how has the second amendment impact the average citizen today

It really depends on what you would call an “average” American citizen.
An estimated 42% (see source below) of households own a gun, but a “household” includes more than one person, so a significantly lower percentage of people in the U.S. actually own a gun. The percentage of people who actually own a gun could be as low as 33%, but isn’t known exactly.
For this minority, the Second Amendment makes it legal for them to carry their firearm. In some states, additional rights—like so-called “open carry” laws—extend this right and allows these people to carry their gun with them in public.
However, for the majority of Americans, the Second Amendment actually puts them at risk, because, with more guns around, they are far more likely to die or get seriously hurt in a gun crime, intentionally or accidentally.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/15/politics/guns-dont-know-how-many-america/index.html

College Algebra, Chapter 1, 1.5, Section 1.5, Problem 36

Find all real solutions of the equation $\displaystyle \left( \frac{x + 1}{x} \right)^2 + 4 \left( \frac{x + 1}{x} \right) + 3 = 0$


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

\left( \frac{x + 1}{x} \right)^2 + 4 \left( \frac{x + 1}{x} \right) + 3 =& 0
&& \text{Given}
\\
\\
w^2 + 4w + 3 =& 0
&& \text{Let } w = \frac{x + 1}{x}
\\
\\
(w + 3)(w + 1) =& 0
&& \text{Factor out}
\\
\\
w + 3 =& 0 \text{ and } w + 1 = 0
&& \text{Zero Product Property}
\\
\\
w =& -3 \text{ and } w = -1
&& \text{Solve for } w
\\
\\
\frac{x + 1}{x} =& -3 \text{ and } \frac{x + 1}{x} = -1
&& \text{Substitute } w = \frac{x + 1}{x}
\\
\\
x + 1 =& -3x \text{ and } x + 1 = -x
&& \text{Solve for } x
\\
\\
4x =& -1 \text{ and } 2x = -1
&&
\\
\\
x =& \frac{-1}{4} \text{ and } x = \frac{-1}{2}
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Judging by the events in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” what does the reference to the Devil and money suggest about the period’s attitude toward wealth?

The events of this story suggest a negative view toward wealth in this period. In particular, there is a negative view of the accumulation of wealth and of greed, more generally.
We see this clearly through the fate of both Tom and his wife. Once Tom makes a deal and receives the money from the Devil, note how different he becomes. He has a successful moneylending business but he becomes a vain and ostentatious man who nearly "starves" his horses. His character, therefore, suffers as a result of his great wealth. In addition, Tom also becomes "crack-brained," meaning that he is no longer rational and sensible.
The fact that Tom is taken away by the Devil at the end of the story is how Washington demonstrates his disdain for greed. This idea is reinforced by the fate of Tom's wife, who is never seen again after trying to strike a bargain with the Devil. That neither Tom nor his wife enjoy a long life shows that a desire for wealth was not favored in this period.
It is also worth noting that Washington creates a link between the Devil and vast sums of money. It is from him, for example, that Tom receives the pirate's fortune. By creating this link, Washington suggests that wealth is associated with evil.

In what sense is there a generation gap, and why is the failure of one generation to understand another's culture, customs, and heroes central to the story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

Joyce Carol Oates was very concerned with the youth culture of the 1960s and the "Free Love Movement" in which indiscriminate sexual activity among youth became popular. Then, inspired by Bob Dylan's song "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," Joyce composed her haunting story with a character who is imitative of the 1950s serial murderer Charles Schmid. He was a handsome but short man who stuffed his cowboy boots with newspaper so that he would appear taller, just as Arnold Friend appears to have done as he "stand[s] in a strange way." Schmid had many girlfriends that he seduced. He killed some of these girls after tricking them into going to the desert with him, where he later buried them.
Some of the lyrics of this song express the idea of the impermanence of anything in life:

You must leave nowTake what you need, you think will lastBut whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast--

Joyce ties the generation gap to this concept. Indeed, there is a disconnect between Connie and her friends and their parents, who do not seem to understand the changing culture of the time. When the father of Connie's best friend drives the girls to the shopping center where they wander through stores and sometimes walk to the movies, he "never bothered to ask what they had done." Connie's parents do not realize that she wears her blouse one way at home but "another way when she was away from home." Nor do the parents inquire about the other teens with whom she and her friend associate. For instance, after Connie has supposedly been at the movies (but instead spent three hours with a boy at a restaurant), her mother merely asks "...how the movie was, and Connie said 'So-so.'" The mother does not ask questions that are specific enough to indicate whether or not Connie actually watched a particular movie. Further in the narrative, the parents do not insist that Connie accompany them to a barbecue at her aunt's house, allowing Connie to say nothing more than she is not interested. If Connie's parents were aware of the changing culture of the time, and if they supervised Connie's actions, questioned her about her activities, and insisted that she partake in family gatherings, Connie would not have been alone and vulnerable to her "trashy daydreams," the seduction of music, and the predator Arnold Friend.
https://genius.com/Bob-dylan-its-all-over-now-baby-blue-lyrics

What does Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner suggest about the interplay between time and opportunity when individuals attempt to create a meaningful life?

Throughout the novel, Amir acknowledges the irony present in his life associated with timing of events. Most significantly, he fails to prevent Hassan's rape. Decades later, he rescues Hassan's son from the Taliban, who has been sexually abused by the same person who had raped Hassan (Assef). Hassan's sexual abuse was a sacrificed that allowed Amir to win the kite, which he believed was crucial to making Baba proud of him. The irony lies in the fact that Amir allows Hassan to be raped in order to impress his father before later discovering that Hassan is in fact his half brother.
A particularly memorable quote in the novel which highlights Amir's redemption is said by him when he takes Sohrab to fly a kite, after providing a home for the boy in America. Amir repeats Hassan's famous words, "for you, a thousand times over." The quote had originally been said in a context that emphasizes Hassan's selfless nature and love for Amir. Decades later, the quote is still deeply meaningful to Amir and indicates the endurance of Hassan's legacy across time.

Towards the beginning of the novel, Amir is a timid adolescent boy who witnesses his best friend, Hassan, get raped by Assef and does not intervene. After witnessing the incident, Amir is filled with an enormous sense of guilt. Amir attempts to hide from Hassan and becomes distant. He eventually succeeds in making Hassan leave his home and Amir moves to America with his father. As time passes, Amir represses his feelings of guilt. In America, Amir matures into a successful writer who lives a comfortable life in California. However, Amir's guilty conscience continually reminds him of his past. When Rahim Khan calls Amir, he tells Amir that there is a way to be good again. Amir then travels to Pakistan where Rahim tells him about Hassan's son, Sohrab. Upon hearing Sohrab's story, Amir realizes that he has a chance to redeem himself. He ends up traveling back to Kabul and saves Sohrab from a life of abuse. Twenty-five years since Amir refused to intervene while his friend was being raped, he finally redeems himself by saving Sohrab. Hosseini suggests that opportunities will arise when least expected and it is never too late to redeem yourself. Although it took Amir a quarter of a century to redeem himself, he finally atones for his past sins by rescuing Sohrab from Assef. 

On page 39, why are the girls hung in Auschwitz shown on the road on which Vladek, Art, and Françoise are driving?

I believe the panel you are referring to is from page 79 of Art Spiegelman’s Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began. Here Spiegelman illustrates girls’ feet and legs hanging down from the top of the panel as Vladek, Art, and Françoise are driving away. Spiegelman includes this image to show that the horrors of what Vladek experienced during the Holocaust are always with him. In the comic, Spiegelman brings up the story of prisoners that blew up a crematorium and killed three S.S men. Vladek replies, “Yah. For this they all got killed.” To Spiegelman it is a story, but to Vladek it is his past.

And the four young girls what sneaked over the ammunitions for this, they hanged them near to my workshop. They were good friends of Anja, from Sosnowiec. They hanged a long, long time..sigh.

For Vladek a simple inquiry from his son brings back the horrible image of the young girls hanging. Spiegelman, the author and artist, represents the ever-present nature of Vladek’s nightmarish past by having a past event visually mixed with a present moment.

How would you describe the protagonist of "The Snows of Kilimanjaro"? Name three of his most important characteristics and supply examples from the story that support your idea.

Harry, the protagonist of "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," is brutally honest with himself, compassionate and loyal enough to try to protect Helen from his brutal honesty, and a failed writer. 
Dying in Africa from a gangrened leg, Harry doesn't romanticize his life or situation but squarely faces what is: he will die, he's bored with life and death, and he does not love Helen. When she says to him "You're not going to die," he says:

"Don't be silly. I'm dying now. Ask those bastards." He looked over to where the huge, filthy birds [vultures] sat, their naked heads sunk in the hunched feathers.

He thinks of death without denial: 

It came with a rush; not as a rush of water nor of wind; but of a sudden, evil-smelling emptiness and the odd thing was that the hyena slipped lightly along the edge of it.

He admits he's tired of everything:

I'm getting as bored with dying as with everything else, he thought.

He thinks to himself that "he did not love her [Helen] at all," and earlier on he tells Helen this when she asks if he loves her:

"No," said the man. "I don't think so. I never have."

Yet he is compassionate enough to realize he is hurting her, and he wants to spare her, so he says to her:

"I'm crazy as a coot and being as cruel to you as I can be. Don't pay any attention, darling, to what I say. I love you, really. You know I love you. I've never loved any one else the way I love you."
He slipped into the familiar lie he made his bread and butter by.

The final sentence about the "lie" that supported him shows he understands he didn't make it as a writer. Instead, he married a wealthy woman who supported him, lied about loving her, and now is about to die with many of his stories never written:

However you make your living is where your talent lies. He had sold vitality, in one form or another, all his life and when your affections are not too involved you give much better value for the money. He had found that out but he would never write that, now, either. No, he would not write that, although it was well worth writing.

He abandoned his love of writing for comfort and security and now it's too late: he "would not write that."
Harry has been damaged by the war and takes that with him into death. 

What is the historical context (time period) of "How It Feels to Be Colored Me"?

