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

The power of imagination is seen as a vehicle for redemption, even as it is a vehicle for harm. Cecilia calls Briony "fanciful" as a way of saying she makes up stories and willfully presents them as truth, as she did with accusing Robbie of raping Lola. Briony's imagination is responsible for the novel's central conflict: the separation of Robbie and Cecilia for reasons that have nothing to do with anything they themselves have done. Briony's claim that she saw something she didn't (Robbie attacking Lola) is what forces Robbie to go to war, in order to be able to leave prison, and causes Cecilia to refuse to engage with her in any but the most cursory way.
Briony imagines that the two lovers do manage to meet up again, as a way of atoning for her actions. Interestingly, her imagining of their intimacy mirrors the scene she stumbled upon in the library, when they were making love, but which Briony in her youth and inexperience saw as a violent act. This in turn fed into the fantasy she created of Robbie raping Lola, because she did not want to think of Robbie as anything other than a "sex maniac" because it would mean he preferred Cecilia to her, and it was Robbie's scolding of her that made Briony, harboring a schoolgirl crush, feel rejected.
As Briony matures, she comes to realize how wrong her actions were, and also that her sister can never forgive her. She writes the novel as atonement for her actions, using the act of imagination once again in an attempt to redeem the pain she has lived through, and the pain she has caused others.

In Ian McEwans' book Atonement the center theme of this book revolves around the imagination of a little girl, and the damage that inflicts. As the reader you are seeing a blossoming affair contaminated by the outside world through the eyes of the young adults involved, and also through the eyes of a naive little girl with no perception of the reality of adults. In the beginning we see how the use of imagination can be used to damage a persons reputation and even ruin their life, and through the story as the girl grows and learns of her mistake she tries to atone. We later see how imagination is used to remedy a situation that in reality can never be repaired. Imagination is this tool that we all possess, like a loaded gun that can we used to rip a world apart or put one back together. 

In your opinion, did the speaker actually hear a ghost? Why or why not?

James Thurber's "The Night the Ghost Got In" tells of the circumstances which resulted in broken broken windows and a police officer getting shot. An argument for both sides can be made regarding an actual ghost being in the Thurber household.
One could argue that the ghost is real based upon a couple things. First, the narrator begins the story with the following statement:

The ghost that got into our house on the night of November 17, 1915, raised such a hullabaloo of misunderstandings that I am sorry I didn’t just let it keep on walking, and go to bed.

This makes it sound like the ghost was real, at least for the narrator. The fact that the story opens with this line alludes to the "reality" of the moment. The narrator opens the story rather matter-of-factly. Why shouldn't we, as readers, believe him?
Next, the factual nature of the story continues with the speaker's recollection of the events of the night:

My mother was asleep in one room upstairs, my brother Herman in another; grandfather was in the attic, in the old walnut bed which, as you will remember, once fell on my father.

The idea of the speaker talking to readers as friends makes the story that much more believable. Given that "we" should "remember," alludes to the idea that we know things about the family, personal things. As "friends," lies should not be told.
Lastly, the events are given a date, November 17, 1915. The narrator even goes as far as to give readers the time: 1:15 in the morning. The details here add to the reality and believability of the events.
All that said, one could also argue that the ghost was not real. The ghost is never seen, only heard. When the police show up most everyone believes that the footsteps heard were those of burglars. This, for those who do not believe in the supernatural, would be a far more reasonable reason behind the footsteps.
Either way, most stories are meant to entertain, and this story makes the reader think about the reality of the events of that November night.

What benefits have the baby boomers provided to the Canadian society and economy?

A baby boomer is a person born between the years of 1946 and 1964. The baby boom period was characterized by the explosion of births across various countries worldwide, following the end of the Second World War. It is generally thought that the baby boomer phenomenon came about as a result of the feeling that there would exist a period of peace and stability, that would be conducive to the growth of families.
According to Statistics Canada, the baby boom period lasted for about 20 years, during which more than 8.2 million babies were born. At that time, the average number of children per woman was 3.7. This is higher than the current 1.7 children per woman. The 2011 Canadian census revealed that about 29% of the Canadian population comprised of baby boomers.
The baby boomer generation has impacted the Canadian society and economy in many ways. As the baby boomers grew up, there was an increased demand for education. This meant that more schools had to be built and teachers employed to meet this demand. When they started working, their numbers put pressure on the job market, resulting in increased unemployment. They also created a market for fast foods, popular music, and cosmetics. Since most of the baby boomers today are approaching retirement, there are budgetary concerns related to their retirement benefits. The government will have to contend with a smaller base of taxpayers versus rising costs from retiring baby boomers. It will also be difficult to replace retiring baby boomers that possess key skills in vital areas.
While most baby boomers will retire healthier than other generations, the sudden change from producers to consumers, within this large generation can greatly dent the economy of Canada. The workforce will shrink resulting in slow economic growth. However, immigrant workers have helped to fill the void left behind by the retiring baby boomers. Also, retirement ages have been increased to allow workers to stay in the workforce longer.

Evaluation of a Weight-Loss Plan or Program Describe the food program promoted by the publication or organization. Is the program flexible enough to allow people with different food choice preferences and lifestyles to use it successfully? Is it adaptable and easy to follow? Does it provide variety? Does the program provide for weight maintenance after the goal weight is achieved? Describe how the plan works. Does it require substantial registration fees, mandatory purchase of various items or foods, attendance at a minimum number of meetings? Evaluate whether the plan offers a nutritionally sound way to lose weight. What characteristics make it sound or unsound?

You can choose which plan or program to analyze; one you could look at is Nutrisystem. The online system asks a user for his/her weight and height and then customizes a menu plan for that person. The system allows the user to choose from certain menu items, and the user can order these foods online and have them shipped to their house. The website also encourages users to exercise, but that is not part of their plan. 
This plan is not very flexible, as people have to order pre-packaged food from the company and cannot eat out or travel on the plan. Although there are different menu choices, there isn't as great a variety as dieters would have if they chose food at a market. The portion sizes of the meals are controlled; however, if people try to maintain their weight without ordering from Nutrisystem, they may not be able to. In other words, people won't necessarily be able to control their portion sizes and eat a certain number of calories if they don't order the food from the system. In addition, the plan promises that people can lose up to 13 pounds in the first month, which might be too much to be medically sound for certain people. Any plan that promises to make people lose weight fast, as Nutrisystem does, may not be medically sound. 

What is the resolution of the story "Scent of Apples" by Bienvenidos Santos?

The resolution, known also as the denouement, is seen as the conclusion of a story's plot. The resolution indicates that all issues in the plot have been resolved and is also where the reader is left with the feeling that there are no loose ends and that all the questions have been answered. A complete ending means that the story has a strong resolution. 
In this story there was more than one issue which needed resolution. The first occurred when the speaker was asked a question about Filipino women back in the home country. The question was directed at him by another expat Filipino, Celestino Fabia, during a speaking engagement. The speaker did not want to, as he says:

...tell a lie yet I did not want to say anything that would seem platitudinous, insincere. But more important than these considerations, it seemed to me that moment as I looked towards my countryman, I must give him an answer that would not make him so unhappy. Surely, all these years, he must have held on to certain ideals, certain beliefs, even illusions peculiar to the exile.

This request by Celestino obviously created some tension and can be seen as somewhat climactic. The speaker had to find a way to resolve the issue and decided to say that Filipino women had definitely changed but only outwardly. He told the audience that they had retained all the old values of being "God-fearing, faithful, modest and nice." His reply pleased Celestino and the tension decreased. The issue about his reply had been resolved and the speaker says that:

After this, everything that was said and done in that hall that night seemed like an anti-climax,... 

Another matter which had to be resolved was the speaker's uncertainty about whether Celestino wanted him to go to his (Celestino's) home town and probably make contact with his family and acquaintances when he went back home. He probably felt that he owed Celestino a favour for his kindness and generosity for having invited him to his home. When he told him about it, Celestino responded:

"No," he said softly, sounding very much defeated but brave, "Thanks a lot. But, you see, nobody would remember me now." 

We know that this is the final resolution in the story because Celestino then drove off and the speaker hurried inside thinking about the train he had to take the next morning. The story ends without any unresolved issues or loose ends.

The conflict in the story "Scent of Apples" is that the author feels a great sense of nostalgia for his native country, the Philippines. When he is giving a talk in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Santos meets a Filipino farmer named Celestino Fabia. When Fabia and the author are speaking, Fabia begins to think of home. The author observes many parts of Fabia's life in America, including his life on a farm with his pleasant wife, Ruth, and his son, Roger. In the end, Santos seems to wonder if Fabia also misses home and if homesickness is a conflict for him. When Santos bids farewell to Fabia, the author offers to visit Fabia's hometown in the Philippines and pass along greetings from Fabia. Fabia says he does not know anyone in his hometown anymore. This resolves the conflict, as it's clear Fabia's life is in the United States now, even if he at times feels nostalgic for the country of his birth.

On what basis did the south claim the right to secede?

After the election of 1860, several southern states seceded from the Union. While this was clearly an act of rebellion by the southern states, the South believed they had a right to secede. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that governments get their power from the consent of the governed. Jefferson stated that when a government fails to protect the rights of the people, the people must replace that government. The southerners believed that the United States government was no longer protecting their rights. They believed that President Lincoln was going to abolish slavery, even though he said he didn’t plan to do this. The slaves were considered to be property, and the Constitution protects personal property. Thus, the southerners believed that they needed to get rid of the old government and replace it with a new government.
http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/01/14/did-the-south-have-the-right-to-secede/

https://theimaginativeconservative.org/2012/12/the-right-to-secede.html

According to the travel agent, what do a member of Lincoln’s cabinet, Ambrose Bierce, and Judge Crater all have in common?

The travel agent suggests that each of these people is in some way associated with the faraway utopia of Verna. He says that the unnamed member of Lincoln's cabinet is in fact from Verna. He was put in the cabinet during a period when the people of Verna were "simply observers," watching what was happening on planet Earth. When they began to take an active role in events on Earth (just before World War I broke out, according to the travel agent), they began to rescue people from the planet, which they are convinced is on the decline. The travel agent compares this practice to rescuing one's neighbors whose house has caught on fire. Verna is a happy place where people live long and carefree lives. Their work is fulfilling, and their relationships are genuine. It is held in stark contrast to the dreary life of Charley and other New Yorkers.
Ambrose Bierce is one of the people the Vernans "rescued," and the travel agent says that the famous author wrote several more books. Charley, the narrator, surmises that Judge Crater, a New York judge who famously disappeared without a trace in the midst of a scandal, may have gone to Verna, and the agent confirms that they had, in fact, been joined by a judge from New York. So what these three individuals have in common is that they are used by the travel agent to demonstrate the possibility of escape to Verna and a better life, a possibility that Charley unfortunately spurns out of his fears that the whole "Verna" story is a sort of scam.

