With what emotions does the speaker first greet the raven?

Let’s set the scene of the famous Poe poem, “The Raven.”  The narrator is in his dark living room alone by a fire that is going out reading old and forgotten books. The flames of the fire cast ghostly shadows on the floor.  The narrator is nodding off to sleep when he hears a “gentle rapping” on his front door.  Because it is December and “bleak” outside, he can’t imagine who can be calling at...

Let’s set the scene of the famous Poe poem, “The Raven.”  The narrator is in his dark living room alone by a fire that is going out reading old and forgotten books. The flames of the fire cast ghostly shadows on the floor.  The narrator is nodding off to sleep when he hears a “gentle rapping” on his front door.  Because it is December and “bleak” outside, he can’t imagine who can be calling at this hour of the night and calmly passes it off as just a visitor and nothing more. 

As the narrator walks to the door, he starts getting a little scared.  His heart starts beating faster, and he keeps talking to himself trying to convince himself that it’s just a visitor, nothing more.  When he opens the door, no one is there, and now the narrator is really scared.  He whispers, “Lenore?” but there is nothing there.  Now his heart is really beating fast, and he is even more freaked out. He tries to calm his fear by taking a moment to settle down, and then hears the tapping again. He tries to pass off the tapping as just the wind, but when he opens up the shutter of the window, he sees the raven.  The raven walks into the room and then sits upon a bust of Pallas where it glares at him and repeats the word, “nevermore”.

The whole evening is surreal for the narrator, and because the setting is so creepy, the end result is that he is scared to death by the time he sees the raven. 

Why did Grandpa not answer Peterkin when he asked what came out of the war in the Battle Of Blenheim? What is the moral of the poem Battle Of...

Grandpa Kaspar did not answer the grandchild Peterkin in Robert Southey’s poem “The Battle of Blenheim”, when the grandchild asked what came out of the war because Kaspar was focusing more on what we would call today the “spin” about the war and this specific battle. He is emphasizing more “the great victory.”

Kaspar’s father’s abode was destroyed in the battle between the English and French. It was burned totally, to the ground. As a result, the father and mother and Kaspar (as a child) had to flee.

The poem is replete with the terrible consequences of war – its wastefulness and how this affects the people and the land. The irony is that war wreaks havoc on the victor and the vanquished alike. The victors, in their success do receive terrible consequences as well. The grandpa maybe is looking to shield Peterkin from this reality, since Peterkin is of a tender age. Maybe the grandpa wants to wait till the boy is more mature to reveal to him what war is really all about.

In addition, it is possible that Grandpa Kaspar doesn't really know what came out of the war. Maybe he feels nothing positive and constructive did come out of this war and that is also why he doesn’t provide an answer – or at least a suitable answer for Peterkin. Kaspar states concerning what came out of the war”

 "Why, that I cannot tell," said he,

"But 'twas a famous victory."

Again, he falls back on the aforementioned “spin” and belief prevalent in the community concerning the war that it indeed was a famous victory. That, in essence is his final answer.

The moral of the poem Battle of Blenheim is that there is no real rationale for destructive war among human beings and nations that should learn to get along. Grandpa Kaspar doesn’t even know what the English and French were actually fighting about. He says:

 “But what they fought each other for

I could not well make out;”

This is the moral of this brief story poem by poet Southey. It is a sad treatise on war this final thought in the poem.

In "The Pedestrian," what crime did Mr. Mead commit?

The “horrible” crime that Leonard Mead commits in “The Pedestrian” is that he is alone and walking down the street. When the one robot police car left in the city of three million stops Mr. Mead, they start questioning him about this unusual habit. The police car finds out that Mr. Mead use to be a writer, but since the society doesn’t read anymore, he is unemployed. They also ask him if he is married,...

The “horrible” crime that Leonard Mead commits in “The Pedestrian” is that he is alone and walking down the street. When the one robot police car left in the city of three million stops Mr. Mead, they start questioning him about this unusual habit. The police car finds out that Mr. Mead use to be a writer, but since the society doesn’t read anymore, he is unemployed. They also ask him if he is married, as if that would explain why he needed to take long walks, and he says, “no.” Finally, they discover that Mead walks every night and doesn’t even own a “viewing screen.”  All of this suspicious behavior adds up to Mr. Mead needing to be taken to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies for a mental “adjustment” that will make him “normal” in society.

In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, how does the squire appear to embody the code of chivalry?

In terms of chivalry, Chaucer definitely stacks the deck in the squire's favor in the prologue to Canterbury Tales. The first character introduced in the prologue is the knight, who is obviously a favorite of the narrator's. The knight is all about medieval chivalry. Then, in the first line about the squire, Chaucer says “With him [the knight] was his son.” Just the simple linkage to the knight lends a chivalric air to the...

In terms of chivalry, Chaucer definitely stacks the deck in the squire's favor in the prologue to Canterbury Tales. The first character introduced in the prologue is the knight, who is obviously a favorite of the narrator's. The knight is all about medieval chivalry. Then, in the first line about the squire, Chaucer says “With him [the knight] was his son.” Just the simple linkage to the knight lends a chivalric air to the squire. Chaucer reinforces the idea in the second line about the squire with “on his way to knighthood.” At this point, it would be a shock if the squire turned out to be anything other than chivalric.

The squire's behavior also exemplifies the characteristics of chivalry. After telling the reader that the squire had been on cavalry expeditions, Chaucer writes:

. . . he had borne himself well,

in the hope of winning his lady's favor.

One of the characteristics of chivalry is the attitude the male takes toward the woman he loves. It is nothing like a modern courtship. Instead, a knight (or in this case, a squire, who is often an aspiring knight) puts the object of his affection on a pedestal and then goes off on military adventures with the intention of proving himself worthy of her love. To do so he must comport himself with courage and honor. He must also be what we would call a “nice guy”--which Chaucer shows the squire to be in the second to last line:

He was courteous, humble, and serviceable.

Today, to be chivalric means to be polite and helpful to a woman—opening doors, lending overcoats, walking to the car in the rain and then driving back to the restaurant door to pick up your date (where she stands sheltered and dry). In Chaucer's time chivalry was something different—the male actually put his life on the line to prove himself worthy of a woman that he had probably not yet even courted.

Chivalry also governed other aspects of knightly behavior, stipulating, among other things, that knights must be fair in battle and devoted to God.

What is the nurse saying to Romeo Act II, scene iv, lines 157-163?

In this scene, the Nurse and Romeo meet for the first time. Mercutio is with Romeo, and he makes bawdy jokes at the Nurse's expense. She gets angry as Mercutio leaves and turns to Romeo to ask what Mercutio thinks he's doing. Romeo says that Mercutio just likes to hear himself talk and is spouting nonsense. As line 157 begins, the Nurse is still annoyed and, in fact, getting more steamed, and says angrily that...

In this scene, the Nurse and Romeo meet for the first time. Mercutio is with Romeo, and he makes bawdy jokes at the Nurse's expense. She gets angry as Mercutio leaves and turns to Romeo to ask what Mercutio thinks he's doing. Romeo says that Mercutio just likes to hear himself talk and is spouting nonsense. As line 157 begins, the Nurse is still annoyed and, in fact, getting more steamed, and says angrily that if Mercutio says anything to defame her character (An 'a speak anything against me") she will take him down a peg, even if he "were lustier than he is," by which she means stronger but with a pun on "lustier" as bawdier or more sexual. She goes on to say she will take on twenty "Jacks" (young men) like him if need be. In other words, she's stating she's not afraid of him. She elaborates and says that even if she can't take him on by herself, she'll find somebody who can ("if I cannot, I'll find those who shall.") She calls Mercutio a "scurvy knave," meaning he is not a gentleman (he's a "knave") and "scurvy" meaning he's diseased (diseased scum might be a good translation). She says she's not a flirt girl or prostitute (flirt-gill) he can talk to this way, then says she's not a "skain mate," which the Bevington edition of Shakespeare defines as a prostitute-gangster. Finally, she turns on Peter, her attendant, and scolds him for not defending her, saying, what, are you going to just stand there and let any low-class guy do whatever he wants to me? 

We can see from this passage that the Nurse has a temper and doesn't like to be insulted, even in "good fun."

What is the effect of not giving any names to the characters in the short story "War" by the author Luigi Pirandello?

Luigi Pirandello does not use names in the short story "War" so that the ideas and dialogue of the characters are at the forefront instead of the setting. In addition to leaving the characters unnamed, the author also keeps the setting limited to one place and makes that setting, a railway carriage, as bare as possible. The descriptions of the characters are equally sparse and drab and used mostly to differentiate between characters instead of...

Luigi Pirandello does not use names in the short story "War" so that the ideas and dialogue of the characters are at the forefront instead of the setting. In addition to leaving the characters unnamed, the author also keeps the setting limited to one place and makes that setting, a railway carriage, as bare as possible. The descriptions of the characters are equally sparse and drab and used mostly to differentiate between characters instead of to develop them.

The lack of color and detail given to the setting and the characters serves as a muted background to allow the ideas and philosophies presented in the dialogue to become the focal point of the short story instead of the individual characters. The themes in this story, including loss, potential loss and living with them, are made relevant to all and not limited to the sympathy one can feel towards a certain character.

