What is the mood of "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne?

Mood refers to the general feelings created for the reader by the text. This story's mood is somewhat eerie and melancholic, even foreboding and tense. The story begins as Goodman Brown leaves his home "at sunset," just before nightfall; he even says his journey "must needs be done 'twixt now and sunrise." The story is set in Salem Village.  Now, nighttime is often associated with mystery, dark deeds, and sinfulness, so it seems pretty shady that he has to do something that can only be done at night. Moreover, most readers have a general knowledge of the terrible witch hysteria that resulted in tragedy for so many in Salem in the late seventeenth century. Therefore, simply beginning the story with these details helps to set the mood. 
Further, the fact that Brown's wife, Faith, is "troubled" with strange dreams and begs her husband to delay his journey foreshadows something terrible. Her anxiety for him and his safety prompts readers to feel a similar sense of apprehension. 
As Brown leaves home, he takes a "dreary road" that is made darker by "the gloomiest trees of the forest." The path is "lonely" as he travels deeper into the forest. Like nighttime, the forest is often associated with evil and/ or temptation, especially in Hawthorne's works, and this is no exception. Brown even thinks, "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!" Again, this foreshadows the evil waiting for him in the woods, as well as those corrupt qualities within himself that allow him to believe "after this one night, [he'll] cling to [Faith's] skirts and follow her to Heaven." Brown is not planning a late-night prayer session; he is up to something bad, something he knows that he really shouldn't be doing (as a Puritan man), and that something turns out to be spooky and upsetting.

What does the Handicapper General do to Harrison?

Harrison Bergeron was taken away from his parents by the Handicapper General's men when he was fourteen years old. It is explained in the story that this is because amendments to the Constitution have made it illegal for anyone to be anything other than equal to his fellow men—and Harrison is certainly not equal. Indeed, he is above average in various particulars, which means that he has to wear heavier handicaps than anyone else has ever had. He is "an athlete" and "a genius." He is also extremely handsome. Consequently, he wears a pair of earphones intended to handicap him mentally; he also wears glasses with very thick lenses. He is meant to carry 300 pounds of scrap metal to handicap him physically, and to prevent him from appearing handsome, he has to wear a red rubber ball on his nose (like a clown) and keep his eyebrows shaved off. Because his teeth are white and even, he must also cover these with random black tooth-caps to offset the even appearance.

Harrison Bergeron lives in a dystopian world in which diversity is effectively outlawed. No one is allowed to be smarter, prettier, more talented, or more handsome than anyone else. Everyone must be formally handicapped by the government to drag them down to a general level of mediocrity. The law is rigidly enforced, and those deemed to have an unfair natural advantage are forced to wear handicaps to make them less smart, less pretty, less handsome, or talented.
Harrison is considered a triple threat to society as he's smart, good-looking, and athletic. As he is so intelligent, he is forced to wear large headphones emitting loud radio sounds that disrupt this thoughts; his good looks are obscured by a fake nose and black caps for this teeth; and his natural athleticism is compromised by three hundred pounds of metal weighing down his body.

Identify the phrasal category of the bold constituent "extremely dedicated" in the following sentence. You have an extremely dedicated team.

You have an extremely dedicated team.

The words "extremely dedicated" constitute an adverbial adjective phrase that is a pre-modifier to the head noun "team." The phrasal constituents "extremely dedicated" are pre-modifiers of the noun phrase "an extremely dedicated team," with "team" being the head noun of the phrase. 
The word "extremely" is an adverb, while "dedicated" is an adjective, "dedicated" being the adjectival past participle form of the verb "dedicate." Both the adverb and the adjective fill the pre-modifier slot adjacent to the head noun. The simple description of the order of pre-modifiers in a noun phrase is this:
Article, possessive + quantifying determiner + definitive, pronoun, article determiner + numerical determiner + adverb, adjective participle (phrase) + noun modifier (phrase) + head noun. [An even simpler description is available from the British Council and a more complex one from BYU.]
Noun phrase construction can be constituted of one single noun or pronoun, as in "[You] Go home." Noun phrases can also be complex having many pre-modifying quantifiers, determiners, adjective and adverbial adjective or noun phrases, as in this elaborate example: "Only half of the twenty-seven diversely smallish brightly decorated Easter eggs were found." The italicized words are pre-modifying quantifiers and determines, adverbs and adjectives. "Easter eggs" is the countable compound head noun.
The final constituent modifying phrase of the "Easter egg" example matches the targeted constituents in your sentence. Specifically, "brightly decorated" is an adverbial adjective phrase pre-modifying a head noun just as "extremely dedicated" is an adverbial adjective phrase pre-modifying a head noun.
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/noun-phrases

Explain how John the Savage uses physical punishment as a way to try to cleanse and purify himself of both societies that he has known.

In chapter 18 of Brave New World, John the Savage mutilates his own body as a means of purifying himself. In his isolated lighthouse, for example, John whips his "rebellious flesh" and endures all kinds of physical pain and suffering.
For John, purification is necessary because of his experiences in both societies. In England, he fell in love with Lenina without really getting to know her. Then, on discovering that she had slept with many other men, he called her a "whore" and withdrew from her life. John, therefore, could not accept the sexual attitudes of this new society.
Similarly, in the Reservation, John bonded with and loved his mother, Linda. Arguably, he feels considerable guilt because of her soma addiction and death in the new world. John, perhaps, wishes that he could have done more to save his mother from such a fate.
John, therefore, mutilates himself to escape the disgust and betrayal that he feels about Lenina and the guilt he experiences after his mother's death.

College Algebra, Chapter 1, 1.5, Section 1.5, Problem 38

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


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

\left( \frac{x}{x + 2} \right)^2 =& \frac{4x}{x + 2} - 4
&& \text{Given}
\\
\\
\left( \frac{x}{x + 2} \right)^2 - \left( \frac{4x}{x + 2} \right) + 4 =& 0
&& \text{Subtract } \frac{4x}{x + 2} \text{ and add } 4
\\
\\
w^2 - 4w + 4 =& 0
&& \text{Let } w = \frac{x}{x + 2}
\\
\\
(w - 2)^2 =& 0
&& \text{Factor out}
\\
\\
w - 2 =& 0
&& \text{Take the square root}
\\
\\
w =& 2
&& \text{Add } 2
\\
\\
\frac{x}{x + 2} =& 2
&& \text{Substitute } w = \frac{x}{x + 2}
\\
\\
x =& 2x + 4
&& \text{Apply cross multiplication}
\\
\\
x =& -4
&& \text{Solve for } x


\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

What can be concluded about Benedick's character based on the gulling scenes and the contrast in his attitudes before and after he was tricked into falling in love with Beatrice?

When the play begins, Benedick and Beatrice are already in love, but both of them are too proud to admit that they love one another. Benedick hides his feelings by pretending to be a ladies' man who has no interest in a committed relationship.
The gulling scenes establish that their friends know that the only way they will ever admit to their feelings is if they know that their feelings will be reciprocated. In Benedick's gulling scene, he hears that Beatrice is distraught because of her love for him and declares that he will love her back because it is the gentlemanly thing to do. Really, the audience knows that Benedick has been in love with Beatrice all this while and only needed an excuse to act on his feelings.
After the gulling scene, Benedick does a 180 by dropping the hyper-masculine swagger and immediately seeking a committed relationship with Beatrice. From this, we may deduce that the Benedick we met at the beginning of the play was only another mask to conceal the true Benedick, who loves Beatrice and would do anything for her.

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 5, 5.2, Section 5.2, Problem 16

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 .

What is acid?

An acid is any solution with an excess of hydrogen ions (H+). Because hydrogen is such a simple element on the periodic table, it can react with a large variety of other substances, which is what makes acids so reactive. Any substance with a pH below 7 is considered an acid, with weaker acids represented by 3–6.9 and stronger acids represented by a pH lower than 3.
Examples of weaker acids include milk and human urine. They are typically not thought of as incredibly reactive or harmful acids.
Examples of stronger acids include gastric juices (stomach acid), coffee, and pure acids (i.e., hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid). These substance are typically explained as more reactive. In your everyday life, acidic drinks display their reactivity by breaking down tooth enamel. In a typical classroom environment, these acids contain warning labels explaining that they can cause damage if direct contact is made with the skin, eyes, or other body cavities.
http://chemistry.elmhurst.edu/vchembook/184ph.html

The acidity of a substance is measured on the pH scale. That scale goes from 1 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. Anything greater than 7 is basic, and anything less than 7 is acidic. This means that an acid is anything that has a pH of less than 7. That does not really describe what an acid actually is though. An acidic solution is a solution that has a high concentration of hydrogen ions. This is because an acid is a substance that donates hydrogen ions. A basic solution would then have a low concentration of hydrogen ions. There are some basic characteristics that acids share. Acids will taste sour, but do not taste every acid that may be put in front of you! Strong acids are capable of burning your skin. Acids also react vigorously with metals.

Why did the Truth and Reconciliation Commission replace the traditional justice system in South Africa to deal with the residue of apartheid?

After the abolition of apartheid in 1994, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established to address the past abuses of human rights that were widespread throughout South Africa throughout the previous three decades. Unlike traditional justice systems which aim to punish the convicted, the TRC set out on a mission of restorative justice in order to usher a new era of peaceful coexistence of the racial and ethnic groups that had previously been subjugated by one another throughout South Africa.
Even before the end of apartheid, the African National Congress (ANC) wanted trials for former state officials who had committed or supported beatings, torture, and murder. The National Party, on the other hand, had been advocating for a blanket amnesty. Many whites were afraid of widespread reprisals and many black South Africans were demanding justice. These disagreements and conflicting desires threatened to divide the healing country even further. The TRC was created to be able to offer all groups what they sought.
Nelson Mandela and the other leaders of post-apartheid South Africa felt that to use the previously established justice system to prosecute their former tormentors would only perpetuate a divided society. They did not want to merely replace the leaders of the old system, but to create a forward moving nation that would not repeat its past mistakes. The old system of courts had been created to maintain the old status quo of apartheid. To use this justice system would be to use the tools of oppression to oppress the former oppressors. If South Africa were to become the "Rainbow Nation" as Desmund Tutu advocated, then a certain degree of forgiveness had to be granted in order for the country to heal.
Under the auspices of the TRC, anyone who felt they had been the victim of abuses under apartheid could give testimony. Likewise, those accused of crimes could request amnesty after publicly confessing their transgressions. As a result, the truth of the past could be exposed and a form of national catharsis achieved. The creators of the TRC felt that, by bringing to light the full details of apartheid's brutal nature, the country could learn to move forward as a unified nation. The truth is, a court such as the TRC had never been attempted before. It was a revolutionary idea with the aim of creating an inclusive South African state.
https://www.drake.edu/media/departmentsoffices/dussj/2010-2007documents/HealingAuger.pdf

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/south-africas-truth-and-r_b_8581506

In the poem "The Day Zimmer Lost Religion," what is the theme?

