What does Cherry tell Ponyboy in defense of the Socs?

Cherry tells Ponyboy two specific things in defense of the Socs, and they are related to each other. One thing that she tells Ponyboy is that the Greasers are not unique in having problems and rough lives. Cherry tells Ponyboy that the Socs don't necessarily have easy lives, either—they have problems too. What is amazing is that Ponyboy believes her.

"I'll bet you think the Socs have it made. The rich kids, the West-side Socs. I'll tell you something, Ponyboy, and it may come as a surprise. We have troubles you've never even heard of. You want to know something?" She looked me straight in the eye. "Things are rough all over."
"I believe you," I said.

Cherry also explains to Ponyboy what it is that she believes the Socs struggle with most of all. The Socs are kids that have so much; however, there is never a feeling of satisfaction.

"It seems like we're always searching for something to satisfy us, and never finding it. Maybe if we could lose our cool. we could."

Ponyboy is smart, and he translates her information to the heart of the issue.

"That's why we're separated," I said. "It's not money, it's feeling—you don't feel anything and we feel too violently."

The moment is a key moment of learning for Ponyboy, because Cherry is able to defend the Socs with a specific example. It's one thing for her to say that they have it rough, but this is a better defense because she can provide a concrete example.

After meeting with Ponyboy and Johnny at the movies, Cherry notices Johnny is troubled, so she seeks the story behind the boy’s demeanor. Pony tells Cherry of how Johnny was attacked and beaten senseless by a gang of Socs. The story leaves Cherry petrified, but she tries to defend the Socs suggesting that not all Socs are like that. Cherry tells Pony that just because the Socs are rich, it does not mean they don’t go through challenges of their own. Pony learns that the Socs are troubled just like he and his friends are, only that the two groups' troubles are different.
Pony thinks that it is the money that separates them from the Socs, but Cherry explains that Greasers are emotional, while Socs are forced by circumstances to ignore their feelings. Cherry suggests that the Socs are caught up in some sort of “rat race” where they are always in pursuit of something new to occupy their time but never find it.

While Schatz thinks he is dying, his father goes out to hunt. How does this contrast with how the father might have acted if he, too, were afraid that Schatz was going to die in "A Day's Wait" by Ernest Hemingway?

Hemingway's "A Day's Wait" centers around Schatz's misunderstanding and the trauma this creates within him. Had his father understood what his son believes, the boy's trauma may have been avoided, but his father appears to be uncomprehending of his child's condition. Therefore, one must wonder how he would have acted if the boy's condition were life-threatening.
When his father goes out to hunt while knowing Schatz has a temperature that is one hundred and two, he does not seem worried about Schatz's condition. In fact, he might believe leaving him alone to sleep will provide his son the atmosphere he needs. When he returns and sees Schatz staring with his cheeks flushed with fever, he takes his temperature again and finds it is still one hundred and two. He tells his son not to worry. When Schatz asks if drinking the water will do him any good, his father does not perceive his anxieties. Instead, he picks up the book he has been reading, and it is only then that the father notices something is bothering Schatz.

I sat down and opened the Pirate book, and commenced to read, but I could see he was not following, so I stopped.

Since Schatz's father does not display the concern one would expect from a parent whose child's temperature is only two degrees from a dangerous level and the boy has not slept and is obviously uncomfortable and traumatized, it is difficult to assume what he would do if he thought his son was dying. He does not seem to fear the child having convulsions or other complications from a 102-degree fever. He simply picks up a book to resume reading to his son.
The reader must hope the man has enough sense to be afraid for his child's life and stay with him and act to reduce his temperature by bathing him in cool water. Above all, he should phone the doctor again and obtain his advice. He should also feel guilty because his crassness and lack of observation is what causes poor Schatz to be traumatized by his fear of dying because he thinks his temperature is given in degrees Celsius.

Why was Hitler's foreign policy successful up to 1938? Hitler's actions seemed reasonable; give examples of actions that he took which seemed to have good reason (e.g., rearmament).

In addition to rearmament, the Third Reich made other foreign policy moves that could be considered reasonable—or, in any case, rationalized.
In October 1933, Germany withdrew from the League of Nations under the contention that the League was not allowing it to achieve equal military strength with other member nations. This move could be seen as reasonable by casting the League's policy as unfair.
In 1935, the Saar Valley was folded back into Germany. This was reasonable, as the territory was only supposed to be separate as a territory for fifteen years after World War I. Due to an overwhelming number of the residents approving the move, the territory was reunited with Germany. This aligned completely with Hitler's foreign policy objective of reuniting all German people under one flag.
In 1936, the German army invaded the demilitarized Rhineland, justifying seizing it by saying it feared a recent treaty between France and the USSR.
In 1938, Hitler invaded Austria to insure the Anschluss, or uniting of the two German-speaking countries. This violated the Treaty of Versailles, but Hitler said the two countries shared a common heritage and destiny.
Hitler's foreign policy was successful in the 1930s because the powers that could have easily opposed his territorial ambitions remained silent. In part, this appeasement was because France and Great Britain feared the USSR and wanted a strong Germany as a buffer between them and the Communists.

How old was Washington when he died?

Generally speaking, when I see just "Washington" in reference to a person, I assume this refers to George Washington, the first president of the United States.  He was born February 22nd, 1732 and died December 14th, 1799.  He was 67 years old when he died.
In George Washington's 67 years of life, he accomplished many things.  He fought in both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War, the latter of which he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army (precursor to the present day United States Army).  He was later elected the first United States president by unanimous vote of the first electoral college, and he is the only president to not have belonged to a political party.  He stepped down after two terms, which expired in March 1797, and died two years later of a combination of breathing difficulties and excessive blood loss from a medical procedure popular at the time, bloodletting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington

https://web.archive.org/web/20081014141828/http://millercenter.org/index.php/academic/americanpresident/washington

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-washington/

How do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern react to Hamlet’s questions about why they are there? How does this give him a ‘heads-up’ to their purpose?

In act 2, scene 2, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern approach Hamlet and attempt to find out why he has been acting oddly in order to inform Claudius. Initially, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern attempt to have a casual conversation with Hamlet, who verbally jousts with them by disagreeing with their perspective on nearly everything. When Rosencrantz mentions that the world has become honest, Hamlet responds by saying, "Then is doomsday near. But your news is not true" (Shakespeare, 2.2.227).
Hamlet then refers to Denmark as a prison, and the two men question their friend on his assessment of the nation. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern then suggest that Hamlet's view regarding Denmark are a sign of his ambition. The fact that the two men mention ambition and are acting sheepishly indicates their true intentions, which Hamlet recognizes.
When Hamlet initially questions if they were sent by someone, Guildenstern uncomfortably says, "What should we say, my lord?" (Shakespeare, 2.2.260). His response is sheepish and indirect, which immediately informs Hamlet that Claudius sent them. Hamlet responds by saying that "there is a kind of confession in your looks," which Guildenstern is too honest to disguise. Essentially, Hamlet can tell by the look on their faces and their indirect mannerisms that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been sent by the king. Interestingly, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not immediately admit that they have been sent and Hamlet has to remind them of their long friendship and love for one another. The fact that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have attempted to deceive Hamlet and collude with King Claudius upsets Hamlet, and he no longer trusts his old friends.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern behave with decided shiftiness when Hamlet begins to question them. Even a simple question such as "how do ye both?" is met with attempts from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to amuse and distract Hamlet, as if to prevent him from thinking too much about their sudden reappearance. When he asks them what news there is and Rosencrantz says there is "none . . . but that the world's grown honest," Hamlet becomes suspicious, stating that this news is "not true."
Given what we have seen of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, we can interpret that it is unusual for them not to be forthcoming with Hamlet. Appropriately, Hamlet at this point suspects that his mother has sent for the two, and he asks them directly why she has done this.
Again, Guildenstern attempts to use diversionary tactics, rather than answer the question. Hamlet has described Elsinore as a "prison," to which Guildenstern replies "Prison!" and begins a course of discussion on this basis.
Hamlet does allow himself to be diverted for a space of several lines but eventually returns to his question: "what make you at Elsinore?" When Hamlet's questioning becomes more insistent ("Were you not sent for? Is it a free visitation?") the two eventually admit that they were indeed sent for by the queen.

What's a foreshadowing event in the story?

The stealing of the narrator's coat is an example of foreshadowing as it gives us a preview of what to expect later in the story. The master of the house has had his coat stolen from his own front hallway. He's absolutely furious when he discusses what happened with his house guest Astafy Ivanovich, an old soldier.
The theft of the coat leads Astafy to reflect on a similar experience he'd had years before. The experience is significant because it relates to the title. The old soldier says that "there are thieves and there are thieves," and that he knows of someone who was both honest and a thief. He then tells the story of how he once took in an old drunkard who stole his trousers. Astafy let the matter rest, but the thief was eaten up by so much guilt that it––along with copious amounts of alcohol––contributed to his death. Just before he passed away, the thief told Astafy that he wanted to be buried naked, and asked the old man to sell his one earthly possession: an old coat.

Can I have explanation of line 55-58 of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" along with poetic devices used, if any.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen :
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken
The ice was all between
(Lines 55-58)

The mariner and his crew sailed across the ocean to finally reach an area that was surrounded by snow and ice. Very cold currents of air (drifts) were blowing all around. An image of movement due to sailing is created in line 55. As they were moving, the cliffs (clifts) that were covered with snow emerge. They were the icebergs which are very dangerous because they floated from near the ship. All these aspects combined together made the visibility very poor which made it very difficult to navigate the ship.
The lack of sunlight and the dimness of the cold made the environment feel very dismal and gloomy. The mild brightness of the ice cliffs was the only source of light here. The light was so dim that neither men nor animals could be recognized (ken). Only ice could be seen all around.
There is a psychological parallel in these lines. The cold currents refer to the evidently cold attitude of the other sailors who are anguished at the killing of the albatross. There is a sense of despair highlighted through the phrase dismal sheen, which is an oxymoron. It indicates the slight tinge of optimism depicting that even in the midst of hopelessness and despair, there might be a slight possibility of hope and salvation.
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken
The ice was all between
Indicate that hatred makes us lose our discretionary powers and we are unable to distinguish between right and wrong. The ice is not merely present in the physical form, it has evidently entered the hearts of men who have become callous towards one another. In the face of death, it is a matter of self survival first.