What causes heart burn? |

Heartburn is caused by acid refluxing back into the esophagus. Heartburn is a result of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Gastroesophageal reflux disease affects the muscular ring that is found between the stomach and the esophagus. This muscular ring is called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Normally, the LES closes after food has been eaten. GERD occurs when this sphincter is weak or relaxes and opens when it shouldn’t.  As a result, contents from the stomach...

Heartburn is caused by acid refluxing back into the esophagus. Heartburn is a result of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  Gastroesophageal reflux disease affects the muscular ring that is found between the stomach and the esophagus. This muscular ring is called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Normally, the LES closes after food has been eaten. GERD occurs when this sphincter is weak or relaxes and opens when it shouldn’t.  As a result, contents from the stomach leak backwards from the stomach and up into the esophagus.  This may cause a burning sensation in a person’s chest that is commonly known as “heartburn”.

The LES may open when it should not because of the following reasons:

• consuming too much food


• obesity, constipation, or pregnancy causing pressure within the stomach to push on the LES


• consumption of certain foods such as foods that are high in fat, onions, coffee, citric acid, chocolate, or caffeinated beverages


• increased production of stomach acid as a result of stress or the lack of sleep


• taking certain medications


• smoking, which relaxes the LES and increases stomach acid production

What does Marjane's father do about Mehri's relationship with the neighbor Hossein?

In Persepolis, Marjane's father tells the neighbor boy, Hossein, that Mehri, the girl he's been exchanging letters with, is not his daughter, but the maid. As a result of her true identity being exposed, Hossein rejects Mehri completely and gives Marjane's father the letters back.

This incident is an example of one of the major motifs that runs throughout the first half of Persepolis: the treatment of the lower classes in Iran. When Marjane's...

In Persepolis, Marjane's father tells the neighbor boy, Hossein, that Mehri, the girl he's been exchanging letters with, is not his daughter, but the maid. As a result of her true identity being exposed, Hossein rejects Mehri completely and gives Marjane's father the letters back.

This incident is an example of one of the major motifs that runs throughout the first half of Persepolis: the treatment of the lower classes in Iran. When Marjane's father returns to the house and hands Marjane the letters, which she has, in fact, been writing for the Mehri, who "like most peasants, she didn't know how to read and write," he explains to her why the love between the two never would have worked out. He simply explains to Marjane that in pre-revolution Iran "you must stay within your own social class."

As a result of this revelation to Marjane, she decides that she wants to do more than just support the revolution from her home. She wants to take to the streets to demand the removal of the Shah, who she sees as the reason Mehri can't marry Hossein.

The rise of the lower classes in Iran is one of the major events that happens after the revolution. This is exemplified in the chapter "The Passport" when Marjane's Uncle Taher suffers a heart attack and needs to leave the country for surgery. The person in charge of the passport is the her uncle and aunt's former window washer who decides to leave the uncle's health to God's will, not surgery in another country.

Is the novel, a work of prose fiction, generally characterized as set in a stylized or idealized rural world?

The ancient novel is closely related to the pastoral. At least certain ancient novels, most notably Longus' Daphnis and Chloe, are set in an idealized rural world and are quite stylized. The modern novel, though, is only rarely set in the pastoral world of idealized shepherds and shepherdesses, but instead can have a wide range of settings. Some authors, such as Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy focused on village life, while others, such as...

The ancient novel is closely related to the pastoral. At least certain ancient novels, most notably Longus' Daphnis and Chloe, are set in an idealized rural world and are quite stylized. The modern novel, though, is only rarely set in the pastoral world of idealized shepherds and shepherdesses, but instead can have a wide range of settings. Some authors, such as Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy focused on village life, while others, such as Dickens and Joyce were more concerned with urban life. 

A stylized countryside is an element of certain types of fantasy novels, often ones set in a distant past or an imagined world with little in the way of technology. This type of writing is sometimes called "sword and sorcery" fantasy writing. A certain type of mystery novel, sometimes called a "cozy mystery", exemplified by the work of Agatha Christie, also often has an idealized village setting. 

How did we get the color of our skin?

Skin color is primarily determined by our genes, but exposure to sunlight throughout our lifetime plays a part, too. Many of the cells in our body contain a pigment called melanin. Not only is this pigment responsible for giving the color of our skin, eyes, and hair, it also helps to protect against damage from the sun.

Ultraviolet rays can damage skin cells and even contribute to conditions like skin cancer. People whose ancestors have...

Skin color is primarily determined by our genes, but exposure to sunlight throughout our lifetime plays a part, too. Many of the cells in our body contain a pigment called melanin. Not only is this pigment responsible for giving the color of our skin, eyes, and hair, it also helps to protect against damage from the sun.

Ultraviolet rays can damage skin cells and even contribute to conditions like skin cancer. People whose ancestors have historically lived in a place with lots of sun exposure typically have more melanin present, and therefore darker skin, hair, and eyes. Similarly, people whose ancestors come from a part of the world where sun exposure is limited (like the poles) typically have less melanin and more fair complexions. 

Unless someone is born with albinism, where the body has no melanin, even the fairest-skinned person has a little bit of  melanin in their cells. The more we expose our skin to sunlight, the more melanin is produced. This is the body's way of protecting against sun damage. Some people find that their "tan" will fade after decreasing exposure to the sun, but long periods of prolonged or frequent sun exposure can result in a long-term increase in pigmentation of the skin.

What are the main points of Emile Durkheim's analysis of religion in Elementary Forms of Religion Life?

Emile Durkheim's theory of religion posits that religion is a concrete personified symbol of the society (or social group) itself. According to this theory, the godhead, deities, spirits, or other objects of worship represent the powers and characteristics of the social group.

Take the issue of immortality, for example. An individual human being is mortal and will experience death. However, a social group is potentially immortal. As individuals within the group continue to procreate, the...

Emile Durkheim's theory of religion posits that religion is a concrete personified symbol of the society (or social group) itself. According to this theory, the godhead, deities, spirits, or other objects of worship represent the powers and characteristics of the social group.

Take the issue of immortality, for example. An individual human being is mortal and will experience death. However, a social group is potentially immortal. As individuals within the group continue to procreate, the group itself continues without end. Durkheim supposed that the immortality of deities served to concretely symbolize the social group's power of immortality. In symbolizing the power of the group to live forever, individuals are able to access that power in their own daily lives.

Another example of this theory in action is the idea of healing. An individual is not able to heal themselves from sickness, however the group may be able to heal the person through combined effort. The healing doctor (or medicine man), the care and attention of family members, etc.; all these social factors may come together to heal a person. The healing power of the social group is symbolized by the healing powers of deities and spirits in religion. For Durkheim, religion serves to symbolize the social group, a power that is indeed much larger and much more lasting than any single individual within that group. 

Provide two arguments that either supports line item veto or opposes it. Back up both arguments with data or specific examples.

The line-item veto is a power granted to some executives (most Governors in the US have it, for example) to veto not entire pieces of legislation, but specific pieces. This makes the veto, and hence the executive, much more powerful. I'll give you some arguments for an against, and you can decide which ones you find worth expanding on.

In the US, whether or not the line-item veto is Constitutional hinges upon how we read the Presentment Clause:

"Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States: If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it."

If we interpret "Bill" to mean the entire document presented to the President, then the line-item veto is obviously un-Constitutional. But if we interpret "Bill" to mean any proposed change in laws, then the line-item veto could be Constitutional, since each line-item is itself a change in laws. In 1998 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the former reading, banning the line-item veto. Before that point, Bill Clinton had exercised it over 80 times.

So, by law, a Constitutional Amendment (or a reversal by the Supreme Court) would be required to restore the line-item veto. But aside from the reading of the Constitution, there are also moral arguments we could make about whether or not the line-item veto should exist.

How powerful do we want the executive to be, compared to the legislature? The ability to veto entire bills already grants significant power to the executive, and the ability to veto only parts of bills would greatly expand that power. While the main uses of the line-item veto in practice involved removing minor additions to budget bills, there's nothing in principle from stopping an executive with the line-item veto from fundamentally changing the character of a piece of legislation by removing certain parts of it. For example, I've linked an example of some extensive rewrites that the Governor of Wyoming made to the state budget by heavy use of the line-item veto. I agree with most of the changes---but I'm not sure he should have had the authority to make them.

On the other hand, without the line-item veto, the legislature can add riders to bills that have nothing to do with the original intent of the bill, and then the executive is forced to either pass the riders or veto the entire bill. A number of very questionable pieces of legislation have been written into  budgets; a veto of the budget could trigger a government shutdown, just as the failure to vote on a budget triggered a shutdown in 2013.

For example, "indefinite detention" provisions were included in the 2014 defense budget, which President Obama would almost certainly have line-item vetoed if he could have. But he didn't want to veto the entire defense budget, so he signed it. (Interesting thought: He could actually have tried, citing the Fourth Amendment; basically he'd be saying "this rider is un-Constitutional, so I don't need the line-item veto; it should not be there." Then the Supreme Court would have to rule on whether the provision itself was Constitutional.)

One could also argue that the executive should have more power, because voters appear to be much more engaged in electing the President than they do in electing Congress, and therefore the President may be a better reflection of the true values and interests of the voting population. The fact that the President is elected by state instead of by district also means that the votes might be more representative (you can't gerrymander a state). On those grounds, giving more power to the executive (within reason; we're talking about a line-item veto, not a dictatorship) could actually be considered more democratic.

