Why does Magwitch jump with sudden fear when Pip points to where his mother is?

Abel Magwitch is an escaped convict, on the run after breaking free from a prison ship. The soldiers are hot on his trail, combing every inch of the Romney marshes to find him. As we can well imagine, he's absolutely scared stiff at the prospect of being caught. Being locked up in a prison barge must have been a pretty wretched experience, so it's not surprising that he really doesn't want to go back there. When Magwitch first encounters Pip the boy is in the cemetery visiting the grave of his parents. As Magwitch is so jumpy at the prospect of being caught, he immediately thinks that Pip's mother is actually there with him in the cemetery, physically present, rather than dead and buried beneath the ground.

What impact does the pursuit of the American Dream have on Jay Gatsby? How does this pursuit corrupt him?

In the early years of the twentieth century when immigrants flooded into Ellis Island, they came to enjoy religious freedom and to live the American Dream. Political thinkers painted a picture of America as the land of opportunity, and ordinary dreamers, the image etched into their minds, packed their bags and boarded ships destined for the promised land. But America changed in the face of industrial progress, and during the 1920s, the vision of what the country could offer became corrupt. No longer was the dream about building a better life, but about obtaining material wealth. Ordinary people, once content with enjoying freedom and comfort, now set their sights on acquiring commodities, often at the expense of morality and honor.
The Roaring Twenties marked a time in history characterized by excess. Images of the decade show elegantly-clad couples listening to jazz at cabarets or enjoying an evening at the theater. The mood of the country was rosy, a reflection of the bulging economy. Not only was America the land of the free but a land where paupers could become presidents and anyone could build a fortune.
In large part, these ideas were fueled by Hollywood. Movies glamorized American life. Celebrities wore stylish clothes, drove expensive automobiles, had lavish homes, and lived lives of leisure. The theater scene boomed in the 1920s, but only a few people got rich. Most people only dreamed of riches. They envied the life they saw on the screen, and so advertisers used celebrities to market products.
The rise of the theater, the automobile, the cabarets, and the growth of industry all supported the development of a consumer culture. Consumerism revolves around the idea that spending more money on commercial products boosts the country’s economy. And for a while, it did. In the 1920s, factories cranked out products, companies expanded, jobs became available, and wages increased. Then, people could afford to buy products. Many were more luxuries than necessities. Companies grew bigger to meet consumer demands, and stock prices soared.
What happened in America in the 20s was shift in thinking. In a land where possibilities seemed endless, Americans came to value wealth and prominence above honesty and hard work. Commercial products became symbols of status — they announced to the world that the person who owned them had the means to purchase the things they wanted and thus lived a life of privilege. At the time, even refrigerators and washing machines were enviable products. Only people with money could purchase machines that did their work for them — and the people who did purchase them boasted about their ability to spend more time on leisure activities.
In an age of mass consumerism, people lost perspective. Dreams of building a home became dreams of owning a mansion, and dreams of comfort became dreams of wealth. When people began to define themselves by the things they owned, they began to pursue money at all costs – and there were plenty of opportunities to engage in dishonest business deals, for the consumer mindset bred corruption and greed. Once people changed their vision of what America had to offer them, they shifted their focus from making the right decisions to impressing the right people, falsely motivated by the belief that money can buy happiness. Jay Gatsby, lured by the idea of riches, was very much a victim of the times.
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/americandream/transcript.html
http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/consumerism-america-1920s.htm
https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-great-gatsby-theme-materialism-money
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/idealabs/ap/essays/consume.htm

The American Dream is the idea that any citizen can attain wealth and advance their social status through good fortune, hard work, and dedication. Jay Gatsby is the ironic epitome of the American Dream in the novel The Great Gatsby. Gatsby, who was born James Gatz, comes from humble beginnings as the son of poor farmers in North Dakota. As a young man, Gatsby falls in love with Daisy, a beautiful girl from a wealthy family. Gatsby realizes that because of his lower-class background, he will never be able to win Daisy's affection. This motivates Gatsby to become wealthy through illegal means after he returns from war. In Gatsby's pursuit of the American Dream, he enters the criminal bootlegging business with Meyer Wolfsheim. Gatsby ends up attaining the American Dream by becoming an upper-class, wealthy citizen, who enjoys a life of luxury in the West Egg. However, Gatsby becomes corrupt in his pursuit of the American Dream by believing that he can buy happiness. Despite Gatsby's fortune, he sacrifices his morals and does not develop meaningful relationships with people. While Jay Gatsby's intentions are genuine, every aspect of his luxurious life is a fraud. He loses his grasp on reality by acting like an aristocrat and pretends to be an enhanced version of himself. Unfortunately, Gatsby's efforts are in vain, as he discovers that he will never be able to provide a secure life for Daisy. Overall, Gatsby's pursuit of the American Dream does not result in his happiness and becomes a corrupting force. His emphasis on material wealth negatively affects his ability to form lasting meaningful relationships with others, and he dies an unhappy, lonely man.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 1, 1.6, Section 1.6, Problem 50

Evaluate the equation (a) $\ln (\ln x) = 1$ (b) $e^{ax} = Ce^{bx}$, where $a \neq b$ for $x$

a.) $\ln(\ln x) = 1$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
e^{\ln (\ln x)} &= e^1
&& \text{Raise in $e$ both sides to eliminate the first } \ln\\
\\
\ln x &= e^1
&& \text{Evaluate}\\
\\
e^{\ln x} &= e^{e^1}
&& \text{Repeat the first part and solve for } x\\
\\
x &= e^{e^1}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


b.) $e^{ax} = Ce^{bx}$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\frac{e^{ax}}{e^{bx}} &= C
&& \text{Divide each side by } e^{bx}\\
\\
e^{ax - bx} &= C
&& \text{Apply the property of exponent}\\
\\
e^{x(a -b)} &= C
&& \text{Factor $x$ in the exponent}\\
\\
\ln e^{x(a - b)} &= \ln C
&& \text{Take ln of each side}\\
\\
x (a - b) &= \ln C
&& \text{Simplify}\\
\\
x &= \frac{\ln C}{a - b}
&& \text{Solve for } x

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

How does author Harper Lee demonstrate the following in To Kill a Mockingbird: How has hatred changed its focus throughout time? How do those in positions intended to assist become the enemy?

In To Kill a Mockingbird one way in which author Harper Lee demonstrates that hatred changes its focus over time is by pointing out hypocrisy. One example of hypocrisy is seen during Aunt Alexandra's missionary circle meeting in Chapter 24. During the meeting, the ladies speak out against the conditions suffered by an African tribe called the Mrunas, who, according to Mrs. Grace Merriweather, live in "nothing but sin and squalor." But, at the same time, they complain about the African-American laborers grumbling about unjust treatment after Tom Robinson's trial. After Mrs. Merriweather speaks about how much the Mrunas need to be saved, she immediately turns to Mrs. Farrow and says the following very racist and hypocritical remark:

Gertrude, I tell you there's nothing more distracting than a sulky darky. Their mouths go down to here. Just ruins your day to have one of 'em in the kitchen. (Ch. 24)

Author Lee uses Mrs. Merriweather's remarks to show that Southern Christians, like the people of Maycomb, are willing to speak of the need to bring Christian aid to Africa while at the same time hypocritically refusing to see the need to give Christian aid to African Americans right their in Maycomb. Their hypocritical attitude shows us that their racist hatred has changed over time so that hatred is no longer applied to those in need in Africa while still being applied to Christian African Americans right there in their own hometown.Aside from racist hatred making individuals behave hypocritically, Lee shows that racist hatred also makes people in positions of authority behave incorrectly. One example can be seen in the behavior of Sheriff Heck Tate. During his testimony at Tom Robinson's trial, Sheriff Tate states that there was no doubt in his mind Robinson was guilty when he made the arrest, simply because the white Ewells said he was guilty. However, while still on the witness stand, Atticus makes Sheriff Tate realize that Mayella had been bruised on the right side of her face, which would have been impossible for Robinson to accomplish with his crippled left arm and hand; the impossibility of Robinson to have committed the crime means that Sheriff Tate made a wrongful arrest based solely on racist judgement. We see Sheriff Tate begin to realize the wrongfulness of his arrest in the following:

Mr. Tate blinked again, as if something had suddenly been made plain to him. (Ch. 17)

By the end of the book, Sheriff Tate expresses genuine guilt for having made the arrest that cost Robinson his life when he persuades Atticus not to pursue the cause of Bob Ewell's death, the man truly responsible for Robinson's death:

There's a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it's dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead. (Ch. 30)

As sheriff of Maycomb, Tate is in a position of power that could enable him to assist the downtrodden like Robinson. However, Sheriff Tate's expression of guilt shows us that he too lets racist hatred cloud his judgement from time to time, thereby making himself one of the enemies of the downtrodden.

What is the process of digestion that occurs in the small intestine, including the name of enzymes involved and the end products formed?

The small intestine can be divided into three sections: the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum forms the first section of the small intestine. Partially digested food moves from the stomach through the pyloric sphincter and into the duodenum. The pancreas and liver are also connected to the region. Those two organs release their juices (digestive enzymes and bile, respectively) to mix with the partially digested food.
Trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen are digestive enzymes released into the duodenum. They are responsible for the digestion of proteins into polypeptides. The polypeptides are further broken down by exopeptidases and dipeptidases into amino acids. Lipase and amylase are additional digestive enzymes released into the duodenum for the digestion of fats and carbohydrates. Bile from the liver and lipase digest fats into glycerol and fatty acids. Amylase helps in the digestion of carbohydrates into glucose.
The jejunum is the middle section of the small intestines. It is responsible for the absorption of nutrients from the digested food. The ileum is the final section of the small intestines and is connected to the large intestines. This section absorbs remaining nutrients that were not absorbed in the jejunum and empties any remaining matter into the large intestine.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ap/chapter/the-small-intestine/

https://www.laparoscopic.md/digestion/intestine

The chyme from the stomach passes into the small intestine where it is mixed with pancreatic juice from the pancreas and bile from the liver. The pancreatic juice supplies enzymes whilst the bile from the liver emulsifies fats. The small intestine has three parts, duodenum, jejunum (middle part) and the food passes through those parts in that order. Most digestion takes place in the duodenum with fats, proteins and carbohydrates being broken down to fatty acids and glycerol, amino acids and glucose respectively. Fats are broken down by the enzyme lipase. Proteins by proteases such as trypsin and chymotrypsin as well as carboxypeptidase. Carbohydrates are broken down by pancreatic amylase to monosaccharides such as glucose. Villi, finger-like projections of the wall of the small intestine, increase the surface area for absorption of the products from the breakdown of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

How does Catch-22 satirize the absurdity of war and the perspective of justice?

