In the quote "My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbrac’d No hat upon his head, his stockings foul’d Ungarter’d and down-gyved to his ankle, Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other, And if he had been loosed out of hell To speaks of horrors, he comes before me," who is speaking? Who are they speaking to? What is the context of the quote? What is the significance of the speech?

This incident occurs in act 2, scene 1. Ophelia is speaking. She informs her father, Polonius, that she was frightened by Hamlet when he suddenly entered her room in a disheveled condition. She expresses concern about Hamlet's seemingly strange behavior. The manner in which he looked at her was very disconcerting, and he sighed in a piteous and profound way. He then left the room while continuously staring at her, without seeing where he was going.
Ophelia's speech is significant because it reflects Hamlet's decision to "put an antic disposition on." He had told Horatio at the end of act 1, scene 5, that he would adopt this attitude so that others may think him mad. The reason for this would be to confuse all and sundry about his true mental disposition so that they would not realize that he is plotting to avenge his father's murder at the hands of his uncle, Claudius, who has married his mother and is now king.
Hamlet learned about this when confronted by his father's ghost in act 1, scene 5. The spirit told him Claudius had poured poison into his ear while he was asleep in the garden. He beseeched Hamlet to avenge his murder but that he should not harm his mother.
Polonius believes that Hamlet's actions are a symptom of his infatuation with Ophelia, and he tells her that they should inform Claudius about Hamlet's strange behavior. This decision would lead to their spying on Hamlet and ultimately result in Polonius's untimely death.

Ophelia is speaking in this passage, which occurs in Act II, scene 1. She is speaking to her father, Polonius.
Although it is unclear to Ophelia what is going on or why Hamlet is so upset when he bursts in on her, we as an audience know the context: Hamlet has just seen and spoken to the ghost of his dead father. The ghost has informed Hamlet that he was murdered by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. That is why Hamlet comes in with his clothes loosened and in a disarray
However, when Polonius asks her if Hamlet is "mad" for her love, Ophelia says she fears that it might be so. She also tells Polonius that Hamlet held her wrist and stared at her for a long time.
This speech is significant because, based in it, Polonius misinterprets Hamlet's actions as lovesickness for Ophelia. Polonius will go on to inform Claudius, who is worried, that Hamlet is behaving oddly because he is in love with Ophelia.

Why did the poet get more fascinated with the second road than the first one in "The Road Not Taken"?

The poem's speaker is walking in the woods when he comes to a fork in the road. He looks each way, thinking for a long time about which path he should take. Finally, he picks the one that was "grassy and wanted wear."
In other words, he picks the road that has more grass on it and is less worn down with human footsteps. It is the road that fewer people have walked on, and this aspect of it attracts him. He prefers to go where not so many people have been.
He says at the end of the poem that he took the road "less travelled" and states that this choice has made all the difference to him.
The poem's fork in the road is often taken as a symbol for a place in our lives where we have to make a decision. This speaker made a less conventional decision and is happy he did so.

Which characters in the story "Miss Esther's Guest" by Sarah Orne Jewett are round or flat, dynamic or static?

There are only three characters in Sarah Orne Jewett's short story "Miss Esther's Guest," and they are the protagonist Miss Esther Porley, the minister's wife Mrs. Wayton, and the guest Mr. Rill.
Miss Esther is a dynamic character whose characterization is quite round. Old-fashioned, genteel, kindly and rather nervous, Miss Esther is an "old maid" who lived with her mother until the latter's death some three years prior to the setting of the story. At sixty-four, Miss Esther has never lived with anyone other than her mother, and taking in a guest represents a major change to her routine. As she says to Mrs. Wayton:

"I've thought and flustered a sight over taking this step [...] I had to conquer a sight o' reluctance, I must say. I've got so used to livin' by myself that I sha'n't know how to consider another. "

Miss Esther has been very lonely since her mother's death, though, and is determined to try and remedy that loneliness. She signs up with her parish to be a hostess for the "Country Week" scheme, which sends working-class city-dwellers into the countryside for brief holidays. Miss Esther misses her mother badly, and recalls to Mrs. Wayton that her mother used to love having company in the house:

"Mother never was one to get flustered same 's I do 'bout everything. She was a lovely cook, and she'd fill 'em up an' cheer 'em, and git 'em off early as she could, an' then we'd be kind o' waked up an' spirited ourselves, and would set up late sewin' and talkin' the company over [...] I make such a towse over everything myself, but mother was waked right up and felt pleased an' smart, if anything unexpected happened. I miss her more every year[.]"

Miss Esther wants to bring some life back into her house, but she is also anxious about letting a stranger into her home. She tries to compromise by requesting that the guest be an elderly woman, similar to her late mother, so that her life will not feel too disrupted. She paints this as being considerate of the comfort of her guest:

"I should know how to do for a woman that's getting well along in years, an' has come to feel kind o' spent. P'raps we ain't no right to pick an' choose, but I should know best how to make that sort comfortable on 'count of doin' for mother and studying what she preferred."

This request is however for Miss Esther's own comfort. When the Committee for the Country Week sends a man instead of a woman, Miss Esther's plans are thrown into momentary disarray, and her anxiety spikes:

She thought of the rye short-cakes for supper and all that she had done to make her small home pleasant, and her fire of excitement suddenly fell into ashes.
"[...] I expected an old lady," she managed to say, and [she and Mr. Rill] both stopped and looked at each other with apprehension.