Who dies, and what happens at the burial at the end of the Death of a Salesman?

At the end of Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, the main character throughout the story, commits suicide in an automobile accident and dies. Willy commits this act to allow his family to cash in on his 20,000 dollar life insurance policy so that his son Biff can get the money he needs to start his own business. Willy hopes that many people will attend the funeral, and Biff will see that Willy was actually...

At the end of Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, the main character throughout the story, commits suicide in an automobile accident and dies. Willy commits this act to allow his family to cash in on his 20,000 dollar life insurance policy so that his son Biff can get the money he needs to start his own business. Willy hopes that many people will attend the funeral, and Biff will see that Willy was actually someone popular and worth while knowing, and that this will cause Biff to realize that Willy was an important and successful salesman despite the fact that Biff caught his father cheating on his mother during a flashback earlier in the story. Sadly, only close family and friends attend the funeral, and the story ends with the family and their neighbors, Bernard and Charlie, standing at Willy's grave. During this scene, Biff tells the family he plans to leave town, while Happy, Willy's other son, tells everyone he will stay in New York and pursue Willy's dream of making a successful living in sales. The narrative ends with Willy's wife Linda pleading and asking why Willy would do this. Ironically, she confesses to paying off their house in full, a house that is now empty, with the insurance money from Willy's death.

Hope this helps!

In To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Atticus wake Jem and Scout the night of the fire instead of letting them sleep through it?

Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbirdis quite an eventful one. First, it snows for the first time ever and the kids attempt to build a snowman. Then, that same night, Miss Maudie's house catches on fire across the street from the Finch's home. Atticus could have risked letting the kids sleep through the episode, but what if they would have woken up while he was out there trying to help Maudie? Scout could...

Chapter 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird is quite an eventful one. First, it snows for the first time ever and the kids attempt to build a snowman. Then, that same night, Miss Maudie's house catches on fire across the street from the Finch's home. Atticus could have risked letting the kids sleep through the episode, but what if they would have woken up while he was out there trying to help Maudie? Scout could have panicked and run out into the street looking for Atticus without Jem. If she couldn't find him, she could have gotten in the way of the fire truck and the neighbors trying to help. The worse case scenario is one of the children running around in a panic and getting too close to the fire and getting hurt. Fortunately, Atticus controlled the situation as follows:

"Now listen, both of you. Go down and stand in front of the Radley Place. Keep out of the way, do you hear? See which way the wind's blowing? . . . Do as I tell you. Run now. Take care of Scout, you hear? Don't let her out of your sight" (69).

With these instructions explicitly set forth from their father, the kids understood where to stand to stay out of the way of danger. (It's possible the wind had been blowing embers towards the Finch house.) Also, as Atticus went over to help Maudie, he would know exactly where to look for his kids to keep an eye on them. He wouldn't have to worry about where his kids were and if they were hurt or panicking. 

In The Giver, what bond did Jonas share with Gabriel?

Jonas and Gabriel both have the Capacity to See Beyond.

Gabriel is the newchild that Jonas’s father brings home.  In Jonas’s community, newchildren are usually raised by nurturers until the age of One.  They remain in an institutionalized setting until assigned to family units.  Jonas’s father is concerned about Gabriel, however.  The newchild is clearly special.  He brings him home for extra nurturing.

Lily is the one who notices, and points out, that Gabriel is...

Jonas and Gabriel both have the Capacity to See Beyond.

Gabriel is the newchild that Jonas’s father brings home.  In Jonas’s community, newchildren are usually raised by nurturers until the age of One.  They remain in an institutionalized setting until assigned to family units.  Jonas’s father is concerned about Gabriel, however.  The newchild is clearly special.  He brings him home for extra nurturing.

Lily is the one who notices, and points out, that Gabriel is different.  The same thing that makes him different also makes Jonas different.  They both have pale-colored eyes.

"Oh, look!" Lily squealed in delight. "Isn't he cute? Look how tiny he is! And he has funny eyes like yours, Jonas!" Jonas glared at her. He didn't like it that she had mentioned his eyes. (Ch. 3)

In Jonas’s community, everyone looks alike.  The pale eyes set Jonas apart, so he does not like her drawing attention to them.  However, the reference to the eyes foreshadows a deeper connection that Gabe and Jonas have.  Both of them are related genetically to The Giver.  Jonas and Gabe are actually real brothers.

Jonas feels a connection to the newchild right away.  He is unsettled by the deep look Gabe seems to have because of those pale eyes.  As Gabe continues to stay with them, he asks his father to put Gabe in his room.  His fretting often keeps others away, but Jonas does not mind it.

When Gabe is in Jonas’s room, Jonas accidentally transmits a memory to him.  Until this time, Jonas did not realize that he could transmit memories to others or that Gabe was special like him.  It draws the two of them even closer together. When Jonas asks his parents if they love him and they respond by laughing, Jonas confides in Gabe that “there could be love.”

Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing barefoot on a damp lawn. (Ch. 16)

Jonas loves Gabe like a brother, and he is horrified when he learns that Gabe is scheduled to be released.  Even Jonas’s father voted to release him, this toddler that had been living in his house like a son for so long.  Jonas decides that he needs to run, and run with Gabe.  He takes the baby and leaves, knowing he can never come back.  The escape is riskier with Gabe, but Jonas would never think of leaving him to his fate.

What was the significance of Maniac's actions before he went to sleep the first night he spent at the Beales'?

For a long time, Maniac Magee had not had a home of his own. His parents died when he was young, so he went to live with his aunt and uncle. Their house was full of turmoil because of their troubled marriage, so Maniac did not really feel at home there. For a year after that, he was on his own. Maniac longed for a place to call home.

When Mr. and Mrs. Beale invited...

For a long time, Maniac Magee had not had a home of his own. His parents died when he was young, so he went to live with his aunt and uncle. Their house was full of turmoil because of their troubled marriage, so Maniac did not really feel at home there. For a year after that, he was on his own. Maniac longed for a place to call home.

When Mr. and Mrs. Beale invited Maniac to come stay with them, he did something unusual before going to bed. He got out of bed, walked downstairs, and peeked his head outside the front door. Much to the confusion of Mr. and Mrs. Beale, Maniac "looked at the three cast-iron digits nailed to the door frame: seven two eight. He kept staring at them, smiling." Maniac's heart was filled with joy because "he finally had an address." He said good-night to Mr. and Mrs. Beale, who must have wondered about the peculiar behavior of their young houseguest. He went back upstairs, feeling satisfied.

What might the results of this lab mean in terms of the ability of microbes to live and thrive on other planets or moons that don't have oxygen in...

Although you did not specify the experiment, I assume you are working with growth of microorganisms in presence and/or absence of oxygen. In other words, you are investigating the microbial growth in aerobic (presence of oxygen) and anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions. You may have already noticed in your experiment that microbes grow in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. There are some microbes that can grow in either conditions (presence or absence of oxygen). This...

Although you did not specify the experiment, I assume you are working with growth of microorganisms in presence and/or absence of oxygen. In other words, you are investigating the microbial growth in aerobic (presence of oxygen) and anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions. You may have already noticed in your experiment that microbes grow in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. There are some microbes that can grow in either conditions (presence or absence of oxygen). This means that even without the oxygen, some microbes can grow. Thus, we can hypothesize that planets or moons without oxygen can have some microbial life. You may have also noticed that microbes grow at a faster pace in aerobic conditions as compared to anaerobic conditions. This is true because aerobic cellular respiration produces more energy per unit glucose as compared to anaerobic cellular respiration. 

It may also be of interest to know that microbes are probably the first life forms on Earth and the earliest microbes were most likely anaerobes. Thus, we can imagine anaerobic microbes living and thriving in planets and moons that do not have oxygen in their atmospheres. 

Hope this helps. 

Which kind of action is an execution of fiscal policy, as opposed to monetary policy?

In the United States, at least, the execution of fiscal, as opposed to monetary, policy is a political action.  Fiscal policy is carried out by the elected branches of government while monetary policy is carried out the Federal Reserve, which is not elected. Thus, fiscal policy is more overtly political than monetary policy, which appears to be executed on a more technocratic basis.

Fiscal policy has to do with taxation and government spending.  By contrast,...

In the United States, at least, the execution of fiscal, as opposed to monetary, policy is a political action.  Fiscal policy is carried out by the elected branches of government while monetary policy is carried out the Federal Reserve, which is not elected. Thus, fiscal policy is more overtly political than monetary policy, which appears to be executed on a more technocratic basis.

Fiscal policy has to do with taxation and government spending.  By contrast, monetary policy has to do with manipulating the money supply through such things as changing interest rates and conducting open market operations.  In the United States, taxation and government spending are carried out by elected officials.  Laws about taxes, or laws that increase or decrease the level of government spending, must be enacted by Congress and carried out by the executive branch (which is directed by the president).  This type of policy is under the direct control of elected officials.  By contrast, monetary policy is carried out by the Fed.  Elected officials can try to put pressure on the Fed to act in certain ways, but they have no actual authority to force the Fed to do anything.

Thus, we can say that the execution of fiscal policy is a political action while the execution of monetary policy is not.

How are the going concern assumption and the historical cost attribute related?

