How do story elements of character, setting, and plot contribute to the theme of "The Monkey's Paw"?

The theme of the story is summed up by the anonymous adage in the epigraph: "Be careful what you wish for, you may receive it." We do not necessarily know what is good for us or what would make us happy and are ill-advised to tamper with the workings of fate.
The setting contributes to this theme with an atmosphere of cosy domesticity. At the beginning of the story, the fire burns brightly and the blinds are drawn against a cold wet night, creating an oasis of warmth and comfort. The Whites have no more serious problems than who wins their chess game.
The carefree, rather skeptical characters of all three Whites also contribute to this effect. When they are given the three wishes, they do not even know what to wish for, even if they decide to believe in the power of the monkey's paw. They treat it as a joke and even when they decide to wish for something sensible, it is a fairly small sum of money they do not really need.
The two elements of setting and character, therefore, establish that the Whites did not need the three wishes and were perfectly happy before they got them. It is the plot, particularly the drastic twist of Harry's death, that throws them into turmoil and demonstrates all too brutally how much worse their life can become when their wishes come true.

In literature, often the supernatural, though fiction, will tell us truths about our lives. A consistent method of identifying themes is to apply the supernatural concepts that make up the plot of the story, in this case fate, wishes, and magical fakirs, to our own lives and those of the real people around us. In The Monkey’s Paw, the Sergeant-Major states that the fakir cursed the paw to show people that they cannot change fate and punish them for trying. Applying that concept to the real world, we could conclude that the story is condemning our human folly, our selfishness, and our arrogance in what we know about the world, all of which Jacobs illustrates using not only plot but character and setting as well.
The opening scene shows Mr. White and his son playing chess.

The father, [Mr. White], whose ideas about the game involved some very unusual moves, putting his king into such sharp and unnecessary danger . . .

In the above quotation, Mr. White’s character is introduced upfront as a man who is comfortable taking risks. Another characteristic is revealed as well when, after taking one step too far and putting his king in a position to lose the game, Mr. White tries the tactic of obfuscation. In doing so he demonstrates his willingness to create problematic situations without wanting to face the consequences. This is repeated later when Mr. White makes a wish on the Monkey’s Paw with very little hesitation after repeated warnings from his friend.
In the descriptions of the settings, especially in Part 3, Jacobs often uses very cold and very hot imagery.

He sat until he could no longer bear the cold . . .
The candle, which had almost burned to the bottom . . .
The old woman, with burning eyes . . .

These descriptors are creating, in addition to the drama from the plot, a different sort of battle: one of dark and light, good and evil, to wish or not to wish, all of which could represent the human condition, our constant indecisiveness, and our inability to know the difference between right and wrong.

The theme for Jacobs' "The Monkey's Paw" can be taken from what Morris says about the reason that the fakir creates the talisman:

"He wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow."

As stated above, the purpose behind the enchanted paw is to show that when people tempt, challenge, or interfere with fate, sorrow is the result. The characters, setting and plot all work within the story to prove the fakir's prophecy. First of all, the Whites are tempted by the paw's ability to grant three wishes (characters). Then, the conflict begins when Mr. White makes his first wish for two hundred pounds (plot). Fate responds by providing the two hundred pounds only at the sorrowful cost of the son's life--Herbert White.
The setting reflects the theme when the weather's natural elements change from being just cold and wet to the wind blowing "higher than ever" after the first wish is made. Therefore, the weather's hyperactivity responds to supernatural tampering, which also creates tension between the characters and suspense within the plot. Furthermore, Major Morris tells Mr. White that "things happened so naturally . . . that you might if you wished attribute it to coincidence." As a result, Herbert dies within the setting of his work at a factory when he falls into a machine that kills him. Fate seems to use the setting of Herbert's work as a way to implement a seemingly natural accident. Also, receiving two hundred pounds from Herbert's employers as compensation for his death is logical. So even though the wishes are supernatural, fate grants wishes through natural or reasonable means within the setting. 
Finally, the plot thickens when Mrs. White realizes there are two more wishes she can use to remedy her pain and suffering over her son's death. With each wish also comes a more dreaded and "natural" result. This creates tension and suspense within the plot while also connecting the setting with the characters. For instance, when Mr. White wishes that his son is alive again, he realizes that Herbert's body would need to be put back together after the accident in the machine. If Mr. White couldn't identify his son except for his clothes, then Herbert might come back in horrifying physical and unidentifiable shape. The conflict between the Whites and the supernatural is resolved when Mr. White wishes for Herbert to disappear and the elderly couple lives in despair and loneliness on their "quiet and deserted road." Thus, the fakir's prophecy comes true, and the Whites are left with their sorrow after interfering with fate. 

dT + k(T-70)dt = 0 , T(0) = 140 Find the particular solution that satisfies the initial condition

Given the differential equation : dT+K(T-70)dt=0, T(0)=140
We have to find a particular solution that satisfies the initial condition.
 
We can write,
dT=-K(T-70)dt
\frac{dT}{T-70}=-Kdt
\int \frac{dT}{T-70}=\int -Kdt
ln(T-70)=-Kt+C  where C is a constant.
Now,
T-70=e^{-Kt+C}
         =e^{-Kt}.e^{C}
         =C'e^{-Kt}    where e^C=C' is again a constant.
Hence we have,
T=70+C'e^{-Kt}
Applying the initial condition we get,
140=70+C' implies C'=70
Therefore we have the solution:
T=70(1+e^{-Kt})

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 7, 7.8, Section 7.8, Problem 34

Determine the $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\sqrt{x^2+2}}{\sqrt{2x^2+1}}$. Use L'Hospital's Rule where appropriate. Use some Elementary method if posible. If L'Hospitals Rule doesn't apply. Explain why.

$\displaystyle \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\sqrt{x^2+2}}{\sqrt{2x^2+1}} = \frac{\sqrt{\infty^2 + 2}}{\sqrt{2(\infty)^2+1}} = \frac{\sqrt{\infty}}{\sqrt{\infty}} = \frac{\infty}{\infty} \text{ Indeterminate}$

Thus, by applying L'Hospital's Rule...

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\sqrt{x^2+2}}{\sqrt{2x^2+1}} &= \frac{\frac{2x}{2\sqrt{x^2+2}}}{\frac{4x}{2\sqrt{2x^2+1}}}\\
\\
&= \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\sqrt{2x^2+1}}{2\sqrt{x^2+2}}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Again, if we apply L'Hospital's Rule...

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\sqrt{2x^2+1}}{2\sqrt{x^2+2}} &= \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\frac{4x}{2\sqrt{2x^2 +1}}}{2 \cdot \frac{2x}{2\sqrt{x^2+2}}}\\
\\
&= \lim_{x \to \infty} \frac{\sqrt{x^2+2}}{\sqrt{2x^2 +1}}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Notice that we can't apply L'Hospital's Rule since we can't simplify the function and eliminate the square root sign.

What does evolution mean in biology?

The term evolution in biology refers to change over time. It also means descent with modification. This is a term that was used by Charles Darwin (1809–1882) that means species are descendants of earlier ancestral species that are different than the ones that exist in the present time. It can refer to the change that occurs over time in the genetic composition of a species. Darwin felt that new species arose over time, as organisms inherited characteristics that enhanced their ability to survive and reproduce in a specific environment. This led to the idea of natural selection and later the book, The Origin of Species. Some important observations and inferences Darwin wrote about is that members of a given population often vary in their inherited traits. Next, living things can produce more offspring than the environment can support. These observations led to the following inferences: individuals whose traits give them an ability to better survive and reproduce in an environment tend to leave behind more offspring than those less adapted. Another inference was that this unequal ability to successfully survive and reproduce would leave behind offspring with an accumulation of more "favorable traits" in this given environment. Darwin thought that due to natural selection, species would be modified according to their environment over time; this would eventually lead to new species developing. I have attached a link to an interesting summary of some of Darwin's ideas.

How does Gulliver escape from Lilliput?

After learning that Skyresh Bolgolam (the admiral), Flimnap (the treasurer), Limtoc (the general), Lalcon (the chamberlain), and Balmuff (the chief justice of Lilliput) have issued articles of impeachment for treason against him, Gulliver escapes from Lilliput by crossing the channel to Blefuscu.
Shortly before Gulliver plans to visit Blefuscu, a friend comes to visit Gulliver and informs him of the Articles written against him by which his enemies plan to impeach him. Among these are his having put out the fire in the rooms of the Empress with his urine (it is treasonous to urinate in the palace). When the Emperor wanted Gulliver to destroy the boats of Blefuscu, take its lands, and execute Lilliputian Big-Endian exiles and anyone who would not convert to Little-Endianism, Gulliver refused, so this action is also considered treasonous. Gulliver learns, too, that the Lilliputians plan to starve him in order to be rid of him, but he does not learn of their additional plan to blind him. Also, Gulliver discovers some things about Lilliput that are wrong.
When Gulliver crosses the channel, he does not inform the emperor of Blefuscu that he has fallen out of favor in Lilliput and that many are against him.

Gulliver escapes from Lilliput by, first, visiting Blefuscu. He is treated very well there, and the king does not seem nearly as warlike and unreasonable as the emperor of Lilliput. Gulliver learns of the plot against him in Lilliput, that he has been branded a traitor and that the emperor and his vicious advisers have devised a way to execute him for his crimes against the state (which include such charges as urinating on the palace to put the fire out as well as Gulliver's refusal to decimate the Blefuscudian fleet when asked to do so by the emperor). He is essentially granted asylum in Blefuscu, and the king there provides him with resources to repair a boat he finds offshore. It is in this boat that he eventually escapes this land of tiny people and makes his way home, back to England.

A soccer ball is kicked from the playing field at a 45° angle. If the ball is in the air for 3 s, what is the maximum height achieved?

Hello!
Denote the angle as alpha, the initial speed as V and the given time as T.
I suppose we ignore air resistance. Then the only force acting on the ball is the gravity force, it is directed downwards and gives the acceleration g = 9.8 m/s^2 to the ball.
The vertical component of the velocity uniformly decreases with time t from V sin(alpha) with the speed g, so it is equal to V sin(alpha) - g t. The height itself is equal to H(t) = V sin(alpha) t - (g t^2)/2. At the time T the velocity is zero, i.e. V sin(alpha)T =(g T^2)/2, or V sin(alpha) = (g T)/2.
The maximum height is reached when the vertical speed becomes zero, i.e. when V sin(alpha) = g t. From the above we know that this time is T/2.
Finally, the maximum height is
H(T/2) =Vsin(alpha) T/2 - (g T^2)/8 =(g T^2)/4 -(g T^2)/8 =(g T^2)/8.
Numerically it is (9.8*9)/8 approx 11 (m). This is the answer. Note that it doesn't depend on alpha.
 