Poetic Devices
1.dismal sheen - oxymoron
dismal -- Gloomy and bleak.
sheen -- shining, radiant
2. drifts and clifts
men and ken
- assonance/internal rhyme (repeats the same vowel sounds within nearby words)
3. Shapes and sheen - Alliteration (same starting sound)

Lines 55-58 of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' are as follows:
And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen:
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken—
The ice was all between.

The mariner who holds the wedding guest spellbound with his story of supernatural events describes the 'mast-high' ice that comes floating and is reflected as a dismal sheen. The mood is one of foreboding as the narrator says that he could no longer understand the shape of men and animals and everything around was ice. The overwhelming and supernatural power of nature that is seen in the entire poem is expressed here as the ice dominates and subdues human understanding.
The stanza is in alternating tetrameter and trimeter with the iamb as the metric foot.Alternating tetrameter and trimeter is a classic metric style of ballads.

Besides the dissonant repetition of 'd' in the first and second lines (drift...did....dismal), transferred epithets such as snowy cliffs and dismal sheen and personification (send) successfully give natural objects human attributes. This adds to the sense of nature's overpowering presence which results in the loss of the human faculty of understanding.

As in the surrounding stanzas of "The Rime," lines 55-58 are describing the ice. The narrator explains that, as the boat is surrounded by snow and ice, it is impossible to see anything else. He can make out neither "shapes of men nor beast." All he sees is snow and the cliffs' "dismal" reflection. This isn't Queen Elsa's frozen wonderland. It's a dark, dangerous ice trap.
In terms of literary devices, line 55 features assonance, as well as internal rhyme. Assonance repeats the same vowel sounds within nearby words, as with the words "drifts" and "clifts," which repeat the short 'i' sound. Likewise, this pairing also functions as an internal rhyme, as the words rhyme within the same line. (There's another internal rhyme, "men" and "ken," in line 57.)
Line 56 employs consonance (repetition of consonants) in the phrase "did send a dismal," which repeats the 'd' and 's' sounds. It also continues the assonance with the short 'i' sounds. Alliteration (same starting sound) stretches between lines 56 and 57, with "shapes" and "sheen." Finally, lines 56 and 58 conclude with a traditional end rhyme.

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 8, 8.5, Section 8.5, Problem 32

inte^x/((e^(2x)+1)(e^x-1))dx
Apply integral substitution:u=e^x
=>du=e^xdx
=int1/((u^2+1)(u-1))du
Now let's create partial fraction template for the integrand,
1/((u^2+1)(u-1))=A/(u-1)+(Bu+C)/(u^2+1)
Multiply the equation by the denominator,
1=A(u^2+1)+(Bu+C)(u-1)
=>1=Au^2+A+Bu^2-Bu+Cu-C
=>1=(A+B)u^2+(-B+C)u+A-C
Equating the coefficients of the like terms,
A+B=0 -------------------------(1)
-B+C=0 -----------------------(2)
A-C=1 -----------------------(3)
Now we have to solve the above three linear equations to get A, B and C,
From equation 1, B=-A
Substitute B in equation 2,
-(-A)+C=0
=>A+C=0 ---------------------(4)
Add equations 3 and 4,
2A=1
=>A=1/2
B=-A=-1/2
Plug in the value of A in equation 4,
1/2+C=0
=>C=-1/2
Plug in the values of A,B and C in the partial fraction template,
1/((u^2+1)(u-1))=(1/2)/(u-1)+((-1/2)u+(-1/2))/(u^2+1)
=1/(2(u-1))-(1(u+1))/(2(u^2+1))
=1/2[1/(u-1)-(u+1)/(u^2+1)]
int1/((u^2+1)(u-1))du=int1/2[1/(u-1)-(u+1)/(u^2+1)]du
Take the constant out,
=1/2int(1/(u-1)-(u+1)/(u^2+1))du
Apply the sum rule,
=1/2[int1/(u-1)du-int(u+1)/(u^2+1)du]
=1/2[int1/(u-1)du-int(u/(u^2+1)+1/(u^2+1))du]
Apply the sum rule for the second integral,
=1/2[int1/(u-1)du-intu/(u^2+1)du-int1/(u^2+1)du] ------------------(1)
Now let's evaluate each of the above three integrals separately,
int1/(u-1)du
Apply integral substitution:v=u-1
dv=du
=int1/vdv
Use the common integral:int1/xdx=ln|x|
=ln|v|
Substitute back v=u-1
=ln|u-1| -------------------------------------------(2)
intu/(u^2+1)du
Apply integral substitution:v=u^2+1
dv=2udu
int1/v(dv)/2
Take the constant out and use standard integral:int1/xdx=ln|x|
=1/2ln|v|
Substitute back v=u^2+1
=1/2ln|u^2+1| ----------------------------------------(3)
int1/(u^2+1)du
Use the common integral:int1/(x^2+a^2)dx=1/aarctan(x/a)
=arctan(u) ------------------------------------------(4)
Put the evaluation(2 , 3 and 4) of all the three integrals in (1) ,
=1/2[ln|u-1|-1/2ln|u^2+1|-arctan(u)]
Substitute back u=e^x and add a constant C to the solution,
=1/2[ln|e^x-1|-1/2ln|e^(2x)+1|-arctan(e^x)]+C

How does Marlowe's Doctor Faustus relate to Dante and Everyman?

Marlowe's Doctor Faustus does relate to the concept of Everyman as seen in Dante's Divine Comedy because, at least in part, both have strong central thematic elements foregrounding God's salvation—even for ordinary humans in a sinful condition—attained through repentance and calling upon God's name, a dominant theme in Everyman (The Summoning of Everyman, 15th century), the play most connected with the Everyman character type. Both plays also examine the idea of the heroic nature of the ordinary, undistinguished Everyman.
Everyman characters are ordinary individuals with no distinguishing talents or abilities who find themselves in situations that require something heroic of them. Dante emerges from the nine celestial spheres into the light of Beatrice's love, his metaphoric salvation. Faustus fails to find a way to ask for salvation, even though signs and opportunities appear before him, and he is overcome by demons.
One presentation of the theme of salvation from sin is represented by Dante, who is saved, and its opposite is represented by Faustus, who is not saved. One representation of Dante's Everyman character is that his journey quest caused heroic traits to ultimately triumph, for himself and for Beatrice. The oppositional representation of a heroic Everyman character is Faustus, who scorns the ordinary, the commonplace, the undistinguished in his pursuit of privileged, elitist knowledge: Faustus feels himself removed from the realm of the uninspired, ordinary Everyman who rises above his circumstances in heroic ways.
https://www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/everyman-hero

Doctor Faustus, a play by Christopher Marlowe, 1601, and The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (c1323) are both within the tradition of the morality play, which originated in the late Middle Ages to examine the quandaries of human choice. This is represented in the play generally known as Everyman from the late 15th century, and whose author is unknown. Marlowe's Faustus explored the moral problems of simple faith versus intellect and the extreme challenge it represents to human intelligence because of the difficulty of making a moral choice when selfish appetite threatens the balance of nature and the well-being of others. Humans naturally want to bend the rules and the order of nature to serve one’s self interest. In The Divine Comedy, Dante (the writer) poses similar conflicts and questions to the character named "Dante" as he is guided by the poet Virgil through the nine rungs of hell (The Inferno), which is the first part of the 3-part Divine Comedy. Marlowe's Faustus never makes reference to Dante or the Everyman, but he is clearly acting out the same dilemma of willful ambition versus the loss of purity of heart and the peril of the soul.
This tradition has been treated by various writers over the centuries, and may be more relevant now than ever before because of the dangerous tools that mankind has created. Morality plays explored the problem of redemption, and how every man must walk his own spiritual path. How we talk about these questions may have changed as our traditions are more secular, but the problems of "making a deal with the devil" for satisfaction here and now continues to be played out in human lives and literature.

In what way is Dr. King’s dream “deeply rooted in the American dream”?

Dr. King directly addresses several aspects of the American dream in his speech at the March on Washington. He speaks of a dream that will allow African Americans to move beyond the history of enslavement and into a freedom from racial injustice and segregation. His speech directly addresses hopes of a future where his children will be judged on the basis of their character rather than their skin color. This is a privilege that white Americans have experienced since the founding of this country. As it is quoted in his speech, "I have a dream, a dream deeply rooted in the American dream." In addition, he also references the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, affirming his belief in American democracy. The civil rights movement described and advocated by Dr. King sought recognition from the U.S. government and access to the economic and cultural status granted to white Americans. The American dream he considered included integration into affordable housing, access to middle class, equality, and desegregation of the education system.
https://www.archives.gov/files/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

The American Dream is the idea that every American, or anyone who wants to become an American, should have the right to achieve or obtain whatever they aim to (e.g., wealth, professional success, property) by virtue of discipline and hard work.
King's criticism was that the nation had not lived up to the promises of its founding documents and had entitled some to the American Dream, but not others. He wrote that 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation black people were still "badly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." He goes on to write the following:

One hundred years later the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.

To King, this is unconscionable. In a nation with so much plenty, everyone ought to be given an equal chance to succeed and realize their full potential, particularly the sons and daughters of slaves and particularly in a nation that has avowed "the inalienable rights" of all of its citizens.
https://www.archives.gov/files/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

What are the differences and similarities between "The Yellow Wallpaper" and A Doll's House?

Both Nora Helmer and the narrator of "The Yellow Wallpaper" are treated like children by their husbands; however, Nora initially submits to this treatment rather passively while the narrator does not. Both husbands call their wives by diminutive pet names like "little lark" or "little squirrel" for Nora and "blessed little goose" for the narrator. Both Nora and the narrator get angry with their husbands but at different points in their stories. Nora truly awakens to her powerlessness as Torvald's wife when he responds so horribly to the knowledge of what she'd done. She tells him quite plainly that he had treated her like a "doll" (as her father before him had done), a treatment to which she is no longer willing to submit. She subsequently abandons her family in search of herself. The narrator on the other hand gets angry with John, her husband and doctor, at the beginning of her narrative, though she is made to believe that such anger is "irrational" and so she does not dwell on it. In the end, the restful treatment which was supposed to cure her of her "temporary nervous depression" actually causes her to completely lose track of her own identity. She comes to believe that she is a woman who she has freed from the wallpaper of her bedroom (a room in which she's been, alarmingly, confined for some months). Both women do end up achieving a kind of freedom from their old identities and lives; however, Nora's feels like a victory while the narrator's feels quite tragic and sad.