The going concern assumption is that a business is planned to continue existing for some span of time into the future, usually assumed to be at least 1 year. In order to be a going concern, a business must either be profitable or at least be running a loss small enough that current assets will suffice to keep the business solvent during that period. Most accounting systems require that all businesses must be going concerns to file normal accounting statements, and otherwise must file for bankruptcy.

The historical cost method means that whenever a business purchases an asset, they report the value of that asset in future accounting reports as the actual amount paid when the asset was bought. The alternative is current cost accounting, on which assets are "marked to market" and accounted at their current market value.

Since most assets depreciate, the historical cost can overestimate what those assets would be worth if they were sold today, though most accounting methods do include depreciation for this reason. The problem is that depreciation for accounting purposes may not be the actual rate of depreciation of that asset in the market.

Thus, a company that appears to be solvent under historical cost accounting could actually be insolvent if all of its assets were sold today. Historical cost accounting could make a business appear to be a going concern even though it should really be bankrupt.

The opposite is also possible, if the asset has appreciated; a business that appears insolvent at historical cost accounting could in reality be solvent. This is less of a problem, however, as the business could simply sell the asset at the higher market price and receive the capital gain in cash, thus proving their solvency.

How does Lyddie react when the bear enters the cabin?

Lyddie remains calm and helps her family get into the loft.

Lyddie lives with her mother and her three younger siblings: a brother and two sisters.  Their father left them alone on the farm to go west looking for work.  Since Lyddie’s mother had been mentally unstable from the time her youngest child was born, that made Lyddie the adult of the group.

One day, the door was not closed well enough and a bear walked into the cabin.  Lyddie immediately takes charge and does not panic.  She tells her mother and siblings not to yell because it might scare the bear.

"Just back up slow and quiet to the ladder and climb up to the loft. Charlie, you get Agnes, and Mama, you take Rachel." She heard her mother whimper. "Shhh," she continued, her voice absolutely even. "It's all right long as nobody gets upset. Just take it nice and gentle, ey? I'm watching him all the way, and I'll yank the ladder up after me." (Ch. 1)

Lyddie stares down the bear, and he acts as if under a charm.  The bear then starts looking around for food.  The butter churn and apple butter are unsatisfying, and the bear goes for the oatmeal.  Lyddie’s reaction is to hope he does not break anything.

 Lyddie held her breath, praying that he wouldn't break anything.  Charles and she would try to mend, but he was only ten and she thirteen.  They hadn't their father's skill or experience. /Don't break nothing, she begged silently. They couldn't afford to replace any of the household goods. (Ch. 1)

This is another example of how Lyddie keeps her head and focuses on the bigger picture.  She is more worried about the damage the bear does than she is afraid of it.

The bear eventually leaves because he drops the hot oatmeal on his head and runs off.  Lyddie, Charlie, and her sisters all think that the incident with the bear is very funny once the bear leaves.  Their mother gets upset though, and does not feel safe any longer.  She decides to go stay with Lyddie’s uncle.

Lyddie says that the bear is their undoing, because it broke up what was left of their family.  Their mother takes Agnes and Rachel, the two youngest, with her.  Lyddie and Charlie are on their own on the farm for awhile until their mother rents out the land and sends them both off to work.

Make a critical study of the symbolism in Robert Frost's poem "Desert Places."

Robert Frost's poem "Desert Places" is a deceptively simple short poem. In the first four-line stanza, the speaker passes by a snow-covered field. Though the snow covers the field, the speaker mentions that there are still "a few weeds and stubble" showing through the snow, suggesting the time of harvest in the fall when the field's crops were gathered. Life still exists, in a way, under the snow.

In the second stanza, the speaker says...

Robert Frost's poem "Desert Places" is a deceptively simple short poem. In the first four-line stanza, the speaker passes by a snow-covered field. Though the snow covers the field, the speaker mentions that there are still "a few weeds and stubble" showing through the snow, suggesting the time of harvest in the fall when the field's crops were gathered. Life still exists, in a way, under the snow.

In the second stanza, the speaker says the woods own the field as if to say that the woods - nature and wildness - have control over this man-constructed field. The animals are "smothered in their lairs"; the word "smothered" implies that they are dead, not simply hibernating. The speaker includes himself in this quiet, snow-covered scene. He says, the "loneliness includes me unawares."

In the third stanza, the loneliness and bleakness of the poem increases. The speaker states that the loneliness will grow before it lessens; the snow will fall deeper before it stops. And this snow will cover everything with its blankness, its lack of expression. Curiously, Frost uses the word "benighted" here to describe the snow. The word "benighted" is usually used to describe something covered in darkness or someone who is ignorant (in the dark intellectually). This suggests that the snow is wiping out all thought, making it a complete blank. 

In the final stanza, the speaker says that "They" - nature? the gods? mankind? - cannot frighten him "with their empty spaces/Between stars." This emptiness - the void of the universe and the huge stretches of nothing - don't scare the speaker. Instead, he finds these kinds of desert places like the snow-covered field and its emptiness more frightening. Again, Frost's choice of language here is important. He uses the word "desert" to describe these empty places. However, the snow-covered field is what we would typically think of as a desert, it is isolated, lifeless, and dreadful. For the speaker, these desert places on earth are more lonely than the black blankness of the universe. 

What was the author's purpose in writing "The Wife of his Youth"?

Charles Chesnutt wrote "The Wife of his Youth" to make a social statement. When he wrote this story, it was a difficult time for African-Americans. Slavery had been abolished and African-Americans were trying to integrate into mainstream society--a difficult task. Because many African-Americans were mixed race, the lighter complexioned people had more upward mobility because they looked closer to white people. 

In this story, the main character, Mr. Ryder, is fair-skinned and a respected member...

Charles Chesnutt wrote "The Wife of his Youth" to make a social statement. When he wrote this story, it was a difficult time for African-Americans. Slavery had been abolished and African-Americans were trying to integrate into mainstream society--a difficult task. Because many African-Americans were mixed race, the lighter complexioned people had more upward mobility because they looked closer to white people. 

In this story, the main character, Mr. Ryder, is fair-skinned and a respected member of the blue vein society. He, like the other members, believes that they should marry and socialize with light-skinned people in order to advance more easily in society. When Liza, his first wife, comes back into his life, Mr. Ryder is conflicted because she is very dark, uneducated, and representative of a lower class of African-Americans--the very class he is trying to escape. By accepting her at the end and acknowledging her as his wife, Mr. Ryder shows that while they may be anxious to move up in the world, they must not forget their past or their heritage. That is the purpose Chesnutt had in mind when writing this story--remembering one's past.

How has Ralph changed from the start of the novel to the end of the novel? (His attitude and perspective on life and the nature of humans in regard...

Ralph's perspective does change. At first, he is hopeful but in the end, that hope is lost. 

In the beginning, Ralph realizes that the conch can be used to establish order. He accepts the role of chief because he knows he has the determination and discipline to be a good leader. He makes every attempt to protect the boys. He and Simon are the two boys who put forth the most effort in building the...

Ralph's perspective does change. At first, he is hopeful but in the end, that hope is lost. 

In the beginning, Ralph realizes that the conch can be used to establish order. He accepts the role of chief because he knows he has the determination and discipline to be a good leader. He makes every attempt to protect the boys. He and Simon are the two boys who put forth the most effort in building the shelters. Ralph also stresses the importance of keeping the fire going because he knows the smoke is their best hope of being rescued. He challenges Jack when necessary and he scolds the boys when he thinks they are being lazy and/or neglecting the fire. Given all of this effort, Ralph clearly acts as though they can be rescued. His effort shows that he has hope for them. If he didn't think the boys could be good, in the ethical and moral senses, he would not go to such lengths to help create a good, moral, symbiotic community. 

Over the course of the novel, things deteriorate. Simon and Piggy are killed. Simon is the moral presence and Piggy represents logic and reason. When they are killed, Ralph feels that these values (morality and reason) are killed as well. By the end of the novel, Ralph is being hunted by Jack and the others. His hope for them, as moral and reasonable human beings, is gone or close to extinction. This is why, despite being rescued, he cries in anguish when the officer asks what happened to them. 

This passage at the end of the book is lengthy but it describes Ralph's final grim outlook: 

Ralph looked at him dumbly. For a moment he had a fleeting picture of the strange glamour that had once invested the beaches. But the island was scorched up like dead wood—Simon was dead—and Jack had. . . . The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. 

I want you to help me decide why I need to study Public Administration and what can I achieve if I choose to study it.

A good place to start would be looking at what sorts of careers people with degrees in Public Administration tend to go into.

Typically, these careers tend to be involved in government in some way, often starting out as internships but moving on to become consultants or civil servants. A few even run for political office. Some go on to private sector careers, but that's not the main path.

The typical terminal degree in Public Administration is a Master's of Public Administration or MPA. The quality of programs varies tremendously, so choose your school carefully. I've linked the US News rankings.

Public Administration differs from related fields like Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy in that Public Administration is much more focused on the practical implementation of policy. In Public Policy we ask, "What should we do?" In Public Administration, we ask, "How do we actually get that done?" Where an economist would be most interested in what sort of tax policy would optimize economic efficiency and a political scientist would be interested in which voters and interest groups would support that policy, someone in public administration would be asking what sort of political maneuvers it would take to actually get that tax plan passed in Congress.

In many ways, Public Administration is similar to Business Administration, and an MBA and an MPA will open similar doors, with the MBA more focused on the private sector and an MPA more focused on the public sector.