Heller exaggerates the absurdity of his characters' actions, presents war as a battle against one's own side rather than a foreign enemy, and subverts the principles of justice to satirize the nature of war.
The absurdity of war is a major theme throughout Catch-22. While the story takes place during World War II, the real battle of the novel is not between the Allies and the Axis powers but rather with the individual men and their superiors. Throughout the story, the number of flights that the men must fly in order to leave is continually raised, and within that dilemma lies the central paradox:

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to.

The quiet, illogical brilliance of this theme is highlighted throughout in characters such as Aarfy, who leaves his position in the middle of an attack to taunt Yossarian and nearly gets them all killed; and McWatt, who flies too close to the ground for fun and accidentally kills Kid Samson in doing so, only to commit suicide by flying his plane into the side of a mountain. These characters show the dubiously "sane" nature of those who don't mind flying missions. 
The absurdity of war is highlighted further in the command structure of the base itself. The officers constantly angle for promotions by ridiculous and sometimes lethal means: Whitcomb, the chaplain's supposed aide, is so proud of his condolence letters that he hopes men will die to make them more prevalent, and the colonel raises the number of missions in the hope of impressing those above them. The enemy is feared, but the immediate danger is within their midst. 
Justice is mocked frequently. In the course of an unsuccessful bombing run, Yossarian repeats the route to drop the bombs; unable to decide if his actions warrant punishment, he is instead promoted. Similarly, the chaplain is accused of being Washington Irving because he didn't have the same handwriting as the letters. Questioned in a room full of instruments of torture and summarily pronounced guilty (because if he was innocent he wouldn't have ever been thought guilty), the chaplain finds himself let free. These actions so obviously lack any sort of reason that they mock the very notion of justice.
All of these actions work well on their own to satirize the absurdity of war, but Heller heightens the effect by exaggerating the characters' actions to the breaking point. Milo does not merely siphon resources away from the battlefield but begins his own corporation with them and feeds the men like royalty on damask tablecloths with kidnapped skilled Italian waiters; he does not merely make a bad investment but buys the entire crop of Egyptian cotton to no avail. Orr does not merely ask someone to injure him to avoid battle, but convinces a whore to beat him over the top of his head with a heeled shoe until his skull fractured. The characters are caricatures, and as such the absurdity of the novel is heightened.

Evaluate the roles of public opinion, interest groups, and political parties in the political system.

In a large, democratic state it is difficult for individuals to directly influence the design of public policy. Interest groups and political parties - collectively referred to as “intermediate groups” and, in some cases, “civil society organizations” – occupy a middle space between the public (represented by the state) and the private (represented by the individual) spheres. They aggregate public opinion and use their influence as representatives of significant segments of the population to press the public sphere to enact policies and laws beneficial to the private.
In the early history of the United States, the role of interest groups and political parties was viewed with suspicion and skepticism. The ideals of Madisonian democracy considers these intermediate groups to be detrimental to the proper functioning of a democratic state out of concern that they will seek gains for their own sake. However, in contemporary times, the concept of political pluralism considers interest groups and political parties necessary to democratic governance by providing a conduit for communication between the state and the people.
FURTHER READING:

Policy Design for Democracy

Elected officials are always concerned with public opinion, which is why political scientists have developed so many tools for measuring it. Politicians will often test the popularity (or unpopularity) of potential legislation before undertaking it. This is obviously because, in a democratic society, politicians can be voted out of office if they are unpopular. But politicians are not totally at the mercy of public opinion—they can help shape it through spending on advertisements, appearances on news broadcasts, and public speaking engagements.
Interest groups are very important in American politics. They can take several forms, but the most prominent in the United States are interest groups that represent the interests of a single group. Their role is to ensure through raising money, hiring lobbyists, and conducting publicity campaigns, that the issues that concern their members are addressed in national and state politics. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a very powerful and controversial interest group. They use their influence to oppose restrictions on guns and to promote the interests of gun owners.
The role of political parties is to get their members elected. The two major parties in the United States stand on two different ideological platforms. These sets of beliefs are generally shared by their members and by the people that the parties support in elections. Parties nominate candidates through primary elections and back these candidates financially. Ideally, a party's candidate is one who has been "vetted" by the party and who party supporters can feel comfortable voting for. Because of the expense of American politics, as well as the primary system and the "winner-take-all" system of elections, it is very difficult for people outside the two major parties to get elected.

What were the two prized possessions of Della and Jim?

In a more conceptual way, Jim and Della's most prized possessions are one another and the love they feel for each other. While love is not a tangible possession, like a watch or one's hair, it is clearly of greater value to the young couple because they are willing to sacrifice their material possessions in order to buy thoughtful gifts for each other; the reason they are so anxious and desirous to buy thoughtful gifts for one another is because of their shared love. Near the end of the story, the narrator says, 

But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are the magi.

Jim and Della are the most wise, even more so than the wise men who attended Christ's birth, because they realize that their own sacrifice—sacrifices they were willing to make out of love—is ultimately more valuable than anything they might own. In this sense, then, you could even argue that the gifts they buy for one another are their most valuable possessions—not because they have are worth a great deal of money, but because they are symbolic of the love Jim and Della share and their willingness to sacrifice for one another.

Della's prized possession is her long hair. At the time the story was published it was customary for women to let their hair grow extremely long. They would put it up in a bouffant fashion which came to be called the Gibson Girl style due to the popularity of the magazine illustrations of pretty girls by Charles Dana Gibson. Naturally the long hair required a lot of attention, but most girls and women spent their time at home like Della Young in "The Gift of the Magi." She could spend hours washing, drying, and setting her hair.
Jim's prized possession was a pocket watch he had inherited from his father, who had inherited it from his father. The fact that it was a family heirloom added to the watch's intrinsic value for Jim. Men carried their big pocket watches in a vest pocket with a watch chain and fob, attached. The chain stretched across the vest and had a weight at the other end to protect the watch from accidentally being dropped. If a man should happen to drop his watch the chain would keep it from falling more than a foot or two. The weight, or fob, at the other end would keep the chain from slipping out of the other pocket of the vest. All men who wore suits in those days also wore vests.
Since Della's hair and Jim's watch were their only valuable possessions, it was obviously a great sacrifice for both of them to sell them to buy each other Christmas presents.

What are the major reasons for the development and expansion of police unions, and what is their impact today?

Police unions, most prominently the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), came into existence for largely the same reason many other labor unions came into existence: To protect their memberships from unfair labor practices. Police historically have been underpaid, overworked, and routinely subjected to dysfunctional and dangerous environments. While the salary situation has improved over time, the day-to-day activities of law enforcement, at least as far as patrol officers are concerned, remain inherently stressful. By its nature, policing involves regularly interaction with people at their worst, whether because a civilian was stopped for a traffic violation, police were summoned to deal with a domestic disturbance, or because police were dispatched to the scene of an ongoing armed robbery. All of these, plus myriad other routine responses, place police in precarious situations with life-and-death decision-making expected of all officers. In addition, many police departments experience periods of serious disconnect between rates of crime and available manpower due to budget constraints. When patrol officers are stretched thin, crime can rise and the physical and mental burden on officers increases dramatically. Organizing into labor unions was a reaction to these individuals' perceived need to protect themselves against forces, such as state and city legislatures, over which they would otherwise have no control.
Police unions continue to exist because the challenges facing police officers rarely change for the better. Especially today, when racial animosity between some police departments and many of the citizens whom they are sworn to protect and serve threatens public safety, the need for law enforcement officials to be represented by an organization that serves solely to protect and advance their interests is more important than ever. As noted, police officers regularly confront difficult situations that test their training and resolve. Knowing instinctively when to discharge one's firearm is a responsibility few citizens ever have to face. The wrong split-second decision can mean a criminal trial for the officer involved and the almost certain prospect of a civil suit by the relatives of the now-dead or incapacitated suspect. Unions such as the FOP provide representation dedicated to police interests that will help officers deal financially and emotionally when they do make that split-second decision and the result, justified or not, leads to public vituperation. Unions also help to ensure that police are adequately compensated in the same manner as other labor unions and are protected, to the degree practicable given the nature of the work, from undue risks to their physical well-being.

How did the geography of China allow for early civilization to develop there?

Like in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Nile Valley, civilization in China developed around rivers. Ancient China grew up in the Yellow River Valley, which lay between the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. This was an area of rich fertile soil with excellent agricultural prospects. Unlike in Mesopotamia and Egypt, the land in the Yellow River Valley actually stayed flooded for a period during the year, allowing the Chinese to grow rice in addition to the grains more common in the fertile crescent. These rice crops were a crucial staple and led to population growth and density.
The first Chinese empire was united under the legendary Huangdi, the so-called "Yellow Emperor", around 2700 BC. His wife, Leizu, was said to be the first person to discover the process of making and weaving silk, a commodity long associated with China and a key to its development.
Life in the Yellow River Valley could be difficult, as the flooding that was crucial for rice growing could also wash away homes and villages. The typical farmer in China lived a hard life, but nonetheless the conditions in that area led to the development of one of the world's great civilizations.

How is parallel structure shown in "Once upon a Time" by Nadine Gordimer?

Parallel structure is the use of matching grammatical structures within parts of a sentence or within neighboring sentences. Parallel structure can also include a repetition of larger elements in a work, such as events with similar outcomes described in a similar way. Gordimer uses both types of parallel structure in "Once upon a Time."
In the following sentence, note the repetition of prepositional phrases at the beginning.

In a house, in a suburb, in a city, there were a man and his wife who loved each other very much and were living happily ever after.

The next four sentences all begin with the words "they had."

They had a little boy, and they loved him very much. They had a cat and a dog that the little boy loved very much. They had a car and a caravan trailer for holidays, and a swimming-pool which was fenced so that the little boy and his playmates would not fall in and drown. They had a housemaid who was absolutely trustworthy and an itinerant gardener who was highly recommended by the neighbors.