After a tense moment, Miss Esther surprises herself by accepting the unexpected turn of events and deciding to make Mr. Rill welcome in her home. This is a leap of faith for Miss Esther, a nervous person who admits that she finds change difficult. It works out beautifully, however, as she and Mr. Rill discover that they like each other very much. The guest Miss Esther so feared to take in ends up asking her to marry him, and the story ends with Miss Esther confiding to Mrs. Wayton that Mr. Rill is arranging to move to the village permanently. The "pleading old face" Miss Esther had the beginning of the story is now "quite coy and girlish" and she is full of happy anticipation of the new things to come.
Mrs. Wayton, by contrast to Miss Esther, is a very flat and static character. She does not grow and change over the course of the story, and serves mainly as a a friendly ear for Miss Esther's thoughts. She is described as " a pleasant young woman with a smiling, eager face," who listens to Miss Esther's worries about the twin fears of loneliness and change, and enables Miss Esther to sign up for the Country Week scheme as a hostess. Miss Esther confides in her at the end of the story that she and Mr. Rill have developed feelings for one another, and Mrs. Wayton expresses her happiness for them both. Apart from these short conversations, however, she does not appear in or influence the story.
Mr. Rill is less developed as a character than Miss Esther, but can also fairly be said to be dynamic and round, as he, like Miss Esther, changes over the course of the story. He is very similar to Miss Esther in a few ways, being a well-mannered, rather reserved gentleman who has never married and lives alone. Like Miss Esther, Mr. Rill is lonely, but he has resisted suggestions from his friends about changing his life:

There had been occasional propositions that he should leave his garret altogether and go to the country to live, or at least to the suburbs of the city [...] But so long as he was expected to take an interest in the unseen and unknown he failed to accede to any plans about the country home, and declared that he was well enough in his high abode.

His friends finally prevail upon Mr. Rill to take a short vacation with the Country Week scheme, because as Jewett notes:

He had lost a sister a few years before who had been his mainstay [...] he was very lonely and was growing anxious[.]

Mr. Rill is just as apprehensive about this change to his routine as his hostess, Miss Esther, is about the change to hers. They are both determined to make the best of the situation, but they are also both thrown when they meet each other—Miss Esther did not expect a male guest, and Mr. Rill did not realize that he was an unwelcome surprise to his hostess, thinking she had been informed about him. Mr. Rill is willing to stay somewhere else to avoid causing problems for Miss Esther, and for a moment, both characters look about to retreat back into their lonely little worlds:

"I do declare!" faltered the old seal-cutter anxiously. "What had I better do, ma'am? They most certain give me your name. May be you could recommend me somewheres else, an' I can get home to-morrow if 't ain't convenient."

Miss Esther decides to take the surprise in her stride, however, and she and Mr. Rill get along wonderfully. By the end of the story, Mr. Rill has decided to make arrangements to move to the countryside, uprooting himself from his old life in order to start a new one with Miss Esther. As a token of the change in his outlook, he leaves his pet finch with Miss Esther when he leaves her to go make his arrangements. The bird is symbolic of the new presence in Miss Esther's life, and of Mr. Rill's intention to come back to Daleham to stay.
https://www.britannica.com/art/flat-character

https://www.britannica.com/art/round-character

Why did Canada accept British rule while the United States did not?

The Quebec Act of 1774 is one of the primary reasons Canada accepted British rule, while the American colonies did not. This act essentially granted religious freedom to the Catholic majority in Canada and extended the province as far south as the Ohio River. In a sense, this placated the Canadians, who decided to deal with the British as opposed to backing the far-fetched ideas of the American revolutionaries.
America, on the other hand, vehemently opposed this Intolerable Act. The Quebec Act was seen as an attack on America's religious freedom, as they were not primarily Catholic. Moreover, the geographic size increase of Quebec and the province's new system of British government brought great fear to the American colonists. The new government of Quebec would outlaw legislative elections and required an appointed royal governor, and this was at the heart of what the entire revolution was about in America.
https://m.landofthebrave.info/quebec-act.htm

How would you compare Mark Twain's description of his boyhood home and the cave in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to what they look like in real life? Was Twain accurate in describing the settings, and how?

While Tom Sawyer’s hometown of St. Petersburg is fictional, many elements of Mark Twain’s childhood in Hannibal, Missouri, were incorporated into the story. Note that Mark Twain is a pen name, and the author’s given name was Samuel Clemens. The Clemens’ family home was constructed in 1843 or 1844, and the Tom Sawyer is set in the 1840s. Samuel Clemens lived in a two-story frame house, and there is historical photographic evidence of him standing in front of his childhood home. The photograph indicates the house was painted white or beige and had shutters. Tom Sawyer's house is a one-story Acadian-style home with green shutters, and it has a porch (which the Clemens family home lacks); in the novel, Tom hides under the floorboards of the porch in order to avoid chores given to him by Aunt Polly.
Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens based the cave in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer on a real cave located South of Hannibal, Missouri. Before the novel's publication, it was called McDowell’s Cave and was owned by Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell, who studied corpse decomposition and stored bodies in the temperate cave. McDowell was a larger-than-life medical professional in Twain’s hometown and likely inspired the graveyard scene and the character of Dr. Robinson, who hires Injun Joe and Muff Porter to dig up a body. In his Autobiography, Mark Twain describes how children would explore the cave and tell ghost stories around the body of McDowell’s daughter, which was suspended within a copper tube filled with alcohol; this provides an undoubtedly interesting and macabre backstory to the novel. Chapter 29 describes McDougal’s Cave:

Walled by Nature with solid limestone that was dewy with a cold sweat. It was romantic and mysterious to stand here in the deep gloom and look out upon the green valley shining in the sun . . . McDougal's cave was but a vast labyrinth of crooked aisles that ran into each other and out again and led nowhere. It was said that one might wander days and nights together through its intricate tangle of rifts and chasms, and never find the end of the cave . . . No man "knew" the cave. That was an impossible thing. Most of the young men knew a portion of it, and it was not customary to venture much beyond this known portion.

