In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Aunt Alexandra mean when she tells Scout that "people who held such views were usually climbers"?

Alexandra thinks that people who worry about what other people have consider themselves better than others, and are therefore social climbers. 

The conversation about social climbers relates to Scout and Cecil Jacobs.  At the Halloween celebration, Cecil tells Scout not to bob for apples. 

His mother said he might catch something from everybody’s heads having been in the same tub. “Ain’t anything around town now to catch,” I protested. But Cecil said his mother said it...

Alexandra thinks that people who worry about what other people have consider themselves better than others, and are therefore social climbers. 

The conversation about social climbers relates to Scout and Cecil Jacobs.  At the Halloween celebration, Cecil tells Scout not to bob for apples. 

His mother said he might catch something from everybody’s heads having been in the same tub. “Ain’t anything around town now to catch,” I protested. But Cecil said his mother said it was unsanitary to eat after folks. I later asked Aunt Alexandra about this, and she said people who held such views were usually climbers. (Ch. 28)

Aunt Alexandra is implying that Cecil Jacobs’s mother is looking around at other people and looking down on them.  She feels that Cecil Jacobs’s mother is lower on the social ladder, and wants to be higher.  This is why Alexandra calls her a climber.

Connecting bobbing for apples with social class demonstrates how class-conscious Alexandra is.  She is constantly evaluating people, to see who is better than others.  Alexandra, of course, considers herself better.  The Finches are an old established family.  She wanted Atticus to impress upon Scout and Jem that they are better because they are Finches.  He had a hard time with this, because it made him uncomfortable since he usually considered all people valuable.

Our father was actually fidgeting. “No, I just want to explain to you that—your Aunt Alexandra asked me… son, you know you’re a Finch, don’t you?”

“That’s what I’ve been told.” Jem looked out of the corners of his eyes. His voice rose uncontrollably, “Atticus, what’s the matter?” (Ch. 14)

To Alexandra, everything is about class. As a Finch, she is better than others in Maycomb.  She has a responsibility in the social order.  Scout and Jem also have it.  This is why she wants them to understand their position in Maycomb.

What are three different issues that increased tensions between the North and the South?

There were several issues that increased tensions between the North and the South. One of them was the issue of slavery. The South wanted to have slavery and wanted it to spread to new areas. The North was against slavery, especially the spread of it. These different viewpoints led to confrontations between northerners and southerners. Sometimes, these confrontations turned violent.

Another issue that increased tensions was the protective tariff. The South believed the protective tariff...

There were several issues that increased tensions between the North and the South. One of them was the issue of slavery. The South wanted to have slavery and wanted it to spread to new areas. The North was against slavery, especially the spread of it. These different viewpoints led to confrontations between northerners and southerners. Sometimes, these confrontations turned violent.

Another issue that increased tensions was the protective tariff. The South believed the protective tariff hurt southerners. The tariff made it more expensive for southerners to buy products. The North supported the tariff because it allowed the northern industries to compete with the European industries.

A third issue causing tensions was the issue of states’ rights. Southerners believed that states should have the right to nullify laws that hurt one region of the country while benefitting another region. Northerners were against this concept because they believed we were a united country and felt all laws should apply throughout the United States. It would also make it much harder for northern businesses to operate if there were different laws in different states. The South was very upset with the high protective tariff and wanted to nullify some of the tariff laws.

There were many issues that created tensions between the North and the South. These issues ultimately led to the start of the Civil War.

How do computers function?

Computers originated not so much with a technology but with an idea. That idea was that it is possible to break down complex activities, whether procedures or mathematical computations, into a series of extremely simple steps. Thus programmers develop "algorithms" that apply a series of simple steps to certain inputs to create outputs. 

The term "computer" originally referred not to machines but to people who did computations. Complex calculations, such as ballistics, were broken down...

Computers originated not so much with a technology but with an idea. That idea was that it is possible to break down complex activities, whether procedures or mathematical computations, into a series of extremely simple steps. Thus programmers develop "algorithms" that apply a series of simple steps to certain inputs to create outputs. 

The term "computer" originally referred not to machines but to people who did computations. Complex calculations, such as ballistics, were broken down into long series of simpler computations solved by large teams of "computers" (workers who performed computations). Gradually, machines were developed that could take the place of human computers, doing a series of very simple calculations very quickly.

Most modern computers input, store, and output binary information, i.e. strings of 0s and 1s represented internally as positive and negative electrical charges. Computers can perform a limited number of Boolean operations on either individual digits (the logical operator "not" which changes 0 to 1 or vice versa) or pairs of digits ("and" or "and not"). Computers are also capable of storing information in various forms of volatile or nonvolatile memory (RAM, disks), fetching information into processing units (CPUs), and processing information. Computers are also connected to input/output devices (screens, printers, keyboards, touchscreens) so that they can accept inputs and generate outputs. 

What is the role of state constitutions in state governments?

In any government, the role of the constitution is to set out the structure of the government.  It tells us what the parts of government are and what powers they have.  This is the function of state constitutions in a state government.

The Constitution of the United States guarantees that each state will have a republican form of government.  Beyond that, however, it does not tell the states how to set up this republican government....

In any government, the role of the constitution is to set out the structure of the government.  It tells us what the parts of government are and what powers they have.  This is the function of state constitutions in a state government.

The Constitution of the United States guarantees that each state will have a republican form of government.  Beyond that, however, it does not tell the states how to set up this republican government. Therefore, the states have to have constitutions that set out exactly how their state government will work.  For example, it has to say how many houses its legislature will have and how long legislators’ terms will be.

The state constitutions also set out other rules.  For example, most state constitutions specify that their state governments have to have a balanced budget every year.  State constitutions can also outline rights that are granted to or denied to their citizens, so long as they do not violate the US Constitution.  Therefore, a state constitution may guarantee its citizens the right to a free public education.  It may also specify whether that state can have capital punishment.  In these, and many other ways, state constitutions can set out the rules that their state’s government must follow.

State constitutions, then, have two major functions.  They set up the basic mechanism of government in their state and they lay out rules that the state government must follow.

What are some examples of the theme of freedom (both literal and figurative) in The Secret Life of Bees?

Freedom is a theme that winds throughout Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. While some characters face a literal and physical imprisonment, others deal with a more figurative lack of freedom that stems from familial issues.

Both Rosaleen and Zach faced actual imprisonments; notably, since the novel is set in the Civil Rights era, both characters are also African American. Rosaleen, while only confined for a short period of time thanks to Lily's hospital...

Freedom is a theme that winds throughout Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. While some characters face a literal and physical imprisonment, others deal with a more figurative lack of freedom that stems from familial issues.

Both Rosaleen and Zach faced actual imprisonments; notably, since the novel is set in the Civil Rights era, both characters are also African American. Rosaleen, while only confined for a short period of time thanks to Lily's hospital jail-break, was also severely beaten. Zach on the other hand was physically unharmed but confined for a greater amount of time. The respective imprisonments each left significant and lasting impacts on the two characters. Rosaleen did not become afraid of registering to vote, the very act that led to her imprisonment in the first place, and persevered to proudly register towards the end of the novel. Zach also only grew stronger in his desire to become a lawyer; while the spark of injustice did create new darker, angry undertones to his personality, he did not lose his compassion and zeal.

Contrastingly, Lily faced a more figurative imprisonment both in her family life with T-Ray and the confines of her own mind with conflicting thoughts about her mother. The first kind imprisonment with T-Ray, while inarguably abusive and harmful, cannot fully be likened to Rosaleen's and Zach's lack of freedom because she was not actually locked away anywhere; she still went to school, worked, read, had hobbies, was regularly fed, etc. Even after her initial running away, she was still haunted by, and therefore confined by, the thought of T-Ray finding her. She was only "released" from his hold at the conclusion of the novel when he left her in peace with the Boatwrights. Lily's second lack of freedom existed in her own mind. At times she was consumed with a mixture of loathing, love, misunderstanding, and every emotion in between regarding her mother's abandonment of her. Through the healing of time and gentle support from those around her, Lily eventually overcame her emotional and immature reactions to fulfill the "coming of age" theme of the novel. She accepted what she could not change and understood that her mother loved her and would never have caused her intentional harm.

How is Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a hero?

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno is a hero in how he sacrifices himself for another person.

Boyne's "fable" makes Bruno a hero.  The way Bruno honors his word and displays selflessness is heroic. When Shmuel needs his help to find his father, Bruno is not only a good friend but also quite heroic when he says "I wouldn't let you down."  This heroism is underscored when Bruno realizes that life on the...

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno is a hero in how he sacrifices himself for another person.

Boyne's "fable" makes Bruno a hero.  The way Bruno honors his word and displays selflessness is heroic. When Shmuel needs his help to find his father, Bruno is not only a good friend but also quite heroic when he says "I wouldn't let you down."  This heroism is underscored when Bruno realizes that life on the other side of the fence is nowhere near what he thought it to be.   He is open about his desire to return home.  However, when Shmuel reminds Bruno of his promise to help find his father, Bruno's heroism is evident: "Bruno thought about it.  He had promised his friend that and he wasn't the sort to go back on a promise, especially when it was the last time they were going to see each other."  While his confidence is lessened because of what he sees, Bruno does not back down from honoring something more than his own needs.