How does the book and the television differ? How does it remain the same?

The television show American Gods is an adaptation of Gaiman’s 2001 novel. Since the work is so lengthy (588 pages in the paperback version), it would be incredibly difficult to adapt the story in its entirety. Though the television series begins as the novel did with Shadow’s early prison release and wife’s death, and while the journey taken by Shadow and Mr. Wednesday, still seminal to the story line, takes roughly the same trajectory, the serial television format lends the show’s creative team a great deal of freedom. Roles of supporting and even minor characters can now expand, allowing them to have interesting adventures and growth arcs of their own. Even if these do not follow events in the novel to the letter, the television series format allows for this type of expansion. It also helps to generate audience interest in the series from members of different demographic groups.
The novel also contains lengthy narrative sequences that would not translate well as pure dialogue: entries from Mr. Ibis’ journal, Shadow’s dreams, and flashbacks, for example. Because television, like film, is a visual medium, a well-constructed tableau or sequence of camera shots can communicate the intent of such scenes quickly and far more effectively.
Other notable differences are how Technical Boy’s character has transformed from overweight geek to sleek millennial, and how the show deals with themes related to hotbed topics, such as immigration.

Compare and contrast why Daisy doesn't want to divorce Tom and marry Gatsby.

There are a number of reasons why Daisy won't divorce Tom and marry Gatsby. For one thing, she actually takes her marriage vows seriously and so never really contemplates divorce, no matter how often Tom cheats on her. Also, Daisy has grown rather accustomed to the old money lifestyle that her marriage provides. Despite her regular appearances at Gatsby's lavish parties, she still has something of a snobbish disdain for the nouveau riche West Eggers:

She was appalled by West Egg…by the too obvious fate that herded its inhabitants along a short cut from nothing to nothing.

For all the many ups and downs of her marriage, Daisy feels much safer in her comfort zone. Marrying Gatsby would be too much of a leap in the dark, and Daisy just doesn't like taking chances.
Daisy's relationship with Gatsby is also more than just a tad one-sided. Gatsby's never really got over Daisy, or at least the idea of her. Daisy, however, has moved on from their earlier relationship, so much so that when Jordan mentions Gatsby's name at a dinner party, she doesn't even know who she's talking about. Their relationship from five years previously meant everything to Gatsby, but clearly nothing to Daisy.
Even when they get back together, Daisy seems more emotionally engaged by Gatsby's fine collection of shirts than by the man himself. But Gatsby's so blinded by his love for Daisy that he's incapable of seeing that there's no chance that they'll ever be together on a permanent basis. No wonder poor old Jay finds himself obsessively staring at the end of Daisy's dock, reaching out forlornly to the green light. 
 

What is the conclusion to Bridge to Terabithia?

Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia has an ending that shows us that even in the darkest times, not all hope is lost. 
Over the course of the book, fifth-graders Jess and Leslie become best friends. Together, they create an imaginary land called Terabithia (which Paterson acknowledges is very close to the name of an island in the Chronicles of Narnia series, Terebinthia). To get to the section of forest that they've claimed for their imaginary land, Jess and Leslie must swing on a rope to cross a creek. The two friends are the royalty of Terabithia and go there every day. 
One day, when the whether is bad, Jess goes to a museum with his favorite teacher, Miss Edmunds, and doesn't tell Leslie (or anyone, really). When he returns, he finds out that Leslie has died—she tried to cross over to Terabithia by herself, the rope snapped, and she fell into the creek and drowned. Jess is distraught. 
At the story's conclusion, Jess goes and lays a fallen tree over the creek to Terabithia, and he leaves a wreath there for Leslie. He finds his little sister, May Belle, trying to follow him, and he saves her from falling into the water. When Leslie's parents give him some wood, he uses it to make an actual bridge to Terabithia. He takes his sister across the bridge and makes her the new Queen of Terabithia. By realizing he is not alone and that he has some of the bravery Leslie had, Jess is able to start moving on from his anger and grief at losing his friend. 

What are the similarities between an American alligator and a Nile crocodile?

Alligators and crocodiles are considered fierce and are known to attack both animals and human beings. They also share some similarities in their appearance. Both the Nile crocodile and the American alligator have long tails with jagged backs. The animals have webbed feet, which coupled with the long tails makes them adept swimmers. Alligators and crocodiles are both reptiles and can exist in both salt and fresh water. However, different species have different preferences with regards to main habitats. The animals hunt both in water and on land. The Nile crocodile and the American alligator have impeccable night vision owing to the vertically slit pupils. Both Alligators and crocodiles are considered carnivorous with most of their diet consisting of small fish to large prey like buffaloes and wild boar.

what happens when a wire that carries electric current is placed in a magnetic field

When a current carrying wire is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences a mechanical force. This was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1821. The wire will not experience any mechanical force if it is placed parallel to the magnetic field. And the force will be maximum if the current carrying wire is placed in a direction perpendicular to that of the magnetic field. The force exerted on the wire is known as the Lorentz force.
We can use Fleming's left-hand rule to determine the direction of the force experienced by the wire. According to Fleming's left-hand rule, if we stretch the forefinger, middle finger and the thumb of the left hand, and the forefinger represents the magnetic field, middle finger the current, then the thumb will represent the direction of the force.
Interestingly, if the wire is not held in place, then the mechanical force may cause its motion.
Hope this helps.
https://nationalmaglab.org/education/magnet-academy/watch-play/interactive/right-and-left-hand-rules

What is a summary of Second-Class Citizen?

Second-Class Citizen, written by Buchi Emecheta, tells the story of Adah, a Nigerian woman who overcomes setback after setback in her life due to her being classified as a second-class citizen. The powerful novel shows the struggle women face when they are not treated equal to men in society. It also discusses the difficulties in trying to keep their own cultures and beliefs while adapting to new ones. This novel has been classified as semi-autobiographical because it closely follows the author's own life.
It begins when Adah is a young girl. She lives in Nigeria but dreams about going to school and living in the United Kingdom. One day, she sneaks off to a local school. Although her mother is punished for this, she is able to continue attending. Upon her father's death, Adah is sent to live with her uncle and his family. While under his care, she is allowed to continue her education since it will make her more desirable to suitors. However, as she meets different suitors, she shows no interest in them and redirects her focus on continuing her education.
She then marries a student named Francis, hoping that she will be able to continue her education at her own pace. Instead, she has a daughter and starts working as a library clerk. Francis travels to the United Kingdom to study law, and Adah, following her childhood dream, convinces her husband and in-laws that she and the children should also go to the United Kingdom. Although Francis believes they are second-class citizens and her in-laws prefer her to stay with them for financial reasons, Adah follows him to the United Kingdom and seeks out employment at another library. She is able to cover her and the children’s' expenses and continue providing care for the family.
As the novel continues, Frances becomes more and more abusive to Adah, and she realizes that he is not the man of her dreams. He does not support her when she tries to become a writer, and when Adah realizes how disrespectful Francis is, she takes her children and leaves.

Second-Class Citizen is a book about Adah Ofili and her struggle both in Lagos (where she was born in the 1940s) and the United Kingdom (where she wants to achieve her dreams). Adah Ofili has a typical upbringing in Lagos until her father dies and she goes to live in the home of her uncle. More than anything else, Adah Ofili wants to be educated, so she sneaks away to a Methodist school (even though her mother gets in trouble for this act). Later, she is allowed to continue her education only because it will "fetch a higher bride price." Adah Ofili wins a scholarship to a prominent secondary school. Soon after, she marries a poor student named Franics Obi so she can continue school. Instead, she begins working at a library and has children. Eventually, the two move to the United Kingdom in pursuit of Adah Ofili's dream, but Francis Obi has a pessimistic attitude, insisting they are all second-class citizens in London. Even though housing conditions lend truth to Francis's idea, Adah Ofili learns she can fight for her rights in the United Kingdom. She continually fights for her children to get better care. The disinterested Francis Obi proves he is not the ideal husband (especially when he destroys Adah Ofili's writing); therefore, still pursuing her dreams and her civil rights, Adah Ofili leaves to become an independent woman in the United Kingdom.

y' + 3y = e^(3x) Solve the first-order differential equation

Given y'+3y=e^(3x)
when the first order linear ordinary differential equation has the form of
y'+p(x)y=q(x)
then the general solution is ,
y(x)=((int e^(int p(x) dx) *q(x)) dx +c)/e^(int p(x) dx)
so,
y'+3y=e^(3x)--------(1)
y'+p(x)y=q(x)---------(2)
on comparing both we get,
p(x) = 3 and q(x)=e^(3x)
so on solving with the above general solution we get:
y(x)=((int e^(int p(x) dx) *q(x)) dx +c)/e^(int p(x) dx)
=((int e^(int 3 dx) *(e^(3x))) dx +c)/e^(int 3 dx)
first we shall solve
e^(int 3 dx)=e^(3x)     
so
proceeding further, we get
y(x) =((int e^(int 3 dx) *(e^(3x))) dx +c)/e^(int 3 dx)
=((int e^(3x) *(e^(3x))) dx +c)/e^(3x)
=((int e^(6x) ) dx +c)/e^(3x)
= (e^(6x)/6 +c)/e^(3x)
=(e^(6x)/6 +c)*e^(-3x)
so y(x)=(e^(6x)/6 +c)*e^(-3x)

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 2, 2.5, Section 2.5, Problem 14

Show that the function $\displaystyle g(x) = 2\sqrt{3-x}$ is continuous on the interval $(-\infty,3]$ by using the definition
of continuity and the properties of limits.

By using the properties of limit, let's pick $a=2$ on the interval $(-\infty,3]$


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\lim\limits_{x \to 2} 2\sqrt{3-x} & = 2 \sqrt{ \lim\limits_{x \to 2} 3- \lim\limits_{x \to 2} x }
&& \text{(Applying Difference, Sum and Quotient Law.)}\\
& = 2\sqrt{3-2}
&& \text{(Substitute } a = 2)\\
& = 2
&& \text{(It shows that the function is continuous at 2 and is equal to 2)}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


By using the definition of continuity,
The given function is a rational function that is continuous at every number in its domain according to the theorem.
And the domain of the function is $(-\infty,3]$

Therefore,
The function is continuous on the interval $(-\infty,3]$

What is the importance of music in Appointment in Samarra?