The cave that inspired this setting in the novel is similarly located within a hillside and made of limestone. It also contains the same narrow and winding passages as described in the book. The narrator’s perspective in which Twain describes the mysterious cave can be viewed as reminiscent of Clemens’ own childhood impressions of McDowell’s cave.

How do the settings in Wuthering Heights reflect elements of the Gothic genre in literature? Focus your analysis on a particular scene, using specific passage(s) from the novel.

When studying Gothic literature, one of the key elements to look at regarding setting is the buildings. Gothic literature has an architectural focus, so creepy houses, set apart from villages and society, with elements that suggest a darker history are typical.
The description of Wuthering Heights suggests such a place. It seems inhospitable to human comfort. It is roughly decorated, seemingly ancient, with inharmonious arrangement of light and furniture. Thrushcross Grange, on the other hand, seems contemporary, with efforts at refinement and culture.
Another element in Gothic literature concerns liminality, or in-betweenness. Bronte uses the motif of windows in the novel, and Wuthering Heights particularly is mentioned in terms of its windows. Lockwood is drawn to the window at the beginning where he sees the ghost of Catherine (ghosts occupying a liminal space between life and death). The bed is described in terms of its window-like features and seems unsettling in its decoration.
The Moors are also valuable to British writers of the Gothic period. They have a sublime beauty that is also fearsome in the power of Nature to sweep across them. Catherine and Heathcliff are drawn to these desolate places as though their own untamed nature belongs in this wilderness.

Prove whether or not you believe Hamlet loves Ophelia, or if she is merely a pawn in his lies and nothing else. If he loves her, why does he treat her the way he does? If not, what does his treatment of her say about him, morally? Do you believe he regrets his actions toward her, or that he is too far gone to recognize the inhumanity of how he treats her? To what extent do you blame him for his treatment of her, and to what extent do you blame other outside forces? Lastly, why do you believe this relationship is important for understanding Hamlet as a tragic protagonist? How would his life have been different if he had embraced Ophelia?

The discussion of whether Hamlet truly loved Ophelia is a timeless and complicated question. Love is never as simple and straightforward as we see in modern romantic movies when it comes to Shakespeare, and this intrigue is what adds to suspense and captivation of the tale between Ophelia and Hamlet.
In my opinion, Hamlet loves Ophelia, but the circumstances of Hamlet’s life when his father is murdered makes his love for her difficult. When Ophelia dies, Hamlet has absolutely nothing to gain anymore, but he is still compelled to go to her grave and leaves his hiding place, which leaves him vulnerable by showing himself to all of the people there. This action shows that he is acting out of passion and love. It does not show a conniving person, but someone acting out of love. It is almost as though he has no control over his passion and emotions. He then declares his love for Ophelia to her brother and his family.
He says:
I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. (247-249)
Here he declares that he loved her much more than even forty thousand brothers could. This declaration comes at a time that shows absolutely no motive other than his need to express his love for her. It also shows complete grief at the loss of her. He even admits that if he could, he would be buried with her. Only a man in love with nothing left to lose would make such claims.
Now, this love he shows for her can be very confusing. This is because he treated her so terribly. Why did he do this? Why would a man in love treat the woman he cares for terribly? One explanation could be that Ophelia broke his heart earlier. If he did, indeed, care for her, when she broke off the relationship, he would have been very hurt. He could have spoken so harshly to her out of a wounded heart and hurt. It could also be that he wished to keep up his appearance of being insane. Maybe he was even trying to protect her from the murderous grips of his uncle. A man in love will go to great lengths to protect the object of his affection.
Hamlet is sometimes despised, because he is known for taking down and destroying many characters and Ophelia is one of them. His treacherous behavior doesn’t seem to be linked directly only to Ophelia, but to many others, so in a sense, his cruelty isn’t necessarily personal.
Ophelia could never really act on her love to Hamlet, because she chose to obey her father’s wishes and ended the relationship. Parents had a very big role in romantic relationships during this time, and Ophelia’s obedience left Hamlet out in the cold.
In conclusion, Hamlet was far from an angel. He did not show Ophelia the love that allows the reader to inconclusively sense his undying passion. But the times were difficult, and Ophelia had to follow her families orders. Both Ophelia and Hamlet were in difficult situations and Hamlet chose to treat Ophelia unkind. However, when she dies, it seems that the true nature of his love for her comes to full surface. He publically displays his love for her when there is nothing he can do about it. This displays the true complicated and tragic nature of love and the display of the human psyche in Shakespeare’s novels.

I believe Hamlet truly does love Ophelia as much as he can do under the circumstances of his life after his father's murder. After her death, when he has absolutely nothing to gain, he seems compelled to rush forward into her grave from his hiding place at the cemetery—revealing himself to everyone there—as though he has no control over his own actions. He then declares to Laertes, Ophelia's brother, and his own family,

I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothersCould not with all their quantity of loveMake up my sum. What wilt thou do for her? (5.1.247-249)