I assume that you are asking about the period in which the personal essay "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" was written. The story was published in 1928, in the midst of both Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance.
However, in the essay, Hurston chronicles what Black life meant to her from her childhood in Florida in the 1900s to her womanhood in the 1920s.
Though Hurston loved black people, she often saw herself as apart from some of its concerns and agendas, a sensibility that is evident in this essay. She writes of how she would come out onto her front porch to watch white Northerners go by. For the rest of the town, the front porch may have been "a daring place," but for her "it was a gallery seat." Hurston contrasts the fear other black people had toward whites with her curiosity, even her willingness to greet and speak to them.
She goes on to write that she "is not tragically colored" and does "not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood." This places her in slight contrast, at least in tone, with other writers from the period, including W.E.B. DuBois who argued in The Souls of Black Folk that the condition of black people is like that of someone born covered in a "veil," an instrument that both obscures the identity of the person wearing it and allows them to see others in a distinct way.
Hurston also knows what a gift Blackness is, for it gives her an ability to appreciate black art forms in ways that she thinks eludes whites, such as when she notices the difference between her white companion's reaction to the music and her own: "He has only heard what I felt."

Compare the vascular system of a plant to the circulatory system of a human.

Based on the "compare" wording of the question, I am assuming that the answer should provide more similarities than differences between the vascular system of plants and the circulatory system of humans. Both systems are similar in that they are both made up of a vast array of tubes. Humans have arteries, capillaries, and veins to move materials through the system, and plants have xylem and phloem to do the same thing. Both systems are moving a combination of liquids and solids. The liquid part of the blood is plasma, and the liquid in plants will be water. As for the solid part, both systems carry a variety of solutes throughout the organism. One big difference is in how each organism moves materials through the tubes. Humans have a heart that pumps the materials throughout the body; however, transpiration is used in plants to move water up the xylem.

I need help interpreting the poem "Pursuit from Under."

First let’s try to pin down exactly what’s going on in the narrative of the poem before we break it down further into its more poetic meaning. We have a man walking through the grass, presumably on land near his father’s estate. He remembers reading the journal of some arctic explorers who died of starvation. He pays close attention to one journal entry in which the explorers describe the behavior of a killer whale beneath the ice. He fixates on the terrifying image of this creature stalking you from the depths and rushing up to attack. He then superimposes this image, this fear, into his own life on a farm.
Now that we’ve discussed the basics, let’s get into what the poet means by all this. What is the significance of comparing the experience of the arctic explorers to the narrator’s own life? Well, the narrator seems haunted by the encroaching imminence of old age and death. For instance, in the second stanza, he mentions an ice age (usually connoting death) coming up through his feet while he is trying to emulate the way he behaved as a child, trying to hold onto things as they always were. Interestingly, it is not the blank page from the explorers’ journal (signifying their death by starvation) that scares him most. Rather, it is the entry describing the shadow of the killer whale hunting them. It is not the whale that ultimately kills them, but this specter under the ice is still what frightens the narrator the most. This could imply that he’s not so much scared of death itself but actually of the fear that the idea of death brings with it.

What does Arch represent in Kneel to the Rising Sun?

Arch Gunnard, the plantation owner, represents a system that exploits both African Americans and poor whites. It's not in Lonnie's interests to support the system represented by the cruel, oppressive Gunnard, but he does so anyway, initially through inaction, then later on, more actively. He feels deeply resentful and ashamed at having to beg Gunnard for rations for himself and his starving family, yet he does not challenge the existing order.
Lonnie is representative of many poor whites laboring under the lash of an exploitative agrarian economy. He has absolutely nothing in life, but he still has one distinct advantage over African American sharecroppers like Clem Henry: his race. When push comes to shove, Lonnie sides with Gunnard, even when it's obvious that Gunnard's cruelty is directly responsible for his father's death. He physically attacks the innocent Clem and helps Gunnard hunt him down as he hides in the woods. Instead of showing solidarity with a fellow worker, another victim of oppression, he joins forces with his oppressor to hunt down an innocent man.
The metaphor is inescapable. Those in positions of economic and political power often resort to racism as a classic divide and rule tactic to weaken their subordinates, thus consolidating their domination.

What were the impacts of the ideas of Darwin, Marx, Freud, and Einstein upon popular culture and the mass society of the early twentieth century? Give specific examples. Which of these seminal intellectuals remains most relevant in the early twenty-first century, and which of the four seems to have the least relevance, and why?

Darwin, Marx, Freud, and Einstein are some of the most consequential thinkers in modern society. Their influence is felt far beyond their respective fields.
Charles Darwin is best known for his contribution to the theory of evolution. He theorized that all life, including humans, descends from common ancestors, and that changes in heritable characteristics are influenced by natural selection. Heritable traits survive or die within biological populations based on whether they contribute to the survival of the species. Darwin’s theory denies the anthropocentric views that underlie many religious doctrines dedicated to pre-scientific origin stories.
Karl Marx is probably the thinker whose ideas can most directly be linked to widespread social, political, and cultural transformations. While most scholars and even many of Marx’s fiercest critics would concede that Soviet Marxism deviated greatly from the democratic impulse at the core of Marx’s writings, his profound influence on Lenin’s Bolshevism is undeniable. Nonetheless Marx’s work, which stresses the dominant role of economic rationality in how society is organized, continues to inspire and animate contemporary discussions about the economy, especially in the wake of the 2007–2008 financial crisis.
Sigmund Freud developed the theory of psychoanalysis, which is a therapeutic mechanism that seeks to solve the riddle of the human mind through the unconscious. Freud’s ideas were adopted by his nephew Edward Bernays, who is widely considered “the father of public relations.” Bernays often said that he came up with the term "public relations" as an alternative to the highly stigmatized word “propaganda.” His hope was to employ the central tenets of Freudian psychology to help businesses sell products and for governments and politicians to sell ideas. Advertisements no longer focused solely on the utility of a particular product, but sought to sell a feeling—a way of life.
Albert Einstein’s breakthrough theory of relativity remains one of the backbones of modern physics. While Isaac Newton before him came up with a formula on the strength of gravity, Einstein’s theory discovered the origin and source of gravitational pull. Einstein’s work forms a fundamental basis for physicists asking big questions about the laws of the universe.
As for which one of these intellectuals remains most relevant or the least, that is a matter for debate. Each of these thinkers still dominates their respective fields and their ideas live on and contribute to popular ideas about the nature of reality.
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/darwinism/

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/marx/

Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein each have contributed greatly to the twentieth century up to the present. The commonality between these four great thinkers is that their contributions were theoretical.
Charles Darwin theorized that living things on Earth evolved through natural selection. Karl Marx questioned the economic, social and political hierarchies of past feudal states and eventually wrote "Das Kapital" and "The Communist Manifesto," two seminal works that brought forth a new way of seeing social and economic dynamics. Sigmund Freud revolutionized the then-new scientific branch of psychology, by introducing new psychiatric techniques. He concluded that human behavior is driven by primal, subconscious processes. Albert Einstein would pace around his room doing thought experiments until he connected the dots with the Theory of Relativity, which would lead to other breakthroughs in theoretical physics by future physicists.
The other common ground between these intellectuals is that their theories had a wide-ranging impact in real life. Darwin's theory of evolution sparked fierce debate in the United States during the mid-20th century, which would eventually pave the way for scientific topics, no matter how controversial, to be taught in schools. Marx's theories on socialism, capitalism and communism would, arguably, have the most impact on our civilization up to this day. Many political leaders interpreted Marx's theories into their own definitions, which has led to world-changing revolutions, civil wars, world wars and the Cold War. Some of the most powerful nations were directly influenced by Marx's theories, such as the former Soviet Union and modern-day China and North Korea.
Meanwhile, Freud's theories and practice of psychiatry is still used today, even if it is considered outdated by modern psychologists. However, his theories in psychology has also led to the birth of marketing and contributed to the advertising industry. His daughter, Anna Freud, would continue his work and infuse his theories into other industries. Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity was not only groundbreaking work within the scientific community, it also led to the creation of the atomic and hydrogen bombs.
Of the four, Freud had the "least" impact, but only because Marx, Einstein and Darwin contributed more. However, Freud's indirect influence on modern-day advertising should not be discounted. Overall, these four individuals have shaped human civilization and will continue to do so in the future.

The work of Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein demonstrates the power of thought and intellectual achievement to affect the broad trends in human culture and values. Each of these great thinkers contributed ideas that remain influential in Western society in the twenty-first century. From Darwin's work in the natural sciences have come the powerful notions of natural selection, evolution, and survival of the fittest. Marx's writings—leaving aside the political impacts of socialism and communism that flowed from his theories—revealed the influence of money (or capital) and wealth as a lens for viewing the relations and conflicts between social classes, and indeed all of history. Freud's radical approach to psychology illuminated the hidden operations of the mind and the ways unconscious motivations and repressed memories can drive human behavior. Einstein's insights, especially his famous theory of relativity, opened up rich new fields of scientific inquiry and helped confirm humanity's belief that the human mind is capable of understanding the principles determining how nature and the universe behave.
All these concepts were important parts of the transformation into "modernity" in the first half of the twentieth century. Like technological advances such as air travel, television, and electrical appliances, these ideas contributed to the sense of humanity's advance beyond the traditions and superstitions of the past.

How does the speaker in "Rice and Rose Bowl Blues" feel when she is washing rice?

In "Rice and Rose Bowl Blues," by Diane Mei Lin Mark, the speaker is torn between her interest in football ("Rose Bowl") and her mother's request that she learn to wash rice. The speaker's feelings are not explicitly stated, but they are implied by the title and by a couple of key features of the poem.
The title "Rice and Rose Bowl Blues" obviously indicates that the speaker is feeling "blues" about something, so she is unhappy. The thing that makes her unhappy in the poem is that she is told by her mother that she needs to learn to wash rice instead of play football with her brother and the neighborhood boys. As her mother gives her directions, she gazes outside the window to watch the football game. In the middle of the poem, the mother's directions are interspersed with some brief commentary from the speaker:

Pour some water
          into the pot,
          she said pleasantly,
          turning on the tap
Rub the rice
          between your hands,
          pour out the clouds,
          Fill it again
          (I secretly traced
          an end run through
          the grains in
          between pourings)   

In these lines, the mother's instructions are italicized. The speaker comments that her mother "pleasantly" tells her the steps; her mother is not forceful or rude, but the speaker is still taken away from an activity in which she has more interest. At the end of this section, she says she "secretly traced" a football play while handling the rice. Her mind is still mostly on the game instead of this household chore. When she thinks she is finished and tries to leave, her mother calls her back in to help some more.
At the end of the poem, when a boy "sneeringly" says he heard she can't join them for football games any more, she laughs it off. The speaker's reaction is ambiguous. She may be acting tough in front of her friend, or she may be planning to openly defy her mother. The poem overall comments on gendered tasks, and the speaker implicitly feels it's unfair that she must work in the kitchen instead of playing football with the boys who are enjoying leisure time instead of working. 