Superficially, the theme of this poem is religion and the loss of religion. On a deeper level, however, it is about coming of age; although the young Zimmer defined this moment as the point at which he "lost religion," as the title suggests, this is not the whole truth. On the contrary, the central idea of the poem is that, while children might imagine Jesus as a "bully" in the schoolyard and associate religion with the trappings of churchgoing, Latin, and the devil, it is only through stepping away from and rejecting these things that we can actually achieve a deeper understanding of God.
The young Zimmer has determined that he will test God by deliberately avoiding Mass. When nothing happens to him and no punishment is meted out, the child Zimmer imagines that this is because God knows Zimmer is "ready for Him now." From the adult perspective of the narrative, however, we can understand that this is not really what it means to be "ready" for God. Rather, through the act of rejecting the trappings of religion, the child Zimmer has come to understand that God is not really about punishment, Latin, or the devil; God is not a "bully" waiting in the wings to judge us for minor misdemeanors. Only through testing and recognizing this has Zimmer truly become "ready for him": able to move on to a new stage of religious understanding with an appreciation of God as more than an Old Testament rule-enforcer.

What is at stake in "The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams?

"The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams is a short story written in the first person. The narrator, like Williams himself, is a doctor. He is paying a house call to a family because their young daughter is sick. He is especially concerned because there has been a local outbreak of diphtheria. In the United States, there were approximately 150,000 cases of diphtheria each year in the United States, with approximately a 10 percent mortality rate.
If the young girl has this disease, it is essential that it be diagnosed and treated both for the sake of her own health and for public health, as this disease is highly infectious and could spread through communities quickly.
Thus while the doctor is very reluctant to use force, what is at stake is a very important health issue. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphtheria

How does Auden contrast the past with the present in the "Shield of Achilles"?

The myth of Achilles is occupied by Auden in order to demonstrate the contrast between the audacious past and unheroic present. The folktale of his passed collocates of the present. in the poem, the theme portrays a place founded on principles and ethics. But when expression such as "an unitelligible multitude" and "column by column in a cloud of dust", are used, they quickly lose their value. The poem is an allegory of contemporary times.
Auden is disgusted by the modern world. He feels it is too regulated and unethical. the Achillean world uses the world as his microphone to comment on the lack of growth and development of the modern world.
The shield reflects the hollowness and pointlessness of a life.
The sky like "lead" on the sheild reflects the cold, frigid, and passionate-less human behavior
The modern life is based on logic and reasoning. It is described as lack of feeling.

In “The Shield of Achilles,” Auden sets up stanzas that alternate between the past and the present as a way of taking a critical look at the modern world. The first, fourth, and seventh stanzas all begin:

She looked over his shoulder.

When Auden uses "she" and "his," he is referring to Thetis and her son Achilles, the great Greek hero/warrior. In each of these instances, Thetis is looking into the past. "Over his shoulder," she expects to see the beauty and culture of Ancient Greece engraved or reflected on Achilles's shield. For example, in the first stanza, Auden writes:

She looked over his shoulder For vines and olive trees,Marble well-governed cities And ships upon untamed seas,

However, instead of the beautiful landscape and the interesting architecture, she has a prophetic vision of the present:
But there on the shining metal His hands had put instead An artificial wilderness And a sky like lead.
The two longer stanzas that follow show a darker image of the modern world, one that is barren with faceless masses of soldiers, barbed wire, and empty justifications for war and violence. Auden makes an allusion to the crucifixion of Christ as a symbolic look to the darkness of the world that follows the Ancient Greeks.
In the final stanza, Auden looks to the past again:

The thin-lipped armorer, Hephaestos, hobbled away,Thetis of the shining breasts Cried out in dismayAt what the god had wrought To please her son, the strongIron-hearted man-slaying Achilles Who would not live long.

Here, we see the heroes and gods of the past turning away and dying while Thetis cries out "at what the god had wrought." Here, Auden refers to the shield that Hephaestos has made for Achilles. This can also be seen as a way of looking toward the future from the past. The root of Greece's downfall was in the violence of Achilles all along, and it planted the seeds for the darker world of the present that was to come. This is why she always sees the future "on the shining metal" of his shield.
https://poets.org/poem/shield-achilles

Why is the comparison to the stars another example of foreshadowing?

The imagery of the stars is compared to fate or destiny throughout Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Like today, in Renaissance England stars were associated with astrology, a way to predict an individual's future based on the alignment of those stars on the day they were born. Shakespeare opens the play by calling the title characters "star-crossed lovers," implying that fate has determined that nothing good can come of their relationship. In fact, the prologue foreshadows most of the tragic events in the play. In act I, scene 4, Romeo reintroduces the stars in a short aside where he relates a dream which suggests that his attendance at Capulet's party will lead to his death:

I fear too early, for my mind misgivesSome consequence yet hanging in the starsShall bitterly begin his fearful dateWith this night’s revels, and expire the termOf a despisèd life closed in my breastBy some vile forfeit of untimely death.


His words foreshadow future events because his meeting Juliet at the party and their whirlwind romance will ultimately lead to his suicide on the floor of Capulet's tomb. Both Romeo and Juliet will foreshadow death in various parts of the play. Before he marries Juliet, Romeo says,


Do thou but close our hands with holy words,Then love-devouring death do what he dare,It is enough I may but call her mine.


Juliet seems to foreshadow Romeo's appearance in the Capulet vault at the end of the play in act III, scene 5, saying,


O God, I have an ill-divining soul!Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low,As one dead in the bottom of a tomb.Either my eyesight fails or thou lookest pale.




Later in the play, after Romeo has learned that Juliet is supposedly dead, he again references the stars, saying, "Then, I defy you stars," implying that he will not simply let fate take his love away but will also commit suicide by her side.

Where do Lina and Poppy live after granny dies?

After Granny dies, Lina and Poppy move in with Mrs. Evaleen Murdo, their neighbor.
Lina has long had a great affection for Mrs. Murdo, so the transition is not a difficult one. Mrs. Murdo is the kind of woman who makes sure that everyone around her has a good breakfast. In the past, Lina always relaxed when Mrs. Murdo came over. This is because the latter always performed domestic chores promptly and made sure Poppy had on clean clothes.
So, Lina feels comfortable with Mrs. Murdo. When her grandmother dies, Lina spends a whole day at Mrs. Murdo's. For her part, Mrs. Murdo does what she can to make both Lina and Poppy comfortable. She makes sure that Lina has a soft blanket to keep her warm on the couch, and she gives Poppy a long purple scarf to play with. Later, Mrs. Murdo makes a mushroom potato soup for dinner.
Before she goes back to work the next day, Lina receives a generous offer from Mrs. Murdo. The latter offers her spare bedroom to both Lina and Poppy. Overwhelmed by Mrs. Murdo's kindness, Lina becomes emotional. She eventually accepts the offer, and this is how she and Poppy come to live with Mrs. Murdo.

What was Chaucer's contribution to English literature?

In writing in English, Chaucer was not unique in the Middle English period. On the contrary, writing in English continued apace in parochial documents and literary texts after the Norman Conquest, despite the language of government being French. The idea of a "standard" English, which had begun to develop at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period, disappeared, but the result was that English diverged into an astonishing number of written dialects, localizable to different geographic areas and social classes. Chaucer plays upon this idea in The Canterbury Tales, in which two northern students in the south speak in an almost unrecognizable dialect. What is notable about Chaucer's English is that he was writing at a time when the "standard" we now know was slowly returning, hastened by the invention of the printing press. Chaucer was of course not really responsible for the fact that his southern, London-based English was to set the written standard for all time, but the fact that his written dialect was London (Chancery) English, combined with his enormous popularity, certainly contributed. There are more surviving manuscripts of Chaucer's works than of any other text from this period, from which we know that he was an extremely successful and influential author. The closest challengers, in terms of surviving manuscript numbers, are generally religious texts like "The Pricke of Conscience."
Why this was the case is an interesting question. Certainly, Chaucer created vivid and entertaining depictions of people interacting with each other—contemporary English people and archetypes from classical literature alike. In terms of his contribution to English literature, he cannot be said to have engineered any notable plots or stories, the vast majority of his works being variants of existing tales. However, perhaps the most significant impact Chaucer did have on literature in English was that he brought us to expect authorship.
Chaucer was writing at a time when works were not signed, by and large. Works were anonymous, written by monks and often embellished by them until they became, effectively, communally-authored pieces, to which each transcriber would add his or her own additions and amendments. Chaucer identified himself as "auctor" in the texts he wrote. He consciously set himself against the long-standing convention of changing texts as they passed through many hands, saying in the prologue to Troilus and Criseyde, "so prey I God that noon myswrite thee" (I pray that nobody will make changes to my work). People bought works on the understanding that they had been written by Chaucer—something that sometimes backfired, as many works were then falsely attributed to Chaucer, but which has certainly had an enormous impact on English literature. Before Chaucer, anonymity was the norm in English literature. Today, we have and expect authors, of whom Chaucer was arguably the first English champion.

In the preface to a publication of The Canterbury Tales, editor D. Laing Purves writes,

Perhaps in the entire range of ancient and modern literature there is no work that so clearly and freshly paints for future times the picture of the past; certainly no Englishman has ever approached Chaucer in the power of fixing for ever the fleeting traits of his own time.

