Do you agree with General Zaroff that "life is for the strong"? Does the author agree with him? How do you know?

When General Zaroff explains to Rainsford why he feels justified in hunting men he is echoing the Social Darwinian theories of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Social Darwinists used the biological theories of Charles Darwin to claim that certain elements of society were inferior to others. They focused on Darwin's idea of natural selection and argued that since they were the fittest and the strongest they could basically do whatever they liked. Zaroff makes it clear that, because he grew up the rich son of Russian nobility, he believes himself to be superior to the men he hunts:




"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships—lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels—a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them."





In most circles Social Darwinism has been totally discredited, especially after the Holocaust in which the Nazis used Darwinian theory as the rationale for exterminating six million Jews. To believe that any race of people is superior to another seems sheer folly and quite dangerous in today's world. It is evident that all humans have something to contribute and even the physically weakest sometimes prove to have the largest contributions (think of Mother Teresa or Stephen Hawking).
In the end, it must be argued that the author of "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell, rejects the idea that life is for the strong. Some critics have suggested that Rainsford, since he is sleeping in Zaroff's bed in the story's last sentence, will become another Zaroff. This idea fails to consider that Rainsford thought of himself as a "beast at bay" and had internalized the struggle which any hunted animal experiences. It is quite likely that Rainsford will never hunt again and will deny, as he did at dinner with Zaroff the first night on the island, that hunting men could ever be justified.

What does the Fahrenheit 451 identify?

Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper burns. Set in the future, Bradbury's novel flips the role of the fireman, who now burns books and the houses of those who harbor books instead of saving things that are on fire. This novel is a commentary about what could happen to society if we allow the government to take away our right to think for ourselves or not be influenced by the imaginative and creative thoughts of others. Book burning is a major symbol for censorship, especially hearkening back to the days of the Nazi regime and its insistence on quelling the voices of its citizens. In fact, this novel is still used today as a symbol to combat censorship in schools and elsewhere.

What is a "key idea" to focus on throughout an analytical essay on The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson, including key quotes and literary features employed by Lawson to help foster this key idea?

This short story by Henry Lawson is ostensibly about a single incident in the life of a bushwoman, the wife of a drover, who notices that a snake has burrowed under her house; she now must kill the snake before it hurts her children. As the story goes on, however, it becomes clear that the real focus of the story is upon the woman's self-reliance and the near total absence of her husband, who returns only infrequently and upon whom she seemingly depends only for money. Only the dog, Alligator—who, notably, is named, though the drover is not—seems to offer her any support, sitting awake with her while they guard the children, his many scars reflective of the protection he has offered her in the past.
A "key idea," then, might be the self-reliance of the woman and the sheer extent of what she accomplishes, assisted only by Alligator, with whom she communicates effectively; when he sees the snake, a "thrill" runs through his body, and because of their long association, the woman "knows what this means"—he has seen the snake. Between the two of them, they kill the snake: Alligator "pulls" it from its hiding place, whereupon he "shakes the snake as though he felt the original curse in common with mankind." The woman then "lifts the mangled reptile on the point of her stick" and "lays her hand on the dog's head," symbolic of the relationship between the two—together, they have killed the snake and righted the situation.
The greater part of the story, in truth, focuses upon the many acts the woman has been forced to perform on her own, or with Alligator, in defense of her children. The author uses parallelism and repetition to enumerate the many feats the woman has achieved. The reassuring presence of Alligator allows the segue into the memories of what the woman has done: "she has not heard from her husband for six months," and yet she "is used to being alone."
We are told that the woman "rode nineteen miles for assistance" once, carrying a dead child of hers; "she fought a bush fire once while her husband was away." She "fought a flood during her husband's absence." She "fought the pleuro-pneumonia," "fought a mad bulllock," "made bullets," "fights the crows and eagles that have designs on her chickens." The examples go on and on: the woman is beset continually by challenges, and yet she is "contented with her lot," protected only by her stalwart dog.
At the end of the story, one of the children declares that he "won't never go drovin'," a declaration of support for his mother and, perhaps, acknowledgement that the wife of a drover is, effectively, forced to survive alone.

Who was Ariel, and how did he come to be Prospero's servant?

Ariel is an airy sprite or spirit that Prospero finds on the deserted island. Ariel was too good-hearted to cooperate with the "blue-eyed hag," the sorceress Sycorax. In revenge, she trapped him inside a cloven pine for twelve years, then died. As the text explains:



Into a cloven pine, within which rift
Imprisoned thou didst painfully remain
A dozen years; within which space she died
And left thee there, where thou didst vent thy groans ...




Ariel becomes Prospero's slave (or servant) after Prospero frees the spirit from the cloven pine. Ariel is grateful to Prospero for freeing him and becomes a good, intelligent, and faithful slave. He has an affectionate relationship with Prospero and can anticipate his needs. When Ariel asks Prospero if he loves him, Prospero responds: "Dearly."

Ariel acts as a contrast or foil to Caliban, a sullen, resentful slave who feels Prospero has taken advantage of him. Prospero has promised Ariel his freedom in exchange for helping him, and at the end of the play, he grants it to the spirit.

Ariel is Prospero's spirit servant. Ariel became Prospero's slave thanks to Sycorax, a witch (and Caliban's mother) who was on the island before Prospero. Sycorax trapped Ariel in a tree because he wouldn't follow her orders. When Prospero was exiled from Milan by his brother, he ended up on the island and struck a deal with Ariel: he would free Ariel from the tree on the condition that Ariel becomes his servant. Ariel agreed.
Later, Prospero gives Ariel his full freedom in exchange for Ariel's assistance in marrying off his daughter, invoking the tempest, and helping Prospero return to his proper place in society. In contrast with many of the The Tempest's human characters, Ariel is empathetic. His inherent virtuousness only makes the other characters' malice more apparent.
Unlike his fellow servant, Caliban, Ariel respects Prospero and fully believes that he'll one day make good on his promise to free him. Because he believes that he'll one day regain his independence, Ariel has a friendly relationship with Prospero, and is content to do what Prospero says. In fact, he believes in Prospero's integrity so much that Ariel views his master as his savior.

I need to cite two metaphorical images in Dickey’s "The Lifeguard," but I am stumped. I think I can identify some, but I am not sure. This poem has been a challenge for me!

This is a gorgeous poem in terms of imagery. I'm sure you know that a metaphor is a type of figurative language in which the author says that one thing is another thing, as opposed to saying it is like another thing (which would be a simile). Metaphors are used to illuminate meaning.
In this poem, there's a stunning metaphorical image created when the speaker says, "I set my broad sole upon silver, / On the skin of the sky, on the moonlight." Let's unpack this. The speaker is not literally setting his foot onto "silver," but he is indicating that the water is reflecting the moonlight, which is making it appear silver. The water becomes "the skin of the sky," a metaphor, which helps the reader picture the silvered lake reflecting the moon in the sky above.
Later, we find, "My fingertips turned into stone / From clutching immovable blackness." Again, clearly the speaker does not mean that his fingertips have literally been petrified. Rather, the indication is that the speaker's fear upon entering the dark water has made his fingers feel numb, cold, and as useless as stone, rather than supple and obedient.
There's also a vivid simile in the comparison of the speaker to "a man who explores his death," which helps us to understand the way he is feeling.

How do national security and the Patriot Act protect the United States?

The history of the world is, unfortunately, the history of war. Since the evolution of man—or, the dawn of man—there has been conflict. There have been conflicts over scarce resources like food, water, and oil, and there have been conflicts over clashing political systems and religious differences. Mankind has rarely known peace, and when it has occurred, it was more a prelude to yet another war. Countries have gone to war over resource-rich plots of land, and they have battled each other over god-forsaken stretches of barely-habitable land in regions like the Ogaden Desert separating Somalia and Ethiopia (1977-78). Russia and China fought battles over disputed land along their common border, China and India have battles over disputed land along their common border, India and Pakistan have fought several wars over the disputed region of Kashmir. Wars have raged across virtually every continent at one time or another. Within individual countries, civil wars and insurgencies have occurred with a similar regularity. Afghanistan has been the site of territorial and ethnic conflicts for hundreds of years, and the Arab countries of the Middle East regularly engage in armed conflict for one reason or another.
In short, war is a part of man. The United States has been engaged since its founding in wars and continues to partake in armed conflicts across the globe, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, Philippines, the Balkans, Somalia, Syria, and numerous other locales where small numbers of U.S. military advisors and special operations forces carry out sensitive military missions unbeknownst to the American public on a daily basis. 
So, how does "national security" and the USA Patriot Act enhance American security? The phrase "national security" is immensely broad and covers a wide range of activities and capabilities from the thousands of nuclear-armed missiles and bombs that are meant to serve as a deterrent against foreign use of such weapons against the United States to the laws and regulations that prohibit American companies from selling militarily sensitive technologies that could wind up in the wrong hands. "National security" encompasses the training and equipping of hundreds of thousands of men and women in the armed forces, and it includes efforts by the United States Department of the Treasury and by the United States Secret Service (previously part of the Treasury Department but today, since the passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, a part of the newly-established Department of Homeland Security) to prevent attempts by rogue regimes such as those in North Korea and Iran to subvert the U.S. financial system through the production of counterfeit American currency. The Department of the Treasury further contributes to national security by protecting the integrity of the U.S. financial services industry, especially, banks, by monitoring for indications of money laundering (the criminal process of injecting ill-gotten gains into the formal financial system for the purposes of concealing the source of the funds) and, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, for the abuse of American banks by terrorist organizations seeking to raise and move money for the purpose of funding future attacks.
This barely skims the surface of the totality of what constitutes "national security." The Department of Defense operates the largest intelligence-gathering network in the country, if not the world, for the purpose of providing the American public, through its elected leaders, the best information available on the intentions and capabilities of America's adversaries. The U.S. Coast Guard patrols our borders to prevent against terrorist infiltration from the sea as well as to intercept as many illegal drugs from entering the United States as possible--a task of monumental proportions that has, arguably, failed. 
Diplomacy is an essential component of national security. Through diplomatic negotiations with other countries, the United States has forged and sustained a series of alliances and partnerships that help safeguard the American public while ensuring allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East of our commitment to help them defend themselves against outside attacks. The most important of these alliances is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. This alliance was a reaction to concerns about the military intentions of the Soviet Union following the end of World War II. Mutual defense agreements with countries like Japan, Australia, Jordan, and Israel (with Pakistan a far more problematic case of a quasi-ally with whom the United States has very serious differences regarding the India-Pakistan conflict and the role Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency has played in supporting Islamic fundamentalist movements like the Taliban in Afghanistan. 
How does all of this contribute to the security of the American people? By maintaining a large, modern, technologically-sophisticated and well-trained military, the United States has, to date, been able to deter major threats our security such as existed prior to World War II. By scrutinizing commercial transactions between American companies and foreign governments that we fear may divert American technologies for nefarious purposes, this country's national security structure helps to minimize the ability of foreign militaries to develop weapons as technologically sophisticated as those in the American arsenal. By monitoring the financial system for indications of abuse by hostile countries or terrorist or criminal organizations, the national security structure of the United States protects the economy on which we all depend from destructive influences. By negotiating agreements with countries with whom the United States has shared interests, such as in the protection of the integrity of the global financial system, stemming the proliferation of technologies used in the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and working secretly with other nations' intelligence services and militaries to combat terrorist organizations and transnational organized crime, the national security structure of the United States is making America much, much safer than would otherwise be the case.
The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, known more popularly as the USA Patriot Act, was a direct response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist acts. Many of its provisions were individually supported by various members of Congress and by officials in the national security community before those tragic events occurred. The political climate that followed immediately in the wake of the attacks provided the atmosphere in which these proposals for strengthening law enforcement tools and forcing closer cooperation between law enforcement and intelligence agencies (previously blocked by laws that resulted from the excesses of the Nixon Administration years earlier) could be passed into law with minimal opposition.
Did the Patriot Act strengthen U.S. security and better protect the public? There are differences of opinion, but, on the whole, the answer is yes. By breaking down institutional barriers between various federal agencies, they were able to better share sensitive information so that more complete pictures of what potential threats existed could be constructed. Law enforcement, mainly the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was given more tools to conduct surveillance inside the United States, and it was these "reforms" that have been so controversial with regard to excessive use of such methodologies to monitor American citizens who should be protected against unwarranted invasions of their privacy by virtue of provisions of the Constitution of the United States. In fact, the revelations of Edward Snowden, a former government contractor who exposed tens of thousands of highly sensitive documents to the public on the surveillance activities of the National Security Agency, did shed light on potential government excesses or abuses of power. Snowden's methodology, however, no matter his actual intentions, and no matter the importance to the public of some of his revelations, seriously undermined American security by allowing hostile governments and terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda and Islamic State, to see the extent of American intelligence-gathering capabilities and to, subsequently, take measures to change the way they communicate among each other so as to avoid U.S. surveillance.
NSA overreaching aside, the Patriot Act has enhanced US security by virtue of the role it played in facilitating much greater cooperations among the myriad components of the US national security structure, especially between the FBI, the NSA and the CIA. Additionally, Title III of the Patriot Act, the International Money Laundering Abatement and Financial Anti-Terrorism Act, helped immeasurably in monitoring the flow of money terrorists use to fund their operations. While the problems of tracking terrorist money remains difficult, it is an essential part of the war on terror, and has made America a little bit safer.
https://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cias-ex-no-2-says-isis-learned-from-snowden