What are quotes from Okonkwo that give readers insight into his personality in Things Fall Apart?

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart centers on the strong traditional warrior Okonkwo as he adjusts to an evolving Umuofian landscape. Though Okonkwo is a man of relatively few words, the novel contains some key quotes that enable readers to get a better sense of the man who drives Achebe's classic tale. One notable quote occurs early in the text when Okonkwo asks Nwakibie for yams in a difficult harvest year:

I know what it is to ask a man to trust another with his yams, especially these days when young men are afraid of hard work. I am not afraid of work. . . I began to fend for myself at an age when most people still suck at their mothers' breasts. If you give me some yam seeds I shall not fail you (21).

Here, Okonkwo succinctly lays out the kind of man that he is. He is driven to succeed; he has had to work harder than many of his colleagues because his father's laziness held his family in poverty. This is an admirable trait that Okonkwo shows.
Okonkwo's intense fear of failure and being perceived as weak and "feminine" dominates his life. He works hard because he fears becoming his father. He defines masculinity in a toxic, rigid way. Indeed, his fear of being perceived as weak causes him to murder his adoptive son Ikemefuna. Okonkwo later questions why he is so shaken by his actions:

When did you become a shivering old woman. . . you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed (65).

These two quotes give readers piercing insight into Okonkwo as a character. His words allow us to see what he values and how his values are a double-edged sword.

According to Jefferson, how do governments obtain their right to govern?

According to Jefferson, governments "derived their power from the consent of the governed."  This quote is from the Declaration of Independence.  In the document, Jefferson states that the people should be in charge of the government.  Most Western governments of that time period relied on either a ruling class or an autocrat, so this was quite a revolutionary statement.  Jefferson even gave the people permission to overthrow a government that did not rule with them in mind, but he advised the people to not enter into revolution lightly.  
Jefferson's statement that the people should rule has been used by people all over the world in their search for self-governance.  When Jefferson wrote this, he did not intend for it to include African Americans, women, Native Americans or poor people.  Since Jefferson's time, the definition of "the people" has changed to mean anyone over the age of eighteen, which is the voting age in the United States.  With more people to provide consent to the government, government has the potential to be more responsive to the needs of all.  

Describe the state of the U.S. society as described in the first paragraph. How has "equality" been achieved?

In the first paragraph of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s short story "Harrison Bergeron," the US Constitution has been amended hundreds of times, and the last three Amendments require American citizens to be completely equal in every facet of life. The 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution require every citizen in America to have the same level of intelligence and physical ability (which conjures images of a mundane, oppressed society that lacks diversity and uniqueness). Vonnegut also writes that the completely equal society is also due to the vigilance of the US Handicapper General. In addition to amending the Constitution, the US Handicapper General is determined to maintain a completely equal society by handicapping the more talented, intelligent, and/or beautiful people. The US Handicapper General forces physically talented individuals to wear cumbersome weights on their bodies, and intelligent citizens are required to wear enormous headphones that continually disrupt their thought process. Beautiful people are required to wear ugly masks to ensure equality. There is a severe penalty for removing any of these handicaps.

The year is 2081 and the narrator says that equality has finally been achieved. One of the things that sticks out in this opening paragraph is the claim that everyone is equal "before God." The department of the Handicapper General has the audacity to suggest that their implementation of "equality" has actually met with God's approval. This shows the extent of their hubris and the extent of their delusion about what equality in America should actually be. In American, the notion of equality is based upon equal rights and equal opportunity. But in this scenario, people are handicapped and/or discouraged from improving themselves. Their opportunities are squashed. If someone has a higher intelligence quotient, he/she is handicapped. The same goes for being too attractive or having too much physical ability. In a sense, they are all equal, but this equality is achieved by limiting and oppressing the people. Needless to say, an omniscient God would look at this society and see their notion of equality as a partial enslavement of the populace.

How is taking in a sail linked to growing old?

In the poem "Terminus" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the poet begins by stating that "it is time to be old, to take in sail." The connection between these two concepts can be perceived once we recognize the extended metaphor Emerson uses in this poem to discuss the journey of human life.
In this metaphor, made explicit in the final stanza, the speaker is a sailor on the "storm of time." He is responsible for manning his own vessel ("I man the rudder, reef the sail"). The seas themselves are not under the speaker's control, but they are ordained by the "god of bounds." We can understand this as a representation of how a person may have free will and make his own choices in life while not always being able to control his own ultimate fate or destiny, which is ordained by a higher power. At this juncture of the speaker's life, Emerson says, "the port . . . is near," and the seas are no longer stormy: the speaker has traversed the stormiest parts of life and is reaching his old age, where "every wave is charmed." As such, he may bring in the sail on his metaphorical vessel because it is now time to dock the boat and rest. Emerson is suggesting that death is near and that this will be the sailor's due reward.

Where is there a synecdoche in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights?

Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part represents a whole or a whole represents a part. See the link below for a webpage describing both kinds of synecdoche as well as their relationship to similar devices, like metonymy.
Though there are many interesting synecdoche examples from Wuthering Heights already listed, I found a couple more toward the middle of the novel. Here are two within the same sentence in chapter 11:

"No, I was told the curate should have his teeth dashed down his throat, if he stepped over the threshold . . . "

In the first part of the sentence, the curate's teeth stand for his entire body. The line is a threat of punishment meant to indicate that the curate may suffer bodily harm. The second part of the sentence uses the threshold to stand for the entire home. "Cross the threshold" is another way of saying "enter the home."
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-synecdoche.html

A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which one part of an entity is made to stand for or represent the whole. For example, "he had a hand in fixing the house" would be a classic example of a synecdoche. The hypothetical person would obviously be using more than one hand or part of their body. Their hand merely represents their involvement in the project.
One example of an individual synecdoche in Wuthering Heights appears in chapter one. When entering Wuthering Heights for the first time, Lockwood is informed that the family sitting room is simply called "the house" by the residents and servants. In this case, the synecdoche is the sitting room standing for the entirety of the house itself (probably because it is a more social space than the kitchens or bed chambers).

An example of an individual synecdoche is the following, used by Mr. Lockwood to describe Hareton's entrance into the Wuthering Heights kitchen in the morning. Mr. Lockwood, having had a rough night of it in the dead Catherine's room, is snoozing on a bench near the fire. Rather than say that a person has entered, Lockwood notes:

A more elastic footstep entered next ...

Obviously a "footstep" doesn't enter by itself, and in this case, the footstep stands for an entire human body.
A more interesting and far-reaching use of synecdoche, in my opinion, is the use of "moors" to describe Catherine's love of nature and freedom. Of course, she does love the moors themselves, but they stand more generally for her love of the outdoors and being liberated from the stifling constraints of civilization and patriarchy. One intuitively knows that were Catherine, say, transported to Egypt, she would long to be running by the Nile or in the desert sands. The "moors" are a stand-in for the nature/civilization contrast on which the novel draws.

A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is used to stand for a whole (or sometimes, a whole is used to stand for a part). The following sentence from Wuthering Heights contains a synecdoche: "Mr. Heathcliff may have entirely dissimilar reasons for keeping his hand out of the way when he meets a would-be acquaintance, to those which actuate me." Mr. Lockwood, Heathcliff's tenant, says this about Heathcliff in Chapter 1 in reference to Mr. Lockwood's own tendency to be shy and retiring. In this example, "hand" is a synecdoche because it is a part that stands for the whole. Heathcliff does not only keep his hand out of the way when he meets people, but instead keeps his whole body out of the way. "Hand" is used to represent his entire self. 

How does Martin Luther King Jr. build an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam war is unfair?

King points to seven important reasons why he is against American involvement in Vietnam, and these seven arguments constitute the overall thrust of his speech. The first is what he characterizes as an obvious, "almost facile" connection between the war and the struggle against poverty in the United States. The war in Vietnam, in short, is diverting valuable resources from the war on poverty. King says he is "increasingly compelled to see the war as an enemy of the poor and to attack it as such."
He goes on to argue that the war disproportionately affects the poor because it is they who are drafted to go off and fight. His third reason is that the violence employed against the Vietnamese undercuts his argument for nonviolent struggle against oppression at home. He thus feels compelled to actively speak against it. He goes on to argue that the war, and the fact that the United States is devastating Vietnam, is poisoning the soul of the nation. As a Christian, he says, he cannot support the use of violence to achieve political ends.
His final argument is that, as a minister, he is called to advocate for the oppressed and the weak. In other words, he sees the United States as an oppressor in Southeast Asia, and he is compelled to speak against it. So King essentially moves from the pragmatic to the moral as he makes a his case against the war in Vietnam.
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/beyond-vietnam

What King is trying to do in this speech is to get his audience to put themselves in the shoes of the Vietnamese, in whose name the war is being fought. The Johnson Administration claimed that the Vietnam War was being fought to free the Vietnamese from the tyranny of Communism. Yet King forcefully undermines the official rhetoric by drawing attention to the long-standing role of the United States in propping up corrupt, repressive dictatorships in the region such as Diem's in South Vietnam. Instead, he wanted America to live up to its long-cherished ideal of liberty and back up its lofty rhetoric with action.
King seeks to persuade his audience of the truth of his argument by drawing a parallel between the Vietnam War and the civil rights struggle. In both cases, he argues, there needs to be a concerted effort to build a new world, a world no longer based on exploitation and repression, but on love, respect, and justice. God calls us to speak up for the weak and dispossessed, whenever and whoever they are. That applies to the Vietnamese peasants killed by American bombs as much as African-Americans struggling to free themselves from the yoke of racial oppression.

In his speech, "Beyond Vietnam," King draws a connection between the struggle for liberty in Vietnam and the struggle for liberty in the United States, and mentions the obvious irony of so many young black men going to "liberate" the South Vietnamese from Communism:

We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem.