2. What is the difference between encaustic and fresco painting?

The difference between encaustic and fresco paintings is one of mediums. Encaustic paintings are made using pigments that have been mixed with hot, melted wax. Generally, this paste is then applied to a wood or canvas surface. Encaustic paintings are generally associated with Ancient Egyptian mummy portraits.
A fresco, on the other hand, is a kind of wall painting, or mural, done on wet lime plaster with a water-based pigment. The paint and the plaster dry as one, such that the painting literally becomes a part of the wall. Frescos are most commonly associated with the Italian Renaissance, with world-famous examples by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, though they have been around for much longer than that (although few from antiquity have survived).

Why would a slave whose life on a plantation was very bad fear being sold to a slave-trader?

There are a couple of reasons for which a slave might express such a fear.
Firstly, there was the possibility of being forced away from one's family, never to see them again. Though slaves were not allowed to marry legally, they still partook in marriage ceremonies, referred to as "jumping the broom," and retained as much love and dedication to their loved ones as those who were free. Being sold meant being forced to live on a plantation or a small farm far away from one's spouse or children, sometimes even in another state.
Being obedient did not always help to avoid this. Because black men and women were regarded as property, they were usually assessed according to monetary value. Slave owners who required revenue might have been inclined to sell off a man or woman who was an exceptionally good field hand. An exceptional house slave (e.g., a cook, a wet nurse) might have gotten the same treatment. A slave's stability was always uncertain.
A second reason for fearing sale was that, no matter how bad one's master was, there was always the possibility of being sold to someone much worse. Even when a slave was subjected to a cruel master, living with him or her for long enough allowed the slave to anticipate the worst moods and to adapt to them; being sold to someone else required new modes of adaptation. While it was unlikely that a slave master would murder a slave (though, as Douglass demonstrates in his narrative, not at all impossible), due to fearing loss of revenue, one could be subjected to forms of cruelty that would make death seem preferable.

Which right is an example of an Enlightenment idea?

Another important right which is an example of an Enlightenment-period idea is the idea that in order for any political system or government to be legitimate, it had to respect certain basic human rights. These rights varied, but some included the recognition that men were free and equal, that they had to consent to being governed rather than being subject to an arbitrary and absolute ruler, and that they had religious freedom (really, that religious diversity should be tolerated). The Enlightenment thinker John Locke theorized in his 1689 The Second Treatise of Civil Government, for example, that kings did not have absolute authority over their subjects but that subjects had natural freedom and that any political authority could not be legitimate if it did not respect and enable that natural freedom.
Another Enlightenment thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, wrote in his 1762 On the Social Contract, that human freedom could only be attained in a democracy in which all citizens participated and were equal members. In other words, the political system or government had to be attuned to and respectful of human rights and freedom in order to be legitimate. Rousseau went as far as saying that a sort of universal morality and human rights were inextricable from and taught by reason itself, reason being a key tenet of the Enlightenment.
It is important, however, to keep in mind that these basic human rights were often not intended to be extended to all segments of the population and that women and people of color were often excluded from this discourse. So, there are inherent tensions in the Enlightenment discussion over government and human rights. However, this idea of human rights is still a key Enlightenment-period idea.
For further reading, I would recommend the attached website, as well as Kate E. Tunstall’s edited volume, Self-Evident Truths? Human Rights and the Enlightenment.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/enlightenment/

One right that people in Western societies take for granted (and one that is protected in the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution) is religious freedom. While many rights, like trial by jury and various property rights, have their origins in English common law, the right to religious freedom was really first asserted during the Enlightenment. John Locke, in his "Letter on Religious Toleration," asserted that "care of souls is not committed to the civil magistrate," suggesting that religion was essentially a private matter, and that belief could not in any case be compelled. Voltaire, the celebrated philosopher, admired English society in no small part because religious minorities were permitted to exist there. He saw religious freedom as indispensable for civil order. The Preamble to the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, written by Thomas Jefferson, stated the Enlightened case for religious freedom more explicitly than had any previous work. Arguing that "Almighty God hath created the mind free," Jefferson asserted that religious freedom was a "natural right," inviolable by civil law. 
https://www.virginiahistory.org/collections-and-resources/virginia-history-explorer/thomas-jefferson

How would the revolution in George Orwell's Animal Farm have been different if all the animals were able to read?

Perhaps the animals would have been a little more critical—and therefore willing to resist—many of the pigs' abuses. The pigs' literacy enables them to read Jones's books, some of which give them ideas about how to run the farm and propel them to leadership positions. Their command of language enables them to justify their actions through changing the original commandments on the wall of the barn. It should be noted, though, that the power of the pigs' propaganda confuses even some of the literate animals. When Squealer alters and distorts historical events, the animals struggle to recall whether what he is saying is true, and they eventually, with great confusion, accept what he says. When Muriel reads the newly altered Fourth Commandment, for instance, Clover vaguely thinks it used to read something else, but concludes, "as it was there on the wall," it must have said something about sheets. 

How does Shakespeare present Helena's feelings?

Helena reveals her feelings through monologue and dialogue, showing herself to be a perceptive and intelligent woman as well as one besotted with love for Demetrius. For example, she acknowledges early in the play that her love is irrational:

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.Nor hath Love's mind of any judgment taste.Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.

She is saying in the quote above that Demetrius, rationally speaking, may not be that great a catch, but nevertheless she is love with him because love has no judgement.
Later, in dialogue with Demetrius while chasing him through the forest, she expresses an abject form of love: she says she will put up with abuse just to be near him. This is another example of love as irrational. In the quote below, she expresses the pathetic intensity of her desire. She says:

I am your spaniel. And, Demetrius,
The more you beat me, I will fawn on you.
Use me but as your spaniel—spurn me, strike me,
Neglect me, lose me. Only give me leave,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you.


When the love potion causes both Lysander and Demetrius to fall in love with her, Helena again uses dialogue to express her feelings. This time, she experiences not love, but anger. She is angry because she thinks Lysander and Demetrius are in cahoots to make fun of her. She thinks it is a cruel joke that they are pretending to be in love with her, not knowing they really are besotted. She doesn't mince words as she yells at Lysander to stop mocking her. Isn't it enough, she asks, that I have to put up with Demetrius scorning me without you, Lysander, piling on?


Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?
When at your hands did I deserve this scorn?
Is ’t not enough, is ’t not enough, young man,
That I did never, no, nor never can,
Deserve a sweet look from Demetrius' eye,
But you must flout my insufficiency?

What are some examples of figures of speech in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"?

Figures of speech include words and phrases that have figurative, as well as literal, meaning. They include similes and metaphors, which are typically identified with the words "like" and "as," respectively. So in Prufrock, any comparison that uses like or as is a figure of speech. One of the most famous examples is in the opening line:
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Another type of figure of speech is personification—speaking of an animal or object or idea as if it were a person. See the sections on "yellow fog" and the "peacefully sleeping" afternoon, and the line about the "eternal footman." Still another figure of speech is a rhetorical question. This is a question used for dramatic effect, in which no answer is expected. Look for the question marks in Prufrock. Are the questions intended to be answered?
Hyperbole is still another figure of speech. Hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration, such as, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." At one point in Prufrock, the speaker writes, "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons." Could that be hyperbole? Can you find other examples?
Yet another figure of speech employed liberally in Prufock is called synecdoche, which is the use of part of something to imply the whole. Check out the consecutive stanzas that begin, "I have known the eyes already" and "I have known the arms already."
Metonymy is figure of speech that involves invoking the name of one thing for another thing that's closely related. What does the poet mean when he writes, "No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be"?
http://www.aquestionofexistence.com/Aquestionofexistence/Poetry_Selections_files/Expressing%20Poems%20I.pdf

https://www.britannica.com/art/figure-of-speech

The speaker uses similes to compare the "evening . . . spread out against the sky" to "a patient etherized upon a table" and to depict "Streets that follow like a tedious argument / Of insidious intent." Similes compare two unalike things using the words like or as.
The speaker uses a metaphor to compare the "yellow fog" to a kind of animal that might rub "its back upon the window-panes," rub "its muzzle on the window-panes," or lick "its tongue into the corners of the evening." This animal (the fog) "fall[s] upon its back" and makes a "sudden leap," then curls "around the house" and falls "asleep." A metaphor is a comparison of two unalike things where one thing is said to be another.
The speaker says that "there will be time / To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet," and he seems to be describing figurative masks that each person wears: another metaphor. The speaker uses a further metaphor to compare his life to something one might measure "with coffee spoons," as though his life is as mundane and ordinary as grains of sugar. Another metaphor compares the speaker to a bug that has been captured and catalogued; he describes being "pinned and wriggling on the wall" like such a specimen.
He also says, "And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!" personifying the night: giving it human attributes like being able to sleep. He refers to death as "the eternal Footman," another metaphor. He uses an allusion—a reference to another text or person—when he refers to "Prince Hamlet." Another metaphor compares the tops of the waves to "white hair."

Some figures of speech in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" include the following:
Simile: Simile compares two items using like or as. In the opening lines of the poem, the narrator likens the sky to "a patient etherized upon a table."
Repetition: Eliot uses repetition to emphasize the monotony of the endless tea parties Prufrock attends. He repeats these lines several times:

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

He also repeats the word "time" over and over. Prufrock both knows he is frittering his life away doing meaningless things and trying, at the same time, to convince himself he has time left to do something meaningful with his life. The repetition of the word "time" helps reveal his obsession with time.


Metaphor: Metaphor is a comparison that doesn't use like or as. Eliot uses metaphor to liken the London fog to a cat that "rubs its back upon the window-panes." In fact, the entire stanza is an extended metaphor, comparing the fog to a cat in a variety of ways.

In Fast Food Nation, how does Schlosser's strategy of comparing Disney and McDonald's (and their founders) make important points about the fast food industry and their marketing strategies?