The room was already packed when Liu Peijin walked in. His flight from Shanghai to Chongqing had been delayed, and he had fretted about missing the training. But fortunately he’d gotten there in time. Liu knew his presence was important. As the president of Almond China, he wanted to show his Chongqing colleagues how much he cared about the topic under discussion: ethical business practices. Taking his seat, Liu nodded at the head of HR, who was running the training. The two went way back: Both had been with their German parent company, Almond Chemical, since 1999, when it first established operations in China. Since then Almond China had set up two joint ventures with local partners—the only way foreigners could do business in chemicals in the country. Almond controlled 70% of the stock in one of them. The other was a venture with Chongqing No. 2 Chemical Company, in which Almond had a 51% stake and the Chinese directors were very active. Liu sat next to Wang Zhibao, the vice president in charge of sales for the Chongqing joint venture. Wang looked skeptical. He was good at his job, having closed several key deals that had kept the business afloat during its early years. But he was also at the center of a conflict between the venture partners: The Chongqing executives were increasingly vocal about how difficult it was to operate according to European standards, particularly the rules against gifts and commissions. Such incentives were commonly accepted in China and routinely employed by Almond’s competitors. Trying to do business without them, Wang argued, was foolhardy. “This is China, not Europe,” was his refrain. But the line between these practices and breaking the law was a fine one. Almond was headquartered in Munich and listed on the New York Stock Exchange as well as the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, meaning it was required to adhere to the U.S. government’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which specifically forbade the bribing of foreign government officials by U.S.-listed companies. Liu kept an eye on Wang as the HR director explained Almond’s ethics regulations and the legal consequences of business bribery. Liu knew the rules made sales more difficult, but Almond’s policy was clear, and he wanted to make sure that every member of the sales team understood it. He had taken the same hard line on safety and environmental practices. The production facilities in Chongqing had been built according to German national standards, and all the safety equipment—helmets, shoes, and protective clothing—had come from Europe. The Chinese partners had called these investments “wasteful” and “frivolous”—“luxurious expenditures” that the young venture couldn’t, and shouldn’t, afford. But, with backing from the head office, Liu had stood firm. Similarly, he’d insisted that the factory’s MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) waste be treated as a dangerous substance and processed with a special cleaning agent, in accordance with European standards, even though Chinese law didn’t mandate it. His partners had been dismayed at the millions of yuan this would cost. But Liu refused to compromise, because he had witnessed the consequences of lesser standards firsthand. Years before, when he was working for another Chinese chemical company, an affiliate’s chlor-alkali plant had suffered an explosion, injuring 200 staff members and residents of the surrounding area and halting production for more than a month. The training was reaching its end, and the HR director signaled to Liu that it was his turn to speak. Liu hesitated slightly as he looked at his Chongqing colleagues. “At Almond, ethics are nonnegotiable,” he said. “We need to remember these laws as we go about our business. We are not just a Chinese company; we’re a global one.” Solemn, blank faces stared back at him. As he left the room, he couldn’t help feeling that his remarks had fallen on deaf ears. “We Cannot Concede” Two weeks later, Liu was back in Chongqing for the second-quarter board meeting. As he walked into the lobby of the Hilton, he ran into George Ho, the finance director for the joint venture. Ho looked flustered. “Are you all right?” Liu asked in English. Ho was from Hong Kong and didn’t speak fluent Chinese. He held a unique position: He reported to the general manager of the joint venture but also to the finance director at Shanghai headquarters. “I’m worried about this meeting, Liu,” Ho said. “I had a disturbing conversation with Wang last week.” Liu nodded, not surprised. Ho continued. “Wang is close to making a huge sale—30 million yuan—but the customer’s purchasing manager is insisting on a 1% commission. He says that’s what he’s being offered by other companies.” “We can’t do that,” Liu said. “That’s what I said. But Wang was insistent. He said that if we can’t do that, we should at least be able to offer the manager a trip to Europe, a visit to Almond headquarters.” “What did you say to that?” Liu asked. “No—of course,” Ho replied. “But he accused me of jeopardizing the venture. He said that we ‘foreigners’ have so much money, we don’t care about the performance of the business.” “ You did the only thing you could do,” Liu said. “I can’t believe Wang thought that suggestion would fly, especially after the training,” Ho said. He walked down the hall toward the boardroom. Liu followed. The meeting had barely begun when Chen Dong, the chairman of the joint venture and a Chongqing No. 2 Chemical executive, raised the commission issue. (His leadership position was one of the many concessions Almond had made to lure his company into the joint venture.) That was fast, Liu thought. He sat quietly while Dolf Schulman, the vice chairman of the venture and Almond Chemical’s senior vice president of business development, fielded the question. “Chen, we cannot concede on these issues,” Schulman said. “There are no exceptions to be made. Almond must be a law-abiding corporate citizen—as should every Almond employee.” Ho looked up and nodded at Liu. But Chen was not ready to end the discussion. “To the best of my knowledge,” he said, “many foreign-owned companies reward Chinese customers for their business. Some companies organize overseas visits, some provide management training, some arrange golf outings. This is good business practice in China. We need to be flexible in order to compete. If we can’t provide the commission, let’s at least consider a visit to Munich headquarters.” This was typical behavior for Chen. He had a tendency to develop very strong opinions but keep them to himself until the board met. Schulman waited for the translator to finish; then he hesitated, trying to come up with a suitable response. Liu knew he needed help. “Commission or trips, it’s all the same thing: business bribery,” Liu said. “We can get orders without these tactics.” Chen picked up the Q2 financial statement that had been distributed at the beginning of the meeting and said, “Orders? What orders? We made only 60% of our target for this quarter. When we set up this joint venture, we assigned our very best people to it—our best technicians, best salespeople, best managers. Why? Because we believed we could manufacture some of the best chemical products in the world and, in turn, get more orders. But look at this.” He threw the statement down on the table. “Our performance is sinking fast. This joint venture has done nothing but hurt us. We have yet to see any return at all.” Chen paused to let the translator catch up but then thought better of it. “All you do is make us spend, spend, spend—on German goggles, unnecessary waste processing, and ridiculously high salaries.” He turned to Ho, who looked bewildered. “And now I hear rumors that you are planning to launch SAP’s ERP software to synchronize with headquarters. When will the spending stop?” Chen continued, his voice rising. “We need a tighter control on costs. We can’t possibly meet our profitability target when our expenses are so high. We want to choose the finance director going forward, so we can give this venture a real chance at succeeding. We see no other option.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. Schulman was squirming in his seat. Ho was pale with shock. Liu wasn’t sure what to say. He was astonished that Chen had brought up the safety standards—he’d thought that issue was settled long ago—and astounded by the slap at Ho. But he needed backup if he was going to oppose the joint venture’s chairman. Finally Schulman spoke. “Chen, thank you for being honest about your concerns,” he said. “At this point I think all these issues are still open for discussion.” Liu almost choked. What was Schulman thinking? Seeing Liu’s expression, Schulman looked at his watch and said, “Should we take a 15-minute break?” With that, he stood up. “This Venture Is Critical” As Liu walked out of the room, Schulman grabbed his elbow and steered him toward a smaller meeting room down the hall. Once the door was closed, Schulman’s shoulders slumped. “Liu, what should we do?” he asked. “Do you think we should concede to these demands? This venture is critical for us—you know that.” Liu did understand how high the stakes were. China accounted for only 3% of Almond’s current business, but the company was depending on the country for future growth. The Chongqing operation was supposed to prove that Almond could expand further in China, and the company was already planning additional acquisitions. But Liu was shocked that Schulman would even consider bending the company’s standards regarding ethics and safety. “We need to stand strong,” Liu said, “not give in.” He was thinking about Almond’s reputation as well as the future in China. He had joined the century-old German company not only because it boasted the world’s leading chemical-production technology, but also because of its values, management approach, and safety ethic, which he’d hoped would serve as a model for Chinese industry. “But we shouldn’t annoy them,” Schulman said. “We need Chen. And he’s right about the numbers. We could be in trouble without Wang’s sale. Besides, where do we draw the line? Is a golf game bribery? We do that in Germany all the time.” Liu realized that Schulman wasn’t asking for his opinion. He was asking for permission to give in. Suddenly Liu felt like a kid stuck between two warring parents. The break time was almost up. They needed to get back to the meeting and respond to Chen’s demands. After reading the case study, answer: 1. Summary of the case. 2. Outline the dilemma facing Liu Peijin (and the firm). Be sure to explain all the contributing elements to this ‘culture clash.’ 3. What should Liu do? He has only minutes to determine how he can juggle these competing demands and how he should approach these issues. 4. Be sure to fully explain the options and potential consequences he faces as he struggles to deal with these issues. Provide some specific and tangible recommendations for how Liu should react when the meeting resumes. 5. What are the major issues that the organization/central character is facing? 6. What are the possible causes for these problems? 7. What could be possible solutions that can be used to solve the problems? 8. What would be your recommendation and why?