The parallel structure accomplishes two things in the above passage. It creates a feeling of fairy-tale-like simplicity by the repetitive subject-verb opening of each sentence. In addition, it reinforces the privileged position of the family: "They had" many possessions, and "they  had" a prestigious social status.
Beyond the parallel structure in specific sentences and paragraphs, the bedtime story makes use of parallel structure as the rising action unfolds. The typical structure follows this pattern:
1. The couple takes an action to protect their wealth and position (joins Neighborhood Watch, installs electronic gates, installs window bars, builds the wall higher, and installs the Dragon's Teeth).
2. The couple hears reports of more robberies and social unrest.
3. The couple receives advice to increase their security.
4. The couple takes additional action to protect their wealth.
This cycle repeats three or four times in the story until it is broken (readers may hope) by the tragic death of the couple's son.
Gordimer uses parallel structure both within sentences and paragraphs and also within the bedtime story as a whole.
https://literarydevices.net/parallel-structure/

What does the political cartoon of Atticus chained to a desk and wearing short pants mean to Jem?

One day, while Atticus is in the capital for an emergency session of the state legislature of which he is a representative, Scout and Jem notice a cartoon in the Montgomery newspaper. It is captioned "Maycomb's Finch."


Scout is at a loss to understand why her father is depicted with a bunch of "frivolous-looking girls" yelling at him at his desk, to which he is shown chained. In addition, he is barefoot and wearing shorts.


Jem interprets the cartoon in a positive way. As it shows his father writing diligently on a slate, he thinks it is complimentary, as it means that Atticus is particularly effective at his job. If Atticus did not do his assigned tasks ("things"), they would not otherwise get done.


"Huh?" asks his sister.


Jem, who likes to seem wise, does not relieve her confusion. He gives her a fanciful interpretation of his father's "things" as having to do with taxes, the kind of subjects that most men find "dry." When Scout presses him, he dismisses her. Jem seems oblivious to the negative connotations of depicting him as both childish and fettered.

Chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird begins with Scout detailing the changes she notices in Jem. For example, he doesn't seem to want to spend as much time with Scout and implies that she should start, "bein' a girl and acting right!” Calpurnia refers to Jem as "Mister Jem," and Scout acknowledges his increasing wisdom. Jem seems to be maturing, which plays a role in how he interprets the cartoon involving Atticus.
In the Montgomery Advertiser, the children see a cartoon titled, "Maycomb's Finch." It depicts Atticus as being chained to a desk diligently working. He is dressed in short pants and is barefooted. The cartoon also shows some girls yelling, "Yoo-hoo!" at him, which he seems to be ignoring. Jem feels that the cartoon is complimentary to Atticus. He explains to Scout that Atticus "spends his time doin' things that wouldn’t get done if nobody did ’em." Jem is aware of his father's work ethic and feels that the cartoon is implying that Atticus is doing his job.

Calculus and Its Applications, Chapter 1, 1.3, Section 1.3, Problem 12

For the function $\displaystyle f(x) = 12x^3$
(a) Determine the simplified form of the difference quotient
(b) Complete the table.

a.) For $\displaystyle f(x) = 12x^3$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
f(x+h) = 12 (x + h)^3 &= 12 \left[ x^3 + 3x^2 h + 3xh^2 + h^3 \right]\\
\\
&= 12x^3 + 36x^2 h + 36 xh^2 + 12h^3
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Then,

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
f(x + h) - f(x) &= 12x^3 + 36x^2 h + 36xh^2 + 12h^3 - 12x^3\\
\\
&= 36x^2 h + 36xh^2 + 12h^3
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Thus,

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
\frac{f(x +h)- f(x)}{h} &= \frac{36x^2h + 36xh^2 + 12h^3}{h}\\
\\
&= \frac{h \left( 36x^2 + 36xh + 12h^2 \right)}{h}\\
\\
&= 36x^2 + 36xh + 12h^2
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


b.)


$
\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}
\hline
x & h & \displaystyle \frac{f(x+h)-f(x)}{h} \\
\hline
5 & 2 & 1308 \\
\hline
5 & 1 & 1092 \\
\hline
5 & 0.1 & 918.12 \\
\hline
5 & 0.01 & 901.8012 \\
\hline
\end{array}
$

Which side does Peyton fight for?

Peyton Farquhar fights for the Confederate States of America (the South). Readers get this information from a couple of different points in the story. In section 1 of the story, readers are told that a man (who we find out to be Farquhar) is being hanged by the "Federal army." Readers are likely to assume that if the Union army is hanging this man, then the man must be a Southern sympathizer. I suppose it's possible that the man could be from the North and is being hanged for treason; however, section 2 of the story clearly tells readers that Farquhar is a Southern planter and slave owner from Alabama.
Additionally, readers are told that he was an original secessionist and devoted to the "Southern cause."  

Peyton Farquhar was a well-to-do planter, of an old and highly respected Alabama family. Being a slave owner and like other slave owners a politician, he was naturally an original secessionist and ardently devoted to the Southern cause.

A bit later we find out that for some reason, Farquhar was prevented from joining the Southern army, and he has always been upset about that. He longs to find a way to take action against the Union army for his beloved Confederacy.

Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had prevented him from taking service with that gallant army which had fought the disastrous campaigns ending with the fall of Corinth, and he chafed under the inglorious restraint, longing for the release of his energies, the larger life of the soldier, the opportunity for distinction.

Why was the Louisiana Purchase important to the US?

The Louisiana Purchase totally changed the future of the US. First, it was an example of a president going his own way without consulting Congress. Technically, he was to ask permission to spend government money on such an endeavor, but he didn't. And, second, lucky for him, it worked out well. It doubled the territory of the US, and as often happens, with more land comes more power, resources, and opportunities. Without this development, the US would have been contained into the east coast and couldn't have expanded into the country it is today.
He sent people out to explore the land in order to glean information about its opportunities and available resources. And, he wanted to find an all water route to the Pacific, and he wanted to develop good relationships with Native Americans in order to trade with them, assimilate them into US customs, and gain more land. Once the land was explored, it could be settled in and used. In the end, his explorers (Lewis and Clark and company) were successful, and they brought back invaluable information about the land to the West. Sadly, they couldn't find that all water route to the Pacific, but their trip wasn't in vain. This instigated the desire for settlers to travel west and to build new communities. It was part of the basis of the American dream: start from the bottom and build your way to success.

It was important primarily because it more than doubled the size of the United States. This huge territorial expansion meant that the country now stretched from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Mississippi River in the east, and from the Canadian border in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south. Fifteen new states were created out of this new territory, providing the United States with additional resources of land and raw materials that would greatly add to the nation's economic prosperity.
The Louisiana Purchase was also important in political terms. The vast, wide open spaces that it suddenly opened up gave more Americans the opportunity to live out the Jeffersonian ideal of a nation consisting of independent small landholders, whose close connection with the soil would give them a stake in the country's stability, thus making them the protectors and defenders of republican liberty. Whatever the importance of the Louisiana Purchase, there can be little doubt that it represented one of the greatest triumphs of Jefferson's presidency.

Please provide a detailed analysis of the story "The Signal-Man" by Charles Dickens, and include themes, an analysis of characters, and important passages.

"The Signal-Man" is a short story by Charles Dickens. It was published in 1866 as part of the Mugby Junction collection. It is a brief but eerie story that follows the narrator's interaction with a railroad signalman.
In this case, we may review characters and important passages together, as many of the story's most important passages reveal important information about the characters.
Characters & Important Passages
There are really only two characters in the story (though other people are mentioned in the narrative). One is the narrator; the other is the signalman.
The story begins with the narrator trying to talk to the signalman near the train tracks. We gather that the narrator is a relatively friendly man and a curious person, too. He calls out to the signalman, asking for permission to approach him. As he does, we catch a view of the signalman from the narrator's perspective:

He was a dark sallow man, with a dark beard and rather heavy eyebrows. His post was in as solitary and dismal a place as ever I saw.

The narrator notices that the signalman seems troubled. When the signalman finally tells him why (he has been experiencing visions of apparitions that are followed by disastrous railway-related accidents, like a train wreck that claimed many lives and the instance of a young woman who died on a train), the narrator is skeptical. He does not believe in ghosts or the supernatural.
As the story goes on, he is increasingly worried for the signalman and feels compelled to help him. He remains practical and analytical even as the signalman seems to be losing it:

He pulled out his handkerchief, and wiped the drops from his heated forehead.
"If I telegraph Danger, on either side of me, or on both, I can give no reason for it," he went on, wiping the palms of his hands. "I should get into trouble, and do no good. They would think I was mad. This is the way it would work:--Message: 'Danger! Take care!' Answer: 'What danger? Where?' Message: 'Don't know. But for God's sake take care!' They would displace me. What else could they do?"
His pain of mind was most pitiable to see. It was the mental torture of a conscientious man, oppressed beyond endurance by an unintelligible responsibility involving life.

Later, when the signalman himself has been killed on the train tracks, the narrator feels that something is wrong before he hears the terrible news:

With an irresistible sense that something was wrong—with a flashing self-reproachful fear that fatal mischief had come of my leaving the man there, and causing no one to be sent to overlook or correct what he did—I descended the notched path with all the speed I could make.

Yet, the narrator remains relatively pragmatic right up through the last lines of the story. Here, he almost sounds like an attorney pointing out the details of a case:







Without prolonging the narrative to dwell on any one of its curious circumstances more than on any other, I may, in closing it, point out the coincidence that the warning of the Engine-Driver included, not only the words which the unfortunate Signalman had repeated to me as haunting him, but also the words which I myself—not he—had attached, and that only in my own mind, to the gesticulation he had imitated.







Other important passages

This excerpt does not specifically relate to character analysis (like the passages above). But it is worth highlighting here because it speaks to the loneliness of the signalman's occupation:

This was a lonesome post to occupy (I said), and it had riveted my attention when I looked down from up yonder. A visitor was a rarity, I should suppose; not an unwelcome rarity, I hoped? In me, he merely saw a man who had been shut up within narrow limits all his life, and who, being at last set free, had a newly-awakened interest in these great works. To such purpose I spoke to him; but I am far from sure of the terms I used, for, besides that I am not happy in opening any conversation, there was something in the man that daunted me.

Themes
One theme revolves around the mysterious causes of disaster. Several of the train-related disasters in the story (the collision and the death of the young woman) were puzzling to the signalman. Though he was having visions and receiving signs that the disasters were tied to the supernatural, the signalman did not at first believe in ghosts or apparitions. The possibility of supernatural occurrences, therefore, is another theme: this story reads like a ghost story or a horror story.
Finally, another important theme is the burden of knowledge. In the story, the signalman keeps receiving warnings of disasters, but he cannot do anything to prevent them—including his own death. What is the point in having information about the future if you cannot do anything to control it? This is a frightening question at the heart of this story.