Walt Disney and Ray Kroc pioneered marketing strategies that are still important in 2020. Eric Schlosser explains the synergy of the two men and their companies in his book, Fast Food Nation: the dark side of the all-American meal. These men successfully implemented sales strategies that catered to children. They also brought mass production to their industries. Their goal was to create brand loyalty.
Focusing marketing strategies on children after World War II ended made demographic sense. The birthrate was high after the war, so inculcating children with a love of McDonald's and Disney was a brilliant, if unconventional, strategy. This strategy, unheard of at the time, is now commonplace and much broader with the Internet.
Disney and Kroc were both from Illinois, were of similar age, and were both high school dropouts. They founded Hamburger University and Disneyland University as a way to formalize and enhance training at McDonald's and Disney. They also wanted to indoctrinate their leading employees.
Walt Disney was extremely adept at entertaining children, and Kroc learned from him. Disney had Snow White, and Kroc had Ronald McDonald. Disney opened huge amusement parks, and Kroc put small McDonaldlands and Playlands in his restaurants throughout the country. Kroc put simple toys in meals for children—a brilliant idea!
Although Disney and Kroc passed away years ago, their companies and their marketing strategies are still thriving in 2020.

The first section of Fast Food Nation, "The American Way," casts both McDonald's and Disney as early innovators in the business of exploiting the receptivity of children to imagery in an increasingly media-saturated world. Since they first set up shop in the mid-20th century, the two companies have enjoyed particular success in advertising. Schlosser contends that they pack these ads with vivid and emotionally-charged imagery appealing to children's impulses to mimic each other. Mimicry is crucial to early identity formation, and both Kroc and Disney knew that it could be tapped for business purposes.
Schlosser suggests that both businessmen were once highly precocious children, and knew how to manipulate and transcend assumptions and norms to meet their various goals. As teenagers, they both lied about their ages to get jobs as ambulance drivers for the same company. They went on to work in short iterations in a broad range of companies and roles, picking up knowledge and skills, Schlosser suggests, faster than they might have otherwise. Schlosser thus characterizes Kroc and Disney as moral relativists and entrepreneurs at heart, implying also that moral relativism (some might say amorality) is now entrenched in the fast food industry.

This chapter of “Fast Food Nation” makes a number of comparisons between Kroc and Disney, two men who came from similar backgrounds and actually served in the same unit during the first World War.
Schlosser points out that both men were consummate salesmen. Both understood that the key to selling was as much about the feeling a product gave you, as the thing itself. In this sense, they were both masters of branding.
Both men understood the importance of marketing to children.
Both men were fanatics about control and consistency. Disney developed a method to “mass produce” animation, inspired by Henry Ford’s assembly line; Kroc similarly understood that absolute consistency was essential to the McDonald’s brand.
Both men subscribed to a particular vision of America. Both Kroc and Disney understood the nuclear family as the bedrock unit, not only of society, but of marketing. Both men made their fortunes by convincing customers that buying their products could “purchase” happiness.
Schlosser argues that one of the lessons Kroc took from Disney was the importance of synergy in marketing. Disneyland was one of the key influences that led to the development of Ronald McDonald and the McDonaldland concept; these characters could be used in commercials to market to kids, or used as toys in meals sold to kids, or used to promote McDonald’s restaurants as the place where kids could engage imaginative play with these characters, thought the development of “play places.”

In Chapter 2, Schlosser writes about the many comparisons between the founder of McDonald's, Ray Kroc, and the founder of Disney, Walt Disney. They even, in fact, knew each other growing up. Schlosser writes that both men were masterful at sales, and shared a love of conservative politics (though, while Disney criticized government intervention, he relied on federal money to save his studio in the 1940s) and technology.
Ray Kroc incorporated Disney's emphasis on showmanship and marketing into his campaign to promote McDonald's, and the important point that Schlosser is making is that fast food is as much about salesmanship, toys, and entertainment as it is about the food (or maybe even more so). McDonald's has marketed itself directly to children through television commercials and "playlands," as well as cartoons, sweepstakes, and other means. Schlosser presents this information to emphasize that fast food is more than just food; its appeal also comes from the show and the attractions that the restaurants provide to children and their families. 

What is the summary of chapter 7 in Adam of the Road?

Chapter 7 of Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Grey, titled “Jankin,” is split roughly into two parts. The first consists mainly of Adam and his friends of the household as they discuss their favorite squires and which will become knights. Two are particularly mentioned—the stable squire, who is friends with Hugh, and the carving squire Simon Tolbert, whom Adam favors. Adam prefers Simon because Simon loves songs and writes poetry, which he sometimes asks Adam to set to music for him.
Simon is also in love with Emily, the daughter of Sir Edmund. Adam likens Simon to the “squire of low degree” in one of the romances told by his father, Roger. The squire goes to war for seven years to impress his lady, but Adam’s friends are of the opinion that Sir Edmund will marry Emily off long before then, and they mention the florid Sir Gervais as a strong suitor. Adam asks what would happen should Emily prefer Simon and is somewhat disconcerted to be told that since she is a girl, what she prefers does not matter. Adam reflects on the differences between the chivalric ideal of women as depicted in the songs and stories Roger tells and the actual position of women in real life—that is, chattel to be disposed of as determined by the men in their families. However, Adam’s sympathies lie mainly with Simon and how hard his unrequited love will be on him.
There is a description of the Great Hall—with the dais at one end, hearth in the center, and long tables for the lesser household folk. The Great Hall is where Adam sleeps with his father; his dog, Nick; and others. One night, Adam asks about Emily’s potential marriage and is surprised when Roger tells him that she will for certain marry Sir Gervais—and afterward, they would take to the road again. Adam reflects that though a minstrel might sleep in a house, his home will always be the road.
The second part of the chapter is mainly concerned with a description of the wedding, the finery of the guests, the feasting, and the amusements. Simon still carves for the wedding feast, but he is pale. Other squires attend the guests. The minstrels perform between the courses—not just household minstrels but others from all over. Roger tells a story he brought from France, and Adam sings—and everyone stops to listen to him. Roger is given a gold brooch from Emily, who thought his story was the best she’d ever heard.
After the guests leave at sunset, the house steward calls the minstrels together to inform them that Sir Edmund is pleased and wishes to reward them. They all receive purses of silver pennies. Adam is extremely proud to be receiving one as well. Some of the minstrels leave, but others stay to sleep or gamble. Adam likes one in particular, Jankin, because he smiles at Adam’s dog, Nick, and scratches Nick under the chin. Adam goes to sleep hearing the others—including Roger—gamble, and he wakes to find them still at it. Adam slips out to swim and meets Roger on the way back, looking downcast. Jankin has won not only all of Roger’s money, but their horse, Bayard, as well.

How did Roman rulers use art as propaganda?

Art was used to promote the rulers of Rome throughout the history of the Roman Republic and Empire. By using well-recognized symbols of Rome's power in art, the strength of the rulers and the regime as a whole could be easily advertised. These symbols included images such as the Roman eagle, the wolf, and the fasces, and they are found throughout Roman artwork. They all represented the power of the state. Images of the Roman gods, as well as highly decorated temples, were constructed all around the Roman dominion as well, to drive home the hegemony of the state through its religion.
Images of the Roman rulers themselves were common elements of propaganda. Consuls, senators, governors, and emperors were well represented in statues and public paintings. They were often displayed in the role of military commander or priest to show the power of the Roman state in both these aspects (war and religion). These served as a reminder of exactly who was in charge and of their power. Funerary art also served a similar purpose by glorifying deceased leaders.
The written and oratory arts also were widely used as propaganda. For example, Emperor Augustus commissioned Virgil's epic poem the Aeneid to promote the Roman ideology of military conquest. Poems, histories, theatre, and literature often served the role of propping up the current regime and its rulers.
http://www.diacronia.ro/ro/indexing/details/V3103/pdf

Can you recall a fad that has come and gone during your lifetime, such as Beanie Babies? Did you take part in the fad? Why or why not? How long did it last? Why do you think it faded?

When Crocs, the plastic slip-on shoes, hit the market in the early 2000s, they were really popular and developed into a fad, particularly among kids. By 2006 or 2007, they were seen everywhere. Even people who worked in the medical field began to wear them. However, by the time of the recession in 2008, their sales dropped precipitously, and one could argue the fad was over (though Crocs are still on the market and have expanded their styles, they are not really the fad they once were). Perhaps you took part in this fad because Crocs were seen as comfortable and waterproof shoes for kids and adults, and they came in appealing colors. The fad lasted about two years. It faded in part because several people decided the shoes were ugly; these people were in the position of being tastemakers (see the blog http://ihatecrocsblog.blogspot.com). In addition, media also made fun of the shoes as ugly, and media reported that the shoes were unsafe (see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1563476/Health-warning-over-dangerous-Crocs.html). 

What would be a good scene/episode that does not exist in this short literature that follows the action of the original story (like a sequel) which the author did not include that you think might have worked well? Add a meta commentary that explains what you did in your piece and why.

Jamaica Kincaid's "Girl," is unusual for its form—a monologue from a mother to her daughter, in which the former gives instructions to a presumably adolescent girl on how to be a woman. It is told in second-person and the "girl" interrupts only twice; once to tell her mother that she does not, in fact, sing benna, which are calypso songs in call-and-response format which were a form of folk communication, particularly for the spread of gossip; and again to ask her mother what she ought to do if the baker will not allow her to squeeze the bread for freshness.
What is absent from the list of instruction is advice on how to understand oneself. The speaker just wants her daughter to be presentable, to know how to do the chores that would be expected of her, and how to survive in a romance. It is mostly a list of restrictions and warnings.
What I think would be interesting is if the "girl" answered her mother's rhetorical question about being "the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread." The kind of answer the girl would give would be based on your own sense of her character, on what the girl has said previously, and on her fears around her mother's stern judgments.
The intention for doing this would be to illustrate how the girl sees herself, and address the mother's dismissal of self-knowledge. Is the girl compliant with her mother's values, or will she go against them? Rebellion is suggested by her mother's insistent belief that the girl will become a "slut." If the girl responds with a question, such as "What kind of woman is that?," it would register confusion with the overall point the mother is trying to get across. It could also serve as a sharp rebuttal to the mother's understanding of what it means to be a woman.
I think that a response to that question, while it would still follow the action of the story, could take the narrative into another direction and open up some contrast in the reader's mind.