Both Ibsen's A Doll's House and Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" were groundbreaking treatments of women's rights in their time. More specifically, each deals with the role of the wife in relation to her husband.
Both husbands, John and Torvald, treat their wives like children. As a result, their wives end up undermining their husbands' authority.
Gilman's anonymous narrator resists John's instructions to rest. Instead, she continues journaling about her experiences, but she does so secretively. It is a quiet resistance, but a resistance that keeps the madness at bay. Unfortunately, even after journaling about her desire for freedom, she ultimately falls prey to insanity. She has not gained independence from her illness nor from her husband.
Nora, on the other hand, succeeds in gaining independence. Like the anonymous narrator, she resists her husband, but the end result is different. Nora recognizes her husband's dedication to patronizing her and his unwillingness to acknowledge her sacrifice. Unhindered by mental illness, she decides to leave him. She escapes the "doll's house." Gilman's narrator, however, does not.

How has Canada defined itself in reaction against Americanizing in its politics?

Historically, much of Canadian political identity has been shaped by its relationship with the United States, beginning with the influx of "Loyalists" to Canada after the American Revolution. Similarly, in the War of 1812, the Canadian military developed its sense of identity in opposition to the invading American forces. While the United States had expected that many Canadians would be happy to throw off what the US considered the yoke of imperialist Britain, most Canadians saw themselves as British Loyalists and the United States as the foreign invader. 
In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, as the United States has become a world superpower in economic, military, and cultural terms, Canada has remained a vast nation with a relatively small population sharing many cultural elements and values with the United States, something that has given rise to a form of Canadian anti-Americanism manifested as a quest for identity.
First, Canada's ongoing ties with Britain serve as a form of anti-American political identity. Next, many progressive movements in Canadian politics, especially as represented by the Liberal and NDP parties, emphasize there own progressivism as overtly opposed to the "Americanizing" policies of the Conservatives. Many of the cultural policies of the government, from the funding of the CBC to the mandating of Canadian content, serve to preserve a distinct Canadian cultural identity. 
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/war-of-1812

How does physical or mental isolation lead to despair in Macbeth?

In many ways, Shakespeare's Macbeth is a study of a character gradually isolating himself on many levels. Macbeth begins the play as a respected warrior, one of King Duncan's favorites. However, as the play progresses, Macbeth physically, mentally, and emotionally isolates himself by systematically eliminating those who threaten his power. This isolation also leads to the breakdown of Macbeth's reputation and his network of allies. We can see the desperation this situation causes in part of Macbeth's famous speech in Act V: 

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stageAnd then is heard no more. It is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and fury,Signifying nothing. (5.5.26-30)

In this moment, Macbeth has just learned that Lady Macbeth, his last true human connection, has just passed away, leading him utterly adrift in loneliness. This revelation leads Macbeth to conclude that life is essentially meaningless. Thus, it's possible to suggest that Macbeth's isolation causes him to realize that the power he thirsted after is, in the end, meaningless without the human connections he forfeited in the process of usurping the throne, and this realization leads to utter despair. It is here that we truly see Macbeth, for all of his evil actions, as a tragic character.

From Chapter 3 in Of Mice and Men, how could I translate Whit's slang to modern forms of speaking? Whit said, “I see what you mean. No, they ain’t been nothing yet. Curley’s got yella-jackets in his drawers, but that’s all so far. Ever’ time the guys is around she shows up. She’s lookin’ for Curley, or she thought she lef’ somethin’ layin’ around and she’s lookin’ for it. Seems like she can’t keep away from guys. An’ Curley’s pants is just crawlin’ with ants, but they ain’t nothing come of it yet.”

In a conversation between Whit and George, Whit describes Curley's wife as a flirtatious woman, who has got her eye on all of the workers on the farm. Whit then comments that Curley is constantly on edge because he is worried that his wife will cheat on him with one of the men on the ranch. The following is a modern translation of the brief conversation between Whit and George:

Whit said, "I understand what you're talking about, but there hasn't been any trouble yet. Curley has just been losing his mind and is extremely nervous all the time. Every time one of the guys is around, she seems to show up out of nowhere. She claims that she is looking for Curley or has forgotten something and is looking for it. Seems like she can't stay away from the guys. Curley is constantly worried and on edge but no trouble has come of it yet."

In this passage, Whit is responding first to George's question if there has been any trouble since Curley's new wife arrived at the ranch. Whit responds that he understands what George means but there hasn't been any trouble yet.
The rest of the passage can be translated as follows: Curley has bees in his underwear (yellow jackets are actually a form of wasp, and drawers are underwear; this phrase means that Curley is on edge and nervous), but that's all that's happened so far. Every time the guys on the ranch are around, she comes by. She says she's looking for Curley or she forgot something and is looking for it. It seems like she can't keep away from the guys. And Curley acts like he has ants in his pants (again, meaning that he's on edge), but nothing has come of it yet. 

What are Mrs Granger's nicknames?

Frindle is an American children's novel written by Andrew Clements. The story centers on a 5th-grader named Nick who invents a word—"frindle"—that winds up causing quite a stir in his school and, ultimately, beyond.
Nick has a rather tough, white-haired old English teacher named Mrs. Granger who makes no attempt to hide her love of words. While Nick is trying to get everyone to use his new word, however, Mrs. Granger is trying to stop it. Nick and the kids mention two nicknames for Mrs. Granger in the book.
The first one, initially appearing on page 16, is "The Lone Granger." This makes reference to a couple of facts about her: one, that she lives by herself, and the other being that she is fierce and intimidating like The Lone Ranger.
The second nickname, spoken by the Dave character on page 47, is "Dangerous Grangerous," referring to her propensity to punish the boys for getting out of line, from putting them in detention to making them wear their chewing gum.

Mrs. Granger is called by several different nicknames throughout the book.  Usually these names have a negative connotation.  Mrs. Granger is different from all the other teachers.  She does things her own way.  Usually, she is old fashioned.  She is known for being a very strict teacher.
Nick calls Mrs. Granger "The Lone Granger."  This is in reference to The Lone Ranger, a Texas Ranger who works alone.  Mrs. Granger is unlike any other teacher at the school.  In a way, she does work alone.  The rumors are that you shouldn't "mess around with The Lone Granger" (Frindle, chapter 3).
Mrs. Granger is also called Mrs. G by Nick.  Dave, another student at the school, calls her "Dangerous Grangerous."  This is in reference to the fact that Mrs. Granger is strict.  She gets upset when students do not follow her rules.  At first, she is upset when the students in her class start to call pens "frindles."  She forbids students from using the new word.

How did Alice Walker's early hardship influence her writing?

Alice Walker and her family suffered a great many hardships. Her work often mirrors these difficulties. This is true in her short story "Everyday Use," in which the characters' lives share many similarities with Alice Walker's own life. 
Alice Walker was born in 1944 in Mississippi. She was born into a large family of eight children, and her parents were sharecroppers. Sharecropping was not very different from slavery. Sharecroppers labored extremely hard on land that wasn't their own for barely any money. Coupled with the Jim Crow laws of the segregated South, life would have been very difficult for Alice Walker growing up. 
Along with the difficulties of being the youngest of eight children born into extreme poverty, Alice suffered a life-altering injury when she was eight years old. Her brother shot her in the eye with a BB gun. When the eye healed, it developed a whitish film of scar tissue. Alice was convinced she was horribly disfigured, and isolated herself from others. This is around the time she began writing. 
When Alice grew up, she left home to attend college. She grew in knowledge beyond that of her family, causing a divide between Alice and her father. Their relationship became estranged. 
In her short story, "Everyday Use," the character of Dee has suffered burns in a fire that disfigures her, which was surely influenced by Alice's early injury. In the story, Mama doesn't have an education past the second grade. Walker's own parents were uneducated, too. When Dee returns to her childhood home, she has clearly been educated and grown beyond the humble lifestyle of her family. This parallels Walker's own life. 
The quilts that are referenced in this story were part of Walker's life, also. She describes her mom as a quilter who taught her the craft. She describes the first quilt she worked on this way: 

"[The first quilt] I worked on [was] the In Love and Trouble quilt. And I did that one when I was living in Mississippi. It was during a period when we were wearing African-inspired dresses. So all the pieces are from dresses I actually wore."

This shows that the mention of Dee (Wangero's) African-inspired clothing in the story also has an autobiographical component. The quilt that Dee covets in the story also has autobiographical components.
Perhaps most importantly, "Everyday Use" is a story of a young girl who leaves her family in order to find out who she is in the world, and that mirrors Walker's own life.   

What warning does Chuchundra issue to Rikki?

Chuchundra, the sniveling, fearful muskrat who creeps around walls because he is too terrified to go into the center of a room, meets Rikki in the middle of the night. He insults Rikki by begging him not to kill him. He then insults him by suggesting that Nag might mistake Chuchundra for Rikki. He says, "Those who kill snakes get killed by snakes." He issues this warning to Rikki not to help keep Rikki safe but as a way of explaining why Rikki's presence gives him, Chuchundra, more reason to fear. 
Chuchundra starts to tell Rikki what Chua the rat told him--but breaks it off when he realizes he might be overheard by Nag. He says, "Nag is everywhere, Rikki-Tikki." Rikki threatens to bite Chuchundra to get him to talk. Even then, Chuchundra won't overtly reveal any information. But he does say, "Can't you hear, Rikki-Tikki?" This is enough of a clue for the clever mongoose. He listens carefully and can just make out the "faintest scratch-scratch" that lets him know that Nag is creeping into the bathroom of the bungalow. 
Although Chuchundra says what he says more in justification of his own fears than to help Rikki, his comments do serve as a warning to Rikki, and the muskrat does help Rikki locate the snake in the bungalow.

Why did a kidnapping seem a sure thing?

The whole idea of kidnapping little Johnny seems like a good idea for Bill and Sam. After all, they are fully grown men, career criminals no less, whereas Johnny is just a ten-year-old child. On the face of it, the two men should be smarter and stronger than a kid. His old man is a prominent citizen, someone with plenty of money. Kidnapping his son seems like an easy way to make a fast buck. With the money they can make from this caper, they can go on to fund an even more elaborate scam, one that will make them even more money. So all they need to do is kidnap the boy, hold him hostage, make a ransom demand, and then bingo—his old man will pay up and they will be rich. Of course, things do not quite go according to plan. And that's putting it mildly.

How do the setting and her daily life reinforce the idea expressed in the line "I am all longing" from "The Wife's Lament"?