Bruno's heroism continues when the boys are ordered to march into the gas chamber.  There is pure terror in the moment before "the door at the front was suddenly closed and a loud metallic sound rang."   However, Bruno "did something quite out of character" in holding Shmuel's "tiny hand" and saying that he is his best friend for life. Like a hero, Bruno rises above the pandemonium and sadness around him.  His heroism compels him to remind his friend they are going to experience this together.  Boyne concludes the chapter by showing that despite the chaos in the gas chamber, "Bruno was still holding Shmuel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let it go."  Bruno does not leave his friend in a time of need. He sacrifices his own comfort and overcomes his own fears to reassure Shmuel of their friendship.  These actions make Bruno a hero.  His innocence is a reminder that heroes do not have to be extraordinary.  The ability to care and to live by one's word is heroism.

In The Crucible, what ideas could I put in a monologue as Elizabeth Proctor?

If Elizabeth Proctor were to deliver a monologue, I think that she would talk either about her ambivalence toward her husband in Act II or about her own guilt in Act IV. In Act II, Elizabeth seems to want to move beyond her distrust of her husband John, distrust that was formed as a result of his extramarital affair with Abigail Williams. She is eager to please him, as we see with the stew she's...

If Elizabeth Proctor were to deliver a monologue, I think that she would talk either about her ambivalence toward her husband in Act II or about her own guilt in Act IV. In Act II, Elizabeth seems to want to move beyond her distrust of her husband John, distrust that was formed as a result of his extramarital affair with Abigail Williams. She is eager to please him, as we see with the stew she's carefully prepared, but she is also struggling to forgive him; when he kisses her, she merely "receives it," discouraging him a great deal. Elizabeth seems to feel emotionally torn, and so this would likely appear in such a monologue.

Further, in Act IV, Elizabeth admits to John that she feels some guilt, some responsibility for the affair he had. She says, "I have read my heart this three month, John. I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery." One can imagine Elizabeth, in her prison cell, reflecting on her own role in John's affair, and so this information would likely come up in a monologue as well.

In "The Devil and Tom Walker", what details about the swamp make it seem melancholy?

"Melancholy" is an interesting and appropriate word to use for the description of a location that has relevance to the mood of the writing. This term is often loosely defined as sad, gloomy or pensive, but distinguishes itself from these terms in that it was originally a medical diagnosis for long-term bad moods or depression. To describe a place as melancholy would thus imply that this isn't a subjective or periodic impression, but inherent to the nature of the place itself. 

On the first page, the swamp is also called a "morass". This is a term for a boggy, muddy place, but is also a homonym for confusion and complexity. Already we might begin to visualize the swamp as not only wet and messy, but also overgrown and maze-like; an unhappy place to be.

The swamp gets a little more attention shortly after Tom is introduced;

The swamp was thickly grown with great gloomy pines and hemlocks, some of them ninety feet high; which made it dark at noonday, and a retreat for all the owls of the neighborhood. It was full of pits and quagmires, partly covered with weeds and mosses; where the green surface often betrayed the traveler into a gulf of black smothering mud; there were also dark and stagnant pools, the abodes of the tadpole, the bull-frog, and the water snake, and where trunks of pines and hemlocks lay half drowned, half rotting, looking like alligators, sleeping in the mire.

The swamp thus appears simultaneously sleepy and deadly, and the fact that it is dark even in the middle of the day makes it seem impervious to the outside world, as if it's a separate dimension in which only the most unpleasant face of nature is shown. 

The swamp is next described as "treacherous" and, unsurprisingly, "melancholy", and to further reinforce the repulsive imagery, Irving injects details about black mold, rumors of human sacrifices and devil worship, and skeletal human remains, just prior to the appearance of Old Scratch, who is, of course, literally Satan himself. At this point he's really driving the imagery and symbolism as hard as he can, as if to reinforce that you really can judge this place by its appearance. 

In a perfectly competitive market for apples, what would happen in the short and long run to the market and individual producers if the price for...

Apples and pears are imperfect substitutes. As a result, an increase in the prices of pears will result in decreased demand for pears. This leads to an increased demand for apples. This increased demand will shift the demand curve for apples outward.

In the short run, this increased demand for apples will result in profits for apple producers because other firms will not have time to enter the market, so each firm already producing apples will...

Apples and pears are imperfect substitutes. As a result, an increase in the prices of pears will result in decreased demand for pears. This leads to an increased demand for apples. This increased demand will shift the demand curve for apples outward.

In the short run, this increased demand for apples will result in profits for apple producers because other firms will not have time to enter the market, so each firm already producing apples will be producing more apples than their break-even level.

As other potential producers see that profits are being made in apples, they will enter the industry, and in the long run the market will settle back into perfect competition where apple producers make no real economic profit.

In "God Sees the Truth, But Waits" by Tolstoy, what is the meaning of Aksionov's wife's dream?

In the story, Aksionov's wife dreams that Aksionov returns from town with grey hair. She begs him not to leave for the fair, but he ignores her warning.

Her dream foreshadows that something evil will befall Aksionov in town. For his part, Aksionov tries to laugh away his wife's fears. He tells her that she's only worried he'll spend too much at the fair; then, he tries to placate her by arguing that the dream...

In the story, Aksionov's wife dreams that Aksionov returns from town with grey hair. She begs him not to leave for the fair, but he ignores her warning.

Her dream foreshadows that something evil will befall Aksionov in town. For his part, Aksionov tries to laugh away his wife's fears. He tells her that she's only worried he'll spend too much at the fair; then, he tries to placate her by arguing that the dream is actually a "lucky sign" that he'll sell all his goods and bring some presents back to her. Aksionov leaves for the fair and half-way to town, puts up at an inn for the night. During the night, a fellow merchant has his throat slit; the next morning, Aksionov is accused of the crime and of stealing twenty-thousand rubles from the merchant.

Even though he is innocent, Aksionov is flogged and sentenced to twenty-six years of hard labor in Siberia. Before he leaves, Aksionov's wife visits him in prison, and she again reminds him of the dream that she had. She maintains that if Aksionov had heeded her warnings, he would not have been caught up in such a predicament. So, Aksionov's wife's dream is a foreshadowing of the trials that Aksionov will endure, trials that eventually age him before his time.

Do you think the images described in the story make time travel appealing? Why or why not?

Because this question asks what a person thinks, it is an opinion based question; therefore, it's up to you how you want to answer it.  

Personally, yes, I think the images described make time travel appealing.  It's time travel,and that is reason enough for me to want to do it.  Secondly, the group gets to go back to when dinosaurs roamed Earth.  That would be great.  It would be scary for sure, but...

Because this question asks what a person thinks, it is an opinion based question; therefore, it's up to you how you want to answer it.  

Personally, yes, I think the images described make time travel appealing.  It's time travel, and that is reason enough for me to want to do it.  Secondly, the group gets to go back to when dinosaurs roamed Earth.  That would be great.  It would be scary for sure, but I would finally get to see once and for all if the creators of the Jurassic Park movies got anything correct.  

For a specific image from the story, I like the following:

The jungle was high and the jungle was broad and the jungle was the entire world forever and  forever. Sounds like music and sounds like flying tents filled the sky, and those were pterodactyls  soaring with cavernous gray wings, gigantic bats of delirium and night fever.

I teach an environmental science class, and we discuss things like habitat loss, forest destruction, and pollution.  Being able to go back in time and see an entire jungle in a state that is completely untouched by man would be great.  That's why I like to go hiking and backpacking.  It's great to get out to places where I can't hear horns honking, traffic noise, and the general city cacophony.  Being able to go back to a place and time as presented in "A Sound of Thunder" would be a once in a lifetime experience, and the story definitely makes it appealing to me. 

What are the long term consequences of the Industrial Revolution?

The first consequence of the Industrial Revolution, as is apparent from its name, was industrialization. This means that many processes which in the past had been done by hand began to be performed by machines. Over the long term, this meant an industrial and technological transformation of advanced nations. For example, in transportation, railways supplanted horse-drawn stagecoaches and steam-powered boats were faster and more reliable than ones reliant on wind. Fabric was made by machines...

The first consequence of the Industrial Revolution, as is apparent from its name, was industrialization. This means that many processes which in the past had been done by hand began to be performed by machines. Over the long term, this meant an industrial and technological transformation of advanced nations. For example, in transportation, railways supplanted horse-drawn stagecoaches and steam-powered boats were faster and more reliable than ones reliant on wind. Fabric was made by machines rather than by hand. Machinery and new patterns of planting made agriculture far more efficient. All of this meant a huge surge in prosperity and productivity as well as population.

Another major consequence of the Industrial Revolution was urbanization, with workers flocking from the countryside to the vast new manufacturing towns. This carried with it the creation of industrial slums. 

Economically, the Industrial Revolution led to the rise of the bourgeoisie, with the new fortunes made in manufacturing creating a nexus of wealth and power independent of the old, land-owning aristocracy. Politically, this led to the growth of "liberalism" (in the English rather than American sense), meaning a position dedicated to a free market economy, minimization of government regulation, and generally an increase in personal freedoms.

Who said these words: "Give me blood and I will give you freedom"?

Subhas Chandra Bose said the words "Give me blood and I will give you freedom."  Bose was a leader in the Indian Independence movement.  He also created the Indian National Army.  The Indian Independence movement was against British colonial rule in India.  Bose believed in using force against the British in order to gain independence for India.  He saw violence as a necessity in the fight for India's independence.  In 1944, he gave a speech,...