How are the events, the plot, the setting and the characters linked together in "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes?

One thing that links the events, plot, setting, and characters together is the life story of Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones. Events that Roger experiences now are similar to events Mrs. Jones experienced earlier in her life: they both experienced events sprung from limited life situations that led them to do things they should not have done. The plot—a boy does wrong and gets a second chance at living rightly—reflects what Mrs. Jones says of her own life: "I were young once and I wanted things I could not get." The setting is initially on the street, but is primarily in Mrs. Jones's home, which, as Roger sees, is a reflection of her life, a life in which needs are simply met, but modest gifts are given nonetheless. The characters are linked by the "contact" Roger makes with Mrs. Jones's life:

"But you put yourself in contact with me," said the woman. "If you think that that contact is not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones."

The characters are also linked by the common life experience of making a bad start and needing to be given help at living a "presentable" life.

"I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son—neither tell God, if he didn’t already know. So you set down while I fix us something to eat. You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable."

Beyond the links of "contact" and past experience, Mrs. Jones creates another link between herself and the boy by giving him forgiveness and understanding; by giving him a lesson in knowing "right from wrong"; by showing him the true spirit of generosity and compassion: "take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes." Through her actions and reflections of her own life, Mrs. Jones and Roger become linked for a lifetime, though neither can manage their emotion enough to say so:

"Good-night! Behave yourself, boy!" she said, looking out into the street.
The boy wanted to say something else other than "Thank you, m’am" to Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn’t do so as he turned at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door.

How did Pudge Nichols get his name?

In Lorenzo Carcaterra's novel Gangster, Pudge Nichols is a hotheaded and ruthless servant to Angelo Vestieri. Pudge and Angelo meet when they are children, and after getting into a violent fistfight, they eventually become close friends. Pudge admires Angelo's ability to defend himself, though he initially almost kills Angelo with an excessive and bloody beating. An important accomplice to Angelo, Pudge Nichols is a similarly important character in the novel.
Pudge Nichols earns his name through his excessive eating habits. His tendency towards gluttony is addressed in the novel after Angelo invites him over for dinner:

"Pudge is coming for supper," Angelo said . . .
"Only if he comes with an empty somtach," Josephina said.
"Pudge loves to eat," Angelo said. "Ida said the only time he doesn't have food in his mouth is when he sleeps."

Just like many other fictional (and actual) gangsters, Pudge's nickname is comes from his appearance and his behavior. While not excessively overweight, Pudge Nichols acquires his endearing nickname through his constant consumption of food.

How do essentialism and/or social constructionism serve as models for gender identity and the formation of gender identity?

Essentialism and constructionism are the two modes of thought that guide our ideas about sex and gender.
It is important to note that sex is a biological fact based on one's chromosomes and the expression of those chromosomes in the development of a fetus. Gender is a social construct—how one chooses to express one's male or female identity, which can also include the expression of a more androgynous identity.
Essentialism tells us that men and women have certain innate characteristics that determine the expression of a particular identity. We are wired to behave in certain ways. While there are scientifically proven differences between the sexes, particularly physical differences, even scientific research is sometimes guided by socially constructed ideas about sex differences. 
For example, the ability to nurture is mainly associated with women. Essentialist ideas about femininity indicate that a woman, due to the presence of estrogen and the release of hormones that encourage bonding with an infant, is more naturally inclined to want to care for her child. Constructionists counter that there are plenty of women who express little to no interest in their children, or those who do not wish to have children at all. Moreover, there are many fathers who wish to nurture and seek roles as stay-at-home parents and early-childhood caregivers but may be discouraged from doing so due to our unwillingness to see these roles as anything but feminine. 
Arguably, much of what we believe about gender identity is socially constructed, though notions about gender expression are expanding to include more models of behavior. Essentialist ideas, traditionally, have focused on gender binaries, which excluded expressions of gender from intersex people. Essentialism, with its belief in fixed essences in men and women, also left little room for acknowledging the existences of transgender people.

Precalculus, Chapter 6, 6.5, Section 6.5, Problem 19

-7+4i
The trigonometric form of a complex number z=x+yi is:
z=r(cos theta + i sintheta)
where
r=sqrt(x^2+y^2)
and
theta= tan^(-1)y/x
Applying these formulas, the values of r and theta pf x=-7+4i are:
r=sqrt((-7)^2+4^2)=sqrt(49+16)=sqrt65
theta=tan^(-1) (-7)/4=-29.744813^o
Since x is negative and y is positive, the angle is located at the second quadrant. The equivalent positive angle of theta is:
theta =180^o +(-29.744813^o)=150.2551870^o
Rounding off to two decimal places, it becomes:
theta=150.26^o
Plugging the values of r and theta to the trigonometric form yields:
z=sqrt65(cos 150.26^o + isin 150.26^o)

Therefore, the trigonometric form of -7+4i is sqrt65(cos 150.26^o + isin150.26^o) .

Why are the King and the Duke forced to hatch an evil plot as they whisper together in the wigwam on the raft?

The Duke and the King are a couple of con-artists, hiding out on Jim and Huck's raft to escape the last group of suckers they ripped-off. But these greedy charlatans haven't learned their lesson; they're still shamelessly scheming, thinking about what their next dastardly move will be. They take over the raft's wigwam, which had previously provided shelter for Jim and Huck. While there, they discuss their plans. None of their cons have brought in much money since they arrived, so they start to think of a better idea, one that's practically guaranteed to line their pockets. Despite Huck's tall story about Jim's being his slave, it takes a lot to con a con artist, and the Duke and the King strongly suspect that Jim's a runaway with a large bounty on his head. There's only thing for it—the two hucksters are going to grab Jim when the time is right and turn him in for the reward money.
But of course they mustn't let on. That's why they whisper to each other ever so quietly in the relative privacy of the wigwam. Jim and Huck are uneasy at the sound of all the hushed conversation emanating from the little tent, and with good reason too.

If The Tempest is Shakespeare’s farewell to theater, which three details of the play connect most closely to his life?

The Tempest is often thought to be William Shakespeare's final stage play, and as such, many critics have asserted connections between the world of the play, including the main character, Prospero, and its enigmatic author. Tangible connections are especially difficult, however, because modern scholars know relatively little about Shakespeare—with the exception of limited facts like when and where he was born and baptized; who his father, wife, and children were; where he lived and worked; and when and where he was buried. However, speculations about a connection are still debated in literary circles based on common knowledge of events at the time and a study of Shakespeare's total body of work. Three of the most prominently espoused connections are as follows:
1) The most widely accepted belief is that Shakespeare drew inspiration for the storyline from a vessel called The Sea Venture that ran ashore in Bermuda in 1609, about a year or two before the play was written. In addition, some say the play was written to honor the expected marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Frederick V. Many scholars believe that the character of Miranda, Prospero's daughter and the only female stranded on the island, was even inspired by Elizabeth.
2) Many scholars see Prospero as a sort of masterful magician wholly in control of the world he inhabits. There is a widespread consensus that the play is in some ways self-referential and wholly concerned with its status as a play. Comparisons with Propsero are meant to evoke Shakespeare's ability to control the settings, characters, and stage directions as a sort of unseen magician himself. Metaphors abound throughout the play about how Prospero manages natural phenomena, creates visions, and moves characters about his island domain, just as Shakespeare is wont to do. The play even refers to "the great globe itself," which some have likened to the Globe Theater where Shakespeare's plays were performed.
3) At the end of the play, Prospero forsakes his powers, proclaiming that his "revels now are ended." This utter denunciation of his magic and the enchanted island he inhabits invites parallels between Shakespeare's retirement from playwriting, especially if it is to be accepted that this was the last play ever wholly written by him. In addition, the play's final moments ask the audience for applause in order to "set him free," quite possibly conveying Shakespeare's own farewell to the stage and a final bow to his audience through the main character himself.
https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/plays/the%20tempest/tempestmagus.html

https://prezi.com/z_u8_ximu6cd/shakespeares-biography-and-connections-to-the-tempest/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/apr/15/prospero-the-tempest-shakespeare-reading-group

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 6, 6.3, Section 6.3, Problem 42

The region bounded by the curves $x = (y - 3)^2, x = 4$ is rotated about the $y = 1$. Find the volume of the resulting solid by any method.

Let us use the shell method together with horizontal strips to evaluate the volume more easy. Notice that these strips have a distance of $y - 1$ from the line $y = 1$. If you rotate this length about $y = 1$, you'll get a circumference of $C = 2 \pi (y - 1)$. Also, the height of the strips resembles the height of the cylinder as $H = x_{\text{right}} - x_{\text{left}} = 4 - (y - 3)^2$. Thus, the volume is..

$\displaystyle V = \int^b_a C(y) H(y) dy$

The values of the upper and lower limits can be determined by simply getting their points of intersection.



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

& (y - 3)^2 = 4
\\
& y - 3 = \pm 2
\\
& y = \pm 2 + 3
\\
& \text{We have,}
\\
& y = 1 \text{ and } y = 5


\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



Therefore, we have..


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

V =& \int^5_1 2 \pi (y - 1) (4 - (y - 3)^2) dy
\\
\\
V =& 2 \pi \int^5_1 (y - 1)(4 - y^2 + 6y - 9) dy
\\
\\
V =& 2 \pi \int^5_1 (y - 1)(-y^2 + 6y - 5) dy
\\
\\
V =& 2 \pi \int^5_1 [-y^3 + 6y^2 - 5y + y^2 - 6y + 5] dy
\\
\\
V =& 2 \pi \int^5_1 [-y^3 + 7y^2 - 11y + 5] dy
\\
\\
V =& 2 \pi \left[ \frac{-y^4}{4} + \frac{7y^3}{3} - \frac{11y^3}{2} + 5y \right]^5_1
\\
\\
V =& \frac{128 \pi}{3} \text{ cubic units}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

What is language learning aptitude? How does it relate to learning a second language?