By which means have women become able to exercise greater freedom and liberties throughout history?

While originally both legally and socially subservient to men, women have claimed and exercised both rights and freedom using a variety of means. 
One way women gained more freedom was through the strategic use of money. Some of the feminists from the nineteenth century had money and they made donations in the interest of expanding women's horizons. For example, the Johns Hopkins Medical School failed to open as planned because of a lack of funding. Some wealthy women gave the school money to open with the understanding that women would also be accepted. As a result, women could more easily become doctors. 
Another way women became more equal players in the workforce was through war. During both World Wars, men went off to fight, leaving a gap in the workforce. Industry increased, as there was a need for war machinery. Women filled the gap by going to work. It was much harder to argue that women were too weak to work after so many women had made significant contributions to the war effort. 
Even without the right to vote, women became politically involved. The Abolitionist movement, the Temperance movement, and, of course, the Suffragist movement involved women. Abolitionists sought to free the enslaved people of the south. They wrote articles, books, and even songs (such as Glory Hallelujah). They met in conventions and participated in actions such as the Underground Railroad. 
Because alcohol affected the quality of women's lives (it was associated with domestic violence), women were a large part of the Temperance movement, which ultimately resulted in Prohibition in the United States during the 1920s. Also in 1920, women finally received the right to vote, following 80 years of working in the Suffragist movement. 
Still another way women have become freer is through pioneering women who have taken on unexpected roles. Sally Ride was the first woman in space in 1983 and now it is much more common for women to become astronauts. 
Finally, women have taken to the streets and protested their lack of rights throughout history. During the 1960s and 70s, women took to the streets, demanding equal rights and the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. 
The history of the women's movement has demonstrated that an oppressed people can take many forms of actions in order to change their own lives and therefore the world. 
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/about/history/history6.html

What's a summary of the article "Authoritarianism in Police College Students and Non-Police College Students"?

This article, by Alexander B. Smith, Bernard Locke, and William F. Walker, was written in 1969. The article built on research that examined the difference between police officers with college educations and those without college educations. At the time the article was written, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice had recently set up a program for New York City police officers who wanted a college education, but a college education was not required for promotions. The article cited earlier research that found that college-oriented police officers are less authoritarian that those who are not college-oriented. 
This article examined whether police officers who had just begun college were more authoritarian in their attitudes than freshmen at college who were not police officers. The study used two groups of students at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and administered a modified form of the Dogmatism scale by Rokeach (1960) and a scale by Piven (1961). The results were that the police officers scored significantly lower than other freshmen on the authoritarian scale. Data from this study were compared to earlier studies, and it was determined that police officers in college and non-police officer college students scored significantly lower on authoritarianism scales than did police officers not attending college. You can think about the implications of this study. Does it mean that police officers in training would benefit from attending college, as they might learn to be less authoritarian?

What are some examples that economics was a strong force in the colonization of the New World?

There are some examples that show that economics was a factor in the colonization of the New World. When Spain sponsored Christopher Columbus and his voyages, one factor that influenced their decision to sponsor him was that they hoped he would find minerals. If he found minerals, this would help strengthen the Spanish treasury.
The British also hoped to discover minerals in the New World. Some of the early settlements, such as Jamestown, were based on the hope of finding gold and silver. The British also had an interest in North America because they needed resources for their factories when the Industrial Revolution began. They knew it would be cheaper to get resources from their colonies instead of buying them from other countries. They also knew the colonies would serve as a guaranteed market for their goods that were manufactured in the factories in Great Britain. This would benefit the British economy.
The French were very protective of the lands they controlled in the North America. The French made a great deal of money from the lucrative fur trade. They didn’t want other countries, mainly Great Britain, infringing on this trade. It was a factor that led to the start of the French and Indian War.
Economics was definitely a factor in the colonization and development of the New World.
https://digital.scetv.org/teachingAmerhistory/lessons/col_his_bg_notes.html

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus

Precalculus, Chapter 6, 6.4, Section 6.4, Problem 12

You need to evaluate the product of the vectors u = u_x*i + u_y*j, v = v_x*i + v_y*j , such that:
u*v = u_x*v_x + u_y*v_y
u*v = (3)*(7) + 4*(-2)
u*v = 21 - 8
u*v = 13
Hence, evaluating the product of the vectors u = u_x*i + u_y*j, v = v_x*i + v_y*j,u = <3,4>, v = <7,-2> , yields u*v = 13.

In Freak the Mighty's Chapters 17-20, Max lies repeatedly to his father. What inferences can you draw from his lies? ***Using the ACE format, anwer the question and provide a qoute(textual evidence) and an explanation.***

Using the ACE format, you first answer the question. Then, you cite evidence to explain your answer, and, finally, you expand on the evidence you have cited by explaining it.
In Chapters 17-20, Max is being held hostage by his father, a felon, Kenny "Killer" Kane. While they are in Iggy and Loretta's apartment, Max repeatedly lies to his father. The inferences the reader can draw from Max's lies are that Max understands that his father killed his mother and that Max knows he has to play dumb to avoid being hurt by his father. The reader can also infer that Max is a very astute observer of his father and understands exactly what his father is like.
For example, even when Max's father is telling him a sob story about how Max's mother's parents had him unfairly imprisoned for years, Max can tell his father is lying. Though Killer Kane is crying and seems genuine, Max thinks, "There’s no crying in his voice, you can’t hear it there, but sure enough the tears are all over his face" (124). This is evidence you can cite to show that Max understands that is father is lying and sees through the falseness of his father's tears. When Max's father swears on a Bible that he did not kill Max's mother, Killer Kane asks Max if he is satisfied. Max replies, telling a lie, that he is satisfied and believes that his father did not kill his mother. Max thinks to himself, "I keep thinking about how heavy his hand was on that Bible" (125). Max tells his father these lies because he is scared, but he really knows that his father killed his mother. 
Later, as Max sees his father choking Loretta, he tells his father, “I saw you kill her! I saw you kill Mom! I never forgot, not ever! I know you did it! I know!” (142). What Max says to his father proves that Max knows what really happened to his mother. He is a smart person who does not fall for his father's lies. Even though he tells his father he believes him at first to protect himself from his father's wrath, Max later blurts out that he knows his father killed his mother. Max is clearly a smart boy who understands what his father did. 

(4,8) , (8,30) Write a power function y=ax^b whose graph passes through the given points

To determine the power function y=ax^b from the given coordinates: (4,8) and (8,30) , we set-up system of equations by plug-in the values of x and y on y=ax^b .
Using the coordinate (4,8) , we let x=4 and y =8 .
First equation: 8 = a*4^b
Using the coordinate (8,30) , we let x=8 and y =30 .
Second equation: 30 = a*8^b
Isolate "a" from the first equation.
8 = a*4^b
8/4^b= (a*4^b)/4^b
a= 8/4^b
Plug-in a=8/4^b on 30 = a*8^b , we get:
30 = 8/4^b*8^b
30 = 8*8^b/4^b
30 = 8*(8/4)^b
 30 = 8*(2)^b
30/8= (8*(2)^b)/8
15/4=2^b
Take the "ln" on both sides to bring down the exponent by applying the
natural logarithm property: ln(x^n)=n*ln(x) .
ln(15/4) =ln(2^b)
ln(15/4) =b*ln(2)
Divide both sides by ln(2) to isolate b.
(ln(15/4))/ln(2) =(b*ln(2))/(ln(2))
b =(ln(15/4))/ln(2) or 1.91 (approximated value).
Plug-in b= 1.91 on a=8/4^b , we get:
a=8/4^1.91
a~~ 0.566  (approximated value)
Plug-in a~~0.566 and b ~~ 1.91 on y =ax^b , we get the power function as:
y =0.566x^1.91

I'm struggling to understand Lucy Hutchinson's poem "all sorts of men" in relation to her "political retreat." She states that "private lives are free of care" and that "this freedom in the country life is found"--freedom from what exactly? I really need a clarification of the political assertions in this poem and how this is a voicing of her political beliefs.

Lucy Hutchinson (1620-1681) was a poet, translator, and writer who was married to Colonel John Hutchinson, who signed the warrant sentencing King Charles I of Great Britain to death. Colonel Hutchinson was later opposed to Oliver Cromwell, who ruled during what is referred to as the Commonwealth in the 1650s. She and her husband originally supported the Puritan leadership of Great Britain but then turned against them. During this time, Hutchinson retired to Owthorpe, their country estate in Nottinghamshire.
According to Knoppers (see the source below), Lucy Hutchinson wrote this poem as a statement about  her husband's "withdrawal from a corrupt court" (page 681). Lucy Hutchinson's Memoirs of Colonel Hutchinson describe her husband's retreat from Cromwell's court to their estate at Owthorpe. Her poem begins, "All sorts of men through various labours press /To the same end, contented quietness." That is, people from all walks of life want contentment and peace. However, she describes the court as too corrupt for this type of peace. She writes, "These none of them attain: for sweet repose /But seldom to the splendid palace goes." In other words, men who work in the palace and in politics, particularly during Cromwell's Commonwealth, could not attain peace the way that people who live in the country do.
Hutchinson describes the country life as the true life of peace. She writes, "This freedom in the country life is found, Where innocence and safe delights abound." She believes that life at court can never rival the peace of country life. Country life is free from endless intrigue and from unending greed. Her poem is about the purity of country life and the tainted nature of the court under Cromwell. 
Source:
Oxford Handbook of Literature and the English Revolution edited by Laura Lunger Knoppers. 

who was responsible for the Boston massacre, captain Preston and his soldiers or the crowd?

The Boston Massacre in 1770 represented a further breakdown in relations between the British and the American colonists. Moreover, it fanned the flames of revolutionary fervor already spreading widely and rapidly throughout America.
The basic facts of the Massacre are not in serious dispute. On March 5th, 1770, a self-proclaimed patriotic mob clashed with British soldiers. The mob threw stones, sticks, snowballs, and anything else they could lay their hands on at the troops. In response, the British soldiers opened fire, killing several of the protesters. Irrespective of the rights and wrongs of what happened that day, the consequences were grave. Revolutionary pamphleteers and agitators made huge political capital out of the Massacre, using it as an example of the British tyranny that the Americans needed to overthrow. To many, it now seemed that some kind of armed conflict was inevitable.
Tensions had been building between British troops and the citizens of Boston for some time. Citizens came to resent the presence of British soldiers, seeing them as an occupying force and an instrument of tyranny. These tensions came to a head on the day of the Massacre, which began when a mob of fifty Americans attacked a soldier on guard duty. In that sense, one could say that it was these citizens, and those who participated in the ensuing disturbance, who were ultimately responsible for what happened later.
Yet at the same time one could also argue that the response of the British troops was excessive and unwarranted. They were not being shot at by the protesters, and so firing directly into the rioting crowd could be seen as disproportionate. Captain Preston was aware of the gravity of the rapidly deteriorating situation, and it's notable that he didn't personally give the orders to shoot, knowing as he did that it would be likely to inflame the situation further. But the soldiers did shoot all the same. In all likelihood, the soldiers panicked, not least because they hadn't been properly trained in dealing with civil disturbance.
At the subsequent trial, Captain Preston and his men were acquitted of murder. Famously, they were represented in court by John Adams, future president of the United States. Perhaps the fairest way to answer this question is to say that, although Preston and his men were not legally responsible for the Boston Massacre, there seems little doubt that they bore some moral responsibility for the bloodshed.

