What are some hooks for a cyberbullying expository essay?

A "hook" is a narrative device used at the beginning of an essay to grab a reader's attention.  In my classes, I call it an "attention getter."  It is a critical piece of any essay because it serves to motivate readers to keep reading.  If a reader is bored after the first sentence, then that reader isn't motivated to keep reading.  He/she may stop reading or he/she may let their mind wander instead of engaging with the writing.  
There are a variety of ways to grab reader attention, but I recommend 1 of the following 5.  
Ask a question.  This is an effective way to engage a reader's mind because it forces them to begin thinking of possible answers to the question.  
Make a bold, perhaps controversial statement.  This generally works well because it gets an emotional response from a reader.  I do want to caution that this might get reader attention, but it also might anger your reader against your essay's argument. 
Use a definition.  This seeks to activate the logical part of a reader's brain.  At the same time, it will cause a reader to ask himself/herself why a writer would provide that particular definition.  
Use a quote.  A quote tends to draw your reader in because people assume that a quote is important for one reason or another.  Your reader will want to know why that quote is important, so he/she will keep reading.  
Use an anecdote.  People love stories, and a story serves as an interesting way to get a reader reading and interested in continuing to read.  Be sure that the story relates to whatever argument your essay is going to make. 
For your particular essay on cyber bullying, you could define it for your reader or ask "How does cyber bullying affect people of all ages?"  You could start with a brief anecdote about a person who went through an extreme case of being bullied.  The anecdote could even incorporate a quote, and then the essay is combining two narrative hooks.  
https://www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us/cms/lib/AL01901445/Centricity/Domain/676/Narrative%20Hook.pdf

What actions by the Unites States (since WWII) in the international arena have generated the most controversy and why?

The triumph of the Allied Forces in World War II resulted in the United States rising to become a global economic superpower. Let's examine some of the more controversial foreign policies enacted by the United States in the last seventy years:
- The Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961.
This failed military invasion involved a counter-revolutionary military of Cuban exiles trained by the Central Intelligence Agency being sent into Cuba with the objective of overthrowing Fidel Castro's communist government. With only half the forces projected as necessary for this operation present and JFK making the decision not to provide additional air cover, the forces were defeated and the opposite of intended happened: Fidel Castro became a national hero. This misstep also led directly to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- The Somalia Intervention of 1992
President George H.W. Bush sent 28,000 American troops to East Africa to purportedly help resolve the issue of Somalian starvation, an effort expanded by President Bill Clinton. Tribesmen ambushed these troops, resulting in eighteen American deaths and many injuries. This move was controversial because there was no reasonable national interest present for the move—only the alleged "responsibility to protect."
- The Vietnam War
Out of fear of expansion of Communist empires, the US involved itself in this war between the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese. The US interference here was largely viewed as meddling; the controversy was worsened by the fact that poor African American populations were dramatically impacted, the US employment of toxic chemicals (like Napalm and Agent Orange), and the grave toll on civilians.
- The carpet-bombing of North Korea during the Korean War.
Although President Truman's decision to enter the United States into the Korean War was overwhelmingly supported by both Congress and public opinion, controversy over this move eventually did arise much later, with accusations that the US had committed war crimes in North Korea. Because it was never covered expansively by the American press, what did ensue is sometimes referred to as "the most forgotten part of a forgotten war." The Atlantic expertly describes how the Air Force sent B-29s to bomb and napalm cities and villages across North Korea:

The bombing was long, leisurely and merciless, even by the assessment of America's own leaders. "Over a period of three years or so, we killed off—what—20 percent of the population," Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay, head of the Strategic Air Command during the Korean War, told the Office of Air Force History in 1984. Dean Rusk, a supporter of the war and later secretary of state, said the United States bombed "everything that moved in North Korea, every brick standing on top of another." After running low on urban targets, U.S. bombers destroyed hydroelectric irrigation dams in the later stages of the war, flooding farmland and destroying crops.

This was largely considered—at least to the outside world—racist and unjustified violence against North Korean civilians. 
- The Invasion of Iraq
This move was predicated on the notion that the U.S. was fighting back against the terrorist forces responsible for 9/11, and yet Saddam Hussein did not possess weapons of mass destruction, nor was he majorly connections to the terrorists which perpetrated 9/11. The result of this invasion was chaos, from the beginning of the Arab Spring to the birth of the Islamic State.

How did Jane stretch the laws of the time?

I'm not sure about the laws, but Jane Eyre certainly defies the social conventions of her time. For one thing, Jane wants to follow her heart; she wants to marry for love. Marriage in Regency England involved women being treated as little better than items of property to be bought and sold as part of a business transaction. It wasn't called the "marriage market" for nothing. Women, then, were expected to marry into wealth, position, and social prominence. Love hardly ever entered into the equation.
So Jane wants to settle down with someone who will love her. But her autonomy and independence are threatened throughout the story, and she often finds it incredibly hard to stay true to herself and to her principles. For example, she comes remarkably close to marrying the somewhat priggish St. John Rivers, even though she doesn't love him. St. John offers her a life in an exotic, far-away country which she'd undoubtedly find a fascinating experience. But marrying St. John would give Jane one kind of freedom, while at the same time depriving her of the freedom that really matters to her: the freedom to follow her heart.
Even though she loves Mr. Rochester, Jane cannot accede to his request to go and live with him in France. As Rochester's insane wife is still alive, she would effectively be his concubine, and she's not prepared to damage her reputation that way. Jane may defy social conventions, but there are limits. But virtue is its own reward, and eventually Jane's commitment to the dictates of her heart pays dividends. She's finally able to be with Rochester, the man she loved all along, and they live blissfully together in a loving and respectable marriage.

Why did the man in the doorway start speaking to the policeman in "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry?

Bob speaks to the policeman because he doesn’t want his behavior to raise suspicion.
Jimmy and Bob have been friends for a long time.  They made a date twenty years before to meet on a certain spot on a certain date.  When Bob arrives, having gone out west, he discovers that the restaurant is now a hardware store.  He wants to keep his date, so he stays in the doorway of the now-closed hardware store.
When Bob sees the policeman, he doesn’t want his behavior to seem suspicious.  Bob is a criminal, so he is used to acting suspiciously and being suspected.  He calls out the policemen to let him know what he is doing there.  He speaks “quickly” when the cop walks toward him.

“It’s all right, officer,” he said. “I’m waiting for a friend. Twenty years ago we agreed to meet here tonight. It sounds strange to you, doesn’t it? I’ll explain if you want to be sure that everything’s all right. About twenty years ago there was a restaurant where this shop stands. ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant.”

The two of them have a discussion about the restaurant and the date between Jimmy and Bob, but the policeman never introduces himself.  He just comments that twenty years is a long time between meetings.  Bob expounds on Jimmy’s traits, explaining what a good friend he is.

“… I moved around everywhere, and I moved quickly. But I know that Jimmy will meet me here if he can. He was as true as any man in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand here tonight. But I’ll be glad about that, if my old friend comes too.”

The policeman moves on, and a man shows up pretending to be Jimmy.  Bob gets wise when he realizes that the man looks too different from his old friend.  He then hands Bob a note from Jimmy explaining that Jimmy was actually the policeman he talked to earlier.  He recognized him as the criminal wanted in Chicago, but did not want to arrest him himself, so he got another cop to do it.  That's what friends are for.

Why is act 1 called the exposition? Give examples of characters whose backstories we learn in act 1. Include Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, and Caliban.

In literature (and in theatre, in this case), "exposition" refers to the first part of the work that introduces the primary characters, the setting, and, in some cases, the main conflict. Why is act 1 of Shakespeare's The Tempest considered the exposition? Let us go over how this section of the play serves that role: how does it introduce setting? What is the conflict? Who are the main characters? What are their backstories?
Setting
The action opens on a boat that is at sea in stormy weather. Onboard is a royal party, including Alonso, the king of Naples, Sebastian, the king's brother, Ferdinand, the king's son, and Gonzalo, the king's councilor, among others.
Conflict
In the very first scene of the play during the storm at sea, there is discord between Gonzalo and the boatswain. The boatswain wants the passengers to get out of his way and stay below deck so that he and the sailors can try to save the ship (and the lives of the people on it).

Boatswain
Do you not hear him? You mar our labour: keep your cabins: you do assist the storm.
Gonzalo
Nay, good, be patient.Boatswain
When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarersfor the name of king? To cabin: silence! trouble us not.
Gonzalo
Good, yet remember whom thou hast aboard. Boatswain
None that I more love than myself. You are acounsellor; if you can command these elements tosilence, and work the peace of the present, we willnot hand a rope more; use your authority: if youcannot, give thanks you have lived so long, and makeyourself ready in your cabin for the mischance ofthe hour, if it so hap. Cheerly, good hearts! Outof our way, I say.
This passage (and Gonzalo's swearing to seek revenge on the boatswain in the lines that follow) establishes a central conflict in the play. Gonzalo demands respect for the king, and the boatswain does not care. Their values are at odds, and Gonzalo is offended by the boatswain's apparent ambivalence about who exactly is onboard. The boatswain, meanwhile, holds human life—the value of any human life, his own included—above any socially constructed ideas about who is more important and who deserves to be saved or treated carefully.
Characters
We meet many characters in the first act. You asked about four in particular: Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, and Caliban.
Prospero is a character we do not encounter until the second scene, as he and his daughter, Miranda, are sitting on an island watching the boat being tossed around on the waves. Miranda asks him to make it stop—she knows that he has some special power to create the storm—and he tells her of their surprising backstory.
He tells her that he was the duke of Milan, which makes Miranda, his daughter, a princess. He trusted his brother, Antonio, to manage the rule of the kingdom, but Antonio plotted against him, ultimately ousting Prospero and sending him (and his little daughter) away from the kingdom in a little boat.
Miranda is Prospero's daughter. She falls in love at first sight with Ferdinand, which tells you plenty about her age and experience—even in the age of Shakespeare this qualifies her as youthful, idealistic, and innocent; she has not had much romantic experience so far. This fits in well with another fact we learn about her backstory in act 1. She does not know very much about her own family history. She knows that Prospero created the storm that shipwrecked the boat, but she does not know how they ended up on the island or why her father has magical powers.
Ariel is a sprite that flits around the island in the beginning of the play, reporting back to Prospero on the conditions of the boat and the people on it. After delivering the details, Ariel asks to be set free, but Prospero refuses. We understand, as readers, that Ariel is somehow obliged to Prospero:

Ariel
Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains,Let me remember thee what thou hast promised,Which is not yet perform'd me.
Prospero
How now? moody?What is't thou canst demand?
Ariel
My liberty.
Prospero
Before the time be out? no more!