He swears that he loved her more than tens of thousands of brothers could do, and, again, it's pretty difficult to come up with a truly plausible motive for this behavior other than overwhelming grief. He claims that he would be buried with her if he could.
Perhaps Hamlet treated Ophelia so terribly because she broke his heart. If we assume that he did, in fact, love her, then her breaking off their relationship—when she had, apparently, given him indication that she loved him too—would have wounded him greatly. Maybe he spoke to her so cruelly at times because he was angry at her, perhaps it was all to keep up his appearance of insanity, or perhaps it was because he was trying to protect her from his uncle's murderous machinations.
One reason that Hamlet is such a tragic character is that he takes so many other characters down with him, Ophelia being the most innocent of all. She was only trying to be happy, and then her father bid her destroy her relationship and her ex began (she believes) to lose his mind and treat her cruelly. Perhaps she never would have gone mad herself if it were not for the difficult position in which the men in her life put her. Hamlet in many ways seems responsible for her demise. Unfortunately, he did not really have the option to "embrace her" because she obeyed her father's commands to end that relationship. Had he tried, however, it seems likely that no one would have objected to their relationship after all. Gertrude at one point tells her,

Ophelia, I do wish That your good beauties be the happy causeOf Hamlet's wildness. So shall I hope your virtuesWill bring him to his wonted way again. (3.1.39-42)

Gertrude, at least, would not have stood in their way.

Discuss Franklin Roosevelt's general approach to dealing with the problems of the Great Depression and give appropriate examples from his programs implemented in the first 100 days to illustrate your analysis.

In March of 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt took over as president in the midst of the Great Depression. Roosevelt faced this situation by expanding government involvement in economic recovery. In his first 100 days, FDR approved a number of congressional acts aimed at providing jobs for unemployed Americans and greater federal government regulation of the economy.
On his second day in office, Roosevelt declared a bank holiday which halted a run on banks in which fearful Americans were withdrawing their savings. This also allowed time for Congress to pass the Emergency Banking Act which gave the president greater power over the nation's banks. Banks were allowed to reopen for business after proving they were solvent. After the four day bank holiday, many banks reopened and the public had greater confidence in the banking system. Some banks, however, were deemed to have acted improperly and were forced to close.
At the end of his first month in office, Roosevelt approved the Reforestation Relief Act, which led to the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps. This created approximately 250,000 jobs for young, unemployed men. These men would be tasked with forest conservation, road construction, and the development of national parks.
In the following months, Roosevelt would approve the Federal Emergency Relief Act. This provided state governments with funds to create projects and address unemployment across the states. Roosevelt also approved the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which established prices for agricultural goods and provided subsidies to farmers to halt production of certain crops which had been produced in excess. This allowed for a decrease in supply and pricing to return to normal.
Additional acts approved by Roosevelt in his first 100 days included the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which sought to construct dams and power plants in the Tennessee Valley, to bring electricity to Americans in regions who did not previously have it. Again, this program was aimed at not only improving quality of life, but also providing jobs to unemployed Americans. Roosevelt also approved the Federal Securities Act to regulate stocks and bonds and hopefully prevent a situation like the one that led to the Great Depression. Roosevelt also sought to assist homeowners through the Home Owners Refinancing Act.
As you can see, Roosevelt's first 100 days in office were filled with action. Roosevelt's predecessor, Herbert Hoover, is criticized for his lack of action and failure to recognize the significance of the Great Depression. Roosevelt certainly understood the significance of the Great Depression and addressed it through government actions.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/49a.asp

How does Dickens present positivity and happiness in A Christmas Carol?

In A Christmas Carol, Dickens shows two perspectives on positivity and happiness.
There is, initially, Scrooge's perspective as he interacts with much more positive characters throughout the text. To his nephew, Fred, and his fiancee, he expresses disdain for their love and affection in spite of their poverty, because, as he claims, money is the only thing of importance and love will not sustain them. To Tiny Tim and Cratchit, he expresses that their happiness is misguided in light of their fortunes. Scrooge's overall demeanor and attitude belies his thoughts of happiness as unnecessary and unimportant, something of a frivolity.
At the end of the novel, Scrooge's attitude comes in line with the author's, and with reality—that happiness is the light which brings us through hard times, and which strengthens us in spite of our maladies and misfortunes. The story expresses that, while happiness does nothing in and of itself to aid us in our situations, it empowers us to bear through those events.

Dickens presents positivity and happiness through the symbols of light and heat. Scrooge, for example, "had a very small fire" and he forces his clerk to work in a "dismal little cell" with a fire so small "that it looked like one coal." Scrooge is miserable and unhappy, and so he is associated with darkness and chill. Think about how we might describe someone who is callous or even cruel as "cold" and someone who is happy and welcoming as "warm." When Scrooge's nephew, Fred, arrives, he is said to be "all in a glow" with "eyes [that] sparkled": he is associated with light and warmth, as opposed to his relative.
Further, when the narrator describes the people outside, who are preparing for the Christmas holiday, there are a great many references to light and heat because everyone is happy and anticipating their lovely tomorrow. People run around "with flaring links, proffering the services to go before horses in carriages" to lead others through the fog safely. A group of workers "had lighted a great fire in a brazier, round which a party of ragged men and boys were gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes before the blaze in rapture." Even their hard work and likely difficult lives are eclipsed by their happiness in this moment. The shops are "bright" and "holy sprigs and berries crackled in the lamp heat of the windows." Everything is light and bright and warm because the people are happy, unlike Scrooge.

One way that Dickens presents positivity and happiness in A Christmas Carol is through his portrayal of the Cratchit family. Though dirt-poor, and forever in the midst of adversity, they still retain a remarkably positive outlook on life. Their modest, overcrowded home is a place of love, laughter, and warmth, despite their poverty and the chronically poor health of Tiny Tim. Their sunny outlook on life is epitomized by Bob Cratchit, a good, kind-hearted man whose fundamental decency belies his humble station in life and the appalling treatment he regularly receives at the hands of his skinflint employer.
Contrast that with Scrooge. He has all the money in the world, and yet he leads a lonely, miserable life in his large, drafty house. The stark contrast between Scrooge and the Crachits shows that, for Dickens, happiness and positivity have nothing to do with how much money you have. Instead, they come from the heart, from a loving, caring attitude toward other people.