In or around 1378, Chaucer began to develop his conception of writing poetry in English, a language that would be linguistically accessible to all. This use of English would be obedient neither to the court, whose official language was French (Chaucer had written poetry himself in French) nor to the Church, whose official language was Latin.
Arguably, then, one of Geoffrey Chaucer's most significant contributions to English literature is his having written his magnificent work, The Canterbury Tales, in the language of the English people. That the two powerful forces of the court and the Church were bypassed for the sake of writing in English, making his work more accessible to the people, afforded Chaucer's work more widespread appeal, and it created a remarkable portrait of medieval England. In what is considered by many to be his magnum opus, Chaucer revealed the changes taking place in the English language and in society as a whole. His work also stands as a significant achievement in Middle English verse.

y = -x^2 + 1, y=0 Use the shell method to set up and evaluate the integral that gives the volume of the solid generated by revolving the plane region about the y-axis.

To be able to use the shell method, a a rectangular strip from the bounded plane region should be parallel to the axis of revolution.
By revolving multiple rectangular strip, it forms infinite numbers of hollow pipes or representative cylinders.
 
 In this method, we follow the formula: V = int_a^b (length * height * thickness)
or V = int_a^b 2pi * radius*height*thickness
where:
radius (r) = distance of the rectangular strip to the axis of revolution
height (h) = length of the rectangular strip
thickness = width  of the rectangular strip  as dx or dy .
For the bounded region, as shown on the attached image, the rectangular strip is parallel to y-axis (axis of rotation). We can a let:
r=x
h=f(x) or h=y_(above)-y_(below)
h = -x^2+1 -0
h = -x^2+1
thickness = dx with boundary values from a=0 to b=1 .
Plug-in the values on V = int_a^b 2pi * radius*height*thickness , we get:
V = int_0^1 2pi*x*(-x^2+1)*dx
V =int_0^1 2pi(-x^3+x)dx
Apply basic integration property: intc*f(x) dx = c int f(x) dx and
int (u+v) dx=int (u) dx+ int (v) dx .
V = 2pi int_0^1 (-x^3+x)dx
V = 2pi[ int_0^1 (-x^3)dx +int_0^1 (x)dx]
Apply power rule for integration: int x^n dy= x^(n+1)/(n+1)
V = 2pi[ -x^(3+1)/(3+1) + x^(1+1)/(1+1)]|_0^1
V = 2pi[ -x^4/4 + x^2/2]|_0^1
Apply definite integration formula: int_a^b f(y) dy= F(b)-F(a) .
V = 2pi[ -(1)^4/4 + (1)^2/2] -2pi[ -(0)^4/4 + (0)^2/2]
V =2pi[-1/4+1/2]-2pi[0+0]
V =2pi[1/4]-2pi[0]
V =pi/2-0
V =pi/2 or 1.57 (approximated value)

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 2, 2.1, Section 2.1, Problem 8

The given function is:-
f(x) = 5 - (x^2)
differentiating both sides w.r.t 'x' we get
f'(x) = 0 - 2x
Now, slope of the tangent at the point (3,-4) = f'(3) = - 2*3 = -6

Single Variable Calculus, Chapter 3, 3.6, Section 3.6, Problem 19

Determine $\displaystyle \frac{dy}{dx}$ of $y \cos x = 1 + \sin (xy)$ by Implicit Differentiation.

$\displaystyle \frac{d}{dx} (y \cos x)= \frac{d}{dx} (1) \frac{d}{dx} [\sin (xy)] $

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
(y) \frac{d}{dx} (\cos x) + (\cos x) \frac{d}{dx} (y) &= \frac{d}{dx} (1) + \frac{d}{dx} [\sin (xy)]\\
\\
(y) (-\sin x) + (\cos x) \frac{dy}{dx} &= 0 + \cos (xy) \cdot \frac{d}{dx} (xy)\\
\\
-y \sin x + (\cos x) \frac{dy}{dx} &= \cos (xy) \left[ (x) \frac{d}{dx} (y) + (y) \frac{d}{dx} (x) \right]\\
\\
\cos x \frac{dy}{dx} - y \sin x &= \cos (xy) \left[ (x) \frac{dy}{dx} + (y) (1) \right]
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



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

Was the suppression of rights during WWI a valid solution to protecting America?

It is ironic that during the "war to protect democracy" America went the other way and stifled freedoms that would be normal in peacetime.  America passed another Sedition Law, making it illegal to speak out against the war.  American postmasters looked in the mail for German words and letters going abroad.  It was even illegal to organize work stoppages in war industries.  Thousands went to jail for their opinions on the Allies or about the nature of war itself. 
That being said, you cannot take the Sedition Laws and Anti-Espionage Laws out of context.  In the decades leading up to the war, America was the prime location for immigrants from Europe.  Irish immigrants hated Britain and wanted to see a German victory.  Some German immigrants considered themselves German no matter where they went--there was even a small, yet visible German "Fifth Column" in America which succeeded in blowing up factories, most notably the Black Tom Munitions Plant in New Jersey.  There were also socialists who said that this war was a war about greed and capitalism and they tried to organize strikes--this was the view taken by Socialist and presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs.  Of course, there was still the fear of anarchists in the country whose assassination of Francis Ferdinand started the war in the first place.  The American government was scared of all of these potential troublemakers and issued draconian laws to protect itself.  America has done this in times of war such as when Adams drafted the Alien and Sedition Act in 1798 to chase potential French Revolutionaries away from America.  The Wilson administration was able to use this as a precedent.  

What is the oxidation number of 1/2 O2 and why?

First let's define the term oxidation number.  It is a way of assigning charges to each atom of a chemical compound or species.  In other words, if you pretended that each atom of a compound or species was an ion, the oxidation number for each element would be the charge assigned to that particular element as a part of the whole.  For an ion with a single element, the oxidation number of the element is the charge of the ion.  For a neutral chemical compound, the oxidation numbers of the individual atoms must add up to a total of zero.  O2 is molecular oxygen and is composed of two oxygen atoms bonded together with a double bond.  Since it has no overall charge and is composed of a single type of element, both of the oxygen atoms in O2 must have an oxidation number of 0 since they both have to be the same and add up to 0.  Now, 1/2 O2 is another way of saying just plain O, and the same rules apply here.  O has a total charge of zero and therefore the oxidation number of O would have to be zero as well.
https://www.wikihow.com/Find-Oxidation-Numbers

Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 2, 2.1, Section 2.1, Problem 68

Evaluate the equation $\displaystyle 0.08x + 0.12(260 - x) = 0.48x$ and check your solution.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

0.08x + 0.12(260 - x) =& 0.48x
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
100 [0.08x + 0.12 (260 - x)] =& 100(0.48x)
&& \text{Multiply each term by $100$}
\\
8x + 12 (260-x) =& 48x
&& \text{Distributive property}
\\
8x + 3120 - 12x =& 48x
&& \text{Distributive property}
\\
-4x + 3120 =& 48x
&& \text{Combine like terms}
\\
-4x - 48x =& -3120
&& \text{Subtract $(48x + 3120)$ from each side}
\\
-52x =& -3120
&& \text{Combine like terms}
\\
\frac{-52x}{-52} =& \frac{-3120}{-52}
&& \text{Divide both sides by $-52$}
\\
x =& 60
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Checking:


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

0.08(60) + 0.12(260 - 60) =& 0.48(60)
&& \text{Let } x = 60
\\
4.8 + 24 =& 28.8
&& \text{Multiply}
\\
28.8 =& 28.8
&& \text{True}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

What is Nick's final judgement on Gatsby?

To find Nick's final judgment on Gatsby, the third paragraph of the first chapter is a good place to look. There, Nick, on one hand, says that Gatsby "represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn." But Nick also asserts that Gatsby was "exempt from [his] reaction" of wanting the world to be "at a sort of moral attention forever." It is clear that Nick has mixed reactions to Gatsby's behavior throughout the summer they spent together.
While Nick does not explicitly condone the kind of criminality Gatsby admits to being involved in, Nick does partake in drinking alcohol procured by his host, a crime during prohibition. Nick is also very aware of Gatsby and Daisy's affair but in his mind excuses it perhaps because Gatsby's love for Daisy is genuine and Daisy's husband is a reprehensible character.
At the end of the third paragraph in the first chapter, Nick concludes that "Gatsby turned out all right at the end" and that the people and forces that "preyed on Gatsby" are what turned Nick's thoughts inward and caused him to leave the East to reset his moral compass.

how does Isabel become bolder and braver as the novel develops?

Isabel goes through a huge transformation during this story. When we first meet her, she and Ruth are expecting freedom; however, they quickly find themselves as slaves for the Locktons. Isabel is upset, but she isn't willing to do anything about it. This is especially true because Ruth is with her. Isabel believes that as long as she does what she is told and keeps her head down that she and Ruth can afford to wait things out. But as Madam Lockton becomes more and more of a tyrant, Isabel realizes that she needs to take bolder steps to obtain her freedom. At first, Isabel believes that she needs to get help from an outside source to get her freedom. That's why she attempts to gain her freedom by giving information to the Patriots and the British. Neither attempt works, and her situation with Madam Lockton continues to get worse and worse. I would say the turning point for Isabel is when Isabel discovers that Madam Lockton didn't completely get rid of Ruth. Ruth is just at a different property, and Isabel has the chance of getting to her. This is when Isabel decides to take her freedom into her own hands. She makes the bold move of stealing papers that say she is free. Isabel runs away from the Lockton house, breaks Curzon out of prison, and rows them across to New Jersey.

Compare and contrast thunderstorms and blizzards.

At the most basic level, thunderstorms and blizzards are specific weather phenomena that occur most frequently within particular seasonal climatic conditions. Thunderstorms are more common during spring and summer afternoons, whereas blizzards notably require freezing weather conditions (so, basically, wintertime).
Perhaps the most evident difference between thunderstorms and blizzards is the absence of lightning in the latter. In general, you’re not going to hear thunder unless there’s lightning, because it takes a rapid increase in temperature and air pressure from a lightning event to produce the shock wave we associate with thunder. Rarely, you will have thunder within snowstorm conditions, and when this occurs, we call it thundersnow.
Sources for thundersnow include: (a) thunderstorms coming in contact with cold or warm fronts in a winter environment, (b) synoptic snowstorms which mix wintery and precipitous conditions, and (c) lakes and/or oceans come into contact with thunderstorms, which rapidly cool the air across warm waters. We tend not to hear as much thunder during snowstorms and blizzards due to the muffling effect of the storms themselves.
Now, blizzards are basically intense snowstorms that can easily cause whiteout or snow blindness conditions. The National Weather Service (NWS) has much more specific criteria:

a winter storm that lasts for more than three hours and has sustained wind or frequent gusts of 35 miles per hour (MPH) or greater and considerable falling and/or blowing snow (i.e., reducing visibility frequently to less than ¼ mile).