Prospero refers to a "torment" that he freed Ariel from; it has to do with the last character, Caliban.
Caliban is known in literature as a "noble savage." He is the son of a witch, and he serves as Prospero's slave. However, he is not easy to manage: Prospero has to use his own magic to control him. Prospero says that Caliban tried to rape Miranda. However, Caliban says that Prospero has been deceitful. He also says that the island belongs to him. This sets up another interesting conflict in the play—which is why this first act is considered an exposition.
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/tempest/full.html

What is the connection between analysis and argument construction? Show how they are related.

Literary analysis and argument construction are intimately connected. You might say they are two sides of the same coin.
In literary analysis, you take a literary work apart. You look closely at what is there and how it works. So, if you are analyzing a poem, you would look at the poetic structure. You would look at rhyme. You would look at rhythm. You'd look at imagery, metaphor, etc. You'd first look to see what is there: is there a formal structure? What is that structure? Does the poem rhyme? Which lines rhyme? You'd take notes methodically, moving through the poem a literary technique at a time. Then, once you had identified what was there, you'd move to a deeper level of analysis. You'd look at how these elements function. This might mean asking questions like this: "Okay, the first and third lines rhyme. What effect does that have on the reader?" You'd examine literary techniques individually, and you'll examine them together. So, you'd look at how rhyme and rhythm work together--and if they clash. The same with the images, metaphors, etc.
As you analyze, your understanding of that work should be growing. Eventually, it should be "ripe," and you can "pick" that understanding by constructing an argument about the poem. Your argument should use the results of your analysis as evidence.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html

Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 2, 2.4, Section 2.4, Problem 10

Nana Nantambu found some coins while looking under her sofa pillows. There were equal numbers of nickels and quarters and twice as many half dollars as quarters. If she found $\$2.60$ in all, how many of each denomination of coin did she find?

$
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
\text{Number of coins} & \rm{Denomination} & \rm{Value} \\
\hline
x & 0.05 & 0.05x \\
\hline
x & \phantom{blank} & \phantom{blank} \\
\hline
2x & 0.50 & \phantom{blank} \\
\hline
\end{array}
$


If we fill in the table, then we have


$
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
& \text{Number of coins} & \text{Denomination} & \text{Value} \\
\hline
\rm{Nickels}& x & 0.05 & 0.05x \\
\hline
\rm{Quarters}& x & 0.25 & 0.25x \\
\hline
\rm{Half dollar}& 2x & 0.50 & 0.50(2x) \\
\hline
\end{array}
$


In the last column of the table, we know that the total value is equal to the sum of each
values of the coin she found.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
0.05x + 0.25x + 0.50(2x) &= 2.60\\
\\
0.30x + x &= 2.60\\
\\
1.30x &= 2.60 \\
\\
x &= 2
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Then by substitution,
$2x = 2(2) = 4$
In other words, she found 2 nickels, 2 quarters and 4 half dollars under the pillows.

College Algebra, Chapter 7, 7.4, Section 7.4, Problem 54

Solve for $x$ if the matrix $\displaystyle \left| \begin{array}{ccc}
a & b & x - a \\
x & x + b & x \\
0 & 1 & 1
\end{array} \right| = 0$.

For this matrix, we have


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

0 =& a \left| \begin{array}{cc}
x + b & x \\
1 & 1
\end{array} \right| - b \left| \begin{array}{cc}
x & x \\
0 & 1
\end{array} \right| + (x - a) \left| \begin{array}{cc}
x & x + b \\
0 & 1
\end{array} \right|
&& \text{Expand}
\\
\\
0 =& a [(x + b)(1) - x \cdot 1] - b (x \cdot 1 - x \cdot 0) + (x - a) [x \cdot 1 - (x + b)(0)]
&& \text{Simplify}
\\
\\
0 =& a(x + b - x) - b(x) + (x - a) (x)
&& \text{Distributive Property}
\\
\\
0 =& ab - bx + x^2 - ax
&& \text{Simplify}
\\
\\
0 =& x^2 - ax - bx + ab
&& \text{Factor}
\\
\\
0 =& (x - a)(x - b)
&& \text{Zero Product Property}
\\
\\
x - a =& 0 \quad x - b = 0
&&
\\
\\
x =& a \qquad x = b
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

why is starch production an indication that photosynthesis is occuring?

Firstly to begin answering this question we have to understand the process of Photosynthesis. Photosynthesis in plain words is how plants make their food (starch). The process itself is when carbon dioxide and water are converted into oxygen and glucose facilitated by the power of light.
This occurs in cells filled with chlorophyll which aids the process of photosynthesis. The plants created their own food (glucose) and transport it around the plant as it is soluble in water. This gets transported around the cells so they can respire. Some of the glucose gets converted to starch which is insoluble thus easier to store. It can be broken down back to glucose when needed to transport through the plant.
If starch has been indicated in the plant that has to point to the production of photosynthesis because it is a direct product of the process. If the plant was blocked from sunlight, no photosynthesis would be occurring meaning it would have to break down its starch back up for energy and after a while, no starch would be found in the plant.

Photosynthesis is the process in which organisms convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and glucose. It requires light energy as well, which is absorbed by the chlorophyll. The water is absorbed through the roots of the plant and the carbon dioxide is absorbed through the leaves. Plants do not need to eat like humans need to, because they can produce their own food—glucose. The glucose is needed for cellular respiration, which occurs in the mitochondria.
Obviously, glucose production would be a sign that photosynthesis is occurring; however, starch is basically the storage version of glucose. Photosynthesis produces glucose, which can be immediately used or transported because it is a soluble sugar. The glucose can be converted into starch in order to be stored, because starch is insoluble. This means that it can not escape from the cells. The starch can be converted back to glucose as needed. Starch production is an indicator that photosynthesis is occurring because starch is created from the products of photosynthesis. If photosynthesis isn't occurring and producing glucose in the first place, starch production will not be occurring.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zs4mk2p/revision/1

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zx8vw6f/revision/1

College Algebra, Chapter 9, 9.3, Section 9.3, Problem 24

Determine the first five terms of the sequence $a_n =(-1)^n 2^n$ and determine whether it is geometric. If it is geometric, find the common ratio, and express the $n$th term of the sequence in the standard form $a_n = ar^{n-1}$.

The first five terms are


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

a_1 =& (-1)^1 2^1 = -2
\\
\\
a_2 =& (-1)^2 2^2 = 4
\\
\\
a_3 =& (-1)^3 2^3 = -8
\\
\\
a_4 =& (-1)^4 2^4 = 16
\\
\\
a_5 =& (-1)^5 2^5 = -32

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The sequence $-2,4,-8,16,-32,...$ is a geometric sequence with $a = -2$ and $r = -2$, when $r$ is negative, the terms of the sequence alternate in sign. The $n$th term is $a_n = -2(-2)^{n-1}$

List five things scout finds strange about the church and service at First Purchase Church.

First Purchase is Calpurnia's church. She takes Scout and Jem with her one Sunday because Atticus is out of town. This takes place in Chapter 12, and all the quotations used in this answer come from that chapter.
Scout is confused by how much of a fuss Calpurnia makes over how they dress for church. Calpurnia makes Scout wear a heavily starched dress with a sash, and she spends a lot of time going over Jem's clothes, even though she usually trusts him to make his own decisions in that regard. 
Scout also doesn't understand why Calpurnia changes the way she talks while she is at church. When Calpurnia is at the Finch house, she uses Standard American English (SAE). However, at the church, she uses African American Vernacular English (AAVE).
The interior of the church is not what Scout is used to. Not only was it unpainted, but "[t]here was no sign of piano, organ, hymn-books, church programs—the familiar ecclesiastical impedimenta we saw every Sunday." Scout is particularly perplexed by the absence of the hymn books.
She does not understand why Zeebo says the lines of the hymn first, only to be followed by the rest of the congregation (a practice called lining). Calpurnia later explains to her that most members of First Purchase cannot read. 
Scout also observes that "Reverend Sykes then called on the Lord to bless the sick and the suffering, a procedure no different from our church practice, except Reverend Sykes directed the Deity’s attention to several specific cases." She notes that Reverend Sykes is also more likely to name specific individuals who, in his opinion, need to behave better.
Scout is particularly shocked by the way Reverend Sykes raises money for Tom Robinson's family. Sykes is comfortable asking his congregation for even more money when he deems the first collection unsatisfactory. Once again, he even chastises individuals who have not given and calls them out by name.

Which moral themes are present in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities?

One of the moral themes of the story is that love involves sacrifice.  Dr. Manette supports Lucie’s marriage to Charles Darnay despite his family history.  Sydney Carton not only did not pursue the love of his life, but even switched places with her husband so that they could be together.  These are examples of devotion that go beyond the ordinary.
Dr. Manette spent years in prison because of the Marquis St. Evremonde, and the experience left him with a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder.  When he found out that his daughter was about to marry the nephew of the man who sent him to prison, he remained very stoic.  He refused to even discuss the matter.  He made sure that his daughter knew nothing about it, and timed his mental relapse so that it occurred during their honeymoon.  By the time the couple returned, he was more or less back to normal.
It must have been difficult for Dr. Manette to watch his daughter marry the man who was essentially the new Marquis St. Evremonde.  He let her do it because she loved him.  He also said nothing to her because he did not want to hurt her.  He knew that he was fragile, and he made sure that they were not around when he fell apart.
Another example of love and sacrifice is found in Sydney Carton.  He was deeply in love with Lucie, but it was a one-sided love.  He was well aware that there was no way he could be with her, so he found small ways to be in her life.  He just wanted to make her happy. 
The biggest sacrifice he made for her was his life.  When Darnay went back to France (another example of sacrifice, since he did it to save Gabelle), he was arrested and sentenced to death.  Sydney Carton used the coincidence of their similar appearances to trade places with Darnay and go to his death, making the ultimate sacrifice for the woman he loved.  His actions are immortalized in the famous last lines of the novel.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." (Book 3, Ch. 15)

Define the Cold War, including its causes and the historical context in which it began. Describe how the Cold War impacted foreign policy, domestic politics, and American culture with strong examples. (Explain why the Cold War developed when and how it did. Give examples of how it influenced the way the United States dealt with other countries, including conflicts. Discuss how it affected politicians and elections within the US, and talk about how it affected culture.)