1) Summary of the case:
Liu is struggling to uphold the standards of Almond, a German company that is seeking to expand its holdings in China. Chen, a member of the firm's board, has expressed displeasure with Almond's strict safety guidelines and ethical procedures. While many Chinese businesses give cash incentives and lavish trips as gifts to encourage cooperation with other companies and salespeople, Almond strictly prohibits these practices and considers them bribery.
2) Outline the dilemma facing Liu Peijin (and the firm). Be sure to explain all the contributing elements to this ‘culture clash.’
Because the company is traded internationally, including on the New York Stock Exchange, Liu understands the importance of adhering to American and German business law and ethics. He and his colleague, Schulman, are forced to decide whether they will give in to Cheng's demands to remain competitive in the Chinese market, even if it means violating Almond's ethics. While these practices are normal in China, Liu and the firm have an obligation to uphold the practices of the company they work for, which means following the international standard rather than the Chinese standard. To complicate matters further, Schulman acknowledges that in Germany, it is acceptable to take business contacts on golf trips, while this would be unacceptable in the United States.
3) What should Liu do? He has only minutes to determine how he can juggle these competing demands and how he should approach these issues.
Liu should counter Cheng's claims that adhering to Almond's ethics is a financially unsound decision by explaining that if the firm violates these ethics, it is jeopardizing the entire partnership. Not only that, but the legal costs that could arise if the firm is caught engaging in unethical practices would negate any financial benefit they receive from doing so.
4) Be sure to fully explain the options and potential consequences he faces as he struggles to deal with these issues. Provide some specific and tangible recommendations for how Liu should react when the meeting resumes.
On the one hand, Liu risks losing popularity with the board if he insists on upholding Almond's ethics and safety standards. However, if he allows Chen to cut safety costs, the firm will no longer be able to operate safely. Employees may become injured and the company may have to deal with workers' compensation lawsuits as a result. There would also be serious international damage to the company's PR, which could jeopardize Almond's future endeavors in China.
Liu should begin by validating Chen's concerns but explain the potential risks associated with violating Almond's ethics. At the moment, Chen is making it seem that he is the only one concerned for the company's financial wellbeing. Liu needs to assert the necessity of Almond's safety and ethical standards by explaining the cultural differences between businesses in the East and West and helping the board understand that they are no longer operating solely under Chinese standards. He could also point out that because the company is traded publicly in the United States and other foreign nations, it is responsible to shareholders in those areas as well. Foreign shareholders expect these procedures and ethics to be followed, and doing as Chen suggests would be highly immoral.
5. What are the major issues that the organization/ central character is facing?
The organization and Liu, the central character, are both facing the complications that arise with a partnership between professionals from different cultures. While this partnership presents many exciting opportunities for both Almond and the Chinese firm, it requires sensitivity on both sides.
6. What are the possible causes for these problems?
While it may be tempting to view Chen's actions as immoral, Schulman points out that all cultures have different ethical standards. What is unethical in one business culture is acceptable in another, and vice versa. A lack of communication is the major cause for these problems. While everyone in this case study wants the best for the company's financial future, they are not all on the same page when it comes to the risks and benefits associated with current operating procedures.
7. What could be possible solutions that can be used to solve the problems?
Almond needs to provide the firm with greater support resources to help its personnel understand the rationale behind its policies. Liu could also try to have a one-on-one discussion with Chen, since he seems to be more confrontational in meetings. Liu could explain his concerns in a professional manner and take the time to explain to Chen why his suggestions could put the company at risk.
8. What would be your recommendation and why?
I would recommend a more thorough training program that is tailored to each international market in which Almond operates. Almond needs to support professionals like Liu who are fluent in the Chinese culture and language and understand both the importance of Almond's business practices and the nature of business in Chinese culture. Only by empowering people like Liu can a company successfully communicate its ethics and make a smooth transition into a foreign market.

Why does Anne call herself a bundle of contradictions?

Anne addresses her self-image as a "bundle of contradictions" in her letter of August 1, 1944. This is just days before she is discovered, captured, and sent to Auschwitz. She explains that she has a "dual personality." On the one hand, she notes her own "exuberant cheerfulness," on the other, she has a "deeper side." We, of course, as her readers, are well aware of this deeper side, though it is clear that she is often lighthearted.
She fears that if people get to know her deeper side, they will not recognize it for what it is, and she suggests that she displays one side—the carefree, silly side of herself—to the world while keeping the more serious, earnest side to herself. Most importantly, it is her more serious self that she sees as guiding her through life, even if she doesn't show it. She goes on to say that she has acquired a reputation as a silly girl, and the fact that she doesn't think anyone can see or appreciate her other side is deeply hurtful to her. So Anne sees her external image as contradictory to her inner self, which she believes is the more authentic of the two. 
https://books.google.com/books?id=gvInDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Diary+of+Anne+Frank&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjnjpiL7-LXAhUF0oMKHQxDDV4Q6AEILTAB

How did Silas react to the boys who peered into his window ?

The boys in the village are fascinated by Silas Marner, who sits in his house alone and weaves using a loom whose sound is very different than that of the winnowing machines and flails with which the local boys are familiar. This drives them to peep into his cottage window, but when Silas "became aware of the small scoundrels," their intrusion irritated him, with the result that he would immediately cease weaving and come down to throw open the door and confront them. He would not say anything, but there was no need for him to do so. Instead, he would merely "fix on them a gaze" that so terrified them, they would immediately flee from his cottage. The "dreadful stare" of Silas Marner was such that the boys felt it could do all manner of damage to them, although Marner was actually shortsighted and generally not possessed of any of the witchlike powers the people in the village muttered about. (It was said that some muttered he could cure rheumatism if he chose to, suggesting that he was involved in witchcraft.)

What is the area under an arch that is 2 m wide at the bottom and is 3 m high.

For this problem, we will need to imagine the arch as a parabola on a graph.  We will then need to find the equation of the parabola, and use an integral to find the area under it.  Although we can place the arch almost anywhere on the graph, the easiest place to put it is in the center of the axes as shown below.  The base of the arch is 2 meters wide (intersecting the x-axis at -1 and +1), and it is 3 meters high (intersecting the y-axis at 3).

We now need an equation for this parabola so that we can integrate.  If you know (at least) 3 points on a parabola you can find the equation for that parabola.  The 3 points we have are:
(0,3),(-1,0),(1,0)
And using the standard form of quadratic function ax^2+bx+c=y 
we can substitute in our x- and y-values and find the coefficients a, b, and c.
First we have: 
a(0)^2+b(0)+c=3
c=3

 


Then we have:
a(-1)^2+b(-1)+c=0
a-b+3=0
a-b=-3
And last we have:
a(1)^2+b(1)+c=0
a+b+3=0
a+b=-3
So now we solve this small system of equations for a and b:
a-b=-3  
a+b=-3
Solving gives you a=-3 and b=0
So now we have the following quadratic equation to represent our arch:
y=-3x^2+3
To find the area under a curve (here, an arch), we must take the integral of the function between the desired bounds (here, between -1 and 1).  Our integral looks like this:
A=int_-1^1-3x^2+3 dx
Integrate each term individually using the power rule:
A=(-3x^3)/3+3x+C
A=-x^3+3x+C
Evaluate from -1 to 1:
A=[-(1)^3+3(1)]-[-(-1)^3+3(-1)]
A=2-(-2)
A=4 m^2

Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 2, 2.1, Section 2.1, Problem 24

Solve the equation $-6x + 2x - 11 = -2(2x - 3) + 4$, and check your solution. If applicable, tell whether the equation is an identity or contradiction.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

-6x + 2x - 11 =& -2(2x - 3) + 4
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
-6x + 2x - 11 =& -4x + 6 + 4
&& \text{Distributive property}
\\
-4x - 11 =& -4x + 10
&& \text{Combine like terms}
\\
-4x + 4x =& 10 + 11
&& \text{Add $(4x+11)$ from each side}
\\
0 =& 21
&& \text{False}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Since the result, $0 = 21$, is false, the equation has no solution. So the equation $-6x + 2x - 11 = -2(2x - 3)+4$ is a contradiction.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 4, Review, Section Review, Problem 30

You need to evaluate the asimptotes of the function, such that:
lim_(x->-pi/2,x>-pi/2)(4x - tan x) = -2pi - tan(-pi/2) = 2pi + tan (pi/2) = oo
lim_(x->pi/2,xSince x in (-pi/2,pi/2) , the function has no vertical asymptotes. You need to determine the slant asymptotes, y = ax+b , such that:
a = lim_(x->oo) (f(x))/x = lim_(x->oo)(4x - tan x)/x
a = lim_(x->oo)(4x)/x - lim_(x->oo)(tan x)/x
a = 4 - lim_(x->oo)(tan x)/x
You need to evaluate separately the limit lim_(x->oo)(tan x)/x , such that:
lim_(x->oo)(tan x)/x = (oo)/(oo)
You may use l'Hospital's limit:
lim_(x->oo)((tan x)')/(x') = lim_(x->oo) (1/(cos^2 x))/1 = 1/oo = 0
You need to evaluate b, such that:
b = lim_(x->oo) f(x) - a*x = lim_(x->oo) f(x) = lim_(x->oo) (4x - tan x) = oo
Hence, evaluating the slant asymptotes yields that there are no slant asymptotes.
You need to evaluate the maximum and minimum of the function, hence, you need to find the zeroes of first derivative:
f'(x) = 4 - 1/(cos^2 x) => f'(x) = 0 => 4 - 1/(cos^2 x) = 0 => 1/(cos^2 x) = 4
cos^2 x = 1/4 => cos x = +-(1/2)
Since x in (-pi/2,pi/2) yields that cos x > 0 , hence cos x = 1/2 => x = pi/3 or x = (5pi)/3 .
The function has two extrema at x = pi/3 and x = (5pi)/3.
You need to evaluate the inflection points, hence, you need to find the zeroes of the second deriative, such that:
f''(x) = (-2cos x*sin x)/(cos^4 x)
f''(x) = (-2sin x)/(cos^3 x) => f''(x) =0 => (-2sin x)/(cos^3 x) = 0 => 2sin x = 0 => sin x = 0 for x = 0.
The function has an inflection point at x = 0.
The graph of the function and its characteristics are represented below.

Where can I find a translation of the poem "The Upcheringe of the Messe" by Luke Shepherd?

There's no "translation" of Luke Shepherd's poem "The Upcheringe of the Messe" because it's already in English! So why does the poem look so strange and sometimes indecipherable? Because it is not written in modern English! 
Luke Shepherd is a pen name derived from two religious references: "Luke" referring to the "Luke" of the Gospels and "Shepherd" referring to the biblical herders of sheep. The writer known as Luke Shepherd was penning his satirical religious works during the mid 16th century under the reign of Edward VI; this time period marked the gradual shift from Middle English to Early Modern English. While can be difficult to understand Early Modern English (which was used for Shakespeare's works, the King James Bible, etc.),  reading pieces like "The Upcheringe of the Messe" (which might be best classified as "Renaissance verse") is certainly not impossible for a contemporary reader.  
So, how should we approach this process? When reading "The Upcheringe of the Messe," you must attempt to look past the odd spelling of words and think phonetically instead. This becomes less difficult with practice. For example, look at a few lines from the early part of the poem:

"Wherin the high professours
Apostlique successours
Take holde to be possessours
And some wer made confessours
Some of them were no startars
But were made holi marters..."

When we start to look closely, we can "translate" this into modern English:

Wherein the high professors [in other words, one who "professes"]
Apostolic successors [one who inherits something; in this case a position or title]
Take hold to be possessors 
And some were confessors
Some of them were no starters
But were made holy martyrs...

Shepherd is essentially critiquing those in positions of power within the Church as being title-hungry. He is also criticizing the false worship of these figures, who are often seen as being holy and self-sacrificial.
See how we can start to decipher the words that look "wrong" to us by saying them out loud and paying attention to vowel sounds rather than spellings? 
Another tool that should prove to be helpful for you is the University of Michigan's Middle English Dictionary, which is an online database that allows you to look up tricky words that you may not be able to understand. I have included the link below. 
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary

What do you make of the Supreme Court's decision regarding the use of capital punishment for juveniles? Is it inconsistent with the notion of waivers, where the rationale is that violent offenders should be treated like adults or is this a reasonable position--that we can instead incarcerate juveniles for life. Which is the best use of state resources?