Appointment in Samarra is set right between the end of the Jazz Age and the beginning of the Depression. As the Roaring Twenties came to an end, the country sank into the despair brought about by economic decline. With an orchestra often playing in the background and a crowd tearing up the dance floor, John O’Hara uses music to immerse readers in the spirit of those times and to create atmospheres in which the characters’ moods come to life. In chapter 4, Julian and Caroline are at the Country Club talking about the effects that the incident with Harry is having on Julian’s image and negotiating whether Caroline will agree to keep her promise to go out to the car with Julian. The band is playing music, and Julian cannot help but get distracted because his “ear for jazz was superb.” When he tells Caroline what he is really thinking about—that the band is lousy and that it is a “foolish economy” to save money on an orchestra—she gets upset because she senses that Julian is not taking their conversation seriously. The exchange gives the reader a subtle yet important insight into Julian’s failure to meet his wife’s expectations. It also depicts his inability to fit into his superficial environment: could Julian’s comments about the band be perhaps more consequential than the petty worries triggered by his impulsive behavior? The scene is also indicative of the times because it emphasizes the fact that thriftiness is prioritized over artistic quality. Arrogant and obnoxious as he may be, Julian appears as a truth-teller whose sensibility for music is worthy of praise. The narrator’s sympathies are clearly with him: “After all,” Julian says, “the most important thing at a dance is the music, isn’t it?”
When Julian finally goes, he does so with music. He says his final farewell to life while pounding his feet to the tunes of Jean Godkette and Paul Whiteman. The random selection of records he makes after laying them out on the floor and spinning a spoon to select them adds an element of fortitude to his final moments, as if chance could still change the course of the story. A final mishap highlights the misfortunes of his short and damaged life as Julian prepares to say goodbye:  

He played only three records in this way, because he was pounding his feet, keeping time, and he broke one of his most favorite, Whiteman’s Lady of the Evening, valuable because it has the fanciest trick ending ever put on a record. He wanted to cry but he could not. He wanted to pick up the pieces. He reached over to pick them up, and lost his balance and sat down on another record, crushing it unmusically.

Based on the Preface, Introduction, and Chapters 1-4 of Ian Haney López's "Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class," what role did the John Birch Society play in politics?

According to the author, the John Birch Society spearheaded the anti-liberal revolt against New Deal politics. To recap, the John Birch Society was founded by Robert Welch in 1958 to combat communism in American society.
Although the John Birch Society stressed its support for welfare reform and for free market capitalism, it doomed its political efforts because of its penchant for entertaining spurious conspiracy theories. Welch's promotion of the idea that the Illuminati was leading communist efforts to subjugate America was less than helpful.
However, what the John Birch Society did do was to promote the argument that the entertainment media and education system were promoting a preference for "welfare" and "security" against responsibility and opportunity; making an ever larger...percentage of American industry, commerce, agriculture, education, and individuals accustomed to receiving, and dependent on government checks..." The Society maintained that New Deal policies led to a "constant increase in legislation, taxation, and bureaucracy..."
In due time, supporters of the John Birch Society funded think tanks that promoted anti-liberal views about welfare reform and capitalism to mainstream society. So, the John Birch Society's main role in politics was to introduce counter-arguments against what it considered the financially irresponsible policies of the New Deal.
 

Why does Beetle take on the name Alyce?

Alyce goes through some dramatic changes throughout the story. She is definitely a dynamic character, and her names are as dynamic as she is. What's interesting about her names is that Alyce never really chooses her new names. Other people call her a name, and she either adopts the name because she likes it, or she takes the name out of necessity.
When the reader is first introduced to Alyce, she is called Brat. When Jane finds her in a dung pile, Jane decides to call her "Beetle." That name stays with her for a large portion of the story. It's not until after Jane breaks her ankle that Beetle once again changes names. Jane cannot travel, so she sends Beetle instead to go buy supplies. While at the Saint Swithin's Day Fair, somebody mistakes Beetle for somebody else. He calls her Alyce. Beetle likes the name and takes it as her own. The name change is symbolic of her growing confidence. Alyce no longer feels like the weak girl found in a dung heap. She is gaining confidence in her skills, education, and looks. She realizes that "Beetle" is not a name that fits with how she feels. "Alyce" is a name that fits with who she feels she is becoming.

What a day! She had been winked at, complimented, given a gift, and now mistaken for the mysterious Alyce who could read. Did she then look like someone who could read? She leaned over and watched her face in the water again. "This face," she said, "could belong to someone who can read. And has curls. And could have a lover before nightfall."
"Alyce," she breathed. Alyce sounded clean and friendly and smart. You could love someone named Alyce. She looked back at the face in the water. "This then is me, Alyce." It was right.

Why was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire significant? What changes happened following it?

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire , which occurred on March 25, 1911, was significant because it showed the American people the horrors that young girls were facing in factories all across the country at the time. The fire ultimately took the lives of 145 innocent people in a short amount of time. The fire ended up exposing the following problems in the factory system; unsafe working conditions, government corruption, and lack of concern for employee rights. Corruption was rampant in the garment industry between the owners of the factories and the local governments, and these relationships ensured that safety precautions for the workers were either non existent or minimal. The relationships also ensured that workers had little to no rights concerning wages, privacy, or safety. Secondly, workers safety was not a priority and many factory owners would actively barr exits to ensure that employees were not stealing, in direct disregard to safety. In the event of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire these practices did not allow for employees to exit the factory when the fire started, and cost many people their lives as they were not able to escape the building. Thirdly, unsafe working conditions led to the fire. There were four elevators but only one functioned. Of the stairwell exits one was locked from the outside, again to prevent stealing, and one only opened inwards, and the fire escape was too small for the amount of people employed to use safely and quickly. The factory was overcrowded and that led to many people being trapped in a small space. Many people suffocated or burned to death, but many more jumped to their deaths in an effort to escape.

Due to the fire there were changes in industrial workplace procedures and protections. Citizens and reformers were horrified to see the conditions that the workers were working in and the lack of safety precautions in case of something like a fire. Workers organized to enact reforms such as fire sprinklers and outward swinging doors. The biggest impact was on the workers right movement that was going on during the early 1900's, which gained more momentum due to this tragedy.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire remains one of the worst workplace disasters in US history. The factory represented a typical sweatshop—it employed young women, mainly immigrants and teenagers, who worked long hours for low wages in unsanitary and often unsafe conditions. In 1911, a fire broke out in the factory, which had a history of fires. To make matters worse, the factory lacked necessary safety and fire precautions. The stairways leading out of the building were locked to prevent stealing, and the fire escapes were too narrow to allow for quick escapes by large numbers of people. Naturally, when the fire broke out panic ensued, especially as the women found they could not escape. Many jumped out of the windows to their deaths. To make matters worse, firemen were not equipped with ladders to reach the new skyscrapers and buildings that had spring up in cities. In less than 20 minutes, 145 workers were dead.
While the fire was a tragedy, it also highlighted the persistent problems and abuses industrial workers faced. Reformers were appalled not only by the lack of safety protocols and procedures, but also by the brutal conditions under which the women worked. New York enacted reforms such as the Sullivan-Hoey Fire Prevention Law. The fire also galvanized the labor union movement, as many began to see the necessity of collective bargaining and organized labor in bringing about reforms.
For more information: https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/index.html
https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/index.html

What does "trodden black" suggest in Frost's "The Road Not Taken"?

This phrase appears in the third stanza of the poem:

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.

The first line of this stanza lets readers know that the speaker is at the fork in the road in the morning. We also know that the season is autumn, because the first line of the poem tells us that the speaker is traveling through a "yellow wood." The leaves have turned from green to yellow (and likely various other shades). Over the course of the night, the trees continue to drop their leaves on the ground, and the paths have been covered with golden yellow leaves. As people walk over those leaves, the leaves are pressed into the dirt and mud of the path. That will turn the leaves from shades of yellow to browns and blacks. As more and more people travel the road, their feet/shoes pick up some of that dirt, mud, and crushed leaves. That debris will then get deposited on top of more leaves. Eventually, the leafy yellow path will be changed into a leafy, muddy, blackened path. The speaker in the lines above is simply letting readers know that he is at the fork in the road before enough people have walked on the path to dirty it up.

The speaker is walking in what he describes as "a yellow wood." This means it is fall and the leaves on the deciduous trees have all turned yellow. The leaves on both roads are still partly yellow but partly brown from being trodden on by walkers. Since it is still morning, the leaves have yet to turn completely black from the dirt left by passing feet.
The two diverging roads and the trees all adorned with yellow leaves are part of a metaphor. The speaker is evidently trying to make an important decision about where he will go in life. The fact that the yellow leaves have not yet turned black suggests the speaker still has time to make his important decision. Still, time is of the essence.

How would I graph 5x+3y=-15? How would I graph 8x+2y=-4? Is the x=8/-3 the x-intercept for the equation -3x+4y=8?

One method to graph is to find the x and y intercept of the equation. Then use the intercepts to graph the line.
 
Example 1:  5x+3y=-15
To find the x-intercept of the linear equation let y=0 and solve for the x value.
5x+3y=-15
5x+3(0)=-15
5x=-15
x=-3
Therefore one point on the line is the coordinate (-3, 0).
To find the y=intercept of the linear equation let x=0 and solve for the y value.
5x+3y=-15
5(0)+3y=-15
3y=-15
y=-5
Therefore a second point on the line is the coordinate (0, -5).
Plot the points (-3, 0) and (0, -5) and draw a line through the two points.
 
 
The same method can be used for the second example.
Example 2: 8x+2y=-4
To find the x-intercept of the linear equation let y=0 and solve for the x value.
8x+2y=-4
8x+2(0)=-4
8x=-4
x=-1/2
Therefore one point on the line is the coordinate (-1/2, 0).
To find the y=intercept of the linear equation let x=0 and solve for the y value.
8x+2y=-4
8(0)+2y=-4
2y=-4
y=-2
Therefore a second point on the line is the coordinate (0, -2). Plot the points (-1/2, 0) and (0, -2) and draw a line through the two points.
 