When the speaker says, "I am all longing," she means something like: "The very existence of my being is yearning for that which I do not have." In other words, she is deeply unhappy; she does not have anything that she wants and seems to acknowledge that she never will.
This notion is reinforced in the setting of the poem which is "a woody grove, under an oak-tree" in a "earthen cave." The speaker tells us that her life underground reminds her of "all [her] friends" who "dwell in the dirt." In other words, all of her friends are dead, and being underground just reminds her of that disturbing fact.
Her daily life in the poem appears to revolve only around mourning. She tells us:

There I may sit a summer-long day,where I can weep for my exiled path,my many miseries—therefore I can neverrest from these my mind’s sorrowings

While some might argue that the speaker is being hyperbolic, her tone is quite seriousness. This is a women afflicted by severe melancholy, and she cannot seem to escape it. All of this reinforces the embodied language of "I am all longing."

"The Wife's Lament" is a mournful poem about a wife who has lost her husband and now lives in exile in the gloomy wilderness. The wife's longing—which may be for her husband, but since we learn that the husband might have abandoned her because of the influence of his family, it may instead be for the husband she thought she married—is a central part of the poem.
The wife was commanded by her husband to live in isolation in the woods, and she is now forced into a situation where she has few (if any) friends still alive and lives separated from the rest of the world. She believes that she is doomed to walk the "earth halls" for the rest of her days. All of this has caused an immense amount of sadness and woe in the wife, and understandably so. Her "longing" is wishing that everything could be different—that her husband would be with her and live with her in a place where they could be comfortable.
But there's another thing she longs for, too—the last stanza shows how the wife wishes the same emotions she is feeling on her husband, if he is still alive. She longs not only for him as a husband, but for him to suffer the same way she does because of what he's done. Perhaps the "lament" in the title is not merely the wife missing her husband—it's the idea that the wife can't know for sure if the husband will be punished for his actions against her.

The line "I am entirely longing—" from "The Wife's Lament" is reinforced by the circumstances and setting in which she lives.  Her husband, whom she loved and felt a great affinity for, has left her.  He has ordered her to stay behind and live in a cave in a grove, and she feels betrayed because they had pledged their undying love to one another. 
She is surrounded by the graves of former friends in a sort of wasteland. Every day she weeps because of her abandonment and isolation.  She thinks of her absent husband and reflects on the idea of people who are separated from the ones they love—she seems to express that she hopes that he is suffering, too. She has concluded that he has plotted against her.  She is "all longing" because she pines for what she does not have—and likely never has had. 

Was the emperor Constantine part of the Western Empire or the Eastern Empire?

Constantine was, in fact, among the first rulers of the Byzantine (East Roman) Empire, which is also known as the Byzantine Empire. The name "Byzantine" is a historical term and not one used in the time of Constantine, as during the time both "sides" thought of themselves as the Roman Empire. In 308 AD, the Roman Empire was split between the "Greek" East and "Latin" West--Constantine was appointed in the East. Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, also sometimes referred to as the East Roman Empire. It was founded by Constantine in 330 AD to centralize the empire. He was also the first Roman Emperor to popularize Christianity and to declare the Christian faith as the official faith of the Empire. 
However, a few chief differences separated Constantine's East Roman Empire (the Byzantines) from the Western Roman Empire. The biggest is that the Byzantines spoke Greek and had Greek stylings. In fact, the Eastern Roman Empire was sometimes referred to as "Imperium Graeocorum" ("Empire of the Greeks") by those in the west, whereas the Byzantines referred to themselves as Romans. 

How does Nick feel right before his report?

Nick is scheduled to make a report on the English language to the whole class. However, he doesn't have a title for it; in fact, he only makes one up on the spot after prompting from Mrs. Granger. And that is after he has actually started speaking. Before all this happens, poor Nick is not feeling too great. It's lunchtime on the day of the big report and it's fair to say he is dreading the prospect of standing up in front of the whole class and talking for what will doubtless seem like an eternity. He has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, so clearly he is incredibly nervous. His mood isn't helped by the state of his notes: they're all mixed up and don't seem to make much sense. That grand plan he'd conceived the previous night has gone by the board; it just seems impossible to realize now. So it's no wonder that Nick is not feeling very well.

What did Wart learn from his experience with Robin Hood?

This story comes from the first volume in T. H. White's The Once and Future King, "The Sword in the Stone." This volume tells of the childhood of King Arthur (also known as Wart), growing up with Kay and Sir Ector.
The adventure Wart has with Robin Hood comes just after Wart and Kay have a fistfight. Kay is an obnoxious boy who is always trying to prove that he is better than Wart, and Merlyn's attention to Wart has made Kay jealous. Wart has a very kind heart, and even after all the selfish things Kay has done, he still wants to show him kindness. During this adventure with Robin Hood, Wart works hard to repair his relationship with Kay, further developing his good character.
Wart is unhappy when put under Marian's authority but is soon amazed by her skill in navigating the forest. He learns that it is not only the men of Robin's company whom he must learn from, but he must also be willing to learn from this incredible woman.
This adventure gives Wart the opportunity to spend time with strong role models who exemplify the leadership traits Wart will need to be king, including Robin, Little John, and Marian. Robin Hood enlists Wart to help rescue people whom Morgan le Fay has taken prisoner. To rescue them, they must sneak into Morgan le Fay's castle, which is made of delicious foods they are warned not to eat. They discover the enchantress is a humongous, fat woman. This nemesis is contrasted with Robin and Marian, who are disciplined, hardworking, and courageous.

How would you explain the following quotation from Ayn Rand's Anthem? "To be free, a man must be free of his brothers."

A central theme of Anthem is that a person must live for himself and be an individual. The society that Ayn Rand sets up is one that focuses on brotherhood, unity, and conformity. It is the epitome of the collectivist society. Therefore, when Prometheus (formerly Equality 7-2521) discovers that he is in fact an individual, the only way to truly be free is to stop living for others. Rather than live his life in a job that was chosen for him for the supposed good of society (his brothers), he makes the decision to choose his own path and do what fulfills him as an individual, whether that benefits the “brotherhood” or not. Not only does he realize here that he does not need to live for his brothers, but he also realizes that he does not need to depend on them; he can be self-sufficient, and this, too, can give him freedom.  He says in Chapter 12:

I shall live here, in my own house. I shall take my food from the earth by the toil of my own hands. I shall learn many secrets from my books. Through the years ahead, I shall rebuild the achievements of the past, and open the way to carry them further, the achievements which are open to me, but closed forever to my brothers, for their minds are shackled to the weakest and dullest among them.

Now that he is no longer “shackled” to his brothers, Prometheus has discovered a power within him, as an individual, to live freely and in doing so to make his contribution to society without having to be told how to accomplish that.

What are some of Odysseus's beliefs?

Odysseus is very much a product of his time and place. He is a great king and noble warrior who unhesitatingly subscribes to the dominant ethos of aristocratic Greek males. Yet he does so with a much greater degree of conviction than mere ordinary mortals. For one thing, he is incredibly loyal: to his wife, Penelope; to his kingdom; to his honor; and to the gods.
Loyalty is very important indeed to Odysseus, and he expects the same in return. When it isn't forthcoming, as for example with the suitors and the treacherous maidservants, then revenge is swift and bloody. Odysseus's slaughter of the suitors and Telemachus's hanging of the maidservants represent a defense of the prevailing moral code and the overriding importance of loyalty to one's king and master in ancient Greek society.
Self-control is another of Odysseus's guiding principles. When the beautiful Sirens try to tempt him off course, he orders his men to tie him firmly to the ship's mast so that he won't fall prey to their sweet, bewitching song. When he finally returns home to Ithaca, he takes on the disguise of a beggar and endures kicks and insults from the unfortunate Melanthius and the suitors. But Odysseus bides his time. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and his will have ice crystals all over it.
Talking of which, there's little doubt that Odysseus has a passionate belief in the power of vengeance. Some of us may be a little shocked by the sheer carnage that Odysseus unleashes upon those who've crossed him. But there is method to his apparent madness. Odysseus is a king, don't forget; his is the sole power and authority on Ithaca. So when, for example, the suitors take over his palace, pay court to his wife and later insult Odysseus, they are effectively attacking his throne. This isn't personal for Odysseus; he isn't like Achilles in this regard. His vengeance, though terrible, is totally in keeping with what any aggrieved Greek monarch of the time would demand.
And Ithaca is Odysseus's home. This is where his heart lies. At no point during his epic wanderings does Odysseus ever once consider not returning home to his kingdom. A sense of place and belonging was important for the ancient Greeks, perhaps more so than for us today. Despite their ceaseless journeys and sea voyages, Greeks were firmly rooted to the land of their ancestors. There was no sense of rampant individualism; one's identity was inextricably linked to the role one performed in society. Odysseus's role, as we have seen, is that of king. By returning to Ithaca, his beloved homeland, he has not just reaffirmed his kingship, but also recovered his true identity.

What is the main conflict?

The main conflict in "The Train from Rhodesia" is the tension that exists between social classes. The train itself pulls up to a poor village next to the train station. The train is full of wealthy white people, and the village is full of poor natives.
As the train sits in the station, the villagers desperately try to sell their handicrafts to the people on the train. The train itself emphasizes this divide, as the villagers never get on the train, but simply run up and down beside it. The text says "all up and down the length of the train in the dust the artists sprang, walking bent, like performing animals, the better to exhibit the fantasy held towards the faces on the train" (Gordimer). The people in the village can smell the food being cooked in the train, although the people in the village are starving. The people in the village desperately try to sell their goods and make a living, while the people on the train are only thinking of getting a bargain (although they can certainly afford the wares being offered).
The story focuses on one interaction in particular, that of a young woman considering buying a wooden lion from an old man. She concludes that she doesn't need the trinket and that it is too expensive. She also thinks about how absurd the lion would look once she takes it out of its own context and tries to find a place for it in her foreign home. Her husband, however, runs back and buys the lion at the last minute for a drastically reduced price.
The woman in the story is starting to recognize the class conflict, and these actions from her husband make her feel ashamed and uncomfortable. After her husband buys the lion, she exclaims "If you want the thing, she said, her voice rising and breaking with the shrill impotence of anger, why didn’t you buy it in the first place? If you wanted it, why didn’t you pay for it? Why didn’t you take it decently, when he offered it? Why did you have to wait for him to run after the train with it, and give him one-and-six? One and six!" (Gordimer).The woman in the story is starting to realize how terrible and absurd the situation is. She feels uncomfortable with the fact that for her, she and her husband are just haggling for a useless trinket, while for the old man each penny could represent the difference between life and death.
The woman struggles with her own internal conflict about these feelings, and the larger conflict for everyone is the drastic divide in social class.

