bread bun and french fries. Ways to reduce the saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium in this meal include substituting a baked sweet potato instead of french fries and eating a turkey burger instead of a beef burger. What else do you think could improve the quality of the meal (including, perhaps, adding a salad on the side)? Meat eaters can add leaner protein to their diets by consuming fish, poultry, and other proteins based on soy (such as tofu).

Why did the political structures in nations created out of British and French colonial territories change so drastically during the decades...

Decolonization was the primary reason for the dramatic change in political structures among formerly British and French territories. In 1960, also known as "the Year of Africa," multiple African territories gained their independence from European colonial rule. Even in 1960, colonial rule had a significant impact on the political structure of many African nations. The collapse of the colonial rule led to a political restructure that eventually placed more power in the hands of the native African populations.

The Sharpeville Massacre

Another major event that affected the political structure of formerly British and French colonies was the Sharpeville massacre that took place in South Africa. South African police, given power and authority by the white minority rule in the region, opened fire on a crowd of peaceful protestors. Sixty-nine protestors were killed, sparking an international controversy and turning many against the European colonial rule of African nations. Seventeen African nations that had been under European rule became recognized as part of the United Nation's General Assembly, forever changing the political structure of the region.

The Effects of Decolonization

While South Africa served as a focal point for the racial tensions that developed as a response to British and French colonial rule in Africa, the entire continent was affected. Support for African independence around the world not only led to greater self-governing authority within these regions but a better understanding of the complex and diverse political structures across African nations. The effects of decolonization continued all throughout the Cold War, when fears of Soviet influence led the United States to take a greater interest in African political systems. The absence of British and French authority was seen as an opening for Soviet influence, and many African leaders were polarized in their alliances.

Lack of Structure

There was no unified process of decolonization, which made it difficult for decolonized nations to adjust and transfer authority. In some nations, decolonization was peaceful, while in others it was chaotic. The growing influence of the United Nations gave a voice to advocates of continued decolonization, especially as membership expanded in the 1970s, but it was a slow and arduous process. Nonetheless, it was the first time that leaders from "third world" nations had been heard by such a wide audience on an international stage.

The Neo-Colonialism of the 1960s

Anti-colonial intellectuals of the 1960s described neo-colonialism as a new form of European exploitation of African people and natural resources. Newly appointed African leaders faced difficulty in having their authority recognized, which threatened the nascent political structures of all decolonized African nations. Strained relations with the former rule of the British and French nations made political alliances and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa difficult to navigate. On an internal level, many newly sovereign African nations found it difficult to extricate themselves from the lingering political structures of their colonial authorities. While these nations were independent in a technical sense, there were still deeply ingrained factions based on regional alignment and ethnicity that made it difficult for them to exercise their sovereignty. This is an issue that persists in many modern-day African countries. With an absence of national identities that were separate from colonial influence, the political structures of these countries remained vulnerable to foreign influence.

I have been assigned to write an essay about Kathy Knapp's analysis of T. C. Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain. She says the novel "captures the...

Kathy Knapp writes in "Ain't No Friend of Mine" (see the source below) that the gated community in The Tortilla Curtain "embodies in miniature the nation's schizophrenic relationship with its undocumented community" (page 122). Knapp states that homeowner associations, such as the gated community where Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher live in the novel The Tortilla Curtain,generally allow undocumented immigrants into the community to perform chores such as housework and gardening. In other words, the...

Kathy Knapp writes in "Ain't No Friend of Mine" (see the source below) that the gated community in The Tortilla Curtain "embodies in miniature the nation's schizophrenic relationship with its undocumented community" (page 122). Knapp states that homeowner associations, such as the gated community where Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher live in the novel The Tortilla Curtain, generally allow undocumented immigrants into the community to perform chores such as housework and gardening. In other words, the white community only recognizes undocumented workers when they want work done, such as having their children cared for or having their pool cleaned.

In the novel The Tortilla Curtain, Cándido Rincón and his wife, América, undocumented immigrants from Mexico struggling to survive around Los Angeles, are invisible to the wealthy suburbanites in the Arroyo Blanco gated community. When Delaney Mossbacher, a resident of Arroyo Blanco, hits Cándido with his car, Delaney gives Cándido $20, later stating that it's sufficient compensation because the man is Mexican. In other words, Cándido's life is of little value to Delaney. However, residents of the Arroyo Blanco gated community employ América as a cleaning lady and pay her very little in return for her work, and they employ other undocumented immigrants as gardeners. The characters in the novel practice the ethos that Knapp discusses as they only value and see undocumented immigrants when the immigrants can be helpful to them as very low-paid workers. Otherwise, the characters do not recognize or try to help undocumented immigrants such as Cándido Rincón and his pregnant wife, América.

Source:

Knapp, Kathy. “‘Ain’t No Friend Of Mine’: Immigration Policy The Gated Community, And The Problem With The Disposable Worker In T. C. Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain.” Atenea 28.2 (2008): 121-34. Print.

In the final section of Moby Dick, why does Ahab die, and why does Ishmael live? Consider the human cost of the Pequod's sinking, what forces save...

With Ishmael and Ahab there is clearly a dichotomy: the humble man of no family or special rank, a godly man who develops relationships with other men and of the spirit, and the ungodly, god-like man who refuses to subject himself to any higher power. Ahab dies because, as Ishmael notes,

For all men tragically great are made so through a certain morbidness....All mortal greatness is but disease.

On the other hand, Ismael, who develops...

With Ishmael and Ahab there is clearly a dichotomy: the humble man of no family or special rank, a godly man who develops relationships with other men and of the spirit, and the ungodly, god-like man who refuses to subject himself to any higher power. Ahab dies because, as Ishmael notes,

For all men tragically great are made so through a certain morbidness....All mortal greatness is but disease.

On the other hand, Ismael, who develops relationships on his voyage, grows spiritually.

Herman Melville's dark philosophical novel bears resemblance to many a religious and classic tale in which hubris plays a great role. Whereas the innocent Ishmael, takes to the sea because he has "nothing particular" to interest him on land, Captain Ahab, a blasphemous man, is driven to avenge himself upon Moby-Dick, a great white whale upon whom he imbues a certain inscrutability, a force that Ahab is certain is evil if he can but "strike through the mask" and find what metaphysical force lies beneath.

One explanation of Ishmael's survival as opposed to Ahab's death is proffered by Professor Karen Tanguma of Coastal Bend College, who writes in her criticism about the "Adamic Myth" of nineteenth century American literature:

Ishmael (Adam) suffered into knowledge and spiritual rebirth and returned to the human race. Melville enhanced Ahab's unfortunate fall, through the novel's dark elements of evil, fear, and dark history.... Ahab (tragic Adam) became consumed with rage after his encounter with the whale and emerged as a dead man. 

Certainly, in some ways. also, Moby Dick rings of Paradise Lost, which addresses how man endures in a fallen world. Whereas Ishmael, who declares, "There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness," finds his wisdom in the midst of the tragic events of the death of the crew and destruction of the ship at the end. By exerting his free will, he takes life from the symbol of death, Queequeg's coffin, and is saved by holding on to what once belonged to his spiritual friend. On the other hand, Ahab perceives the ship as "the second hearse" and goes to his lonely death--"Thus I give up the spear"--having challenged "madness personified" in the great white whale and failed.