Example 3: -3x+4y=8
To find the x-intercept of the linear equation let y=0 and solve for the x value.
-3x+4y=8
-3x+4(0)=8
-3x=8
x=-8/3
Therefore one point on the line is the coordinate (-8/3, 0). To find the y=intercept of the linear equation let x=0 and solve for the y value.
-3x+4y=8
-3(0)+4y=8
4y=8
y=2
Therefore a second point on the line is the coordinate (0, 2). Plot the points (-8/3, 0) and (0, 2) and draw a line through the two points.
 
 

In Chapter 14 of Brave New World, what does Linda say in a loving way when she wakes up right before she dies?

When John, the Savage, sees his mother, Linda, in the hospital, she does not seem to know who he is. When he stands by her bed, she merely says, "Popé," the name of her lover who used to bring her mescal. The savage feels "as though he had had a pailful of ordure thrown in his face." He is angry that his own mother does not recognize him, and he shakes her violently. 
She then wakes up and recognizes him. Huxley writes, "Linda’s eyes fluttered open; she saw him, knew him– 'John!'” She says her son's name but then imagines him in her drug-induced dream. She pictures him in a dream world that Huxley describes in the following way:

"an imaginary world–among the inward and private equivalents of patchouli and the Super-Wurlitzer, among the transfigured memories and the strangely transposed sensations that constituted the universe of her dream."

Drugged by soma, she has been imagining herself with Popé, and she pictures her son in that dream world. Then she says, “Everyone belongs to every ...” before she begins to choke and struggle for breath. She then dies with what John feels is a look of terror and reproach on her face. She is probably starting to say that "everyone belongs to everyone else" or a similarly loving statement when she dies. 
 

Who and what impacted the Great Depression?

This question is somewhat vague in its wording.  It could be asking what and who caused the Great Depression.  Another interpretation of this question is what was the impact of the Great Depression and who was impacted. Another theme of this question could be what the influence of policymakers was on the Great Depression.  I am not sure what direction to go, but when I think of the Great Depression, I automatically think about Franklin D. Roosevelt.  He had a great impact on the Great Depression with his reform program that was called The New Deal.  The New Deal was an attempt to get Americans back to work.  It included major public works projects that enabled the government to employ hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans. The New Deal was also an attempt to provide relief to families that were suffering economically.  The Social Security system was born out of the New Deal.  In addition to relief and employment, Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to reform the federal government to prevent future economic and ecological disasters. The economic effectiveness of the New Deal is debatable, but with Roosevelt, Americans felt better about the future because they realized that his administration was working tirelessly to make their lives better.   Roosevelt's positive message and activism clearly improved the mood of Americans that were suffering through the worst of times.  
https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/new-deal

In chapter 5 of My Brother Sam is Dead, what difficulties is the war causing in Tim's life?

The difficulties that Tim and his family are experiencing due to do the war are difficulties that the entire population is experiencing. Guns are disappearing quickly because they are needed by soldiers and civilians looking to protect themselves.

The people in Redding were good and angry about losing so many of their guns. Guns were valuable.

Food is also becoming quite scarce.

The worst part of it was that food was already beginning to get short.

There simply is not much available for Tim, his family, the soldiers, and other townsfolk. Additionally, what food can be found and bought is astronomically priced. It is a good lesson in basic economics. As demand increases and supply decreases, store owners can charge more.

By January of 1776 food was getting to be a real problem for us, too. It wasn't so much that were were going hungry, but that the meat and flour and rum and beer and everything else we need to run the tavern and the store kept going up in price all the time.

Because food is becoming so scarce, army supply lines cannot keep up with demand; as a result, soldiers steal cattle from people like the Meekers.

Sometimes soldiers would just take a couple of cows out of somebody's fields without paying for them, too.

On a personal level, the war is causing Tim to really miss his brother, Sam. Tim constantly worries that something bad is going to happen to Sam. Additionally, as the war escalates, Tim is forced to begin considering how he can help the war effort. This includes trying to decide which side to fight for.

I'd stand at the door and watch them go; and I wondered, if I went for a soldier, which army would I join?

Based on Chapter 1, "The Lure and the Law of Homicide," in the textbook The Will to Kill: Making Sense of Senseless Murder, how can I use specific criteria I learned about in this chapter to explain a plan to reduce youth violence?

In Chapter 1, the authors speak about the popularity of homicide in American culture. They write, "within popular culture, murder has become a cottage industry" (page 1), and they discuss the popularity of true crime books, magazine articles and films about killers, and even action figures of killers. Audiences of television news receive constant stories about homicides. As a result, the authors write that "some individuals...live vicariously through the exploits of sadistic killers" (page 2). Therefore, young people are constantly being exposed to stories of killers and may even be inspired by their exploits.
Part of reducing youth violence might involve curbing the amount of exposure young people have to films, television programs, books, and other media (including the internet). These can convince them that violence is more common than it actually is (for example, according to statistics cited by the authors on page 2, while stories of homicides make up one-third of crime stories on the news, homicides actually only make up 1% of violent crimes). As a result, the media normalizes violence or makes it seem more common than it is, perhaps influencing young people to believe that violence is acceptable. Therefore, one element of reducing youth violence is to reduce their exposure to violence, particularly homicide. 

What praise did Lyddie get from Mr. Marsden?

Mr. Marsden's actual verbal praise of any character is kept to a minimum in this story. He's not a nice guy. The factory's bottom dollar is most important to him, and making sexual advances on the girls is the second most important thing to him. Throughout much of Lyddie's time on the factory floor, Mr. Marsden will frequently place a "comforting" hand on Lyddie. It's not comforting. He's making creepy sexual advances on Lyddie. At one point, Lyddie does get injured, and Mr. Marsden actually shows some concern. This is likely because Lyddie is one of the factory's top producing girls. Lyddie comes back to work in Chapter 14, and Mr. Marsden stops by her. He tells Lyddie that the factory is going to get some new girls in the next few days. This is when he gives Lyddie complimentary praise. He tells Lyddie that the new girls are "not nearly so clever as you." He would like Lyddie train one of the new girls. Lyddie doesn't want to. She believes her production will be slowed down. Mr. Marsden says it will be just for a few days, and then he gives one more compliment to Lyddie. He says, "You're my prize girl here."

What is the definition of interest groups?

An interest group, otherwise known as a "special-interest group," is defined by Encyclopedia Brittanica as "any association of individuals or organizations, usually formally organized, that, on the basis of one or more shared concerns, attempts to influence public policy in its favor."
Interest groups could be economic or related to labor interest, such as the AFL-CIO. They could be cause groups, such as those who favor abortion rights (e.g., Planned Parenthood) or those who oppose them (e.g., Susan B. Anthony List). They could be groups that push for environmental protections (e.g., Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council). They could also be groups that work toward social justice (e.g., NAACP, Southern Poverty Law Center) or for civil liberties (e.g., American Civil Liberties Union).
Interest groups attempt to influence legislation through lobbying—"that is, by attempting to bring pressure to bear on policy makers to gain policy outcomes in their favour." One of the ways in which they use their influence is by contributing to the political campaigns of politicians who are likely to share their views.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/interest-group

https://www.britannica.com/topic/interest-group/Types-of-interests-and-interest-groups

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 4, 4.1, Section 4.1, Problem 50

Determine the absolute maximum and absolute minimum values of $f(x) = \left(x^2 -1\right)^3$ on the interval $[-1,2]$.

Taking the derivative of $f(x)$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
f'(x) &= 3\left(x^2 -1\right)^2(2x)\\
\\
f'(x) &= 6x\left(x^2 -1\right)^2
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Solving for critical numbers, when $f'(x) = 0$
$0 = 6x \left(x^2 -1\right)^2$

Hence,

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
x &= 0 \text{ and } \left(x^2 -1\right) = 0\\
\\
x &= 0 \text{ and } x = \pm 1
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



We have either absolute maximum and minimum values at $x = 0$ and $x = \pm 1$
So,

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{when } x &= 0\\
\\
f(0) &= \left(0^2 -1\right)^3\\
\\
f(0) &= -1\\
\\
\\
\\
\text{when } x &= 1\\
\\
f(1) &= \left(1^2 -1\right)^3 \\
\\
f(1) &= 0\\
\\
\\
\\
\text{when } x &= -1\\
\\
f(-1) &= \left((-1)^2 -1\right)^3 \\
\\
f(-1) &= 0\\
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Evaluating $f(x)$ at end points $x = -1$ and $x = 2$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{when } x &= -1\\
\\
f(-1) &= \left((-1)^2 -1\right)^3 \\
\\
f(-1) &= 0\\
\\
\\
\\
\text{when } x &= 2\\
\\
f(4) &= \left((2)^2 -1\right)^3 \\
\\
f(4) &= 27\\
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Therefore, we have absolute maximum value at $f(2) = 27$ and the absolute minimum value at $f(0) = -1 $ on the interval $[-1,2]$

I need to find 10 poems about death, grief, and loss and analyze them in a comprehensive manner. Would you suggest a few poems that offer good comparison analysis (on any subject including gender, time, culture, etc.?).

Death is a topic for many a poet and the individual's approach to this topic ranges from flirtation to metaphysical contemplation to fear and even rebuke. Here are some suggestions.
One way to make comparisons among poems about death is their arrangement under a particular movement such as Romanticism or Transcendentalism. Another way is to compare the tone of the poet regarding the topic of death.
Many of Emily Dickinson's poems, such as "My Life Closed Twice Before Its Close," were influenced by Transcendentalism, and these are certainly worthy of examination.
Another poet who expresses much emotion in his poetry is Dylan Thomas. In his "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," the speaker urges his father, who is dying, to "Rage, Rage" against death. Another poem which can be compared to this one is John Donne's metaphysical "Death Be Not Proud":

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so

The poet Christina Rossetti writes of the insignificance of death at times, as in "When I Am Dead, My Dearest":

When I am dead, my dearest, 




Sing no sad songs for me;









In addition, many poems about death have been written against the background of war. For instance, the innocent victims of war are mentioned in Walt Whitman's poignant poem "A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim." This is a poem that is replete with the emotion of Romanticism.




Within the setting of an army camp in the Civil War the speaker walks out his tent and sees three men on stretchers "lying, brought out there untended lying" with blankets covering them. The speaker stops and lifts the blankets so that he can see their faces. One is older; the second is so young that the speaker remarks,

                                      ...my child and darling,Who are you sweet boy with cheeks yet blooming?