What are the poetic techniques/literary devices in Robert Frost's poem "Gathering Leaves"?

The regular rhythm and simple structure of this poem, based on four-line stanzas, is suited to its topic: the simple activity of shoveling "mountains" of dried leaves. The poem's regularity echoes the regularity, and the relentlessness, of the speaker's action as his spade, "no better than spoons," fills "bags full of leaves."
The figurative language and imagery in this poem are simple, too. The bags full of leaves are "light as balloons," an evocative simile which gives a sense of weightlessness. The noise of the shoveler's "rustling" is likened to the sound of "rabbit and deer running away." Meanwhile, the metaphorical "mountains" of the shovelled leaves are described "flowing over my arms / And into my face," a vivid sensory image which again allows the reader to feel the elusive leaves touching skin.
The weightlessness of the leaves is a key focus in this poem. The phrase "Next to nothing" is repeated, an example of anaphora, to emphasize that the leaves have no "weight," "color," or "use," and yet their volume could "fill the whole shed." The poem ends with a rhetorical question, asking where "the harvest shall stop?" The implication here is that the shoveling of leaves is a task which seems to go on forever with no end in sight.

How is the poem “We Wear the Mask” still relevant?

While Paul Laurence Dunbar's moving lyric poem reflects the conditions of Jim Crow (1877-1950s) under which Dunbar and others of his race were forced to live, its message is by no means outdated. Sadly, there is still racial bias, a bias that at times often extends to other races and social groups. There is religious bias and social bias, as well. Indeed, the message of this poem, especially that in the first stanza, extends beyond color and time as it expresses the need that many feel for social dissembling. 

We wear the mask that grins and lies,It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—This debt we pay to human guile;With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,And mouth with myriad subtleties.

This first verse, therefore, can apply to the different social disguises that people must wear. Often people who do not share the same religious beliefs, political beliefs, or personal beliefs are met with anger, hatred, job-threatening situations, or sometimes even life-threatening situations. So, these people must pretend that they adhere to the conventional wisdom of those around them, or they may suffer adverse consequences. 

Bob walked 7.00 meters West, turned 25.0 degrees toward South, and then continued 9.00 meters. What is the direction of his displacement?

To find the direction of displacement, you start by plotting the steps Bob has walked. After going 7 meters west, he turned 25 degrees south, so you must put that angle in his path. Then, he continued 9 meters. His displacement is simply the difference between his initial position and his final position, so we can treat it as a single scalar, the green line.
Now, calculate the displacement in the x-axis and y-axis directions using cosine and sine. In this case, you get 3.80 meters in the negative y direction (from 3.8=9arccos(25)) and 15.15 meters in the negative x direction (from 7+9arcsin(25)).
Recall the tangent function, tan(theta)=y/x . We already have the x and y components, so we can reconstruct the scalar with theta=arctan(3.80/15.15). Theta is then simply 14 Deg.
This gives us the direction relative to the negative x axis, in the counterclockwise direction. There are then a few ways of writing the answer:
256 degrees
14 degrees south of west
194 degrees counterclockwise from the x axis
All of these are correct.

Compare "Salvation" by Langston Hughes, "Mrs. Flowers" by Maya Angelou, and the article "What Suffering Does" by David Brooks. What impact happened in their life?

These are three very different writings, and it is interesting to compare them. Each writer discloses details about events of human suffering, either personal or observed. Langston Hughes writes about the loss of innocence in his essay entitled "Salvation." Maya Angelou writes about the impact of a respected mentor in getting back her voice after a childhood trauma in her autobiography entitled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. David Brooks writes about the impact that suffering can have on a person and argues it is often an ennobling experience. 
Maya Angelou was a highly acclaimed author and poet. In her childhood, when she was eight years old, she became mute for five years. This was selective mutism and was based on a childhood trauma. She was raped by her mother's boyfriend and then had to testify against him in court. He was convicted but released from jail, and he was dead four days later. Young Maya believed her voice had killed him. In the excerpt from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings entitled "Mrs. Flowers," Maya writes about a woman from her hometown of Stamps whom she greatly respected and admired. Mrs. Flowers, called Sister Flowers by Maya's mother, serves as a mentor and role model to young Maya and helps her find her voice again. A quote from Mrs. Flowers that resonated with Maya Angelou is contained below: 

“Now no one is going to make you talk—possibly no one can. But bear in mind, language is man’s way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals.” That was a totally new idea to me, and I would need time to think about it. “Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That’s good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.” 

Langston Hughes was an American poet, playwright, author, and a prominent voice of the Harlem Renaissance. In his essay entitled "Salvation," he writes about his experience attending his Aunt Reed's church and finding salvation. He was thirteen when he had the experience of attending the church, which sought to convert him to Christianity by the experience of being born again. He was told that there would be a light and that Jesus would come into his life. He was told that he would see and feel things to prove he'd been saved. He was placed on the mourner's bench along with other children while the church members prayed and cried over them. He sat for a long time because he didn't feel anything. When he was the last on the bench and felt the pressure of holding everyone back from going home, he claimed to have an experience he didn't actually have. 

"Then I was left all alone on the mourners' bench. My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and song swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices. And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting--but he didn't come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me. Nothing! I wanted something to happen to me, but nothing happened.I heard the songs and the minister saying: 'Why don't you come? My dear child, why don't you come to Jesus? Jesus is waiting for you. He wants you. Why don't you come? Sister Reed, what is this child's name?'
'Langston,' my aunt sobbed.'Langston, why don't you come? Why don't you come and be saved? Oh, Lamb of God! Why don't you come?'Now it was really getting late. I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long. I began to wonder what God thought about Westley, who certainly hadn't seen Jesus either, but who was now sitting proudly on the platform, swinging his knickerbockered legs and grinning down at me, surrounded by deacons and old women on their knees praying. God had not struck Westley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying in the temple. So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I'd better lie, too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved."

After this, he cries at home because he lied and deceived the church members, and because Jesus didn't come to him, so he no longer believed in him. It is a loss of childhood innocence and faith for him. 
David Brooks is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. He is the author of a book entitled The Road to Character. He has become something of an expert on morality and religion. He says:

“I think there is some allergy our culture has toward moral judgment of any kind,” he reflects. “There is a big relativistic strain through our society that if it feels good for you, then who am I to judge? I think that is fundamentally wrong, and I’d rather take the hits for being a moralizer than to have a public square where there’s no moral thought going on.” 

In his op-ed piece entitled "What Suffering Does," he explores the depth of character that often follows a tragedy. He notes the self-sacrifice that some people express following deep suffering. He cites, as an example, parents who have experienced the loss of a child, and then go on to create foundations in order to selflessly help others in need. On suffering, David Brooks writes as an observer of human nature and shows that in a culture that promotes happiness as its highest value, it is often suffering that brings out the best in human nature. Other than a divorce, I was unable to find any personal tragedy connected to David Brooks. 
All three authors write about personal experience with significant events that change a person's character, some for the good, others for the worse.  

Which characters symbolize the refusal to sacrifice personal integrity?

The three main characters that symbolize the refusal to sacrifice personal integrity are Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor. These three characters challenge the corrupt Salem court and pay the ultimate price in order to maintain their personal integrity. After being arrested and charged with contempt of court, Giles Corey is sentenced to death by pressing. However, Giles Corey refuses to offer a false confession to save his life as heavier stones are laid on his body. Giles is aware that if he were to confess to being involved in witchcraft, his sons would not inherit his land, which is one reason he maintains his personal integrity while he is being executed.
Both Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor also refuse to offer false confessions to appease Salem's authority figures. They both end up being hanged and die as martyrs in order to maintain their personal integrity. After John tears up his confession in the hopes that his execution will undermine the corrupt court, John finds redemption by maintaining his personal integrity and says,

"You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dog." (Miller, 144)

1) Is there room for progressive education within a world of high-stakes testing? Are our schools setting high standards for our students? 2) Will having high standards just prepare our kids to fail?

There is room for progressive schools in a world where high-stakes testing exists. While it may be easier to accomplish this in private schools, which are not required to give so many high-stakes tests, there are options available in public schools that are considered progressive.
In public schools, there are ways to still provide progressive education. In the Winnetka School District, students do not receive letter grades until they are in seventh grade. Instead, these students receive a written summary of their progress. At Mission Hill School in Boston, the school only gives one mandated test and refuses to give additional tests. In order to get federal money, the school gives the minimum amount of tests required, which is one test.
Progressive educators believe in accountability. They believe it can best be achieved by not giving tests that require students to fill in computer-graded answer sheets.
All educators want to have high standards for students. A growing number of educators believe that high-stakes testing and high standards do not go together. Students can be held to high standards without having to take so many standardized tests. Utilizing hands-on learning, learning by doing, problem-solving, and stressing skill development instead of content are ways to promote high standards without high-stakes tests. Having high standards does not mean that students are being set up to fail.
Progressive schools can still exist in a world with high-stakes testing.
https://www.salon.com/2015/03/28/were_educating_our_kids_all_wrong_the_progressive_argument_against_standardized_test_mania/

Why were American settlers so eager to head west?

There are many reasons as to why settlers gradually began to expand to the west. With ideas like Manifest Destiny (which, so the pioneers thought, was a God-given right to the land), settlers had no moral objections to claiming the land as their own. As to why they wanted to move, the primary reason was to look for a better life.
As the Eastern cities that worked as ports to the sea became crowded, available jobs and farmland became scarce. As a consequence, the west began to be explored; since the land there was widely unsettled, it became a prosperous area for people to begin a new, individual life. The land, having not been industrialized, was largely untouched. The largely competitive nature of the condensed cities often led to financial difficulties, so the opportunity to expand west and "live off the land," so to speak, quickly became popular. Of course, once the great value of the land and its natural resources became known, more and more people began to expand west, and before too long the west, too, became industrialized and heavily populated.

In what ways are class struggles present in Dracula?