Subhas Chandra Bose said the words "Give me blood and I will give you freedom."  Bose was a leader in the Indian Independence movement.  He also created the Indian National Army.  The Indian Independence movement was against British colonial rule in India.  Bose believed in using force against the British in order to gain independence for India.  He saw violence as a necessity in the fight for India's independence.  In 1944, he gave a speech, which included the following words:

It is blood alone that can pay the price of freedom.  Give me blood and I will give you freedom!

By using these words, Bose promoted his idea of violence to obtain freedom from Britain.  He believed that bloodshed was a necessary sacrifice in the fight for Indian freedom.  He told his listeners that if they would sacrifice and fight for the cause of freedom, it could be obtained.  Bose died due to injuries from a plane crash two years before India gained independence, which occurred in 1947.

In The Chrysalids by Parkes and Harris, what is the significance of the finding of Aunt Harriet's body?

Aunt Harriet's suicide demonstrates the effects of the harsh doctrine on the people of Waknuk. 

Aunt Harriet, David’s mother’s sister, had a baby around the same time Petra was born.  It was not her first baby, but she was never allowed to keep any of her children.  We are not told why.  All we know is that they do not conform to the True Image in some small way.  A baby has to get a Normalcy Certificate, and Harriet’s babies would not be able to. 

Since David’s mother has Petra, Harriet comes to her in desperation.  She wants to borrow the baby for a few days so she can get a certificate for her baby, because she wants to finally be able to keep one.  David’s father is horrified that she would want to keep the baby, which he calls a “defilement.” 

A baby which, if you were to have your way, would grow up to breed, and, breeding, spread pollution until all around us there would be mutants and abominations. That is what has happened in places where the will and faith were weak: here it shall never happen.  (Ch. 8) 

For whatever reason, Waknuk is convinced that if they do not maintain genetic perfection they will be doomed.  We know there was some kind of catastrophic event in the past that they are trying to prevent recurring.  David’s father tells Aunt Harriett that by trying to keep her baby she would betray them all. 

David notes that while his mother wasn’t prepared to break the “Purity Laws,” she did cry when her sister was sent away.  It must have been hard to turn away her own sister when she was so desperate, especially when whatever was wrong with the baby was apparently very minor.  David wonders “how many mothers there might be who were turning a blind eye towards matters that did not actually infringe the Definition of the True Image.”  He doesn’t understand his father’s insistence on maintaining perfection. 

Aunt Harriet leaves, telling them she would pray for them and a world that has no sympathy for the weak. 

When they broke the news to me next day that my Aunt Harriet's body had been found in the river, no one mentioned a baby.... (Ch. 8)

It is a sad story all around.  People who do not conform to the True Image are not allowed to continue to live in Waknuk.  This means that they are expelled to the Fringes, where they live a cursed life.  As Aunt Harriet's death shows us, those who are left behind suffer too.

When a hydrocarbon such as petrol or paraffin wax are burned in excess of air in a laboratory, carbon dioxide and water are the only products. When...

Hydrocarbons consist of entirely carbon and hydrogen. While the gasoline in a car engine is not entirely hydrocarbon, the majority of it is. In fact, the combustion reaction in your car does not involve nitrogen at all, and as such it can be deduced that the reaction itself is not producing the nitrogen monoxide. 

Instead, you need to look at the heatof the engine itself. Some gasses can react at high temperatures, such as...

Hydrocarbons consist of entirely carbon and hydrogen. While the gasoline in a car engine is not entirely hydrocarbon, the majority of it is. In fact, the combustion reaction in your car does not involve nitrogen at all, and as such it can be deduced that the reaction itself is not producing the nitrogen monoxide. 

Instead, you need to look at the heat of the engine itself. Some gasses can react at high temperatures, such as those in the cylinders of an engine. Nitrogen monoxide is the product of one of these heat driven reactions. Inside the cylinders, more than gas and oxygen is reacting; gas is reacting with air. This air contains just about everything, and most of the time there is excess oxygen in the cylinder. To make nitrogen monoxide, free oxygen and nitrogen molecules react endothermically to produce nitrogen monoxide. 

Some nitrogen monoxide is released by burning fuel itself. Some additives contain nitrogen, so when fuel is burned nitrogen is released into the mixture, where it bonds with oxygen.

Other sources of nitrogen monoxide in nature are lightning strikes and places with exposed lava, such as volcanoes. 

The reason you don't see it in a lab setting is:

• There are no additives in the fuel mixture.


• The reaction is low temperature, and does not reach the activation energy for nitrogen to oxidize.


• Most experiments will not look for additional products of a reaction not attributed to the reactants themselves.

Why is the Resurrection Stone important in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? What are its qualities?

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Resurrection Stone is one of the three deathly hallows. It was given to Cadmus Peverell, allegedly by Death himself, though Albus Dumbledore believes the stone was created by Cadmus himself. Cadmus used the stone to bring back a woman he loved, but he felt he was still too separated from her and killed himself to be with her. The ring containing the stone is eventually passed...

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Resurrection Stone is one of the three deathly hallows. It was given to Cadmus Peverell, allegedly by Death himself, though Albus Dumbledore believes the stone was created by Cadmus himself. Cadmus used the stone to bring back a woman he loved, but he felt he was still too separated from her and killed himself to be with her. The ring containing the stone is eventually passed down to Albus Dumbledore and then to Harry Potter, who uses the stone to see the shades of his parents. 

The stone is important because its owner has the power to bring back shades of loved ones. Shades are figments of people that are more substantial than ghosts but less substantial than real people. If someone brings the Resurrection Stone together with the other hallows—the Cloak of Invisibility and the Elder Wand—the person who possesses all three hallows will become the Master of Death. 

What are some gender issues around the world addressed in "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman?

Though first published in 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" is still relevant today. It depicts the assignment of rigid, gender-defined roles to the main character and her husband, John. She is the emotional, fragile member of the pair, and her husband, a physician, is the rational, practical one. He and her brother, also a physician, believe they can decide what is best for her. They prescribe a rest cure, even though...

Though first published in 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" is still relevant today. It depicts the assignment of rigid, gender-defined roles to the main character and her husband, John. She is the emotional, fragile member of the pair, and her husband, a physician, is the rational, practical one. He and her brother, also a physician, believe they can decide what is best for her. They prescribe a rest cure, even though she feels she would do better being active. In their gender-determined roles, the wife abdicates all decision-making abilities an adult has and becomes child-like. The medical establishment that decides how she should be cured is dominated by men.

There are many cultures around the world that make women the possessions of their fathers, husbands, and brothers. Many cultures and societies do not recognize women's rights to determine their own futures and decisions, and they also deem women fragile and unworthy of receiving an education. In addition, in many cultures, the medical establishment is still run in such a way that it advances the ideas of male superiority and does not give women a say in their own treatment and care. 

How does the media affect our perception of reality?

To answer this question, is necessary to establish the context of your question. Since you mention the perception of reality, I assume you are talking about media that discuss current events and news. T's also necessary to understand that different forms of media portray information in different ways. These different modes of communication affect people in different ways as well.

The idea that our perception of reality can be affected by media portrayals is related to the way that different forms of mass media can manipulate or otherwise enhance factual information. Media that combine visual and audio components, for example, make it possible to create a narrative that engages our senses and emotions. For this reason, we generally accept that watching the news on television might be a more emotionally manipulative experience then reading the same story in a newspaper or hearing it on the radio. Television engages our sight and hearing, whereas print is visual, and audio, radio for example, engages only our hearing.

It is also true that television is frequently a vehicle for fictional narrative,  and our television news often creates dynamic presentations of the news to engage our attention and to attract viewership. Is it possible that we don't always distinguish between fictional narrative and news reports? The news networks do seem to blur this line sometimes, offering dramatic spectacle to drive up ratings and thereby increase their advertising revenue.

In recent years, newspaper readership has declined greatly. Also many people tend to get their news via the Internet, where it is also possible to receive News with audio and visual components, because TV and radio have websites that make up their broadcasts available. It seems far more likely that people receive their news via more dynamic forms of media, and the critical thinking and analysis that are usually part of reading print news stories are now replaced by a more passive reception of news from these other forms of media.

Internet based news stories are often at least partially in print form, but contain images and audio or video clips to enhance the experience. These articles are also most often shorter in length than print newspaper articles, and so do not provide the same depth of information, and this can also affect our perception of factual elements. It is common to hear the sarcastic statement "I saw it on the internet so it must be true," and this refers to the tendency for unreliable information to be disseminated in the same way as factual information, with little effort made to distinguish the difference. It has become not uncommon for people to say that mainstream media ("MSM") is in the business of distorting the truth. These are all disturbing trends that relate to the idea of media and its impact on our perception of reality.

Compare and contrast observation, focus groups, and survey as research methods.

There are many ways to conduct research. The method you select depends on the resources available to you (such as time and money), and the kind of information you are hoping to find out. Surveys, observation, and focus groups are three common methods of population research. Each method is widely variable within its own class. Below, these research methods are briefly described, then compared and contrasted.

Surveys
Surveys are a set of pre-developed questions that you provide to your sample group. Often the sample group is self-selected, or conducted on a voluntary basis. Surveys are an extremely common method for quantitative market research. If you've ever seen a comment card at a business, or been asked to give feedback to a website, then you've seen the survey method in action. Surveys are useful for learning popular opinion when you know the question you want to ask. 

