Why does Odysseus want to avoid the island of the sun? What was he warned not to do there?

Odysseus does not want to go to Thrinacia (modern-day Sicily) because he has been explicitly warned by both Circe and Tiresias not to. Odysseus was sent by Circe down to the underworld, and that is where he encountered the blind seer. As Tiresias is a prophet, it is especially important for Odysseus to heed his warnings about Thrinacia.

Unfortunately for Odysseus, he gives in to the constant pleading of one of his crew members, Eurylochus,...

Odysseus does not want to go to Thrinacia (modern-day Sicily) because he has been explicitly warned by both Circe and Tiresias not to. Odysseus was sent by Circe down to the underworld, and that is where he encountered the blind seer. As Tiresias is a prophet, it is especially important for Odysseus to heed his warnings about Thrinacia.

Unfortunately for Odysseus, he gives in to the constant pleading of one of his crew members, Eurylochus, and decides to rest a while upon the island. But Odysseus explicitly warns his men not to kill any of the cattle on Thrinacia, as they belong to the sun god Helios. Eurylochus, however, has other ideas and incites the other men to disobey Odysseus's express orders and slaughter Helios's cattle.

A suitably enraged Helios pleads with mighty Zeus to punish these presumptuous mortals for their disobedience. The father of the gods complies and unleashes a particularly vicious storm upon Odysseus and his crew. Their ship is completely destroyed, and only Odysseus survives the terrible wrath of Zeus.

Why does Bill ask Sam to reduce the ransom amount?

Bill asks Sam to reduce the ransom amount because he believes that it would be cruel to expect a father to pay so much for his ill-behaved child's return. It is also likely (based on his interactions with Johnny) that Bill has little faith Johnny's father will pay the two thousand dollars they are requesting.

To placate Bill, Sam asks for a ransom of fifteen hundred dollars in his letter to Ebenezer Dorset. However, Bill's...

Bill asks Sam to reduce the ransom amount because he believes that it would be cruel to expect a father to pay so much for his ill-behaved child's return. It is also likely (based on his interactions with Johnny) that Bill has little faith Johnny's father will pay the two thousand dollars they are requesting.

To placate Bill, Sam asks for a ransom of fifteen hundred dollars in his letter to Ebenezer Dorset. However, Bill's fears are realized when he and Sam receive correspondence from Johnny's father. In his letter, Ebenezer Dorset tells the men that their ransom demand is much too high. Instead, he makes a counteroffer, requesting that the men pay him 250 dollars cash in order to take Johnny back.

Ebenezer finishes up his letter with a warning: the men had better bring Johnny back at night, so that the neighbors do not see the boy returning. Ebenezer hints that the neighbors will not be too pleased to see Johnny home and might take out their anger on Bill and Sam. This humorous story ends with Bill running as fast as he can towards the Canadian border after paying 250 dollars to Ebenezer Dorset to take Johnny back. 

what are the advantages of using catalysts in industry?

A chemical reaction is a process by which atoms of the reactants come together and combine or re-arrange to form products. An example of a chemical reaction is the reaction of nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas to produce ammonia:

`N_2 + 3H_2 -> 2NH_3` . This is an example of the former where atoms combine. The oxidation of methane to form carbon dioxide and water is an example of the latter.

For chemical reactions to occur, there are some factors that should be considered. For instance, the reactants must come together - must collide. The collision must also happen with the reactants assuming a specific orientation, and the collision must occur with the reactants having enough energy. All these factors contribute to the energy barrier, known as activation energy, of chemical reactions. Different chemical reactions have different activation energies, and higher activation energies mean the reaction will proceed slower, or not at all at certain conditions.

In an industrial setting, a reaction with a high activation energy is not an attractive investment as large-scale production will be hindered by cost and time associated with a chemical reaction that has a high activation energy. A get-around to this is the use of catalysts.

Catalysts are molecules that lower the activation energy of a chemical reaction without actually participating in the chemical reaction. They do so by providing an alternative path to the reaction. Enzymes are an example of biological catalysts. For instance, in synthesis of a protein, enzymes are responsible for attaching a specific amino acid in the chain - in a way, this illustrates the function of catalysts as species that make sure orientation of reacting species are in place (and with specificity).

In the industry, catalysts would lower the cost of production, as well as the time of production, of certain chemical species, thereby making the production as efficient as possible. Examples of this include the use of iron or platinum surfaces to catalyze the production of ammonia from the reaction of hydrogen and nitrogen (above). This reaction is very inefficient and expensive without the use of catalysts.