He ponders the perspective of the Vietnamese, which was unusual in 1967 because most Americans were in favor of the war. He thinks that they must find Americans a strange choice as their liberators, given the United States' previous policies in the region. The United States entered Vietnam, starting with the Kennedy Administration, with the belief that a police action would help to hinder "the domino effect," or the inevitable spread of unchecked Communism.
The Vietnamese, King notes, had liberated themselves twice: first, in 1945, after the end of World War II which had brought an end to Japan's brutal militarist regime, and again in 1954, after the end of French colonial rule. Ho Chi Minh had appealed to President Woodrow Wilson in Paris after the end of the First World War, hoping that the United States would support that early push to free Indochina. However, the United States had aligned itself with the French interest to maintain the colony.
What King calls for, instead of a condemnation of Communism -- a concern which really had little to do with any interest in the well-being of Vietnamese people -- is "a revolution of values" which would "soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies." This revolution of values, he argued, would lead people to reconsider the soundness of a policy that proclaims to liberate Vietnam while simultaneously burning its inhabitants with napalm.
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/beyond-vietnam

What are some quotes that explain how deception is responsible for Gatsby's downfall?

When Nick runs into Tom in late October after Gatsby's death, he asks Tom what Tom told Wilson about Myrtle's death. Tom says he told Wilson the "truth"--that Gatsby had run Myrtle over and kept on going:

He ran over Myrtle like you'd run over a dog and never even stopped his car.

Of course, that wasn't the truth: Daisy was driving the car, and Daisy killed Myrtle. But a deeper "truth" that Tom lies about is his own relationship with Myrtle. Wilson knew that Myrtle was having an affair, but he never knew it was with Tom. To save himself, Tom steers the half-crazed, armed Wilson to Gatsby. Tom tries to defend himself for doing that:

That fellow [Gatsby] had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy's, but he was a tough one.

But Gatsby also contributes to his own downfall by deceiving himself. He can't give up the notion, even when it's clear that Daisy has chosen Tom, that somehow she'll come back to him. A quote that shows that Daisy is returning her loyalty to Tom in the Plaza hotel room is the following:

But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he [Gatsby] gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room.

Gatsby should have realized then that Daisy wasn't going to leave Tom, for she signaled it clearly, but instead, he was "undespairing." He kept up hope, the next day hanging around his home and floating in his pool, waiting for her call, which gave Wilson a chance to kill him. 
 

The theme of love in acts 1 and 2 of The Merchant of Venice is most significant. To what extent do you agree with this?

Individual readers might feel differently about the depiction of love (or lack of it) in the first acts of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Personally, I do not feel that there is a strong thematic presence of love. Yes, it is true that Bassanio desperately wants to marry Portia, but I do not think that is because he is in actual, romantic love with her. I believe that Bassanio is more likely in love with the idea of being able to call Portia his wife. He's not the only man to be actively pursuing her either. This is because Portia has two very immediate selling points for men like Bassanio: Portia is described as an exceptionally beautiful woman, and she comes from a wealthy family. She's rich and pretty; therefore, she is a definite prize to be won. Additionally, Bassanio is in massive debt. A woman with Portia's wealth could easily fix that problem of his. Portia being attractive is essentially an extra bonus for Bassanio.

A website requires a user to create a password consisting of one lowercase letter from a 26-letter alphabet followed by two digits. If no digits may be repeated, then how many different passwords are possible?

This is an example of the fundamental counting principle. It says that if there are m choices for the first task and n choices for the second task, then there are m*n choices for both tasks. This principle can be extended beyond just two tasks. 
In this case, we have three spaces to fill in for the password. The first space must be a letter of the alphabet, so there are 26 choices for the first space. The second space can be any digit from 0-9. So for the second space there are 10 possible choices. 
Now for the third spot, we must also use a single digit. But we are not allowed to repeat the digit used in the second space. So we had 10 choices for the second space, but once a number is used there, it is no longer a viable choice for the third space. Thus our choices for the digit in the third space is reduced to 9.  
Now, as the counting principle states, we must multiply all our choices together. So the total number of possible passwords is:
26*10*9=2340

Precalculus, Chapter 9, 9.5, Section 9.5, Problem 31

You need to use the binomial formula, such that:
(x+y)^n = sum_(k=0)^n ((n),(k)) x^(n-k) y^k
You need to replace 3a for x, 4b for y and 5 for n, such that:
(3a - 4b)^5 = 5C0 (3a)^5+5C1 (3a)^4*(-4b)^1+5C2 (3a)^3*(-4b)^2+5C3 (3a)^2*(-4b)^3 + 5C4 3a*(-4b)^4 + 5C5 (-4b)^5
By definition, nC0 = nCn = 1, hence 5C0 = 5C5 = 1.
By definition nC1 = nC(n-1) = n, hence 5C1 = 5C4 = 5.
By definition nC2 = (n(n-1))/2 , hence 5C2 = 5C3 = 10.
(3a- 4b)^5 = 243a^5 - 1620a^4*b+4320a^3*b^2-5760a^2*b^3 + 3840a*b^4 - 1024b^5
Hence, expanding the complex number using binomial theorem yields the simplified result (3a- 4b)^5 = 243a^5 - 1620a^4*b+4320a^3*b^2-5760a^2*b^3 + 3840a*b^4 - 1024b^5.

Explain the factors that inhibit permanent democratic changes in Russia.

Russia's sheer size makes it hard for any one person to mount a campaign as "the people's choice." While other democracies are large, such as Canada and the United States, Russia does not have the infrastructure to allow someone to campaign easily from Moscow to Vladivostok. Weather can also be a factor, as the northern parts of the country are almost inaccessible in winter. There is also the issue of corruption, which has existed throughout Russian history. Media channels can be easily controlled and votes can be bought directly. Since Russia is a powerful nation, international agencies will not complain loudly of voter fraud. While the Russian economy has improved in the time after the Cold War, it is still vulnerable and oligarchs still maintain a lot of power. This is not likely to change any time soon. While youth movements in Russia are encouraging open elections and more democracy, this is not likely to happen any time soon as long as a small group of leaders continue to hold nearly total control over the country. Greater media access to the far-reaches of Russia would allow a candidate to campaign virtually all over the country. This is an encouraging sign for Russia to one day have a truly elected leader.

How does priming prompt consumers to think about a particular product? How can it help affirm biases about a product? What are three examples of print or television ads that utilize the priming effect?

Whenever an individual is presented with a stimulus, his or her brain will immediately activate neurons encoding related stimuli, and will for a short time find those related stimuli more salient. Seeing the word "snow" will make you recognize the word "cold" faster. Hearing the word "sadness" will make you better at reading the word "despair." This effect is called "priming," and it is believed to be quite fundamental to how the brain processes information.Businesses often take advantage of priming in the design of advertising. By presenting and timing stimuli, they can draw consumers toward making positive associations with their product or negative associations with a competitor's product, often without the consumer even realizing they are being influenced. The effect is usually small, but it can be large enough to make a significant difference in a company's profit margin. Priming is often used to create a bias in the interpretation of ambiguous information—we're not sure whether something is true or not, so we tend to assume the prime is correct. In effect, we will think in terms of demanding proof that the prime is wrong, rather than a neutral assessment of whether the assertion is true.Here's an interesting negative example, a commercial for the Microsoft Surface 2-in-1 laptop:The commercial notably does not prime the name "Microsoft" or "Windows" because they know Microsoft has a somewhat negative reputation among some consumers. Instead, they show the product first, along with a diverse cast of users enjoying the product, and only use the name "Microsoft" at the end of the commercial. The diverse cast of users encourages consumers to identify themselves as one of the many types of people who would enjoy the product, and they are then primed to have positive associations with the product before they even learn it is a Surface made by Microsoft.Other companies intentionally present their names first, and often have names designed to prime particular expectations. Here's a recent commercial for the Easy-Bake Oven that opens immediately with the name:What does the name "Easy-Bake" prime us for? Clearly, the idea that baking with this product will be easy to do. In fact, its name is meaningless—it's just a name—but from the moment we hear it, we will form that expectation. As long as the rest of the commercial doesn't obviously contradict that assumption, we will continue to hold it, even if the commercial actually presents no real evidence that it is true. If a brand has positive connotations, often simply presenting the brand name repeatedly without any actual information about the product is enough to make customers more likely to buy the product. When you go to HP.com, what is the first thing you see? It's a gigantic ad for the HP Spectre Laptop:http://www.hp.com/This is a bit strange, as anyone going to the site probably has something else in mind besides buying that particular laptop. It does serve a very important function for HP, though: it primes you to think about that laptop, and makes positive associations about its capabilities and visual appeal. You will probably not buy that laptop today, but the thought has been placed in your mind, and with enough repetition it may eventually motivate you to return to the site to purchase that laptop.Grocery stores are laid out in a particular way to prime certain associations:http://www.fastcompany.com/1779611/how-whole-foods-primes-you-shopThey put fresh flowers in front so the first thing you see is something fresh and beautiful, an association you will carry on to the rest of your shopping experience. As long as the produce is not obviously not fresh, you will assume it is fresh because you have been primed by something fresh.
http://blog.motivemetrics.com/What-is-Priming-A-Psychological-Look-at-Priming-Consumer-Behavior

http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=7195

https://www.marketingsociety.com/the-library/put-pencil-your-mouth-power-priming

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 6, 6.3, Section 6.3, Problem 22

This differential equation can be solved by separating the variables.
(dr)/(ds) = e^(r - 2s)
Dividing by e^r and multiplying by ds results in the variables r and s on the different sides of the equation:
(dr)/e^r = e^(-2s)ds
This is equivalent to
e^(-r) dr = e^(-2s)ds
Now we can take the integral of the both sides of the equation:
-e^(-r) = 1/(-2)e^(-2s) + C , where C is an arbitrary constant.
From here, e^(-r) = 1/2e^(-2s) - C
and -r = ln(1/2e^(-2s) - C)
or r = -ln(1/2e^(-2s) - C)
Since the initial condition is r(0) = 0, we can find the constant C:
r(0) = -ln(1/2e^(-2*0) - C) = -ln(1/2 - C) = 0
This means 1/2 - C = 1
and C = -1/2
Plugging C in in the equation for r(s) above, we can get the particular solution:
r = -ln((e^(-2s) + 1)/2) . This is algebraically equivalent to
r = ln(2/(e^(-2s) + 1)) . This is the answer.

How is symbolism of light used in the story?