What role did the government play in defining, protecting, and/or limiting the liberty of American workers during the Gilded Age?

To begin, the Gilded Age is a period of American history the spans the period from post-Civil War to the beginning of the twentieth century, or roughly 1865–1900.
The American factory system gained traction in this period, and trade unions arose to try to protect workers from exploitation. However, the American government did little to support workers or trade unions, and even Supreme Court rulings rarely went in favor of workers. State governments, as well, often sided with factory owners against union workers. Two notable cases that support this view of history are the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike.
Overall, in this period of American history, little was done by state and government officials to protect the rights of American laborers. Factories were often unsafe places to work, hours were long, and wages were low. The capitalists that owned the factories and big businesses did not face much in the way of regulation that looked out for the health, safety, and freedom of unskilled or low-skilled workers. The government, by and large, turned a blind eye as the nation prospered on the backs of working people.
https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/amworkerintro

How was the Declaration of Independence an economic, political, and social reaction to British policies?

The Declaration of Independence stated the cause for the dissolution of the relationship between the American colonists and the British government. To answer this question we simply need to analyze the grievances contained in the document and how each grievance relates to the categories of economic, political, and social structure imposed by the government of Great Britain. The grievances are the stated objections or reactions to particular rules imposed by the government. There is an obvious overlap in some categories. I will place them in an organized table format for readability and provide you with a few examples for each category. Once you see the organization structure, adding to the categories will be relatively easy!
Economic
"For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world." This refers to the King and his government keeping the colonies from trading with other European powers, restricting economic growth and opportunity.
"For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent"—or restricting the power to tax and spend tax money on projects in Great Britain in place of improving infrastructure in the colonies, which would enhance the growth of the colonies.
"He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people," meaning that the British destroyed important centers of economic activity and, by doing so, placed the colonists in an economically precarious situation.
Social
"Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies." This refers to the colonists as having come under the authority of the British government, recognizing their sovereign right to impose rules and for the most part doing so without strenuous objection. The colonists generally emulated the social structure and practices of the British until the rules began to violate their personal freedom.
"For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury," meaning that the government had violated one of the fundamental protective rights of society: the right to a trial by an impartial jury. The British were able to arrest without cause, hold colonists as prisoners (indefinitely) without charging them with a crime, and then convict them without trial.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands

This describes the restriction of the growth of the colonies and the restriction of technological or labor advantages that come with immigration from foreign countries.
Political
"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"—or the colonists were reacting to the British government imposing taxes and fees on the colonists without representation.
"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good," meaning that the King had not allowed, even in the most mundane matters, the colonists to self-govern. This one political issue may have been the fuse that set the powder keg of war to explode.
"For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever." This meant that the British government did not recognize the sovereignty of locally elected legislatures over local matters. This action rendered the political bodies—and to some extent, the administration of government—powerless to act.
As you read the Declaration of Independence, you can read the specific claims the colonists had against the governing authorities and the King. Each claim is a reaction to a specific set of events or actions taken by Great Britain to maintain control and authority over the American colonists.
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/jeffdec.html

https://www.ushistory.org/us/13a.asp

Discuss the most important works by Stephen Toulmin.

The Uses of Argument (1958)
The Uses of Argument is arguably Toulmin's most influential book. In it, he argues that any approach to reasoning that attempts to arrive at certainties is impractical. Toulmin does not believe that theoretical arguments, which proceed through inferences and eventually arrive at a claim, guide understanding in helpful ways. He proposes a different approach that tests claims of interest to see if they can be justified.
The model he proposes begins with making a claim, then offering data or evidence to support it, and then providing any warranted information that is necessary to connect the evidence to the claim. These three pieces are necessary to any argument, according to Toulmin. Additionally, backing for sources, rebuttals to clarify the necessary conditions for the proposed claim, and any qualifiers of certainty may be added.
Human Understanding: The Collective Use and Evolution of Concepts (1972)
Human Understanding challenges the idea, put forward by Thomas Kuhn in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, that ideological change happens in large, revolutionary leaps. While Kuhn thinks that different, contradictory paradigms exist and occasionally overtake each other, Toulmin argues that concepts evolve over time through a process of innovation and testing. In Toulmin's view, the most sound concepts will be repeated and survive.
This approach is meant to be neither relativist nor absolutist. Rather than denying context, as absolutists do, or arguing that varying contexts make concepts incomparable, Toulmin seeks an approach that allows the comparison of concepts from different contexts and attempts to understand which has a better ability to facilitate understanding.
Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity (1990)
In Cosmopolis, Toulmin returns to his earlier argument against abstract and theoretical thinking. He expands his thoughts on the reasons he thinks these modes of thought are impractical, and proposes four "returns" that he believes would allow philosophy to address the practical issues of human life: the return to oral communication, to discussion of individual moral concerns, to a local historical and cultural context, and to questions which are immediately relevant.

What is the structure of the poem "Dream Variations" and how does the structure of this poem help to accentuate its theme?