The cold war is a political rivalry and hostility between two or more countries or power groups which is caused by conflict over ideological differences. The Cold war was a geopolitical hostility and state rivalry between the western powers and Soviet bloc countries from 1947 to 1991. The cold war was caused by the disagreement between the Soviet Union and the western allies (the USA and Britain) after the world war since they could not agree what would happen next to Eastern Europe. The soviet union wanted control over some states in the central and Eastern Europe while the western power wanted the states to be free. Joseph Starlin the Soviet Union dictator wanted to spread communism while the western allies feared communism. They feared that Stalin’s goal was to colonize the world and convert it to communism. Starlin wanted to divide Germany and refused to give free elections to the Eastern Europe countries which were under the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union blockade West Berlin which led to Americans airlifting aid to Soviet-control Berlin which increased tension Capitalist and Communism. The Americans responded to Starlin through the Marshal Plan where the Americans would provide free financial Aid to war-torn states in Western Europe.
In 1947 the Soviet responded through the Zhdanov Doctrine which claimed that the Americans were seeking global dominance through imperialism and not a democracy. The Americans helped some states like Turkey and Greece who were struggling economically to enable them to fight communism through the Truman policy. This resulted in the formation of NATO by the Western Europe states in 1949 and the Americans while the Soviet Union and other satellite states formed the Warsaw Pact. This ignorance and the continued tension between the two superpowers led to the cold war.
Impact of the cold war in the USA was evident since it affected the country politically, economical and culture of the citizens. The national security agent encouraged Hollywood to produce anticommunist movies and the scripts should have references that praise the American history. The Anticommunist grew out of control and ended working against Hollywood.During the House Un-American Activities Committees (HUAC) hearings which were against the suspects of communism in Hollywood, most people lost their civil rights as the suspect's lives were destroyed based on unsubstantiated evidence. The culture was also influenced positively since President Truman began establishing fair employment and passed laws that banned discriminations. In 1954, the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of all public and private schools. The paved ways to the rise of black voter registration. This led to the banning of discrimination in private and public accommodations.
Politically the United States was affected since they adopted a policy called containment whose main aim was to stop the expansions of the Soviet power. The Americans dedication to stop the spread of communism led to the Korean and Vietnam War which was fought to prevent the spread of Soviet power to Asia. The Americans lost so many soldiers and also made them abandon some of their policies by supporting brutal dictators such as the General Augusto of Chile as long as they were not communist. This also affected the domestic election in the United States since they elected anti-communist leaders such as Truman, Nixon, Kennedy, and Reagan. The leaders also waged economic warfare with the Communist.
The American was ready to ally with any state that was anti-communist and conflicted with countries that supported the Communism. They gave financial and economic support to the countries against the communism. The American through their economic strength reduced tax cuts and deregulations to help free counties from the Soviet powers.
The ignorance of the two superpowers towards each other led to increased tension in Europe. Their ignorance caused the West Berlin Blockade and the Truman doctrine to occur which led to the cold war. The two states could not agree or work together due to their ideologies which led to the separation and enmity between the superpowers. This affected them politically, economical and culturally where the American advised the Hollywood to produce anti-communism movies, voted for anti-communism leaders and supported countries who were against communism.

The Cold War followed hard upon World War II and in many respects deprived the world of a true peace. The Soviet Union had joined the Allies following the invasion of Nazi Germany in 1941, but as the war was drawing to a close, it was clear to all sides that the United States and the USSR would inevitably become the world's leading powers once the Axis was defeated. The geopolitical competition between the two states was reflected in the sense of struggle between the incompatible ideologies of capitalism and communism.
The atomic bomb and the threat of nuclear war was fundamental to the Cold War, especially once the Soviets acquired the knowhow to split the atom and started testing and stockpiling their own nuclear weapons in the late 1940s. The nuclear-armed superpowers hoped their arsenals would provide sufficient deterrence to make another global war unthinkable—to keep the Cold War from becoming a hot one. The new buzzword "national security" became a powerful force in government.
The rivalry with the Soviet Union became the overarching principle of US foreign policy. The wartime spy agencies were restructured into a permanent "intelligence community" with the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as its anchor. In Europe, the CIA secretly mobilized to stop Communist parties from capturing government power in Greece and Turkey. The US committed itself to the defense of Western Europe from Soviet attack by forming the NATO alliance. The Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe reacted by instituting their own alliance, the Warsaw Pact. The Korean War soon demonstrated the way the conflict was structuring local and regional conflicts. The war in Vietnam possessed a similar dynamic. In that case, the US initially came to the aid of the French to protect their colonial possessions in Southeast Asia, but US leaders gradually came to portray Vietnam as a vital front in the global struggle against communism.
Anti-communism also played a powerful role in US domestic politics in the decade after World War II. Both Democrats and Republicans sought to distance themselves from the Marxist-inspired politics of the left. Legislation such as the Taft-Hartley Act (1947) sought to rein in the expanding influence of labor unions representing the working class. Before long, a repressive era was underway, as Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee launched broad accusations of Communist influence in the federal government, the film and entertainment industry, and other sectors of society.
The Cold War lasted for decades and had a revival in the 1980s under President Ronald Reagan. It technically came to an end when the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union ceased to exist, but to this day, thousands of US and Russian nuclear warheads remain alert.

As he is about to die, what does King Arthur request of Sir Bedivere? How does Bedivere comply with this request?

In book 21 of Sir Thomas Malory's epic rendition of Arthurian legend, Le Morte d'Arthur, Arthur's army meets the army of Mordred, his bastard son, on a battlefield. Arthur and Mordred are there to parley, but a misunderstanding causes fighting to commence, and in the fray, Arthur kills Mordred, who mortally wounds Arthur in return.
Arthur's knights, Sir Bedivere and Sir Lucan, manage to get Arthur off the field and "to a little chapel not far from the seaside." Arthur asks Sir Lucan to go back to the battlefield and report to him what is happening there; Sir Lucan returns with news that people are robbing the corpses of the dead, and killing the dying in order to steal from them.

Therefore by my rede, said Sir Lucan, it is best that we bring you to some town.

Arthur agrees, saying, "I would it were so," but he is too weak to walk, and when Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere try to lift him, Sir Lucan collapses and dies of his own wounds. Arthur knows then that there is no help for him and that he will die soon, so he asks Sir Bedivere to take Excalibur and throw it into the water:

take thou Excalibur, my good sword, and go with it to yonder water side, and when thou comest there I charge thee throw my sword in that water, and come again and tell me what thou there seest.

Sir Bedivere, grieving, agrees to do this, but he cannot bring himself to throw the beautiful sword into the sea:

he said to himself: If I throw this rich sword in the water, thereof shall never come good, but harm and loss. And then Sir Bedivere hid Excalibur under a tree.

He goes back to Arthur and claims to have done as Arthur asked. When Arthur asks what Sir Bedivere saw, Sir Bedivere lies, "I saw nothing but waves and winds." Arthur knows from this statement that Sir Bedivere has not thrown Excalibur into the water, and he orders him to go back outside and actually fulfill Arthur's command this time.
Once again, Sir Bedivere thinks it is "sin and shame to throw away that noble sword," so he hides the sword a second time, and reports back to Arthur, saying he saw "nothing but the waters wap and waves wan." Arthur is not happy, and calls Bedivere a traitor, saying,

now hast thou betrayed me twice. Who would have weened that . . . thou art named a noble knight, and would betray me for the richness of the sword. But now go again lightly, for thy long tarrying putteth me in great jeopardy of my life, for I have taken cold. And but if thou do now as I bid thee, if ever I may see thee, I shall slay thee with mine own hands[.]

Chastened by Arthur's fury, Sir Bedivere goes out for a third time and finally complies with the king's wishes, throwing the sword "as far into the water as he might." When he has done this,

there came an arm and a hand above the water and met it, and caught it, and so shook it thrice and brandished, and then vanished away the hand with the sword in the water.

Bedivere runs to tell Arthur what he saw, and Arthur asks Bedivere to take him quickly to the waterside, where a barge of beautiful weeping women arrives to take Arthur away.

In Super Sad True Love Story, how does Shytengart explore self-image in the digital age?

Gary Shytengart’s dystopian novel Super Sad True Love Story satirically explores the pitfalls of self-expression in the digital age. In Shytengart’s future, the quest for social media attention and adulation has replaced meaningful face-to-face interactions. In a world based entirely on extrinsic motivators, individuals develop self-images as shallow as the pixels on a computer monitor.
Shytengart describes a culture that has turned social interactions into online promotion. Rate Me Plus collars reward those who collect the most digital points, follow the sponsored trends, and preserve a hive mentality. These vapid interactions replace the need to possess self-awareness, creating a worldwide inability to establish meaningful and personal relationships. Socrates believed the ability to look inward thoughtfully made us human. It can be argued that the emphasis on superficial self-images causes Shytengart’s society as a whole to devolve into something less than human. 

Is there a reason why Ray Bradbury included Clarisse as a character?

The character of Clarisse McClellan is significant to the novel because she influences Montag to begin questioning his life and analyzing his existence. At the beginning of the novel, Clarisse meets Montag after he finishes work and asks him whether or not he is happy. Clarisse's question serves as a catalyst for Montag to begin searching for meaning in his life. Her enthusiastic, genuine personality intrigues Montag, and he is attracted to her insightful presence. Clarisse also has a unique perspective of the world, which differentiates her from the shallow, callous citizens in Bradbury's dystopian society. Clarisse also tells Montag that it is unfortunate that he is not in love, which makes him examine his relationship with Mildred. Overall, Clarisse's character is important to Montag's development because she initiates his self-awareness, which influences him to make dramatic changes to his life.

Where in the story does the speaker refrain from making judgments? Explain why you think she is not judgemental.

When the narrator, Mama, learns that her daughter, who she named Dee, now wants to be called Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, she does not seem to pass judgment on her daughter's decision. Despite Mama's explanation—that Dee was named after her Aunt Dicie, Mama's sister, and Aunt Dicie was named after Grandma Dee, who was named after her own mother, and so on—Wangero feels that her old name connects her to the history of slavery and that taking a new name would distance her from "'the people who oppress [her].'" When Mama asks her to say the name again, Wangero tells her that she does not have to use it if she does not want to, but Mama replies,

"Why shouldn't I? [...] If that's what you want us to call you, we'll call you."