These lines are very heart-rending as the speaker is so moved by the senseless and tragic death of this young man cut down so early in his life.
Another war poem is one by Wilfred Owen, who wrote against the setting of World War I. Although Owen utilizes satire in his poetry, he expresses great sympathy for the suffering, sorrow, and deaths of soldiers, similarly to Whitman. In his poem "Mental Cases," for instance, Owen expresses his profound awareness and sympathy for the suffering of his fellow soldiers:

These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished.Memory fingers in their hair of murders,...Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander,Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter.

Both poets, of course, express the tragedy of war and the death it causes, although Owen uses brutal realism while Whitman pours emotion.
Owen also expresses the tragedy of war and the death it causes in "Anthem for Doomed Youth":

Not in the hands of boys but in their eyesShall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.

Further, Owen's satire is apparent in his poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" as he mocks "the old lie" of the honor of dying for one's country--"Sweet and decorous"-- by describing the horrific death of a soldier as he chokes and "drowns" from mustard gas.
This mockery of the greatness of military forces is also expressed in "Eighth Air Force," a poem written by the poet Randall Jarrell, who coped with World War II. His satiric attitude toward war and the pilots who bombed the continent from England--O murderers!" is conveyed throughout his verse and expressed succinctly in his biblical allusions to Pilate, as well in one of his last lines about sacrificial deaths: "Men wash their hands, in blood, as best they can."

What is the "battle" in "Range-finding" by Robert Frost?

The battle referenced in the poem is a typical military battle between two armies. Robert Frost wrote this poem in 1916, in the middle of World War One, so he was likely writing with these kinds of battles in mind. In this sense, "Range-finding" qualifies as a war poem. However, whereas a conventional war poem focuses on the loss of and destruction to human life, this poem focuses instead on how these battles affect the natural world.
The image in the opening line, of "a cobweb diamond-strung" (whereby the diamonds are droplets of water or dew) connotes the delicate beauty of the natural world. The fact that the battle "rent," or tore through, this cobweb implies the sudden violence that is inflicted upon the natural world.
At the end of the poem, the speaker emphasizes how these battles upset the order of the natural world. He describes "A sudden passing bullet" destroying a spider's web. The spider rushes to meet the fly at the centre of its web but finds the centre destroyed and so has to "sullenly" withdraw. This is of course a small detail, but it serves as a microcosm to represent the impact of war upon the natural world in a more general sense. A spider's web is a beautiful and delicate construction, as is so much of the natural world in general. The spider's web also serves a purpose, as does the natural world in general. Thus the message is that the battles waged between humans unthinkingly destroy the beauty, delicacy, and purpose of the natural world.

There are actually two different implications of the "battle" that are happening in this poem.
First, the poem reflects a literal battle (of war) that surrounds otherwise peaceful scenes in nature. There is a bullet speeding through the air—meant for a "human breast" but finds other casualties along its trajectory.
Hence the second meaning of the word "battle"—here, it is used to identify the unintentionally devastating effects that humanity's wars have. In this poem, imagery of nature is used to illustrate this. The flower is cut down; the butterfly which is hovering above it, waiting for his moment of rest, has to recalculate and delicately reach to cling to his now-damaged flower.
This battle extends to other unintended devastations as well. Frost's message is that war has far-reaching and often unforeseen effects. It is worth noting, however, that, while man rages his battle with bullets, the bird still "revisit[s] her young." Nature finds a way to persevere in spite of humanity's destructive battles.

In the poem, a bullet on its way to kill a person invades the natural world. And yet, the bird goes on visiting "her young" and the butterfly went on searching for a flower on which to rest. A little ways away, a spider has constructed its own web, which is shaken dry by a "sudden passing bullet." The spider, feeling the vibration, comes out to see what it caught, but goes away again, dismally, when it sees that it didn't actually catch anything. On the one hand, the poem does seem to address the unintended consequences human activity has on nature. On the other hand, it also depicts the way nature goes on regardless of what we do. The "battle," then could literally refer to an actual armed conflict certainly, but it could also, symbolically, refer to anything humans do that seems significant to us but which is actually insignificant to the rest of the natural world because it continues in its course regardless of our actions.

Robert Frost's poem "Range-finding" is about a stray bullet from a battle that, on the way to its target, travels through nature. The poem begins, "The battle rent a cobweb diamond-strung / And cut a flower beside a ground bird's nest / Before it stained a single human breast." The "battle" could be any military conflict, but as the poem was written in 1916, it is most likely a battle that takes place during World War I. In the poem, a bullet from the battle tears a cobweb and cuts a flower on its way to lodge itself in a human chest. The flower droops over, but a bird goes on visiting its young. The poem is about the ways in which events in the human world--in this case, a battle--affect the natural world. It is also about the ways war causes collateral damage--in other words, damage that is not the war's original target. This was very relevant at the time Frost wrote the poem, as World War I caused a great deal of collateral damage and hurt civilians as well as soldiers. 
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2648&context=cq

What are two common themes evident in each novel: Animal Farm and 1984?

Although these novels are very different in their settings and characters, they share some common themes. The first of these is power. Specifically, in both novels, Orwell explores the idea that power has a corrupting influence on those who possess it. In Animal Farm, this is shown clearly through the pigs who take control of the farm after Mr. Jones is overthrown. Instead of building a utopia as imagined by Old Major, the pigs become increasingly corrupt and self-serving. By the end of the story, they are just as tyrannical as the humans they overthrew.
We find a similar situation in 1984 in which the Party has become so corrupted by its power that it denies its citizens their basic human rights. The Party spies on every member, uses violence as a means of control, and imprisons those who do not conform to its every rule and desire.
Secondly, betrayal is another theme which is present in both novels. In Animal Farm, it is the pigs who betray the other animals. Specifically, their corruption of the Seven Commandments leads to a betrayal of the ideals which inspired the Rebellion. Instead of making all animals equal and free, the pigs create a clear distinction between themselves and the others. They enjoy the finest quality of life while the other animals are left on the brink of starvation and worked as hard as possible.
In 1984, it is Winston who is betrayed. Firstly, he is betrayed by O'Brien because he believes that O'Brien is an ally when, in fact, he is working for the Party. Secondly, he is betrayed by Julia who chooses to save herself in Room 101 and, therefore, betrays their love.
Ultimately, as a result of power and betrayal, both Winston and the animals are trapped in a system from which there is no escape.

What are the similarities and differences in the mobilizations for both world wars?

Preparation in the United States for both World War I (1917–19) and World War II (1941–45) had many similarities. Most of the similarities focused on organizing the economy for war, but other facets of the government's wartime policy from the First World War were more or less copied in the Second.
In both wars, the US government organized the economy for the war effort. These were "total wars," which means that nearly every facet of the economy was geared toward the war effort. When the country entered World War I in April 1917, the Wilson administration formed the War Industries Board to transfer civilian production to war production. Franklin Delano Roosevelt formed a similar organization at the end of 1941 called the War Production Board. Both organizations aided industries in retooling factories, allocating resources, and setting priorities for wartime material. Both organizations also ran rationing programs of much needed materials such as rubber, aluminum, clothing and food.
Both wars also saw the reallocation of labor into wartime factories. With men heading off to war, it was a priority to get personnel into industry. Women and African Americans played a key role in this regard. During the years of WWI, some one million African Americans left the harsh discrimination of the Jim Crow South to work in northern factories, an event known as the Great Migration. Women also played a key role in factory production during both wars, but especially WWII. A government propaganda campaign, featuring figures such as Rosie the Riveter, encouraged women to enter industries that in the past were reserved for men, including building battleships, building airplanes, and other areas of wartime production.
Propaganda also played a role in each war. In WWI, there was much opposition to the war at home, especially from socialist groups. The Wilson administration organized the Committee on Public Information, known as the Creel Committee, to run an advertising campaign to encourage support for and participation in the war effort. FDR's program was called the Office of War Information and focused its campaign on rationing drives, selling war bonds, and promoting industrial efficiency.

Take a close look at how Jack and Ralph fight. What does their fight reveal about each of their characters and how they have changed over the course of the novel? Focus on how they fight and what they say to each other. Give proof from the novel; provide the page numbers and the paragraph numbers.

Since the question demands page and paragraph numbers, I am assuming you are using the Penguin Classics edition published in 2006. This edition has the same pagination as other classic editions of the novel.

The physical altercation between Ralph and Jack occurs when Ralph, Piggy, and Samneric (the twins) confront Jack’s tribe at Castle Rock. Immediately prior, Jack and a couple of his followers attacked the shelter in which Ralph’s group slept in order to steal Piggy’s glasses.

When Ralph calls Jack a “thief” repeatedly, Jack “made a rush and stabbed at Ralph’s chest with a spear” (paragraph 13, page 254). This shows that Ralph now condemns Jack as a moral violator, while underscoring the impulsivity and violence by which Jack operates. Once friends who explored the island together, Ralph and Jack have become total enemies.

However, Jack does hold back when the text describes how both he and Ralph begin using the spears as swords, “no longer daring the lethal points” (paragraph 3, page 254). The word “daring” suggests that neither boy is comfortable with mortally wounding the other, which implies that both still have a type of respect for each other and the rules of society.

Because neither is willing to kill the other, each boy taunts the other, hoping to maintain his masculinity and superiority in front of the audience of boys:


“Come on then—“
“Come on—“
Truculently they shared up to each other, but just out of fighting distance.
“You come on and see what you get!”
“You come on—“
(paragraphs 5–9, page 254)


It is only when Piggy reminds Ralph of his diplomatic mission—to get Jack to return Piggy’s glasses and offer peace—that Ralph “relaxes his fighting muscles” and the fight ends.

This scene reveals that Jack, while violent and resentful of Ralph, is reluctant to actually kill another person at this point in the text. Ralph is depicted as a strong, fierce fighter who possesses the skills necessary for combat but chooses instead to pursue diplomacy. This shows that Ralph favors the rules of a civil society despite his natural violent tendencies. Jack’s gradual descent into savagery contrasts with Ralph’s development as a pragmatic, just leader.