There are other catalysts - some specific, some generally applied - used in industries - including vanadium oxide for the production of sulfuric acid, aluminosilicates for the conversion of ethene to ethanol, and zeolites for catalytic cracking of oils among others. 

All these catalysts lower the activation energy of a reaction by providing an alternative route to the final product, and hence make a reaction more efficient. In the industrial setting, this will lower the time, and ultimately cost of making a product.

What are some quotes from August: Osage County?

August: Osage County is a play by Tracy Letts. The action is centered on an extremely dysfunctional family with a patriarch who has disappeared and is later discovered to have drowned himself. We see a wide range of problems in the Westons' lives, including affairs, incest, and addiction. Needless to say, tensions run pretty high throughout the story, so there are some great quotes to choose from.

Here's one from Beverly, in his interview with...

August: Osage County is a play by Tracy Letts. The action is centered on an extremely dysfunctional family with a patriarch who has disappeared and is later discovered to have drowned himself. We see a wide range of problems in the Westons' lives, including affairs, incest, and addiction. Needless to say, tensions run pretty high throughout the story, so there are some great quotes to choose from.

Here's one from Beverly, in his interview with Johnna at the beginning of the play:

My wife takes pills and I drink. That's the bargain we've struck . . . one of the bargains, just one paragraph of our marriage contract . . . cruel covenant. She takes pills and I drink.

I think this gives you a pretty good sense of how well the couple was doing in terms of sobriety. 

Here's another from Beverly's eldest daughter, Barbara, whose marriage is falling apart:

Thank God we can't tell the future. We'd never get out of bed.

Pretty bleak, but Barbara doesn't have much good going on in her life at the moment.

From sisters Ivy and Karen:

Ivy: This isn’t whimsy. This isn’t fleeting. This is unlike anything I’ve ever felt, for anybody. Charles and I have something rare, and extraordinary, something very few people ever have.

Karen: Which is what?

Ivy: Understanding.

This chunk of dialogue isn't as heartwarming when you find out that Charles and Ivy are actually brother and sister, a fact that's been hidden from them both their whole lives. 

And here's an exchange between Barbara and Johnna: 

Barbara: Johnna . . . what did my father say to you? (Pause.)

Johnna: He talked a lot about his daughters . . . his three daughters, and his granddaughter. That was his joy.

Barbara: Thank you. That makes me feel better. Knowing that you can lie.

There are many, many more quotable moments in August: Osage County, but these few should give you a good start!

Why is "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick worthy of reading and studying today?

Many people know this poem as "Gather Ye Rosebuds," and the saying "gather ye rosebuds while ye may" has become commonplace in our society. This saying can be loosely translated as "take advantage of today's opportunities." This poem is about how virgins should not wait but should get married, as it's better for them to find spouses while they are still attractive (and perhaps when they can still have children).

While this literal interpretation of...

Many people know this poem as "Gather Ye Rosebuds," and the saying "gather ye rosebuds while ye may" has become commonplace in our society. This saying can be loosely translated as "take advantage of today's opportunities." This poem is about how virgins should not wait but should get married, as it's better for them to find spouses while they are still attractive (and perhaps when they can still have children).

While this literal interpretation of Herrick's poem is a bit outdated according to cultural norms that put less pressure on women to marry and have children young, the poem can also be read as a reminder to take advantage of today. In other words, people should seize opportunities that are currently before them, and these opportunities are "rosebuds" that are fresh and available now but that might decay or not be around if people wait. Many of our opportunities are like freshly cut flowers, as they will not last forever. People reading and studying this poem today can see other applications of its message beyond marriage.

What does The Secret River say about ownership of land?

The ownership of land is certainly a main theme in the novel. Grenville highlights the discrepancies between the white European and aboriginal worldview regarding land; however, she also presents a range of positions within each worldview.

For example, Thomas Blackwood unequivocally condemns the violence Smasher Sullivan and Sagitty Birtels unleash on the native Aborigines. At the same time, Blackwood deeply values the western conception of private property. To Blackwood, land ownership is a privilege to be...

The ownership of land is certainly a main theme in the novel. Grenville highlights the discrepancies between the white European and aboriginal worldview regarding land; however, she also presents a range of positions within each worldview.