Surveys are unique from other methods of research mostly due to the large sample size that can be available. The format of surveys allows them to be released to a large sample for relatively low resource cost. Of these three research methods, surveys are the only quantitative method. Surveys are similar to focus groups in that the researcher has targeted information to ask the sample group. 

Observation
The qualitative research method of observation is the practice of monitoring specific behaviors of a sample group from a population. Observation is the best way to find out actual—rather than reported—behavior. In this way, data gathered from observation can be the most accurate to determine practiced trends in a population. With observation, the limiting factor can be sample size. It can be difficult to observe a large sample size, and as sample size decreases, your data become less reliable.

Observation is different from other methods of research in that it is more open-ended than other methods. The researcher does not provide any input or effect on the sample group. In focus groups and surveys, the researcher asks questions and thus influences the data outcome. Observation is similar to focus groups in that the sample size is often rather small.

Focus Groups
A focus group is a qualitative method of research in which a small group of people is interviewed in a group by a moderator. The moderator has specific goals for the focus group session. Focus groups work within the group process and show how group thinking develops. In focus groups, a company can get rich information that comes from group discussion.

Focus groups are unique from the other research methods listed here in that it is the only method in which the subject studied is not an individual, but rather a small group of people. In this way, focus groups are the only method that show group dynamics. Like surveys, a focus group is not completely free-form, but rather directed by the researcher. This is a strength in that the researcher gets exactly what information he or she wants, but also a weakness in that the researcher may miss information that is not asked about.

How does Shakespeare present the character of Juliet throughout the play?

Throughout the play, Juliet is presented as level-headed, but headstrong. At the beginning of the play, the Nurse and Lady Capulet discuss the prospect of marriage with Juliet. Lady Capulet conducts this discussion in order to promote Paris as a suitor, and although she initially put off by this prospect, Juliet nevertheless listens to her mother and the Nurse, promising to consider Paris despite not being particularly fond of him. In this instance, Juliet proves...

Throughout the play, Juliet is presented as level-headed, but headstrong. At the beginning of the play, the Nurse and Lady Capulet discuss the prospect of marriage with Juliet. Lady Capulet conducts this discussion in order to promote Paris as a suitor, and although she initially put off by this prospect, Juliet nevertheless listens to her mother and the Nurse, promising to consider Paris despite not being particularly fond of him. In this instance, Juliet proves herself to be thoughtful by her willingness to listen to her elders. Later, Juliet secretly marries Romeo. Juliet marries Romeo despite being fully aware of the possible consequences of her actions, and in this way, Juliet is very idealistic. This romantic idealism contrasts with Juliet’s level-headed pragmatism, and in order to reconcile these oppositions, Juliet stubbornly refuses to give up her love, regardless of consequence.

What surprise does Henry Baskerville get at the hotel?

In Chapter Four, Sir Henry Baskerville tells Sherlock Holmes of his surprise when he received a letter upon his arrival at the Northumberland Hotel. According to Sir Henry, no one but Dr. Mortimer had been privy to his plans. What surprises Sir Henry even more is the content of the letter.

The letter contains only one line which reads "As you value your life or your reason, keep away from the moor." What is even...

In Chapter Four, Sir Henry Baskerville tells Sherlock Holmes of his surprise when he received a letter upon his arrival at the Northumberland Hotel. According to Sir Henry, no one but Dr. Mortimer had been privy to his plans. What surprises Sir Henry even more is the content of the letter.

The letter contains only one line which reads "As you value your life or your reason, keep away from the moor." What is even more surprising is that all the words, except one, have been cut out from a newspaper. The only word that has been written in ink is "moor." Sherlock Holmes deduces that the author of the letter had likely cut out the words from the Times newspaper, as he recognizes the distinctive print on the paper.

Holmes also surmises that the author is someone who is educated and also someone who wishes to remain anonymous, hence the pasted words on the letter. As it is very often possible to determine the likely identity of a letter-writer from the handwriting, the writer appears to have used the pasted words to evade detection.

Another puzzle that concerns Sir Henry is that, after he put a pair of boots outside his hotel room to be cleaned, only one has been returned to him. Although a singularly perplexing incident, Holmes thinks that the boot will turn up eventually. To Holmes, the most important consideration is whether it is safe for Sir Henry to go to Baskerville Hall. He warns Sir Henry that he will likely face danger if he decides to go there. However, Sir Henry is adamant that he will go, maintaining that he will not intimidated to stay away from the home of his own family.

Why do you think Jamie objected to Claudia covering his mouth the way she did?

In Chapter Seven, after renting a post office box, Claudia and Jamie return to the museum.

Both of them badly want to deliver their letter to the museum officials, but they're afraid of the consequences if they do. So, they decide that they will select a messenger from one of the school groups that regularly come through the museum.

They look for a school group in all the usual places: the Egyptian Art area, the...

In Chapter Seven, after renting a post office box, Claudia and Jamie return to the museum.

Both of them badly want to deliver their letter to the museum officials, but they're afraid of the consequences if they do. So, they decide that they will select a messenger from one of the school groups that regularly come through the museum.

They look for a school group in all the usual places: the Egyptian Art area, the Costume Institute, and the Arms and Armor section. Soon, they settle on a school group filing out of the Egyptian wing, past the entrance. However, as Jamie and Claudia listen to the conversation of the schoolchildren, they come to the realization that these are Jamie's classmates.

Meanwhile, Jamie's eyes meet Claudia's, and he opens his mouth as if to speak. Without a moment to lose, Claudia clamps her hand over Jamie's mouth to prevent him from speaking. Essentially, she wants to stop Jamie from exposing both of them. For his part, Jamie is upset that Claudia doesn't trust him. He feels that he has a little more sense than to expose both of them to his classmates. Jamie thinks that Claudia should have trusted in his good sense, so he's a little offended when she doesn't do so.

Still smarting from what he thinks is her high-handed action, Jamie threatens to re-join his school group, but Claudia has a better idea. She tells Jamie that he should capitalize on being in the third grade and pretend that he's part of the school group from Greenwich (which in theory, he actually is). Then, he can deliver the letter himself at the museum office, claiming that he's doing it on behalf of someone who belongs to the third grade school group. In the end, this is exactly what Jamie does.

What was the bet in Anton Chekhov's "The Bet"?

The bet is between the lawyer and the banker. The subject matter of their bet is over the morality of the death penalty. The banker believes the death penalty is more humane than life in prison, but the lawyer disagrees. The lawyer believes life in prison is a more humane option because he believes that some life is better than no life. He then says, 

The death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral,...

The bet is between the lawyer and the banker. The subject matter of their bet is over the morality of the death penalty. The banker believes the death penalty is more humane than life in prison, but the lawyer disagrees. The lawyer believes life in prison is a more humane option because he believes that some life is better than no life. He then says, 

The death sentence and the life sentence are equally immoral, but if I had to choose between the death penalty and imprisonment for life, I would certainly choose the second. To live anyhow is better than not at all.

The banker then bets the lawyer 2 million rubles that the lawyer couldn't stay in solitary confinement for 5 years. The lawyer agrees to the bet, but oddly increases his confinement time to 15 years for no increase in possible winnings. The bet begins at noon the following day.

Why does Portia refuse to marry the Scottish lord in Act one, Scene 2?

In this scene in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Portia is reciting why she has refused a variety of suitors. Her comments are meant primarily to show off her wit and education. Interestingly, many of her comments are not focused on the men as individuals but instead on various stereotypes concerning their nationalities. Her actual lines concerning the Scottish lord are:

PORTIA. That he hath a neighbourly charity in him, for he borrowed a box...

In this scene in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Portia is reciting why she has refused a variety of suitors. Her comments are meant primarily to show off her wit and education. Interestingly, many of her comments are not focused on the men as individuals but instead on various stereotypes concerning their nationalities. Her actual lines concerning the Scottish lord are:

PORTIA. That he hath a neighbourly charity in him, for he borrowed a box of the ear of the Englishman, and swore he would pay him again when he was able; I think the Frenchman became his surety, and sealed under for another.

First, this comes directly after insulting an English baron for being insular and monolingual. Thus we get a sense that the Scots have the bad qualities of the English made worse by lack of courage and military prowess. The Scot here is being condemned for not standing up to the English and avenging insults to himself/his country. 

Secondly, though, the sense of borrowing but not repaying suggests a second stereotype, namely that the Scots are famously thrifty, and thus do not pay their debts. 

What is Asher's assignment in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry?

In The Giver (Lowry), Asher, Jonas' friend, is assigned at the Ceremony of Twelve to be the Assistant Director of Education. As with the other assignments, the Elders have been observing Asher his entire life to choose an assignment consistent with his capabilities. And this does seem to be a very good fit.

Asher is clearly a very nice person, whose "'...humor is unfailing'" (Lowry 55). Everyone in the community knows of his "cheerful disposition"...

In The Giver (Lowry), Asher, Jonas' friend, is assigned at the Ceremony of Twelve to be the Assistant Director of Education. As with the other assignments, the Elders have been observing Asher his entire life to choose an assignment consistent with his capabilities. And this does seem to be a very good fit.

Asher is clearly a very nice person, whose "'...humor is unfailing'" (Lowry 55). Everyone in the community knows of his "cheerful disposition" (55). When he does something wrong, he promptly apologizes. He seems to be a very active and athletic person, one who does not like sitting still. He must be chastised even at the Ceremony of Twelves "to sit still and face forward" (53).  These seem like good qualities for an Assistant Director of Education.