As you can see from above, the main differences between thunderstorms and blizzards are (a) the occurrence of thunder and lightning, (b) the seasons in which they frequently occur, and (c) visibility conditions. In terms of similarities, both are specific weather phenomena that (1) typically operate within a blend of warm and cold conditions, (2) have the potential to generate thunder, and (3) have the potential to cause grievous harm and even death if appropriate shelter is unavailable.
https://w1.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?letter=b

https://www.livescience.com/32210-what-is-a-blizzard.html

How do the Woods know that William Ashby is serious about courting Kit?

One day, William Ashby pays a social call to the Wood residence. Naturally, Kit is there too. During a heated political discussion, Kit becomes impressed by how intelligent William is and how he stands up to her uncle Matthew. Having said that, he's still rather shy in Kit's presence. After William leaves, Kit expresses the opinion that he won't return. Her cousin Judith doesn't agree. Why? Well, William is in the process of building a house, and as Judith explains, William said years before that he'd only start building a house once he'd made his mind up that he was going to look for a wife.
Kit is horrified at the realization that William is paying court to her. There's not exactly much chemistry between them; they barely exchanged a word when he came over to the house. Aunt Rachel confirms that William is indeed serious about courting Kit. However, she reassures her niece that although Kit and William may seem like strangers now, in due course she's sure they'll have plenty to talk about.

How do the townspeople feel about Richard Cory?

In "Richard Cory," the title character is admired by the townspeople. They envy him and wish to be him. The way Robinson establishes this main idea in the first three stanzas makes the ironic ending even more shocking to the reader.
The speaker describes Richard Cory in a positive manner from the start of the poem. The first stanza reads,

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim. (lines 1–4)

All of the townspeople look at Richard Cory when he walks around town. He is described as the quintessential "gentleman." The adjective "clean" and the adverb "imperially" add to the positive perspective of the speaker and townsfolk.
 
Next, in stanza two, the speaker tells us:


And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked. (lines 5–8)



Richard seems unassuming and "human," so he is personable and not arrogant. However, when he speaks to someone, "he fluttered pulses"; the town is quite taken with him, almost like they are in love with Richard. The description of how Richard "glittered when he walked" also shows that the townspeople see Richard as special and better than they are.
 
That idea continues in stanza three, as the speaker relays,


And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place. (lines 9–12)



More of Richard's positive qualities are discussed here. We now know he is "richer than a king" and graceful. The speaker says that "In fine," or in summary, "he was everything / To make us wish that we were in his place" (11–12). The implied main idea that we've seen to this point is now made explicit: the townspeople envy him and want to be him.
 
The poem takes a dark turn in the final stanza, though. The speaker writes, 


So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head. (13–16)



The townspeople are described as poor and "curs[ing]" their bad luck to be in such a worse position than Richard. However, on a "calm summer night," a setting that belies what will happen next, Richard "put a bullet through his head." Despite all appearances, Richard was apparently suicidal. This is ironic because all of the townsfolk think he leads the perfect life. They think they are much worse off than he is, but in fact, he must've been unhappy despite his seeming advantages. We do not hear what the townspeople think about Richard's suicide in this poem, so we can only guess. Do they feel as shocked as we, the readers, are? Do they appreciate their own lives more, even though they have less than Richard had? We can only speculate.

In what sense did the 1930s witness “an acceleration of cultural assimilation”?

The 1930s were a period of cultural assimilation in the United States as more of its immigrants were either American citizens or were in the process of applying for citizenship. Also, more of these immigrants adopted "Americanized" spellings of their last names and spoke English than ever before. This was due to a few factors.
During World War I American leadership spoke out against what it called the "hyphenated American" and demanded his full loyalty. This was important as the United States was afraid of sabotage efforts funded by the Central Powers. This hatred of hyphenated Americans persisted after the war as Americans feared a Communist takeover and anarchist plots. The United States also passed stringent immigration quotas designed to affect those from Eastern and Southern Europe—these new immigrants were likely to settle in enclaves with their kinsmen in major cities and adopt English slowly. By adopting English, many new immigrants hoped to "blend in" with mainstream America and be hired for jobs. By the 1930s there was a sharp reduction in foreign-language newspapers as most Americans, whether longtime residents or newly arrived, learned and used English.

Explain the arrangement of beads on the wires.

The Glass Bead Game centers on the idea that one can achieve greatness through a new intellectual discipline. This intellectual discipline obliterates what the narrator calls the "excessive aestheticism" of the Age of Feuilleton. According to the Merriam–Webster dictionary, a feuilleton is the section of a newspaper that focuses on entertainment or stories of common interest.
In the book, the narrator refers to these "uncommonly popular sections of the daily newspapers" as "mental pabulum." So, what is the Glass Bead Game exactly? It is played by intellectuals from every human sphere. However, the book doesn't fully explain the rules of the game. It does, however, tell us how the game is set up.
First, glass beads of various "sizes, shapes, and colors" are strung across wires on an abacus-like frame. The wires represent the musical staff, while the beads represent the various time-values of musical notes. A player can use different combinations of beads to represent a musical quotation or a musical theme. The narrator likens the playing of the game to the execution of a musical fugue.
A fugue begins with a musical theme (or thesis) and is continued by different voices that expound upon the main theme in varied pitches. The musical theme variations are interweaved with each other, resulting in a pleasing harmonic composition. The narrator tells us that this game was initially played as a challenging musical exercise. Eventually, intellectuals from other disciplines adapted the game to fit their needs.
For example, instead of using the beads to represent musical themes, mathematicians used the beads to represent mathematical symbols and formulas. Soon, scientists and other intellectual scholars made their own adaptations, complete with special rules for the game. All enjoyed intricate intellectual exercises that, according to the narrator, brought an end to the Age of Feuilleton.
The narrator thus argues that the Glass Bead Game is the game of true intellectuals. So, to answer your question, the arrangement of beads on the wires is dependent upon the intellectual pursuits of the players.

What will the problem be if Odysseus kills the Cyclops?

In book 9 of The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men stumble upon the land of the Cyclopes. After finding a cave filled with milk and cheese, Odysseus attempts to snatch some nourishment for himself and his men; unfortunately for these gentlemen, a Cyclops named Polyphemus returns to the cave and eats two of the men. Polyphemus, who also happens to be the son of Poseidon, places a massive boulder at the entrance of the cave, imprisoning Odysseus and the rest of the surviving men.
Since Polyphemus is a giant, only he is strong enough to move the massive boulder that seals the cave. While Polyphemus is a violent monster that consumes men, Odysseus is placed in a peculiar predicament: should he kill Polyphemus, the boulder will not be moved, and Odysseus and his men will starve to death in the cave. Yet, as time goes on, Polyphemus simply aims to continue to eat the men one by one.
Ultimately, Odysseus blinds the Cyclops with a wooden staff that was heated in the fire. The next morning, Odysseus and the rest of the men escape by clinging to the sheep that Polyphemus was keeping in the cave. As the animals leave the cave to graze, the men are able to escape.

Grenouille is born with a supernaturally developed sense of smell. He can smell the approach of a thunderstorm when there's not a cloud in the sky and wonders why there is only one word for smoke when "from minute to minute, second to second, the amalgam of hundreds of odors mixed iridescently into ever new and changing unities as the smoke rose from the fire" (25). He can store and synthesize thousands of odors within himself and re-create them at will. How do you interpret this extraordinary ability? Do you think such a sensitivity to odor is physically possible? Do you feel Süskind wants us to read his novel as a kind of fable or allegory? Why do you think Süskind chose to build his novel around the sense of smell instead of one of the other senses?

It makes a lot of sense that Suskind would choose the sense of smell as the medium that shows the supernatural origin of his main character. 
From a biological perspective, people are innately born with a uniquely particular smell. We produce pheromones, and the scent of these is recognized by our pets , our babies, and we can even detect it in each other, at a subconscious level. It is the scent that makes us human. Grenouille was born without it. This made him not only inhuman, but also the subject of much speculation since his birth.

Impossible! It is absolutely impossible for an infant to be possessed by the devil. An infant is not yet a human being; it is a prehuman being and does not yet possess a fully developed soul.

By not giving Grenouille a human scent, Suskind takes away his "humanity" while, ironically, forcing Grenouille to search for it in the scent of others. Tragically, Grenouille's ability to detect smells is superhuman, which adds insult to the injury. The very trait that makes Grenouille unique will end up being his tragic flaw. 
From an artistic perspective, notice that smell is the only one of the senses that you cannot recreate in paintings, music, plays, or literature. You can speak about it, describe it, and perhaps even remember it. However, the memories and emotions that surface from specific smells are impossible to recreate with art. You can look at a picture and tell everything about it except the unique scents that were present at the scene.  Similarly, Grenouille is so strange, unique, and enigmatic that he cannot be understood enough to be able to fully describe him. Nothing and nobody is like him. 
From a historical perspective, it is arguable that 18th century France was a pretty unsanitary place

In the period of which we speak, there reigned in the cities a stench barely conceivable to us modern men and women. The streets stank of manure, the courtyards of urine, the stairwells stank of moldering wood and rat droppings...

For someone who is described as "gifted and abominable," what better punishment is there than to have an extremely sensitive sense of smell in a city rife with putrefaction? Moreover, Grenouille is disgusted with the inner smell of humans, namely, with the smell of humanity. He distances himself from society for a time for this reason, perhaps sparing hundreds from his unstable nature. 
Now, your other questions ask whether this gift is possible. Hyperosmia is a rare disorder that is very similar to Grenouille's sensitivity to smells. However, this disease is linked to other neurological conditions and in no way would it make anyone able to discern supernatural smells, such as those Grenouille was able to detect. 
Lastly, it is greatly possible that Suskind wanted this novel to read like an allegory, showing us that life is not limited to breathing and using our 5 senses. We are all complex and unique in our own ways. Still, there is no question that, at the heart of the novel, the theme of humanity is what propels the situations that take place: Grenouille's search for something that only he can understand is no different than our everyday search for something that will give us purpose and make our lives worth living. Of course, his search ends up in a tragedy and murder is a capital sin. Murder goes completely against humanity, too. This is what differentiages Grenouille's search for meaning from ours. That is what makes him "abominable."
 