How one views the 2005 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that the imposition of capital punishment on juvenile offenders constituted a violation of the offenders’ rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution is a matter of perspective. That decision, Roper v. Simmons, marked a major victory for opponents of the death penalty, but the narrow margin of the Court’s decision (it was a 5-4 vote) reflected the nation’s continued inability to resolve decisively its intellectual and emotional struggles with the larger issue of capital punishment. That juvenile offenders, those under the age of 18, are capable of calculated and brutal crimes is beyond dispute; whether such offenders should be sentenced to death is an entirely other matter.
For many years, legal scholars, social activists and others have debated the merits of the criminal justice system with respect to adults and juveniles alike. The fact that juveniles, especially those age 16 and older, are capable of levels of barbarity equal to that displayed by adult offenders does not, however, mean that the sentencing of juveniles should mirror that of adults. Writing for the majority in Roper v. Simmons, Justice Anthony Kennedy noted,

“When a juvenile commits a heinous crime, the State can exact forfeiture of some of the most basic liberties, but the State cannot extinguish his life and his potential to attain a mature understanding of his own humanity.”

As studies of the human brain and its development through childhood reaffirm that the brain is not fully developed until the individual is well into adulthood, 25 years of age to be precise, the rationale for limiting application of the death penalty to exclude those whose mental development has not reached maturity has been strengthened considerably. Just as the death penalty was banned under another, earlier, Supreme Court decision (Ford v. Wainwright, 1986) in the case of the mentally impaired, the prohibition on the execution of juveniles reflects recognition that a physical incapacity to make considered decisions is lacking in many cases.
Whereas the issue of executing juveniles can be considered relatively simple, the issue of incarcerating juveniles for years, or even for life, after they become adults is far more complicated. Youthful indiscretions are not the issue here; serious crimes like murder, rape, armed robbery, and other felonies are carried out by teenagers who understand the distinction between right and wrong and who are fully cognizant of the nature of their acts. In some cases, lifetime incarceration is warranted. The financial cost to the state of incarcerating an individual for the duration of his or her life is high, but public safety and justice sometimes demand such costs be paid.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/03-633.ZS.html

What is the theme of "The Stolen Bacillus," and how is it relevant in present times?

I think this short story has a couple of themes that are applicable in today's society and culture. The first deals with the science itself. "The Stolen Bacillus" presents readers with a scientist who is working with materials that are potentially cataclysmic killers. This is true of scientists today; however, the story shows readers a scientist that is basically an absent-minded professor. He takes very little caution regarding the information that he hands out to the anarchist. Wells also shows the scientist similar to a buffoon in the way that he chases after the anarchist. The chase is completely comical and in no way mimics the severity of the situation that we think is actually happening. I always find myself thinking that this particular scientist should not be allowed to work with such potentially horrible weapons. He may be smart enough to do the work, but I wonder whether or not he questions whether or not he should do the work. That is a dangerous thought. I always want to know that scientists are not only asking if something is possible, but also asking if something should be done in the first place.
The other theme that I think is relevant to present times is more widely applicable. There is definitely a theme of things not being what they appear. The anarchist at first appears harmless, but he winds up being someone that intends to hopefully kill thousands of people. The bacteria itself at first appears to readers as a city killer, but it winds up being basically harmless. This theme of things not being what they first appear could be related to old sayings like "don't judge a book by its cover," but that notion could also apply to a new student in school or your new boss. Finally, this theme also leads to other popular pieces of advice that tell you to stay away from deals that appear too good to be true.

In "The Stolen Bacillus," the threat of terrorism is an important theme. We see this through the character of the Anarchist who uses deception to gain entrance into the Bacteriologist's laboratory. The purpose of his visit is to obtain the cholera bacillus which he will then use to wreak havoc on the streets of London. While Wells does not reveal the specific political motivations of the Anarchist, it is clear that he seeks personal notoriety and long-lasting fame:

"The world should hear of him at last."

In the contemporary world, terrorism remains one of the most pressing issues for political leaders and their governments, particularly since the September 11 attacks in the U.S. in 2001. The Bacteriologist's attempt at capturing the Anarchist is, therefore, very relevant to modern times because it remains a real and constant threat. 

What are five quotes from Part One of To Kill a Mockingbird that reveal Scout's character development?

In Chapter 2, Scout displays her lack of perspective when she tries to stick up for Walter Cunningham. She tells her teacher,

"You're shamin' him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn't got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can't use any stovewood" (Lee 15).

Later on in the day, Scout laments her rough first day of school and Atticus teaches her an important lesson in perspective. After Atticus tells Scout that she'll never really understand a person until she considers things from their point of view, Scout says, "I'll be dogged" (Lee 19).
Viewing situations from other people's perspective is an important lesson in Scout's moral development.
In Chapter 3, Jem tells Scout and Dill the infamous rumors surrounding their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley. Scout fears Boo Radley and does not want to play the game where they reenact his life stories. Scout says,

"He can get out at night when we're all asleep..." (Lee 25).

In Chapter 5, Scout sits on the porch with Maudie and learns the truth about Boo Radley. Maudie tells Scout that Boo's real name is Arthur and says that he is still alive. Scout asks Maudie, "Do you think they're true, all those things they say about B--Mr. Arthur?" (Lee 29). Maudie responds by telling Scout,

"that is a sad house. I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how" (Lee 29).

Maudie goes on to explain that Boo's parents were foot-washing Baptists who believed that any type of pleasure was a sin. Maudie tells Scout,

"They thought I spent too much time in God's outdoors and not enough time inside the house reading the Bible" (Lee 28).

Scout is shocked to hear this and mentions,

"How so reasonable a creature could live in peril of everlasting torment was incomprehensible" (Lee 28).

Maudie teaches Scout several important lessons regarding the identity of their reclusive neighbor and the negatives attached to being radically religious.

What happened to Governor James Wright after the passage of the Stamp Act?

After the passage of the Stamp Act, Governor James Wright operated a successful administration in Georgia and it came to be known as the only colony to implement the Stamp Act. It was around this period that the American Revolution broke out, and one of its main objectives was to fight against the Stamp Act. In 1768, Wright established a 12,000-acre settlement that hosted Quakers who had been displaced from North Carolina due to the revolution. The revolutionary wave reached Georgia in 1775, and in 1776, James Wright was captured by rebels from his home. He managed to escape soon after and engaged the rebels in continuous confrontations that included the loss and regaining of Savannah. Unfortunately, the war was lost, and Wright retired to England in 1782.
https://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/stamp-act.html

int_0^oo e^(-x)cosx dx Determine whether the integral diverges or converges. Evaluate the integral if it converges.

We will use integration by parts (twice):
int u dv=uv-int v du
int_0^infty e^-x cos x dx=|[u=e^-x,dv=cos x dx],[du=-e^-x dx,v=sin x]|=
e^-x sin x+int_0^infty e^-x sin x dx=|[u=e^-x,dv=sin x dx],[du=-e^-x dx,v=-cos x]|=
(e^-x sin x-e^-x cos x)|_0^infty-int_0^inftye^-x cos x dx
We can see that the end integral is equal to the starting one hence we can solve equation
int_0^infty e^-x cos x dx=(e^-x sin x-e^-x cos x)|_0^infty-int_0^inftye^-x cos x dx
2int_0^infty e^-x cos x dx=(e^-x sin x-e^-x cos x)|_0^infty
int_0^infty e^-x cos x dx=1/2(e^-x sin x-e^-x cos x)|_0^infty=
1/2[lim_(x to infty) (e^-x sin x-e^-x cos x)-e^0 sin0+e^0 cos0]=
1/2(0-0-0+1)=1/2
As we can see the integral converges to 1/2.
The image below shows the graph of the function and area between it and x-axis corresponding to the integral. We can see that the function converges to zero and it does so "very fast" implying that the integral should probably converge, which we have shown in the above calculation.

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 3, 3.2, Section 3.2, Problem 15

Suppose that $f(x) = x^2$



a.) Estimate the values of $f'(0)$, $\displaystyle f'\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)$, $f'(1)$ and $f'(2)$ by using the graph of $f$.



b.) Use symmetry to deduce the values of $\displaystyle f'\left(\frac{1}{2}\right)$, $f'(-1)$ and $f'(-2)$



c.) Use the results from part(a) and (b) to guess a formula for $f'(x)$.



d.) Use the definition of derivative to prove that your guess in part(c) is correct.






a.) Based from the graph, $f'(0) \approx 0$, $\displaystyle f'\left(\frac{1}{2}\right) \approx 1.25$, $f'(1) \approx 2$
and $f'(2) \approx 4.25$



b.) By symmetry across the $y$-axis, $\displaystyle f'\left( - \frac{1}{2}\right) \approx 1.25$, $f'(-1) \approx -2$ and
$f'(-2) \approx -4.25$



c.) Since the values of $f'(x)$ increases as $x$ gets bigger, we may form $f'(x) = nx$, where $n$ can be any positive integer.



d.) Based from the definition of the derivative.



$\quad \displaystyle f'(x) = \lim\limits_{h \to 0}\frac{f(x+h) - f(x)}{h} \qquad \text{ where } f(x) = x^2$



$
\quad
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
f'(x) & = \lim\limits_{h \to 0} \frac{(x+h)^2-x^2}{h}\\
f'(x) & = \lim\limits_{h \to 0} \frac{\cancel{x^2}+2xh+h^2-\cancel{x^2}}{h}\\
f'(x) & = \lim\limits_{h \to 0} \frac{\cancel{h}(2x+h)}{\cancel{h}}\\
f'(x) & = \lim\limits_{h \to 0} (2x+h)\\
f'(x) & = 2x+0\\
f'(x) & = 2x
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



It shows that part(c) and part(d) resembles each other.

When Goodman Brown goes into the forest in "Young Goodman Brown," what does he learn? What does he fail to learn?

I think the previous contributor has already given a very strong answer to this question. In Brown's time in the woods, he gains insight into the pervasiveness of human sin. He learns that the people around him, people who he had assumed were good Christians, were in fact not quite so pure and righteous as he had previously assumed.
That being said, there are criticisms one can level about Brown, especially when viewed from within the Christian tradition. One of the most significant questions is this: why does he place so much trust in the vision to begin with? After all, to put his faith in that vision ultimately entails putting his faith in the Devil. From a Christian perspective, this is obviously a deeply problematic thing to do.
In addition, I would note that, from the very beginning of the story, Brown is portrayed as possessing a very simplistic, black-and-white view on human nature. He idolizes his wife, casting her as a paragon of goodness—referring to her as "a blessed angel on Earth"—while stating his intention to "cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven." Later on, during his journey through the forest, he runs into several esteemed members of the community (who he had assumed were good and pious Christians) entering into their own dealings with the Devil.
For all that his view on human nature has been changed by his vision in the forest, it remains an unsophisticated one, mired in his own preconceptions and expectations. In the beginning, he tends to divide the world into saints and sinners. By the end, he only sees the sinners.

When Goodman Brown goes into the forest that night, he learns that people that he assumed were model Christians were corruptible by the Devil and sin.  The Devil starts telling Goodman Brown of the people that he was able to corrupt, and the Devil starts with characters that Brown might think could be susceptible to sin.    

"I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem; and it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip's war. They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk have we had along this path, and returned merrily after midnight. I would fain be friends with you for their sake."

Goodman Brown doesn't deny the old man those claims.  Brown is a bit shocked, but he is more shocked that those people didn't talk about it.  

"If it be as thou sayest," replied Goodman Brown, "I marvel they never spoke of these matters; or, verily, I marvel not, seeing that the least rumor of the sort would have driven them from New England."