Explain how a roadrunner fits its environment.

Roadrunners live in the desert, and they're uniquely suited for a hot, dry environment. Because they're carnivores, roadrunners have a lot of options when it's time to dine. They regularly eat insects, lizards, snakes, rodents, scorpions, and even other birds. Because of their speed and agility, roadrunners can pluck a hummingbird right out of the air. Roadrunners are also one of very few predators who eat rattlesnake.
To cope with desert dryness, roadrunners dial down their activity during the middle of the day when the desert is at its hottest. At night, they suppress their metabolisms and hunt. Doing this drops their body temperature a whopping seven degrees and allows them to reserve more energy for finding food. Come morning, they raise the feathers on their backs to reveal the dark skin beneath that soaks up the sun and raises their body temperature again.
Roadrunners also compliment their meaty diet with a lot of foods that are naturally full of water, like berries and milkweed. Then, before waste leaves their body, roadrunners' intestines reabsorb the water from it. Roadrunners also have glands above their eyes that get rid of excess salt from their body; this helps them stay hydrated too.

What are some notable quotations in Zlata's Diary?

The most effective quotes from Zlata's Diary are ones where the terror of war can be seen through a child's eyes.  
Zlata's Diary enables us to see how a child sees war.  The result is war's inhumanity is displayed in a very poignant way. One example is when Zlata personalizes the war experience:

That’s my life! The life of an innocent eleven-year-old schoolgirl!! A schoolgirl without school, without the fun and excitement of school. A child without games, without friends, without the sun, without birds, without nature, without fruit, without chocolate or sweets, with just a little powdered milk. In short, a child without a childhood. A wartime child.

When talking about war, we get lost in how human beings are uprooted.  Borders and military objectives diminish when we see how war permanently alters people's lives. Zlata captures this reality when she talks about how her childhood has been robbed because of war.  She has lost innocence, "fun and excitement," and "the sun."  I find this quote meaningful because it brings a human account to war's political dimension.
Zlata's personalized view of war is enhanced when she sees what the conflict is doing to her parents.  Children look to their parents for guidance.  Despite what parents say, kids observe their parents' facial reactions to indicate the reality of a situation.  Upon doing this, Zlata writes about how war weakens the people who have to endure it: 

...I look over at Mommy and Daddy. ... Somehow they look even sadder to me in the light of the oil lamp. ... God, what is this war doing to my parents? They don’t look like my old Mommy and Daddy anymore. Will this ever stop? Will our suffering stop so that my parents can be what they used to be cheerful, smiling, nice-looking?

The most poignant part of this quote is how Zlata yearns for the "cheerful, smiling, nice-looking" parents she used to know.  There was a time when Zlata's family loved life, and drank from its cup without hesitation.  The war has robbed them of the joy they once knew.  Zlata's words illuminate the yearning and ache that comprise war's psychological footprint.
Finally, I think that one of the most random details in the diary is also one of Zlata's most effective piece of writing. She writes about the stray animals that have emerged because of the war:

There are lots of beautiful pedigree dogs roaming the streets. Their owners probably had to let them go because they couldn’t feed them anymore. Sad. Yesterday I watched a cocker spaniel cross the bridge, not knowing which way to go. He was lost.

For a child, the suffering of animals is one of the most painful elements.  When Zlata writes about how the cocker spaniel did not know which way to go, she is mourning. She mourns not just for the lost dog, but for herself.  She identifies herself with the dog. Like the dog, Zlata is also not "spared by the war" and does not know where to go or what to do.  Her identification with the dog's predicament is another quote that notably illuminates war's pain.

Solve the equation sin(x/2) + cos(x) - 1 = 0.

Hello!
I suppose that "sinx/2+cosx-1=0" means "sin(x/2)+cos(x)-1=0" (it can also mean "(sinx)/2+cos(x)-1=0" and "sin(x/2)+cos(x-1)=0").
To solve this equation, recall the double angle formula cos(2a) = 1 - 2sin^2(a), and apply it to cos(x): cos(x) = 1 - 2sin^2(x/2). This way our equation becomes
sin(x/2) + (1 - 2sin^2(x/2)) - 1 = 0, or sin(x/2) - 2sin^2(x/2) = 0, or sin(x/2)(1 - 2sin(x/2)) = 0.
The product is zero means at least one of factors is zero, i.e. sin(x/2) = 0 or sin(x/2) = 1/2. These equations are well-known and their solutions are
x/2 = k pi, or x = 2k pi, x/2 = pi/6 + 2k pi, or x = pi/3 + 4k pi, x/2 = (5pi)/6 + 2k pi, or x = (5pi)/3 + 4k pi,
where k is any integer.
At [0, 4pi], which is a period of sin(x/2)+cos(x)-1, the solutions are 0, pi/3, (5pi)/3, 2pi and 4pi.
 

Do we all have the same opportunities?

In Toni Cade Bambara's short story "The Lesson," the lesson that Sylvia and her friends are being taught, and that we the readers are being reminded of, is that not everyone is given equal opportunity in life.
The educated Miss Moore takes this group of children to F.A.O. Schwarz, in order to teach them about social, racial, and economic inequality, because she wants them to be able to fight against it. While the most expensive thing pointed out in the store is a toy sailboat, Sylvia takes particular note of a toy birthday clown that costs 35 dollars. She thinks of what that amount of money would mean for her family:

Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for Junior and Gretchen’s boy. Thirty-five dollars and the whole household could visit Grandaddy Nelson in the country. Thirty-five dollars would pay for the rent and the piano bill too.Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1,000 for toy sailboats? What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t in on it?

And later on, to Sylvia's chagrin, Sugar states:

You know, Miss Moore, I don’t think all of us here put together eat in a year what that sailboat costs.

Sylvia and her friends are young, black, and being raised in a poor neighborhood of New York in the 1970s. Over the course of the story, it becomes clear that they have not been given the same opportunities as white children with rich parents who can easily buy them a "Handcrafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars." They cannot even afford the "cheaper" toys, like the toy clown.
Though she is angry at Miss Moore for forcing this lesson upon her, it seems by the end of the story that Sylvia will not be content to let systematic inequality keep her from getting what she wants from life.

What is the literal meaning and figurative meaning of the quote "These paper boats of mine are meant to dance on the ripples of hours, and not reach any destination"?

Literally, Tagore is here describing a visual image of paper boats "dancing," or bobbing around, on "the ripples of hours," presumably for a considerable period of time, without traveling towards any specific destination—rather, he portrays a body of placid water without any obvious current or direction, upon which the boats can bob without interference. Of course, eventually paper boats will disintegrate, but in this circumstance, they will do so in their own time, rather than due to any external accelerant other than the presence of the water itself.
Figuratively, Tagore is talking about thoughts or musings, here represented by the "paper boats." Because they are only paper boats, they will not last forever. However, because there is no particular destination in mind, there is no need for the thinker to do anything other than allow these "paper" thoughts to bob in the "ripples" of his mind for "hours." Tagore is metaphorically describing a languid reverie, a state of meditation in which thoughts can be turned over gently, to no particular end or purpose, until they lose themselves in the ebb and flow of the mind, to be replaced by others.

int (2x^2 + 7x - 3)/(x - 2) dx Find the indefinite integral.

int (2x^2+7x-3)/(x-2)dx
To solve, divide the numerator by the denominator (see attached figure).
= int (2x + 11 + 19/(x-2)) dx
Express it as sum of three integrals.
= int 2xdx + int11dx + int 19/(x-2)dx
For the first integral, apply the formula int x^ndx = x^(n+1)/(n+1)+C .
For the second integral, apply the formula int adx = ax + C .
= (2x^2)/2 + 11x + C + int 19/(x-2)dx
=x^2+11x+C + int 19/(x-2)dx
For the third integral, use u-substitution method.
Let,
u = x - 2
Differentiate u.
du = dx
Then, plug-in them to the third integral.
=x^2+11x+C+19int 1/(x-2)dx
=x^2+11x+C+19int 1/udu
To take the integral of it, apply the formula int 1/xdx =ln|x| +C .
= x^2+11x + 19ln|u| + C
And substitute back u = x-2 .
=x^2+11x+19ln|x-2|+C
 
Therefore, int (2x^2+7x-3)/(x-2)dx = x^2+11x + 19ln|x-2| + C .

In "The Stolen Bacillus," how does the author bring out the contrast between the Bacteriologist and the Anarchist? Are there any similarities between the two characters?

I think one way that the narrator contrasts the Anarchist and the Bacteriologist is by focusing quite a bit on the Anarchist's physical traits. We are told repeatedly that the Anarchist is pale-faced. A bit later we get a great sentence that talks about his hair color and some other physical traits.

The lank black hair and deep grey eyes, the haggard expression and nervous manner, the fitful yet keen interest of his visitor were a novel change from the phlegmatic deliberations of the ordinary scientific worker with whom the Bacteriologist chiefly associated.

The black hair has to stand out against such a pale face, but the overall image being created seems to be one of a sickly looking individual. We don't get this kind of narration about the Bacteriologist. We hear him talk and can listen to some of his thoughts, but he really doesn't get a physical image until he starts running after the Anarchist. Once that happens, the narration tends to focus on how silly the scientist looks.

The Bacteriologist, hatless, and in his carpet slippers, was running and gesticulating wildly towards this group. One slipper came off, but he did not wait for it.

The two men are similar in that they are smart enough to recognize the potential threat and danger of small biological microbes to the world. They are both fascinated with the power of such a small organism.

"Once start him at the water supply, and before we could ring him in, and catch him again, he would have decimated the metropolis."