One possible example of class struggle in Dracula comes in Bram Stoker's portrayal of Lucy and Mina. Lucy is a privileged young lady from a wealthy, socially-prominent family. She is the first of Dracula's victims, and remains a slave to his sickness before eventually passing away. After a long struggle with the consequences of Dracula's bite, she is vanquished as a vampire.
Mina, on the other hand, comes from a somewhat humbler background. She's a proud, intelligent woman who's worked for everything she has. Thanks to Van Helsing, Mina does not succumb to Dracula's evil. Like Lucy, the blood of Dracula courses through her veins, but thankfully his wicked curse is broken. It's as if Mina has escaped Lucy's fate on account of her greater humility, a character-trait directly related to her middle-class origins. It's instructive that a number of other privileged characters in the book die fairly sudden deaths, such as Lucy's mother, Mr. Hawkins, and Arthur's father. In Mina's survival, we see the triumph of the emerging Victorian middle-class.

What was particular about the way Squealer spoke to the animals in Animal Farm?

To understand Squealer's particularity in speech, one should understand his character and also his role and position within the context of the novel.
Firstly, as a pig, Squealer was in a privileged position after the Rebellion - he, just as much as the others of his ilk, took advantage when they were put in leadership positions. Obviously, once they had become accustomed to their new lifestyle, they had to protect it. In this, Squealer became the ideal tool to manipulate, mislead and deceive the other animals in order to propagate and defend their position. It is clear that he was ideally suited for this purpose as he had the skill and persuasive charm to persuade the other animals.
Orwell describes Squealer as follows:

The best known among them was a small fat pig named Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice. He was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.

It is evident from the above that Squealer thoroughly enjoyed his duty as propagandist. The fact that he skipped from side to side whilst whisking his tail made him seem much more persuasive. It is clear that these actions do not only indicate his pleasure but are also used as a distraction. One should understand that, since the general animal populace on the farm are not very intelligent, they cannot be assumed to be the most attentive of listeners and would easily be drawn to Squealer's clearly visible actions than to what he is actually saying.
Added to that, Squealer purposely uses somewhat high-handed and especially emotive language when addressing the animals. The effect is that the animals would not question what he says since it sounds intelligent and reasonable. Evidence of this is found in his speech about the disappearing milk and the windfall apples:

“Comrades!” he cried. “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades,” cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, “surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?”

Squealer uses specific persuasive language techniques: so-called factual evidence (Science); empathy (for YOUR sake); rhetorical questions - (You do not imagine...? Surely..? Do you know...?).
To add impact, Squealer adopts an almost pleading tone and uses his signature charming technique of 'skipping from side to side and whisking his tail.' With such a clever orator addressing them, the poor animals don't stand a chance. Squealer's voice goes practically unchallenged. He is only doubted and questioned by Boxer twice in the entire novel, but that is a different story.
 

Animal Farm is intended to be an allegory of the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R), the now-defunct superpower that, at its zenith, was the world's largest "Communist" state. I use quotation marks around Communism because, in all honesty, the Communism that has taken hold in governments bears little semblance to the idea that Karl Marx put forth in The Communist Manifesto. Communism was characterized by a tight control on information that was disseminated; should something not adhere to or follow the party line, then it was quashed.
The way Squealer spoke to the animals was meant to evoke the imagery of the Soviet-controlled media, the newspaper Pravda in particular. The news Pravda reported had a very strongly pro-government slant overall, skewing basic facts in support of the government and outright distorting if there was no way to make the facts work. Squealer's aim was to twist everything that the pigs did to make it seem like they were adhering to "Animalism", the Communism-like manifesto that drove the actions of the animals in overthrowing the previous tenants of Manor Farm, and also to rewrite the seven core axioms in order to further support their position.
Truth was, in effect, what the government said it was. The acquiescence of the animals to this reflects the state of the U.S.S.R. back when the book would have been written (immediately after World War II), when questioning the government line could easily have been fatal.

What is Shakespeare trying to teach readers about love in this play?

Love is a central theme in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare describes four kinds of love in this play.
Forbidden love is demonstrated between Hermia and Lysander. Hermia chooses a life on the run with her lover so that she is not forced to marry a man she does not love. In this play and others, Shakespeare seems to suggest that forbidden love is one of the deepest forms of love, as his characters tend to choose extreme consequences in order to achieve it.
Unrealized love exists in Helena's infatuation with Demetrious. She is very taken with the young man, but he only has eyes for Hermia. Helena chases after him through the forest desperate for his attention—though this attention is only returned thanks to a love potion.
Jealous love is displayed between the faerie king and queen, Oberon and Titania. Oberon is jealous of the attention that his queen displays for her adopted changeling son. He demands that she pay attention to him alone. When she refuses, Oberon concocts a scheme to embarrass his wife. They eventually make amends, but it seems that this rivalry is a hallmark of their love.
There is also chaotic love. Cupid really is blind in this play, and his potion causes a number of mix-ups. When Titania falls in love with the donkey-headed Bottom, she probably does not truly love him. However, her infatuation can be seen as symbolic that love often seems to make little sense.
Overall, Shakespeare is trying to teach his audience that love can take many forms and that it has the great potential to lead to trouble. That he wrote Romeo and Juliet at the same time as A Midsummer Night's Dream might be indicative that he was interested in the misadventures of love at the time. As Lysander says in act 1, scene 1, "The course of true love never did run smooth."

Midsummer's Eve is a celebration of the shortest night of the year and is often commemorated by letting loose under the moon while the short night lasts. The moon, or luna, represents lunacy. Therefore, throughout this comic play, Shakespeare celebrates the craziness or lunacy of love, a fit theme for Midsummer's Eve. He is teaching us not to apply rational standards to love: love runs according to its own unpredictable illogic.
Shakespeare covers more than one facet of love's lunacy or illogic. Titania, queen of the fairies, falls in love with Bottom, a lower-class man whose head has been turned into an ass's head. She moons over him and decorates his head with flowers. Helena chases Demetrius into the woods although he spurns her, insisting she will put up with his abuse just to be near him. Demetrius persists in pursuing Hermia, although she has made it clear she loves Lysander. Then, when a love potion puts both Demetrius and Lysander in love with Helena, showing love's fickleness, the play gets truly crazy. As Puck says, though it could apply to the fairies as well:

Lord, what fools these mortals be

One of the famous lines in A Midsummer Night's Dream says, "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." This is, essentially, what Shakespeare is trying to say about love.
The juice that Puck and Oberon apply to the eyes of Demetrius, Lysander, and Titania causes them each to fall in love with the first thing that they see. We know that Demetrius and Lysander love Hermia, not Helena, just as we know that Titania would not love Bottom in her normal state. Shakespeare is telling us that love that looks with the eyes is not real love, and the only real love is between minds. When the juice is removed from Lysander and Titania's eyes, they immediately fall back in love with Hermia and Oberon because their eyes are no longer dictating their feelings.

Would organisms who are unable to adapt to recurring environmental changes be more likely to reproduce more, reproduce less, or have difficulty surviving?

Organisms who are unable to adapt to recurring or persistent change in the environment would most likely have difficulty surviving as individuals as well as on the species level. That being said, every species and environment is difficult, so survival strategies may differ.
Organisms who cannot adapt to recurring or persistent environmental change are likely to experience a high degree of physical stress due to lack of food and water, problems with thermal regulation, or access to shelter. Such stress may induce an increase or decrease in attempts to procreate depending on that organism's typical behaviors, but females who are under high stress are not likely to produce viable offspring. Since the problem is with adaptation, any viable offspring are even less likely than their parents to successfully reproduce in the wake of recurring or persistent change. 
Let's consider a very real problem threatening many organisms today: global climate change. We are in a period of global warming caused by human activity that is resulting in an increase in global temperatures that is far more rapid than anything ever experienced before. Evolution naturally occurs over many thousands and millions of years of gradual change in response to environmental pressures. A very slow change in temperature--say, one degree warmer or cooler every thousand years--would give species plenty of time to adapt to this change. The rate at which global warming is currently occurring is too fast for a significant number of organisms to keep up, and those which can't adapt are likely to go extinct. Species like the Golden Toad (Bufo periglenes) have already gone extinct because they cannot adapt rapidly enough to survive in a warmer climate. Many more species are endangered or threatened by the prospect of global warming, either directly due to temperature, or indirectly through loss of habitat and food sources.
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/4/140331-global-warming-climate-change-ipcc-animals-science-environment/

In "The Luncheon" by S. Maugham how does the author in subtle ways try to dissuade the lady from ordering more delicacies?

The narrator tries to dissuade the woman from ordering more delicacies by saying certain things to subtly influence her behavior. He also orders the cheapest item on the menu and requests only water for drinking.
After the woman orders caviar and salmon, the narrator begins to understand that he must drop more subtle hints. In response to the woman's comment that she never drinks for lunch, the narrator says that he doesn't either. However, this does nothing to dissuade his guest. She proceeds to ask for champagne, and the narrator grudgingly orders half a bottle for her. He also tells her, in no uncertain terms, that his doctor has forbidden him to drink champagne.
Later, when the waiter returns with the menu, the narrator tries again. This time, he emphatically says that he will only eat one thing. However, the woman chooses to ignore this hint. She proceeds to ask for asparagus, which is an expensive dish at the restaurant. In the end, the cost of the luncheon leaves the narrator virtually penniless for the rest of the month.
So, the narrator does use subtle means to dissuade the woman from ordering more delicacies. First, he orders only water. Then, he tells her that his doctor will not allow him to drink champagne. Later, he only orders one thing from the menu. He also does not order any of the delicacies the woman picks for herself. However, his subtle ways have little influence on his guest.

What role do women have in this book?

Ovid's Metamorphoses is an epic narrative poem. Since the poem includes fifteen books and a wide cast of over two hundred characters, it's tricky to generalize about the role of women. But we can certainly point out a few overarching themes.
Objects of desire (and victims of violence)
Throughout the text, women are objects of male desire, whether they want to be or not. In fact, women spend a lot of time trying to escape men or defer their advances, often unsuccessfully. Jupiter, the king of the gods, is lustful and aggressive, and he rapes many women in the poem, like Io and Europa. Apollo tries to rape Daphne, and he kills his lover Coronis in a fit of passion. Dis rapes Proserpina. The list goes on.
Mothers
One of the most important roles that women play in the poem is as mothers of other important characters. Fertility and reproduction are key values here. Venus, for instance, gives birth to Cupid and Aeneas. Thetis is the mother of Achilles.
Symbols of wisdom and strength
Some women in the story get to do something other than reproduce or run from the men who are trying to pursue them. Minerva, for instance, is the goddess of war, art, science, and wisdom, and she is the designated protector of Athens.
Catalysts of revenge
Revenge is a major theme in the Metamorphoses. This is best embodied in the Furies, three sisters who are actually goddesses of revenge. But many female characters act in revenge in the story, shaping the course of the narrative. Juno is always trying to find and punish her husband's lovers; Diana turns Actaeon into a deer as revenge for the fact that he saw her naked; Minerva turns her rival, Arachne, into a spider; and so on.