Langston Hughes's "Dream Variations" has an irregular structure, but the irregularity works to accentuate the theme within the poem. Technically, the poem is free verse; there is no regular meter or rhyme scheme. Yet throughout, Hughes maintains a close proximity to more traditional patterns. He uses a similar rhyme scheme in the two stanzas. Stanza one contains a rhyme scheme of ABCBDEFEG, which almost mirrors itself (in the ABCB and DEFE lines) but then ends with a final line that does not rhyme with any other part of the stanza. This stanza also focuses on the desires of the narrator, to occupy a place of contentment where the narrator can "fling . . . arms wide," "whirl, "dance," and "rest." Much like the regularity of the rhyme scheme, this is a vision of perfection to the narrator. On the other hand, stanza two becomes more irregular, reading ABHBDEIF. It still bears some similarity to the more regular meter of the first stanza, but also contains more lines that do not fit together quite as well. This stanza also focuses on the more immediate experience of the narrator. It begins with the same line as the first stanza, but then the narrator moves "[i]n the face of the sun" rather than "[i]n some place of the sun." Further, the actions taken are also direct, as Hughes writes "Dance! Whirl! Whirl!" In this stanza, rather than resting "[b]eneath a tall tree" as in the first stanza, the narrator also simply observes "[a] tall, slim tree" in such a way that suggests the narrator is the tree, which shows that they recognize themselves as an inherent, essential part of the world. However, the stanza finishes in a similar way as the first stanza, echoing the relationship between the narrator and night, this time "[b]lack like me" rather than "[d]ark like me."This makes for an interesting juxtaposition. While the first stanza is more regular in rhyme scheme, within it the narrator is more disconnected from the world. However, the second stanza, in its irregularity, posits the narrator as a more connected, essential part of the world. Perhaps this is Hughes saying that when we are further from constructed ideas regularity and perfection, we are closer to our true essence, that we are by nature, imperfect, and that this is not only ok, but essential.

Why did Bruno’s parents not want Bruno to find out about his father being the commandant of the Nazi camp?

There are two basic reasons that Bruno’s parents try to keep from him the fact that his father has been appointed the commandant of Auschwitz. One reason is to protect his innocence as a child, part of which is his high opinion of his father. This reason completely backfires, though. An early indication that his lack of knowledge will have bad consequences comes when Bruno tells Father that his appointment is a demotion because they have been moved to such an awful place. Additionally, beyond not wanting Bruno to know that Father is responsible for the killings, his parents simply do not want him to know that people are getting killed. The full impact of withholding this information is Bruno’s death in the camp because he did not understand its purpose.
Another reason to keep Bruno in the dark is to maintain secrecy. In the first few years that the camps operated, the Nazis tried to keep their functions secret. This was largely possible because so few people were released or escaped. The people who might be rounded up and sent there thought they were labor camps, not death camps.

What are the ideas developed by William Golding in Lord of the Flies about an individual's ability to adapt to situations? Give six quotes from the book to support this.

William Golding presents the idea that individuals inserted into a situation where there is no society and no law will establish a society and laws. There is a natural desire for humans to create order. Golding makes it clear that without order, there is a risk that the evil side of human nature will take hold. Golding states the following:

The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however logical or respectable.

Humans have an innate desire to survive. The boys in the novel can choose to follow the rules of society in order to survive or follow their savage animal instincts in order to survive. Both of these choices show the adaptability of human beings. Golding further explains that the society formed will depend on the morals of the citizens. In this novel, the boys who are depicted as savages are suspected of moral failing. On the other hand, the boys who follow the rules made by the community are seen as good and just.
Quote 1:

"We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear us—"He beamed at Ralph."That was what you meant, didn't you? That's why you got the conch out of the water" (chapter 1).

Piggy suggests that the boys use the conch shell that Ralph finds as a way to announce and organize meetings. The boys are showing adaptability by finding and using objects on the island for a civilized purpose. The conch itself is considered a symbol of civilization in the novel. When the conch is broken later in the story, it becomes a symbol of the loss of civilized society and order.
Quote 2:

"Aren't there any grownups at all?""I don't think so."The fair boy said this solemnly; but then the delight of a realized ambition overcame him. In the middle of the scar he stood on his head and grinned at the reversed fat boy."No grownups!"

The adults symbolize rules, law, and order to the children. With no adults, the children have no rules to follow and are free to do what they want. The children must adapt to life without adults. They soon begin to form their own rules and societal structure in order to survive.
Quote 3:

Ralph waved the conch."Shut up! Wait! Listen!"He went on in the silence, borne on in his triumph."There's another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire.""A fire! Make a fire!" (chapter 2).

Ralph has just been elected the leader of the boys. The boys continue to adapt and form their own society. They realize they can make a fire to send smoke signals to any nearby ships in order to alert them of their whereabouts. Fire is a human construct. Fire can be used for good, as a smoke signal, or evil, as when they burn the island later in the story. Ralph establishes the rule that someone must always attend the fire to make sure that it never goes out.
Quote 4:

Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry—threw it to miss. The stone, that token of preposterous time, bounded five yards to Henry's right and fell in the water. Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.

Survival of the fittest is relative to all animals. Roger is adapting by establishing himself as someone who should not be messed with. He is a bully and a villain in the novel. Roger's stones, however, do not hit Henry. It is as if it is ingrained in him by society that people should not hurt others. Even though there are no parents or rule enforcers around, it is ingrained in Roger that he can intimidate but not hurt.
Quote 5:

"Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Spill her blood!" (chapter 4).

The boys must find food in order to survive, so they unite as a hunting party to satisfy a basic human need. The boys must hunt, kill, and cook their own food to live. These boys are from an English boarding school, where they are not required to hunt and gather for their meals.
Quote 6:

His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.

In the end of the novel, Ralph is faced with the end of his innocence; this is something all people are eventually faced with and must adapt to. The adults who find the boys symbolize a return to civilization and law and order after the fall and destruction of the island to the savage nature of man. Once again, the remaining boys will adapt. They will have to reacclimate themselves to life in civilization with new knowledge of the world and the nature of man after going through the events on the island.