Next, the Devil begins showing Goodman Brown that he has been able to corrupt even the most incorruptible people.  Goodman Brown is shown that the minister and Goody Cloyse have had dealings with the Devil.  Goodman Brown is shocked, but he still fiercely hangs on to the fact that his wife, Faith, is still entirely pure.  Unfortunately, Goodman Brown learns that she too has fallen to temptation and sin.  The story ends with Goodman Brown being a broken and suspicious man.  He pulls away from every person in his town, and he even shuns his own wife.  
What Goodman Brown fails to learn and understand is that every person that the Devil shows him probably isn't a full Devil worshiper.  The Devil is showing Goodman Brown people that have fallen victim to his temptation and sin at some point.  Those people still struggle with sin, but that doesn't make them Satan's soldiers.  Goodman Brown fails to understand that every person is equally susceptible to temptation, and not everybody is capable of always resisting.  Brown failed to apply his basic Christian understanding that human beings are fallen and sinful creatures that are in constant need of forgiveness from God and each other. 

How are race, gender, and class addressed in Oliver Optic's Rich and Humble?

While class does play a role in Rich and Humble, race and class aren't addressed by William Taylor Adams (Oliver Opic's real name) in the book. There are no struggles or scenes devoted to gender roles, racial issues in society, or anything of that type.
Class plays the biggest role in the novel, because Bertha starts out as a upper-class girl living on a wealthy estate and is then cast out without a place to go, without friends, and without money. She has to work to prove her father's innocence and reclaim her estate.
Even before Bertha has to become a member of the working class, she has empathy for the poor. Adams writes of an area near Woodhill where Bertha lives: "This was Dunk's Hollow, to whose poor and neglected little ones Bertha Grant had become a ministering angel." She is kind and helpful to people in the social classes below her.
This is contrasted later when her origins are revealed to her employer Mrs. Byron. The woman likes Bertha as a governess until she finds out that Mr. Grant is in jail for fraud. Once that truth is exposed, she views Bertha as a liar, fraud, and thief, and tries to fire her without pay. Her treatment of Bertha, a servant, exposes the negative views of the privileged toward the working class.
Further, when Bertha is cast out by Mrs. Byron, a member of the servant class gives her a place to stay to make sure she's safe. Peter tells her that there's nowhere safe to stay nearby and invites her back to his home. He and his wife give her a comfortable place to stay, and he drives her to the ferry the next day. 
Adams also shows the contrast between two different societies near Woodhill. First, he describes Dunk's Hollow, saying:

Dunk's Hollow had a very bad name in the neighborhood and man, woman, or child who came from there was deemed a reproach to the race. There was only one shop at the Hollow, and that was the principal source of all its miserty, for its chief trade was in liquor, pipes, and tobacco.

Next, he describes another nearby town:

On the opposite side of the river was the thriving village of Whitestone, in surprising contrast with the place just described. It contained four or five thousand inhabitants, with all the appointments of modern civilization, including a racecourse, half a dozen billiard saloons, where better and liquor drinking were the principal recreations, and as many bowling alleys and fashionable oyster shops.

The contrasting descriptions of the two different communities shows the differences in how people see the different classes of people. For example, liquor is clearly seen as negative in Dunk's Hollow. Liquor in Whitestone is considered a part of modern civilization, set up to lure in the rich sons of the local estate owners.
Class plays a role in Rich and Humble as it contrasts the behaviors and actions of the characters. It also serves as the background of Bertha's struggle as she transitions from being a wealthy, cosseted girl to a member of the servant class and then, finally, back to wealth.

What are the changes that happen to the summer sun according to "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day" (Sonnet 18)?

In "Sonnet 18," Shakespeare debates comparing his beloved to a summer's day, but ultimately determines that this would be an inappropriate (and even unflattering) comparison. He makes this determination for several reasons, but specifically he outlines several things which happen to the summer sun and which will not happen to his lover—that is, things which make the summer sun less than perfect.
Describing the sun as "the eye of heaven," a metaphor, Shakespeare says that it sometimes shines too hot, which is not pleasant. He also notes that it is sometimes "dimmed"—presumably, indicating that the sun is sometimes hidden behind clouds—and that eventually it will "decline" from its peak, either in terms of the sun sinking at nightfall, or simply the sun giving way to more autumnal weather. In any event, Shakespeare is saying that the summer sun is not actually a pinnacle of unchanging beauty, because it can be too hot and can easily be overtaken by cloud. Apart from anything else, summer itself has too short a "lease" and is quickly over, whereas his beloved's beauty will last forever, immortalized in Shakespeare's verse.

In Sonnet XVIII, Shakespeare writes that the summer sun can be too short, too hot, and sometimes it only shines dimly.
In this sonnet of Shakespeare's, which is written in the Petrarchan form, the first four lines interrelate in order to form an argument that the last few lines will answer. In these first lines, the poet states that comparing his beloved to a summer's day lends his love only a temporal nature. So, in his argument against the summer sun, the poet states that
Summer does not last long enough since it "hath all too short a date."
Often the sun is unbearably hot when it shines upon the earth: "sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines."
The summer sun often loses its brilliance because of clouds and such: "and often is his gold complexion dimm'd . . ."
For these reasons, the poet decides to preserve his beloved's beauty, not in a comparison to the sun, but in the written verse: "when in eternal lines to time thou growest." As long as people live and read, the beloved's beauty will be preserved in the poet's verse.

By the end of the book is Pi a hero? Why is it important to make this comparison to understand the meaning of the story?

First, let us take a look at the definition of hero from a literary standpoint. The term hero has been used to simply denote the main character. As an archetype, the hero has appeared in every religion in the world. The hero archetype can also be found in mythology and epics from all over the world. Here are some common characteristics of the hero archetype:
The hero leaves his home or family.
Some type of event sends the hero on a quest or journey.
Often, the hero has a weapon that only he/she can wield.
The hero often secures supernatural help.
The hero must prove himself and overcome many obstacles on the journey.
Although there are many different versions of the hero's journey, the basic outline of the hero's journey is outlined below:
An initiating event.
A call to action.
Crossing the threshold between the known and the unknown.
A series of tests/challenges.
Return as a changed person.
Using these models to understand Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi, I would say that Pi is a hero. This assertion helps us to see the story through a different lens. It is a multilayered novel, and the events are incredible. Analyzing Pi from the standpoint of the hero's journey shows Pi as a master of his circumstances rather than a victim of them.
For Pi, the initiating event is when Pi is thrown overboard by the crew of the Tsimtsum during a storm. He lands in the ocean with several wild animals that are being transported to North America. He saves Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger, even though he is well aware of the danger he might face as a result.
Throughout the next portion of the book, he observes the actions of the other animals aboard the lifeboat without taking much action himself. He observes when the hyena kills the zebra and the orangutan. Then, he observes the tiger kill the hyena. In a way, this is Pi's call to action. Previous to this, the tiger has been seasick and not much of a threat. When the tiger kills the hyena, Pi is awakened from any complacency and knows that he must master the tiger or fall prey to it.
He masters Richard Parker by providing for his needs, establishing his territory, and using the whistle to assert dominance. This is certainly part of the challenges Pi faces. The Frenchman is also a challenge for him. Pi is desperate for companionship. He is clinging desperately to his sense of humanity and morality, things he learned while practicing the three world religions he identifies with. Instead of existing as a companion or mentor, the Frenchman turns out to be an enemy and is disposed of by Richard Parker.
The next challenge Pi faces (in addition to the challenges of daily survival with the threat of a Bengal tiger aboard the lifeboat) is the island of the meerkats. At first, it seems that Pi has found a type of paradise. There is fresh water, an abundance of food, and shelter. However, he learns that the island is carnivorous, and it is one of the biggest threats he faces. Along the way, he turns to prayer, which is where the supernatural intervenes on his behalf. He prays to Allah, Jesus, and a Hindu god.
The end of the story includes Pi's return to civilization. He tells the story of the animals on board with him, and investigators refuse to believe it. He then tells the exact same story with humans in the place of animals. Investigators are left with the choice of which version to believe. For Pi, his transformation has come through the trials he faced. He feels a sense of loss that Richard Parker leaves him without a thought, which shows that Pi's humanity is intact. What is changed in Pi is the confidence he now possesses: he is able to face up to anything he encounters in life. Readers are faced with the decision of which story to believe. The one with the animals could be a manifestation of the trauma that Pi went through. The version with the humans could be the truth, or it could be told to satisfy the investigators. Other changes that take place in Pi depend on which version readers choose.

Why does Pip look up to people who put him down?

Pip wants to be a gentleman, and his definition of a gentleman at the beginning of Great Expectations is someone who has education, wealth, and the right social connections.  It is only logical that he would look up to other members of the upperclass, like Miss Havisham and Estella. When Miss Havisham invites Pip as a young boy to "play" with her adopted daughter, he believes he has an opportunity to share in their wealth and high living.  Though they are unkind to him and humiliate him for his lowly status and unlearned manners, Pip still longs to be their equal.  He feels the injustice of his own circumstances in that he had no choice in who brought him up or how.  After Estella has made him cry, Pip explains that “in the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice,” and he is willing to put up with just about anything in order to escape his old life.  After a year of being in their world, he finds a disdain for his home and his future as a blacksmith.  He calls his home “coarse and common” and would not want Estella or Miss Havisham to ever see it.  It is clear that he wants more from life and has raised his own expectations.

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 4, 4.5, Section 4.5, Problem 30

Use the guidelines of curve sketching to sketch the curve. $\displaystyle y = \sqrt[3]{x^3+1}$

The guidelines of Curve Sketching
A. Domain.
We know that cube root functions are defined for all values of $x$. Thus, the domain $(-\infty, \infty)$

B. Intercepts.
Solving for $y$-intercept, when $x = 0$
$y = \sqrt[3]{(0)^3 + 1} = 1$
Solving for $x$-intercept, when $y = 0$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
0 & = \sqrt[3]{x^3 +1}\\
\\
x^3 &= -1\\
\\
x &= -1
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



C. Symmetry.
The function is not symmetric to either $y$-axis or origin by using symmetry test.

D. Asymptotes.
There are no vertical asymptotes as well as horizontal asymptotes since $\displaystyle \lim_{x \to \pm \infty} \sqrt[3]{x^3 + 1} = \pm \infty$.

E. Intervals of Increase or Decrease.
If we take the derivative of $f(x)$,

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


Notice that $f'(x) > 0$ for all except $x = 0$ and $x = 1$ where $f(x)$ is not differentiable. Therefore, $f(x)$ is increasing on the entire domain.

F. Local Maximum and Minimum Values.
Since $f(x)$ is always increasing, therefore, the function has no local maxima or minima.

G. Concavity and Points of Inflection.

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\text{if } f'(x) &= \frac{x^2}{(x^3+1)^{\frac{2}{3}}} \text{, then}\\
\\
f''(x) &= \frac{(x^3+1)^{\frac{2}{3}} (2x) - x^2 \left(\frac{2}{3}(x^3+1)^{\frac{-1}{3}} (3x^2) \right) }{\left[ (x^3+1)^{\frac{2}{3}} \right]^2}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Which can be simplied as....
$\displaystyle f''(x) = \frac{2x}{(x^3+1)^{\frac{5}{3}}}$

If we divide the interval to determine the concavity...

$
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}
\hline\\
\text{Interval} & f''(x) & \text{Concavity}\\
\hline\\
x < -1 & + & \text{Upward}\\
\hline\\
-1 < x < 0 & - & \text{Downward}\\
\hline\\
0 < x < 1 & + & \text{Upward}\\
\hline\\
x > 1 & - & \text{Downward}\\
\hline
\end{array}
$

Based from these data, we can say that the function has inflection points on $f(-1) =0$, $f(0) = 1$, and $f(1) = \sqrt[3]{2}$

H. Sketch the Graph.

Who was John Barsad? When is he first mentioned?