I think Public Administration is a good field to go into for people who are pragmatic idealists, or perhaps idealistic pragmatists. If you're a pure idealist, working in civil service may seem too mundane and inconsequential; if you are a pure cynic, you'll go into finance or business to make more money for yourself. But if you want to change the world, but you also understand that the world is complicated and change is hard, you may find that the best place for you to make a difference is working for the EPA or the SEC or the NSF---and that's where an MPA would serve you well.

What mood is suggested in the poem The Last Lesson by D.H. Lawrence?

Impatience is the tone most strongly conveyed in the poem The Last Lesson by D.H. Lawrence.

This poem is, quite simply, about a child who cannot wait to get out of school. The ambiguous "they" that is frequently referenced is the teacher of the class, or the education system. The speaker feels very suppressed by his/her schooling and lessons. 

The speaker uses overdramatic and hyperbolic diction in order to convey how desperate he/she is to...

Impatience is the tone most strongly conveyed in the poem The Last Lesson by D.H. Lawrence.

This poem is, quite simply, about a child who cannot wait to get out of school. The ambiguous "they" that is frequently referenced is the teacher of the class, or the education system. The speaker feels very suppressed by his/her schooling and lessons. 

The speaker uses overdramatic and hyperbolic diction in order to convey how desperate he/she is to finish the last day of school:

No more can I endure to bear the brunt
Of the books that lie out on the desks: a full three score
Of several insults of blotted pages and scrawl
Of slovenly work that they have offered me.

That diction makes us empathize with the child, who clearly is suffering to be in lessons and feels like he/she is "enduring" school. The words "insult" and "slovenly" help to convey the mood of intense dislike that the student has for schoolwork, where he/she feels repulsed by the work.

I am sick, and tired more than any thrall
Upon the woodstacks working weariedly.

In those lines, the pain of physically being in school is apparently worse than the exhaustion of chopping wood, and in that moment the reader realizes just how dramatic the speaker is. While school is obviously not more tiresome than physical labor, the student's hatred of lessons makes it feel that way.

The poem ends with the statement "I will sit and wait for the bell." That concludes the rant of the student, and emphasizes that even though the student possesses an intense dislike for the school and the work, there is no other option. School is a requirement, and no matter how bad it is and how tired the student gets, they will still have to sit and wait for the release bell.

How does the United States government fulfill a Socratic function in today's society? I need to discuss three areas. I was thinking I could write...

I think part of the reason you are struggling with this is that you need to unpack your question before you can answer it.

The main function that Socrates claims is that of a gadfly, one who tries to make people aware of their own ignorance and challenge lazy, conventional modes of thinking. He does this by having conversations with small groups of people, including those who claim to be experts, and showing that self-proclaimed...

I think part of the reason you are struggling with this is that you need to unpack your question before you can answer it.

The main function that Socrates claims is that of a gadfly, one who tries to make people aware of their own ignorance and challenge lazy, conventional modes of thinking. He does this by having conversations with small groups of people, including those who claim to be experts, and showing that self-proclaimed experts don't know what they claim to know.

This is a purely individual task, not something a government can do as a government. If we think that having people around who act in a Socratic fashion is valuable, we can use our power as voters to elect representatives who vote to fund such activities or we can donate money to support such activities. For example, we can support the National Endowment for the Humanities and various private foundations that provide grants to writers, scholars, and artists. We can support PBS and other forms of publicly-funded and crowd-funded journalism. 

As for democracy, Socrates opposed it, considering that it was a system that appointed people simply because they were popular (or because they were chosen by lot, as was the case for certain positions in Athens), but not because of expertise. Question time (Britain) or question periods (Canada) in which MPs can put questions to a Prime Minister are somewhat closer to Socratic questioning than the U.S. Presidential press conferences, but neither really resembles the form of extended dialogue with a single interlocutor that is essential to Socratic elenchus. 

The system of long adversarial speeches in the Supreme Court is something Socrates would not approve of, as one can see in his criticism of rhetoricians in Gorgias, Sophist, Apology, and Phaedrus. Cross-examination would be slightly better, but still, it isn't really a cooperative quest for truth.

As for helping other countries, this really has nothing to do with Socrates, who evinced no interest at all in "barbarians" (the Greek term for those who did not speak Greek).

A more productive area for you to discuss would be our educational system, as Socrates was very interested in educational reform, something discussed in many of Plato's dialogues. Socrates was also interested in how people should raise children and how the ideal state might function. Those would be three areas that you could discuss on the basis of dialogues by Plato and Xenophon in which Socrates appears as a major character. 

Please provide arguments and quotes explaining why Romeo was correct in killing Tybalt and why he shouldn't be punished. Also provide arguments...

It's difficult to make the case that any of the characters in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet deserve to die. The two who die first, Mercutio and Tybalt, may deserve it the most because of their aggressive attitudes about the feud. It is obviously a matter of interpretation as to whether Tybalt warrants killing by Romeo. Arguments can be made on both sides. 

Romeo should go unpunished because Tybalt is antagonistic and stubborn. When he enters...

It's difficult to make the case that any of the characters in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet deserve to die. The two who die first, Mercutio and Tybalt, may deserve it the most because of their aggressive attitudes about the feud. It is obviously a matter of interpretation as to whether Tybalt warrants killing by Romeo. Arguments can be made on both sides. 

Romeo should go unpunished because Tybalt is antagonistic and stubborn. When he enters Act I, Scene 1, he threatens to kill Benvolio for no good reason other than Benvolio's name. Benvolio is simply trying to keep the servants of the two families from fighting in the streets of Verona. Tybalt challenges Benvolio. He says,

What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.
Have at thee, coward!

Later at Lord Capulet's party he overhears Romeo and flies into a rage, fully intending on disrupting the party by fighting his perceived foe, even though Romeo is there with peaceful intent. In Act I, Scene 5, he says,

Fetch me my rapier, boy.
What, dares the slave
Come hither covered with an antic face
To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?
Now, by the stock and honor of my kin,
To strike him dead I hold it not a sin.

He feels it is his right to kill any Montague he comes across. After being dissuaded from fighting at the party by Lord Capulet he sends a letter to Romeo challenging him. 

In Act III, Scene 1, Tybalt is again the troublemaker as he comes upon Mercutio and Benvolio on the streets. His challenge is for Romeo but he is also willing to clash with Mercutio when the time is right. He says,

You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an
you will give me occasion.

When Romeo shows up, Tybalt is not satisfied when the son of Montague backs down. Romeo, unknown to anyone else in the scene, has just married Juliet and won't engage Tybalt. Tybalt, not satisfied, continues to press for a fight. He says,

Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw.

After Mercutio is killed, Tybalt initially runs away but, because of his belligerent nature, returns to the scene and is perfectly willing to fight Romeo, who feels it is his duty to avenge his friend. Tybalt says,

Thou wretched boy that didst consort him here
Shalt with him hence.

Tybalt could have acted differently. Unfortunately, his anger and love of fighting got the best of him. Romeo is within his rights to kill him and should not be punished.

An opposing argument could also be made:

Tybalt doesn't deserve to die because he never intended to kill Mercutio. The two are engaged in sword play when Romeo tries to stop them, causing Mercutio to be stabbed under Romeo's arm. He bears no ill will toward Mercutio and tries to avoid fighting Mercutio when Romeo shows up. He says, in Act III, Scene 1, 

Well, peace be with you, sir. Here comes my man.

As he is dying Mercutio confirms that it was Romeo's fault that Tybalt stabbed him. He says, 

Why the devil came you between us?

I was hurt under your arm.

Mercutio blames both Tybalt and Romeo for his death as he utters the famous lines cursing the Montagues and Capulets:

A plague o’ both your houses!

Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat, to scratch a man to death!

Finally, it may be said that although Tybalt is quarrelsome he also has redeeming qualities and is loved by the Capulet family. These feelings are expressed by the Nurse in Act III, Scene 2. She says,

O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had!
O courteous Tybalt, honest gentleman,
That ever I should live to see thee dead!

The banishment of Romeo is totally fair. In fact, he is getting off easy because the Prince had said in Act I that the death penalty would be levied for fighting in the street after the brawl which opens the play. Romeo didn't need to killed Tybalt and should be relieved at the Prince's verdict.

Who conquered the Aztecs in Guns, Germs, and Steel?

The conquest of the Aztecs is not discussed in great detail in Jared Diamond’s book, Guns, Germs, and Steel. The main focus is, instead, on the conquest of the Incas by Spaniards who were led by Francisco Pizarro. This is the subject of Chapter 3 in the book. We do, however, see brief mentions of the conquest of the Aztecs. The Spaniards who conquered the Aztecs were led by a man named Hernan Cortes.

...

The conquest of the Aztecs is not discussed in great detail in Jared Diamond’s book, Guns, Germs, and Steel. The main focus is, instead, on the conquest of the Incas by Spaniards who were led by Francisco Pizarro. This is the subject of Chapter 3 in the book. We do, however, see brief mentions of the conquest of the Aztecs. The Spaniards who conquered the Aztecs were led by a man named Hernan Cortes.

We see references to Cortes in various places in Chapter 3 of Guns, Germs, and Steel. For example, Diamond tells us on p. 80 that the Aztecs thought that Cortes was a god (because of their mythology) and “the result was that Cortes… went on to conquer Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire.” From this, we can see that the Aztec Empire was conquered by Spaniards who were led by Hernan Cortes (and who had a great deal of help from Indian allies who hated the Aztecs).