The use of light as a symbol is a crucial element in "To Build a Fire." The story is set during twilight, that time between the daylight hours and night-time. The absence of the sun is essential to London's thematic treatment of death. The sun traditionally symbolizes many things; indeed, it has often been described as the root of all symbolism. One of its many symbols is the giving of life. By removing the sun, London is asserting the primacy of death over life in the story. We often speak of people as entering their "twilight years," a common euphemism for old age. The protagonist in "To Build a Fire" is about to enter his twilight years in the sense that he will soon pass away.
London's use of twilight also draws our attention to the fleeting, ephemeral nature of our existence on this earth. The word "ephemeral" comes from the Greek meaning "on a day," that is to say something that lasts for just one day. The fate of the man struggling against the harshness of the bleak, snow-ravaged wasteland is a metaphor for humankind's fate in general.

How does Madam Loisel's character change as a result of the hardships she has to endure?

In the beginning of "The Necklace," Madame Loisel is unhappy with her lot in life. When her husband presents her with an invitation to an affair at the Ministry, she spends money on a dress and borrows a necklace from her friend, Madame Forestier. While at the affair, Madame Loisel is "made drunk with pleasure, forgetting all, in the triumph of her beauty." She is sad when it is time to leave. Upon arrival at home, she discovers that she has lost the necklace borrowed from her friend. As a result, her husband borrows money so that the necklace can be replaced and returned to its owner.
It takes ten years for Madame Loisel and her husband to pay back the debt. During that time, "She came to know what heavy housework meant." She dresses in a manner suitable for a woman of her status and does her best to bargain and save money. She looks much older and is "strong and hard and rough." By the time she sees Madame Forestier again and is told the necklace was not a real diamond necklace, her friend hardly recognizes her.

Why did Shakespeare add the witches to the play Macbeth?

In introducing supernatural elements into the play, Shakespeare wants to suggest that there's something intrinsically evil and diabolical about disturbing the natural order of things. Macbeth's murderous treachery has upended the political stability of Scotland, unleashing blood-soaked tyranny upon the land. Macbeth, like everyone else, is part of a great chain of being, in which all must perform their specific roles and functions to maintain the stability of the whole. Yet Macbeth's murder of Duncan has disrupted the effective operation of this system, allowing the forces of darkness to prevail.
Macbeth could've had everything he ever wanted by remaining loyal to his king. All of his ambitions and more could've been fulfilled had he done his duty and kept his place in the great chain of being. The problem here is not ambition per se; it's an overweening ambition that destroys the ties of loyalty and duty which bind us all together and which ensure the peace and stability of society. In killing Duncan, Macbeth hasn't just done something morally wrong; he's severed his links with the great chain of being, choosing instead to stand with the forces of darkness and corruption.

There are a few likely reasons why Shakespeare added the witches to Macbeth. One is that the King of England at the time, James I, was both very religious and interested in the supernatural. Adding the mysterious and macabre element of the Wyrd Sisters and their prophecies was likely to intrigue the king, and his patronage was vital to the viability of Shakespeare's career as a playwright.
Another reason to add them is that the witches add complexity to a play that otherwise may simply be thematically concerned with loyalty, manhood, and ambition. Their prophecies create ambiguity, enabling questions regarding what extent their prophecies dictate what happens to Macbeth and others. Would Macbeth, as he speculates in act 1, scene 3, be crowned without him accelerating events by murdering Duncan? It is a question that neither Macbeth nor the audience can conclusively answer, which adds depth and complexity to the plot.

Where were Macduff's wife and son killed?

At the end of Act 4, scene 1, when Macbeth has spoken to the Weird Sisters for a second time, he learns from Lennox that Macduff has fled to England. In his anger at Macduff's escape from Scotland, Macbeth vows,

The castle of Macduff I will surprise,Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' swordHis wife, his babes, and all unfortunate soulsThat trace him in his line. (4.1.171-174)

This lets us know that Macbeth intends to have Lady Macduff and her children murdered in their own home, at Macduff's castle in Fife. The very next scene opens on Lady Macduff speaking with Ross about her husband having left Scotland without speaking to her or even explaining why he was leaving. We can assume, I think, given the proximity of Macbeth's vow and this, the murder scene he planned, that nothing has happened to alter the time and place of the intended murders. Further, later in the scene, after the messenger has told her to make her escape, Lady Macduff asks, "Whither should I fly?" (4.2.81). In other words, she seems to have nowhere else to go. Therefore, we can assume they are killed at home, as Macbeth planned.

Macduff's wife, Lady Macduff, and her unnamed son are killed in Macduff's own castle in Fife. Lady Macduff is in conversation with Ross, telling him she thinks it is unwise for her husband to have left his wife and children alone and unguarded. While Ross argues that Macduff is "noble" and knows best what he is doing, it transpires that Lady Macduff is right after all when, shortly after Ross leaves the castle, a Messenger arrives to suggest they leave the castle, as they are in danger.
Lady Macduff asks, "Whither should I fly? / I have done no harm." And, in fact, she has no time to leave the castle: a murderer immediately enters after she has asked herself this question, and her son, challenging the murderers, is killed onstage. Lady Macduff does not die on the stage but exits pursued by the murderers. Later, however, we are told that all Lady Macduff's children and Lady Macduff herself have been killed in their own home by the murderers.

What is the main theme in Richard Rodriguez's essay "The Fear of Losing a Culture"?

In the essay "The Fear of Losing a Culture" by Richard Rodriguez, the author writes of his ancestral Hispanic culture in relation to his homeland the United States. To properly understand his point of view, it is important to realize that Rodriguez was born in San Francisco as a US citizen, and he grew up in contact with disparate cultures. His parents were immigrants, and in his childhood he spoke mainly Spanish, but as he became more involved in academia, he also experienced immersion in American culture. In his first book, Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, he documents a sense of alienation from his Hispanic culture through his studies. Although the book received praise from critics and won several awards, some Hispanic people accused Rodriguez of selling out to the American culture at the expense of the culture of his family.
The main theme of "The Fear of Losing a Culture" is the assimilation of cultures. However, the title of the essay is in a sense ironic because Rodriguez does not fear the process of assimilation. In fact, when it is accomplished correctly, he admires it. He uses Mexico, the country from which his parents and grandparents came, as an example of a country that has successfully accomplished the assimilation of diverse cultures. He points out that as a whole, the country is mestizo—that is, a genetic and cultural mix of Indians and Spanish. This blending has been accomplished so successfully that it is taken for granted.
On the other hand, Rodriguez argues that the United States, in the spirit of Protestant individualism, continues to emphasize separateness, or diversity, as a guiding principle. Americans are willing to assimilate other cultures in a capitalistic sense—for instance, by appreciating Asian and Latin American food and entertainment—but they are reluctant to take the further step of absorbing and integrating the essence of Hispanic-American culture: the depth, passion, and commitment to life. Only when the Catholic Mediterranean and the Protestant north, as Rodriguez characterizes the Hispanic and American cultures, become fully integrated, as in a marriage, will America experience the best of both worlds.

Richard Rodriguez's essay "The Fear of Losing a Culture," addresses assimilation and argues that it produces a beautiful blend of cultures. There is a fear among some Latinos that Latin American culture is going to be lost as many immigrate North. Rodriguez acknowledges this fear but uses many examples to show that Latin culture is resilient to change. Ultimately, Rodriguez calls for a more overt expression of Latin culture in the US and encourages his peers to embrace their culture on a new land. He argues that Latin culture has always been a melting pot that mixes well with all the cultures introduced to it. He shows how Latin music has been a blend of African drums and German accordions. He shows how there is much in Latin culture that the US could learn from. For example, he says that the value Latinos place in leisure could be a great benefit in the hustle and bustle of American culture. He argues that when the two cultures meet, something beautiful will happen. However, both parties must learn to stop resisting and enjoy the new culture they make together. He says,

We will change America even as we will be changed. We will disappear with you into a new miscegenation.

In Richard Rodriguez’s 1988 essay “The Fear of Losing a Culture,” the writer addresses what it means to be a Latin American in the United States.
He discusses both a reluctance and desire to assimilate into American culture, despite the hostilities of an American populace that both fears immigrant cultures and desperately wants to emulate them.
Rodriguez’s main theme, then, is that both Hispanics and white Americans must be willing to share their cultures in order to create a new one. Rather than fearing the loss of culture, as the title implies, Rodriguez portends the creation of a new, distinctly Americanized version of traditional Latin culture.
Rodriguez is hopeful that the differences between mainstream white culture and Latin American culture (“the ancient tear”) can heal “[themselves] in the New World.”
Thus, Rodriguez suggests that the old culture will not be lost but rather transformed.

The main theme of Rodriguez's essay is that Latin American culture will not disappear as Latin American people immigrate to the United States; instead, Latin culture will form a synthesis with North American culture. As he writes, "The genius of Latin America is the habit of synthesis. We assimilate." He writes about the way in which Latin America has created new "bloodlines" through the introduction of one culture to another. For example, the music of Latin America is a "litany of bloodlines," as he writes. In other words, Latin music merges many traditions, including the African drum, the German accordion, and the Muslim call to prayer. While the U.S. was shaped by Protestantism, which insisted on maintaining a distinction and distance between Europeans and Native Americans, in Latin America, there was what Rodriguez calls "meltdown conversion" characteristic of the Catholic conception of the world. This means that different cultures combined in Latin America.
Rodriguez, who wrote this essay in 1988, believes that the American culture, long insistent on individualism, is ready to embrace more communal cultures--the Asian culture and the Latin American culture. He believes that North Americans might embrace the Latin idea of leisure and of emotional expression. He thinks that now is the time for Latins to express a less timid version of their culture in the United States. As he writes, "expect marriage," meaning that both the Latin American and North American culture will change as the two cultures mingle. 

Carlos attends art class every 4 weeks, chess club every 2 weeks, and fencing lessons every 3 weeks. If he attended all three this week, when will he attend all three again?

Hello!
Denote the minimum number of weeks after which Carlos will attend all three classes during one week as N. Our task is to find that N.
The next art classes will be after 4 weeks since now, then after 4+4=8 weeks since now and, in general, after 4*A weeks since now, where A is any natural number.
For chess club the formula is 2*C, and for fencing lessons the formula is 3*F.
And all these events will happen simultaneously after N weeks, i.e. all these numbers, 4A, 2C and 3F, must be equal to N:
4A = 2C = 3F = N.
 
We see that 4, 2 and 3 are divisors of N, and N, in turn, is a multiple of 4, 2 and 3. This means N is a common multiple of 4, 2 and 3, and we are interested in the least common multiple, N=LCM(4,2,3).
Let's find N=LCM(4,2,3) = LCM(2^2, 2^1, 3^1).
It must contain all prime factors from 4, 2 and 3, they are 2 and 3. And 2 must be at the power 2 to make a multiple of 4. The result is  2^2*3=12.
Thus the event in interest will happen after 12 weeks first (and will happen again after each next 12 weeks).
 