Aptitude testing is a system used by schools, the armed services, and some human relations departments to predict an individual’s level of success at learning a specific subject matter within a certain period of time. The military has for many years used the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery as a way of directing recruits toward occupational specialties to which testing indicates they are most likely to find success. The Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) serves the same purpose. Developed in the late 1950s, the MLAT became the standard system for determining the likelihood of individual students to learn within a reasonable period of time a foreign language. The test identifies strengths and weaknesses in each individual with respect to his or her innate skills at understanding the structure of languages. It is not intended to determine who is capable of learning a second language; rather, the MLAT enables analysts to identify those most likely to excel at language learning.
Whether or how well language aptitude testing works is a little subjective. Such testing is usually administered at the high school and college levels when students are already exposed to multiple languages and have developed a sense of individual skill regarding language learning. It has been determined, however, that the earlier children are taught foreign languages the more successful they will likely become at attaining fluency in those languages. Language aptitude testing in early childhood development is not always a good thing, though, because poor results can yield negative sentiments towards language learning. Telling children that they lack the skills necessary or desirable to learn a topic is obviously not conducive to those children’s future academic endeavors.
Irrespective of considerations regarding sensitivities to children who might be unfairly labeled insufficiently-skilled at language learning, there is no question that some people have more innate ability to learn foreign languages than others. This is no different than any other field of study or occupation. Some people are more naturally skilled at playing musical instruments or writing stories and essays then are other people. Language aptitude testing is simply a means of identifying those with the greater facility for learning languages, and it is successful. It is not, however, determinative of whether an individual is capable of learning another language.
http://lltf.net/aptitude-tests/what-is-language-aptitude/

https://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/asvab

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/language-aptitude

Was the land in colonial Virginia good or bad, and why?

The English settlers of the Virginia Colony generally found very good land to cultivate. The many rivers provided nutrient-rich soils in the coastal areas that were able to support the cultivation of such crops as tobacco, wheat, and flax. These cash crops were traded back to Great Britain and provided the main source of income for the colonies. The relatively long growing season of Virginia also helped ensure that the colonists were able to produce bountiful harvests once they had adjusted to the differences in climate between their new colony and what they had known in England.
It should be noted that the first English colonists of Virginia were still met with many difficulties. When they first settled in Jamestown and Roanoke, the settlers found themselves in areas that did not have the best conditions for agriculture. These swampy lowlands were the breeding grounds for many mosquito-borne diseases and lacked ample access to clean drinking water. As a result, these earliest colonies were met with repeated outbreaks of disease and famine. It was not until the colonists learned new farming techniques and began to cultivate higher grounds that agriculture really began to thrive in the colony.
Also, while there are no gold deposits in Virginia like the colonists had hoped to discover, there were other raw materials that they took advantage of. Large iron deposits existed in the hills northwest of Jamestown, which were used to establish ironworks early on. Salt and saltpeter were also found nearby and helped to enrich the colony throughout its history.

The land in colonial Virginia was overall considered good for farming.  Farming was essential to colonial Virginia.  Soil called Pamunkey soil was plentiful in Virginia.  This soil was rich and excellent for growing crops.  The Native Americans had plentiful crop growth.  The settlers at Jamestown also discovered this rich and fertile soil when they arrived.  It was ideal for growing crops, which helped the Jamestown settlement to flourish.  Importing foodstuffs from England and other European countries took time, so it was ideal to grow crops in or near a settlement.
The settlers at Jamestown gained knowledge on local crops from the Powhatan Native Americans.  They learned about planting beans and squash near their corn crops.  Th settlers also planted vegetables, such as carrots, onions, and peas.  Herbs were grown in the fertile Pamunkey soil by the Jamestown settlers.
http://vapss.org/StateSoil.html

Why can't the poet say what is on his mind?

In Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "Break, Break, Break," the speaker laments that he cannot cry out the thoughts inside of him as he addresses the sea in apostrophe. Ironically, though, his poem expresses the very thought that he says he cannot articulate.
In the first stanza, the speaker begins,

Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, O Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me (1–4).

The speaker asks the "Sea" to break on its stones. The speaker uses apostrophe here, a direct poetic address to an inhuman entity, or someone or something that cannot answer. The speaker seems to compare the sea's breaking to his own desire to speak—the speaker wants to take action in the way he wants the sea to.

Next, the speaker continues:


O, well for the fisherman's boy,
That he shouts with his sister at play!
O, well for the sailor lad,
That he sings in his boat on the bay! (5–8)



The speaker wishes "well for the fisherman's boy" and "well for the sailor lad." He wants to articulate these well-wishes to the boy and lad; he wants them to enjoy their lives and feel as well as express joy.

The third stanza reads:



And the stately ships go on
To their haven under the hill;
But O for the touch of a vanish'd hand,
And the sound of a voice that is still! (9–12)



He continues to wish well to the ships, hoping they reach their ports safely. He also wants to wish well for the "vanish'd hand" and "voice that is still." These references suggest that the speaker has lost someone who he wants to wish for but can no longer hope for those wishes to come true.

Finally, the speaker closes the poem with his clearest explanation for why he cannot articulate his thoughts:


Break, break, break
At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me (13–16).



The speaker repeats his exhortation to the sea, to break its waters on its "crags." Finally, the speaker laments that "a day that is dead" and "will never come back." He mourns the loss of the past in the way he mourns the loss of the "hand" and "voice" in the previous stanza. It becomes clear here that the loss he feels is what prevents him from fully expressing his emotions.

Explain the factors that made the South distinct from the rest of the United States during the early nineteenth century.

Part of the reason the South was distinct from the rest of the country in the early nineteenth century was that the Southern states had constructed very few miles of railroad tracks, canals, and roads at that time. In contrast, the Northeast and Midwest had constructed more extensive networks of railroads (starting in the 1830s), roads, and canals. A strong transportation link developed between the Midwest and the Northeast along which raw materials were shipped east to the ports and manufacturing centers such as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The South was largely left out of this transportation network. In addition, the South remained largely agricultural and committed to the slave system, while the other parts of the country began to industrialize. Finally, the Northeast and Midwest experienced a boom in immigration from countries such as Germany and Ireland, while there were very few European immigrants who went to the South at this time. As a result, the South remained distinct from the rest of the nation.

The South was distinct due to its significant class divides and rigid social stratification.  The region had slavery, and only the richest planters could afford many slaves.  The South had most of the millionaires in the country before the Civil War.  Some small farmers owned one or two slaves or rented slaves during the busy season, but they often had to work beside them.  Poor whites could not own land, because they lacked the means to buy it.  They also resented the slaves because slaves took away their jobs.  The South was also known for its monoculture of cotton; planters did not want to divert resources from this cash crop because it brought good prices in Europe and the northeastern United States.  
This social stratification meant that many people who had the means to do so left the South and moved north or west for greater opportunity.  The region did not experience many of the internal improvements of the rest of the nation because planters did not want to give up land or labor to make these improvements possible.  The region also did not experience the immigration boom of the nineteenth century because of the lack of opportunities.  While some regions did receive Irish immigrants as railroad workers, immigration in the South pales in comparison to Northern cities.  

How can I analyze this quotation from Antigone? Haemon: Yours am I, father; and you guide my steps With your good counsels, which for my part I Will follow closely; for there is no marriage shall occupy a larger place with me than your direction, in the path of honour. Creon: So is it right, my son, to be disposed— In everything to back your father’s quarrel. It is for this men pray to breed and rear In their homes dutiful offspring— to requite The foe with evil, and their father’s friend Honour, as did their father. Whoso gets Children unserviceable—what else could he Be said to breed, but troubles to himself, And store of laughter for his enemies? Nay, never fling away your wits, my son, Through liking for a woman . . . (Sophocles 25)

Haemon is the son of King Creon and Antigone's fiancé. By this stage in the play Creon has already made the fateful decision not to bury Polyneices's body and instead to leave it to rot on the battlefield. He's also imprisoned Antigone for attempting to bury her brother. It might be thought that as Haemon is now engaged to Antigone he would be sympathetic to her plight. But, initially at least, Haemon shows great loyalty to his father and king:

"Father, I am yours, and you keep me upright with precepts good for me—precepts I shall follow. No marriage will be deemed by me more important than your good guidance."

Haemon is putting his father before his fiancé. He makes it clear that Creon's fatherly advice is much more important to him than his forthcoming marriage to Antigone.
Creon is clearly pleased with this show of filial piety from Haemon:

"Yes, my son, this is the spirit you should maintain in your heart—to stand behind your father's will in all things. It is for this that men pray: to sire and raise in their homes children who are obedient, that they may requite their father's enemy with evil and honor his friend, just as their father does. [645] But the man who begets unhelpful children—what would you say that he has sown except miseries for himself and abundant exultation for his enemies? Never, then, my son, banish your reason for pleasure on account of a woman . . . "

Not surprisingly, Creon agrees with Haemon's decision to follow his guidance in all things. He's not just a king, but a traditional father of the ancient Greek world. As such, he expects absolutely loyalty from his children as much as he would from any of his subjects. He also reveals the subordinate status of women in ancient Greek society. Women are weak and emotional and as such should not be allowed to prevail over man's reason. The implication here is that Antigone has acted impulsively in defying Creon, whereas Haemon is being rational in standing by his father.
The above quotations from Antigone help to set the scene for what is to follow. Haemon's reaction to this father's decision not to allow Polyneices to be buried is almost the exact opposite of that of his intended. Antigone has put her loyalty to the gods and to her brother above that of her king and future father-in-law. Haemon does the reverse.
But later on in this exchange, Haemon reveals a profound sense of unease at Creon's imprisonment of Antigone for insubordination, and eventually father and son engage in a heated argument which ends with Haemon storming off, vowing never to see his father again. So by the end of the scene we can see that Haemon is developing the kind of understanding of Creon's stubborn nature, and the injustice to which it leads, that cost Antigone her freedom. For Haemon, the scene begins in childhood but ends in maturity, from an expression of conventional Greek filial piety to the getting of moral wisdom.
 

Why does Zaroff think Rainsford is "droll" and "naive"?

The word "droll" means amusing. Sanger Rainsford is shocked by General Zaroff's declaration that he imports men to the island so that he can hunt them and kill them. When Rainsford tells Zaroff that the fact that he (Rainsford) had either witnessed or taken part in killing during the war, but that he didn't condone cold-blooded, premeditated murder, Zaroff is, or pretends to be, amused at Rainsford's moral outrage.
The word "naive" means lacking in experience, and Zaroff uses it to insult Rainsford, implying that Rainsford's moral outrage regarding his sport of hunting men is an antiquated notion that has ceased to be relevant. Zaroff tells Rainsford that he, like other Americans, have Puritan-era ethics, and that all he needs to do is experience the thrill of hunting men once before it will hook him, too.