Why are the children having erotic playtime in Brave New World?

Children engage in erotic play because it teaches them to equate sex with meaningless fun.

Sex plays a very different role in the modern society than it does in ours.  To them, motherhood and birth are considered vulgar.  Sex is just another activity that people do as a diversion, and is intentionally separated from love.

Erotic play is encouraged among younger children to ensure that they do not ever associate sex with love.  In fact,...

Children engage in erotic play because it teaches them to equate sex with meaningless fun.

Sex plays a very different role in the modern society than it does in ours.  To them, motherhood and birth are considered vulgar.  Sex is just another activity that people do as a diversion, and is intentionally separated from love.

Erotic play is encouraged among younger children to ensure that they do not ever associate sex with love.  In fact, when young children do not engage in the sexual games they are considered abnormal.

"It's just that this little boy seems rather reluctant to join in the ordinary erotic play. I'd noticed it once or twice before. And now again today. He started yelling just now …" (Ch. 3)

If the children do not engage in this type of play, it is assumed that there is something wrong with them.  It is very important that everyone fit into their role in society, so they take this very seriously.

All individuals in this society are clones.  Most of them are infertile, except for a few who wear Malthusian belts with contraceptives.  The “freemartins” can have sex without consequence.  Either way, this prevents unwanted babies.

Men and women who have a lot of sex are respected in this society.  Consider the description of Helmholtz Watson.

This Escalator-Squash champion, this indefatigable lover (it was said that he had had six hundred and forty different girls in under four years), this admirable committee man and best mixer had realized quite suddenly that sport, women, communal activities were only, so far as he was concerned, second bests. (Ch. 4)

Just as children are considered abnormal when they don’t engage in sexual play, adult men and women are considered dysfunctional and weird if they do not take many casual lovers.  There is no such thing as monogamy, which they view as wrong. 

In a world where "mother" is one of the most vulgar words imaginable, sex is nothing more than a pastime.  People are dependent on mass-consumerism and idle entertainment in an endless pursuit of pleasure with no substance. This keeps the population in check, and ensures that overpopulation will never occur.  That's easy when everyone is a clone.

As the dim shape in the wallpaper becomes clearer, what does the narrator realize it is?

Day after day, the narrator watches the wallpaper, and she realizes that there is a figure, "like a woman, stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern."  At first, she hates the wallpaper and its horrible color, pattern, and smell.  She associates it with illness and decay and death.  As she becomes more and more unhappy in her attic prison, a place with bars on the windows, a bed nailed to the floor, and a...

Day after day, the narrator watches the wallpaper, and she realizes that there is a figure, "like a woman, stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern."  At first, she hates the wallpaper and its horrible color, pattern, and smell.  She associates it with illness and decay and death.  As she becomes more and more unhappy in her attic prison, a place with bars on the windows, a bed nailed to the floor, and a gate at the top of the stairs to prevent her from leaving, she realizes that the wallpaper has "bars" too, bars that trap the woman in the paper.  By day, this woman is "subdued, quiet," and it keeps the narrator "quiet by the hour." 

Shortly after she begins to see this woman, trapped in the paper, she realizes that "Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be" because she has something to occupy her mind, something to think about and reflect on.  She now begins to feel as though she is improving as a result of the wallpaper.  She claims to see the woman "creeping" behind the bars in the paper, just as she admits to "creeping" all over her own room, but only "by daylight" (when she's alone because her husband is away).  Finally, she realizes that the woman is shaking the bars on the wallpaper just as she, herself, begins to help her by tearing the paper down.  In the end, she realizes that she "[came] out of that wall-paper" -- she feels that she is successfully freed this woman from the wallpaper, and now she believes that she is actually the woman she freed. 

In the book, Frankenstein, what are some of things that the monster tries to do?

The monster tries very hard to reach out to humans in a friendly way over and over again.  He only seeks to gratify his immediate needs at first: to eat and drink and find shelter. And though he means them no harm, people run from him in fear: first an old shepherd, then a woman and children. The whole village came running when the children screamed, and "some attacked [him]" throwing stones and chasing him...

The monster tries very hard to reach out to humans in a friendly way over and over again.  He only seeks to gratify his immediate needs at first: to eat and drink and find shelter. And though he means them no harm, people run from him in fear: first an old shepherd, then a woman and children. The whole village came running when the children screamed, and "some attacked [him]" throwing stones and chasing him away.

When he finds a small hovel behind a hut in the woods, he watches and quickly learns to care for the poor family that lives there.  He learns a lot from the DeLaceys -- including how to speak and read -- and he tries to help them by gathering their firewood.  When he finally approaches the blind father, desperately hoping to make friends, the children see him and attack him just as he's been attacked before.  

After he has run away from this place, he sees a little girl fall into the stream in the woods and he actually saves her from drowning. Her father, misinterpreting his actions, shoots him with his gun. Then, upon reaching Geneva, he sees the young William Frankenstein and wants to "educate him as [his] companion and friend," but the boy hurls insults at him until the creature strangles him.

He tries to be helpful, to be good and loving, and when that fails, he tries to find someone who can at least tolerate him. To no avail.  Eventually he gives up on goodness and tries to make Victor feel as alone and miserable as he does.  

Give a critique of James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

For being such a slim novel, James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Manis open to a wide variety of interpretations. I think it's helpful to approach it from a broad perspective to start with, and so I'll answer this question by considering how we're meant to interpret Stephen as an artist by the end of book, since Stephen's maturation as an artist is the focus of the story. In my...

For being such a slim novel, James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is open to a wide variety of interpretations. I think it's helpful to approach it from a broad perspective to start with, and so I'll answer this question by considering how we're meant to interpret Stephen as an artist by the end of book, since Stephen's maturation as an artist is the focus of the story. In my view, Joyce wrote the novel not to present Stephen as an exemplary artist (as most people assume), but rather to give us a portrait of an overly ambitious youth who arrogantly assumes his artistic ability is greater than it is. 

This opinion might be surprising for many readers, as the book is about the growth of an artist. As such, the natural assumption would be that Joyce is showing us a radically talented young man who will "forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race" (253). Furthermore, if we look at the novel as an isolated entity, it seems as if Stephen is pretty successful: the book ends with him leaving home to pursue his art abroad, after all. 

However, once one reads Ulysses, it becomes increasingly difficult to see Stephen as a great artist. The novel starts with a disenchanted and penniless Stephen living back in Dublin. It becomes apparent that his attempts to become a great artist have failed, and so he's resigned himself to teach at a school in Dublin. Deeply in debt, Stephen is also beginning to develop something of an alcohol problem. With this fate in mind, it becomes increasingly difficult to read Portrait in a positive light. After reading Ulysses, Stephen's character in Portrait seems hopelessly arrogant, less of a genius artist and more of a self-important blowhard who's overly interesting in talking about himself and his supposedly great abilities. Within this context, Portrait becomes Joyce's critique of the idealism of youth, as he shows it to be misguided and out of touch with the harsh realities of the world. 

In Alice Munro's story, "Boys and Girls," what is learned from the first paragraph that clearly indicates the direction of the story?

In Munro's story, "Boys and Girls," the first paragraph focuses on the father's work as a fox farmer. The father skins and sells the pelts. They are given calendars of heroes and adventurers to hang in their kitchen. In this paragraph, the action of skinning foxes is emphasized. It is men's work. Thus, the gender roles are quickly set up at the start of the story. As the story progresses, the reader will see that...

In Munro's story, "Boys and Girls," the first paragraph focuses on the father's work as a fox farmer. The father skins and sells the pelts. They are given calendars of heroes and adventurers to hang in their kitchen. In this paragraph, the action of skinning foxes is emphasized. It is men's work. Thus, the gender roles are quickly set up at the start of the story. As the story progresses, the reader will see that the father works outside--with the foxes and horses--and the mother works inside--cooking and cleaning.

A central conflict in the story is the narrator, a young girl, who wants to be outside with the men and resists her traditional gender role as a female.The first paragraph of the story nicely sets up the contrast of how men and women act. The other thing the first paragraph does is give the symbol of a skinned fox, suggesting an outer layer (the way one looks) with an inner layer (the way one feels), both of which connect to the conflict the narrator is having with regards to her gender. 

In the novel Tears of a Tiger, why was Andy so focused on Robbie's life rather than his own life?

Robbie and Andy were best friends.  They had known each other since third grade, and they did everything together.  However, now Robbie is dead.  In a fatal car accident, he was trapped in the car and burned to death.  The friends could hear him screaming.  Andy had been driving the car and was responsible for his friend’s death.  Not only did Andy face the responsibility of Robbie’s death, but his life had been so intertwined...

Robbie and Andy were best friends.  They had known each other since third grade, and they did everything together.  However, now Robbie is dead.  In a fatal car accident, he was trapped in the car and burned to death.  The friends could hear him screaming.  Andy had been driving the car and was responsible for his friend’s death.  Not only did Andy face the responsibility of Robbie’s death, but his life had been so intertwined with Robbie’s that it was hard for Andy to face daily life.  They had both been on the basketball team, and when Robbie died, Andy got his position.  When he went to the mall with Keisha, the experiences he had with Robbie and Santa haunt him. When Robbie’s mother called at Christmas, it sent him into a depression thinking of other Christmases he had spent with Robbie’s family.  On the advice of the psychologist, Andy wrote a letter to Rob’s parents.  In it he detailed all the wonderful memories he had of Robbie.  Most of them were everyday events. 