What tools or resources did Sumerian slaves use for their jobs?

By the Uruk Period (c. 4100-2900 BCE), it is clear that the Sumerians were making use of slave labor. Most slaves were likely captured from nearby areas for the express purpose of enslaving them. While slaves were widely used as farmers, builders, weavers, and millers, they did not make up a huge part of the Sumerian economy. Most labor was likely done by free Sumerian citizens. Slaves in Sumer, though, did have access to many of the same tools and resources that others in the region had in order to do their work.
Slaves working on farms made use of typical Sumerian irrigation devices and features. Levees and canals were widely constructed to provide water where it was needed and prevent flooding where it was not. They built levees over 30 feet tall and dug canals in excess of 50 feet in width. This was hard, labor-intensive work, and it is likely that slaves were used in the construction of these features.
The earliest known use of the wheel comes from the Sumerians. The wheel started out as a tool for potters but was later adapted to help carry heavy loads. Sumerian slaves would likely have used the wheel in both of these contexts. Transportation with wheeled carts was further aided by the use of paved roads, which the Sumerians pioneered using specialized paving bricks.
The rest of the resources and tools that Sumerian slaves used were rather typical of Later Stone Age and Early Bronze Age technology. Relatively simple axes, saws, shovels, and picks made of stone and bronze were used regularly as part of a slave's work.
https://books.google.com.ni/books?id=lbmXsaTGNKUC&pg=PA13&redir_esc=y

https://sciencing.com/ancient-sumerian-levees-canals-16874.html

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/back0506.cfm

Sumerian technology and tools were fairly basic. Sumer was a Stone and early Bronze Age civilization. The typical Sumerian had at their disposal tools made of these materials. Things like knives and digging instruments were common. Sumerians also produced impressive pottery, and the potter's wheel is a development of Mesopotamian civilization. The wheel is also a product of this era.
Sumer, like other ancient civilizations of the Middle East (e.g., the Babylonians and Egyptians), was dependent on slaves. They were the backbone of the labor force. Most of the tools slaves had access to were fairly primitive. Most labor was done by hand, and a slave's body was his most common and useful tool.
Agriculture was a fundamental practice, centrally important in Sumerian civilization, and the technology associated with it was key. This included the construction of complex irrigation canals. Another tool used for watering crops was the shaduf, a kind of lever system connected to a rope and bucket that moved water from river to field.

Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 3, 3.3, Section 3.3, Problem 72

Determine an equation of the line that satisfies the condition "through $(2,-7)$; perpendicular to $5x + 2y = 18$".

(a) Write the equation in slope intercept form.

We find the slope of the line $5x + 2y = 18$ and write it in slope intercept form


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

5x + 2y =& 18
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
\\
2y =& -5x + 18
&& \text{Subtract each side by $5x$}
\\
\\
y =& - \frac{5}{2}x + 9
&& \text{Slope Intercept Form}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


To be perpendicular to the line $\displaystyle y = - \frac{5}{2}x + 9$, a line must have a slope that is the negative reciprocal of $\displaystyle - \frac{5}{2}$ and that is $\displaystyle \frac{2}{5}$. Using Point Slope Form


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}


y - y_1 =& m(x - x_1)
&& \text{Point Slope Form}
\\
\\
y - (-7) =& \frac{2}{5} (x-2)
&& \text{Substitute } x = 2, y = -7 \text{ and } m = \frac{2}{5}
\\
\\
y + 7 =& \frac{2}{5}x - \frac{4}{5}
&& \text{Distributive Property}
\\
\\
y =& \frac{2}{5}x - \frac{4}{5} - 7
&& \text{Subtract each side by $7$}
\\
\\
y =& \frac{2}{5}x - \frac{39}{5}
&& \text{Slope Intercept Form}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


(b) Write the equation in standard form.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

y =& \frac{2}{5}x - \frac{39}{5}
&& \text{Slope Intercept Form}
\\
\\
5y =& 2x - 39
&& \text{Multiply each side by $5$}
\\
\\
-2x + 2y =& -39
&& \text{Standard Form}
\\
\text{or} &
&&
\\
2x - 2y =& 39
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

How is the theme of suicide explored in Macbeth?

The death of Lady Macbeth by her own hand is the play's sole suicide, but it is significant in that she is apparently unable to live with herself because of her role in the deaths of Duncan, the chamberlains, Banquo, and Macduff's family. Guilt consumes her immediately after Duncan's murder, and it no doubt weighs heavily on her conscience since she has urged Macbeth to commit it. Before Duncan's death, Macbeth expresses doubts about the regicide, telling his wife that Duncan is a good king who has recently shown his gratitude to Macbeth. That, and the fact that Duncan is a widely respected king, makes Macbeth hesitate until his wife calls his manhood into question if he fails to act.
Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking and the confessions that the doctor and the gentlewoman overhear are evidence of the extent to which she is troubled. At the point in the play where she commits suicide, her husband is acting independently of her, and she realizes that they are unlikely to remain the queen and king of Scotland. Macbeth's response to the news of her death is that she should have lived longer, but he quickly moves on to face whatever obstacles remain to him staying in power.

I'm not sure there's really enough discussion of suicide in the play to convey a theme in regards to it. However, Malcolm, the late King Duncan's heir, announces at the very end of the play that they believe Lady Macbeth to have, "by self and violent hands, / Took off her life" (5.8.83-84). In other words, they think that she killed herself.
We need not look too hard for answers why: at the beginning of act 5, Lady Macbeth exhibits some major guilt for the wrongs she and her husband have committed. For example, she says, "Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" (5.1.53-54). She imagines that she can still see and smell Duncan's blood on her hands, and this seems to signify the terrible guilt that she lives with as a result of her part in his murder. Lady Macbeth also mentions Macduff's wife, lamenting, "The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne'er be clean?" (5.1.44-45)
She seems to know, then, that Macbeth ordered the murders of this innocent woman and her children, and she feels guilty about those deaths too. It is likely that the combination of her guilty conscience, inability to sleep, and emotional distance from everyone in her life including Macbeth, led to her suicide.

How does the modernist drive toward innovation in Western culture coexist with the use of ancient myths in T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land?

Modernism, as exemplified by The Waste Land, is the product of an irredeemably fractured society. In the years following the First World War, when the poem was written, many of the old certainties had vanished. The rise of mass society, with its extension of the franchise and its democratization of culture, had undermined the traditional foundations of Western civilization.
However, even Eliot realizes that there is no going back. There is no way we can recover the old myths and the lost classical heritage of a bygone age. They are gone forever, destroyed by the disruptive spirit of the democratic age with its dynamism and ceaseless innovation. As a consequence, the voice of authority has been undermined in politics, society, and culture alike. This explains the fractured nature of the many voices we hear throughout The Waste Land. There is no one voice—nor can there be. There is simply a mixture of voices, each uncomfortably coexisting together in an "unreal city," which could be anywhere or nowhere. In such a fractured world, it no longer matters:

What is the city over the mountainsCracks and reforms and bursts in the violet airFalling towers Jerusalem Athens AlexandriaVienna London Unreal.

Where once the voice of Western culture displayed such a remarkable degree of unity, especially in the Middle Ages, now it has been broken down into a collection of little voices, each occupying their own little world, without any means of coming together to form a coherent culture.

Le Prince d'Aquitaine a la tour abolieThese fragments I have shored against my ruins.

"The Prince of Aquitaine in the ruined tower." Eliot is like the prince standing high up inside the crumbling tower, the tower of Western high culture, and he is casting a mordant eye at the titular waste land around him. That culture is broken; all that can now be done is to collect the various fragments of broken myth littered throughout the poem and use them to create a testimony to a vanished world.

What should be the goal of any society?

"Harrison Bergeron" puts forth the notion that it is not absolute equality that we must desire in our society. As we are humans, each one of us will be different from everyone else, and it is this difference that adds color and creativity to the world. If it is absolute equality we seek, Vonnegut warns that a dystopian society like the Bergerons' is what we are going to get. 
Instead of equality, we must pursue equity, which is the idea that people need different things in order to be successful. For example, a school with a low attendance rate in a crime-infested suburb should get more resources than a school in a comfortable, crime-free suburb. 
I think Albert Einstein said it best: 

But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

True fairness should not mean that everyone is the same. True fairness is treating everyone with the same concern and support so that they can become successful in their own way. 
 

What is the meaning of Edgar Allan Poe's To F--?

Poe’s poem is thought to addressed to Frances Osgood, a prominent poet in New York with whom Poe famously flirted – probably platonically -- for several years. The gist of the poem is fairly clear: the poet must follow a “drear path” through his life’s struggles, and the only “solace” he has is in his dreams of his beloved. The second stanza goes on to further develop the idea of “F.” as refuge. The poet imagines her as a beautiful island, cut off from the world by stormy seas, yet nevertheless enjoying “serenest skies.” Characteristically (for Poe), the beloved is less an actual woman than an idea, or feeling; his love for her has less to do with any aspect of her character than how his memory of her is soothing his nervous disposition.

   Poe's poem "To F--" is a love poem. The poem's narrator is beset by "earnest woes."  His life moves along a "drear path" whose bleak vista is brightened not even with "one lonely rose." The only relief the narrator finds is in dreams of his beloved, the young lady known to us solely by the initial F. Poe tells us nothing of his beloved's physical appearance or personality traits; we are not privy to experiences they might have shared. What we do know is how F makes the narrator feel. And that is accomplished largely through the use of metaphor.
   The second stanza of the poem describes F as an "enchanted, far-off isle" anchored in a "tumultuous sea." Clearly, life is full of tumult and angst for the narrator, as seen in the storm-tossed sea imagery. His only respite lies in the persona of F, whom he pictures as an island of serenity, smiled over by the "serenest skies."
   Poe's narrator pictures life as bleak and full of problems. It is only through love, specifically in the form of F, that the narrator finds solace and respite.