Although Wangero admits that it might seem awkward to call her a new name at first, Mama declares that she'll get used to it and tells her daughter to "Ream it out again." Even though she named her daughter after other respected family members, Mama doesn't take it personally or judge her daughter for wanting to make the change. She's really nonjudgmental and accepting of it. Perhaps she doesn't judge because she's learned not to oppose this daughter; Wangero has always been headstrong, stubborn, even sometimes cruel. It is likely easier to just let her have her way than to argue with her. Wangero seems to count on this dynamic when she requests the quilt later in the story.

Precalculus, Chapter 1, 1.3, Section 1.3, Problem 94

a. Determine the intercepts of the graph of the equation $6x - 4y = 24$.

$x$-intercepts:


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

6x - 4y =& 24
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
6x - 4(0) =& 24
&& \text{To find the $x$-intercept, we let $y = 0$ and solve for $x$}
\\
6x =& 24
&&
\\
x =& 4
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The $x$-intercept is $(4,0)$


$y$-intercepts:


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

6x - 4y =& 24
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
6(0) - 4y =& 24
&& \text{To find the $y$-intercept, we let $x = 0$ and solve for $y$}
\\
-4y =& 24
&&
\\
y =& -6
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The $y$-intercept is $(0,-6)$


Graph the equation

Why do you think Tom’s mistress is introduced exactly after the description of the valley of ashes?

By introducing Myrtle directly after the valley of ashes, Fitzgerald gives the reader a deeper insight into her character. Specifically, he reveals to us that Myrtle is using Tom to live her own American Dream. We see this clearly in the way she behaves when Tom and Nick go the apartment in the city. Although she is from a very poor and deprived area, she acts as though she is much richer and more affluent. She changes her clothes, for example, from a plain spotted dress into an "elaborate" gown made of "chiffon."
With the change of clothes also comes a change of personality. Nick notes, for instance, that:

The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur. Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment.

In other words, Myrtle acts like someone who is from New York, not from the valley of ashes. She, therefore, creates the persona of the person that she dreams of being. Notice that even when Tom punches her, Myrtle does not break off their affair. She would never dream of doing such a thing because it is through Tom that she is able to escape the dreary world of the garage in the valley of ashes.

main idea of paragraph 3

In “How it Feels to be Colored Me,” Zora Neale Hurston offers her account on what her life was like as an African American woman in the early 1900s. In the third paragraph, Hurston compares the passing of visitors through her town of Eatonville, Florida, to having a front row seat at the theater. She says of the passers-by, “Not only did I enjoy the show, but I didn't mind the actors knowing that I liked it.” Hurston would wave or speak to the visitors, and they would usually speak back to her. She says that often, her talking to them would lead to horses or automobiles stopping, and she would "go a piece of the way" with them. Although her visitations with the white people passing through would be cut short if her family saw her, Hurston says she was the first "welcome-to-our-state Floridian."

What could the color green represent when Esperanza tells us her “dress was green” after she tries to die?

In the novel The House on Mango Street, the chapter (or vignette) that references Esperanza's green dress is entitled "The Monkey Garden." In this vignette, Esperanza begins by describing a family from Kentucky that had a monkey they kept in a green metal cage. When the family moved away, the kids in the neighborhood began going into the family's garden, which they were afraid to go into when the monkey lived there, because he would scream and bare his teeth. Esperanza still wants to be a kid and play games using her imagination. Sally is more interested in boys than in childish games.
In the preceding vignette, entitled "What Sally Said," Sally's father is beating her, and she comes to stay with Esperanza's family. But her father shows up and apologizes, and Sally goes with him. The vignette ends with Sally being beaten again and not coming to school for days.
In "The Monkey Garden," Esperanza doesn't understand that the boys are not truly taking advantage of Sally. They take her keys and tell her she has to kiss them before they give the keys back to her. Esperanza is angry at the injustice of this and tries to do something, but she doesn't understand that Sally is a willing participant in their game. 

"I don't know why, but something inside me wanted to throw a stick. Something wanted to say no when I watched Sally going into the garden with Tito's buddies all grinning. It was just a kiss, that's all. A kiss for each one. So what, she said. Only how come I felt angry inside. Like something wasn't right."

Esperanza runs to Tito's mother's house and tells them the boys won't give Sally her keys. Tito's mother doesn't do anything and barely looks up from her ironing. Esperanza then picks up sticks and a brick with the intention of going back to the garden to defend Sally. The boys and Sally tell her to go home and look at her like she's stupid and childish. She feels so ashamed that she runs to the other end of the garden, which she describes as "the jungle part," to hide. She gets on the ground and cries. She wants to die from embarrassment and shame. When she gets up, she says her dress is green. She doesn't tell us what color her dress was, but it may have been white. She was wearing white socks. 
Regardless of what color her dress was, it's surely been stained green by foliage and grass. This is a reference to the monkey's green cage. Because of her actions, and the fact that she didn't understand that Sally wasn't truly in danger, Esperanza feels as foolish as the monkey who used to live in the green cage in the garden.

Light shines through atomic hydrogen gas. It is seen that the gas absorbs light readily at a wavelength of 91.63 nm. What is the value of n at the level to which the hydrogen is being excited by the absorption of light of this wavelength? Assume that most of the atoms in the gas are at the lowest level. (h = 6.626 x 10^-34 J • s, c = 3.00 x 10^8 m/s, 1 eV = 1.60 x 10^-19 J, the Rydberg constant is R=1.097 x 10^7 m^-1)

The Rydberg equation should be used to solve this problem:
1/lambda = R(1/n_i^2 -1/n_f^2)
where lambda is the wavelength, R is the Rydberg constant, n-subf is the final n-level, and n-subi is the initial n-level.
We know that lambda = 91.63nm, R = 1.097 x 10e7, and n-subi = 1.
 So, 1/(91.63x10^-9) = (1.097x10^7) (1 - 1/n_f^2)
(91.63x10^-9) x (1.097x10^7) = 1.005
1/1.005 = .995
.995 = 1 - 1/n_f^2
1/n_fe2 = .005
1/.005 = n_fe2
sqrt (200) = n_f
The square root of 200 is closer to 14.14, so there's some rounding in the final answer, since n must be an integer. This error is mostly due to the inconsistent significant figures and abbreviated forms of the values for R and lambda. 

How did Hammurabi justify this law code to the people he ruled?

Hammurabi justified his law code to the people by simply being himself. By claiming himself king and a servant of the god Marduk, he was imbued with the power to mete out justice in any way he saw fit throughout his lands. Initially, this was a simple matter, because Mesopotamia had not yet been unified; however, as Hammurabi absorbed more cities into his kingdom, he faced the unique challenge of winning over subjects who were not necessarily as committed to worshipping Marduk—or any god(dess)—as he was.
As a ruler, Hammurabi genuinely cared for the wellbeing of his current and future subjects, and so rather than rely upon the assumption that everyone served Marduk’s will, he codified his 282 eye-for-an-eye-style laws into a much more secular collection that still respected individual worshippers’ choices of patron deity. This way, there would be no confusion about one god or goddess requiring more or less in terms of punishments depending on the city of worship.
Hammurabi also recounted the divine inheritance of the laws in a prologue for the Code and peppered self-praise throughout the stele, lest his subjects forget how divine and merciful he was.
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hammurabi

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 7, 7.3, Section 7.3, Problem 13

intsqrt(x^2-9)/x^3dx
Let's evaluate the integral: Apply integration by parts,
intuv'=uv-intu'v
Let u=sqrt(x^2-9)
v'=1/x^3
u'=d/dx(sqrt(x^2-9))
u'=1/2(x^2-9)^(1/2-1)(2x)
u'=x/sqrt(x^2-9)
v=int1/x^3dx
v=x^(-3+1)/(-3+1)
v=-1/(2x^2)
intsqrt(x^2-9)/x^3dx=sqrt(x^2-9)(-1/(2x^2))-intx/sqrt(x^2-9)(-1/(2x^2))dx
=-sqrt(x^2-9)/(2x^2)+1/2int1/(xsqrt(x^2-9))dx
Apply the integral substitution y=sqrt(x^2-9)
dy=1/2(x^2-9)^(1/2-1)(2x)dx
dy=x/sqrt(x^2-9)dx
dy=(xdx)/y
=-sqrt(x^2-9)/(2x^2)+1/2int(ydy)/x(1/(xy))
=-sqrt(x^2-9)/(2x^2)+1/2intdy/x^2
=-sqrt(x^2-9)/(2x^2)+1/2intdy/(y^2+9)
Now use the standard integral:int1/(x^2+a^2)dx=1/aarctan(x/a)+C
=-sqrt(x^2-9)/(2x^2)+1/2(1/3arctan(y/3))
Substitute back y=sqrt(x^2-9) and add a constant C to the solution,
=-sqrt(x^2-9)/(2x^2)+1/6arctan(sqrt(x^2-9)/3)+C

Choose one extract from All Quiet on the Western Front (from the following): a) The passage that begins halfway down page 54 ("The shelling has ceased...") and ends a third of the way down page 56 ("Young innocents—"). b) The passage that begins just below half way down page 84 ("Suddenly the nearer explosions cease") and ends two thirds of the way down page 86 ("They did not count on so much resistance"). c) The passage in chapter 7 that begins towards the bottom of page 119 ("I go and fetch my pack...") and ends towards the bottom of page 122 ("But I refuse"). Write a detailed critical commentary.