During Rainsford's first meal with General Zaroff, the general informs Rainsford that he hunts humans on the island, and he refers to hunting people as the most dangerous game. After listening to the general explain how he hunts humans, Rainsford is both astonished and appalled. Rainsford challenges General Zaroff's definition of hunting people by telling the general that he is committing murder. After Rainsford tells the general that he does not condone "cold-blooded murder," Zaroff responds by saying,

How extraordinarily droll you are! . . . One does not expect nowadays to find a young man of the educated class, even in America, with such a naive, and, if I may say so, mid-Victorian point of view (Connell, 8).

Essentially, the general finds Rainsford's sentimentality for human life to be humorous and outdated. Zaroff does not agree with Rainsford's perspective regarding the value of human life, and he believes that Rainsford's views are antiquated. Zaroff clearly does not value human life, and he believes that the weak people of the world were born to give stronger humans pleasure.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 4, 4.3, Section 4.3, Problem 34

Given: f(x)=36x+3x^2-2x^3
Find the critical numbers by setting first derivative equal to zero and solving for the x value(s).
f'(x)=36+6x-6x^2=0
f'(x)=6+x-x^2=0
f'(x)=x^2-x-6=0
(x-3)(x+2)=0
The critical values are x=3 and x=-2
Part a)
If f'(x)>0 then the function is increasing on the interval.
If f'(x)<0 then the function is decreasing on the interval.
Select an x value in the interval (- oo ,-2).
Since f'(-3)<0 the function is decreasing in the interval (-oo ,-2).
Select an x value in the interval (-2,3).
Since f(0)>0 the function is increasing in the interval (-2, 3 ).
Select an x value in the interval (3,oo).
Since f(4)<0 the function is decreasing in the interval (3,oo ).
Part b)
Because the function changed direction from decreasing to increasing at x=-2 a local minimum exists. The local minimum occurs at the point (-2,-44).
Because the function changed direction from increasing to decreasing at x=3 a local maximum exists. The local maximum occurs at the point (3, 81).
Part c)
Find the critical values for the second derivative.
f''(x)=6-12x=0
6=12x
x=1/2
The critical value is x=1/2.
If f''(x)>0 then the graph is concave up in the interval.
If f"(x)>0 then the graph is concave down in the interval.
If f'(x)=0 then an inflection point will exist.
Select an x value in the interval (-oo , 1/2).
Since f"(0)>0 the graph is concave up in the interval (-oo ,1/2).
Select an x value in the interval (1/2, oo ).
Since f"(1)<0 the graph is concave down in the interval (1/2, oo ).
Since f"(1/2)=0 there is an inflection point at x=1/2. The inflection point occurs at the coordinate (1/2, 18.5).

When is Mildred asked if she is happy in Fahrenheit 451?

In part one, Captain Beatty visits Montag's home after he calls in sick to work and attempts to persuade Montag that preserving knowledge and reading literature is futile. After Captain Beatty leaves, Montag expresses his desire to hold onto the recent unhappy feeling that he has experienced, and he refuses to go into work. Mildred responds by suggesting that Montag take the beetle for a ride, and Montag admits that he is not happy. Mildred then says, "I am . . . And proud of it" (Bradbury, 31). Mildred insisting that she is happy illustrates her ignorance and denial. She is clearly unhappy with her superficial, meaningless life, despite her response. Given the fact that she attempted to kill herself by taking thirty sleeping pills the previous night, one can surmise that Mildred is not happy at all. She is in denial about her life and would rather remain unhappy than attempt to make a dramatic change like her husband.

In Fahrenheit 451, Mildred is never directly asked if she is happy but, at the end of Part One, she declares that she is happy to Montag as he bemoans his unhappiness:

"I am." Mildred's mouth beamed. "And proud of it." 

To put this into context, she has just advised Montag to "take the beetle" and go driving, as a means of making himself happy. According to Mildred, it feels "wonderful" to go out into the countryside and drive fast, sometimes for the entire night. Evidently, this is how she copes with bouts of unhappiness when they occur. 
It is ironic that Mildred would declare her happiness in the novel, considering that she attempted suicide just a little while earlier. The fact that she will not admit it, even to her husband, demonstrates the extent of her self-imposed repression and her need to appear happy on the outside, no matter how she feels inside. 

What does Laertes question about his father’s death?

The main thing Laertes wants to know is who killed his father. The matter has been kept a mystery from the entire populace because Claudius, for Gertrude's sake, did not want it known that Hamlet is mad and that he committed the murder. This explains why the funeral of Polonius was conducted with great celerity and simplicity. There are other things Laertes wants to know about. When Claudius offers to give him a full explanation in the presences of Laertes' wisest friends, he tells Claudius:

Let this be so.His means of death, his obscure burial—No trophy, sword, nor hatchment o'er his bones,No noble rite nor formal ostentation,Cry to be heard, as 'twere from heaven to earth,That I must call't in question.

By "hatchment" Laertes means a tablet bearing his father's coat of arms to be fastened to the front of his home and on his tomb after the funeral. It is evident that Laertes is largely angered by the neglect of the formalities and ostentation of mourning he feels his father deserves. The same will be true when his sister Ophelia is given a perfunctory burial ceremony because, as the Priest explains to Laertes the reason for what Hamlet calls "such maimed rites":

Her obsequies have been as far enlargedAs we have warranty. Her death was doubtful;And, but that great command o'ersways the order,She should in ground unsanctified have lodgedTill the last trumpet. For charitable prayers,Shards, flints, and pebbles should be thrown on her.Yet here she is allow'd her virgin crants,Her maiden strewments and the bringing homeOf bell and burial.

By "great command o'ersways the order," the Priest means that the King has given order to give Ophelia the best funeral possible. The Priest believes that Ophelia committed suicide, which was a mortal sin.
Laertes' fury is intensified by what he regards as the outrageous treatment of both his dead father and his dead sister. The playwright's apparent purpose is to justify Laertes' consent to kill Hamlet in a treacherous manner when they have their fencing match. Laertes is a noble young man who would hardly consent to such an ignoble action under any other circumstances. The fact that the King himself suggests this treachery helps to persuade Laertes to go along with the scheme. Laertes is young and naive. He has no idea what a sinister and guilt-infested schemer he is dealing with in King Claudius.

Precalculus, Chapter 10, 10.1, Section 10.1, Problem 60

Take note that the formula to determine the distance from a point (xo, yo) to a line Ax+By+C=0 is:
d = |Ax_o + By_o +C|/sqrt(A^2+B^2)
To apply, set one side of the given equation equal to zero.
y=x+2
0=x-y+2
Then, plug-in the coefficients of x and y, as well as the constant to the formula.
d=|1x_0 + (-1)y_o +2|/sqrt(1^2+(-1)^2)
d=|x_o -y_o + 2|/sqrt2
And, plug-in the given point (2,1).
d=|2-1+2|/sqrt2
d=|3|/sqrt2
d=3/sqrt2
d=3/sqrt2*sqrt2/sqrt2
d=(3sqrt2)/2
Therefore, the distance between the point (2,1) and the line y=x+2 is (3sqrt2)/2 units.

How did the Constitution create a stronger unity between the citizens and the states?

The Constitution helped to create a sense of unity between the citizens and the state governments. Because the Constitution gave certain powers to the states, the people believed they were able to help shape state policies. The people were able to elect representatives to the state government. These representatives made the laws in each state. Since the people elected them, the representatives needed to listen to the wishes of the citizens. Also, by granting the states certain powers, they were able to control, to some degree, what the federal government was doing.
Additionally, the people were able to elect representatives to the House of Representatives. These elected officials also had to listen to the people they represented. This furthered the idea that the power remained in the hands of the people and reflected the idea that government is based on the consent of the governed.
People in each state felt a closer connection to the government than they had when the British ruled them. The colonists believed the British Parliament and King didn’t listen to or represent them. This changed with the adoption of the Constitution and created a stronger sense of unity than had existed in the past. The people believed that the government represented our collective voice, which was an improvement from the days of British rule.
https://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/historical-documents/perspectives-on-the-constitution-understanding-our-constitution

What countries did the Holocaust take place in?

The Modern American Poetry website offers a Holocaust map with statistics of how many were killed from each country; the link is below.
The Anne Frank Guide, also linked below, also offers statistics of numbers of Jews killed. Countries who lost Jewish citizens include the following: Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bohemia/Moravia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia. People of other ethnicities were also murdered, along with those murdered for other reasons, such as the weak, disabled, and homosexuals.
Other countries who lost citizens to the Holocaust include Albania, Macedonia, Thrace, Greece, Crete, and Libya.
Death camps and concentration camps were found in Poland, Germany, Latvia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, and France.
Losses were heaviest in number in Poland and the combined countries of the USSR.
https://www.annefrank.org/nl/anne-frank/

https://www.modernamericanpoetry.org/dashboard

What is the #1 reason for homicides: the availability of weapons, the attraction to gangs, violent games, or violent movies?

Depending on who you talk to, all of these options are responsible for homicides. I would argue that guns, gangs, violent digital games, and violent movies make for a dangerous combination when it comes to homicidal crime. Let's discuss the options you present.
The availability of weapons is definitely a hot-button issue. Supporters of gun laws argue that it is too easy for potential criminals and terrorists to obtain weapons. Criminals often acquire these weapons on the black market, making it difficult for law-enforcement to track such exchanges. On the other hand, proponents of the Second Amendment argue that law-abiding citizens deserve the right to protect themselves against such criminals. According to the FBI, there were 15, 696 murders in 2015, and firearms were used in 71.5 percent of these murders. 
In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed an assault weapons ban into law, but it did little to prevent gun-related homicides. This is because most murders were committed by those who used handguns, weapons that many Americans associated with self-defense. According to the New York Times, ISIS terrorists have begun to exploit American gun laws to obtain weapons. The group simply sends proxies with no prior criminal records to purchase guns and weapons, making it difficult for law enforcement to distinguish between legitimate purchases and illegal activity. 
Meanwhile, other experts point to gang violence and the prevalence of violent games and movies for the high homicide rates in many of America's major cities (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago). The National Gang Center reports that the majority of gang-related homicides between 2007 and 2012 occurred in those cities (nearly 67%). Similarly, the Los Angeles Times reports that homicides increased by 27.5% in 2016, and more than half of those homicides were believed to be gang-related. 
As for violent movies and digital games, Psychology Today reports that there are few statistics to back up the claim that violent media leads to higher rates of homicides. That said, some studies have found that criminals who are drawn to violent games and movies are already naturally predisposed towards aggression. In many cases, these criminals grew up in abusive households, where domestic violence was prevalent. Here's an article of interest from CBS that explores whether there is a direct link between violent media and homicidal acts: Questioning the role of media violence in violent acts.
From the above information, we can see that the key element linking all the options you provide is personal inclination. As for which of the options is the #1 reason for homicides, you may have to decide that based on your personal conclusions. 
 