Unfortunately, the scientist is naive about it. He can imagine the destruction, but he can't fathom somebody actually wanting to do it.

An anarchist is one who tries to cause anarchy, which is a state of disorganization that is caused by either no authority or a disdain for authority. In The Stolen Bacillus, the anarchist looks at the test tube of cholera as something that could give him power over people. He lists all of the horrible things that would happen if the cholera were to be released into the water supply. It wouldn't only affect the people who were alive at the time; it would also affect future generations.
The bacteriologist, on the other hand, realizes what kind of carnage would happen if the cholera were to be released into the water supply, but he keeps talking to the anarchist because he is the only one who is as excited about the cholera as he is. The bacteriologist appreciates being able to talk to someone besides his apathetic scientific colleagues.
The anarchist was not taken seriously by anyone. Therefore, he believed that releasing the cholera into the water supply would make him famous. It didn't matter that he would probably go to prison for his 15 minutes of fame.
Both men crave recognition. The anarchist is the only one who is willing to kill people in order to achieve that goal.

In "The Stolen Bacillus," Wells contrasts the characters of the Bacteriologist and the Anarchist through their attitudes towards the bacteria in the laboratory. For the Bacteriologist, for instance, the cholera bacteria are dangerous and bring nothing but death and destruction to society:

Here he would take the husband from the wife, here the child from its mother, here the statesman from his duty, and here the toiler from his trouble. 

In contrast, the Anarchist views the cholera bacteria with wonder and amazement. When he first sees it, for example, his eyes are filled with "morbid pleasure" and there is a "gleam of satisfaction" in his face. 
While their characters seem very different, however, both men are keen to impress and "astonish" those around them. The Bacteriologist does this by pretending that his blue bacteria is, in fact, "bottled cholera" while the Anarchist concocts a plan to steal the cholera from the laboratory so that he can poison the city's water supply and achieve infamy.

what is the personality of Travis?

Travis is one of the safari guides, and he presents himself in a way that is reminiscent of a former military man. He doesn't waste time with small talk or pleasantries. He also isn't shy about "telling it how it is." He is straightforward and to the point about time travel, its risks, and his expectations of each of the men going with him to hunt the dinosaur. He gives information to others that is necessary for a successful trip. Travis knows that what they are doing is dangerous and that screw ups could have huge repercussions. That's why he is so emphatic that the men stay on the path.

"Stay on the Path. Don’t go off it. I repeat. Don’t go off. For any reason! If you fall off, there’s a penalty. And don’t shoot any animal we don’t okay.”

Travis holds himself to a high standard of excellence, and he thinks other people should do this as well. He has very little patience or tolerance for men like Eckels. This becomes clear once Eckels makes it clear that he doesn't think the death of a single mouse is that big of a deal.

“So they’re dead,” said Eckels. “So what?”
“So what?” Travis snorted quietly.

Finally, Travis is a man that believes in quick and immediate judgment/punishment. It's not clear if Travis shoots and kills Eckels or himself at the end of the story. He's either punishing Eckels for stepping on the butterfly, or Travis is making sure that he (himself) doesn't have to answer to the authorities. Either way, Travis makes an immediate and final decision based on what has happened.

Calculus and Its Applications, Chapter 1, 1.3, Section 1.3, Problem 52

Determine the simplified difference quotient of the function $\displaystyle f(x) = \frac{1}{1 - x}$
For $\displaystyle f(x) = \frac{1}{1 - x}$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
f(x + h) &= \frac{1}{1- (x + h)}\\
\\
&= \frac{1}{1 - x - h}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Then,

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


Thus,

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

At what point in the book does Stephen have a epiphany?

Stephen, one of the protagonists of Sebastian Faulks's novel Birdsong, is an English soldier fighting on the front lines during World War I. In the course of the narrative, he experiences various traumas, including witnessing the death of his closest friend and losing the love of his life.
At what point in the novel does Stephen have an epiphany? It happens in part 1, when Stephen pays a visit to a cathedral. He is not a religious person; but in the church, he foresees the terrible devastation that the war will bring, and he glimpses the personal tragedy he will face:

He saw a picture in his mind of a terrible piling up of the dead. It came from his contemplation of the church, but it had its own clarity: the row on row, the deep rotting earth hollowed out to hold them, while the efforts of the living, with all their works and wars and great buildings, were no more than the beat of a wing against the weight of time.

Stephen's epiphany in the church speaks to the human toll that a war takes. The presentiment of tragedy is sobering. Imagining or even expecting the "terrible piling up of the dead" and the knowledge that the dead could include one's own friends or, indeed, oneself, is enough to make a non-religious man walk into a church and begin to pray. Stephen prays to God:

Save all of us. Save me.

But in this moment of epiphany, Stephen seems to know that even God can not save humans from suffering at each others' hands.

College Algebra, Chapter 8, Review Exercises, Section Review Exercises, Problem 6

Determine the vertex, focus and directrix of the parabola $\displaystyle 2x^2 + 6x + 5y + 10 = 0$ and sketch the graph.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

2x^2 + 6x + 5y =& -10
&& \text{Subtract } 10
\\
\\
2(x^2 + 3x + \quad ) + 5y =& -10
&& \text{Factor and group terms}
\\
\\
2 \left(x^2 + 3x + \frac{9}{4} \right) + 5y =& -10 + \frac{9}{2}
&& \text{Complete the square: add } \left( \frac{3}{2} \right)^2 = \frac{9}{4} \text{ on the left side and } \frac{9}{2} \text{ on the right side}
\\
\\
2 \left(x + \frac{3}{2} \right)^2 + 5y =& \frac{-11}{2}
&& \text{Perfect Square}
\\
\\
2 \left( x + \frac{3}{2} \right)^2 =& -5y - \frac{11}{2}
&& \text{Subtract } 5y
\\
\\
\left(x + \frac{3}{2} \right)^2 =& \frac{-5}{2} y - \frac{11}{4}
&& \text{Factor out } \frac{5}{2}
\\
\\
\left( x + \frac{3}{2} \right)^2 =& \frac{-5}{2} \left( y + \frac{22}{20} \right)
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Now, the parabola has the form $(x - h)^2 = -4p(y - k)$ with vertex at $\displaystyle \left( \frac{-3}{2}, \frac{-22}{20} \right)$ that opens downward. Since $\displaystyle 4p = \frac{5}{2}$, we have $\displaystyle p = \frac{5}{8}$. It means that the focus is $\displaystyle \frac{5}{8}$ below to the vertex and the directrix is $\displaystyle \frac{5}{8}$ above the vertex. Thus, by using transformations, the focus is at

$\displaystyle \left( \frac{-3}{2}, \frac{-22}{20} \right) \to \left( \frac{-3}{2}, \frac{-22}{20} - \frac{5}{8} \right) = \left( \frac{-3}{2}, \frac{-69}{40} \right)$

and the directrix is the line $\displaystyle y = \frac{-22}{20} + \frac{5}{8} = \frac{-19}{40}$

Therefore, the graph is

While practicing with Alai and the others from his launch group, Ender comes up with a lot of ideas that other armies have never tried. How do they come up with their ideas? What does this teach us about creative or innovative thinking?

As Ender gets a little ways into his Battle School education, he and other soldiers begin taking advantage of extra Battle Room practice time.  Ender definitely begins changing the way that he and his fellow soldiers think about the zero gravity battles.  The biggest change in tactics that Ender stresses is that the enemy is down and not forward.  This causes a complete rethinking of body positioning in relation to the enemy.  Many soldiers are against Ender's ideas, at least, at first.  They do not like changing the status quo. However, when Ender's new tactics end up working more often than not, other students begin putting more confidence in Ender.  The way that he comes up with these new tactics is basically trial and error.  Ender is a tactical genius, but he still has to try out his new ideas.  Some of them fail and many of them work, but trial and error followed by minor tinkering is the main method of discovering new tactics.  

But he put new touches on the patterns, made the boys try the maneuvers with one leg frozen, with both legs frozen, or using frozen boys for leverage to change directions.

This part of the story is a great sequence because it reinforces to readers that creative thinking involves testing.  It is one thing to think that something might work. However, you cannot know until it has been tested.  Additionally, this part of the book shows readers that failure is bound to happen, and that is okay.  You learn just as much from failure as from success.  When an idea fails, you have been given evidence of something that does not work.  That is valuable information because it tells you about an idea that should be avoided in the future.  

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 5, 5.4, Section 5.4, Problem 10

We are asked to use the derivative of y=5000/(1+e^(2x)) to determine if the function has an inverse. There is a theorem that states that if a function is monotonic (meaning the function is always non-increasing or non-decreasing) then it has an inverse. So, to show a function is monotonic, we need to check if its derivative is either positive or negative for all values in the domain.
By the quotient rule, the derivative is:
y'=(-5000(2e^(2x)))/(1+e^(2x))^2
The denominator is positive for all x. The 2e^(2x) term is positive for all x so the numerator is negative for all x. Therefore the derivative is always negative and the function decreases on its entire domain.
Thus the function has an inverse.
The graph of the function (black):

A square loop of wire of side length L containing a load resistor R is oriented perpendicular to the xy-plane and rotates about the z-axis at an angular frequency omega in the presence of a magnetic field B=B_0 in the x-direction. If L=10 cm , B_0=2 T , and R= 100 Omega , what must omega be so that the average power dissipated, , is 1.0 W ?

The magnetic flux through the loop is the magnetic field times the component of the area vector that is parallel to field.
Phi_B=B_0*A cos(theta)=B_0*L^2 cos(omega t)
This generates an electromotive force in the wire.
epsilon=-d/dt Phi_B=-d/dt B_0*L^2 cos(omega t)=B_0 omega L^2 sin(omega t)
The power radiated by a resistor is:
P=V^2/R=P=epsilon^2/R=((B_0 omega L^2)^2 sin(omega t)^2)/R
The average power of a period is:
lt P gt =(B_0^2 omega^2 L^4)/(2R)
Solve for omega .
omega=sqrt((2RltPgt)/(B_0^2 L^4))=sqrt(2R ltPgt)/(B_0 L^2)
omega=sqrt(2*100 Omega*1 W)/(2 T* (0.1 m)^2)
omega=(sqrt(2)*10)/(0.02) s^-1
omega=sqrt(2)*500 s^-1 ~~707 s^-1

Bartlet Financial Services Company holds a large portfolio of debt and stock securities as an investment. The total fair value of the portfolio at December 31, 2012 is greater than total cost. Some securities have increased in value and others have decreased. Deb Faust, the financial vice president, and Jan McCabe, the controller, are in the process of classifying for the first time the securities in the portfolio. Faust suggests classifying the securities that have increased in value as trading securities in order to increase net income for the year. She wants to classify the securities that have decreased in value as long-term available-for-sale securities, so that the decreases in value will not affect 2012 net income. McCabe disagrees. She recommends classifying the securities that have decreased in value as trading securities and those that have increased in value as long-term available-for-sale securities. McCabe argues that the company is having a good earnings year and that recognizing the losses now will help to smooth income for this year. Moreover, for future years, when the company may not be as profitable, the company will have built-in gains. Questions (a) Will classifying the securities as Faust and McCabe suggest actually affect earnings as each says it will? (b) Is there anything unethical in what Faust or McCabe propose? Who are the stakeholders affected by their proposals? (c) Assume that Faust and McCabe properly classify the portfolio. Assume, at year-end, that Faust proposes to sell the securities that will increase 2012 net income, and that McCabe proposes to sell the securities that will decrease 2012 net income. Is this unethical?