The Elders have also taken note over the years of assignments that Asher would not have been well-suited for because of some problems he has had.  As a Three, Asher had difficulty remembering and pronouncing words, so that he confused "smack" and "snack." So, it was clear that Asher would not have been an effective instructor. 

Sadly, the Ceremony seems to be an opportunity for the Elders to point out the children's flaws quite publicly. Even though the Chief Elder ends by thanking Asher for his childhood, she has, in front of the entire community, commented extensively on his flaws. Some readers may see this as gentle teasing, but I have always thought this was rather cruel.  

It is clear that the children are watched closely and given assignments that reflect their abilities and sometimes perhaps even what they enjoy doing.  But I think it would be dreadful to be twelve years old and have my professional fate decided upon for me forever more. 

What is a character sketch of the Anarchist in the story "The Stolen Bacillus" by H. G. Wells?

The Anarchist is one of the main characters in Wells' story "The Stolen Bacillus." From Wells' characterization, we see that the Anarchist is a deceitful person. He uses deception to gain access to the laboratory, for example, by forging a "letter of introduction."

Secondly, the Anarchist is also very proud of himself and his achievements. This is evident after he steals the bacillus and is musing on his plan:

"No Anarchist had ever approached this...

The Anarchist is one of the main characters in Wells' story "The Stolen Bacillus." From Wells' characterization, we see that the Anarchist is a deceitful person. He uses deception to gain access to the laboratory, for example, by forging a "letter of introduction."

Secondly, the Anarchist is also very proud of himself and his achievements. This is evident after he steals the bacillus and is musing on his plan:

"No Anarchist had ever approached this conception of his."

Finally, the Anarchist is the sort of person who is concerned with his reputation and personal legacy. He compares himself to other anarchists, for instance, like "Ravachol" and "Vaillant," and thinks that this plan will bring him fame, something which he evidently desires:

"The world should hear of him at last."

Moreover, for the Anarchist, the plan to steal the bacillus is also about proving a point to other people who may have doubted him in the past. He alludes to this idea after fleeing the scene of the crime, and this also goes some way in explaining the Anarchist's motivation:

"He would teach them yet what it is to isolate a man."

What are some interesting facts in the book The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela?

Although this is a novel, Azuela, working as a medic, was an eye-witness to the Mexican revolution, so his work gives us a bird's-eye view of the times.

In the book, real historical characters make an appearance, such as Pancho Villa. Villa was a famous general in the revolutionary army and Azuela actually served under him. Another historical character, Francisco Modero, who was assassinated but had earlier overthrown the repressive former regime to become President...

Although this is a novel, Azuela, working as a medic, was an eye-witness to the Mexican revolution, so his work gives us a bird's-eye view of the times.

In the book, real historical characters make an appearance, such as Pancho Villa. Villa was a famous general in the revolutionary army and Azuela actually served under him. Another historical character, Francisco Modero, who was assassinated but had earlier overthrown the repressive former regime to become President of Mexico, is invoked. The reflections on Modero reveal some of the cynicism expressed by the common people, who felt that once they had helped Modero achieve power, they were turned on and told to go back to work, "half naked and hungry," just as they had been before.  

Most interestingly, the novel offers facts about the social history of Mexico in this time period. We witness the primitive conditions in which the peasants lived: in the opening scene we find a room lit by a tallow candle and a children lying on a bed, covered in rags.

We learn too that not only today are people concerned about a surveillance state. The passage below, where the policeman has his ear to the door, indicates that the same issue bothered people more than a century ago and gives us a colorful picture of what life was like in Mexico at that time:

I was born in Limon, close by Moyahua, right in the heart of the Juchipila canyon. I had my house and my cows and a patch of land, see: I had everything I wanted. Well, I suppose you know how we farmers make a habit of going over to town every week to hear Mass and the sermon and then to market to buy our onions and tomatoes and in general everything they want us to buy at the ranch. Then you pick up some friends and go to Primitivo Lopez' saloon for a bit of a drink before dinner; well, you sit there drinking and you've got to be sociable, so you drink more than you should and the liquor goes to your head and you laugh and you're damned happy and if you feel like it, you sing and shout and kick up a bit of a row. That's quite all right, anyhow, for we're not doing anyone any harm. But soon they start bothering you and the policeman walks up and down and stops occasionally, with his ear to the door. 

Towards the end of the novel, the modernity of the early twentieth century collides with the world of the peasants when government forces use machine guns to great effect: "They mowed us down like wheat,"  reports Solis. Finally, the novel is unflinching in its assessment of the failed dreams of the revolution.  As Solis says:

What a colossal failure we would make of it, friend, if we, who offer our enthusiasm and lives to crush a wretched tyrant, became the builders of a monstrous edifice holding one hundred or two hundred thousand monsters of exactly the same sort. People without ideals! A tyrant folk! Vain bloodshed!

In fact, the lower classes in Mexico remain poor to this day. 

What is something that used to be considered socially deviant but is now viewed as a social norm? What do you think accounts for its change in...

In the United States, at least, things that were once deviant but are now norms are not behaviors so much as they are attitudes. That is, I cannot think of anything we used to frown on people for doing but now actually expect them to do. For example, many in the United States used to frown on interracial marriage, but, while most Americans are accepting of interracial couples, they do not expect people to marry...

In the United States, at least, things that were once deviant but are now norms are not behaviors so much as they are attitudes. That is, I cannot think of anything we used to frown on people for doing but now actually expect them to do. For example, many in the United States used to frown on interracial marriage, but, while most Americans are accepting of interracial couples, they do not expect people to marry exclusively outside their race today. We previously disapproved strongly of homosexuality, but we do not expect all people to be homosexual today. Instead, what has changed is our attitudes about these things.

In the past, it was considered deviant to tolerate and accept various kinds of behaviors. Among these behaviors were such things as

• Racial integration and mixing


• Sex/ childbearing outside of wedlock


• Homosexuality


• Divorce

In the past, people were expected to disapprove strongly of these things. It would have seemed very odd for a person to express their support for any of these ideas in the 1850s.  Today, by contrast, many Americans disapprove of people who do not tolerate these behaviors. This is not to say that we wholeheartedly approve of all of them; many people think it is better for families to stay intact and for people to procreate only while married. It would seem deviant today, however, to shun someone for being divorced or because they had a child without getting married. Thus, tolerance for all of these things was once deviant but is now a norm.

I think that this has come about because our country is much richer than it was in the past. Most people do not have to worry about staving off starvation and homelessness, so they want things higher up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. They want their lives to be happy and fulfilled. They want to be able to do whatever they want. They want to be accepted as they are. In addition, because the United States is (for the most part/ comparatively) so rich, Americans do not need one another as much anymore. Americans can generally get by on their own without needing as much help from society. In addition, Americans have come more and more to live in places where they do not even know, let alone rely on, their neighbors. Because of these and other factors, many Americans have developed the attitude that their rights are the most important thing. Now that Americans believe their own rights are paramount, they think people are deviant if they disapprove of the choices someone makes or who that person is.

What is the mood, tone and purpose of the author in Langston Hughes' poem "Life Is Fine"?

Langston Hughes's poem "Life is Fine" focuses on the struggles of a man who is dealing with heartbreak. In this poem, the man contemplates suicide by both jumping into a river and then jumping from the roof of a tall building. However, by the end of the poem, the man declares, "Life is fine! / Fine as wine!"

There is a major tonal shift in the third to last stanza in this poem. The first...

Langston Hughes's poem "Life is Fine" focuses on the struggles of a man who is dealing with heartbreak. In this poem, the man contemplates suicide by both jumping into a river and then jumping from the roof of a tall building. However, by the end of the poem, the man declares, "Life is fine! / Fine as wine!"

There is a major tonal shift in the third to last stanza in this poem. The first six stanzas focus on the speaker's despair. In the third stanza, when he's standing at the top of a building, he says, "I thought about my baby / And thought I would jump down." In addition, the speaker proclaims, "But it was / High up there! / It was high!" However, in the third to last stanza, the speaker begins with a sense of resignation, "So since I'm still here livin' / I guess I will live on." He goes on to say that life can be difficult ("Though you may see me holler, / And you may see me cry—"), but he won't give up.

The simile in the final stanza, in which the speaker says, "Life is fine! / Fine as Wine! / Life is Fine!" demonstrates the author's purpose in writing this poem. Comparing life to wine shows that life gets better as people age. Yes, heartbreak hurts and there are tons of painful moments in life, but the older you become, the easier it is to deal with.

How does sociology help us to better understand how our own society functions?

Sociology helps us better understand how our own society functions by exploring people's and groups' application of principles that govern society's interactions in the areas of communication, social structures (such as the family), economics, decision making and choice, distribution of resources, power structure (including religion and law), distribution of wealth, and ownership of resources. Sociology brings to light how society can best function in conflicts over sharing resources, defining priorities, and reaching agreed-upon goals.

Communication...

Sociology helps us better understand how our own society functions by exploring people's and groups' application of principles that govern society's interactions in the areas of communication, social structures (such as the family), economics, decision making and choice, distribution of resources, power structure (including religion and law), distribution of wealth, and ownership of resources. Sociology brings to light how society can best function in conflicts over sharing resources, defining priorities, and reaching agreed-upon goals.