I need help with the following assignment: Please discuss the business decisions which ultimately lead to the economic crisis which precipitated the Great Recession, and explain whom you believe to be the “villains” and the “heroes” of the crisis. Please use your text, the lectures, the documentary “Inside the Meltdown” and the article on credit default swaps to support your argument. 1-2 pages. http://www.pbs.org/video/1082087546/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96333239 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96395271

There are many different ways of interpreting what actually gave rise to the financial crisis. Personally, I'm not sure that terms such as "heroes" and "villains" really help us understand what happens. Rather, the major lesson seems to be that complexity of financial instruments, and the way in which they become detached from actual measures of labor and goods, is itself a problem.
One point made in both the articles is that financial instruments by 2008 had become so complex that they were almost impossible to regulate effectively. This meant that regulation complexity and financial instrument complexity both kept increasing in a vicious circle, diverting the financial industry from the productive task of matching borrowers and lenders to trying to creating increasingly complex financial instruments to finesse regulators. The two most immediate problems precipitating the crisis were credit default swaps and securitized mortgages. Both of these were essentially sleights of hand intended to remove the risk from inherently risky investments. The reality though is that the underlying risks, such as subprime mortgages and junk bonds remained, but complex instruments made the risks harder to understand and evaluate, actually worsening the underlying problems. Exacerbating this was the overconfidence engendered by the "great moderation".
The next problem is that the promotion of home ownership and implicit government backing of US mortgages created moral hazard, in which the actual risks were not priced into mortgages themselves or securitized derivatives. Next, there was a problem of excessive use of leverage which contributed to systematic instability. 
 

In “And of Clay Are We Created” by Isabel Allende, where does the narrator spend most of her time while Rolf is with Azucena?

The narrator of “And of Clay We Are Created” by Isabel Allende is the partner of Rolf Carlé. They are together in their home when they are awakened by the news of a volcano eruption in Columbia that causes deadly mudslides in the hillside villages. Rolf hurriedly prepares to travel, as a reporter, to the catastrophic scene. She sat at the kitchen table drinking her coffee and contemplating how she would spend her time while he was gone. What she did not anticipate was the amount of time he would be gone, and what would transpire in those days.
Rolf Carlé was a prestigious news reporter, and therefore was able to quickly reach the scene of the disaster. While he was there, his partner was unable to stay in their home watching him on television. Instead, she went to the National Television station. It was a place she was familiar with because she and Rolf spent time there working on shows.

Many miles away, I watched Rolf Carlé and the girl on a television screen. I could not bear the wait at home, so I went to National Television, where I often spent entire nights with Rolf editing programs.

While being in a newsroom environment, she felt a connection to Rolf, as if she was at the scene of the disaster with him. In the newsroom, she was emotionally spent as she watched his three-day ordeal. In addition, while she was there, she was able to contact both local and national officials to obtain assistance for those affected by the mudslides. These efforts were met with shallow promises, but provided her with a diversion from staring at the news from the scene.

Describe the significance of the five main characters in the novel Monster.

Steve Harmon is the novel's protagonist and narrator who is on trial for the robbery and murder of Aguinaldo Nesbitt. Steve is a self-conscious individual who struggles with his identity throughout the novel. Steve's participation in the crime is ambiguous, but he is eventually found not guilty.
Richard "Bobo" Evans is an unapologetic thug who admits to being involved in the crime. He accepts a plea bargain to testify against James King and Steve Harmon.
James King is the criminal who came up with the plan to rob the local convenience store. He recruits Bobo, Steve, and Osvaldo to help him commit the crime. He ends up being sentenced to twenty-five years in prison after he is found guilty of the robbery and murder of Aguinaldo Nesbitt.
Kathy O'Brien is Steve's attorney. She helps Steve by portraying him in a positive light throughout the trial. However, her reaction after Steve is found not guilty indicates that she believes he is guilty.
Sandra Petrocelli is the prosecuting attorney who labels Steve Harmon and James King as "monsters." She is relentless in her pursuit to convict James and Steve.

Does Jane Eyre fight for social equality? How does she remain acceptable within her time era?

Jane Eyre does not fight for social equality, if we understand that as joining a social movement. She doesn't, for example, become part of an organization fighting for women's equality, which would have been a radical move in her time period. Instead, she stays acceptable by adhering to the Christian moral values of women in her social class and dressing and behaving, on the whole, neatly and modestly. She looks and acts on the surface like the "Quaker" that Rochester compares her to. (Quakers were known for their quietness and for dressing in very sober colors, such as gray.) Jane rages against the restraints put on women, but it is largely an inward rather than an outward rebellion she expresses:

It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. Millions are condemned to a stiller doom than mine, and millions are in silent revolt against their lot. Nobody knows how many rebellions besides political rebellions ferment in the masses of life which people earth. Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do ...

When Jane does outwardly rebel, it is against having her moral values compromised: for example, she runs off when Rochester wants to marry her while also being married to Bertha. It is a violation of Christian norms to engage in bigamy, and Jane won't allow herself to be compromised in that way. She frames her anger and rebellion individually, in terms of her own conscience rather than as a fight for larger social change (much as she might long for that). She primarily is true to herself and to her own integrity as a thinking, feeling, and caring human being. As she puts it:

I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.

It should be noted that Jane was criticized as a character when the novel first appeared because her strong emotions were considered unnatural in a woman. Nevertheless, she remained acceptable because she stayed within the confines of the Victorian home and family, even after running away, when she was rescued by upright people who turned out to be relations. In the end, she married and became an acceptable and devoted wife, even if her marriage was more equal than most.

What are three ways consumers can benefit from monopolies?

Often, people only focus on the negative impacts of monopolies. One of the most basic benefits of a monopoly is that companies with monopolies can use economies of scale. They can buy, produce, and distribute in bulk. That can result in both cheaper prices and faster distribution of goods. Both of these benefit consumers directly. Monopolies are also stable, and that benefits consumers. You might like them or dislike them, but they are known quantities. That means a kind of continuity and shared reference. Microsoft isn't a complete monopoly, but it is close enough to one that businesses can assume new employees know Microsoft programs like Word. That benefits both businesses (less training is needed, and it is easier to evaluate applicants) and consumers. Finally, monopolies can be more efficient.
Monopolies also tend to have more money to dedicate to research. That does not benefit consumers directly, but it does benefit them a great deal indirectly. More research means product improvements (at least eventually), and that benefits consumers.
http://www.economicsguide.me/?page_id=1044

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 9, 9.3, Section 9.3, Problem 5

Recall the Integral test is applicable if f is positive and decreasing function on interval [k,oo) where a_n = f(x) .
If int_k^oo f(x) dx is convergent then the series sum_(n=k)^oo a_n is also convergent.
If int_k^oo f(x) dx is divergent then the series sum_(n=k)^oo a_n is also divergent.
For the series sum_(n=1)^oo e^(-n) , we have a_n=e^(-n) then we may let the function:
f(x) =e^(-x) with a graph attached below.
As shown on the graph, f(x) is positive and decreasing on the interval [1,oo) . This confirms that we may apply the Integral test to determine the converge or divergence of a series as:
int_1^oo e^(-x)dx =lim_(t-gtoo)int_1^t e^(-x)dx
To determine the indefinite integral of int_1^t e^(-x) dx , we may apply u-substitution by letting: u =-x then du = -dx or -1du =dx.
The integral becomes:
int e^(-x) dx =int e^u *( -1 du)
= - int e^u du
Apply integration formula for exponential function: int e^u du = e^u+C
- int e^u du =- e^u
Plug-in u =-x on - e^u , we get:
int_1^t 1/2^x dx= -e^(-x)|_1^t
= - 1/e^x|_1^t
Applying definite integral formula: F(x)|_a^b = F(b)-F(a).
- 1/e^x|_1^t = [- 1/e^t] - [- 1/e^1]
=- 1/e^t+ 1/e
Apply int_1^t e^(-x) dx=- 1/e^t+ 1/e , we get:
lim_(t-gtoo)int_1^t e^(-x) dx=lim_(t-gtoo)[- 1/e^t+ 1/e]
=lim_(t-gtoo)- 1/e^t+lim_(t-gtoo) 1/e
= 0 +1/e
=1/e or 0.368 (approximated value)
The lim_(t-gtoo)int_1^t e^-x dx=1/e implies the integral converges.
Conclusion:
The integral int_1^ooe^(-x) dx is convergent therefore the series sum_(n=1)^oo e^(-n) must also be convergent.

Precalculus, Chapter 6, 6.4, Section 6.4, Problem 20

The dot product u*(2v) is a scalar, and its product with a vector w is a vector.
u*(2v)= lt3,3gt*(2*lt-4,2gt) = lt3,3gt*lt-8,4gt = 3*(-8)+3*4=-12.
(-12)*lt3,-1gt = lt-36,12gt. This is the answer.

College Algebra, Chapter 1, 1.1, Section 1.1, Problem 48

The equation $\displaystyle \frac{1}{x+3} + \frac{5}{x^2 - 9} = \frac{2}{x-3} $ is either linear or equivalent to a linear equation. Solve the equation

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\frac{1}{x+3} + \frac{5}{x^2 - 9} &= \frac{2}{x-3} && \text{Subtract both sides by } \frac{2}{x-3}\\
\\
\frac{1}{x+3} + \frac{5}{x^2- 9} - \frac{2}{x-3} &= \frac{2}{x-3} - \frac{2}{x-3} && \text{Simplify}\\
\\
\frac{1}{x+3} + \frac{5}{(x^2-9)} - \frac{2}{x-3} &= 0 && \text{Expand the denominator of 2nd term}\\
\\
\frac{1}{x+3} + \frac{5}{(x+3)(x-3)} - \frac{2}{x-3} &= 0 && \text{Get the LCD}\\
\\
\frac{x-3+5-2(x+3)}{(x+3)(x-3)} &= 0 && \text{Simplify}\\
\\
\frac{x-3+5-2x-6}{(x+3)(x-3)} &= 0 && \text{Combine like terms}\\
\\
\frac{-x-4}{(x+3)(x-3)} &= 0 && \text{Multiply both sides by } (x+3)(x-3)\\
\\
\cancel{(x+3)} \cancel{(x-3)} & \left[ \frac{-x-4}{\cancel{(x+3)}\cancel{(x-3)}} = 0 \right] (x+3)(x-3) && \text{Cancel out like terms}\\
\\
-x-4 &= 0 && \text{Add both sides by 4}\\
\\
-x - 4 + 4 &= 0 + 4 && \text{Simplify}\\
\\
-x &= 4 && \text{Multiply both sides by -1}\\
\\
-1 & [-x= 4] -1 && \text{Simplify}\\
\\
x &= -4
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

By using three of the following principles, unity, self-determination, and amalgamation, what politics, ideologies, and organizations have been part of the essential development of Pan-Africanism from the 1960s on?