Basic accounting standards, regulated by the SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act), COSO and the SEC, govern how debt and security investments are reported by corporations. While there are advanced complex considerations--like relevance and reliability, comparability and consistency, and periocity and matching--that affect real-world accounting situations, basic accounting decisions are regulated by law, and violations can result in charges of financial manipulation and fraud as in the 2015 case of the SEC (Securities Exchange Commission) against the Computer Sciences Corporation, who were charged with a $190 million penalty. Further, while real-world debt and security investment accounting present subtleties and complexities, it is professional and personal ethics that provide the foundation for applying regulated basic accounting standards (Kermis & Kermis, "Financial reporting regulations, ethics and accounting").Ethical Accounting: IntentThe underlying standard of accounting for debt and security investments is intent: "accounting for investments in the debt and equity securities ... requires management to categorize the securities based on the intent for holding the investment" (Judy Laux, "Investment in Securities"). Along with following basic accounting standards, in order for either Faust or McCabe to perform investment accounting ethically, they must categorize legitimately according to actual intent for holding any given debt or security investment.Accounting Treatment for Trading versus for Available-for-SaleSecurities held with the intent of trading--meaning that they are held with the aim of selling when the value of the security increases, generating a short-term profit for the corporation--have their present market values reported on the balance sheet, through the step of year-end adjustments, in addition to having gains and losses (of original market value and present market value) reported on the income statement; this is regardless of whether the trading security has been sold or is still held. Thus this accounting entry on the income statement has ramifications for year-end profitability reporting. In contrast, securities held with the intent of available-for-sale are not reported on the income statement at all. Available-for-sale investments are reported only on the balance sheets in the stockholders' equity section (as an asset value for stockholders); compare this to trading investments being reported on the balance sheet as year-end adjustments. Accounting treatment differences for trading and available-for-sale investments do not affect corporate earnings. Faust and McCabe: Ethical or Unethical Faust, the Financial VP, and McCabe, the Financial Controller, want to classify the investments based on increased and decreased values and on their effects on present or future year income. On the face of it, this is an unethical approach that ignores intent for holding an investment, thus violating the accounting standard requiring classification of investments as trading or available-for-sale based upon intent for holding. Additionally, choosing to classify based on income projections for varying years may affect stockholders who may gain or lose asset value based upon the classification decisions. StakeholdersStakeholders are a larger, more comprehensive group than stockholders, including sub-groups or individuals that can either affect or be affected by decisions made by the corporation; some stakeholders are the government, boards of directors, unions, community members and individual securities investors.Year-End Net IncomeOn the face of it, classifying debt and security investments to optimize selectively chosen year-end incomes has the same ethical problems mentioned above: regulated basic accounting standards established by SOX and COSO (Committee on Sponsoring Organizations) and the SEC, require that classification of debt and security investments be made based on intent for holding the investment. Making classifications on other, arbitrarily chosen income advantages violates this fundamental basic accounting standard requirement.
http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/131570.pdf

How does the poem September 1913, relate to the context of Irish nationalism during the years of the Irish Literary Revival?

According to the source below, Yeats expressed his ambivalence towards Irish nationalism in the poem "September 1913." While he tried to restore Irish culture and literary traditions as an exercise in nationalism, he did not endorse violence as a way to achieve political freedoms for Ireland. Instead, he sought, through the Irish Literary Revival, to revive the sense of Irish culture as a route to nationalism. His conception of Irish nationalism was that it was a intellectual and cultural movement fought with the pen rather than an overtly political movement fought at times with guns.
In the poem "September 1913," Yeats derides the middle-class nationalist Irish movement, which he describes in the following way: "And add the halfpence to the pence / And prayer to shivering prayer, until / You have dried the marrow from the bone." He feels that the middle class is mainly concerned with earning money and with saying prayers until they have sucked all of the life out of Ireland. He says that have made Ireland into something dead, similar to a bone that has had all the marrow removed from it.
The vitality of Ireland, in Yeats's eyes, lies in the past, not in the future. He writes, "Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, / It’s with O’Leary in the grave." John O'Leary was an Irish nationalist who had already died by 1913. Yeats wanted to revive the Gaelic history of Ireland, what he referred as "Romantic Ireland," but he was not committed to a political revolution to gain Irish freedom from Great Britain.
Source:
Hale Kiyci. "Yeats’ ambivalence towards Irish nationalism in 'September 1913' and 'Easter 1916.'" Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences 158 (2014), 119 – 123. 14th International Language, Literature and Stylistics Symposium.

What were the challenges facing the country during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era and how are they similar to problems facing the nation today?

There were a number of problems in the late 19th Century in the United States that still exist today.  There were racial tensions during this period that were very defined.  African-Americans suffered through black codes, Jim Crow Laws, and even lynchings.  There was very little economic or political opportunity for African-Americans during this time.  While African-Americans fought for civil rights for the better part of the Twentieth Century, a disconnect between the races still exists today.  Black Americans suffer from housing discrimination, unequal treatment before the law, and are behind in terms of educational and employment opportunities.  
A number of other problems that existed during the Gilded and Progressive Eras are still issues today.  Urban decay, environmental protection, corporate greed and abuses, and the rights of women come to mind as obvious examples.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=11&smtid=1

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=9&smtid=1

https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/nation/article/Americans-rank-the-nation-s-12-biggest-problems-5318832.php

Identify five elements of American political culture. Where do these values come from? What differences do you see in the cultures of the United States and other industrialized democracies like Japan and Sweden?

I will construct each of these as a compare/contrast between the principle in question as it is put into practice in the United States vs. Japan and Sweden. Also, while obviously I have my own political and philosophical views, I'll do my best to keep each entry as neutral and fact-based as possible.
1) Legal freedom of expression. American legal protections for freedom of expression are among the strongest in the world. The First Amendment of the Constitution, the country's literal first rule, protects freedom of assembly, petition, press, religion, and speech, all ways of expressing and sharing ideas. As with all countries and all high principles, we have not always lived up to them, but, by law, our protections are unusually broad by the standards of our socioeconomic peers. For example, there is no legal category of "hate speech" in the United States. Both Japan and Sweden have legally defined categories of hate speech (see reference) that are denied protection of law. The US does not have any such exemptions.
2) Christianity. Despite being legally nonreligious—"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"—Protestant Christianity in particular exercises enormous political and cultural power in the United States. As a simple example, there has never been a non-Christian American President. Additionally, just one, John F. Kennedy, was Roman Catholic. All 44 of the others have been Protestant, at least publicly. A deep dive into the role of religion in American life can be found at the Pew Forum reference below, but the key difference here is numeric. Per Pew Forum, 70% of Americans identify as Christians. By comparison, less than 40% of Japanese citizens identify with a formal religion of any kind. Less than 3% of Japanese citizens are Christian. Perhaps most strikingly, Pew presents numbers for Sweden that seem in keeping with American findings at first: roughly 66% of Swedes identify as Christian. The key difference is that Sweden had an official, legally recognized national church until 2000. America, legally irreligious, has a higher proportion of Christians than a country where, until 17 years ago, everyone was Christian by default. Christianity is plainly a powerful force in American politics. White, evangelical Christians in particular tend to vote as a bloc, having shown loyalty to the Republican Party for decades.
3) Violence. We do not usually phrase it this baldly, but America is an extraordinarily violent place. The numbers are inescapable. The Global Peace Index ranks Japan as the 10th and Sweden the 18th safest countries on Earth. The United States is 114th. By the standard measurement of crimes per 100,000 people, America's murder rate is 26 times that of Japan and 143 times higher than that of Sweden. The United States is simply a great deal more violent, by most measurements, than the rest of the industrialized world. The significance of that fact and what can be done about it are defining components of the American political conversation.
4) Youth. The United States is a comparatively young country. 1777, a year after the country's official founding, is four sixty-year lifetimes from 2017. In some ways, America is still embroiled in the postcolonial age, coming to terms with the complex historical legacy of European imperialism and its continuing fallout in modern life. Some of the most extreme political conflicts in the United States right now are between people deeply invested in the European colonial tradition and people calling for a reassessment of that tradition. We have had riots over that. The wounds of our history are still very fresh. By contrast, Sweden has a constitutional monarchy that traces its origins back to before the year 1000 CE, and Japan's imperial family considers themselves the direct descendants of Emperor Jimmu, who founded the Empire of Japan in 660 BCE. Both are of more symbolic significance than political significance now, but each represents a unifying national tradition that simply is not present in a country that did not exist 250 years ago.
5) Militarism. In a certain sense, the United States has never known an age in which it has not been potentially threatened by conflict. In fact, being at war predates the United States itself: before the country was a cohesive whole, the colonies were often at war with one another and were constantly engaged in conflicts with the American Indians. According to the CIA Factbook, the United States ranks ninth in military spending as a percentage of GDP, as compared to Sweden's 84th and Japan's 102nd. Per the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the United States also has a standing military and paramilitary strength of 2,227,200, 7th largest in the world. This is to be compared to Japan's 315,800 and Sweden's 51,700. More than that, the military plays a vital political and cultural role in American culture. "Support our troops" remains an automatic catchphrase, and Americans of every political stripe are expected to show respect for those in uniformed service.  
http://visionofhumanity.org/indexes/global-peace-index/

https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Japan/United-States/Crime

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

Five elements of American political culture are liberty, civic duty, equality, democracy, and individual responsibility. Of course, there are a few more, but these are some of the most important ones. 
Basically, Americans tend to emphasize individual rights over collective rights. Equality is an important concept in American culture, whether it pertains to gender, sex, or nationality. You may value the concept of tolerance, which is an element of equality. Americans of all political persuasions have the right to their individual beliefs. Perhaps you also value your First Amendment right to free speech, and you appreciate the freedom to be religious (or not), the right to petition the government, and the freedom to assemble peacefully. These First Amendment rights promote your right to liberty, one of the key elements of American political culture. Many of the rights or values described here are derived from the Magna Carta. 
The original Magna Carta was written in 1215, and it contained arguments rejecting King John's tyrannical rule. One of the most important clauses in the Magna Carta was Clause 39, which stated that "No free man is to be arrested, or imprisoned... or exiled, or in any other way ruined, nor will we go against him or send against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land."
This clause is enshrined in the Fifth Amendment, which states that "No person shall be...deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." Essentially, the elements of American political culture are predicated on the idea of freedom against monarchical tyranny.
In contrast to the decided emphasis on individualism in American political culture, Japanese culture stresses cooperation and mutual harmony. Agitating against the status quo is a practice that is largely frowned upon in Japanese society. The Japanese place a high value on seniority in the political realm, and there is a tendency to defer to voices of authority in matters of social and economic importance. 
The Swedish believe in equality, but they tend to favor equality over liberty. Again, as with the Japanese, there is less of an emphasis on the individual. Instead, the Swedish stress the collective decision-making process as a fundamental element of civilized society. In matters of national importance, the Swedish are inclined to defer to government officials and national experts. These are just some of the differences between the culture of the United States and that of other industrialized democracies; you may be able to add more of your own.