Communication lies at the heart of sociological exploration because communication disseminates facts and the reasons for them to people, feelings between people, and charismatic confidence to people. Communication breaks down in the face of the convincing charisma that overreaches the impact of facts and their reasons. Understanding which forms of communication are most effective in spreading facts and reasons (instead of charisma or other influences) is one way sociology helps us better understand how our own society functions.

Another way among many that sociology helps us better understand the function of our own society is through identifying where people and industry fail to demonstrate the essential principles of such social functions as economics and human behavior, as, for example, in the economic principle that price cannot be held below costs and, in human behavior, that groups tend to shift responsibility from themselves off on to someone else. 

[Drawn from Charles Goodeve, "How Society Works."]

How did Scrooge change as a result of his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Present?

Scrooge changed in a number of ways as a result of his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Present, mainly because of the tactics employed by the spirit.  The Ghost of Christmas Present relies heavily on shock value to get Scrooge to change.  For example, even before he "meets" the ghost, Scrooge is forced to take the first step in changing.  While the Ghost of Christmas Past appeared in Scrooge's room, coming to the old miser, Scrooge must get up out of bed and enter into another room of his home in order to make contact with the Ghost of Christmas Present.  The effort must be Scrooge's.  Upon entering the room, he is shocked by what he sees.  The walls are hung with garlands and mistletoe, a great feast is piled all around, and the fireplaces blazes warmer and brighter than it ever did when tended by Scrooge.  

The Ghost of Christmas Present also employs a specific tactic to help Scrooge change.  More than the other spirits, this ghost makes a habit of throwing Scrooge's own words back in his face.  After the ghost takes Scrooge to see the Cratchits, Scrooge inquires about Tiny Tim's future.  He asks if the child will be spared, to which the spirit replies "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population" (50).  These are the same words that Scrooge uttered to the men who came to his door in Stave One, asking for alms for the poor.  Upon hearing his own words coming back to him, "Scrooge hung his head" (50).  He is already beginning to understand the full import of his words and his worldview.

The spirit also takes Scrooge to a number of other scenes involving miners, a ship at sea, and two men in a solitary lighthouse.  Each of the scenes reveals people who, despite their experiencing harsh circumstances, are happy because they feel the true spirit of Christmas.  These scenes also help to show Scrooge what it is like "in the real world," and how it isn't money, but fellowship, that is the key to happiness and the meaning of life.  Even when taken to his nephew's house, and seeing Fred and his friends enjoying one another's company, Scrooge gets so caught up in the merriment that he wishes to be playing along with them.

Finally, Scrooge's experience with the two children under the cloak of the spirit help to shape him greatly.  The two children are referred to as Ignorance and Want, and their very appearance appalls Scrooge.  They are "meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility" (61).  They are the embodiment of the problems that come from Scrooge's callous, detached worldview.  Scrooge asks the spirit if the two children have no place to seek help for their condition, at which time the spirit again throws Scrooge's own words back in his face, asking "[a]re their no prisons?  [...] Are there no workhouses?" (61).  Even as they part, the spirit again reminds Scrooge of the problems with Scrooge's worldview, thus helping Scrooge to change by confronting who he has become.  

These are the very last words that the spirit speaks to Scrooge.  Before Scrooge can react to them, the bell strikes twelve and Scrooge is left alone.  However, with the disappearance of the Ghost of Christmas Present comes the shocking appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, "a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him" (62).  Even the final act of the Ghost of Christmas Present relies on shock value, and sets Scrooge up for the final stage in his change.

What is the best way to memorize Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"?

The best way to memorize a poem is to find key features of the poem's structure that create a pattern to you or stand out to you. These you will remember, so construct your memorization around them.

In Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," there are connections of ideas in each stanza; there is a chronological design: 

1. The speakers sees the two paths [roads] and looks down one of them


2. The speaker takes the other path because it was grassy and not worn, although they look essentially the same


3. He keeps the first "road" for another day


4. He will tell "this" with a sigh

Once you get these ideas in your mind--the main ideas--along with their pattern, you can memorize the first lines of each stanza thoroughly as they will "ignite" your memory of the ones that follow.

If you can easily learn songs, then committing to memory the meter of the poem and its rhyme is a good way to remember it. (Some students memorize the last words of each line, rather than the first.) Reading the poem aloud over and over will assist the "ear" to remember the lines.

-OR-
Since poems often progress through associative images, you can write down these images and look at the words as you begin to memorize. Sometimes when a student gets "stuck," these images will ignite the memory. Memorizing key phrases helps, also, as they act as connective tissue.

-OR-
Memorizing the first letter of each line, or the first word, helps to "jog" the memory sometimes. This is very helpful if students are asked to write the poem from memory, since they can quickly write those letters down, then fill in the poem from the beginning. Often that one letter will jog the memory.
________________________________________________

Read the poem aloud several times and practice, practice. Nothing is better than repetition. Hearing it helps, too. As the lines become more familiar to you, say them without looking at the page. Then, see if you can write it without looking at anything.

Two dice are thrown. what is the probability that the sum of dots is 4 or 6?

Assuming that the two dice are thrown together (and thus the "order" that the dice are thrown/land don't matter), there are 21 total pairs of dice values that can occur. They are as follows:

`{(1,1),(1,2),(1,3),(1,4),(1,5),(1,6),(2,2),(2,3),(2,4),(2,5),(2,6),(3,3),(3,4),(3,5),(3,6),(4,4),(4,5),(4,6),(5,5),(5,6),(6,6)}`

We must now find how many of these pairs sum to 4 or 6. These are:

`{(1,3),(2,2),(1,5),(2,4),(3,3)}`

So the probability of rolling a sum of 4 or 6 is `5/21`

` `

What is the role of data processing in business organizations? What sort of structures are involved with managing and controlling data...

Data processing is central to both day-to-day operations and long term strategic planning for most businesses. Data processing is integrated into every aspect of most businesses from accounting to marketing and from internal communications to manufacturing process control. Big data can be used to find strategic business opportunities and monitor consumer and business trends that might impact different aspects of a company's inputs, valuation, or products. Because data processing is a mission critical function, it...

Data processing is central to both day-to-day operations and long term strategic planning for most businesses. Data processing is integrated into every aspect of most businesses from accounting to marketing and from internal communications to manufacturing process control. Big data can be used to find strategic business opportunities and monitor consumer and business trends that might impact different aspects of a company's inputs, valuation, or products. Because data processing is a mission critical function, it is crucial for it to be within the purview of executives rather than just technical experts.

Some companies have a Chief Information Officer or CIO, an executive in charge of data and data processing on a company wide level. In other companies, data processing may fall under a COO or other member of the executive team.

There are two different philosophies of management of data processing. The first, common in both the mainframe era and in modern cloud computing, emphasizes centralized control of data and modes of accessing data so that information can be seamlessly available across a corporation. This approach often emphasizes standardization of software, hardware, and data formats and has the advantages of interoperability, information sharing, ease of maintenance, and information security.

On the other hand, centralized decisions are often inflexible, forcing teams or projects to use methods or systems not ideally configured for their projects. Also, centralized systems often are slower to adapt to new technology than small teams. Thus some corporations allow some degree of distributed decision making and data management and processing at a team or division level. 

What are some essay topics in relation to the themes of gender and power in Shakespeare's Macbeth?

Gender and power are closely tied in Macbeth, and they can be examined from a variety of perspectives.

At the most superficial level, we can examine who has "power" and who does not. Arguably, the most powerful character is Macbeth, a man, yet he gained his power (being king) from the prophecies of the witches and the encouragement of his wife. While Macbeth ostensibly occupies the power in a "manly" fashion (murder), we might question...

Gender and power are closely tied in Macbeth, and they can be examined from a variety of perspectives.

At the most superficial level, we can examine who has "power" and who does not. Arguably, the most powerful character is Macbeth, a man, yet he gained his power (being king) from the prophecies of the witches and the encouragement of his wife. While Macbeth ostensibly occupies the power in a "manly" fashion (murder), we might question whether he was actually installed there by female power, as a puppet ruler, beholden to female provocations. Perhaps Macbeth holds the traditional male power because he has to (the role being a male one), and because it is politically expedient for him to do so, and because those who manipulate him seek to use that power for their own gain. This also lends further significance to Macduff's birth by cesarian section; Macbeth is defeated by someone who is "not of woman born", perhaps implying that "true" male power, or at least, a lack of female genesis, was the only way to defeat the largely "female" force that put Macbeth into power.

We should also examine how carefully Shakespeare constructs the idea of being female, as opposed to the reality of it. There are numerous occasions where the female nature is directly addressed in stereotypical terms;

O gentle lady, 'tis not for you to hear what I can speak: The repetition, in a woman's ear, would murder as it fell.

This implies that the nature of women is fragile. Yet on multiple occasions, and especially in private, Lady Macbeth depicts herself in far more brutal terms, in contrast to and especially in contradiction to the aforementioned stereotypes;

I would, while it was smiling in my face,

Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums

And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you

Have done to this.

Lady Macbeth is not only defying the expectations of her gender, but using them to enhance her argument. By painting herself as a violent monster, or acting as if she wishes she were one, she simultaneously reveals the depths of her craving for power (being so willing as to defy societal expectation and her own feelings) as well as bringing tension and immediacy to her arguments with Macbeth; he must commit the murders because she cannot.