A detailed critical commentary of these passages might take into account how they relate to the major themes of the novel, two of which are strongly presented in the text excerpts.
War and Heroism
All Quiet on the Western Front is a reexamination and criticism of heroism in the context of war. Author Erich Maria Remarque uses Paul’s journey from a naive and blindly patriotic young man to a disillusioned soldier to illustrate the various ways in which nationalism and patriotism were conflated with heroism by German soldiers in World War II. This passage shows the reality of war, which turns young men into casualties and property into wasteland. The author mirrors the loss of human life with the destruction of property throughout the passage. “The hedge is destroyed, the rails of the light railway are torn up and rise stiffly in the air in great arches.”
The “fair-headed boy” is another example of this theme. When the narrator and Kat find him, he is still hopeful that he can be saved and begs them not to leave him alone. As they discuss shooting him to end his suffering, the narrator laments, “What he has gone through so far is nothing to what he’s in for till he dies.” He also internally remarks, upon seeing the soldiers who were strewn in the air by the shelling, that “each of them that was flung up saved one of us.” The ideal of patriotic heroism the boys’ teacher used to send them out to war is being laid bare by the truth of battle. The sacrifice that saved Kit and Paul was not intentional; it was merely the randomness of war that will eventually claim them as well.
Quality of Writing
When commenting critically on the quality of writing in this passage, you might focus on the way the first-person narrative found throughout the book allows this scene to come to life. Paul’s internal commentary about the fate of the fair-headed young man complements his discussion with Kit. Because the story is told in first person, this scene feels more emotionally vivid than it might in third person. Experiencing the story through Paul’s point of view allows the reader to understand his transformation more effectively. The aftermath of battle experienced in the present tense also heightens the tension within the passage.
Contextual Importance
What is most important about this passage in the context of the overall story is how starkly it contrasts with the picture of war as presented to Paul and the others by their teacher. This theme is woven throughout the narrative, often subtly. In the beginning, Paul and his friends are convinced that patriotism and the bond of friendship they share will unite them throughout the war. This passage is emotionally climactic in the sense that it illustrates Paul’s sense of isolation from the other young men who are dying around him. He pities the wounded soldiers, but the only person he seems to have a strong connection to is Kit. His tone of voice throughout this passage is somewhat mechanical and distant, more so than in earlier passages. He is becoming accustomed to the ways of war, and while he has not yet been fully transformed by it at this point in the narrative, experiencing death and having to face the prospect of killing one of his own men has changed him.

How does the opening scene of Julius Caesar capture the interest of readers for the rest of the play?

There was a lot of talking and restlessness in Shakespeare's theater before the play began, especially in the pit where the standees were often unruly. Shakespeare's opening scenes typically start with incidents that will capture attention and create silence so that everyone can hear the actors. In Macbeth, for example, the Three Witches are so weird and crazy that everyone is fascinated. In Hamlet there is a suggestion that the guards are in imminent danger and are all frightened. Julius Caesar opens with a big conflict between the tribunes and the plebeians. Theatergoers were probably not accustomed to seeing so many people on the stage when the play had just opened.
Shakespeare does not have to capture audience interest for the rest of the play. That would be impossible. He captures audience interest long enough to silence them and get them involved in the plot. The imbroglio between the tribunes and the commoners not only attracts attention; it illustrates the fundamental problem in the play. There is great unrest in Rome. A lot of people are fed up with democratic government and want a strong man to take over and establish law and order. Julius Caesar is presenting himself as that man. There is a strong possibility that he will be made king. Many aristocrats fear this demagogue because he evidently intends to achieve power by taking money, property, and power from the privileged classes in order to improve the conditions of the have-nots. The conspiracy to assassinate Caesar is essentially intended to preserve the privileges of the rich and powerful.
So Shakespeare's dramatic opening captures immediate interest and also acquaints the audience with the nature of the crisis prevailing at the time. The opening scene ends with dialogue containing a wonderful metaphor which shows that Julius Caesar is at the center of this great crisis.

FLAVIUSI'll about,And drive away the vulgar from the streets;So do you too, where you perceive them thick.These growing feathers pluck'd from Caesar's wingWill make him fly an ordinary pitch,Who else would soar above the view of menAnd keep us all in servile fearfulness.

"Two Kinds" by Amy Tan is about individuals struggling with complex sets of external forces that regulate and define their lives. The external forces may be represented by laws, religion, tradition, and society. How does the author perceive this relationship?

External forces play an integral part in the plot of “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan. Both mother and daughter struggle with at least two of the external forces. They are influenced by both society and tradition.
The first sentence of the story, “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America,” demonstrates how Suyuan Woo’s thought process was influenced by society. The mother left her broken life in China with the belief she could rebuild a better one in the United States.
Social norms in the U.S. would allow her and her loved ones to accomplish anything they chose to, including her daughter, Jing-mei, becoming a child prodigy. The external influence of society could also be detrimental to relationships as demonstrated by the strained relationship that develops between mother and daughter when the daughter does not live up to expectations. Jing-mei’s cousin, Waverly, becomes a chess whiz, while Jing-mei struggles to see herself as anything more than an ordinary girl. She chooses to establish her own identity, never achieving the social goals set by her mother.
Tradition influences the mother-daughter relationship, and is evident when Jing-mei refuses to practice piano after her failed concert. Although Suyuan Woo left China, she reverts to her native language and expectations when dealing with her daughter’s need for independence. Traditions die hard.
"Only two kinds of daughters," she shouted in Chinese. "Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!"
Jing-mei retorts that she would rather not be her mother’s daughter if that is the case.  The daughter revolts and refuses to live by these expectations. Unfortunately, the rift between the two lasts for the rest of the mother’s life.

Which monologue in Romeo and Juliet shows how Shakespearean characters represent enduring truths about humans and our society? Why?

The Balcony scene is very strong in emotion and people still have that everlasting love that Romeo and Juliet had. 

Friar Lawrence's monologue that begins in Act II, Scene 3, just before Romeo comes to see him, shows how Shakespearean characters can represent enduring truths about humans and society. During his monologue, the friar is collecting plants that are medicinal as well as plants that are poisonous, and he describes how each flower that seems evil has some good properties or applications, while a flower that seems good could also be put to a negative use. 
We can read the friar's discussion of plants as symbolic of humans and human actions and emotions; just like plants, they all possess great power to do harm or good. He says, "Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, / And vice sometime by action dignified" (Act II, Scene 3, lines 21-22). In other words, good can turn bad when it is poorly managed, and what seems bad can, when applied, actually be put to good use. We see the way the love between Romeo and Juliet is mismanaged, giving it the power to damage and wound, which ultimately hurts both families. We typically think of love as a good thing, but it turns bad in this play.

How does the media affect our perception of reality?

To answer this question, is necessary to establish the context of your question. Since you mention the perception of reality, I assume you are talking about media that discuss current events and news. T's also necessary to understand that different forms of media portray information in different ways. These different modes of communication affect people in different ways as well.
The idea that our perception of reality can be affected by media portrayals is related to the way that different forms of mass media can manipulate or otherwise enhance factual information. Media that combine visual and audio components, for example, make it possible to create a narrative that engages our senses and emotions. For this reason, we generally accept that watching the news on television might be a more emotionally manipulative experience then reading the same story in a newspaper or hearing it on the radio. Television engages our sight and hearing, whereas print is visual, and audio, radio for example, engages only our hearing.
It is also true that television is frequently a vehicle for fictional narrative,  and our television news often creates dynamic presentations of the news to engage our attention and to attract viewership. Is it possible that we don't always distinguish between fictional narrative and news reports? The news networks do seem to blur this line sometimes, offering dramatic spectacle to drive up ratings and thereby increase their advertising revenue.
In recent years, newspaper readership has declined greatly. Also many people tend to get their news via the Internet, where it is also possible to receive News with audio and visual components, because TV and radio have websites that make up their broadcasts available. It seems far more likely that people receive their news via more dynamic forms of media, and the critical thinking and analysis that are usually part of reading print news stories are now replaced by a more passive reception of news from these other forms of media.
Internet based news stories are often at least partially in print form, but contain images and audio or video clips to enhance the experience. These articles are also most often shorter in length than print newspaper articles, and so do not provide the same depth of information, and this can also affect our perception of factual elements. It is common to hear the sarcastic statement "I saw it on the internet so it must be true," and this refers to the tendency for unreliable information to be disseminated in the same way as factual information, with little effort made to distinguish the difference. It has become not uncommon for people to say that mainstream media ("MSM") is in the business of distorting the truth. These are all disturbing trends that relate to the idea of media and its impact on our perception of reality.
 
http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/06/30143308/state-of-the-news-media-report-2016-final.pdf

In Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, describe the layout of the courthouse. What is significant about where Jem and Scout sit?

Scout describes the layout of Maycomb's courthouse in chapter 16 as she enters it with Jem and Dill on the day of Tom Robinson's trial. The courtroom is on the second floor of the building, but there are two levels to it. White people sit on the main floor while black people are only allowed to sit in the balcony. Due to the large crowd, the main floor fills up, and the kids decide to sit with Reverend Sykes in the balcony. Sitting with the African American crowd actually helps to camouflage the children from being seen by Atticus for most of the proceedings. Furthermore, the view from the balcony gives Scout the ability to see the complete layout of the courtroom. Scout describes the courtroom as follows:

"The Colored balcony ran along three walls of the courtroom like a second-story veranda, and from it we could see everything . . . The jury sat to the left, under long windows . . . Atticus and Tom Robinson sat at tables with their backs to us . . . Just inside the railing that divided the spectators from the court, the witnesses sat on cowhide-bottomed chairs. Their backs were to us . . . Judge Taylor was on the bench" (164).

The fact that whites and blacks were not allowed to sit amongst each other is significant to the prejudices of the time. Mingling between races was social suicide unless a black person was working for whites. Since segregation was the status quo at that time, today's readers hopefully read this scene and appreciate the fact that there have been significant social changes in America since the 1930s, and that segregation is frowned upon and unlawful today. 

Please discuss the positive applications of Carl Jung's theory of the "collective unconscious."

Whether an application is "positive" is to some extent relative, but there are certainly many practical applications of Jung's theory of a "collective unconscious." Essentially, Jung argued that people, despite their obvious diversity, had a set of assumptions and concepts that were collective, or universal. He called these "archetypes" and used the relationship between mother and child as an example, arguing that the nurturing role of a mother was something that all humans seemed to accept. Today, we tend to think that many such "archetypes" are in fact culturally-specific, that the role of mothers is different in some societies than in others. Still, there are many everyday applications for this concept. For example, advertising plays on what are perceived to be commonly-held ideas about family, motherhood, fatherhood, success, and other concepts. Ironically, advertising also contributes to the formation of these commonly-held concepts, which calls the idea of an a priori "collective unconscious," the product of human evolution into doubt. Jung's theory of archetypes led him to identify two human types, the extrovert and the introvert, that are still used on a variety of personality tests, most famously the Myers-Briggs test, that most people have taken in the workplace or at school. These are valuable to managers and educators, not to mention the enormous online dating industry. Jung's idea of a collective unconscious has also informed modern theories of learning styles, closely related to personality traits, that still inform educational practices.
https://books.google.com/books?id=hmXfBQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Collective+unconscious&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiz4LDU6LbiAhXxlOAKHecfCcgQ6AEIKjAA

https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html

Positive applications of Carl Jung's theory of the "collective unconscious" can be found in daily life. For example, Jung's idea of the archetype can be used by managers to build a more effective workforce.
The MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) assessment was developed by the psychologist Isabel Myers from Jung's 1921 publication, Psychological Types. It helps organizations in many important ways:

The MBTI helps managers determine the personality types of employees. This can help them understand how individual employees process information and why they respond to various stimuli differently. This knowledge can help managers assemble the best teams for various projects and also aid in communication efforts between teams.
The MBTI also helps managers determine the best way to motivate each employee. For example, an extroverted employee may be motivated by far different factors than an introverted employee who prefers to work with minimal feedback.
The MBTI can also aid leadership development in organizations by helping employees (through reflection and an understanding of their personalities) become better leaders.