When a hydrocarbon such as petrol or paraffin wax are burned in excess of air in a laboratory, carbon dioxide and water are the only products. When petrol is burned in a car engine, nitrogen monoxide, NO, is also formed. Explain how NO is formed in an internal combustion engine but not formed when a small sample of petrol is burnt in an evaporating basin.

Hydrocarbons consist of entirely carbon and hydrogen. While the gasoline in a car engine is not entirely hydrocarbon, the majority of it is. In fact, the combustion reaction in your car does not involve nitrogen at all, and as such it can be deduced that the reaction itself is not producing the nitrogen monoxide. 
Instead, you need to look at the heat of the engine itself. Some gasses can react at high temperatures, such as those in the cylinders of an engine. Nitrogen monoxide is the product of one of these heat driven reactions. Inside the cylinders, more than gas and oxygen is reacting; gas is reacting with air. This air contains just about everything, and most of the time there is excess oxygen in the cylinder. To make nitrogen monoxide, free oxygen and nitrogen molecules react endothermically to produce nitrogen monoxide. 
Some nitrogen monoxide is released by burning fuel itself. Some additives contain nitrogen, so when fuel is burned nitrogen is released into the mixture, where it bonds with oxygen.
Other sources of nitrogen monoxide in nature are lightning strikes and places with exposed lava, such as volcanoes. 
The reason you don't see it in a lab setting is:
There are no additives in the fuel mixture.
The reaction is low temperature, and does not reach the activation energy for nitrogen to oxidize.
Most experiments will not look for additional products of a reaction not attributed to the reactants themselves.

What are some quotes showing Bilbo Baggins's character development?

The Hobbit brings us the beloved character of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit with more to him than at first appears. Here are some quotes from the book which give us a glimpse into Bilbo's character development.

Still it is probable that Bilbo... although he looked and behaved exactly like a second edition of his solid and comfortable father, got something a bit queer in his make-up from the Took side, something that only waited for a chance to come out.

The Tooks are a queer lot in Bag-End. They're adventure-seekers and daredevils, and Bilbo, although only half a Took, is certainly no exception. Though at first he may appear just like his "solid and comfortable father," Bungo Baggins, Bilbo is really a hero in hiding, waiting for his chance to prove it. Even Bilbo himself at times shows an unwittingly Tookish side to him.

“Bless me, life used to be quite inter- I mean, you used to upset things badly in these parts once upon a time.”

The Took has nearly been driven out of him, but not quite. Gandalf can still see it.

“There’s a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself.”

Even before the adventure of the spiders, Bilbo is beginning to show signs of his inner hero. When he comes upon the trolls in the woods, he is frightened, but he goes closer and attempts to pickpocket one of them. Even though this attempt proves fruitless, again and again, we see Bilbo performing small acts of courage that show us his development.
Another example of his courage is when he comes upon Gollum in the tunnels. He is terrified, as any reasonable person would be, but his words and manner are confident, and he even gibes at the creature.

After some while Bilbo became impatient. “Well, what is it?” He said. “The answer’s not a kettle boiling over, as you seem to think from the noise you are making.”

Later in the book, Bilbo is able to save the dwarves from the spiders, coming up with a plan and acting swiftly, alone and unaided by anyone.

Things were looking pretty bad again when suddenly Bilbo reappeared and charged into the astonished spiders unexpectedly from the side. “Go on! Go on!" He shouted, “I will do the stinging.” And he did. He darted backwards and forward, slashing at spider-threads, hacking at their legs, and stabbing at their fat bodies if they came too near.

Bilbo himself acknowledges the change within himself later in the book.

Bilbo began to feel there really was something of a bold adventurer about himself after all.

When the company makes it to the mountain and finds Smaug, Bilbo calmly comes up with a plan and acts upon it, despite the dangers. He volunteers to go down into the dragon's lair again, even though he has already been once and they know that the dragon is very angry.

“Now I will make you an offer. I have got my ring and will creep down this very noon - then if ever Smaug ought to be napping - and see what he is up to. Perhaps something will turn up. ‘Every worm has his weak spot,’ as my father used to say, though I am sure it was not from personal experience.”

And once Bilbo is there, talking to Smaug in riddles to buy time, he finishes his conversation with an almost sassy parting speech.

“Well, I really must not detain Your Magnificence any longer." He said, “Or keep you from much-needed rest. Ponies take some catching, I believe, and so do burglars.” He added as a parting shot.

Bilbo's wit leads Smaug to chase him out with fire, but even after this, Bilbo keeps his head. Later on, he makes an attempt to save everyone the trouble of war by stealing and handing over the Arkenstone.
Yes, Bilbo has changed much from the worried little hobbit from Bag-End, and he returns as a fierce and intelligent hero with more than gold to show for his adventures. As Gandalf himself remarks:

“My dear Bilbo!” He said. “Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were.”

In a sense, Gandalf perceives depth to Bilbo's character that other people do not see. It is as much the case that Bilbo's potential has been limited by circumstances and that his adventure with the dwarves gives him the opportunity to fully live up to and into the potential as that he somehow changes character. 
At the beginning of The Hobbit, Bilbo appears to be a somewhat conventional hobbit who has assimilated the values of his community, albeit with some minor eccentricities which eventually are revealed as part of his actually heroic nature. He expresses this superficial conventionality in the following statement:

“We are plain quiet folk, and I have no use for adventures. Nasty, disturbing, and uncomfortable things.”

As Bilbo listens to the dwarves, something of his hidden nature begins to awaken:

As they sang the hobbit felt in love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and a jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves.

As Bilbo embarks on his adventure, despite complaints about food and weather, he gradually reveals a sort of quiet determination and bravery. One major turning point occurs when he kills a giant spider in Chapter Eight:

Somehow the killing of this giant spider, all alone by himself in the dark . . . made a great difference . . . He felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass.

In Chapter Sixteen, Bilbo has done the moral and courageous act of bringing the Arkenstone to Bard. His transformation into a true hero is highlighted by the following statement of the Elvenking:

"Bilbo Baggins!" he said. "You are more worthy to wear the armour of elf-princes than many that have looked more comely in it. But I wonder if Thorin Oakenshield will see it so. . . . I advise you to remain with us, and here you shall be honoured and thrice welcome."

What are some examples of personification and Maya Angelou's ideas of the past and future in "On the Pulse of Morning"?

In this poem, Maya Angelou uses the images of rock, river, and tree to describe the United States. She talks about the troubled past of this land, on which mastodons and dinosaurs have left their bones ("dried tokens") and where, more recently, humans have left troubling remains. Though Angelou says we are just a little lower than angels, we have lived in "ignorance" and left "debris." The country was settled by people "desperate for gain" who drove the Native Americans off the land and enslaved others. The history of this country has been full of "wrenching pain." 
Although the past has been troubled and imperfect, a "nightmare" for some, Angelou holds out great hope for the future. She invites all Americans, rich or poor, straight or gay, Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, to join in building a better world, for all are "yearning to respond" to the call of this land. We can all give birth to the American dream again. We can "shape it" and "sculpt it." "Each hour holds new chances," she writes. We should meet each other with hope, look into each other's eyes (by which she means really see each other) and come together with a "good morning" greeting that will symbolize the dawn of a new and better America. (It's useful to note the poem is an occasional poem, written for President Bill Clinton's inauguration, and so reflects the hope he wanted to project.) Her hope for the future is that, although different, Americans can come together in community and solidarity. 
Angelou personifies geographic features of America by giving them human characteristics. A rock "cries out" to us with advice, as a human might. Likewise, a tree speaks to us and a river sings a "beautiful song" and also speaks to us as a human would, saying, "Come, rest here by my side." The horizon leans forward to speak to us—as a person would in conversation—and the day has a "pulse" like a human pulse, as if it is alive, with a beating heart and blood flowing through its veins. 

Was the World's Colombian Exposition of 1893 a more or less significant event in international history than the Exposition Universelle?

Both the World's Columbian Exposition and the Exposition Universelle were major events that showcased the period of industrialization in the late nineteenth century. World's fairs in this period were often very public ways to showcase inventions, cultural achievements, and history. There were a variety of attractions and well-known personas who attended them, and whether one is of greater import than the other could depend on what is considered more significant in world history. Arguments could be made for either side, but it might be most helpful to break down these achievements into types. Overall, I would lean toward the Columbian Exposition being more important; however, in terms of art in particular, Paris seems more relevant.
IN TERMS OF ECONOMY, INVENTION, AND THINGS THAT ARE NOW EVERYDAY NORMS
The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago still has quite a legacy today. There were many fun attractions, including the Cypress Log Cabin (hardly a groundbreaking new idea, but fun for visitors nonetheless), new inventions such as the first Ferris wheel, and squashed pennies (not a historical game changer either, but still a first). Major developments that were introduced to the world through the fair included a machine for Braille publishing (Helen Keller was there for its presentation to the public), moving walkways, the precursor to the zipper, a prototype for aerosol sprays, electric kitchen appliances (including the dishwasher), new forms of lamps, and the third rail for trains. These items are still familiar (or evolved into common objects today), and many have had an effect on modern lives and the economy. Electrical power was also running the show. Though electricity had become fairly widespread beforehand, the choice of Westinghouse to power the fair ended a long debate over DC and AC, further influencing how we utilize electricity. Major inventors, including rivals Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, showcased some of their most famous inventions.
The 1900 Exposition Universelle a few years later introduced further achievements. Little but beloved items like the matryoshka doll made an appearance, but so too did the first talking films, escalators, and the original diesel engine. Once again, these were massively influential items. Electricity, steam power, and extravagant machinery powered the fair and were themselves popular attractions.
INFLUENCE ON CULTURE AND THE ARTS
In Chicago, American culture and advancements were certainly at the forefront, perhaps more so than with similar events. This is unsurprising but still relevant, as the United States was becoming increasingly established as a notable player in a variety of areas. American musicians included Scott Joplin (the king of ragtime) and John Philip Sousa. Dvorak, Mussorgsky, and other musical acts were also shown to a large international audience. Visual artists including Mary Cassatt, Edward Moran, and Gary Melchers also displayed work. Perhaps the biggest impact was on architecture. A few newer American styles made an appearance, such as the Arts & Crafts style, which would become very popular for American homes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The architectural displays that had the most international influence were those that focused on city planning. Despite many brand-new buildings at the fair being designed for temporary use, the use of space and "city" feeling impressed many visitors and created a new focus on urban beautification and more advanced city planning.
In Paris, the focus was more international in nature, but it particularly featured France’s power in the arts. The fair featured remarkable architecture (particularly the new styles of Art Nouveau and Neo-Baroque). Different countries created their own pavilions, spreading their culture among the guests, and there were also many colonial exhibitions. Art Nouveau did appear prior to the 1900 Exposition, but at this particular World’s Fair it made a lasting impression. The style is one of the most influential and recognizable artistic movements in illustration, architecture, and painting, and also one example of when Western artists drew influence from other cultural aesthetics. The interest of Western artists in non-Western traditions would continue long after the event was over.
https://chicagology.com/columbiaexpo/fairfirsts/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/worlds-fair-relics-paris

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/51562/11-vintage-photos-1893-worlds-columbian-exposition

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 3, 3.5, Section 3.5, Problem 34

Determine the derivative of the function $\displaystyle y = x \sin \frac{1}{x}$


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

College Algebra, Chapter 7, 7.3, Section 7.3, Problem 18

Determine the inverse of the matrix $\left[ \begin{array}{ccc}
5 & 7 & 4 \\
3 & -1 & 3 \\
6 & 7 & 5
\end{array} \right]$ if it exists.