Beginning Algebra With Applications, Chapter 5, 5.4, Section 5.4, Problem 44

Determine the equation of the line through the points whose coordinates are $(-3,-4)$ and $(5,-4)$.

Using the Slope Formula with $(x_1, y_1) = (-3,-4)$ and $(x_2, y_2) = (5,-4)$

$\displaystyle m = \frac{-4-(-4)}{5-(-3)} = \frac{0}{8} = 0$

The slope of the line is .

Using the point slope formula with $\displaystyle m = 0$ and $(x_1, y_1) = (-3,-4)$


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

y - y_1 =& m(x - x_1)
&&
\\
y-(-4) =& 0 [x-(-3)]
&& \text{Substitute } m = 0, (x_1, y_1) = (-3,-4)
\\
y +4 =& 0
&& \text{Simplify}
\\
y =& -4
&& \text{Write the slope-intercept form}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 2, 2.5, Section 2.5, Problem 52

(a) Show that the equation $x^5 - x^2 + 2x + 3 = 0$ has at least one real root.
(b) Determine an inteval of length 0.01 that contains a root using a calculator.

(a) Let $f(x) = x^5 - x^2 + 2x + 3 $
Based from the definition of Intermediate value Theorem,
There exist a solution $c$ for the function between the interval $(a,b)$ suppose that the function is continuous
on the given interval. So we take $a$ and $b$ to be -1 and 1 respectively and assume the function $f(x)$
is continuous on the interval (-1,1). So we have,


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

f(-1) =& (-1)^5 - (-1)^2 + 2 (-1) + 3 = -1\\
\\
f(1) =& (1)^5 - (1)^5 - (1)^2 + 2(1) + 3 = 5

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

By using Intermediate Value Theorem. We prove that...

So,
$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
& \text{if } -1 < c < 1 && \text{then } \quad f(-1) < f(c) < f(1)\\
& \text{if } -1 < c < 1 && \text{then } \quad -1 < 0 < 5
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Therefore,
There exist such root for $x^5 - x^2 + 2x + 3 = 0$.


(b) By trial and error using calculator, we take the interval (-0.88,-0.87) so,


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

f(-0.88) =& (-0.88)^5 - (-0.88)^2 + 2(-0.88) + 3 = -0.062 < 0 \\
& \text{ and }\\
f(-0.87) =& (-0.87)^5 - (-0.87)^2 + 2(-0.87) + 3 = 0.005 > 0

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Therefore,
The root in the function $x^5 - x^2 + 2x + 3 = 0$ exists between (-0.88,-0.87).

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 7, 7.3-2, Section 7.3-2, Problem 22

Determine a.) the domain of $f(x) = \ln (2 + \ln x)$ and b.) $f^{-1}$ and its domain.

a.) The domain of the given function, should be


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

& x > 0 \text{ and } 2 + \ln x > 0
\\
\\
& \ln x < -2
\\
\\
& e^{\ln x} < e^{-2}
\\
\\
& x < e^{-2}
\\
\\
& x < \frac{1}{e^2}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



Therefore, the domain of $f(x) = \ln (2 + \ln x)$ is $\displaystyle \left(0, \frac{1}{e^2} \right)$

b.) Solving for the inverse function


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

& y = \ln (2 + \ln x)
\\
\\
& e^y = e^{\ln (2 + \ln x)}
\\
\\
& e^y 2 + \ln x
\\
\\
& \ln x = e^y - 2
\\
\\
& e^{\ln x} = e^{e^y} - e^2
\\
\\
& x = e^{e^y} - e^2
\\
\\
& \text{Interchange } x \text{ and } y
\\
\\
& y = e^{e^x} - e^2
\\
\\
& y = e^{e^x - 2}
\\
\\
& f^{-1} (x) = e^{e^x - 2}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



The domain of $f^{-1} (x) = e^{e^x - 2}$ is $(- \infty, \infty)$

What are the themes of "The Upstairs Room"?

The Upstairs Room was written by Johanna Reiss. It is an autobiographical novel telling of Johanna's experience during Hitler's Final Solution plan, one whose intent was to exterminate the entirety of the Jewish race. Her autobiographical novel parallels The Diary of Anne Frank and other Holocaust novels like Elie Weisel's Night, Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.
The themes present in The Upstairs Room, and other Holocaust novels like it, revolve around family, fear, war, hope, and persecution.
In regards to the theme of family, the novel presents numerous different situations which highlight the importance of family. Throughout the novel, the protagonist's family must make numerous decisions regarding how to survive the war and Hitler. They face illness, death, separation, and the question of how to survive. The family, at one point, goes in different directions, and the protagonist and her sister find themselves having to make the decision to stay with a family they have been living with or rejoin their own family.
The theme of fear is prevalent in the novel as well. As with most Holocaust novels and stories, fear exists in a very obvious and upfront way. Reiss and her family face numerous dangers over the course of the novel. Most obviously, they face Hitler and his Final Solution. They also face fear as the rights of the Jews in her town are taken away little by little. They face the fear associated with the death of their mother, as well as the forced separation necessary for survival.
War, like fear, is another obvious theme which runs through the novel. Given that the novel openly depicts the war raging around them, it is hard to miss this theme.
Hope is another theme present in the novel. For families and characters portrayed in Holocaust novels, hope tends to be the prevailing theme. Hope tends to be the one thing that brings the people and characters through tragedies such as the Holocaust. Without hope, many of the people and characters state they would not have made it out of the challenges alive.
The final theme present in the novel is that of persecution. Essentially without the persecution described in the novel, the story simply would not exist. Most of the conflict and action circulate around the idea of persecution. Had it not been for Hitler's (and like-minded thinkers) persecution of the Jewish population, stories like Reiss's would not exist.

Precalculus, Chapter 7, 7.4, Section 7.4, Problem 21

You need to decompose the fraction into irreducible fractions, such that:
(3)/(x^3+x-2) = (3)/(x^3+x-1-1) = 3/((x^3-1) + (x-1))
3/((x^3-1) + (x-1)) = 3/((x-1)(x^2+x+1) + (x-1))
3/((x-1)(x^2+ x + 2)) = A/(x-1) + (Bx+C)/(x^2+ x + 2)
You need to bring the fractions to a common denominator:
3 = Ax^2 + Ax + 2A + Bx^2 - Bx + Cx - C
You need to group the terms having the same power of x:
3 = x^2(A+B) + x(A - B + C) + 2A - C
Comparing both sides yields:
A+B =0 => A = -B
A - B + C = 0 => 2A + C = 0
2A - C = 3
Adding the relations yields:
4A =3 => A = 3/4 => B = -3/4 => C = -6/4
Hence, the partial fraction decomposition is 3/((x-1)(x^2+ x + 2)) = 3/(4x-4) + (-3x-6)/(4x^2+ 4x + 8).

Who has been leaving presents in the knothole of the tree for the children?

Boo Radley is the anonymous gift giver, who gives Jem and Scout small gifts in the knothole of the oak tree in his yard. Boo Radley ends up giving Jem and Scout several sticks of Wrigley's Double Mint gum, two polished Indian coins, grey twine, soap figures resembling themselves, an old spelling bee medal, an old pocket watch, and an aluminum knife.
Initially, Jem and Scout have no idea who has been leaving them gifts and think that it is someone's hiding spot. The children end up writing a thank you note to the anonymous gift giver, but Jem cannot deliver the note because Nathan Radley fills the knothole of the tree with cement. Being that Boo is an extremely reclusive individual, the gifts were his attempt at developing a friendship with Jem and Scout. Unfortunately, Boo's brother puts an end to their harmless interaction by filling the knothole.

Solve for x. 2(x+2)-3(x-3)=x+7

Hello!
This is a linear equation for x. We'll see this if we open the parentheses using the distributive property:
2(x + 2) = 2x + 4,  3(x - 3) = 3x - 9,
so their difference is
2(x + 2) -3(x - 3) =2x + 4 - (3x - 9) = 2x + 4 - 3x + 9 =
= (2x - 3x) + (4 + 9) = -x + 13
(we grouped the terms with x and without x).
And this is equal to the right side,  -x + 13 = x + 7.
Add x to both sides and obtain 13 = 2x + 7, subtract 7 and obtain 6 = 2x. Finally, divide both sides by 2 and the answer is x = 3.
 

Does survival require selfishness?

In The Leap by Louise Erdrich whether survival requires selfishness or not appears situational. One could argue that Anna survives by making a selfish choice in the trapeze accident narrated at the start of the story, but on the other hand, as she is pregnant, her choice to survive rather than to try to save her husband is also a choice to try to save not only herself but the child growing in her womb.
Anna risks her own life to save her child from a fire and survives. In this case, the story suggests that survival of the family depends on being unselfish and willing to take risks to save others.
Although the narrator initially leaves home and creates her own life in the west, at the end she returns home to read to Anna who is now blind and unable to read. This again suggests that Erdrich values community and family and sees survival not as selfish individualism but as mutual interdependence and cooperation.

One could argue either for or against the notion that self-survival requires selfishness. However, it is a generally accepted idea that the dominant impulse for human beings is their instinct for self-preservation.
Some people have been criticized for acting in ways that ensured their physical survival while others have perished. Such was the case with mountain climber Simon Yates who, as relayed in his book Touching the Void, cut loose his injured climbing partner, Joe Simpson, lest they both die.
In many cases, those who acted to saved themselves may not have been able to save others and may very well have perished along with them. Yet, many of these people have reported feeling guilty for surviving even though they know they could not have saved anyone else.
 
https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2010/01/is-survival-selfish/34962/

What is globalization?