Jung's theory of individuation can also help many individuals process the experience of aging. You are probably familiar with the meaning of the term "midlife crisis." The idea of a midlife crisis was popularized by psychologists such as Freud and Jung. Jung proposed that the latter half of life is focused on the search for meaning, rather than the accumulation of material accomplishments. He also suggested that an individual who is in the midst of such a crisis is struggling to reconcile the conscious and the collective unconscious. Essentially, the individual must learn to harmonize his true self with the archetypes of the collective unconscious in order to be happy. Happiness to Jung was all about balance.
Jung's theory of the collective unconscious and archetypes can also be used to promote self-healing for sexual abuse victims. In the book The Use of Art in Counselling Child and Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse, the author discusses how art can be used as a means to help adult victims. I discuss a little more about this in my answer here. In the book I just mentioned, however, the author also discusses the limitations or challenges of interpreting the symbols in the art of young sexual abuse victims.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/elenabajic/2015/09/28/how-the-mbti-can-help-you-build-a-stronger-company/

https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/why-jung-matters/article/1071184

How are the ways people view gender roles in Maycomb different from the way we view gender roles today? How are they similar?

Gender roles in Maycomb are, for the most part, radically different from how they are today. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the Deep South during the 1930s, when the respective roles of men and women were clearly fixed, and almost immovable. Generally speaking, women were expected to stay at home and raise the children, while the men went out to work. To be even more specific, African-American women were expected to help raise white women's children, or at least those who could afford to hire help. Respectable white ladies were put on a pedestal in Southern society. They were expected to be gracious, demure, and dignified at all times. This is the ideal of womanhood that Aunt Alexandra tries so hard to instill in Scout.
The elevated notion of Southern womanhood also extends to those from less privileged backgrounds. Even though Mayella Ewell is widely despised throughout the town as a member of a notorious "white trash" family, she still has the privilege of being a white woman, and as such her honor must be protected against the depredations of an alleged black sexual predator. Mayella gives her evidence on the witness stand in court, but women are excluded from serving on the jury, as their delicate sensibilities are thought too fragile to withstand the sordid details of a rape case.
There aren't too many similarities between gender roles then and now. But Scout very much points towards a more modern, more enlightened approach to women's roles. Scout is an unashamed tomboy, and her rough and tough behavior is far removed from prevailing standards of female conduct. She mixes with Jem and the other boys on a more or less equal basis and always gives as good as she gets. Aunt Alexandra wants to turn her into a fine, upstanding Southern lady, but it's pretty much a losing battle. Although gender roles remain largely fixed throughout the book, in the character of Scout we see the possibility of their transcendence. Scout represents a link between gender roles as they operated in the 1930s and how they operate today.

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 9, 9.2, Section 9.2, Problem 11

sum_(n=1)^oo n^2/(n^2+1)
To verify if the series diverges, apply the nth-Term Test for Divergence.
It states that if the limit of a_n is not zero, or does not exist, then the sum diverges.

lim_(n->oo) a_n != 0 or lim_(n->oo) = DNE
:. sum a_n diverges

Applying this, the limit of the term of the series as n approaches infinity is:
lim_(n->oo) a_n
=lim_(n->oo) n^2/(n^2+1)
= lim_(n->oo) n^2/(n^2(1+1/n^2))
=lim_(n->oo)1/(1+1/n^2)
=1/1+0
=1
The limit of the series is not zero. Therefore, by the nth-Term Test for Divergence, the series diverges.

What caused Opal to forget about Winn-Dixie

Opal forgets about Winn-Dixie because she's so preoccupied with saving her outdoor party from a sudden thunderstorm. She and Gloria Dump threw the party together, and the impromptu downpour threatens to destroy everything. When the rain hits, Opal snatches the egg salad sandwiches and runs them into Gloria's kitchen. Then she tries to take Gloria by the arm and lead her inside. She spots Otis by the garden, gazing at his feet, and beckons him to come inside, too.
It's not until Gertrude squawks "Dog" that Opal realizes Winn-Dixie is missing. In all the commotion, Opal simply forgot about Winn-Dixie who, like most dogs, is terrified by thunder and ran away. Though she's happy that she helped ferry the party-goers (and the food) to safety, Opal feels guilt over not protecting Winn-Dixie and holding tight to him when the storm began.

What aspects of the German tribes' way of life does Tacitus admire? What aspects does he criticize?

Tacitus admires the German people's ability to fight as infantry or foot soldiers and their ability to withstand being cold and hungry:

Cold and hunger they are accustomed by their climate and soil to endure.

In warfare, he admires that a German leader is supposed to show greater courage in battle than his men or is held in disgrace. Tacitus commends the Germans for expecting military leaders to command by example and character, rather than simply because they are appointed to a position. He also praises the fact that the common people have a say in who becomes their civilian leader and also have input in decision making in the community.
Tacitus praises the Germans for their easy hospitality. He very much admires their marital arrangements, which are monogamous and equal:

The matrimonial bond is, nevertheless, strict and severe among them; nor is there anything in their manners more commendable than this. ... she comes to her husband as a partner in toils and dangers; to suffer and to dare equally with him, in peace and in war ...

However, he criticizes the German men for being:

impatient of toil and labor, least of all capable of sustaining thirst and heat.

Tacitus also notes that although the German men are brave warriors, they are lazy in civilian life and want to do nothing, leaving the women and old people to manage all the day-to-day work of keeping the community functioning:

All the bravest of the warriors, committing the care of the house, the family affairs, and the lands, to the women, old men, and weaker part of the domestics, stupefy themselves in inaction: so wonderful is the contrast presented by nature, that the same persons love indolence, and hate tranquillity!

The Roman orator and public official Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a historian who took it upon himself to not only record but critique other cultures outside of the Roman Empire during the first century.  His historical writing, Germania, gives his overall impression of the ways of the Germanic tribes, but his subtle wording suggests that while he admires some structured aspects of their culture, he is less impressed with their physical and behavioral natures.
Tacitus has much good to say of the Germanic government system.  He seems impressed that their kings’ powers are somewhat limited; they discuss important matters with the tribe rather than dictating, and they do not have the right to exact corporal punishments.  The people listen to their leaders out of respect and admiration, not out of fear of their power. Although the tribes have scheduled meetings, Tacitus makes the point that they will sit down to council “[w]hen the multitude think proper.”  He also spends much time explaining how young men of the tribe are guided to adulthood by men of rank, which provides honor not only for the youths but for the men, who acquire many followers.  Ultimately, Tacitus says, “such a man is courted by embassies… and the very prestige of his name often settles a war.” It makes sense that Tacitus would be impressed with these aspects of the Germanic government system, since they are in many ways similar to those of the Romans.  However, Tacitus also seems to admire the Germanic marriage philosophy, so different from that of the Romans, calling it a praiseworthy part of their manners.  The men are “content with one wife,” who plays a more active role in her husband’s life than does a Roman woman, even accompanying him to war so that she might tend his wounds. Tacitus finds it practical that both partners bring gifts to the marriage—practical gifts that can support their lives together.
Tacitus mentions several times that the Germanic tribes are racially “pure,” which seems a compliment, but he says this is because no other people would subject themselves to the violent lifestyle and “sullen manners and aspect” of the Germans.  Their manner of dress seems to almost offend the Roman historian, as he comments that their cloaks are handmade from “the skins of wild beasts” and often fastened merely by a thorn.  More so, he is appalled that the women dress much like the men, with their arms uncovered, exposing the lower part of their bosoms.  To a Roman, whose station in life is proclaimed by his manner of dress, the Germans’ clothing must seem crude indeed.  Tacitus also criticizes their idleness when not at war.  Even the best warriors simply eat and sleep, leaving the women and the elderly to run the household and land.  The lack of beautiful, organized cities is also odd to Tacitus, who points out that rather than creating community through public buildings, each family lives quite away from the others in “rude [dwellings] without ornament or attractiveness.” 
It seems that the overall lack of refinement and culture cinch the Roman historian’s view of Germanic tribes.  Although he finds honor in some of their ways, their lack of refinement is simply a huge cultural gap between the Germans and the Romans.
http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/life.html

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 6, 6.4, Section 6.4, Problem 59

y'+3x^2y=x^2y^3
Multiply the above equation by y^(-3)
y^(-3)dy/dx+3x^2y(y^(-3))=x^2
y^-3dy/dx+3x^2y^(-2)=x^2
Taking the transformation v=y^(-2)
(dv)/dx=d/dy(y^(-2))*dy/dx
(dv)/dx=-2y^(-3)dy/dx
-1/2(dv)/dx=y^(-3)dy/dx
Now the Bernoulli equation is transformed as ,
-1/2(dv)/dx+3x^2v=x^2
(dv)/dx-6x^2v=-2x^2
Now the above is a linear equation in the dependent variable v and independent variable y.
The integrating factor is n(x)=e^(int(-6x^2dx))
=e^(-6x^3/3)
=e^(-2x^3)
Then,
e^(-2x^3)*(dv)/dx-6e^(-2x^3)*x^2v=-2e^(-2x^3)*x^2
d/dx(e^(-2x^3)*v)=e^(-2x^3)(dv)/dx+ve^(-2x^3)(-6x^2)
=e^(-2x^3)(dv)/dx-6e^(-2x^3)*x^2v
=-2e^(-2x^3)*x^2
intd/dx(e^(-2x^3)*v)dx=int-2e^(-2x^3)x^2dx
e^(-2x^3)*v=-2inte^(-2x^3)*x^2dx
Let t=x^3
dt=3x^2dx
e^(-2x^3)*v=-2inte^(-2t)*dt/3
=-2/3(e^(-2t)/(-2))+C
=e^(-2t)/3+C
Substitute back t=x^3
e^(-2x^3)*v=1/3e^(-2x^3)+C
Substitute back v=y^(-2)
e^(-2x^3)*y^(-2)=1/3e^(-2x^3)+C
y^-2=1/3+C/e^(-2x^3)
1/y^2=1/3+Ce^(2x^3)
y^2 = 1 / (1/3+Ce^(2x^3))
y = +-sqrt(3)/(Ce^(2x^3) + 1)

What is the double meaning in the use of the word "game" in the title of "The Most Dangerous Game"?