“Spending the night at your house…….Going for ice cream after practice…..Playing basketball with a rolled up sock in Rob’s bedroom.... Finishing off two extra-large boxes of Frosted Flakes…..” (pg 104)

Everything he did reminded him of Rob.  He was unable to escape his memories of Rob because they did everything together and now there is a big hole in his life that he is unable to fill except with heartbreaking memories.

In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, if there was to be one poetic device in the soliloquy "To Be Or Not To Be", what would it be?

Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy overflows with metaphors that have made it one of the most famous soliloquies in English literature. Hamlet uses such rich imagery to describe his state of mind that his mental state sticks with us. He describes his (bad) fortune or luck as "slings and arrows," and he imagines "troubles" as an army he can oppose. We can visualize him being struck with the rocks propelled by a...

Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy overflows with metaphors that have made it one of the most famous soliloquies in English literature. Hamlet uses such rich imagery to describe his state of mind that his mental state sticks with us. He describes his (bad) fortune or luck as "slings and arrows," and he imagines "troubles" as an army he can oppose. We can visualize him being struck with the rocks propelled by a sling or pierced painfully by the arrows of bad luck. We can imagine him with a sword, fighting back against his troubles. He calls his body a "coil," and he imagines time as "whips" beating him. All these metaphors communicate how deeply wounded and battered he feels psychologically. 

He goes on to liken death to an "undiscovered country." He imagines his thoughts as "sicklied" and "pale," another metaphor that expresses his inner despair. He then likens his thoughts to a wild ocean that sweeps his desire for action and pushes it on the wrong currents, or currents "turned awry." These metaphors suggest he oscillates from a depressed to a manic state.

All of these metaphors of wounding, of illness, and of ocean currents make real Hamlet's inner turmoil, just as the metaphor of death as an undiscovered country becomes a place we can visualize. 

How does "The Minister's Black Veil" relate to the Salem Witch Trials?

One idea that links the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and "The Minister's Black Veil" is the notion that human beings fear the unknown.  During the Salem Witch Trials, fear and hysteria spread like wildfire because people were so afraid of what they didn't understand.  The people of the village became convinced that darkness had invaded their village, beginning with the Barbadian slave, Tituba, and they sought answers by trying to examine things that could...

One idea that links the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and "The Minister's Black Veil" is the notion that human beings fear the unknown.  During the Salem Witch Trials, fear and hysteria spread like wildfire because people were so afraid of what they didn't understand.  The people of the village became convinced that darkness had invaded their village, beginning with the Barbadian slave, Tituba, and they sought answers by trying to examine things that could not be seen.  They very much feared what they could not see.

This same fear of what is not immediately visible is examined in the "The Minister's Black Veil" as well.  Mr. Hooper begins to wear a veil that covers almost his entire face because he recognizes that he, like all human beings, possesses "secret sin," sin "which we hide from our nearest and dearest [...]."  To admit one's own sinful nature would be to expose oneself completely to the world, and this is too frightening a prospect for us to bear.  We fear what would happen if we revealed our true, sinful natures, and so we keep them hidden, thus isolating ourselves from our peers forever.  Further, when his parishioners first see him, their lack of understanding about why he wears the veil creates fear within them as well.  Simply because his face is no longer visible, they begin to doubt the man's motives and identity.  One old woman says, "'He has changed himself into something awful, only by hiding his face!'"  She cannot understand his action, and so she inherently fears it.  This fear of the unknown links the history of the Salem Witch Trials and "The Minister's Black Veil." 

Describe instances of symbolism in chapter 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Chapter 12 is rich with symbolism that represents the conflict of man vs society. First, Atticus is portrayed in a political cartoon wearing short pants, without shoes, and chained to a desk as young girls call out to him. These images suggest that he is a slave to his work--a slave who is also defending a descendent of slaves--and he is wasting his time preparing for the trial rather than enjoying life. Then, when the...

Chapter 12 is rich with symbolism that represents the conflict of man vs society. First, Atticus is portrayed in a political cartoon wearing short pants, without shoes, and chained to a desk as young girls call out to him. These images suggest that he is a slave to his work--a slave who is also defending a descendent of slaves--and he is wasting his time preparing for the trial rather than enjoying life. Then, when the children visit Calpurnia's church, the minor confrontation with Lula represents the quiet resistance to whites which is never publicly shown by the black community. The way Lula seems seven feet high, with her "left elbow in the curve of her hip, pointing at us with upturned palm," personifies and symbolizes an attitude of shock, confusion and disgust that is usually reserved for casual talk at home, and not in public. Between the political cartoon and Lula, the symbolism points out trouble in Maycomb county: trouble flowing out of the hearts, minds, homes and churches and into the courtroom where a man's life lays at the feet of a long-standing, multi-generational conflict between white and black in the South.

There are also hopeful symbols, such as the song that Zeebo guides the congregation through during singing time. The song references a "sweet forever" beyond a "shining river" (121). The sweet forever symbolizes heaven and the shining river is the pathway to it. In Christianity, water can also represent Christ who offers living water (spiritual strength). Then, Scout even says that the cemetery next to the church is happy, as follows:

"A few graves in the cemetery were marked with crumbling tombstones; newer ones were outlined with brightly colored glass and broken Coca-Cola bottles. Lightning rods guarding some graves denoted dead who rested uneasily; stumps of burned-out candles stood at the heads of infant graves. It was a happy cemetery" (118).

It is ironic that with the images in the above passage symbolizing death, poverty, and unrest that Scout would say it was a happy cemetery. On the other hand, there's so much going on in chapter 12 that one could pick out three corresponding images and apply their symbolism to the ongoing conflict of prejudice, discrimination and racism found throughout Maycomb county. However, the political cartoon and the church scene have the most images from which to draw many symbols for analytical conclusions.

Is zero unemployment feasible? |

Zero unemployment is not feasible. Unemployment, or employment, can be seen as an inverse, or countercyclical relationship, to demand of employees. That is, the supply of unemployed workers has an inverse relationship to the demand of employed workers. 

In economic theory, there is a point at which supply and demand reach an equilibrium.  This point is above zero. That is, there is a point at which all unemployed workers in the market meet the current...

Zero unemployment is not feasible. Unemployment, or employment, can be seen as an inverse, or countercyclical relationship, to demand of employees. That is, the supply of unemployed workers has an inverse relationship to the demand of employed workers. 

In economic theory, there is a point at which supply and demand reach an equilibrium.  This point is above zero. That is, there is a point at which all unemployed workers in the market meet the current demand for employees in the market. Nevertheless, this would not create zero unemployment.

In order for zero unemployment to exist, all employable workers must meet all of the skills and all of the demands of the open positions in the market. Likewise, all of the open positions must meet the skills and salary requirements of all employable workers (or those seeking employment). To create such a balance in the market would be nearly impossible. Some level of unemployment must exist in order to ensure that available employed workers are able to fulfill open positions. By doing so, organizations will be able to monitor productivity and adjust productivity accordingly.

What is the central conflict of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho?

The central conflict for a story revolves around the main protagonist achieving a specific goal. The plot rises as the main character encounters obstacles that get in the way of him or her solving the problem, finishing a quest, or achieving said goal. The main character in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is Santiago, a young shepherd who must find his treasure and fulfill his Personal Legend. With these goals in mind, many obstacles arise to meet him as...

The central conflict for a story revolves around the main protagonist achieving a specific goal. The plot rises as the main character encounters obstacles that get in the way of him or her solving the problem, finishing a quest, or achieving said goal. The main character in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is Santiago, a young shepherd who must find his treasure and fulfill his Personal Legend. With these goals in mind, many obstacles arise to meet him as he journeys to Egypt where his treasure supposedly lies. Santiago first goes to a gypsy to help him interpret the dream that told him about the treasure and he discovers the central conflict through her as follows:

"You came so that you could learn about your dreams. . . And dreams are the language of God. When he speaks in our language, I can interpret what he has said. But if he speaks in the language of the soul, it is only you who can understand" (12-13).

After he tells the gypsy of his dream, she determines that it actually is in the language of the soul; this then sets the conflict within Santiago himself. Thus, the central conflict is man vs. self. Santiago must overcome his doubts and fears while also learning about the Soul of the World. He must decipher omens in order to interpret the next move to make on his journey. And all the while, he must not stop, turn back, or give up on finding the treasure and fulfilling his Personal Legend.

Melchizedek, the King of Salem, also informs Santiago that the central conflict is within himself as follows:

"Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. . . But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend. . . To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation" (21-22).

No one but Santiago can discover his Personal Legend. No one can keep him on his path to discovery except himself. Only he is on this personal journey, so only he must fight the doubt, fear, or temptations to end the journey in order to achieve his goals.

In "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings," how do Pelayo and Elisenda attempt to profit from the presence of the angel?

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's tale "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," the story centers upon the strange and magical appearance of an old man who has huge vulture-like wings. Early in the story, Pelayo and Elisenda, in whose courtyard the old man has fallen, try to figure out his mysterious origins. An old neighbor woman declares that the man is an angel while the local priest argues the man is human. 