John Barsad, real name Solomon Pross, is described as:

Age, about forty years; height, about five feet nine; black hair; complexion dark; generally, rather handsome visage; eyes dark, face thin, long, and sallow; nose aquiline, but not straight, having a peculiar inclination towards the left cheek; expression, therefore sinister.

He first appears in the third chapter of the second book when the Solicitor General examines him at Charles Darnay's trial.

Had he ever been a spy himself? No, he scorned the base insinuation... Ever been in prison? Certainly not... Ever live by cheating at play? Never. Ever live by play? Not more than other gentlemen do.

Despite his denials the reader later finds out that Barsad was

a hired spy and traitor, an unblushing trafficker in blood, and one of the greatest scoundrels upon earth since accursed Judas

He starts off spying for the English, claiming he did so out of patriotism, but switches to spying for the French as soon as it suits him. He is the person who frames Charles Darnay. At the end of the novel the author suggests he will die at the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.

John Barsad, or Solomon Pross, to give him his real name, is a spy. He's one of the prosecution witnesses in the treason trial of Charles Darnay in Book 2, Chapter 2 of A Tale of Two Cities. He claims to be a fine, upstanding patriot, motivated by nothing more than love of country. But this is a complete lie, as subsequent events will prove. For Barsad is one of life's opportunists. The turmoil generated by the French Revolution gives disreputable characters like Barsad the chance to change from a nobody into a somebody almost overnight. Far from being a patriot, Barsad is actually a traitor to whichever country he happens to inhabit at any given time. His utter amorality is on display when he agrees to become a spy for the French Revolutionary regime. Barsad no more believes in the ideals of the Revolution than he does in his own country. As always, he's simply looking out for Number One.

What was Ramses II greatest achievement?

Ramses II, or Ramses the Great, is regarded as the greatest, most powerful, and most productive pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. At just ten years old, his father made him a Captain of the Army, and as an adult he led a number of successful military excursions around the Middle East. He also expanded the scope of Egyptian trade and brought great wealth to the country. One of the criteria by which a pharaoh was judged was how much building they commissioned and completed during their reign. In his time, as well as in our own, Ramses may be considered exceptional by this standard. He had a number of temples, palaces, statues, and tombs built, many of which stand to this day. Not only was the number of his public works impressive, but also the fact that everything he commissioned was absolutely huge! He also made sure that on everything Ramses II commissioned to be built, there were inscriptions stating that he ordered it to be built and had all sorts of other accomplishments. It could be said that his greatest success was in being such an effective public works administrator and ensuring that his name would not be lost to the ages.
https://www.ancient.eu/Ramesses_II/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ramses-II-king-of-Egypt

What is one of Zaroff's philosophies from Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game"?

General Zaroff is Connell's antagonist in "The Most Dangerous Game." As villains normally do, Zaroff has a different perspective towards life and society than the rest of the world does. For example, General Zaroff believes that he is entirely justified to hunt and kill human beings if they are "the scum of the earth." But his philosophy isn't as simple as that, which he explains in the following passage:

"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if need be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift?"

General Zaroff is not just talking about his physical strength. He is also strong mentally and financially. He also has expert hunting skills that can provide him with an expensive hobby that he loves. The problem lies in the fact that he thinks that "strong" people have the right to take anything they want from those who are weaker than they are. Furthermore, he believes that "weak" people, no matter if they are weaker physically, mentally, or financially, are at his disposal because he is one of the strong. To make his philosophy even creepier, he believes it is a natural gift to be strong, which adds to his elitist and entitled attitude. 

What is symbolic to Bud?

The story Bud, Not Buddy has quite a few pieces of symbolism in it; however, the question specifically asks which item is symbolic to Bud. If I had to pick one, I think it would be doors. This symbol develops in Bud's mind over the course of the story. He doesn't understand the symbolic significance at first. In chapter 5, readers are introduced to the idea that doors are symbolic to Bud. We get a little flashback story about Bud's mother telling him about doors:

no matter how bad things look to you, no matter how dark the night, when one door closes, don't worry, because another door opens.

When his mother first tells him this information about doors, Bud thinks that she is talking about a literal door; however, he begins to understand that "doors" are opportunities.

But now that I'm almost grown I see Momma wasn't talking about doors opening to let ghosts into your bedroom, she meant doors like the door at the Home closing leading to the door at the Amoses' opening and the door in the shed opening leading to me sleeping under a tree getting ready to open the next door.

Chapter 7 has another good example of Bud telling readers about his doorways of opportunity opening and closing: 

That library door closing after I walked out was the exact kind of door Momma had told me about. I knew that since it had closed the next one was about to open.

His chance to find Miss Hill has closed, but the next morning Bugs shows up, and Bud steps through that doorway for his next adventure and opportunity with Bugs.

How is Jack presented in Lord of the Flies?

In Lord of the Flies, Jack is portrayed as a jealous, childish bully who completely loses control. From the beginning, Jack is rather full of himself. He's the leader of the choir boys, and because he can sing high C, he believes he should be chief. He is embarrassed and angry when the boys vote for Ralph as chief. His jealousy causes him to break rules and seek to draw boys away from Ralph. He attempts to stage a "coup" by calling for a vote to depose Ralph, but no one agrees with him at that point.
Jack's childishness comes across when, after the vote to overthrow Ralph fails, he says he won't play anymore. He stomps away like a petulant child. However, because he is so childish, his "tribe" offers more benefits to the boys: namely, freedom from responsibility, and the pleasure of the "game" of hunting. At the end of the book, when the naval officer appears, Jack's childishness is emphasized as readers see him through the eyes of an adult. He is described as "a little boy who wore the remains of an extraordinary black cap on his red hair and who carried the remains of a pair of spectacles at his waist."
Jack's jealousy and childishness erupt into bullying. After letting the fire go out, Jack is upset with Ralph but takes out his anger on Piggy, an easy mark. He punches Piggy in the stomach and smacks him in the head, breaking his glasses. Later, he leads the boys in a mock pig hunt where Robert takes the brunt of the boys' pushing. He leads the raid on Ralph's camp to steal Piggy's glasses, beats Wilfred for no reason, and kidnaps Samneric. Ultimately, he loses all control as he seeks to hunt and murder Ralph.
Jack is a boy with common boyish faults—jealousy, immaturity, and bullying—who totally loses control of himself in the absence of any restraint from higher authority.

What does Heathcliff say he will do to Edgar if he threatens him?

Catherine and Heathcliff have a meeting in the kitchen of Thrushcross Grange. Edgar Linton comes storming in, leaving two male employees he has brought with him in the passage. He arrives as Catherine is scolding Heathcliff. In a state of annoyance, Edgar tells Catherine that he will no longer have a low ruffian and "moral poison" like Heathcliff in his house. Edgar threatens that if Heathcliff does not leave within three minutes, he will have his men forcibly throw him out.
Heathcliff is not in the least intimidated by Edgar's threats. Nelly Dean records Heathcliff as doing and saying the following:

Heathcliff measured the height and breadth of the speaker with an eye full of derision.
"Cathy, this lamb of yours threatens like a bull!" he said. "It is in danger of splitting its skull against my knuckles. By God!  Mr. Linton, I’m mortally sorry that you are not worth knocking down!"

Heathcliff has responded to Edgar by saying that Edgar is beneath his contempt, not even worth striking. He goes on to say, however, that he would be willing to kick Edgar like a dog:

I would not strike him with my fist, but I’d kick him with my foot, and experience considerable satisfaction. Is he weeping, or is he going to faint for fear?

Heathcliff shows that Edgar's threats mean nothing to him. He reveals that he considers Edgar a worthless coward.

Beginning Algebra With Applications, Chapter 5, Review Exercises, Section Review Exercises, Problem 10

Determine the $x$- and $y$-intercepts for $6x-4y=12$.

$x$-intercepts:


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

6x-4y =& 12
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
6x-4(0) =& 12
&& \text{To find the $x$-intercept, let } y=0
\\
6x =& 12
&& \text{Simplify}
\\
x =& 2
&& \text{Divide by } 6

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The $x$-intercept is $(2,0)$

$y$-intercept:


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

6x-4y =& 12
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
6(0)-4y =& 12
&& \text{To find the $y$-intercept, let } x=0
\\
-4y =& 12
&& \text{Simplify}
\\
y =& -3
&& \text{Divide by } -4

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The $y$-intercept is $(0,-3)$

When does Jimmy figure out who the man from the west really is in "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

As soon as Jimmy sees Bob, he recognizes him as the wanted man, rather than his old friend.
In this story, two old friends make an arrangement to meet each other at a restaurant in twenty years.  They do meet, but things do not go as planned.  Jimmy and Bob have not seen each other for a long time.  When Jimmy sees Bob, he does not immediately acknowledge him, but he does recognize him.  He realizes he is a criminal.
Jimmy talks to Bob, pretending to be just another cop.  He doesn’t acknowledge that he recognizes him as a wanted man from Chicago.  He can’t bring himself to arrest his old friend.  They chat, and then he walks off.  He gets another cop to pretend to be him.

"...The old restaurant is gone, Bob. I wish it were here, so that we could have another dinner in it. Has the West been good to you?”
“It gave me everything I asked for. You’ve changed, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall.”
“Oh, I grew a little after I was twenty.”
“Are you doing well in New York, Jimmy?”

Bob realizes that something is up because the man has a different kind of nose.  He is a little upset at the charade.  At this point, Bob is given a note from Jimmy explaining why he did what he did. 

“Bob: I was at the place on time. I saw the face of the man wanted by Chicago cops. I didn’t want to arrest you myself. So I went and got another cop and sent him to do the job.
JIMMY.”

Being a cop is important to Jimmy, but so is being a friend.  Jimmy found a way to do his duty and still be a good friend.  He kept his appointment.  He did not betray his friend, at least not to his face.

What makes a work of literature a “classic”?

A work of literature is considered "a classic" if it has lasted through the proverbial test of time; that is, if it has an appeal that is enduring and it speaks in a universal manner to the human condition.
Enduring appeal
Despite the time period in which it is written, a classic work of literature remains appealing because it delights and interests readers on several levels. For example, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—certainly a classic—holds the interest of young readers who delight in the various escapades in which Huck is involved, such as the defeat of his cruel Pa and others who attempt to harm him and Jim, as well as Huck's maturation. Similarly, adult readers delight in Huck and Jim's escapades for their humor, but they are also able to enjoy the satire of society in Twain's writing.
Universality
Classics speak to the human condition; that is, there are themes and characterization in classic literature that address the basic aspects of birth, growth, hopes, feelings, conflict, and mortality in human life. These matters addressed are universal and do not just pertain to a certain country or race. This is why a Korean girl, for instance, can read Great Expectations and enjoy it as much as an American boy. They can both relate to Pip, who wishes to better himself since being treated unfairly because he is "coarse and common."

Who has the power to declare war?

Generally speaking, the government of a nation has the power to declare war. Typically, the constitution or other establishing laws of a nation will specify which part of the government can declare war. Thus, in some nations, such as the United States, the act of declaring war may be reserved to a legislative body. In other nations, the power to declare war may rest in an executive or head of state. In nations without a constitution or establishing laws, or where the power to declare war is not specifically reserved, the sovereign (the person or entity with ultimate decision making authority for a nation, such as a monarch) has the power to declare war.  
If the question is asking who specifically in the government of the United States has the power to declare war, then the answer is that the power to declare war is specifically reserved to the Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution. Further, Congress has the power to fund the U.S. military and any continuing action by the U.S. military, giving Congress more oversight regarding the use of force than just the power to declare war. The U.S. President does have the power to use the military for operations of a limited scope without prior approval by Congress, but such use is subject to various time restrictions and reporting requirements.
Finally, continuing military operations by the United States military that are carried out absent a formal declaration of war are not prohibited if Congress authorizes such continuing operations. The authorization in such instances is often granted implicitly through the Congress’s power to fund, or not fund, the U.S. military and its operations rather than through any formal proclamation. And so long as Congress approves ongoing funding for military operations, such can continue indefinitely, even absent a formal declaration of war. So while Congress does have the sole power to declare war under the U.S. Constitution, it does not have to do so in order for the U.S. military to wage a war. 
 