Through Internet research, determine the powers created by a "general power of attorney" in your home state. Summarize the powers created by a general power of attorney and express your reasoned opinion as to whether these powers are too broad and far-reaching in a short (250-word) response that you post on the discussion board. Note: My state is Florida. The subject is (Business Law)

The general concept of "power of attorney" remains fairly constant from state-to-state. Each state's statutes, however, include their own nuances, so it is important to keep in mind that the legal citations that follow are, per the student's question, specific to the State of Florida. Further, each state has its own legal requirements with regard to the recognition of powers of attorney issued by other states. With respect to Florida, powers of attorney granted an individual or group in another state are recognized by the State of Florida, but with the proviso that third parties to an arrangement or negotiation may challenge the validity of the power of attorney from another state.
"Power of attorney" is, as the phrase indicates, the granting by one party to another party the legal authority to negotiate contracts, execute a will, and engage in any number of business and personal transactions on behalf of the party assigning to the other such powers. Being designated as the power of attorney on behalf of another individual or group, therefore, represents a considerable display of trust in the party to whom the powers are being delegated. When registering for a power of attorney in Florida, then, it is required that the principal, the individual authorizing someone else to act on his or her or its' behalf, sign the requisite agreement or contract in the presence of two witnesses, and in the presence of a notary public, who can constitute one of the two witnesses.
The powers of attorney established through the process by which one party authorizes another party to act on his, her, or its' behalf are considerable, but can be limited according to the precise type of power of attorney agreement being finalized. Under a "limited power of attorney," the authorities delegated to another party are specific to a particular matter. Under a "general power of attorney," the authorities are more far-reaching, but can still be limited to those authorities specified in the agreement signed in front of the aforementioned witnesses and notary public. A "durable power of attorney" is the most powerful, as it is the express authorization to act on behalf of an individual who has become incapacitated, such as by illness. In all three of these categories, however, the powers granted to the power of attorney can be limited to specific areas of responsibility.
The part of the State of Florida legal code that addresses "powers of attorney" is Chapter 709, aptly titled "Powers of Attorney and Similar Powers." The legal definition for "powers of attorney" under Florida statute is as follows:

(9) “Power of attorney” means a writing that grants authority to an agent to act in the place of the principal, whether or not the term is used in that writing.

Specific to business, Florida statute offers several examples of how the powers of attorney function, and it is entirely in line with how such powers function with respect to the individual. As spelled out in Title XL of Chapter 709, the statute reads as follows:

709.2208 Banks and other financial institutions.—


(1) A power of attorney that includes the statement that the agent has “authority to conduct banking transactions as provided in section 709.2208(1), Florida Statutes” grants general authority to the agent to engage in the following transactions with financial institutions without additional specific enumeration in the power of attorney:
(a) Establish, continue, modify, or terminate an account or other banking arrangement with a financial institution. . .
 


2) A power of attorney that specifically includes the statement that the agent has “authority to conduct investment transactions as provided in section 709.2208(2), Florida Statutes” grants general authority to the agent with respect to securities held by financial institutions or broker-dealers to take the following actions without additional specific enumeration in the power of attorney:
(a) Buy, sell, and exchange investment instruments.
(b) Establish, continue, modify, or terminate an account with respect to investment instruments.

 
This excerpt from the State of Florida legal code indicates that the concept of "powers of attorney" with respect to business transactions functions in the same manner as for personal business. In fact, these sections apply to both personal and business matters. The difference occurs when the business is owned by multiple individuals or entities. Then, unsurprisingly, the language used in the agreement granting powers of attorney is considerably more complicated, as it must be agreed to by each of those partners. The basic concept, however, remains the same. And, it should be noted, that businesses, depending on their type, and certainly large corporations, almost always maintain in-house legal offices that already possess the authority and responsibilities implied in powers of attorney agreements. Businesses that do not have the luxury or need of in-house legal counsel usually maintain legal representation on retainer. Small businesses or individual businesspeople who find it necessary to authorize another party to act on their behalf will invariably do so employing other individuals to whom they are personally close and trust implicitly.
 
The concept of "powers of attorney" is not, in-and-of-itself particularly complicated. The devil, to use a platitudinous phrase, is always in the details. And, at the end of the day, there is always, or should be, a level of trust between parties such that gaps or loopholes in the agreement will be unlikely to be exploited by the party to whom the powers are granted.


 

In act 3, Bottom says, "Reason and love keep little company together nowadays." How would I write a well-written paragraph explaining what Bottom meant by this and how Shakespeare showed that it was true in A Midsummer Night's Dream?

In a paragraph explaining what Bottom meant, you would first have to create a topic sentence. A topic sentence is always the first sentence in a paragraph, and it generally works as a miniature thesis statement. It lays out what you will be examining within the paragraph. So you'd start out by saying in one sentence what Bottom means by this statement without going into too much detail (essentially, that love makes people act in foolish ways, and this theme is reflected in the outlandish behavior of several characters in the story).
The following sentences would pull specific examples that illustrate the "love is madness" idea that your topic sentence lays out. You might mention the antics of the four Athenian lovers (before or after the love potion complicates the conflicts between them) or the way that Titania falls for the graceless Bottom with his donkey head. After naming specific examples, then you would explain why they are significant to what Bottom says.

Bottom is saying that love makes people do crazy, irrational things. His statement reinforces a major theme in the play: love is a form of insanity.
To create a well-written paragraph, you could, first, explain what Bottom means. Then you could back up what he says—that love makes people do crazy things—by showing some examples from the play. How crazy is it that Titania, queen of the fairies, falls in love with Bottom, especially since he now has an ass's head? Does this show that love is blind? Does it show that when we fall in love we do not see our beloved's most glaring flaws? And what of Helena's love for Demetrius? Is it crazy of her to run after him into the forest, when he has told her quite clearly that he is in love with Hermia? Why would she abase herself so much for his love? Is he worth it, or is this another example of love's irrationality? Can you think of other examples of love (or love potions) making people act irrationally in the play?

According to Rilke, what is the role of criticism in art work?

Rilke advised Franz Kappus, the young poet to whom he wrote his Letters to a Young Poet, to avoid reading criticism. Rilke also himself avoided offering Kappus criticism. Instead, he wanted Kappus to develop his own inner literary sensibility, telling him in the first letter that nobody can help him. Instead Rilke tells him the following:

There is only one way—Go into yourself.

Rilke also advises Kappus not to seek rational answers to his questions about art yet, but instead to live life fully and to have faith that through living itself the answers will come. Over and over, he urges his young correspondent to look inside his soul and try to understand what causes him to want to write poetry. The answers are within, not without, and have more to do with feelings than intellectual thought (though thought helps, too). Discover how deep your desire to write has gone, he tells Kappus:

see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write

After seeing and experiencing, the work of art is the work of the heart, the emotions:

The work of the eyes is done. Go now and do the heart-work on the images imprisoned within you.

Rilke, like Ralph Waldo Emerson, places the way of learning to discern, which is the object of criticism, inside the heart of an individual. For that reason, he sees little need for listening to what others have to say until one knows oneself.

College Algebra, Chapter 2, 2.1, Section 2.1, Problem 44

Find the area of the triangle shown in the figure.




$A(-2,1)$
$B(4,1)$
$C(7,4)$

By using distance formula,

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
d_{AB} &= \sqrt{(1-1)^2 + (4-(-2))^2}\\
\\
d_{AB} &= \sqrt{0^2 + (6)^2}\\
\\
d_{AB} &= \sqrt{0+36}\\
\\
d_{AB} &= 6 \text{ units}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

Then,

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
d_{AC} &= \sqrt{(4-1)^2 + (7-(-2))^2}\\
\\
d_{AC} &= \sqrt{3^2 + (9)^2}\\
\\
d_{AC} &= \sqrt{9+81}\\
\\
d_{AC} &= \sqrt{90} \text{ units}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Lastly,

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
d_{BC} &= \sqrt{(4-1)^2 + (7-4)^2}\\
\\
d_{BC} &= \sqrt{3^2 + 3^2}\\
\\
d_{BC} &= \sqrt{9+9}\\
\\
d_{BC} &= \sqrt{18} \text{ units}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Now, we can get the area of those triangle by using the Heron's Formula given the length of three sides. Recall that,
$A \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}$ where $\displaystyle s = \frac{a+b+c}{2}$
$\displaystyle s = \frac{d_{AB}+d_{AC}+d_{BC}}{2} = \frac{6+\sqrt{90}+\sqrt{18}}{2} = \frac{6+3\sqrt{10}+3\sqrt{2}}{2}$
$\displaystyle =\frac{3}{2} (2 + \sqrt{10}+ \sqrt{2})$ units
Now substitute $s, d_{AB}$ as $a$, $d_{AC}$ as $b$, and $d_{BC}$ as $c$ to the equation of $A$ an we get.
$ A = 9 $ square units

http://web.williams.edu/Psychology/Faculty/Kassin/files/White%20Paper%20-%20LHB%20(2010).pdf Please write a summary of the article " Police-Induced Confessions: Risk Factors and Recommendations" from the link on top.