It is important to note that Pan-Africanism began much earlier than the 1960s. The first Pan-African conference was held on August 14, 1893. The Chicago Conference addressed repatriation to Liberia and included a conversation about connecting to people of African descent beyond North America.
A few years later, in 1897, the Trinidadian barrister Henry Sylvester Williams established the African Association (AA), a London-based organization that sought to “encourage a feeling of unity [and] facilitate friendly intercourse among Africans” and “promote and protect the interests of all subjects claiming African descent, wholly or in part, in British Colonies and other place [sic], especially in Africa.” Williams used the momentum of his organization to facilitate the largest Pan-African conference up to that time, drawing 32 delegates from African countries, the United States, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe. Though most of the participants were African American (there were only four Africans), he was able to promote diasporic studies and expand his association into the larger Pan-African Association (PAA).
Marcus Garvey, the leader of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), is, perhaps, the best-known proponent of Pan-Africanism. It was his intention to establish a colony for repatriated blacks in Liberia—a plan that failed for reasons that remain unclear. 
These early organizations unified on the basis that people of African ancestry shared common struggles and could improve their situation by unifying in pursuit of common goals. From the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, repatriation was the popular solution to race-based violence in the United States. By the 1960s, the solution was to reject assimilation into Western society and culture in favor of specifically African modes of being and thinking. These ideas were put forth by the proponents of Negritude—an ideology developed in the 1940s by the Senegalese thinker and future Senegalese president, Leopold Sédar Senghor, and the Martiniquan poet Aimé Césaire. The ideas were put into practice as part of the effort to decolonize former French holdings in West Africa and the Caribbean. 
Negritude, which encouraged reconnection with African history and cultural values, was part of the effort toward self-determination. The frequent presence of African diplomats in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s brought African Americans in contact with these ideas during the Civil Rights Movement. Negritude inspired young activists and thinkers. It was not only important to gain equal rights in the United States, now it was also vitally imporant to develop a uniquely "black" sociocultural awareness. From this seed of thought, the Black Arts Movement developed. In addition, attempts were made to reconnect to Africa through the celebration of Kwanzaa and the wearing of traditional African garb. Thus, self-determination was not only about the pursuit of economic and political power, it was also about the pursuit of uniquely black cultural values.
Later political amalgamation efforts focused on concerns related to race, class, and the sexual and social exploitation of women. The final Pan-African Congress was convened in 1974 by the Tanzanian president, Julius Nyeyere. Its tone was hopeful, but it acknowledged the unresolved nature of the black struggle against oppression.
Today's meetings between members of the diaspora are less about the consciousness-raising of the 1920s and 1960s and more about meeting practical demands. These issues include female education, female economic status, access to quality healthcare and birth control, and coping with the perils of climate change.
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/twenty/tkeyinfo/garvey.htm

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 3, 3.3, Section 3.3, Problem 64

Find $h'(2)$, given that $f(2) = -3$, $g(2) = 4$, $f'(2) = -2$, and $g'(2) = 7$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{a.) } h(x) &= 5f(x) - 4g(x) &&&
\text{b.) } h(x) &= f(x) g(x)\\
\text{c.) } h(x) & = \frac{f(x)}{g(x)} &&&
\text{d.) } h(x) &= \frac{g(x)}{1+f(x)}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{a.) } h(x) & = 5 f(x) - 4g(x)\\
\\
h'(2)& = 5[f'(2)] - 4 [g'(2)]\\
\\
h'(2)& = 5(-2) -4(7)\\
\\
h'(2)& = - 38
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{b.) } h(x) & = f(x)4g(x)\\
\\
h'(2)& = f'(2) [g(2)] + g'(2) [f(2)]\\
\\
h'(2)& = -2(4) + 7(-3)\\
\\
h'(2)& = - 29
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{c.) } h(x) & = \frac{f(x)}{g(x)}\\
\\
h'(2)& = \frac{g(2)[f'(2)]-f(2)[g'(2)]}{[g(2)]^2}\\
\\
h'(2)& = \frac{4(-2)-(-3)(7)}{(4)^2}\\
\\
h'(2)& = \frac{13}{16}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{d.) } h(x) & = \frac{g(x)}{1+f(x)}\\
\\
h'(2)& = \frac{[1+f(2)]g'(2)-g(2)[0+f'(2)]}{[1+f(2)]^2}\\
\\
h'(2)& = \frac{[1+(-3)]7-4[0+(-2)]}{[1+(-3)]^2}\\
\\
h'(2)& = \frac{-3}{2}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

What did Okonkwo ask Nwakibie?

In chapter 3 of Things Fall Apart, the reader is let into Okonkwo's past and given insight as to how Okonkwo became a successful yam farmer. When Okonkwo was a young man, he was born into nothing; his father was a lazy farmer who had great difficulty yielding crops, and, as a result, when Okonkwo grew into manhood, he was not given as much as many other young men his age. Embarrassed by his father and determined to make a life for himself, a young Okonkwo set out to make a successful yam farm of his own.
Having nothing, Okonkwo was forced to become a share-cropper. He humbly asked Nwakibie, a very successful farmer in the village, to borrow seed yams for his own farm. Okonkwo's plan was to respectfully return two-thirds of his yielded crop to Nwakibie, keeping only a third himself. Surprised and proud of Okonkwo's sincerity, respect, and ambition, Nawakibie not only complied with Okonkwo's request, but offered him double the amount of seed yams he originally asked for, allowing Okwonkwo to attempt to begin his own farm.

Is Gerald a bad person?

Whether or not you consider Gerald Croft to be a bad person is largely a matter of opinion. However, there can be little doubt that he's not the most likable of men. He comes across as being a spoiled, entitled, privileged aristocrat who thinks he can do whatever he pleases in life. Unlike Sheila or Eric Birling, he has no sense of any social responsibility towards the lower orders. If anything, he only seems to think of protecting his elevated position in society, whatever the consequences. Gerald did once arrange for Daisy to stay at a friend's flat, but that was only because he felt pity for her. And in any case he proceeded to take advantage of Daisy, making her his mistress.
Not only is Gerald incapable of any moral growth, he doesn't want to grow, anyway. It's notable that he, more than any other character in the play, is determined to unmask the inspector as a fake. Whereas the inspector acts as a catalyst for the development of social conscience in Sheila and Eric, he causes Gerald to become defensive. If the inspector turns out to be an impostor, then Gerald will be off the hook. Right up until the end, then, Gerald is thinking of protecting his good name instead of facing up to the truth of what he's done and atoning for his guilt. Whether or not this makes him a bad person, at the very least it indicates great selfishness on his part.

College Algebra, Chapter 3, 3.6, Section 3.6, Problem 58

Given $\displaystyle G(x) = \frac{2}{(3+\sqrt{x})^2}$, find functions $f,g$ and $h$ such that $F = f \circ g \circ h$

Since the formula for $G$ says to first take the square root and add 3. Then take the square and lastly, the result is the divisor of 2.
$h(x) = 3+\sqrt{x}, \quad g(x) = x^2, \quad$ and $\displaystyle f(x) = \frac{1}{x}$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{Then } (f\circ g\circ h)(x) &= f(g(h(x))) && \text{Definition of } f \circ g \circ h\\
\\
(f\circ g\circ h)(x) &= f(g(3+\sqrt{x})) && \text{Definition of } h\\
\\
(f\circ g\circ h)(x) &= f\left((3+\sqrt{x})^2 \right) && \text{Definition of } g\\
\\
(f\circ g\circ h)(x) &= \frac{1}{(3 + \sqrt{x})^2} && \text{Definition of } f\\
\\
(f\circ g\circ h)(x) &= G(x)
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Why did America declare war on Japan after Pearl Harbor?

The simple answer is to say that the United States declared war because of the attack on Pearl Harbor. This was a premeditated, aggressive action against the US naval forces at Pearl Harbor, and it was very destructive, killing over 2,400 American servicemen. It was unthinkable that the United States would not declare war on Japan after what was, after all, an act of war. The attack at Pearl Harbor was the culmination of years of escalating tensions between Japan and the United States, which very much saw its interests threatened by Japanese expansion. A few months before Pearl Harbor, the US ceased exports of essential war materials, including oil, to Japan, an act which Japan itself saw as aggressive in nature. Indeed, Pearl Harbor was part of a massive offensive against American interests in the Pacific, one designed to cripple the American presence in the Pacific in one fell swoop. Just hours after the attack in Hawaii, Japanese forces moved against the Philippines, at the time an American territory. So, in short, the United States declared war against Japan because it was clear to everyone after the events of December 7, 1941, that Japan was already at war with the United States.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor

Beginning Algebra With Applications, Chapter 5, 5.4, Section 5.4, Problem 12

Using the slope intercept form, determine the equation of the line that contains the point whose coordinates are $(5,-1)$ and has slope of $\displaystyle \frac{1}{5}$.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

y =& mx+b
&&
\\
y =& \frac{1}{5}x + b
&& \text{Replace $m$ with } \frac{1}{2}
\\
-1 =& \frac{1}{5} (5) + b
&& \text{Substitute $x = 5$ and $y = -1$}
\\
-1 =& 1 + b
&& \text{Solve for } b
\\
\\
-2 =& b
&& \text{Add } -1
\\
\\
y =& \frac{1}{5} x - 2
&& \text{Write the equation of the line by replacing $m$ and $b$ in $y = mx+ b$ by their values}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

What happened in Belgium in 1831?

The year 1831 was an important year in the history of Belgium. Belgium used to belong to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. This action occurred at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. However, the people in the southern regions of the Netherlands weren’t pleased with King William I. The Catholics who lived in the South didn’t like the involvement of William I in their religious matters.
The revolution in Belgium began in 1830. William I sent troops to quell the uprising, but they weren’t successful in doing so. Belgium broke free from the Netherlands in 1830. A constitution was adopted in 1831. The first king of Belgium was Leopold I who ruled from 1831-1865. His son, Leopold II, took over in 1865 and ruled until 1909. Belgium grew economically during this time.

What would be a good introductory paragraph for an essay about Bud not Buddy?