Define ethics and discuss what ethical communication encompasses.

Ethics is a complex topic; it encompasses "doing the right thing" even if one doesn't want to at the moment. There are certain standards for fair treatment that stand beyond law, religious practices, or social acceptance. The US Declaration of Independence sums these up for the edification of King George III and states:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The ethical treatment of others involves recognizing their human rights which extend far beyond the US Bill of Rights and into quality of life issues such as the pursuit of happiness. 
Ethical communication applies ethics to the process of communications, which in a global economy can be challenging. Ethical communication involves recognizing others' rights but also involves empathy, which is the ability to see life from another person's perspective. If a person offends another through an oversight in communication, which is entirely possible given the complexities of human culture, then that could be impinging on that other person's sense of well-being. Ethical communication requires people to become aware not just of the content of their messages but also how those messages might be received by their audience. 
A lot of lip service is paid to the concept of ethics; a person is ethical when that person's actions reflect a sense of ethics and when it is clear that the person will take ethical action even if that action requires some kind of personal sacrifice.
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethical-standards-workplace-11576.html

https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/what-is-ethics/

The declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen includes several Enlightenment ideas. Which ideas were included?

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was written in 1789 by the National Assembly in France during the French Revolution. This document was intended to give the people of France certain unalienable and natural rights. These individual liberties were intended to give all people power in the political system, which was previously dominated by a corrupt system of Estates. To explain the reason why the people of France believed that the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was needed, let me provide some information about the political landscape prior to the French Revolution.
France was divided into three major classes called the Estates. The First Estate consisted of the clergy (the Church). The First Estate made up only .5% of the population, yet it had a huge amount of power! The Second Estate consisted of the nobles. Only about 1.5% of the population were nobles, and most of these people had well-respected jobs and did not have to pay taxes. The Third Estate consisted of everyone else in France. 98% of the population in France belonged to the Third Estate, so there were many different types of people in this class. The top part of the Third Estate was the bourgeoisie (middle class). People in the bourgeoise typically had well-paying jobs such as doctor, lawyer, merchant, and so on. The poorer people in the Third Estate were either peasants or city workers, were not well respected, were underpaid, and had poor living conditions. The Third Estate had the burden of paying all of the taxes in France, while the First and Second Estates enjoyed life tax-free. The majority of the people, who belonged to the Third Estate, found this extremely unfair! They also did not have any political power. When it came to voting, each Estate got one vote each; 98% of the population only had one vote to represent them! More often than not, the First and Second Estate would vote together and would win the vote in a two-to-one majority over the Third Estate. This is, in a nutshell, why the people demanded individual rights and freedoms through the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
The Enlightenment was a period of time where people began questioning authority and ideas that they had previously known to be true. Enlightenment thinkers used logic and reason to challenge the status quo. These thinkers created many works of literature that spread throughout Europe and therefore spread their ideas. John Locke's major Enlightenment ideals were that the people in society must consent to authority (government), the government should protect citizens' natural rights, and individuals should be treated equally under the law. All three of these ideals were included in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Article 1 of the Declaration reads, "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good." This article definitely reflects the ideals of John Locke. Locke's ideas can also be seen in Article 2 of the Declaration, which states, "The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression."
Another Enlightenment Thinker, Montesquieu, spread ideas about the separation of powers in government so that one group could not be more powerful than another and so that all people were represented equally. This idea is a focal point in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen as seen in Article 6, which states, "Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents."
One more Enlightenment ideal that is seen in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is Voltaire's idea of free speech. This is seen in Article 11 of the document, which states, "The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious rights of man. Every citizen, may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law."
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rightsof.asp

What does the environment look like in "The Most Dangerous Game"?

The natural setting of Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" is certainly forbidding.
When Sanger Rainsford falls off the yacht, he swims toward a screaming sound that he has heard in the darkness. For "an endless time he fought the sea," but he finally hears the water hitting a rocky shore. Rainsford pulls himself up the jagged rocks, and then he reaches a "flat place at the top." Touching the edge of the cliffs, he sees a dense jungle filled with a tangle of trees and underbrush.
Rainsford walks along the shoreline rather than struggle through the "web of weeds and trees." He follows this shore around a cliff until he sees lights on a high bluff where a palatial château rests. Around it on three sides are sheer cliffs that extend to the sea. Later, Rainsford learns that he is on Ship-Trap Island.

What is the central idea of The Babysitter?

Robert Coover's story "The Babysitter" is broken into more than one hundred paragraphs, each of which describes a certain scene. The scenes are roughly chronological to start, but the timeline becomes more and more confused as the story advances. The figure of the babysitter (who has no name) is present in all of them, either as an active character, a passive audience to the action, the subject of fantasy, or the source of subconscious unease.
The story largely centers around sexual desire, with the babysitter as the object of that desire. Mr. Tucker, his pre-pubescent son Jimmy, and the babysitter's own boyfriend Jack are the three characters whose desire drives the narrative. Jack also has a friend, Mark. All of these men express their desire in different ways. Jimmy tickles the babysitter, and fantasizes about her bathing him and staring at his naked body. Touching her and thinking about her makes him feel excited, but also scared; he's not entirely sure what he wants. Mr. Tucker's fantasies are much more explicit, and range from a desire to simply watch the babysitter bathe, to a desire to watch her have sex with her boyfriend, to a desire to have sex with her himself. Jack's fantasies are, at first, rather limited—he enjoys kissing the babysitter and touching her breasts, but he is unsure how to move to the next stage of a sexual encounter. His friend, Mark, fires his imagination by suggesting they simply rape the babysitter, taking what they want from her.The desire these men feel is variously deferred, frustrated, and gratified in the story's fragmentary narrative. In some fragments of the story, the babysitter willingly consents to sex; in others, the men rape her; in a few, the men kill her. She or the desire she awakens in others are the common threads that run through each fragment.
The babysitter herself does not seem to feel any desire. She is young and beautiful, and to a certain extent is aware of herself as a sexual being—she has a boyfriend, after all, and she admires her body in the bathroom mirror. Her sexuality is much more innocent than the men's, however, and is limited to a sense of vague curiosity and amusement regarding men's bodies. When she takes a bath, it is just a bath, a way of relaxing, a way to smell nice. To the men, it's a teasing ritual she enacts specifically to arouse them, but the babysitter is not thinking about them at all, except perhaps in the context of how annoying it is to be interrupted by them (Jimmy knocking on the bathroom door, Mr. Tucker or Jack calling the house phone). Her interactions with the men are innocuous, and she is blissfully unaware of their predatory urges towards her. She is not interested in sex, and her feelings toward the baby may be construed as a kind of horror of sex and its consequences. To her the baby is annoying, dirty, even repulsive. At best it is dormant; at worst, it makes her furiously angry. Depending on the fragment of the story in question, the babysitter ignores the baby, takes care of it in a perfunctory manner, or kills it to silence it.
The language of the story is thick with sexual imagery, "pushing," "thrusting," "balls," "plunge," "slick," "slippery," "holes," and so forth. Sex is almost a living presence in the story, and the narrative shatters along the lines of each character's desire. Jimmy wants to see the babysitter naked, to touch her in a way that is not quite innocent, but not yet fully sexual. His narrative involves voyeurism, tickle fights, and fondling; alternatively it involves sexual aggression on the babysitter's part, and fear and shame on his own. Mr. Tucker wants to have sex with the babysitter, or at least to watch her having sex. His narrative is variously one of watching her, seducing her, and extorting sex from her. She is always a willing participant, even in the extortion, because in Mr. Tucker's narrative, the babysitter wants sex, and wants him. However, Mr. Tucker's narrative collides with that of Jack and Mark, whose desire for sex with the babysitter leads alternately to a soft-focus erotic threesome and a brutal, ugly rape. Mr. Tucker and the boys imagine encountering each other and fighting over the babysitter, exchanging blows, even drawing blood.
The babysitter, who has no desire, has a much simpler narrative—she wants to put the kids to bed and take a bath. She is interrupted by the children and the telephone. If Jack and Mark do come over, she and they simply watch TV together. The Tuckers return from their dinner party to a clean house and sleeping children. The dark side of the babysitter's narrative involves no sex; instead, she murders the baby, because she can't stand its screaming, endless need for her. The men's screaming, endless lust for her drives their narratives toward any number of possible outcomes; the babysitter's revulsion for that kind of all-consuming need limits her outcomes to ones in which the need does not exist (the baby is asleep, her boyfriend does not come over, her boyfriend comes over but does not try anything) or in which she can effectively end it (by killing the baby, telling her boyfriend to go away). She is aware of being pinned by the male gaze, when Jimmy pulls her towel off and when she sees faces at the windows, but she manages to protect herself from fully encountering that gaze. The men, by contrast, are all about making physical contact, and the consequences of that contact may be temporarily gratifying but are often disastrous.
One theme of the work might be that sex is a powerful, dangerous thing, and engaging in it invites myriad possible consequences for those involved. The safest course of action is to stay away.