How does Bilbo describe himself when Smaug asks who he is and where he comes from?

Bilbo encounters Smaug the dragon in chapter twelve of The Hobbit. Bilbo is wearing his ring, which makes him invisible, but Smaug can still smell him. Smaug does not recognize the smell, and demands that the intruder explain who he is and where he comes from.
Bilbo must give the dragon some kind of answer, but he knows it can be dangerous to give any direct information or his name. This would give more power to Smaug. Instead, Bilbo uses epithets, riddles, and descriptions of what he does.
When Smaug asks where he comes from, Bilbo does not name a specific place. He answers:

"I come from under the hill, and under hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen."

There is a riddle-like quality to this answer. Bilbo identifies himself as such:

"I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number."

Bilbo furthers his riddles by telling Smaug some actions:

"I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me."

Bilbo describes his adventures instead of giving Smaug a clear answer.

"I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider," went on Bilbo beginning to be pleased with his riddling.

Bilbo's riddling descriptions allow him to give an answer without giving away his real name.

How was this book inspired by other literary works?

Romiette and Julio is a young adult novel by writer and educator Sharon Draper, originally published in 2001. It is set in 1999 in Draper's current hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, and addresses the problems of ethnic tensions and gangs in the city's secondary schools. The novel itself derives its plot from West Side Story, a musical drama initially performed in 1957, which adapted the basic plot of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliette to a setting in which the two young lovers live in a neighborhood in which white and Hispanic gangs are vying for control.

Does Euripides challenge our sense of justice in Medea and how?

I would argue that he does because he forces us to consider whether vengeance is really the same thing as justice. Most people at some point have probably wanted to carry out revenge on those who've done them harm; it's only natural to feel this way. But once we've had time to cool down and reflect, most of us realize that it's better to deal with such matters through the proper channels.
Medea, of course, doesn't do this. She believes in vengeance with a passion, even if it means killing her own innocent children. Although we may initially sympathize with Medea over her callous treatment at the hands of Jason, there can't be many people who'd try to justify her subsequent actions. But as Medea isn't punished for her actions, and as she's whisked away in a chariot by the sun-god Helios at the end of the play, it's clear that the immortals have a very different idea of what constitutes justice.
This makes us reflect on whether there really is such a thing as timeless, higher justice that transcends our own limited human notions. If indeed there is such a higher form of justice, then on the basis of the gods' protecting Medea from the consequences of her murderous actions, we might like to ask whether it's really all it's cracked up to be.

How does Coriolanus's downfall come about?

Coriolanus's downfall comes about largely because he's not prepared to play the game of democracy. This is a man who's been brought up to despise the mob and to see them as fickle, ignorant, and stupid. The very idea of pandering to the great unwashed is anathema to this proud, snobbish aristocrat and general. Besides, Coriolanus thinks he's done enough for the people of Rome already by bringing them military glory. He doesn't see why he should have to go out of his way to flatter them as well.
This is Coriolanus's biggest problem: he doesn't understand how democracy works. He doesn't understand that the people need to feel a little love from their leaders from time to time. But Coriolanus is neither willing nor able to lower himself to this level. He'd much rather ally with the enemy Volscians than play the game of democratic politics he so heartily detests.
In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that Coriolanus regards the common people of Rome, the plebs, as more of an enemy that the Volscians themselves. This proves to be a fatal miscalculation on the general's part, as he ends up being betrayed and murdered by the leader of the Volscians, Aufidius.

What effect do symbols and metaphors have on the understanding of the novel's message in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer?

The central message of Suskind's novel is undoubtedly meant to evoke horror—specifically, that sinister and psychopathic murderers often blend into society, while still exhibiting concerning traits and patterns of behavior. Grenouille's obsession with scent leads to his first murder, and through this act and his subsequent killings, he demonstrates no remorse. Grenouille is emotionally stunted, which can be traced back to the neglect and lack of love he experienced beginning in infancy, his mother having abandoned him at birth.
Another salient theme is the power of perfume and scent to influence emotions. This is exhibited by Baldini's search for the perfect scent, particularly one associated with romance and sensuality. Grenouille is able to escape persecution when the perfume he creates from the women he murders manipulates the public into believing he is innocent. Grenouille's downfall eventually occurs upon releasing a copious amount of this scent in public, causing him to be killed by a mob.
In the novel, perfume symbolizes Grenouille's obsession with the perfect scent and the psychological power of hormones associated with scent. Additionally, perfume is a metaphor for the sins of humanity; perfume allows people to smell good, which masks humankind's evil nature, which is represented metaphorically through the odor of unclean, sweaty skin. Grenouille is repulsed by this unpleasant odor, seeking a cave in order to escape the smell. The cave thus symbolizes his escape from society and safe haven from its unpleasant scent. Grenouille exclusively targets virgin women, symbolizing purity, which translates to the pure and perfect scent he seeks.
Characters themselves can also function as symbols. Grenouille, as a murderer, symbolizes death and psychopathy. Baldini, as his mentor, represents his introduction to the intoxicating realm of perfume. Similarly, settings can also act as symbols. The fish market where Grenouille was born represents the sins of humanity, which is reflected in the location's unpleasant odour and his mother's abandonment. Grasse, the setting in which flowers are grown to make most of the perfume produced in France, is like heaven for Grenouille and associated with his obsession with scent.

Share a theme, message, or lesson that Hawthorne is trying to show readers regarding the psychological effects of guilt and sin in chapters 8–12 of The Scarlet Letter.