Finally, we can look at these roles from outside of the play itself; how did the realities of Shakespeare's time affect his writing, and how are our modern sensibilities affecting our interpretations of his work? Consider the lack of female actors, for example, and the fact that it was men portraying women as a matter of course during that time period. Today this might be attacked as an implication that women are incapable of performance art, whereas at the time it may have simply been a practical matter, and one as socially acceptable as we consider it unacceptable today. To this point, we can analyze gender and power in the play on what we might call a spectrum of intent; if we are upset by the fact that Lady Macbeth was played by a man, why does this upset us, and how does the play reflect and contradict our current ideas of gender and power?

What is a summary of the book Bogeyman: He Was Every Parent's Nightmare by Steve Jackson?

"Bogeyman: He Was Every Parent's Nightmare" by Steve Jackson describes Texas law enforcement's attempts to find and persecute serial child murderer David Elliot Penton. Penton frequented low-income and majority non-white neighborhoods to find young girls to rape and murder, believing that law enforcement would be less likely to pursue justice for those children. He kidnapped children by pulling them into his car in broad daylight, or by sneaking into their homes at night to take...

"Bogeyman: He Was Every Parent's Nightmare" by Steve Jackson describes Texas law enforcement's attempts to find and persecute serial child murderer David Elliot Penton. Penton frequented low-income and majority non-white neighborhoods to find young girls to rape and murder, believing that law enforcement would be less likely to pursue justice for those children. He kidnapped children by pulling them into his car in broad daylight, or by sneaking into their homes at night to take them from their beds. The kidnappings began in 1985, and ended up as cold cases for over a decade.

In 1996, police detective Gary Sweet along with a team of officers began working on the cases again, determined to find the murderer. It took several more years before the police team was able to find enough evidence to indict Penton, but in 2003 they found him imprisoned for the murder of a young girl in Ohio and pressed charges against him for three other murders. Penton pleaded guilty in 2005 to the murder of the three young girls and was sentenced to life in prison.

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, do you think the characterization of Gertrude and Ophelia as passive and dependent on men is accurate?

I do think the characterization of Gertrude and Ophelia as passive and dependent on the men in their lives is accurate.  Gertrude is so dependent on men that she cannot bear to be alone even for two months after the death of her first husband, and she quickly remarries a man she later comes to see as quite inferior to old King Hamlet.  However, she only arrives at this conclusion as a result of being...

I do think the characterization of Gertrude and Ophelia as passive and dependent on the men in their lives is accurate.  Gertrude is so dependent on men that she cannot bear to be alone even for two months after the death of her first husband, and she quickly remarries a man she later comes to see as quite inferior to old King Hamlet.  However, she only arrives at this conclusion as a result of being scolded by her son, Hamlet.  After they speak, she agrees to act according to his instructions rather than her new husband's, King Claudius's.  She seems to need to be constantly led, and she really displays little to no independence until the very end, ironically, when she disobeys her husband and drinks the poisoned wine that kills her.  So much for independence.

Ophelia, likewise, is in love with Hamlet and believes him to be in love with her, but she takes the counsel of her father and brother and breaks off their relationship.  She follows her father's orders until Hamlet finally kills him, and then she goes mad and is unable to keep herself alive in the absence of a man to direct her.  Both Gertrude and Ophelia seem to simply exist as ill-fated players in others' plots, casualties of the schemes of the men around them.

Is a multi-party system a mockery of democracy?

As with most questions, this one can be answered in many ways.  Let us look at arguments for and against the idea that a multi-party system is a mockery of democracy.

The most logical argument for this idea is that multi-party systems give too much power to small minorities of the populace. In a system that has many parties, is relatively easy to have a situation in which no major party wins a majority of...

As with most questions, this one can be answered in many ways.  Let us look at arguments for and against the idea that a multi-party system is a mockery of democracy.

The most logical argument for this idea is that multi-party systems give too much power to small minorities of the populace. In a system that has many parties, is relatively easy to have a situation in which no major party wins a majority of the seats in the legislature.  At that point, the larger parties have to start building coalitions to attract the support of the smaller parties.  Often, the larger parties have to give up significant concessions in order to get support from the smaller parties.  The smaller parties, with very little support in the populace, can hold up the agendas of the larger parties that have much more support.  As the links below show us, some in Australia feel that this is a problem with their system.  We can argue that it is a mockery of democracy when a small percentage of the people can (through their representative) thwart the will of a much larger percentage.

On the other hand, we can certainly argue that a multi-party system is even more democratic than a two-party system.  In a two-party system, voters have only two choices.  When they choose one of the parties, they often have to choose a party which does not agree with them on many issues.  For example, in the United States, a person who wanted both abortion rights and less government regulation of the economy would not feel comfortable in either the Democratic or Republican party today.   In a multi-party system, it is much more likely that a voter can find a party that agrees with his or her beliefs much more completely.  This gives voters a better chance to make their voices heard, which makes this system anything but a mockery of democracy.

Which of these arguments makes more sense to you?

In "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," who is coming over Jordan to carry the speaker home?

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual, a song written in a distinctive style combining Christianity with the slave experience. Spirituals are influenced by African musical traditions. While spirituals were originally monodic (all singers sang a single melody in unison), they have evolved to include intricate choral harmonies. 

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" may actually have been written by Wallis Willis, a member of the Choctaw tribe. It was popularized by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk...

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an African-American spiritual, a song written in a distinctive style combining Christianity with the slave experience. Spirituals are influenced by African musical traditions. While spirituals were originally monodic (all singers sang a single melody in unison), they have evolved to include intricate choral harmonies. 

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" may actually have been written by Wallis Willis, a member of the Choctaw tribe. It was popularized by the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University and became increasingly popular in the 1960s as part of a folk and protest song movement. 

The song is narrated in the first person and takes the form of direct address, with the speaker asking the "chariot" to swing low and "carry me home." The home in question is Heaven. Specifically, the speaker states:

I looked over Jordan, and what did I see...

A band of angels coming after me,

The angels are crossing the Jordan River to take the speaker home.

What does "trodden black" suggest in Frost's "The Road Not Taken"?

The speaker is walking in what he describes as "a yellow wood." This means it is fall and the leaves on the deciduous trees have all turned yellow. The leaves on both roads are still partly yellow but partly brown from being trodden on by walkers. Since it is still morning, the leaves have yet to turn completely black from the dirt left by passing feet.

The two diverging roads and the trees all adorned...

The speaker is walking in what he describes as "a yellow wood." This means it is fall and the leaves on the deciduous trees have all turned yellow. The leaves on both roads are still partly yellow but partly brown from being trodden on by walkers. Since it is still morning, the leaves have yet to turn completely black from the dirt left by passing feet.

The two diverging roads and the trees all adorned with yellow leaves are part of a metaphor. The speaker is evidently trying to make an important decision about where he will go in life. The fact that the yellow leaves have not yet turned black suggests the speaker still has time to make his important decision. Still, time is of the essence.

What is the turning point in The Story of My Life?

The turning point of The Story of My Life by Helen Keller occurs in Chapter IV, when Anne Sullivan, Keller's teacher, arrives at her house in Alabama. Keller writes:

"The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me. I am filled with wonder when I consider the immeasurable contrasts between the two lives which it connects."

Before Sullivan arrives, Keller, who...

The turning point of The Story of My Life by Helen Keller occurs in Chapter IV, when Anne Sullivan, Keller's teacher, arrives at her house in Alabama. Keller writes:

"The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me. I am filled with wonder when I consider the immeasurable contrasts between the two lives which it connects."

Before Sullivan arrives, Keller, who is struck with an illness as an infant that leaves her blind and deaf, struggles to express herself. She becomes frustrated and often has outbursts of temper, but there are no teachers near her house in Alabama who can help her.

After her parents are connected with the Perkins Institute, a school for the blind in Boston, they arrange for Sullivan to come to work with Keller. Sullivan is a wonderful teacher who uses Keller's interests to teach her to communicate using sign language and to read. Sullivan is the key to Keller's education, which later enables Keller to become a well-known author and activist. 

In Disgrace, how is Petrus given power?

Petrus is a neighbor of Lucy's who is already financially successful at the start of Disgrace. This success is indicated by the amount of land he owns, the amount of livestock he owns, and the number of wives he has.

Petrus' power increases significantly after men come and harm David and sexually assault Lucy. After this incident, Lucy is deeply affected by fear, which prevents her from working her land as effectively as she...

Petrus is a neighbor of Lucy's who is already financially successful at the start of Disgrace. This success is indicated by the amount of land he owns, the amount of livestock he owns, and the number of wives he has.

Petrus' power increases significantly after men come and harm David and sexually assault Lucy. After this incident, Lucy is deeply affected by fear, which prevents her from working her land as effectively as she could. Her fear is exacerbated by the fact that she discovers one of Petrus' cousins was involved in her assault.

As Lucy's power diminishes, Petrus' power grows. He uses her fear to start to take control of her and her land. He starts working the land for her and proposes marriage to her in order to gain further control of her land. When we are first introduced to Lucy, it seems her character would not have agreed to such an offer. However, after the assault, Lucy is so affected that she considers the possibility that marrying Petrus and allowing him to take care of the land would benefit her in that it would provide her with protection.

Therefore, Petrus is given power by Lucy because of her fear and the traumatic effects resulting from her assault.

How can the characters of Bluntschli and Sergius be compared?

In this 1894 play that skewers glorifying warfare and making heroes of soldiers, Captain Bluntschli is the practical realist who sets the action in motion by deserting from the army and hiding in Raina's bedroom after he climbs her balcony. He puts chocolates rather than bullets in his gun belt and attempts to disillusion Raina about the romance of the battlefield.