First, let's add the identity matrix to the right of our matrix

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
5 & 7 & 4 & 1 & 0 & 0 \\
3 & -1 & 3 & 0 & 1 & 0 \\
6 & 7 & 5 & 0 & 0 & 1
\end{array} \right]$

By using Gauss-Jordan Elimination

$\displaystyle \frac{1}{5} R_1$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & \displaystyle \frac{7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{4}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & 0 & 0 \\
3 & -1 & 3 & 0 & 1 & 0 \\
6 & 7 & 5 & 0 & 0 & 1
\end{array} \right]$

$\displaystyle R_2 - 3 R_1 \to R_2$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & \displaystyle \frac{7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{4}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & 0 & 0 \\
0 & \displaystyle \frac{-26}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{3}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{-3}{5} & 1 & 0 \\
0 & \displaystyle \frac{-7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{-6}{5} & 0 & 1
\end{array} \right]$

$\displaystyle \frac{-5}{26} R_2$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & \displaystyle \frac{7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{4}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & 0 & 0 \\
0 & 1 & \displaystyle \frac{-3}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{3}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{-5}{26} & 0 \\
0 & \displaystyle \frac{-7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{-6}{5} & 0 & 1
\end{array} \right]$

$\displaystyle R_3 + \frac{7}{5} R_2 \to R_3$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & \displaystyle \frac{7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{4}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & 0 & 0 \\
0 & 1 & \displaystyle \frac{-3}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{3}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{-5}{26} & 0 \\
0 & 0 & \displaystyle \frac{1}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{-27}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{-7}{26} & 1
\end{array} \right]$


$\displaystyle 26 R_3$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & \displaystyle \frac{7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{4}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & 0 & 0 \\
0 & 1 & \displaystyle \frac{-3}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{3}{26} & \displaystyle \frac{-5}{26} & 0 \\
0 & 0 & 1 & -27 & -7 & 26
\end{array} \right]$


$\displaystyle R_2 + \frac{3}{26} R_3 \to R_2$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & \displaystyle \frac{7}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{4}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} & 0 & 0 \\
0 & 1 & 0 & -3 & -1 & 3 \\
0 & 0 & 1 & -27 & -7 & 26
\end{array} \right]$


$\displaystyle R_1 - \frac{4}{5} R_3 \to R_1$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & \displaystyle \frac{7}{5} & 0 & \displaystyle \frac{109}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{28}{5} & \displaystyle \frac{-104}{5} \\
0 & 1 & 0 & -3 & -1 & 3 \\
0 & 0 & 1 & -27 & -7 & 26
\end{array} \right]$


$\displaystyle R_1 - \frac{7}{5} R_2 \to R_1$

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc|ccc}
1 & 0 & 0 & 26 & 7 & -25 \\
0 & 1 & 0 & -3 & -1 & 3 \\
0 & 0 & 1 & -27 & -7 & 26
\end{array} \right]$


The inverse matrix can now be found in the right half of our reduced row-echelon matrix. So the inverse matrix is

$\left[ \begin{array}{ccc}
26 & 7 & -25 \\
-3 & -1 & 3 \\
-27 & -7 & 26
\end{array} \right]$

What did the laws of Denmark protect the Jews from?

There is a popular legend that the king of Denmark, Christian X wore a yellow Star of David badge to demonstrate his support of the Jews in his country. While this is probably the material of legend, the story demonstrates the staunch support that the Danish-Jewish population enjoyed during the reign of Christian. Unlike other western European countries, the Danes passed laws to protect the property of the Jews. The government did not require registration of assets by the Jews and did not require Jews to forfeit their property rights. Jews also were not asked to carry identification papers or wear anything that would distinguish themselves from the rest of the population. The police in Denmark were also used to protect synagogues and Jewish property. When orders came from Hitler to deport the Jews in 1943, the task was made nearly impossible by an organized resistance movement in Denmark.
 
 
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/denmark

What are five examples of microlinguistics?

Microlinguistics is the study of systems of language. Here are five examples with definitions:
Phonetics is the discipline that examines the sounds of speech
Phonology is the study of how sounds are organized within a language
Morphology is the study of how words are formed; it focuses on the smallest units in language that can convey meaning
Syntax is the study of the structure of sentences and the processes involved in forming them
Semantics is the study of how meaning is formed by words; this can be broken down further into lexical semantics, which deals with how words (or word combinations) convey ideas or concepts, and compositional semantics, which deals with how sentence parts are combined to create meaning. Context is an important consideration of semantics.

Summarize and give context for the following primary source. https://www.marxists.org/history/cuba/archive/castro/1960/09/29.htm

This is a speech by Fidel Castro that took place in Havana in late September of 1960, not long after the Cuban Revolutionaries had nationalized all foreign-owned property. This particularly affected the US. The speech is noteworthy because a few bombs go off while Castro is speaking. These were attempts on Castro's life by counter-revolutionaries, in all likelihood aided and supported by the CIA.
Castro remains unfazed throughout the speech, responding glibly that:

For every little bomb of the imperialists, we build 500 houses. For every little bomb they make in a year, we construct three cooperative houses. For every little bomb, we nationalize a Yankee estate. For every little bomb of the imperialists, we refine hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil. For every little bomb we will build a plant to give employment in our country. For every little bomb the imperialists pay for, we convert a garrison into a school. For every little bomb the imperialists pay for, we arm at least 1,000 militiamen.

This captures, in the manner of a caricature, much of what the Cuban Revolution sought to accomplish as an anti-capitalist, colonialist and imperialist venture. In many ways, it was quite successful.
Castro continues his speech by discussing the warm reception he got at the United Nations. Only a couple of weeks before Havana, he addressed a speech to and was well-received at the UN in New York. He refers to this in the Havana speech and to challenging the "imperialist enemy":

The imperialist enemy is capable of the unimaginable. The enemy uses any weapons — from the murder of leaders to military invasions, always seeking the murdering hand, the gangster, the pretext. And we should not only be valiant but also intelligent. We must win the battle, we must be victorious against the imperialist enemy. We must win all battles, as we have won in the United Nations.
The imperialist enemy is being defeated at the United Nations. The supporters of armaments, the enemies of peace, the militarists are receiving rough blows at the United Nations. The imperialist enemy must be demoralized before a war. The enemies of peace, those who play with the fate of all humanity, must be defeated on all fronts.

This "imperialist enemy" is quite clearly the US, and we can see the approach of "the murdering hand" and "the gangster" in the bombs that go off during Castro's speech. Still, he remained stalwart and continued that way for over fifty more years.

How does the narrator describe herself as phenomenal in Maya Angelou's poem "Phenomenal Woman"?

As explanation for men's attraction to her, Maya Angelou's speaker describes the movements of her individual features and the poetry of her motions. These, she declares, are the reasons for her being a "phenomenal woman."
In the first stanza, the speaker notes that pretty women are curious about her secret and ask her how she is able to be so attractive to men. However, when she explains that it is not just her features, "They think I'm telling lies." Nevertheless, she says that her "certain something" that is indefinable is found in the style of her movements and the grace of these movements:

It's in the reach of my arms, The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips... The swing in my waist

Then, too, she employs imagery to describe the unique features of her body:

It's the fire in my eye, And the flash of my teeth

The speaker then further explains that she has an inner mystery reflected by her body and movements, which she describes in metaphoric terms:

It's in the arch of my back, The sun of my smile... The grace of my style.

Calling herself "a woman / Phenomenally," the speaker adds that men cannot define what it is that draws them to her. For she has an inner mystery, and even when she makes an effort to show it to them, the men say that they still cannot see from what features come her mysterious attractiveness. While the men in the poem look for something concretely physical as the cause of the speaker's attractiveness, the speaker understands that her feminine power comes from an inner source reflected in a combination of physical attributes.

Is irony ever used to comic effect in The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby doesn't strike this reader as particularly comical, but I can think of one part where Nick's ironic commentary on Myrtle Wilson might produce some comedy.  Myrtle, Tom's mistress, is of a much lower class than either Tom or Nick.  She lives in the valley of ashes (rather than either of the "Eggs") with her mechanic husband, George.  One would, therefore, likely not expect her to behave in a snotty way -- as we might expect of Tom or Daisy.  We would more likely expect Myrtle to behave humbly, as a person who is used to less and receiving more might. 
However, once she is ensconced in her apartment with Tom and Nick, Myrtle changes her dress, and "With the influence of the dress her personality had also undergone a change."  She begins to behave with "impressive hauteur.  Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment, and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her, until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air."  Such an image, of Myrtle swelling like a balloon in an ever-shrinking room, spinning around and around noisily as she tries to impress everyone around her, is a pretty comical one, and it is ironic because her behavior is so different from what we would expect of a woman in her position.