Precalculus, Chapter 1, 1.1, Section 1.1, Problem 58

Determine the length of each side of the triangle, where $P_1 = (7,2), P_2 = (-4,0)$ and $P_3 = (4,6)$. State whether the triangle is an isosceles triangle, a right triangle, neither of these, or both. (An $\textbf{isosceles triangle}$ is one in which at least two of the sides are of equal length.








$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

P_1 P_2 =& \sqrt{(-4-7)^2 + (0-2)^2}
\\
=& \sqrt{121+4}
\\
=& \sqrt{125}
\\
=& 5 \sqrt{5}
\\
\\
P_2 P_3 =& \sqrt{[4- (-4)]^2 + (6-0)^2}
\\
=& \sqrt{64+36}
\\
=& \sqrt{100}
\\
=& 10
\\
\\
P_1 P_3 =& \sqrt{(4-7)^2 + (6-2)^2}
\\
=& \sqrt{9+16}
\\
=& \sqrt{25}
\\
=& 5

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Two sides are equal.

Thus, $\Delta P_1 P_2 P_3$ is a right triangle.

Never Let Me Go has been described as a story about lies and deceit. To what extent do you agree with this view? How does Ishiguro present lies and deceit? How does Ishiguro use lies and deceit to explore some of his ideas about people?

The entire premise of Ishiguro's narrator's life (and the lives of her friends and classmates) is based on lies and deceit. Kathy, the narrator, is part of a group of young people who are basically bred to donate their organs to others. They are educated together and told lies and misinformation about the outside world as they gradually become aware of the horrific truth.
Kathy only reveals the truth of her and her classmates' roles gradually over the course of the novel, as she narrates in retrospect as an adult. She thinks back to her time at Hailsham, the school where she and her best friends, Tommy and Ruth, grow up. Kathy does tell us at the start that she is a "carer," but we don't understand the context of that term until later in the novel. As the students attend Hailsham, they notice some mysterious details, such as the odd artwork requirement and the strange behavior of Miss Lucy, a teacher who seems to know things that she cannot share with her students. There is also a sense that Miss Lucy disapproves of something about the school.
Later, we learn that Ruth and Tommy are "donors," meaning they donate their organs in a series of operations until they "complete," or die. Some donors last for all four operations, while others do not make it so long. Kathy's role as a "carer" is to care for the donors before, during, and after their operations and recoveries. It seems as though the donors basically live in hospital facilities once their donations begin. For all intents and purposes, their real lives are over. This relates to lies and deceit simply because the donors and carers are not aware of the full extent of their roles and responsibilities during their time at school. 
Within this larger premise that is based on deceit, the characters sometimes deceive each other in ways that affect their interpersonal relationships. For example, Ruth tells Kathy that Tommy does not have romantic feelings for Kathy, and this keeps Kathy and Tommy apart for most of their lives. They eventually do admit their feelings to each other and try to pursue a deferral of Tommy's donations so they can have more time together. Unfortunately, Tommy completes after his fourth operation, leaving Kathy as the only of the three friends still alive to tell the story. This romantic subplot allows us to see the humanity in Ishiguro's "donors" and "carers," as much as some of the other "normal" characters try to deny it.
Never Let Me Go is a dystopian novel that imagines what would happen if scientific technology, like cloning, were taken to an extreme point. We are left wondering, what are the effects on these "donors" and "carers"? To what extent can they be considered human? What responsibilities do we have to these creations once we bring them into the world? Ishiguro, through his sympathetic portrayal of Kathy and her friends, suggests that the deceits and half-truths perpetrated on these young people throughout their short lives only exacerbate the tragedy of their pre-determined fates.

Precalculus, Chapter 6, 6.4, Section 6.4, Problem 39

You need to use the formula of dot product to find the angle between two vectors, u = u_x*i + u_y*j, v = v_x*i + v_y*j, such that:
u*v = |u|*|v|*cos(theta)
The angle between the vectors u and v is theta.
cos theta = (u*v)/(|u|*|v|)
First, you need to evaluate the product of the vectors u and v, such that:
u*v = u_x*v_x + u_y*v_y
u*v = cos(pi/3)*cos(3pi/4) + sin(pi/3)*sin(3pi/4)
sin (3pi/4) = sin(pi/2+pi/4) = cos(pi/4) = sqrt2/2
cos(3pi/4) = cos(pi/2+pi/4) =-sin(pi/4) = -sqrt2/2
u*v = -cos(pi/3)*sin(pi/4) + sin(pi/3)*sin(pi/4)
u*v = sqrt2/2*(sqrt3/2 - 1/2)
u*v = cos(3pi/4 - pi/3) = cos(5pi/12) = (sqrt2*(sqrt3 - 1))/4
You need to evaluate the magnitudes |u| and |v|, such that:
|u|= sqrt(cos^2(pi/3) + sin^2(pi/3)) => |u|= sqrt(1) =>|u|= 1
|v|= sqrt(cos^2(3pi/4) + sin^2(3pi/4)) => |v|= sqrt(1) =>|v|= 1
cos theta = (cos(5pi/12))/(1*1) => cos theta =cos(5pi/12) => theta =5pi/12
Hence, the cosine of the angle between the vectors u and v is cos theta =cos(5pi/12) , so, theta =5pi/12.

How would you describe the nightingale's selfishness in "The Frog and the Nightingale" by Vikram Seth?

In Seth's "The Frog and the Nightingale," the nightingale's selfishness can be seen in the approach she takes to her gift of song.
The nightingale displays selfishness in how she loves to be adored. For example, she is flattered the frog would tutor her. She sees it as a sign of respect. This is seen in how she calls him "Mozart" and looks at the entire situation as a dream come true. The frog appeals to the nightingale's vanity, an extension of her self-indulgence: "You'll remain a mere beginner/ But with me you'll be a winner." To be a "winner" is what moves the nightingale to accept the frog's tuition. Her desire to be a "winner" shows a type of selfishness. She is not content with singing as its own good; she wants more applause and audience acceptance, qualities reflecting her vanity and selfishness. The nightingale's selfish approach can also be seen in how she refers to "her" song: "I don't think the song's divine./ But—oh, well—at least it's mine." She emphasizes her own condition above all else, even the divine, in the way she sings "her song."
The nightingale loves appreciation from others. She is entranced when others shower her with praise. She is "quite unused to such applause" when she first sings her song. Her selfish desire for more praise leads to her destruction:

. . . she grew more morose—For her ears were now addictedTo applause quite unrestricted,And to sing into the nightAll alone gave no delight.

The nightingale does not view her gift as something she can do "all alone." She needs an audience and the praise they provide. The only "delight" she has is when she is able to be the center of others' attention. This selfishness causes her to be reckless with her voice and not realize she is a victim of the frog's manipulation. As a result, the nightingale's selfishness is a negative trait that defines her predicament.

In "Everyday Use," how has Dee changed when she arrives to see her family?

When Dee returns home, she actually seems to be pleased by much of what she finds: a cow, a house quite similar to the old one (that she, apparently, hated passionately), old hand-made family artifacts, etc.  This is a shock to Mama Johnson, the narrator, because of how embarrassed Dee used to be about her home and her family.  Before Dee arrives, Mama says, "No doubt when Dee sees [the house] she will want to tear it down. She wrote me once that no matter where we 'choose' to live, she will manage to come see us. But she will never bring her friends."  On the contrary, when Dee returns this time, she takes tons of pictures of the house, and she brings a friend, too, or a boyfriend, or a husband -- Mama is never sure.  And Dee seems newy enthusiastic about the family's things, asking if she can take several items home with her so that she can do "something artistic" with them.  She even wants the old family quilts, quilts that she once rejected when she went away to school.  Therefore, Dee's embarrassment about her home and upbringing have given way to something like pride when she returns home in the story.

What book does the narrator find in his room?

The narrator finds a Gideon Bible in his room at the Men's House in Harlem. The Gideons are a religious group famous the world over for leaving Bibles in hotel rooms. The discovery of the Bible in his room has great significance for the narrator. Picking it up, he immediately experiences a deep feeling of homesickness. It conjures up memories of family prayer round the dinner table. It also reminds the narrator of Dr. Bledsoe quoting scripture in his speeches. But the narrator has just arrived in New York, and however lonely, homesick, and isolated he is, he knows that he needs to begin finding work straight away; this is no time to dwell on the past. So he puts the Bible to one side, hoping to put his longing for home behind him, at least for the time being.

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 3, 3.6, Section 3.6, Problem 14

Determine $\displaystyle \frac{dy}{dx}$ of $y \sin (x^2) = x \sin (y^2)$ by Implicit Differentiation.

$\displaystyle \frac{d}{dx} \left[ y \sin (x^2) \right] = \frac{d}{dx} \left[ x \sin (y^2) \right]$


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
(y) \frac{d}{dx} \left[ \sin (x^2) \right] + \left[ \sin (x^2) \right] \frac{d}{dx} (y) &= (x) \frac{d}{dx} \left[ \sin(y^2)\right] + \left[ \sin (y^2) \right] \frac{d}{dx} (x)\\
\\
y \cos (x^2) \cdot \frac{d}{dx} (x^2) + \sin (x^2) \frac{dy}{dx} &= x \cos (y^2) \cdot \frac{d}{dx} (y^2) + \sin (y^2) \cdot 1\\
\\
(y) \left[ \cos (x^2) \right] (2x) + \sin (x^2) \frac{dy}{dx} &= (x) \left[ \cos (y^2) \right] (2x) \frac{dy}{dx} + \sin (y^2)
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
2xy \cos (x^2) + y' \sin (x^2) &= 2xyy' \cos (y^2) + \sin (y^2)\\
\\
y' \sin (x^2) - 2xyy' \cos(y^2) &= \sin(y^2) - 2xy \cos (x^2)\\
\\
y'\left[ \sin(x^2) - 2xy \cos (y^2) \right] &= \sin (y^2) - 2 xy \cos (x^2)\\
\\
\frac{y' \cancel{\left[\sin (x^2) - 2xy \cos (y^2)\right]}}{\cancel{\sin (x^2) - 2xy \cos (y^2)}} &= \frac{\sin (y^2) - 2xy \cos (x^2)}{\sin (x^2) - 2xy \cos (y^2)}\\
\\
y' & = \frac{\sin (y^2) - 2xy \cos (x^2)}{\sin (x^2) - 2xy \cos (y^2)}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

What happens in the poem "The Explosion"?

Philip Larkin wrote ‘The Explosion' after viewing an 1969 BBC documentary about coal mining. The specific event described may well have been the disaster at the Trimdon coal mine, near Durham in northern England on 15 February 1882 in which 74 people died, although many aspects of the poem are relevant to any coal mine explosion. 
The poem starts out on a ordinary day in which miners are headed into the mine. Above ground, the scene is pleasant and pastoral. One miner steals eggs from a lark's nest for food. They head into the mine. At noon, there is an explosion, kicking up dust that dims the sun. 
After the explosion, the speaker and the wives of the miners who died, shift to a religious viewpoint, momentarily lifted out of the mundanity of daily life by the enormity of the event. 