This white paper examines how interrogation tactics, influential factors, and the phenomenology of innocence lead to false confessions. It concludes with strong recommendations for reforming the interrogative process.
In recent years, post-conviction DNA tests and subsequent exonerations have established that faulty forensic science, flawed eyewitness/ informant testimonies, and false confessions have led to wrongful convictions. Adding to the problem is the fact that the actual rate of false confessions cannot be determined, as neither governmental nor private organizations keep track of such data.
In the paper, the authors examine past and present interrogation techniques in America. They describe "third degree" practices, used from the 19th century to the 1930s, where police employed physical and psychological tortures to coerce confessions from suspects. Today, interrogators use the "Reid technique," where the suspect is isolated in a small space and subjected to a nine-step interrogatory process. The psychological stress induced by isolation and a prolonged interrogation process are situational factors that often contribute to higher rates of false confessions
In recent years, the American legal system instituted the Miranda Rights process to decrease the rate of false confessions. However, the process is not without its flaws. For example, vulnerable suspect populations such as adolescents and persons with disabilities often misjudge their accessibility to legal counsel and misunderstand the implications of waiving their rights. 
The authors next explore how courts handle confessions. Judicial efforts to curb wrongful convictions have resulted in the institution of two sets of legal rules: corroboration rules (where death or injury must be proven) and the voluntariness rules (where involuntary confessions obtained through torture must be rejected). The corroboration rule was eventually replaced by the trustworthiness rule, where only the confession (not the crime) needed to be corroborated. These rules are not without their flaws, as courts often used arbitrary means to decide whether a confession was voluntary or otherwise.
Interrogation tactics also contribute to high incidences of false confessions. For example, investigators sometimes use maximization techniques, where the futility of denial is stressed, to pressure suspects into a confession. Others use minimization tactics, where they normalize the crime and promise leniency in sentencing. Still others use the "false evidence" ploy, a deception to induce confessions.
In contrast to the United States, confession evidence and interrogations are strictly regulated in England and Wales under the PACE Act of 1984. There, vulnerable suspects such as juveniles and mentally-disabled adults are protected by the "fitness to be interviewed" provision in the 2003 Codes of Practice.
The authors document three types of false confessions: voluntary, coerced-compliant, and coerced-internalized. Voluntary confessors act of their own free will, compliant confessors act according to what they perceive are the expectations of interrogators, and internalized confessors (susceptible to pressure) fabricate false memories of their guilt. Still others who believe in the strength of their innocence to acquit them are led to make false confessions. The authors call this the "phenomenology of innocence."
False confessions can have unintended and dangerous consequences in the courtroom. They may taint the judgment and assessments of juries, judges, eyewitnesses, and forensic experts. The difficulties are compounded by the fact that it is almost impossible to determine the validity or truth of a confession.
Thus, to decrease the incidences of false confessions, the authors recommend recording all interrogations, changing the American interrogative process from an adversarial, confrontational one to an investigative one, imposing time limits on interrogations, re-examining the "false evidence" ploy, recalibrating minimization tactics, and instituting measures to protect vulnerable suspect populations.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What happened after the Articles of Confederation failed?

When it was clear that the weaknesses that existed in the plan of government created by the Articles of Confederation were harming the progress of the United States, a convention was held to develop a new plan of government. This convention was referred to as the Constitutional Convention.
The writers of the new Constitution wanted to make the federal government stronger. For example, with the Articles of Confederation, the federal government couldn’t levy taxes. This made it hard for the federal government to pay its debts. This changed with the new government created by the Constitution. The new government could now levy taxes. Additionally, a judicial branch of government was created by the Constitution. Prior to this time, there was no court system. States had no place to go in order to resolve their disputes that they may have had with other states. Finally, the federal government could require people to join the military with the Constitution. This was not possible with the Articles of Confederation. During the time when the Articles of Confederation existed, the United States had trouble dealing with aggressive action toward the United States by Spain and Britain, partially because the United States government couldn't require people to join the military.
The Constitution was developed to resolve some of the weaknesses that existed in the plan of government created by the Articles of Confederation.
https://junior.scholastic.com/pages/content-hubs/us-constitution.html

https://www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/constitution

In "The Cranes" by Peter Meinke, why do you think the man kills the woman? What clues are embedded in the story? How does this indirect kind of telling affect the reader? Did the ending of the story surprise you? If so why, and if not why not?

It is clear in the descriptions from the outset that the couple are out to commit some kind of unnatural act. The fact that there is "a shower curtain on the front seat" that "cracked and hissed" is a hint. We gradually discover their intent as we continue reading. There are little nuances about their plan, which is exposed by what they say not only about themselves but also about the cranes. The language is quite suggestive and one discovers in the end exactly what it was that they had been planning.
In the end we know that they were at the lake for a final goodbye. It is evident that this place is a favorite since the man mentions that he has been "coming here for years." At this specific time they came there to commit suicide. One can surmise that after he had shot his wife, the man would also take his own life.
It is ironic that the couple should wallow in the beauty they witness during their final moments. It is as if their final act is a deliberate and celebratory farewell to all the beauty they are about to leave behind. The actions of the cranes and the remarks the couple make about them seem to be symbolic of their own lives. It is quite apparent that they love and have loved each other deeply and shared the same kind of lifelong commitment they mention the cranes have for each other.
The woman's question about the man feeling alright and blaming herself for what they are about to do, followed by his response about not being able to do much, epitomizes the care they have for one another. It is evident that they both feel that their time has come since he believes that he has become useless and too old:

''No way. I can't smoke, can't drink martinis, no coffee, no candy. I not only can't leap buildings in a single bound, I can hardly get up the goddamn stairs.''
''How old am I anyway, 130?''

She thinks that she has become too much of a burden after an apparent accident, which probably disabled her in some way.

''It's me. Ever since the accident it's been one thing after another. I'm just a lot of trouble to everybody.''

Added to this, their children seem to have forgotten about them. The man's observation of the cranes epitomizes this fact:

"They're probably older than we are! Their feathers are falling out and their kids never write.''

Using the couple's dialogue to tell the story adds a greater element of drama and involves the reader directly. It is as if one is listening in on a very private conversation. It also enables the writer to include subtle hints and suggestions, through the couple's intimate dialogue, about what is to happen. 
The ending does not come as much of a surprise since the writer has subtly suggested what the couple are there for. His references, for example, to the shower curtain and the way that the man "picked up an object wrapped in a plaid towel" (a gun), as well as the woman's question of whether he had remembered to bring something for his ears (protection against the sound of a gun blast), are all indicators of what is to ensue. Further affirmation is found in the author's use of phrases such as "dull and somehow sinister" and "metallic isolation."

When are we going to return to the Moon?

This question is a bit unclear, because it doesn't specify if returning to the Moon means a manned mission to the Moon's surface, a manned Moon orbital mission, or an unmanned mission to the Moon.  
If the question is asking about a manned mission to the lunar surface, then there is no definitive date.  The only countries that currently have a public declaration of a possible manned mission to the lunar surface are China and Russia.  Those are "tentative proposals," and the stated date is sometime in the 2030's.  
China has some definite plans to return to the Moon, but those missions are unmanned missions.  Chang'e 4 is scheduled to launch in 2018 and land on the far side of the Moon. Chang'e 5 was scheduled to launch in late 2017, but it is now slotted for a 2019 departure.  It will land on the Moon, collect samples, and return to Earth. This will be the first lunar sample return mission since 1976.
Currently, NASA is trying get humans on Mars.  While NASA has no current plans to land humans on the moon, NASA is looking at a lunar orbit as a possible staging ground for future Mars missions.  According to Space.com, "a group of astronauts may spend a year in orbit around the moon in the late 2020's as part of NASA's plan to send humans to Mars in the 2030's."
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/cnsa_moon_future.html

https://www.iflscience.com/space/heres-a-list-of-every-upcoming-space-mission-for-the-next-twenty-years-and-some-of-them-are-unbelievably-awesome/all/

https://www.space.com/36781-nasa-yearlong-crew-moon-mission-ahead-of-mars.html

How does Hale's speech express a message from the playwright?

The speech you are referring to occurs in act 4 once Hale's character has evolved to the point that he regrets his involvement in the witch hysteria that has stricken Salem. His speech reads as follows:

HALE: (To Elizabeth.) Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed upon it. Beware, Goody Proctor—cleave to no faith when faith brings blood. It is mistaken law that leads you to sacrifice. Life, woman, life is God‘s most precious gift; no principle however glorious may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman—prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie. Quail not before God‘s judgment in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride. Will you plead with him? I cannot think he will listen to another.

Hale explains to Elizabeth Proctor that he was wrong in his original intent. He has seen the trauma and suffering caused by the witch hunt, and he feels that he must help to put an end to it. He warns her against devoting herself to a faith that requires the believers to cause suffering to others. He does not think faith should result in bloodletting. Hale says that a true religion would not ask a believer to take the life of another. He urges Elizabeth to convince her husband John to confess (even though he'd be lying) to being a witch to save his life. John does not do so, thinking he cannot live with the sin of lying on his soul, and so he is put to death.
It is well-known that Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during the McCarthy era in the 1950s to draw parallels between that era and the Salem witch trials. Here, the voice of the playwright can be heard warning the audience not to misplace their faith, out of fear, in a vengeful "witch hunt" that destroys lives and reputations. Like religion in the play, the government should not be trusted blindly; we should question its motives if it leads to citizens turning on one another, reveling in one another's suffering, or seeking to ruin or take away lives.

Compare and contrast "Alone" and "Spirits of the Dead" by Edgar Allan Poe.

Both of these poems are about the experience of feeling alone, solitary. But the first, "Alone," seems to focus upon the speaker's formative process, and the uniqueness of it—the fact it is different from that of other people. "Spirits of the Dead," on the other hand, is concerned more with the universal experience of those who are facing death, and their feeling of being cut off from the emotions that animate people who are either not at the end of life or not contemplating the end.
In reading Poe's "The Poetic Principle" I find him leaning towards valuing verse more for its sensory qualities—as a kind of music, in fact—than for its meaning. He defines the concept of truth as somehow opposed to the poetic:

In enforcing a truth, we need severity rather than efflorescence of language. We must be simple, precise, terse. We must be cool, calm, unimpassioned. In a word, we must be in that mood which, as nearly as possible, is the exact converse of the poetical.

Later in the essay he adds that,

To recapitulate, then:—I would define, in brief, the Poetry of words as The Rhythmical Creation of Beauty. Its sole arbiter is Taste. With the Intellect or with the Conscience, it has only collateral relations. Unless incidentally, it has no concern whatever either with Duty or with Truth.

I include these quotes from Poe's aesthetic writings because I believe the two poems selected for comparison both illustrate this primacy of sound and rhythmical beauty over actual "truth." The general impression of "Alone" is one dominated by the flowing, languid quality of the words, and the actual meaning of why the speaker feels this way is somehow in the background, less important than the hypnotic wording, a kind of melancholy melody that continues to haunt us after we have read the poem. In "Spirits of the Dead," the meaning of the poem, to me, seems more concrete, though still showing the centrality of a musical feature in Poe's verse. In the contemplation of death the speaker is alluding, much like Hamlet, to the mystery of what follows death. Of the "breath of God" he says,

How it hangs upon the trees,
A mystery of mysteries!