Word of the...

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's tale "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," the story centers upon the strange and magical appearance of an old man who has huge vulture-like wings. Early in the story, Pelayo and Elisenda, in whose courtyard the old man has fallen, try to figure out his mysterious origins. An old neighbor woman declares that the man is an angel while the local priest argues the man is human. 

Word of the old man spreads quickly and soon everyone in town arrives to see the "captive angel." Indeed, so many people come that they call in soldiers to control the crowd. Elisenda decides to fence in the courtyard and to charge five cents admission to see the old man with wings. 

Pelayo and Elisenda profit immensely from the proceeds of the crowds who want to see the angel. The narrator says that they were "happy with fatigue" because in less than a week they had so much money that their rooms were "crammed" full of it and the line of people to see the angel still stretched into the distance. 

After a time, a new sideshow appears in town - a woman who had been changed into a fearsome spider - that steals all the profits from Pelayo and Elisenda. Still, they are not unhappy because they made enough money to build a large mansion with iron bars (to prevent angels from getting in). Pelayo is able to quit his job and Elisenda wears expensive dresses. Despite their good fortune, though, they do not care for the old man with wings or fix up the chicken coop in which he is imprisoned. Eventually, the old man gains enough strength to fly away. At the very end of the story, Elisenda watches him leave and feels only relief that the old man will no longer be "an annoyance in her life."

How is Juliet's meeting with Paris in Friar Lawrence's cell an example of dramatic irony?

Dramatic irony in a literary work occurs when the reader or audience is aware of something that at least one of the characters in a scene does not know. Dramatic irony is a key element throughout Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Because of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, when Romeo and Juliet fall in love, the couple has to hide their relationship. Up until the very end, the only other characters in the...

Dramatic irony in a literary work occurs when the reader or audience is aware of something that at least one of the characters in a scene does not know. Dramatic irony is a key element throughout Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Because of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, when Romeo and Juliet fall in love, the couple has to hide their relationship. Up until the very end, the only other characters in the play who know about the love between the two are the Nurse and Friar Lawrence. The audience, of course, also knows the situation.

In Act III, Scene 5, Lord Capulet agrees to marry Juliet to Count Paris. Capulet is unaware that his daughter has secretly married Romeo. At the end of that scene Juliet defies her father and refuses to marry Paris. She then seeks counsel from Friar Lawrence.

In Act IV, Scene 1, Paris has come to Friar Lawrence's cell to ask him to perform the marriage. Count Paris does not know that the Friar has married Juliet to Romeo only the day before. When Juliet shows up she tries to sidestep the issue with Paris. Paris, not knowing her true feelings, calls her his "wife" and his "love."

Unfortunately for Paris, he never knows the truth about Juliet, as he is killed when he confronts Romeo at Juliet's tomb in Act V.

Is it possible for Maniac to have another family in Maniac Magee?

Maniac realizes his true family is the Beales.

When Maniac Magee’s parents died, he was left to relatives that he couldn’t stand.  He ran away, and it wasn’t until he met Amanda Beale that he found a new family.  He felt welcomed to her family by the Beales, but the others in the neighborhood did not like a white boy being with a black family, so he decided to leave.

Maniac didn't answer. Amanda didn't...

Maniac realizes his true family is the Beales.

When Maniac Magee’s parents died, he was left to relatives that he couldn’t stand.  He ran away, and it wasn’t until he met Amanda Beale that he found a new family.  He felt welcomed to her family by the Beales, but the others in the neighborhood did not like a white boy being with a black family, so he decided to leave.

Maniac didn't answer. Amanda didn't understand that most of the hurt he felt was not for himself but for her and the rest of the family. She stomped her foot. "You gotta stay?" (Ch. 18)

When Amanda’s book is targeted and her house grafittied, Maniac does not want any more harm to come to the Beales because of him.  Amanda does not want him to go.  She thinks he will starve.  Maniac leaves anyway, to protect them.  He feels he can take care of himself.

Maniac Magee goes to the zoo, where an old man finds him sleeping in the buffalo pen.  When he asks him where he lives and Maniac tells him, he checks to make sure Maniac actually is white.  

"Well, I did live on Sycamore Street. Seven twenty- eight. "

"Did?"

"I guess I don't anymore."

The old man stared. "You said Sycamore?"

"Yep."

"Ain't that the East End?"

"Yep." (Ch. 22)

Although he is a little baffled by the white kid living on the East End, the old man lets it go.  Grayson takes Maniac in, and for a short time he has a family again.  Unfortunately, Grayson dies and leaves Maniac alone.  His only hope for a real family is to go back to the Beales. 

He decides that it does not matter if they are black and he is white.  They are the people who took him in when he had no one.  He considers them family.  Maniac returns to the Beales, and there he remains.

I'm doing archetypes for my English class but I'm stuck at "underdog." Who from a movie can be considered an underdog? I also need examples and...

The underdog archetype is generally a character that has some natural talent in an area, but is also lacking in other areas.  Perhaps the underdog is lacking in experience or proper gear.  The underdog is always predicted to lose, but usually wins.  In some cases the character does in fact lose the competition but wins in some other way. Perhaps he/she gains fame from the competition or at least earns the respect of the bigger, stronger, faster opponent.  

Probably the best underdog movie example that I can provide is the original Rocky movie.  The reigning champion, Apollo Creed, essentially picks Rocky Balboa's name out of a hat, and offers him a chance at the title.  Even with 24 hours to go before the fight, Rocky admits to himself that he can't win.  Knowing that, he decides to try and "go the distance" during the fight.  That means, he is going to try and complete all 15 rounds and leave the decision in the hands of the judges.  By the end of the fight, everybody is rooting for Rocky to win.  He doesn't, but he earns the respect of Apollo.  

Other singular underdog characters from movies include Rudy from Rudy, Dusty Crophopper from Planes, and Daniel from The Karate Kid. 

Most often though, Hollywood will generally make an underdog movie about an entire team being the underdog.  Films that do that are Cool Runnings, Hoosiers, Miracle, The Longest Yard, The Bad News Bears, Major League, The Replacements, and The Mighty Ducks, 

In "The Tell-Tale Heart," how does the narrator profess to feel about the old man? What is one thing about him that the narrator hates and why?

In the opening paragraph, the narrator tries to convince his listener that he is not mad (crazy). He admits to having a disease but he claims that the disease has made his senses sharper. We have a narrator who claims to be reliable but his anxious insistence makes him seem crazy indeed. It therefore comes as no surprise when he says that he loves the old man but then endeavors to kill him. 

The narrator says he loved the old man, the old man had never wronged him, and that he did not covet the old man's money ("gold"). Illustrating his mental instability, the narrator claims that it is the old man's eye that drives him to insane thoughts. 

I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever. 

From here, the narrator again tries to prove his sanity by describing how strategically he went about killing the old man. But what was it about the eye that drove him to murder? 

The narrator claims that it is not the man himself who he has the problem with. It is only his eye, his "Evil eye." The narrator clearly has some insane, superstitious notion that the old man's eye is evil and is therefore some kind of threat to him. Approaching the old man, the narrator describes his unreasonable fear and terror of the eye: 

It was open—wide, wide open—and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness—all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man's face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot. 

The narrator has a self-destructive impulse. If it is not suicide, it is the desire to commit the murder and then be caught. Indeed, this does occur. The guilt manifests when he hears the man's heart beating through the wall. Note the pun of "eye" and "I." In killing the "eye," the narrator symbolically wishes to destroy himself as "I." So, part (or perhaps all) of his desire to destroy the old man's "Evil eye" is actually a subconscious attempt to destroy himself. 

What are interesting facts, examples, or data one can learn about stem cell research?

Stem cells are cells with different characteristics as compared to other cells in our body. They are able to divide and stay as stem cells or can become a different cell type. It is interesting to note that embryos contain stem cells, and these cells enable the formation of various organs in our body and help it develop. Stem cells also help in replenishing old cells and repairing tissues, etc. Stem cells, by themselves, are unspecialized and cannot carry out the specialized functions that other cells (such as blood cells, nerve cells, muscle cells, etc.) can carry out. However, they can divide to form specialized cells. This multi-step process is known as differentiation and is a hot topic of research. Scientists are trying to understand what makes them become specialized. Stem cells are also capable of dividing without specializing for a long duration. For example, embryonic stem cells can divide without differentiation, while most adult stem cells cannot.

Stem cells are potentially very useful to us. For example, we can use them to grow specialized tissues or organs (hopefully, after more research) and transplant them into patients who need them. We can test a number of medicines on stem cells and study their effects, such as on cancerous cells. 

A lot of research is taking place on stem cells. Most recently, scientists have successfully grown sperm out of stem cells and have shown it to be useful. In this case, the injected mouse was able to reproduce: http://www.newsweek.com/scientists-grow-sperm-dish-embryonic-stem-cells-430498?piano_t=1

It has also been found that sleep deprivation may affect the regenerative ability of donated sperm cells. It has been shown in mice that stem cells derived from sleep deprived mice have low efficiency of restoring blood and the immune system: http://www.isscr.org/visitor-types/public

Scientists are working on a number of research areas using stem cells, including how they differentiate, their potential for damaged cell/tissue replacement, how to stimulate proliferation, medicine testing, etc. 

Hope this helps.