There are different definitions that emphasize different ways to understand and explain globalization. However, the common theme in these definitions is the idea that there is an increased connectedness and integration across space and time. How this connectedness is understood is a disputed issue. George Ritzer and Anthony Giddens, for example, view globalization as a process in which there is a multi-dimensional flow of people, objects, and information and in the social structures that integrate this flow. Others understand this connectedness to be a condition that is an effect of organized globalized political and economic processes. An example of the latter approach may be seen in Wallerstein's world-systems theory that emphasizes the political and economic dimensions of globalization and its effect on dependency relations between core and periphery states.
Further Reading: The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology by George Ritzer (chapter 29)

Why do we need to study the past?

As the old adage goes "those who forgot the past are doomed to repeat it." Studying history not only helps us to recall the events that have passed before us, but it gives us great insight into humanity at large. There are many reasons to study the past, and I'll outline a few here.
First, the past has shaped our present. An understanding of, say, the political tensions of the Cold War is actually very pertinent today, with countries like North Korea and China beginning to create nuclear weapons and Russia being accused of spying and political interference.
Second, history does tend to repeat itself, in a broad sense. By seeing the trends and events that have happened in the past, we can predict what sort of things may happen in the future.
Finally, history gives an understanding of human nature. Historical events and the responses people have had to them give an incredible insight into the human condition and informs psychology, sociology, and much more.

There are several reasons why it is important to study the past. One reason is that many events repeat themselves in some ways. For example, many of the causes of World War II were similar to the causes of World War I. If we would have learned from the actions that led to World War I, we might have been able to prevent the outbreak of World War II. Another example deals with the start of economic problems. Many recessions and/or depressions have similar causes. For example, some of the causes of the Great Recession of 2008-2010 were similar to the causes of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Preventing future mistakes is one main reason to study the past.
Another reason for studying the past is that people should be able to see how past events have relevance in their life now. The past should serve as a personal guide to the future. If a person learns from the mistakes of others, they can hopefully prevent making those same mistakes in their life. If a person learns from the actions of others, he or she can develop a personal blueprint of how to live. For example, a person can learn from poor financial decisions others have made in order to avoid making those same mistakes in his or her life. Studying the past can have a direct impact on your life today.

Provide an example that describes the relationship between distillation and chromatography.

Distillation is a process by which a solution is heated, thereby utilizing evaporation to separate a liquid solvent and solid solute. A common type of solution is an aqueous solution, wherein a solute is dissolved in a water solvent. Saline sea water is an example of an aqueous solution that is processed through distillation to obtain the solute of NaCl, or salt. 
What if you were a commercial producer of sea salt who wanted to determine if a petroleum oil spill has contaminated your supply? It would be impractical to drain a large amount of a body of water for large-scale distillation and analysis. The resources to perform the process may be expensive, and you would want to protect your crew from this potential hazard. In this case, selecting small samples of water and performing chromatography to determine the elemental composition would be more effective. A gas chromatographic machine will evaporate the liquid sample, allowing the machine to analyze the chemical characteristics and composition. Once the sea water is analyzed for contamination, you can make an informed decision about how to proceed with manufacturing sea salt.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography

Many authors, especially African-American writers such as Alex Haley and Langston Hughes, have used their works to discuss what it truly means to be an American during their lifetimes. Think about this issue and what it means in your own life. In an essay using details from your own life experiences, explain what you feel makes a person an American. How can I start an expository essay on this topic?

How you will approach this question depends to a great degree on your own background and personal experience. A white, heterosexual male whose parents arrived in the US in the eighteenth century will often have a different viewpoint than a second-generation Asian-American woman or a gay Latina first-generation immigrant. The recent attempts by President Trump to ban Muslims from traveling to the US might affect how a follower of Islam would respond to this question.
Your first step would be to talk about the actual legal nature of US citizenship. If you were born on US soil or your parents are US citizens at the time of your birth, you are automatically a US citizen. If you were not a citizen at birth, you must apply for derived citizenship or naturalization. 
On the next level, one can talk about the history of the United States. Long before the Europeans arrived in the US, many Native Americans lived here and had complex and sophisticated civilizations. In an important sense, people of European descent are all foreign immigrants. Moreover, immigration into the United States came in many periods, types, and forms. For example, many people of Spanish descent lived in the Southwestern United States before that region actually became part of the US. 
For some people, the concept of being "American" will be focused on how long their families have lived in the US and for others it will be a deliberately chosen identity. Some people whose families have lived in the US for many generations may feel ideologically alienated or dispossessed in some way. 
The important issue in completing this assignment successfully will be to display an understanding of the diversity of the American population and realize that those diverse experiences and backgrounds lead to many different views about what constitutes being American. Your own position is just one of many possibilities. 

I need to write a teaser on "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty. Could you provide an example of a teaser for this short story, a 50-word summary or review that would tempt someone into reading "The Sniper"?

"The Sniper" is a great story. It has action, suspense, and tragedy. The fact that it ends sadly is a real downer, but it always sparks great reactions and discussions from my classes. The key to writing a good teaser for this particular story is to not give away the ending. This means that you cannot write about the sniper killing the other sniper, and you definitely cannot write about the fact that the two snipers are brothers. That would not tease anything. It would be a spoiler paragraph.
Fifty words is not a lot of words to work with, and a good teaser needs to raise interest from the very first sentence. A good place to look for inspiration could be the back of any DVD cases that you have at home. They usually contain a little blurb that tries to entice potential viewers to watch the film. I have seen some really bad movies in my life, but I have never read a back-of-box blurb that made the movie sound boring. If you do not have any DVD boxes to look at, check out the back cover or inside jacket cover of a novel. These will have a description of the book as well, and they are generally near that word limit. Again, they have to make the book sound interesting because the author wants to coax people into reading the book.
In general, your teaser needs to entice readers to read more. This is done by keeping certain details a secret from readers. However, some details do need to be given. For "The Sniper," I would give your readers information on the setting. Focus on the fact that it is staged in the midst of a civil war: of all the types of wars that are out there, a civil war is generally assumed to be quite bad because the country is literally ripping itself apart. Second, focus on the two snipers. Use the word "sniper" because readers instinctively know that there is a hardness and mystery to a sniper. It takes a hard and cold individual to shoot and kill someone without that other person ever knowing they are in danger. You could start your paragraph with something like the following:
"A country is in the middle of a horrific civil war. Two snipers on opposite sides of the conflict pit their wits and talents against each other."
That is already half of your word count. The rest of the paragraph is up to you. You could focus on how the enemy forces are closing in on the one sniper, or you could focus on the concept of "one shot, one kill." You could even focus on the fact that even though one of the snipers is wounded, he is still incredibly dangerous because of his experience and ability to adapt.

Why is Noda's identity as a Japanese-American woman the most difficult part of herself to accept?

Mainly because from any early age, Noda's whole identity as a Japanese-American is the subject of a mixture of incomprehension and stereotyping from white society. She wears an identity that people simply don't understand, one steeped in a history that has traditionally presented Japanese-Americans in a negative light. To other people she'll always be a stranger, other and apart. In support of this contention, Noda maintains that a third-generation German-American is regarded as an American, whereas a third-generation Japanese-American is just Japanese.
The central paradox at the heart of Noda's identity causes her to consider which is the best way to know and define oneself. Growing up, Noda felt very keenly that her identity was defined from the outside, as it were––from society, the media, and people woefully ignorant of Japanese history and culture. However, there is an another way to conceive of one's own identity:

From the inside—within a context that is self defined, from a grounding in a community and a connection with culture and history that are comfortably accepted...

And as an adult, Noda has been able to see herself and her heritage from both perspectives, moving gradually away from how things appeared in childhood, when her identity had been imposed almost wholly from without.

How does Ginger die?

In Anna Sewell's classic novel Black Beauty, Ginger is Black Beauty's friend. She is a chestnut mare with bad manners. She has a tendency to kick or bite. Black Beauty and Ginger meet at Birtwick Park, where they have very kind owners. Merrylegs, the pony, speculates that Ginger has bad treatment before she comes to Birtwick Park and that is why she snaps and bites people. Beauty and Ginger are paired together to pull the carriage.
After a time, Black Beauty and Ginger are separated. In the chapter entitled "Poor Ginger," Black Beauty sees Ginger again but doesn't recognize her. When he sees her, she is in London pulling a cab. She has a bad cough. Most of her ribs are showing. She has swollen joints and is unable to lift her head very far.
The life of a London cab horse could be quite brutal. They were often expected to carry loads heavier than they should have been asked to carry. They were exposed to the elements and worked for long hours. They often didn't get enough rest or proper medical care. Horse teeth can develop sharp points or "hooks" on them, and if their teeth are not "floated" yearly (a process in which a veterinarian takes a file and smooths out the sharp points) horses can have a very difficult time eating. This is one possible reason Ginger has lost so much weight when Beauty sees her again. She tells Beauty that she wishes to die because she has lost all hope in life and has been treated so brutally. In the quote below, Beauty describes seeing her for the last time:

A short time after this a cart with a dead horse in it passed our cab-stand. The head hung out of the cart-tail, the lifeless tongue was slowly dropping with blood; and the sunken eyes! but I can't speak of them, the sight was too dreadful. It was a chestnut horse with a long, thin neck. I saw a white streak down the forehead. I believe it was Ginger; I hoped it was, for then her troubles would be over. Oh! if men were more merciful they would shoot us before we came to such misery.

Ginger dies from neglect, maltreatment, and losing the will to live.

Regarding the New York City police department (NYPD), how would you change: a. youth behavior? b. police behavior?

The program described in the link below is one way in which the New York City Police Department (NYPD) is attempting to change their own behavior and that of young people in the city. Through this program, young people, ages 10 to 16, train with police officers for six weeks during the summer. The police hold classes that instruct young people about gangs, violence, law, and drug prevention. By attending these classes, young people learn more about the law, about their communities, about the police, and form a better idea of how to cooperate with the police. At the same time, police officers get to know young people in their community and have the opportunity to introduce them to community programs such as the Police Athletic League.
In addition, the police need to become more involved in their communities to get to know the needs and problems of young people. One way in which they are already doing so is through School Safety Agents (SSA), who, since 1998, have worked in schools as part of the NYPD. Unlike police officers, these agents do not carry guns but attempt to maintain peace in schools. Increasing the responsibilities and assignments of these agents would help the police be more responsive to the needs of young people in New York City. 
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/services/law-enforcement/youth-programs/youth-police-academy.page