"The Most Dangerous Game" is certainly a title that has multiple levels of meaning. Ultimately, the word "game" here can be interpreted according to two separate definitions. It be used both in reference to a contest (in the way we might say baseball is a game), as well as to wild animals pursued in a hunt.
Thus, if we apply the first definition, "The Most Dangerous Game" refers to the hunt itself, by which Rainsford is being hunted by Zaroff. Meanwhile, the second definition can be applied to human beings. This is a point expressed by Zaroff himself, who has grown disillusioned with hunting big game animals, viewing them as insufficient challenges to his skills; thus, he hunts people instead.
Furthermore, however, there is actually a third layer of meaning: rather than it being the human species in aggregate, the term might also be in reference to Rainsford himself. After all, what could be a more dangerous opponent for an experienced big game hunter than another experienced big game hunter?
Thus, from these two definitions of the word "game," there arise three distinct layers of meaning. Each represents an entirely valid interpretation, in resonance with the story's themes and plot. But each, on its own, is also incomplete. It is only when all these various layers are brought together that the title's full significance and thematic meaning can be ascertained.

The double meaning of the word game in Richard Connell's short story entitled "The Most Dangerous Game" pertains to both animals that are hunted and to a type of activity that involves challenges and winners and losers—"a sporting proposition," as General Zaroff describes it.
In the exposition of this story, Sanger Rainsford and his friend Whitney are aboard a steamer because they are going hunting "up the Amazon." As they anticipate their arrival in a few days, Whitney wonders how the jaguar will feel as it is hunted, but Rainsford has no sympathy for this animal: "Who cares how a jaguar feels?" For Rainsford, the jaguar is merely a game animal that is hunted. The irony of this insensitive remark is that he later becomes the game that is tracked by General Zaroff, so he experiences for himself the terror of a prey animal.
When Rainsford falls from the rail of the ship upon which he stood in the night after trying to determine the direction of the gunshots that he heard, he swims to the shore of what he later learns is Ship-Trap Island. The next day Rainsford follows the "print of hunting boots" to a huge chateau on a high bluff. There he is welcomed by General Zaroff and served an exquisite dinner. The general, who is a big game hunter and has hunted all over the world, tells Rainsford that he lives to hunt and, to keep his interest, he now hunts "more dangerous game." Later, Rainsford learns that this "game" hunted by Zaroff is men. The general tells Rainsford,

"Hunting had ceased to be what you call 'a sporting proposition.' It had become too easy."

Zaroff goes on to tell his dinner guest about his new "sporting proposition," or game: He now hunts men. Further, Zaroff informs Rainsford that the next day Rainsford himself will become this "game"/prey in a "most dangerous game"/Zaroff's sporting proposition.

How does the life experience of Frank Kafka affect how he wrote the narrative "The Metamorphosis"?

Kafka himself experienced the loneliness and isolation that he ascribes to Gregor in The Metamorphosis. His parents, busy running their fashion business, were too occupied to devote much time to Kafka, who was the oldest of six children (two of whom died in infancy). His three sisters would die in the Holocaust after his death (which occurred before World War II). His relationship with his father was particularly distant.
Kafka felt distanced from those around him. He considered himself repulsive, as reflected in Gregor's metamorphosis into a grotesque beetle, and he never married before dying at age 40 from tuberculosis. He was a German-speaking Jew in Prague, isolating him linguistically and religiously from the mainstream Czech population. Much of his life was drawn from inner sources, and he spent his time writing, even when employed as a lawyer at an insurance company. Like his character, Gregor, Kafka withdrew into his room, and he felt alone and isolated from the world around him.

Franz Kafka's and Gregor Samsa's lives have several similarities. In this story among others, he drew extensively on his own experience, including family, work, and creativity.


Both men have conflicted relationships with their fathers; both have sisters. Both men work in tedious, unfulfilling jobs.


Kafka stayed in his job and wrote in his off-work hours. His father was very hostile to the idea of his writing. He often wrote about father-son conflicts, both in his published fiction and his unpublished diaries.


In the story, Gregor is forced out of his job by his transformation and his boss. His father is both angry that Gregor cannot work to support the family and repulsed by his new physical appearance. The injury caused when his father throws and hits him with apples is one cause of his death.


Gregor mentions some advantages of not working, such as appreciating his sister play music. While not a musician himself, whereas Kafka was a writer, he is a sensitive person with creative interests.

Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" tells the story of a young salesman, Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning to find he has been fully transformed into a large insect. The themes of alienation, isolation and familial sacrifice that develop as Samsa begins to face his day as an insect can certainly be traced to Kafka's life experiences.
Kafka grew up in Prague, son of an upper middle class Jewish family in the late 1800s. He lost two brothers in their infancy, leaving him the only boy in a family that included three daughters (all of whom later die as a result of the Nazi rise to power). This places all of his parents hopes on him and his success. This is much the same pressure we see placed on Samsa in "The Metamorphosis." His parents and his sister depend on him as the sole breadwinner. It is implied in his parents' cold interactions with him in this new reality that their love is somewhat conditional.
We know Kafka had difficulty relating to his own parents: his mother was a homemaker who did not understand the depths of his thinking, and his father has been described as a tyrant who had little understanding of his son's desire to become a writer. Again, the isolation and alienation Samsa feels as an insect could be connected to Kafka's own sense of loneliness in his own home. Samsa's father's instinct is to attack the insect—almost becoming a monster himself. It is Samsa's mother who flings herself on her husband to stop him from hurting their son, though she does it almost ambivalently, not wanting necessarily to face her son or offer consolation herself.
Kafka's life experience seems to be, in some ways, dramatized in his novella, "The Metamorphosis." While the alienation, isolation, and family pressures that Samsa feels in the story can be seen in Kafka's own childhood, they can more generally be seen as products of modern life.

What do we know for certain about Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Boo Radley is a mysterious character. We know that he is a neighbor of the Finches; we know that he seldom comes out of doors; we know that people think there is something "not right" about him. Miss Stephanie tells the children about the a story that Boo once stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Another rumor was that rather than send Boo to an insane asylum, the Radleys kept him locked up in his own house.
As the story progresses, we learn other things about Boo. Boo is the one who leaves presents for the children in the knothole. On the night of the fire at Miss Maudie's house, Boo is the one who puts a blanket around Scout's shoulders to keep her from shivering. And of course Boo is the one who ultimately saves Scout from Burris Ewell.
It's not clear what is different about Boo, but the book shows him to be a kind and courageous person.

Towards the beginning of the novel, Jem and the other children believe the many unfounded rumors about Boo Radley, which portray him as a malevolent, nefarious individual. Many of these rumors are spread by the neighborhood scold, Miss Stephanie Crawford. In Chapter 5, Scout asks Miss Maudie some questions about Boo Radley, and the reader gains insight into the reclusive life of Boo. The reader learns that Boo's real name is Arthur and that he is still alive. The reader also learns that Boo was a polite child and his father was a strictly religious man. Miss Maudie tells Scout that Boo's father was a "foot-washing" Baptist who believed that any type of pleasure was considered a sin. As the novel progresses, the reader learns that Boo is a compassionate, sympathetic individual who cares about the Finch children. 

Boo Radley was primarily known to those in Maycomb by the rumors about him.  Miss Stephanie Crawford was notorious for spreading sensational rumors about Boo.  Miss Stephanie told the children the story about Boo Radley and the scissors:

Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook.  His father entered the room.  As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 1).

Stories like these created fear in the minds of Scout, Jem, Dill, and other Maycomb children.  There were few people who offered any real information about Boo Radley.  Atticus was sensible about Boo, but he preferred not to talk about the Radley family.  Scout asked Miss Maudie for information, and she shared what she knew.  Scout asked if Boo were still alive, and Miss Maudie told her that yes, he was.  She also informed Scout that Boo's real name was Arthur.  Boo stayed in the house all the time, but Miss Maudie recalled him as a young boy.
Later in the novel, it was revealed that Boo Radley was kind.  He mended Jem's pants and covered Scout with a blanket on a cold night.  He even rescued the children from Bob Ewell.
 

On pages 75–77, why are the animals becoming uneasy?

The pages 75–77 are located in chapter 7 of Animal Farm. In this chapter, the animals are facing very difficult times because the potato harvest has failed, and Napoleon has cut rations to the animals. In the meantime, he has decided to import grain, and he turns to Mr. Whymper to make a deal. Whymper agrees to buy four hundred eggs a week from the farm, and the proceeds will be used to purchase grain from outside farms. This caused unrest on the farm, particularly amongst the hens, who will have to give up their eggs just before they hatch. In protest, they break the eggs, and Napoleon cuts off all rations in a brutal retaliation. By the end of page 77, a terrible rumor spreads around the farm—Snowball has been seen skulking around. The rumor is a pretext for a brutal crackdown by Napoleon on many innocent animals who are accused of having associated with Snowball and conspired against the farm. This paves the way for the very public executions of many animals and the further consolidation of Napoleon's power. 

What is the tone of the story "The Use of Force"?

The story is told in the form of an anecdote. The narrator addresses the reader in an informal way, as if confiding in a colleague. The tone is not exactly humorous, but there is a sense that the narrator, as a doctor, has an easy sense of superiority to the parents and that his story is meant, at first, to assert this superiority. This is clear from his curt question to the mother about whether she had looked at her daughter’s throat. She says simply that she tried, helpless in the face of the girls stubbornness. At this point the tone shifts: the narrator realizes that he has to examine the throat and that what is required of his “professional” training is finding a way to get this child to open her mouth. It becomes a test of wills between the two. As the girl struggles against the doctor, the tone changes to one of brutality, anger, and disgust. Although the doctor is acting in his professional capacity, his desire to subject the girl has become a kind of personal challenge. Her final capitulation, and her fury, shows that the experience, for her, has been in fact a kind of assault.

What artists have impacted the modern world the most?