Major Sergius Saranoff, on the other hand, harbors deeply romantic and unrealistic ideas...

In this 1894 play that skewers glorifying warfare and making heroes of soldiers, Captain Bluntschli is the practical realist who sets the action in motion by deserting from the army and hiding in Raina's bedroom after he climbs her balcony. He puts chocolates rather than bullets in his gun belt and attempts to disillusion Raina about the romance of the battlefield.

Major Sergius Saranoff, on the other hand, harbors deeply romantic and unrealistic ideas about war and love. He plays the part of the dashing and heroic officer, but in fact, he is incompetent on the battlefield. He wants to believe he is in love with Raina, but in fact he falls in love with her ambitious maid, Louka. He has to come to terms with the disjunct between his romantic ideals and the reality of who he is.

While Bluntschli and Saranoff in some ways represent polar opposites, the hard-headed realist versus the hypocritical romantic, both move toward the center, striking a balance between realism and idealism. As both accept who they really are, each pairs up with the right woman. 

In "The Most Dangerous Game," what is meant by "He lived a year in a minute"?

The reader is expected to understand that a man who is under great emotional stress is likely to have a different subjective sense of time than what is "normal." Ambrose Bierce demonstrated this phenomenon in his story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." Everything that seems to happen to Peyton Farquhar from the time he falls from the bridge until he almost succeeds to grasping his wife in his arms at their plantation actually occurs in a matter of two or three seconds. The story is built on the strong contrast between real time and subjective time under an extremely stressful situation. Both stories, "The Most Dangerous Game" and "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" raise the question "What is time?" One physicist has said that time is what keeps everything from happening at once.

In John Le Carre's excellent novel Smiley's People, the last in the "Karla trilogy," the author plays with the subjectivity of time. In Chapter 2, Villem is picking up a yellow package of photographs aboard a steamer in Hamburg. He imagines that all the other passengers suspect him of being a terrorist. He keeps glancing at his wristwatch and finding that the seconds hand hardly seems to be moving.

The timing hand on his watch flickered past the six. The next time it reaches six, you move....When he got excited--he knew--he lost all sense of time completely. He was afraid the seconds hand would race through a double circuit before he had realised, turning one minute into two....He looked at his watch. The seconds hand was standing at ten. It's stopped! Fifteen seconds since I last looked--that simply is not possible!

The fact that time is not reliable for Sanger Rainsford is just one indication of the stress and anxiety he is experiencing as a result of being placed in a nightmare situation. He is trying his best to keep control of his nerves. Yet his own mind is working against him, making his predicament even worse. General Zaroff understands the mental anguish and disassociation his prey must be experiencing, which makes the "game" more enjoyable for the sadistic manhunter. 

How were white people dealing with Native Americans at the end of the Indian wars as opposed to at the beginning, as told in Bury my Heart at...

Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown starts off by looking at the Indian wars of the East that took place before 1850.  Many of those looked like open wars of extermination and subjugation.  He also talks about Andrew Jackson's Indian policy of creating an Indian territory.  The army was in charge of protecting white rights above native rights.  Contrast this with the end of the book, the Wounded Knee Massacre.  The governmental...

Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown starts off by looking at the Indian wars of the East that took place before 1850.  Many of those looked like open wars of extermination and subjugation.  He also talks about Andrew Jackson's Indian policy of creating an Indian territory.  The army was in charge of protecting white rights above native rights.  Contrast this with the end of the book, the Wounded Knee Massacre.  The governmental bureaucracy took a more active role with the Department of Indian Affairs.  There was no an attempt to "pacify" the natives and drive them onto the reservations by destroying their way of life, mainly the pursuit of the buffalo across the open plains.  The goal was to assimilate the natives the best way the government knew how--to turn them into farmers.  It was only when the natives started acting in non-white ways on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations with the Ghost Dance did the massacre take place.  To Brown, the attitude of whites turned from conqueror of the wilderness to a more paternalistic, high-handed view that they alone knew what was best for the Native Americans.  

In Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare, what advice does Antonio give to Leonato?

If you are referring to Antonio's advice to Leonato in Act 5, Scene 1, Antonio advises Leonato to be patient and to make sure that the ones who have offended him suffer too.

Act 5, Scene 1 begins with Antonio telling Leonato to calm down. Basically, Leonato is in a state of extreme grief, and he is traumatized by questions surrounding Hero's chastity. So, Leonato is in no mood to listen to Antonio's advice. He...

If you are referring to Antonio's advice to Leonato in Act 5, Scene 1, Antonio advises Leonato to be patient and to make sure that the ones who have offended him suffer too.

Act 5, Scene 1 begins with Antonio telling Leonato to calm down. Basically, Leonato is in a state of extreme grief, and he is traumatized by questions surrounding Hero's chastity. So, Leonato is in no mood to listen to Antonio's advice. He tells Antonio to "cease" his "counsel," essentially stating that the only one who can comfort him will be someone who has gone through the exact same thing he has.

Leonato challenges Antonio to find him a father who can "Measure his woe the length and breadth" of his and "let it answer every strain for strain." He says that, if Antonio can find such a man, he will indeed listen to him and be patient. Since there is no such man, Leonato tells Antonio to cease with his advice. Leonato also asserts that most people think it is their duty to "speak patience / To those that wring under the load of sorrow," but he would rather do without such advice.

Antonio tells Leonato that he's no different from a child, and Leonato begs him to leave him alone. Then, Antonio gives Leonato a piece of advice that he agrees with: He tells Leonato not to suffer alone. Instead, he must make those who have hurt him suffer as well. Upon hearing this, Leonato asserts that Antonio " speak’st reason" and that he will make sure everyone who played a part in dishonoring Hero knows how she has been falsely accused.

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, how does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Maycomb's social life?

In Chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra moves in with the Finch family and fits perfectly into the community of Maycomb. Scout comments that the ladies of Maycomb welcomed Alexandra with open arms, and she earned a reputation as an excellent hostess for her Missionary Society. Scout mentions that Aunt Alexandra served the refreshments and delicacies on her own, which implies that Alexandra took her social events very seriously. In addition to her church-related activities, Alexandra also...

In Chapter 13, Aunt Alexandra moves in with the Finch family and fits perfectly into the community of Maycomb. Scout comments that the ladies of Maycomb welcomed Alexandra with open arms, and she earned a reputation as an excellent hostess for her Missionary Society. Scout mentions that Aunt Alexandra served the refreshments and delicacies on her own, which implies that Alexandra took her social events very seriously. In addition to her church-related activities, Alexandra also became the Secretary of the Maycomb Amanuensis Club. Aunt Alexandra assimilates well into Maycomb by confidently socializing with the other ladies on Sunday afternoons. Aunt Alexandra freely shares her advice and judgments about various members and families in Maycomb County. Because of her refined personality and exceptional manners, Alexandra becomes very popular throughout the community.

Who gets their name in the news in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan?

Percy's name is in the news after the episode with Echidna at the St. Louis arch.  He ends up in a huge fight with the mother of monsters and her Chimaera (initially, a chihuahua), and jumps from the top of the arch into the Mississippi river to escape them.  After Percy emerges from the river, he and his friends walk past a news reporter and hear Percy's name mentioned.  The reporter says, "'Channel Twelve has...

Percy's name is in the news after the episode with Echidna at the St. Louis arch.  He ends up in a huge fight with the mother of monsters and her Chimaera (initially, a chihuahua), and jumps from the top of the arch into the Mississippi river to escape them.  After Percy emerges from the river, he and his friends walk past a news reporter and hear Percy's name mentioned.  The reporter says, "'Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago.'"  The reporter comes to the conclusion, then, that Percy is traveling west (since St. Louis is west of New Jersey), which he is.  Percy's name had also been in the news because of Gabe, his step-father.  When he and his mom never returned from Montauk and then Gabe's precious car was found totally trashed, Gabe told the news that Percy was a disturbed child and accused him of some kind of vague foul play.  In the end, he's exonerated in the news after the big showdown with Ares.

From 1781 to 1789, did the Articles of Confederation provide the United States with an effective government?

I would say the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with a government that was effective enough to keep the country functioning in the short term, but not one that was effective enough to last in the long term.

In the time from 1781 to 1789, it was not clear that the United States would be able to stay together.  The country was made up of thirteen different states that did not necessarily feel...

I would say the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with a government that was effective enough to keep the country functioning in the short term, but not one that was effective enough to last in the long term.

In the time from 1781 to 1789, it was not clear that the United States would be able to stay together.  The country was made up of thirteen different states that did not necessarily feel as if they were connected to one another.  The Articles of Confederation created a government that the various states could accept.  This kept the country together, which was very important.

In addition, the government was effective enough to take care of at least one important issue.  It was able to bring about a consensus on the issue of the Northwest Territory.  The various states were in conflict with one another as to who should control this area.  The government was effective enough to create the Northwest Ordinance, which settled the issue of the territory and allowed the states to stay together.

However, the government that the Articles created was not effective in the long term.  The Articles created a national government that was too weak to keep the country united.  The Articles allowed the various states to do things like engaging in trade wars against one another.  The Articles did not give the national government enough power to require the states to do anything, including basic things like funding a military.  Because the Articles did not do these things, they created a country that was not strong enough to last in the long term.  The Articles created a government that was effective enough in the short term, but not effective for the long term.