I am going to assume that the essay is not a basic book summary.  The first thing to figure out for the entire essay is a thesis statement.  What is your essay going to argue, and what is it trying to prove?  A thesis statement cannot be a statement of fact, so be sure to come up with a thesis that is debatable.  Once you have a thesis figured out, it will guide the entire paper as well as the introductory paragraph.  I would come up with a thesis that focuses on a theme or a character's development over the course of the novel.  One example could be the following:
"Although Bud has gained his real grandfather by the story's conclusion, it is the people that Bud met along the way that are likely to have the longest lasting impacts on his life."  
If this is your thesis, the opening paragraph should briefly focus on some of the most important people that Bud met over the course of the story.  It is up to you to choose who you feel is most valuable, but I would seriously consider Lefty Lewis, Deza Malone, Steady Eddie, and Bugs. 
There is one other part of an introductory paragraph that needs to be given a lot of attention: the first sentence.  I call it the "attention getter."  It needs to grab your reader's attention right away and motivate him or her to keep reading.  A reader that is bored from the first sentence is not motivated to keep reading.  
Asking the reader a question is always an effective way to get the reader's attention.  It forces the reader to think about the question and come up with possible answers.  The reader will also likely be curious about what your answer might be.  
Another effective attention getter is to use a quote.  This could easily be done with this book because Bud is full of great one-liners and rules for life.  You could probably pick any of his rules and relate it to the thesis about the importance of family and relationships to Bud. 

Rules and Things Number 29: When you wake up and don't know for sure where you're at and there's a bunch of people standing around you, it's best to pretend you're still asleep until you can figure out what's going on and what you should do.

What does Scout hear Miss Gates say on the courthouse steps?

At the beginning of chapter 6, Scout listens to her teacher, Miss Gates, comment that there is no such thing as prejudice in the United States during a class discussion. Miss Gates then proceeds to criticize Hitler's treatment of the Jews while ignoring her own racial prejudice. Scout immediately recognizes Miss Gates's hypocrisy and decides to ask her brother about it later that night. That evening, Scout elaborates on Miss Gates's comments regarding Hitler and tells Jem,

Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates was—she was goin' down the steps in front of us, you musta not seen her—she was talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us.

Miss Gates's comments as she exits the courthouse reveal her racial prejudice, which emphasizes her hypocritical statements during the class discussion. Scout then proceeds to ask Jem how a person can hate Hilter so much but turn around and "be ugly" toward black folks in her community. Unfortunately, Jem is still hurt by the outcome of the Tom Robinson trial and tells Scout never to bring it up again.

In chapter 26 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout's class is participating in a current events lesson. Cecil Jacobs brings a newspaper article on Adolf Hitler. While discussing Hitler with the students, Miss Gates seems appalled that the Jews are treated so badly. She says, "Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody." Scout notices that Miss Gates's comments regarding Hitler seem contradictory to statements she makes on the courthouse steps during the time of Tom Robinson's trial. Scout recalls a conversation Miss Gates has with Miss Stephanie Crawford in which Miss Gates says, "it’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were gettin‘ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us." Scout knows that Miss Gates is referring to the black citizens. She questions how Miss Gates can speak so unfavorably of Hitler persecuting the Jews then "turn around and be ugly about folks right at home." Seeking clarification, Scout attempts to discuss the matter with Jem.

How many feet are in each line of "The Dream" by John Donne?

John Donne's "The Dream" takes an unconventional approach to meter. Usually, in traditional English poetry, the poet will consistently adopt the same meter across every line of the poem. So, for example, for poems written in iambic pentameter, every line will contain five iambic feet (see Favoritethings' answer for a definition of what this approach to meter entails). Similarly, a poem written in iambic tetrameter would contain four iambic feet, iambic hexameter six iambic feet, etc.
What's interesting about this particular poem is that it cycles between three different metric styles (and it does this in a consistent underlying pattern). The poem is divided into three stanzas, and the first two lines of each stanza is always written in iambic tetrameter. However, then we come to the third line of each stanza, which is iambic dimeter (two iambic feet). Then the fourth line reads in iambic pentameter, the fifth line returns to iambic tetrameter, and the rest of the stanza is all in iambic pentameter. Each stanza is organized in that same metric structure. Even so, it looks a little tricky in the second stanza, whose fourth and fifth lines read as follows:

(For thou lovest truth) an angel, at first sight;
But when I saw thou sawest my heart

I suspect that for the purposes of the poem, the words "lovest" and "sawest" should be read as half a foot (in these cases, your iambic feet would read "lovest truth" and then "thou sawest"). Otherwise, the meter breaks down entirely.
Regardless, the entire poem features that same underlying structure across all three stanzas. It cycles between Iambic Tetrameter, Iambic Dimeter, and Iambic Pentameter. That is, some lines feature four iambic feet, others two iambic feet, and still others five.

This poem is written in a meter called iambic tetrameter, and this means that there are four (tetra-) metrical feet per line. The metrical foot is called an iamb (where we get "iambic"), and this means there are two syllables per foot: one unaccented syllable followed by one accented syllable. The typical line in the poem, then, will have eight syllables. I will mark up some lines below so that you can see where the feet begin and end and which syllables are accented:

Dear love | for no | thing less | than thee |
Would I | have broke | this hap | py dream |

Each "|" marks the end of a foot, and each word or part of a word appearing in bold is the accented syllable of that foot.  If the meter were dimeter, there would be two feet per line; trimeter would have three feet per line; tetrameter (like this poem) has four feet per line; and pentameter has five feet per line. Tetrameter and pentameter are the most common meters used in English language poetry.

What is a quote from the book The Notebook that shows conflict?

From The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks:

“Who are you?” she cries with panic in her voice, her face becoming whiter. “What are you doing here?” There is fear growing inside her, and I hurt, for there is nothing I can do. She moves farther from me, backing away, her hands in a defensive position, and then she says the most heartbreaking words of all.
“Go away! Stay away from me!” she screams. She is pushing the gnomes away from her, terrified, now oblivious of my presence.

The above quote from the chapter “Winter for Two” illustrates a multi-layered conflict. The primary conflict pictured here is Allie’s conflict with Noah, who she believes is a complete stranger. Because of her advancing Alzheimer’s disease, she not only mistakes her lifelong love for a stranger, but her conflict also quickly shifts focus to nearby garden gnomes, which she identified earlier in the chapter and which the author uses to hint at a coming burst of conflict. This is a particularly moving part of the entire story, as the depth of Noah’s love finds its full measure. In other words, Noah loves Allie so much that he spent days on end rehearsing their own personal love story in order for Allie to lucidly remember their love for only a matter of minutes. Noah knew that she would just as quickly lose that memory of their love and fall back into a paranoid state.

How is Canada's involvement with Afghanistan significant in Canadian history?

Canada's involvement in Afghanistan is still very recent. Therefore, it is too soon to see just how significant the involvement was in Canadian history. However, we can look at some of the important facts about Canadian intervention in Afghanistan to point out some significant factors.
Canada had troops in Afghanistan from the very beginning of the NATO mission there, at the end of 2001. Overall, over 40,000 Canadian troops were deployed to Afghanistan over twelve years. This makes it the longest sustained conflict in Canadian history and the largest deployment of Canadian armed forces since the second world war.
In addition to military intervention, Canadian forces and contractors have been working steadily to build up the infrastructure of Afghanistan and aid in several social and health-related projects. These include the spending of $50 million to update irrigation systems, immunizing thousands of children against polio in an attempt to eradicate the disease in the country, and spending $12 million to improve education and schools in Kandahar. All in all, Canada has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to aid Afghanistan. This constitutes one of the largest foreign aid packages that Canada has ever put together.
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations/military-operations/recently-completed.html

Who got blamed for chirping?

Mrs. Avery doesn't know where that weird chirping sound in the classroom is coming from. It's Nick Allen, of course, the resident troublemaker, goofing off as always. But he gets away with it, because he's perfected the skill of mimicking a blackbird without being discovered. He learned this from watching a nature program on TV. Apparently, a certain species of blackbird is able to throw off hawks and other predators by emitting a high-pitched chirping sound whose source they can't identify. As Mrs. Avery resembles a hawk with her curved nose, she is the predator and Nick is the prey. And like the blackbird, he's able to distract his would-be predator by giving off a strange sound. He's so successful that he never gets caught. Poor old Janet Fisk gets the blame instead.

Analysis on how Octavius Caesar developed as a character in Antony and Cleopatra.

Octavius does not really develop all that much as a character in Antony and Cleopatra. The main reason for this is because he has been seized by the utterly ruthless, single-minded pursuit of power. Nothing else matters for Octavius; not love, not friendship, not anything; all he wants is to become master of Rome. This makes him a foil to Mark Antony, who prioritizes his love for Cleopatra over the acquisition of power. Antony's passion for the exotic Egyptian queen makes him a figure of ridicule and suspicion in Rome. In his bitter power struggle with Antony, Octavius presents himself as the epitome of Roman virtue fighting against a man seduced and corrupted by the luxurious trappings of Egyptian court life.
If anything, Octavius becomes more ruthless, more single-minded, and more amoral in his quest for power as the play progresses. It seems that there are no depths to which he is not prepared to stoop in order to fulfill what he regards as his destiny. We see this when Dolabella warns Cleopatra that Octavius plans to have her captured and taken to Rome in chains. Cleopatra's subsequent suicide is her way of avoiding such a humiliating public disgrace.

How would you explain the seventh stanza of "The Inchcape Rock" by Robert Southey?

In the seventh stanza, we learn that Sir Ralph the Rover "felt the cheering power of spring." The good weather improves his mood, and he's happy to enjoy a sunny day on the seas. In fact, the spring weather makes Sir Ralph so happy that he's inspired to whistle and to sing.
In the next two lines, we learn that Sir Ralph's heart is "mirthful to excess." This just means that he is overwhelmed with happiness in his present condition. However, we are warned that this mirth is of a wicked quality. The line "the Rover's mirth was wickedness" possibly refers to the diabolical plans Sir Ralph has in mind. In other words, Sir Ralph is only extraordinarily happy when he's planning some wicked action; his chief purpose in life seems to be to bring suffering and sorrow on all he meets.
The eighth and ninth stanzas support this interpretation because we see that Sir Ralph's chief aim is to "plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok" and to cause the deaths of unsuspecting sailors. To support his fiendish goals, he's more than happy to cut the bell off the Inchcape Float so that no one will suspect they've crashed into the Inchcape Rock until it's too late.