What would be considered the climax in The Report Card?

Andrew Clements's novel The Report Card follows the attempts of Nora, the fifth-grader protagonist, to question the grading system so institutional to American schooling and to get the adults around her to reconsider what education means.
Despite being a genius, Nora intentionally gets all Ds and a C on her report card for the first term of fifth grade in order to make a point about how problematic grades are. Nora detests the performance aspect of intelligence, and, thus, she hides her smarts so that she can remain in control of them and to avoid attention.
The purposeful failure of her classes ends up backfiring in that regard, as Nora receives more attention than ever. Teachers start to hover over her, and she is called into the principal's office to meet with her teachers, guidance counselor, the principal, and her parents. When Mrs. Byrne, the school librarian, checks Nora's Internet history and discovers the advanced materials she had been reading and researching after school, Nora comes clean to the woman and explains that her grades do not matter because she can turn them around anytime she wants.
Nora is eventually outed as a genius when her guidance counselor gives her an intelligence test. This brings on even more pressure and attention from her family, the school, and the other students. Eventually, Nora and her friend Stephen formulate a plan to show the school how ridiculous grading and competition are: Nora demonstrates her intelligence to the whole class and then intentionally gets zeroes on all her tests the next day, commenting that every child in the school should be learning more stimulating material rather than just being asked to memorize facts.
The climax of the novel occurs when it is revealed that Stephen has put the second part of their plan into place by convincing almost all of the students in Nora's class to score zeroes on their tests as well. The principal and school superintendent are horrified and want to suspend them, claiming that this plan is like an act of vandalism. However, Mrs. Byrne speaks out in their defense, as do other teachers. After discussing her efforts with her fellow students, Nora comes to the realization that the teachers also want to see the educational system improve and that it is much more effective to do so by working rather than intentionally flunking.

Who is a pivotal character in the novel March? Is the character’s purpose symbolic or persuasive? In other words, does the character function as a symbol for the novel's greater message, or does the character function as a tool to persuade the audience to feel a certain way?

One of the most important characters in March, Grace, is a symbolic character who exists to demonstrate the unjust nature of slavery. While Grace functions primarily to illustrate the themes of the novel, her presence also evokes feelings in the reader that stem both from her treatment and her own feelings about her life. 
Grace functions as a symbolic character; she's a slave who works in the house and appears to be better cared for than many others—but that clearly doesn't make her slavery just. She also serves to show clearly that despite what people like the Clements think, people of different races are equal. When John first meets Grace, Brooks writes John's thoughts:

There you are, I thought. A Negro slave, probably not even as old as I, yet with a style of address that would not shame a great peer. No one I knew at home talked like that, not even the minister. (23-24)

At first, John is only interested in Grace because as an upper-level slave, she can provide access to her master. He thinks "I learned, too, that winning over the upper servants was the first object for a gentleman of the road in pursuit of a sale" (23). She makes a positive impression on him while he's working as a traveling salesman, but that's the end of it. He's only 19 and hasn't married yet. Later, though, Grace comes to affect his life in important ways as he fights in the war and later returns home to his wife and daughters.
When Mrs. Clement, Grace's owner, describes her relationship with Grace, she indicates that she loves Grace more than her own recently-married daughter. Despite her proclaimed love for Grace, Mrs. Clement makes it clear that Grace is not a person free to pursue her own dreams or ambitions. She says:

I tell you, Mr. March, my Grace has a great deal more freedom than my daughter now enjoys. Not freedom to leave me, no; that she will never have. Grace is mine, here with me forever. She was born right here, you know. Mr. Clement gave her to me as a wedding present. Such a pretty infant. I suppose he thought I could practice my mothering skills upon her until our own children came. Who could guess that one's first essay could be so eloquent? (32)

Mrs. Clement goes on to explain that Grace is better with reading and poetry than her own daughter. Then she has a fit and makes John retrieve Grace; Grace tells John that the ailing Mrs. Clement needs to rest and sends him away.  
When John speaks to Grace later, he says that Mrs. Clement loves her like a mother. Grace responds with doubt that makes the negative relationship between the slave and the slaveowner clear: "Her voice was low, her words clipped. 'Does she so? I wouldn't know. My mother was sold south by Mr. Clement before I was one year old.' She took the basket from me" (35).
After John is caught teaching Prudence to read, Grace is whipped by Mr. Clement for his actions. This serves to turn John away from any idea that slaveowners can treat their slaves well—despite Grace's seemingly privileged position in the household, she's brutalized for the actions of others. Brooks writes:

They had laid her facedown upon a bench, her arms stretched out above her head, her two thumbs bound together and fastened to a rope that then passed the full length underneath the table and came up to bind her ankles. A wide leather strap passed over the small of her slender back and pressed her flat against the table. Below the strap, the lower part of her body was exposed, in a complete state of nature. (48)

Grace's plight and the plight of all slaves is further illustrated when it's revealed that her father is actually Mr. Clement; she refuses to leave the plantation when John insists she should, saying that she needs to stay and care for the Clements. Grace is a symbol of the brutality of slavery not only to the reader but also to John, who cries as she is whipped and later joins to fight for the Union in the Civil War. 
Despite Grace's function as a symbolic character, she still acts as a persuasive character as well. The scene where she is whipped is extremely sad and upsetting for a reader; it helps dispel the idea that the Clements are in any way kindly or misguided people. Brooks writes that "strip by strip, the lash carved into Grace's shuddering flesh" (50).
Grace's explanation of what happened to her half-brother also acts to persuade the reader to feel disgusted by slavery. She explains that he raped her—knowing they were related—and that she helped cause the accident that led to his death, saying:

"But you are not the innocent who arrived at the Clement house that long-ago spring. I think you have seen enough of evil now to understand very well how things stood. All I will say is this: that he, knowing the truth of my parentage, knowing he was my brother, committed a sin whose magnitude has ever been understood, even by savages. And do you know what the worst violation was? That I realized my father had intended just such a thing." (272)

She goes on to say that the negative things that stemmed from her defending herself against rape—her father's decline, the loss of the plantation, Annie drowning, Justice and Prudence being sold—weigh on her conscience. The reader experiences sympathy for her because those things clearly were not her fault and she was right to defend herself. Grace still lives with the guilt, though. 
While Brooks undoubtedly included Grace in the novel as a symbolic character to represent the unjust nature of slavery and to give John a personal stake in the battle for the freedom of slaves, her secondary function as a persuasive character still exists. From her introduction as a learned woman to the conclusion where she tells John to go home and create sermons that "prepare [his] neighbors to accept a world where black and white may one day stand as equals," Grace functions first as a symbol—but is still a character who inspires emotion in readers (273).

How did American life change during the Great Depression?

Perhaps the first and most dramatic change was that the income of the average family dropped from $2,300 to $1,500, a change of approximately 40 percent. As banks collapsed, many people lost their savings and often their homes. Homelessness rose dramatically, and of the people who could still afford homes, many were forced into cramped, overcrowded shared accommodations.
As many men lost their jobs and the pay for existing jobs was reduced or became less secure, many women entered the workforce, sometimes taking service or light manufacturing jobs. Women also sometimes contributed to the household economy by tending a vegetable garden, raising poultry, or making and repairing clothing.
Families tended to become less stable, with marriage rates declining and desertion rates increasing. Many households, especially of ethnic minorities, were headed by a single parent. Birth rates also declined, as people were less able to afford having children. An increasing number of children were abandoned to institutions.
In response to changing economic circumstances, this became a great era of unionization, a movement that eventually led to rising wages and increasing job security for workers. Roosevelt responded to the Depression with the New Deal, the beginnings of a social safety net. Although some people were not affected by the Depression, many experienced a lower standard of living.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/family-and-home-impact-great-depression

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 4, 4.3, Section 4.3, Problem 45

a) For a rational function: R(x) = (N(x))/(D(x)) , a vertical asymptote (VA) occurs at x=c when D(c)=0. It is the value of x that makes the function undefined.
Express f(x) = 1 + 1/x -1/x^2 as one fraction:
Least common denominator (LCD) = x^2.
Multiply each term by the missing factor:
f(x) = 1*(x^2/x^2) +(1/x)(x/x)-1/x^2
f(x) = x^2/x^2 +x/x^2 -1/x^2
f(x) = (x^2+x-1)/x^2

In the function f(x), we have D(x) =x^2.
Solve for x when D(x)=0
x^2=0
sqrt(x^2) =sqrt(0)
x=0 as the vertical asymptote

To solve for horizontal asymptote we compare the highest degrees of the leading coefficient from numerator N(x) and denominator D(x).
an = first integer of the leading coefficient in N(x): anxn +.....+ao
bn = first integer of the leading coefficient in D(x): bnxn +.....+bo
Conditions:
n < m horizontal asymptote: y=0
n= m horizontal asymptote: y =a_n/b_n
n>m horizontal asymptote: NONE

In f(x) =(x^2+x-1)/x^2 , we have n=2 and m=2 that shows n=m
then y=1/1 or y =1 as the horizontal asymptote.

b) To find the intervals of increase or decrease, recall:
--> f'(x) = positive value implies increasing f(x) of an interval I.
--> f'(x) = negative value implies decreasing f(x) of an interval I.

Applying quotient rule derivative:
f'(x) = ((2x+1)(x^2)-(x^2+x-1)(2x))/(x^2)^2
f'(x) = (2x^3+x^2 -2x^3-2x^2+2x)/(x^4)
f'(x) = (-x^2 +2x)/(x^4)
f'(x) = (-x+2)/x^3

Solve for critical point(s) by letting f'(x)=0:
(-x+2)/x^3=0
(-x+2)=x^3*0
-x+2=0
-x+2+x =0+x
2=x.
Sign table:
x -1 0 1 2 3
f'(x) -3 und. 1 0 -1/(27)
It shows the function has increasing interval: (-oo , 0) and (2, +oo) while decreasing interval: (0,2).

c) The local extrema occurs at critcal value: x=c such that f'(c)=0.
f'(2)= 0 then local extrema occurs at x=2.
Conditions:
f'(a) >0 and f'(b) <0 in the interval a f'(a) <0 and f'(b) >0 in the interval aNote that f'(1)=1 and f'(3)=-1/(27) then it implies a local maximum occurs at x=2.
Plug-in x=2 in f(x)=(x^2+x-1)/x^2 .
f(2)= (2^2+2-1)/2^2
local maximum value: f(2) = 5/4 or 1.25
local minimum value: none
d) Use second derivative test to find concavity and inflection point.
Apply quotient rule derivative on f'(x)=(-x+2)/x^3
f"(x)=((-1)(x^3)-(-x+2)(3x^2))/(x^3)^2
f"(x)=(-x^3 +3x^3-6x^2)/(x^6)
f"(x)=(2x^3-6x^2)/(x^6)
f"(x)=(2x-6)/(x^4)
Possible inflection point occurs at x=a when f"(a)=0.
Let f"(x)=0.
(2x-6)/x^4=0
2x-6 = x^4*0
2x-6 = 0
2x =6
x =3.
Real inflection point occurs when there is a change of concavity before and after x=3.
x 2 3 4
f"(x) -1/8 0 1/(128)
Concavity: Up Down.
Plug-in x=3 in f(x)=(x^2+x-1)/x^2.
f(3) =(3^2+3-1)/3^2
f(3)= 11/9 or 1.22.
Inflection point (IP) : (3,(11)/9 )
Intervals of concavity :
x -1 0 1 2 3 4
f"(x) -8 und. -4 -1/8 0 1/(128)
Concave down: (-oo , 0) and (0, 3)
Concave up: (3, +oo )
e) Graph.