But beyond the level of not knowing, the speaker also views death in the most negative terms. Of the stars he says:

But their red orbs, without beam,
To thy weariness shall seem
As a burning and a fever
Which would cling to thee for ever.

Despite the differences in theme—the one poem dealing with the formative elements of the speaker's character, and the other dealing with his end-of-life thoughts, what links these poems, as well as their preeminently musical quality, is a pessimistic feeling, one of sorrow or negation. "Alone" abruptly ends with the description of a cloud as "a demon in my view—". That it ends with a dash leaves a feeling of a life truncated, much as Poe's own life actually was.

Both poems contain a somber tone and include supernatural elements. Edgar Allan Poe’s tragic backstory is woven into his poetry, and these two poems utilize a dark tone to express his complicated feelings about life. Poe uses these poems to wrestle with the pain he has experienced, whether it’s grieving over his dead wife or reminiscing about his youth. Also, each poem contains a reference to the supernatural, such as heaven, demons, and spirits. This was common during the Gothic literature period, which influenced Poe’s melancholic writing style.
“Spirits of the Dead” addresses the death of Poe’s wife, while “Alone” is centered on Poe’s past. In terms of structure, “Alone” is a lyric poem with eleven rhyming couplets, while “Spirits of the Dead” is free verse with different rhyming patterns.
https://poets.org/poem/spirits-dead

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/alone-5/

What emotions do the images starting in line 19 of "The Guitar" ("Hot southern sands") convey to the reader? What theme or message is Lorca making in this poem?

Lorca's poem "The Guitar" is meant to imitate the sounds of a guitar and to use that sound and the image of a guitar to evoke the way in which life does not always fulfill one's hopes and yearnings. The poem presents a series of images that metaphorically represent the ways in which the guitar cries for what it cannot have but desperately wants. 
Lines 19-20 begin a series of images and metaphors about what the guitar cries for. These lines read, "Hot southern sands/ yearning for white camellias." This image is of a desert that yearns for lush flowers. Later lines present other objects yearning for what they cannot have, such as an arrow crying for a target, evening yearning for morning, and a bird that dies on the branch. The bird, a symbol of innocence, meets death instead of enjoying life. Then, Lorca compares a guitar to a heart that is hurt by "five swords," or the five fingers that play it. While the guitar wails for things it cannot have, it must suffer being wounded by five fingers. The emotions conveyed in these lines are suffering that arises from unrequited hopes, and the theme of the poem is that life is filled with this type of mournful longing. 

In "Salvage the Bones" by Jesmyn Ward, why is the tenth day titled as "In the Endless Eye"?

The eye of the storm is actually the calmest part of a hurricane storm. Most of the heavy and tempestuous winds are deflected from the eye of the hurricane by the Coriolis Effect. The Coriolis Effect basically describes the deflection of air as it moves from high to low pressure in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
So, the tenth chapter of the book refers to the peace before the storm (or before Hurricane Katrina makes landfall). Since the eye of the storm is the calmest part of the hurricane, this chapter describes the surreal, peaceful moments before the hurricane makes land. In the chapter, some of the houses have been boarded up, and the families have left; only some families, like the Batiste family, are staying put. In the woods, no animals can be seen. There is at once a deadly calm to everything as well as a sense that powerful forces will soon bear down on the family.
The "endless eye" possibly refers to the endless wait (under falsely calm conditions) for the hurricane's arrival. In this chapter, the conflict between Manny and Esch foreshadow the fierceness of the approaching storm. While the family makes preparations for the storm, they are, figuratively, in the "eye of the storm," where everything is supposedly calm. However, the calm center is flanked by the gusty winds and copious raindrops that will soon batter the land as the hurricane hits.
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/stages/cane/eye.rxml

What is the point of view of "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and who is the narrator?

The point of view in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," as in other Sherlock Holmes stories, is first person limited. Specifically, the narrator, Dr. John Watson, is a first person witness narrator: he is telling a story which he has personally witnessed, rather than one that has been told to him by someone else. However, he is not the protagonist telling his own story but rather a character close to the main character whose function is to observe that character at work and record the details of his cases.
The structure of Watson's narration relies upon the idea that he is writing these stories for publication in The Strand. As such, we could argue that Watson's perspective is not so much limited as it is unlikely to be completely accurate; he is editing his story for a specific audience. This story, also, is said to have happened "in the early days of my association with" Sherlock Holmes, so it does not have the immediacy it might have if the narrator was recounting recent events. In considering first person points of view, we should assess how far the narrator is reliable or unreliable and how much he is likely to understand about the events he describes. In Watson's case, he is a witness to the story, but the distance of time may have blurred the true facts. He is also, for a period in this story, retelling the words of someone else: Helen Stoner.
While the frame narrative of the story is narrated by John Watson, there is also a section within this story which is narrated by Helen Stoner, as she tells her own story. Interjections from Holmes and Watson keep this narrative tethered to the frame narrative, told by Watson, but at these points, Watson becomes a narrator retelling somebody else's words.

Dr. John Watson, Sherlock Holmes's friend and assistant, narrates "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" in first person. This is the typical technique Conan Doyle adopts for the Holmes stories, although he does write a handful either in the third person or in Holmes's own voice. First person narration is generally well-suited to the mystery genre because (in contrast to, for example, third person omniscient) its perspective is necessarily limited; the narrator (usually) does not know any more than the reader does, which is handy for a genre that relies on delivering a surprise ending. This is also why Watson generally makes for a more compelling narrator than Holmes; Holmes's brilliance as a detective requires him to "know" the mystery's solution well before the ultimate reveal, which could obviously spoil the ending for readers. Watson, by contrast, is just as in the dark as Conan Doyle's readers, though he often adds to the story's suspense by observing and interpreting Holmes's behavior (e.g., "I had never seen my friend’s face so grim or his brow so dark as it was when we turned from the scene of this investigation").

In Cofer's "American History," what story details reflect the writer's background?

Judith Ortiz Cofer is from Puerto Rico and so is her protagonist, Elena. Some details in the story that reflect this common heritage revolve around music, language, food, and certain behaviors. First, the music played in El Building comes from Puerto Rico. The following passage demonstrates the writer's experience with how Puerto Ricans use music to help them cope with the struggles of life:

"El Building was like a monstrous jukebox, blasting out salsas from open windows as the residents . . . tried to drown out whatever they were currently enduring with loud music."

Next, the use of language can reflect an individual culture. For instance, slang terms can help to identify one person with a particular group. Elena's mother tells her that she is "Enamorada," which is a term used to identify a Puerto Rican girl who is "stupidly infatuated." An equivalent turn of phrase akin to "enamorada" for today's teens might be that Elena is "crushing" on Eugene. Since the writer understands the language and slang used in the Puerto Rican culture, such words or phrases are used in her story about a girl not unlike herself.
Third, Cofer must know what it is like to go to a high school where African-American girls joke about a person's background. They tease Elena about eating rice, beans and pork chops. Specifically, the mean girls yell at Elena, "Pork chop, pork chop, did you eat your pork chop?" Cofer also mentions specifically how jealous Elena is that the African-American girls can skip rope better than she can. These deep feelings of inferiority seem to connect Cofer to her protagonist in specific ways only known to one who could have experienced the same.
Finally, when Elena walks home after hearing that President Kennedy was assassinated, Cofer explains how Puerto Ricans show respect for the dead in El Building. First, there is no music spilling out of the building; next, the unemployed men aren't out front complaining about life; then, Elena's mother asks her to go to church with her that evening to show respect for the fallen president. This behavior of the Puerto Rican people show respect for the president they loved. Through Elena, Cofer demonstrates the intricacies of life as a Puerto Rican immigrant in the 1960s. 

What is the significance of homosociality in "The Beach of Falesa"? How does it contribute or conflict with the portrayal of imperial activity?

In sociology, a homosocial relationship is one between two people of the same sex which is not of a sexual or romantic nature. Most people these days are familiar with the word "bromance," which means much the same thing. The homosocial relationship at the heart of "The Beach of Falesá" is that between Wiltshire and Case. I would like to suggest that it is directly related to the imperialist theme that Robert Louis Stevenson wishes to convey in the story.
It is interesting to note that Stevenson conceived "The Beach of Falesá" as an example of literary realism. He sought to portray life in the South Sea islands with complete fidelity to the reality of everyday life, warts and all. Among other things, this meant showing, without prejudice, the effects of British colonial rule upon the indigenous population.
The relationship between Wiltshire and Case is arguably one that could not have happened had they remained in England. Their personalities are different, for one thing. Yet, their destinies collide in the setting of a remote tropical outpost of the British Empire, the South Sea island of Falesá. The empire has brought them together. Their homosociality is a product of colonialism and their respective roles in it. Despite their differences in personality and temperament, the two men are brought together by shared ties of race and culture. Naturally, they gravitate toward each other.
Wiltshire and Case are traders. As such, they have come to Falesá to exploit the opportunities presented to them by colonial commerce. As well as race and culture, then, they are drawn together by economic necessity. Though they are rivals competing for the same business, they do at least have a mutual understanding.
Despite the ostensible bond between them, the homosocial relationship between Wiltshire and Case is fraught from the outset. As their relationship emerged out of a social context of fraud, exploitation, and cutthroat competition, it is not surprising that their connection develops along similar lines. The fateful acquaintance of the two men is a microcosm of what is happening in the world around them.
For all of Case's superficial bonhomie and good will, he is too experienced at the game of colonialism not to spot an opportunity for domination and control when he sees one. Case starts to treat Wiltshire the same way he treats every native he has ever come across: a sucker to be cheated and exploited. He is also a master at using superstition to his advantage, a practice to which even white colonialists like Wiltshire are not immune.
When Wiltshire realizes he has been had, his relationship with Case is effectively over. The bonds between them have been irreversibly severed. Additionally, Wiltshire's love for Uma has given him a new perspective on life, one no longer dominated by colonial preconceptions and prejudices. His connection to Case was purely skin deep, based as it was on superficial similarities of race, gender, and occupation. In throwing off the shackles of homosociality, Wiltshire has embraced his humanity and cast off his accretions, which led to his being suckered into Case's cruel world of dark dishonesty.