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 3, 3.2, Section 3.2, Problem 50

Given f(x)=x^4-2x^3+x^2 on the interval [0,6]:
(1) This is a quartic polynomial with positive leading coefficient so its end behavior is the same as a parabola opening up.
(2) f(0)=0 and f(6)=900. Since the function is everywhere continuous and infinitely differentiable everywhere, the Mean Value theorem guarantees the existence of a c in the interval such that the slope of the tangent line at c is the same as the slope of the secant line through the endpoints of the interval.
The slope of the secant line: m=(900-0)/(6-0)=150
The equation of the secant line is y=150x
(3) The derivative of f is 4x^3-6x^2+2x . We set this equal to 150:
x~~3.8721 so y~~123.678 and the equation of the tangent line is:
y-123.678=150(x-3.8721)
The graph of the function, the secant line, and the tangent line:

How do you think Herman E. Calloway and Jimmy feel when they hear Bud’s announcement?

I believe this question is asking about the announcement that Bud makes at the end of chapter 12. This is the point in the book that Bud finally states that he believes that Herman E. Calloway is his father.

Ah the men looked over at the drummer. He stopped tapping.
He said, "Awww, man. Look, this child ain't no kin of mine. What's your momma's name, boy?"
I said, "You ain't my daddy." I pointed right at Herman E. Calloway's big belly. "You know it's you." All the eyes jumped over on Herman E. Calloway. He quit smiling and looked at me a lot harder, like he was really noticing me.

Both Jimmy and Calloway are feeling shocked and incredulous. They simply can't believe that a boy would walk in, believing the Calloway was his father. Either that, or they can't believe the boy actually believes that he can sell the story. Near the beginning of chapter 13, Jimmy makes it really clear that Calloway simply cannot be Bud's father.

Bud, you got to understand Mr. Calloway here can't be your daddy, no how, no way, nuh-uh. I don't know what gave you that idea, but whatever, we've got to get you back home.

Calloway may come across as gruff and rude, but the statement is a testament to the man's character. The band members know without a doubt that Calloway is not the kind of guy to father illegitimate children and/or walk away from his responsibilities. For Calloway's part, he knows Bud is wrong, and he doesn't feel the need to entertain Bud any longer.
It is possible that the announcement that the question is asking about is Bud's announcement about his mother's name.

I screamed at him, "Angela, sir." I was so mad that I hadn't meant to say "sir" but it came out anyway. "Her name is Angela Janet Caldwell."
Mr. Jimmy said, "Lord have mercy... ."
Herman E. Calloway's pipe dropped out of his mouth and he stumbled and fumbled into Grand Calloway Station, feeling his way like he'd been struck blind.

Jimmy and Calloway still feel incredulous at this point, and they are probably still filled with disbelief; however, it is disbelief that the truth is what it actually is. Bud is Calloway's grandson from his long lost daughter. There is probably a confusing mix of sadness, grief, regret, joy, and relief all going through Calloway's mind, as well as everybody else's mind in the band.

What happens at the end of They Cage the Animals at Night?

The story ends with Jennings reuniting with his father, Sal. The events that lead to this reunion are as follows:
At the juvenile home in Yonkers, Jennings suffers terrible abuse at the hands of Mrs. Abbott. After discovering Jennings has wet his bed, Mrs. Abbott punishes him cruelly. She makes him strip and orders him to stand on a table in the cold playroom for an entire night. In the morning, Mrs. Abbott makes him expose his naked body to the rest of the children. She then proceeds to whip him on the front and back of his body. Mrs. Abbott makes the other children watch as she whips the defenseless Jennings.
Jennings eventually flees the home. He hides in a nearby zoo and is picked up by Officer Daily. The officer takes Jennings to the police station, and another officer tells him he will have to go to a juvenile home. However, Officer Daily decides to take Jennings home with him. There, the officer's wife, Mrs. Daily, gives Jennings a much needed bath and makes him something to eat. The couple argues about keeping Jennings with them, instead of sending him to another juvenile home. Mrs. Daily worries this could mean the loss of Officer Daily's job. 
Jennings overhears their conversation and decides to leave. He does not want his benefactors to suffer negative consequences for protecting him. So, after Officer and Mrs. Daily fall asleep, Jennings leaves with his stuffed pet, Doggie. Jennings and Doggie return to the zoo. It is not long, however, before Jennings hears his name being called. When he discovers the voice belongs to his father, Sal, Jennings is overjoyed. The story ends with an emotional reunion between father and son.

What were the outcomes of Adolf Hitler’s failed bid for presidency?

In 1932, the presidential election was held in accordance with the Weimar Constitution, the law that created the first parliamentary democracy in Germany. After two rounds of election, Hitler lost the campaign to Hindenburg, the incumbent German president.
Nevertheless, the Nazi party gained much public support through the campaign and became the largest party in the parliament. With the Nazi party’s political influence, Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in January 1933. In February 1933, the Reichstag (German Parliament) building was set on fire and the communists were held responsible for it. Hitler took advantage of this opportunity to suppress the German Communist Party. In March 1933, Hitler’s proposal of the Enabling Act was passed in a parliamentary vote. The Enabling Act allowed Hitler’s cabinet to enact laws without consent of the Reichstag, and the laws could deviate from the constitution.
Having achieved full control over the parliament, Hitler launched activities to suppress the remaining opposition. The Social Democratic Party and the National People’s Party were both dismissed. In July 1933, the Nazi Party was declared the only political party in Germany. In August 1934, the elderly Hindenburg passed away, and Hitler thus became top leader of Germany.

What is good about Mr. Avery?

Mr. Avery is a minor character, showing up sporadically throughout To Kill a Mockingbird and usually not involved in overly important scenes. However, many of the scenes he is involved with add humor to the text. One of these memorable scenes where we see Mr. Avery is early in chapter 6, When Scout and Jem are going to sit with Dill by Miss Rachel's fish pond. The kids are spending their final evening with Dill before he has to return to his home (since summer has come to an end), and Scout asks,

"Reckon we better watch for Mr. Avery?" (chapter 6). 

Since nothing overly interesting typically happens in small-town Maycomb, the kids look for entertainment in simple things like watching Mr. Avery, who is known to sit "on the porch every night until nine o'clock and sneeze" (chapter 6). But this night, when they look over at his porch, they notice an

"arc of water descending from the leaves and splashing in the yellow circle of the street light, some ten feet from source to earth, it seemed to us" (chapter 6).

The source of the water is explained as Dill comments that "he must drink a gallon a day," and the two boys begin a contest "to determine relative distances and respective prowess" that leaves Scout feeling "left out again, as [she] was untalented in this area" (chapter 6).
While this scene is humorous, it shows how uneventful Mr. Avery's daily life is. The most exciting things the kids witness him do are relieve himself and sneeze. (But, their town isn't an overly exciting place at this time in the novel, and they choose to watch him sneezing on his porch.) Mr. Avery simply lives a pretty boring life. That is, until Miss Maudie's house catches on fire:

"Whose is it?"
"Miss Maudie's, hon," said Atticus gently.
At the front door, we saw fire spewing from Miss Maudie's dining-room windows. As if to confirm what we saw, the town fire siren wailed up the scale to a treble pitch and remained there, screaming. (Chapter 8)

Here, in a moment of town drama, Mr. Avery joins many other men to help salvage Miss Maudie's belongings:

The men of Maycomb, in all degrees of dress and undress, took furniture from Miss Maudie's house to a yard across the street. I saw Atticus carrying Miss Maudie's heavy oak rocking chair, and thought it sensible of him to save what she valued most.
Sometimes we heard shouts. Then Mr. Avery's face appeared in an upstairs window. He pushed a mattress out the window into the street and threw down furniture until men shouted, "Come down from there. Dick! The stairs are going! Get outta there, Mr. Avery!" (Chapter 8)

In this moment of danger, Mr. Avery risks his life to help Miss Maudie save her possessions from the fire. He proves a town hero, staying in the burning house after the other men have left and until the staircase begins to crumble. As he climbs out the upstairs window, his large body gets stuck in a window, causing the town to grow fearful, but soon later he gets free and is able to get himself out of the building safely.
Though Mr. Avery is not the most significant or interesting character in the novel, his willingness to help Miss Maudie in her time of great need shows his goodness and concern for others.
https://education.seattlepi.com/mr-avery-redeems-him-character-to-kill-mockingbird-5630.html

What happens during the three days of the chase in "The Most Dangerous Game"?

During the three days of the dangerous game created by General Zaroff, who is the hunter and Sanger Rainsford the prey, Rainsford learns what it is to be "a beast at bay."

"You'll find this game worth playing," the general said enthusiastically." Your brain against mine. ....Your strength and stamina against mine. Outdoor chess! And the stake is not without value, eh?"

Day One
At first Rainsford races in fear; then, he gets control of himself. Working under the metaphor of a chess game, Sanger Rainsford summons his expertise as a tracker as he weaves his way through the forest, covering his tracks and creating diversions meant to slow down Zaroff. When night falls, he climbs into a large joint of a thick, huge tree. Rainsford stretches out upon one of the broad limbs, trying to rest his weary body and strained mind. Reasoning that only the devil could follow his tracks, Rainsford suddenly worries that Zaroff may, indeed, be a devil.Toward dawn, Rainsford hears someone moving through the bush, so he flattens himself as much as possible against the branch. It is Zaroff, who has trailed him to the tree. He stops and his eyes work their way up the tree. Zaroff, then lights a cigarette. 

Very deliberately he blew a smoke ring into the air; then he turned his back on the tree and walked carelessly away, back along the trail he had come. 

Rainsford realizes that General Zaroff is saving him for another day.
Day Two
Resolved not to lose his nerve, Rainsford hurries through the undergrowth until he is about three hundred yards from the tree and forms a trap to catch Zaroff. But, with the sureness of a bloodhound, Zaroff follows close behind. When he reaches the trap, the general stops, but he is not quite quick enough. 

...the dead tree, delicately adjusted to rest on the cut living one, crashed down and struck the general a glancing blow on the shoulder as it fell; but for his alertness, he must have been smashed beneath it.