For example, Thomas Blackwood unequivocally condemns the violence Smasher Sullivan and Sagitty Birtels unleash on the native Aborigines. At the same time, Blackwood deeply values the western conception of private property. To Blackwood, land ownership is a privilege to be treasured. Additionally, he believes that it is possible to enjoy this privilege while living peacefully among the natives:

"Ain't nothing in this world just for the taking.... A man got to pay a fair price for taking. Matter of give a little, take a little."

The yearning to call a plot of land one's own is sometimes regarded as a western impulse, and men like Blackwood and Thornhill recognize this. Due to Thornhill's convict status and previously impoverished background, land ownership is a means to freedom, personal agency, and autonomy:

"He let himself imagine it: standing on the crest of that slope, looking down over his own place. Thornhill's Point. It was a piercing hunger in his guts: to own it. To say mine, in a way he had never been able to say mine of anything at all."

Yet Thornhill and Blackwood understand something of the Aboriginal connection to the land. The Aborigines are masters at supporting their way of life with skills amassed from long years of experience. Their days are managed with such organic simplicity that they inspire envy in the white settlers:

...the blacks were farmers no less than the white men were. But they did not bother to build a fence to keep the animals from getting out. Instead, they created a tasty patch to lure them in. Either way, it meant meat for dinner.
There were no signs that the blacks felt that the place belonged to them. They had no fences that said this is mine. No house that said, this is our home. There were no fields or flocks that said, we have put the labor of our hands into this place.

Thornhill notes that his household is up with the dawn, clearing the land, lugging water, and chopping wood. By the end of the day, all are exhausted and have little energy to spare. In contrast, the natives spend only a little time each day on their work. Yet they always have plenty of kangaroo meat to eat and time to play with their children.

As for the Aborigines, many are content to live peacefully among the settlers. Others are uneasy when they see portions of their land parceled out to white owners. Some of these Aborigines decide to fight back, and the novel delineates their actions in doing so. However, a final, bloody conflict between the Aborigines and the white settlers demonstrates that the two opposing views regarding land ownership may never be fully reconciled.

What were the ideals of the Renaissance?

The Renaissance was the period of time following the Middle Ages where a dramatic cultural shift began in Italy and spread across Europe. "Renaissance" means "rebirth," referring to the newfound flourish of culture, arts, and scholarship during this time period. 

Humanism was an important ideal of the Renaissance which would later have a great impact in political revolutions and the ordering of new governments. Humanism emphasizes the human person in relation to the world, God,...

The Renaissance was the period of time following the Middle Ages where a dramatic cultural shift began in Italy and spread across Europe. "Renaissance" means "rebirth," referring to the newfound flourish of culture, arts, and scholarship during this time period. 

Humanism was an important ideal of the Renaissance which would later have a great impact in political revolutions and the ordering of new governments. Humanism emphasizes the human person in relation to the world, God, and government. This ideal was somewhat controversial at the time, because the Catholic Church-- the primary religion of Europe-- held that humanism was contrary to the teachings of predestination and God's power.

The Church had much to say against the cultural shifts of the Renaissance, especially where science was concerned. An interest in questioning and exploring the natural world (skepticism) was another driving force of Renaissance culture-- and a big insult to the Church! During this time there was an increased interest in anatomy and astronomy, and such inventions as the microscope and telescope reflect this interest in the sciences. A number of people were burned at the stake for speaking openly about scientific discoveries which went against Church teaching-- for example, heliocentrism.

During the Renaissance, people were also much more interested in individualism. This philosophy holds that individual people are responsible for their moral actions and life choices, rather than being solely governed by societal norms and pressures. In addition to individualism, scholarship was a high pursuit for the Renaissance person. People aspired to be knowledgeable on many subjects, from Classical philosophy, to anatomy, to foreign cultures, and the arts. Scholarship was considered a way to better one's individual life in a way that opened doors to better lives for the rest of their community.

Exploration, the arts, and trade were the means by which a person might really invest in bettering their community, and perhaps further themselves. A person who was knowledgeable in foreign cultures might be an excellent trader, acquiring spices and luxury goods in foreign lands. Skilled navigators explored to find new sea routes for trade and new lands where exotic goods, spices, and medicines might be acquired. Those who did well in travel and trade could stimulate the economy where they lived and become very wealthy themselves. So what does a Renaissance merchant do with all of his wealth? Commission some art for the betterment of his community and to get on the good side of the Church!

All around, the Renaissance was a time which idealized growth, knowledge, and the literal and metaphorical aesthetics of the Classic period.