Engaging in Ethnography: Labor and Legality (Anthropology) The ethnography Labor and Legality focuses on how culture helps a group of men, referred to as the Lions, manage the complexity of their lives as foreign nationals in Chicago. In this essay, look at the cultural values these men share and how their culture helps them to navigate between different social settings. Keep track of the cultural values that the men aspire to as presented in the narratives on each of the Lions the author worked with. This may be their ideal culture. Also consider how these values fit into their working and personal lives. Are there differences between their ideals and real behavior? Then consider these values in light of your own perspectives of the “ideal culture” of US values on the same issues. How do these compare? Your version of US values will be particular to you based on your own background and experiences. In writing this essay, you will be balancing your own ethnocentrism (how you view US values) with cultural relativism to understand the lives of the people you are writing about. If you feel aspects of your cultural life are shared with the people discussed in the ethnography, you should address this too. Your ability to write in a neutral way about people’s values and behaviors in the book will show your learning on this course and should be crafted carefully. As you read Labor and Legality and consider these issues, please bring into your consideration anthropological concepts of culture such as holism, enculturation vs. acculturation, etc.

In Labor and Legality, the Lions present values related to their work and families. For example, Luis, along with several other of the Lions, mentions the value of hard work and family. He says, "If they give you a job as a dishwasher, you take it" (page 6). He feels that Mexicans work harder than people born in America and says, "Sometimes you feel like you're working harder than other people" (page 6). As a result, Luis feels that Mexicans are in some ways superior to American-born people and states, "An American is not worth as much as a Mexican" (page 6). He also feels that Mexican-born people are willing to take risks, unlike Americans. Luis also says that, "For me, the most important thing in my life is my family" (page 6). 
However, Luis's ideals and real behavior are discrepant. Though he wants to do well and value his family, his family life is far from ideal. After being abused by his father, he struggled with drug abuse and in turn feels that he did not treat his wife well by not sending her enough remittance money from the U.S. She is now living with another man. Luis is now trying to move beyond this life and live a better life in Chicago while working as a busboy. By using the process of holism, the reader can come to understand all the factors--economic, cultural, and psychological--that affect Luis and the other Lions.
Papa Juan and some of the other Lions also speak about how hard they work. Papa Juan, for example, worked in the bracero program that brought Mexican workers to the U.S. for temporary, migrant work. He clearly worked hard at agricultural work, and he says, "we will work all week" (23). Many of the other workers also speak about how hard they work to get ahead. For example, Rene speaks about how he wants respect at his job (page 7). He is one of the Lions whose ideals and real behavior are consistent. For example, he is described as a role model at the restaurant, and he owns his own house. In addition, Leonardo sends half of his money back home to Mexico and saves much of his income to purchase a house. In looking at his life, the reader can understand the processes of enculturation (by which people learn the values of the surrounding culture) and acculturation (by which people borrow cultural traits from other people).
In assessing the lives of the Lions from your perspective, consider your own biases and ethnocentrism. For example, many American-born people consider Americans hardworking and Mexicans not as hard working. Using a sense of cultural relativism, you can perceive that Mexicans see themselves as hardworking and American-born people as less diligent. You should assess the Lions' behaviors by understanding their backgrounds and motivations; for example, why did they come to the U.S., and what do they hope to gain from their work here? Use a holistic approach, considering cultural, economic, psychological, and other factors that contribute to their experiences in the U.S. You may also find some commonalities among your values and those of the Lions.

Explain how currency depreciation can impact domestic output in the short and long term.

When a country's currency depreciates, it loses value relative to the currency of other nations.  According to today's valuation, one Euro can purchase $1.09 in United States Dollars (USD).  If the USD were to further depreciate, the exchange rate would give a further advantage to the Euro because it could be used to purchase a larger amount of dollars.  Why is this relevant to trade?  There is a relationship between the value of currency and the value of a nation's product for exportation.
When a entities in foreign countries seek to purchase goods, they seek the best value.  If their currency has a higher exchange rate compared to a second country, they will exchange currencies in order to make a purchase.  This higher exchange rate creates an incentive for the stronger nation to import goods, while the economy with the weaker currency has an incentive to export goods.
When an economy has a greater exportation rate, they will be producing more products to meet this demand.  Although this marks a short term increase in domestic output, the effects may not be the same in the long term.  If an item requires a commodity of foreign origin to complete the manufacturing process, the higher exchange rate required to purchase this commodity will eventually cause an increase in the price of the product.  The increase in price may decrease the demand for the product, leading to decreased production.
https://www.bea.gov/help/faq?faq_id=498

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/currency-appreciation.asp

What is the relation ship between Holling and his sister?

Holling's relationship with his sister, Heather, is dynamic; it changes by the end of the story. When readers are first introduced to Heather, it is clear that there is quite a bit of antagonism between her and Holling. For example, the first time that Holling speaks to his sister, she tells him that she hates his guts:

"Mrs. Baker hates my guts," I told her. 
"So do I," she said.
"I could use some help with this." 
"Ask Mom." 

It is clear from this exchange that Heather and Holling are not best friends with each other. They really are not even on general speaking terms with each other. That does not mean they do not love each other though. In fact, Holling risks his life to save Heather from a skidding bus. His love for his sister continues to show throughout the rest of the story. It is Holling that pays for her to return home after she runs away and gets stuck. She knows better than to talk to her dad or mom about it, but she knows that Holling loves her and she loves him. When she finally returns home, she breaks her icy shell and hugs Holling. It is her way of saying "thank you" and "sorry" at the same time.

They did not start up again until my sister got off the bus, and she ran out of the diesel combustion and right to me, and we held each other, and we were not empty at all.  
"Holling," she said, "I was so afraid I wouldn't find you." 
"I was standing right here, Heather," I said.  "I'll always be standing right here." 

What should be the role of citizens in creating public policy?

There is really no one answer to this, as it is not a matter of fact but one of opinion. Different individuals and different cultures have different beliefs about this topic.
In some societies, such as ancient Athens, direct democracy was practiced with citizens voting directly on matters of public policy. On the positive side, this gives citizens a direct and immediate voice in the running of their state. On the negative side, this may only be practical for states containing a few thousand citizens. Also, there is a problem that the average citizen in not necessarily an expert on policy matters. Referendums such as those held in the state of California descend from this ideal. The problem, though, is that people can vote for such popular measures as reducing taxing and improving services separately, without addressing the problem that one cannot reduce revenue and increase spending without running up an unsustainable deficit. 
At the other extreme, countries such as modern China give the average citizen little voice in determining policy. The Chinese communist party would claim that this benefits the country as a whole in providing a expert, efficient, technocratic mode of government that can make and implement wise and impartial policies. On the negative side, though, autocracies become kleptocracies, with the wealthy and powerful forming an elite of billionaires while the average citizen remains impoverished and powerless.
Another possibility is representative government, which operates under the assumption that citizens can vote for people to represent them and to appoint able technocrats in a civil service. Most modern democracies operate this way. Representative government is a compromise between direct popular influence and technocracy in theory, but the same problem of lack of voter expertise arises. Any system in which people vote directly requires a well-funded, mandatory educational system so that voters can make informed choices.

Precalculus, Chapter 4, 4.4, Section 4.4, Problem 63

-pi/6 on the unit circle diagram is the same as 11pi/6. Think about it as going pi/6 counterclockwise, instead of clockwise.
When evaluating sine, think about the y axis. The -pi/6 on the unit circle would horizontally match up with -1/2 on the y axis if you drew a line starting from the intersection of the edge of the circle and -pi/6 that was parallel to the x axis. Thus, sine of -pi/6 is -1/2.
When evaluating cosine, think of the same as sine but with the x axis. The cosine of -pi/6 is √3/2 .
When evaluating tangent, it is useful to look at the numbers outside the parentheses in the chart I attached below. The tangent of -pi/6 is -√3/3.
You can use a calculator to verify.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 6, 6.3, Section 6.3, Problem 26

The shell has the radius 5 - y , the cricumference is 2pi*(5 - y) and the height is 4 - x , hence, the volume can be evaluated, using the method of cylindrical shells, such that:
V = 2pi*int_(y_1)^(y_2) (5 - y)*(4 - x) dy
V = 2pi*int_(y_1)^(y_2) (5 - y)*(4 - sqrt(7+y^2)) dy
You need to find the endpoints, using the equation sqrt(7+y^2) = 4 => 7+y^2 = 16 => y^2=9 => y_1=-3, y_2=3
V = 2pi*int_(-3)^(3) (20 - 5sqrt(7+y^2) - 4y + y*sqrt(7+y^2)) dy
V = 2pi*(int_(-3)^(3) 20dy - 5int_(-3)^(3)sqrt(7+y^2) dy - 4int_(-3)^(3) ydy + int_(-3)^(3) y*sqrt(7+y^2) dy)
V = 2pi*(20y - (5/2)*sqrt(y^2+7) - (35/2)sinh^(-1) (y/sqrt7) - 2y + (2/3)sqrt((7+y^2)^3))|_(-3)^(3)
V = 2pi*(60 - 10- (35/2)sinh^(-1) (3/sqrt7) - 6 + (2/3)64 + 60 - 10 + (35/2)sinh^(-1) (-3/sqrt7) - 6 - 128/3)
V = 2pi*(88 - (35/2)sinh^(-1) (3/sqrt7) + (35/2)sinh^(-1) (-3/sqrt7))
Hence, evaluating the volume, using the method of cylindrical shells, yields V = 2pi*(88 - (35/2)sinh^(-1) (3/sqrt7) + (35/2)sinh^(-1) (-3/sqrt7)).

In “To Da-duh in Memoriam” what “borders” does the narrator cross when she visits her grandmother?

The narrator crosses a geographical border first: she travels from Brooklyn to Barbados to visit Da-duh, her grandmother. During the visit, the narrator also crosses several other "borders."
She temporarily leaves her urban, modern life for a rustic, pastoral one. The narrator also begins to view life through a mature, adult lens, as opposed to her own youthful one. The journey is not only physical but also philosophical in nature. Essentially, she crosses the border from youth to maturity and from modernity to sustainability.
The narrator's modern world is replete with skyscrapers, imposing man-made structures, and technological advancements in every form. She crosses over into a pastoral setting, where the flora and fauna are sustained by the laws of nature. Da-duh introduces her to strange fruits such as papaws, guavas, sugar apples, and breadfruit. The narrator sees fields of cane and clusters of banana plants. In nature, the "tangled foliage" are locked in an "immemorial struggle" for sunlight. There is violence in the struggle; yet, the result is beauty, life, and peace. 
The narrator learns that there are differences between her world and her grandmother's. During her stay, she learns to appreciate the advantages both worlds can offer her.