General Zaroff compliments Rainsford, "Not many men know how to make a Malay mancatcher." Then, he says that his shoulder has been injured, and he is returning to his chateau to have his wounds dressed.
Rainsford pushes on and finds himself temporarily stuck in a mire. Then, he realizes that he can build a Burmese tiger trap there. After completing this deadly trap that is set to impale its victim, he waits. After a while he hears swift movement through the underbrush and one of the general's dogs falls into this trap. Again the general congratulates Rainsford for "an amusing evening."  He promises to return with the pack of dogs.
Day Three
At daybreak Rainsford hears the baying of hounds; he knows there is nothing to do but try to flee them.

Across a cove he could see the gloomy gray stone of the chateau. Twenty feet below him the sea rumbled and hissed. Rainsford hesitated. He heard the hounds. Then he leaped far out into the sea. . . . 

That night the general enjoys a delicious meal. Before he retires to his bedroom, he consoles his hounds, "Better luck next time." When he enters his bed chamber, Rainsford emerges from behind the curtains. Shocked, the general asks him how he has entered the chateau and his room. "Swam," Rainsford responds. General Zaroff congratulates Rainsford, "You have won the game."

Rainsford did not smile. "I am still a beast at bay," he said, in a low, hoarse voice. "Get ready, General Zaroff."

Rainsford defeats his enemy and sleeps in his bed that night.

Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 3, 3.4, Section 3.4, Problem 16

Illustrate the linear inequality $4x - 5y > 20$ in two variables.

To graph $4x - 5y > 20$ we must graph the boundary line $4x - 5y = 20$ first. To do this, we need to find the
intercepts of the line

$x$-intercept (set $y = 0$):

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
4x - 5(0) &= 20 \\
\\
4x &= 20 \\
\\
x &= 5
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


$y$-intercept (set $x = 0$):

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
4(0) - 5y &= 20 \\
\\
-5y &= 20 \\
\\
y &= - 4
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Now, by using test point. Let's say point $(4,-3)$ from the right of the boundary line.

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
4x - 5y &> 20\\
\\
4(4) -5(-3) &> 20\\
\\
16 + 15 &> 20 \\
\\
31 &> 20
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Since the inequality symbol is $ > $, then the boundary line must be dashed.
Moreover, since the test point satisfy the inequality, then we must shade the right
portion of the boundary line. So the graph is,

int 2/(9x^2-1) dx Use partial fractions to find the indefinite integral

int 2/(9x^2-1)
To solve using partial fraction method, the denominator of the integrand should be factored.
2/(9x^2-1) = 2/((3x-1)(3x+1))
Then, express it as sum of fractions.
2/((3x-1)(3x+1))=A/(3x-1)+B/(3x+1)
To solve for the values of A and B, multiply both sides by the LCD of the fractions present.
(3x-1)(3x+1)*2/((3x-1)(3x+1))=(A/(3x-1)+B/(3x+1))*(3x-1)(3x+1)
2 = A(3x+1) + B(3x-1)
Then, assign values to x in which either (3x+1) or (3x-1) will become zero.
So plug-in x=1/3 to get the value of A.
2=A(3*1/3+1) +B(3*1/3-1)
2=A(1+1) + B(1-1)
2=A(2) + B(0)
2=2A
1=A
Also, plug-in x=-1/3 to get the value of B.
2=A(3*(-1/3)+1)+B(3*(-1/3)-1)
2=A(-1+1)+B(-1-1)
2=A(0) + B(-2)
2=-2B
-1=B
So the partial fraction decomposition of the integrand is
int 2/(9x^2-1)dx
= int (2/((3x-1)(3x+1))dx
= int (1/(3x-1)-1/(3x+1))dx
Then, express it as difference of two integrals.
= int 1/(3x-1)dx - int 1/(3x+1)dx
To evaluate each integral, apply substitution method.

u=3x-1 du=3dx 1/3du=dx w=3x+1 dw=3dx 1/3dw=dx

Expressing the two integrals in terms of u and w, it becomes:
=int 1/u * 1/3du - int 1/w*1/3dw
=1/3 int 1/u du - 1/3int 1/w dw
To take the integral of this, apply the formula int 1/x dx = ln|x|+C .
=1/3ln|u| - 1/3ln|w| + C
And, substitute back u=3x-1 and w=3x+1.
=1/3ln|3x-1| -1/3ln|3x+1|+C
 
Therefore, int 2/(9x^2-1)=1/3ln|3x-1| -1/3ln|3x+1|+C .

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 5, 5.5, Section 5.5, Problem 24

log_3(x) + log_3(x - 2) = 1
The logarithms at the left side have the same base. So express the left side with one logarithm only using the rule log_b (M) + log_b (N) = log_b(M*N ).
log_3(x * (x-2)) = 1
log_3 (x^2 - 2x) = 1
Then, convert this to exponential form.
Take note that if a logarithmic equation is in the form
y = log_b (x)
its equivalent exponential equation is
x = b^y
So converting
log_3 (x^2 - 2x) =1
to exponential equation, it becomes:
x^2-2x = 3^1
x^2 - 2x = 3
Now the equation is in quadratic form. To solve it, one side should be zero.
x^2 - 2x - 3 = 0
Factor the left side.
(x - 3)(x +1)=0
Set each factor equal to zero. And isolate the x.
x - 3 = 0
x=3

x + 1=0
x = -1
Now that the values of x are known, consider the condition in a logarithm. The argument of a logarithm should always be positive.
In the equation
log_3(x) + log_3(x - 2)=1
the arguments are x and x - 2. So the values of these two should all be above zero.
x gt 0
x - 2gt0
Between the two values of x that we got, it is only x = 3 that satisfy this condition.

Therefore, the solution is x=2 .

By the end of the play, what kind of person is Tartuffe? Has he changed? Will his behavior return? Provide quotations from the plays to support your ideas.

There's precious little evidence to suggest that Tartuffe has changed by the end of the play. Indeed, if anything, he's become even more devious and hypocritical. In the penultimate scene, he arrives with some officers of the law to have Orgon carted off to jail. Orgon challenges Tartuffe, in a vain attempt to appeal to his non-existent good nature:

But do you remember, ungrateful wretch, that my charitable hand raised you from a miserable condition?

Yet Tartuffe is completely indifferent to Orgon's reproachful words. In one last example of his total hypocrisy, Tartuffe tries to convince Orgon that he's only acting out of duty:

Yes, I know what succours I might receive from thence, but the interest of my prince is my highest duty. The just obligation whereof stifles in my heart all other acknowledgments; and I could sacrifice to so powerful a tie, friend, wife, kindred, and myself to boot.

No one in their right mind can be taken in by such self-serving nonsense. Tartuffe has never once displayed any genuine sense of duty to anyone but himself. Using the king's name is just a blatant excuse to justify having Orgon arrested. Not only is the audience unconvinced by Tartuffe's craven attempt at self-justification, but the characters on stage don't believe him either, as can be gauged from Elmire's immediate reaction:

The hypocrite!

Just as Tartuffe once pretended to be a devout servant of God, now he pretends to be a loyal servant of the king. But he's fooling no one, least of all Dorine:

How artfully he can make a cloak of what is sacred!

What do you think actually happened between the two friends in Deborah Chow's "The Hill"? What is likely to happen to their relationship after this night at the hill? What does this film show us about truth and reality? How can this understanding of truth and reality be applied to our understanding of narrator and narrative?

You have to come to your own interpretation of the events portrayed in the film. There is no doubt that Jack's story and perspective contrast with Jill's at every turn. For example, he feels at the end of the story that he is trying to help her on the hill, while she, knocked off her feet, thinks he might have tried to violate her. It's almost impossible to know what really happened, and it's likely that their friendship will deteriorate after this night and they will no longer be able to be friends. Their realities are too different to allow their friendship to continue.
The film shows us that truth and reality depend on one's perspective. For example, Jill's reality is that Jack is a possible rapist, while Jack's reality is that he cares immensely for Jill and was only trying to help her. When one reads a narrative, one must always be aware of the perspective of the narrator, as the narrator is never faultless or omniscient. Instead, the reality the narrator presents is always biased and subject to questioning. 

How did the political conflicts of the Persian and Greek empires contribute to an exchange of cultures ?

First, one might want to rethink the phrasing of this question. The main area of cultural contact between Greece and Persia was Asia Minor, where Greek city states were in geographical proximity to Persia and on major trade routes. Persians visited these city states and Greeks visited Persia leading to substantial cultural interchanges, especially in science, religion, medicine, the arts, and technology. This degree of contact was enhanced by peace rather than conflict, and the Persian Wars really were an interruption to this. Also, you should note that Greece was not a unified empire, but a group of city-states with constantly changing allegiances. Athens, briefly, tried to transform the Delian League into something approximating an empire, but this was short-lived and generally unsuccessful.
A far greater impetus to cultural exchange was internal conflict in Greece, especially the Peloponnesian wars. During these, Greek factions would ally themselves to Persia in an attempt to gain support against other Greek city states. Many Greek soldiers served as mercenaries in Persian armies, leading to increased cultural interchange in the late fifth and fourth centuries. Xenophon provides us with an account of serving as a mercenary for Persia and is one of our best sources on such cultural interchanges.

The Persian and Greek political conflicts occurred between the Achaemenid Empire and the Greek city-states around 499 BC. These two political powers represent conflicting philosophies in governance, but hold many similarities in regards to cultural developments. 
During this period in the Middle East, the Persian Achaemenid Empire was sweeping force that unified large territory under one central government. This led to the building of large infrastructure  such as roads, an official language and an overall exchange of goods. All of these aspects allow for the interchange of ideas and cultural mores over a territory that had been divided. 
In contrast the Greek city-states represented independent political systems, and it was with the influence of outside sources and threats ie. Persian conquest that led them to unify. They too were interested in expansion and held colonies in a variety of areas, including the Middle East, Southern France and Italy. They had established large trade naval routes between their colonies. 
The political conflicts, and the desire to expand and conquer brought these two systems to butt-heads, however there had already existed an exchange of culture between these two entities. Many objects and that were created and development from Persian territory had made there way through trade to the Greek city-states. This can be seen in religious beliefs, luxury goods and technology found in Greece and Etruria. 
These conflicts made the exchange of culture more substantial through direct involvement and interaction between the Greeks and Persians, as well as leading them towards more development in infrastructure and naval development which led to stronger trade ties. Luxury goods were seen as exotic and purchased by the elites in both cultures, this would eventually trickle down and spread through both cultures.