The possible answers to this question depend in large part on what you mean by "impact". Many artists who were popular in their time had a tremendous influence then, but their work went out of fashion later. Other artists labored in obscurity and were misunderstood or neglected during their lives but found fame after their deaths. Some artists work within the professional art world, with exhibitions in galleries, while others reject those confines as artificial or commercial.
A recent artist who had tremendous impact is Andy Warhol. He began his career as a commercial artist in advertising. When he made the switch to "fine" art, he often used common objects or commercial products as his subjects. Items like Campbell's soup cans that everyone could recognize and relate to, had not generally been considered suitable subjects for serious art. Warhol changed all of that and many would argue that the art world has permanently changed because of him.
Another factor to consider is the relative position of women and people of color in the art world. Achieving success in commercial and critical terms is difficult for every artist. The dominant image of the artist is still a white man but there are thousands of successful artists of other heritages.
One woman artist who has made a substantial impact is Frida Kahlo. During her life, physical injuries severely limited her mobility. Her career was also overshadowed by that of her husband, Diego Rivera. After her death, and largely as a result of feminist art historians' attention, Kahlo's work has become highly valued both in monetary terms and for her unique, perceptive visions. Powerful self-portraits are among her finest works.
In the U.S., the African American artist Jacob Lawrence achieved popular success at a time when very few African American artists had exhibitions in mainstream galleries. His Migration Series consists of 60 panels detailing the postwar migration of blacks to the northern United States, away from the segregated South.
https://lawrencemigration.phillipscollection.org/artist/about-jacob-lawrence

https://www.warhol.org/

A tricky question, particularly dependent upon which kind of art you're referencing. Because music is such an integral part of the fabric of our lives, I would start there. 
 
The first musical artist to make an impact on our modern times would be George Handel (1685-1759). The ostinato bass treatment, that is used throughout his work, can be found in most popular music today. From Pink Floyd to Cardi B's Bodak Yellow the listener can track a very clear, short pattern of notes that are repeated over and over again. While not the creator of the ostinato bass line, Handel used his bass lines in a driving, passionate way that propels his music forward--not dissimilar to hip-hop artists today. In fact, the driving bass lines found in most arias from his masterpiece Ariodante can rival those of the most influential hip-hop artists of today. 
Jonathan Larson single handedly transformed the landscape of Broadway and American musical theater with his composition Rent. The way the vocal lines were written demanded a new style of singing from its actors. No longer were traditional tessitura taken into account. The music instead took on a rock/pop sensibility that relied more on the emotion of the moment than the physical limitations of the vocal mechanism. This piece has influenced all musical theatre writing that has come since, and has forced a new style of belting from women looking to make a career for themselves on the stage. 
 
I would be remiss if I did not mention Richard Wagner's contribution to the musical landscape. This man not only broke opera as we once knew it, but he bent the laws of music. His compositions departed from the traditional operatic structure to create their own. He created large, sweeping, through-composed epics that took the art form and stood it on its head. He built a theater specifically designed to perform his works, where the orchestra was primarily hidden underneath the stage. This created an immersive environment for his singers and audience that had never been explored before. He wrote in a new way for the voice that allowed and demanded the extremes of the vocal apparatus be tested. All the while, playing with harmony in ways that had never been explored. He created a chord so mysterious that still, to this day, its harmonic purpose is only referred to as 'The Tristan Chord.'
 
Artistic impact is hard to pin down and it all truly depends upon your chosen reality. For my money, these men were the ultimate influencers to the soundtrack of our lives. 

This is a challenging question, but three artists jump out: Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. All three helped move painting away from a strict realism in which the artist tried to reproduce the most accurate possible stylized imitation of objects in the real world, to art that pushed the boundaries of perception in different ways. It's important to note that all three artists worked after the camera made it possible to capture the kind of realistic images that before had been the realm of painting and sculpture in the Western world. They are influential because they changed the way people see. 
Claude Monet would have argued strongly that his approach, called impressionism, was scientific, and that he strove to capture an accurate and authentic depiction of a landscape or scene. What Monet did was to go outside and paint whatever he actually saw. He would frequently paint the same object over and over again at different times of day, in different seasons and in different weather. What he showed was that our impression of an object can be almost entirely different based on when and how we see it. For example, he famously painted haystacks at different times of year, in different weather and at various times of day. A haystack looks different in the fog or the rain than it does in the snow and different at dusk then mid-day. Sometimes my students will say: any four-year-old could have painted that haystack. But what Monet painted was what he saw, and if the weather made the haystack look like a wavy blob, that's what he recorded. What Monet did was establish the subjectivity of seeing. When we paint a haystack from memory, we paint an idealized haystack, not necessary the haystack as it appears in front of us in a particular moment: Monet helped break that way of seeing apart.
Van Gogh used vivid colors and laid paint thickly on his canvasses to achieve emotional, rather than realistic, effects. He famously said "real painters do not paint things as they are ... they paint them as they themselves feel them to be." For example, unlike Monet, he painted his famous canvas, Starry Night, from memory and used it to convey a spirit of emotional tumult in the swirling sky.
Picasso is an extraordinarily influential painter whose long life spanned two world wars. He is most famous as one of the inventors of cubism, a method of painting that broke objects into their geometrical parts and reassembled them without necessarily paying attention to creating something representational but often overlaying one point of view on top of another: thus a human being might be reduced to geometric shapes representing his front, back and side views and then all the shapes placed together. This abstract or non-representational art went far beyond Monet or Van Gogh's work in separating a painting from its subject, revolutionizing the art world in the twentieth century. 

Define what anomie is according to Durkheim and "strain theory" as developed by Robert Merton (1957)?

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) came up with the term “anomie” while investigating the nature of suicide in human societies. He defined it as “the absence of norms,” or normlessness; a state of “instability in the society or individual that arises from a breakdown of standards and values.” In such a state, individuals despair, as they lack standards to strive towards. In his definition of anomic suicide, he gave two instances. One occurs when an individual despairs as a result of his or her complete inability to achieve set goals due to a lack of resources. The other occurs when an individual is unable to set goals for himself or herself because of an abundance of resources.
Later on, Robert Merton, an American sociologist, further analyzed the causes of anomie. He discovered that anomie most affects those without acceptable ways of achieving whatever goals they may have set for themselves. Acceptable, in this context, means that which is considered correct by the society. The pressure to achieve regardless of the method used to do so may lead to increased focus on the end rather than the means. The state of anomie then arises when afflicted individuals resort to illegitimate means to achieve their goals, resulting in a general disregard for societal standards and values. Thus, Merton’s version of anomie theory (also called strain or means-ends theory) focuses on the disparity between a society’s definition of success and the society’s norms on the proper means of achieving success.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/anomie

Anomie
Émile Durkheim’s (1912) “Elementary Forms of Religious Life” offers an early sociological theory of deviance. According to Durkheim's proposal, anomie (social alienation) is an innate “organic function” (social mechanism) within everyday life. A functionalist explanation of "deviance,” alienation is a circumscribed social condition. Essential to sustained collective consciousness are ritual acts of inversion, or what Durkheim calls a dynamic of “social cohesion.” This functionalist view of conflict suggests social values, beliefs, customs, norms, and mores derive meaning from deviance sourced in the persistence of anomie.
Strain Theory
Following French Functionalist Durkheim, Robert King Merton's (1957) “Strain Theory” is an American Functionalist theory that examines the sociological explanation of criminal deviance from the perspective of the individual. Pressure to achieve socially accepted goals, suggests Merton, leads to the commission of crimes by individuals. Pressures induced by an individual’s pursuit of goal-oriented “conformity” with social expectations, participation in goal-oriented “ritualism” as part of a collective, or even “retreatism” (i.e., goal substitution) may foster criminal behavior. Furthermore, where the combined pressures of what Merton calls "inadequate means," "prejudice," and "discrimination" are present, the conditions of strain are optimal for criminal commission of deviant acts.
Criticism
Critics of Durkheim and Merton’s theories point to the suggestion that weak empirical evidence and neglect of class relations, structural differences, gender relations, and other inter- or intra-personal relations that contribute to "deviance" and the real circumstances surrounding crime fail to adequately and fully explain social problems such as “white collar” crime, where opportunities are abundant, thus delimiting deviance to the lower classes.
https://ei.marketwatch.com/Multimedia/2017/01/12/Photos/ZH/MW-FD606_madoff_20170112123439_ZH.jpg?uuid=6521e8e6-d8ed-11e6-9dba-001cc448aede

https://www.thoughtco.com/structural-strain-theory-3026632

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 2, 2.5, Section 2.5, Problem 28

Explain using theorems of continuity why the function $F(x) = \sin(\cos(\sin x))$ is continuous at every number in its domain. State the domain


We can rewrite,
$\quad F(x) = f(g(h(x)))$

Where,
$\quad f(x) = \sin x, \quad g(x) = \cos x \quad \text{ and } \quad h(x) = \sin x$


The functions $f(x) = \sin x$ , $g(x) = \cos x$ and $h(x) = \sin x $ are all trigonometric functions that are continuous on every number in its domain according to the definition.
Also, from the definition, the composite function $F(x)$ will be continuous on every number on its domain as well.

Therefore,

$\quad $The domain of $F(x)$ is $(-\infty, \infty)$

In "Hills Like White Elephants," how can Hemingway’s writing be considered masculine and as presenting "just the tip of the iceberg"? What is the procedure that the couple is discussing? How is interpreting the setting fundamental for our understanding of the issues this couple is facing? How is it symbolic?

1. Writing style is not something that is based on gender, so to consider Hemingway’s prose “masculine” is problematic. However, he has popularly been portrayed as a “man’s man,” someone who hunted, got in bar fights, and was popular with the ladies. Likely for this reason, some may consider his spare writing style an extension of his masculine persona. In this story, Hemingway uses a third-person objective point of view that reveals “just the tip of the iceberg.” This fly-on-the-wall narrative technique makes the reader feel like they are watching the events unfold through a camera without knowing what the characters are thinking.
2. The reader can infer that the couple in the story is discussing the woman's getting an abortion.
3. The setting of this story is a train station in northern Spain on a hot day. The title “Hills Like White Elephants” comes from the long white hills the couple can see as they talk, waiting for their train. When the woman says the hills look to her “like white elephants,” this description has a deeper significance. The couple avoids directly saying what procedure the woman will have. The topic is the proverbial elephant in the room. Additionally, white hills can conjure the image of a woman’s pregnant belly. The train-track imagery may signify the tracks the couple will soon follow. Just as they are physically stuck at the train station, the couple is “stuck” in not being able to explicitly communicate about their relationship and pregnancy and “stuck” in not yet having had the abortion they talk in circles around.