In chapter 8, Arthur Dimmesdale speaks up on behalf of Hester Prynne when Governor Bellingham and the other church officials are threatening to take her daughter away from her. it is reasonable to think they he does that to assuage the guilt he feels for remaining silent about being Pearl's father and doing nothing to help Hester raise their daughter.
In chapter 9, the psychological burdens that Dimmesdale carries begin to take a visible physical toll on his body. He is pale, tremulous, and thin and behaves evasively when questioned by Roger Chillingworth about what is troubling him.
In chapter 10, Dimmesdale tells Chillingworth that some men who carry guilt walk undetected because they choose to hide their sins, knowing that redemption is impossible. He is talking about himself. Dimmesdale describes these kind of men as "black and filthy" suffering "unutterable torment." Chillingworth urges him to unburden himself, but Dimmesdale says he will not allow himself treatment from an "earthly physician."
In chapter 11, readers learn that in addition to marking himself painfully with a letter A on his chest, Dimmesdale scourges himself as an act of penitence.
In chapter 12, Dimmesdale denies himself food and sleep and stands a midnight vigil on the scaffold of the pillory, the place where Hester was publicly shamed.
Overall, the events of chapter 8–12 are focused on the burden of guilt that Dimmesdale carries because of his moral cowardice. He has fathered a child with another man's wife; his sin of adultery could have been considered a capital offense in a Puritan colony, particularly for a minister. What is perhaps more reprehensible in the mind of the author is how he has abandoned Hester Prynne and allows her to bear the brunt of the punishment for their actions. The situation raises the question of whether it is better to face one's mistakes and accept the punishment for them rather than making others suffer. In this way, Hawthorne raises moral questions; the sin is not the forbidden love that Hester and Dimmesdale share, but Dimmesdale's callous treatment of her afterward.

Much of the novel's important themes revolve around conformity and individuality. Chief among these themes is the Puritan need to appear or seem to be conforming. Hawthorne is critical of Puritan hypocrisy throughout the novel. The community is quick to judge and punish Hester, who cannot hide her sins, but this same community is adverse to any kind of self-examination or grace, the hope of forgiveness for sins. In this Puritan society one is either a sinner or one is saved; there is no in-between. Therefore, if one appears to be free of sin, charitable, kind, etc., then one must be counted as saved. The cost for this keeping-up of appearances is living with tremendous guilt and never knowing true happiness.
The Rev. Dimmesdale hides his sin from the community to the point where it manifests itself as a terrible wound on his chest. The innocent Pearl asks her mother, "Why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?" He seems to members of the community to be the perfect example of a saved soul, destined for heaven, but he keeps his sin hidden as he preaches to others about salvation. Torn apart with internal conflict, he chooses to continue suffering rather than accept his failings and acknowledge them publicly. As those around him comment on his virtue, Hawthorne describes his response as "inconceivable, the agony with which this public veneration tortured him."
Hester, on the other hand, is able to turn her outward guilt into personal strength. By the end of the novel she has gained new perspective from her acceptance of her sin and hope of redemption:

The tendency of her fate and fortunes had been to set her free. The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread.

Where her fellow Puritans fear their fate and hide their guilt, Hester is able to hope for grace and acknowledge true love in her life. We are left with Hester's very Puritan hope that "at some brighter period . . . a new truth would be revealed in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on a surer ground of mutual happiness."
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/scarlet/quotes/theme/guilt/

How did the United States gain its independence from Britain?

The United States gained its independence from Britain by winning the Revolutionary War (1775–1783). This is in contrast to Canada, which gained its independence from England in a gradual and peaceful way.
The American colonies had gotten along with the mother country fairly well for most of the relationship. Colonists settled the Eastern seaboard of the North American continent in the early seventeenth century. Because of mercantilism, the economic relationship favored London's interests, but the relationship between the colonists and the king was relatively harmonious. Even after the first shots were fired in 1775, many colonists—perhaps as many as one-third—remained loyal to England. Many of these so-called Loyalists eventually settled in Canada.
The Americans—aided by France and other foreign powers—eventually won the war. England had to give up her thirteen American colonies, but she remained an important colonial and world power.

What three aspects does Dante include to explain the allegorical meaning behind the Inferno?

Dante's journey through hell is considered a massive allegory that reflects one universal idea: how a man goes further into sin even though he is ultimately seeking eternal salvation.
While Dante's Inferno is filled with various allegorical elements that explain many things, the most basic literary aspects used to convey allegory include the story, the characters, and the overarching themes of the story itself. Here is a general guide to how allegory is presented in each of these elements:
The story/plot: On the most basic level, Dante's Inferno is about a man by the name of Dante descending into hell for a spiritual quest. However, the author of this fictional story is also Dante Alighieri, who is conveying his actual, nonfiction views on spirituality and sin.
Even though the story is filled with allegorical elements, remember that it is also a larger religious message from the writer himself to explain how conventional sins such as greed, lust, and envy are punished. Dante, the poet, is building a narrative and literary world to shock and instill fear in the reader about the consequences of straying from a just and righteous life.
The characters: Just about every character is a representation of a greater universal concept in regard to religious beliefs and Christianity. Here are the two most important characters:

Dante: Dante himself represents the common man of the time searching for salvation. The character is narrating his travels through hell and essentially represents the viewpoint of everyday people, including you, the reader.
Virgil: Virgil is Dante's guide through the nine circles of hell and represents a neutral and balanced viewpoint on sin. This is because he is stuck between heaven and hell in purgatory, which is the central domain between the ethereal realms. Virgil is also a poet who has an affinity for the demonic machinations of hell, since he is based on a writer who wrote about the underworld.

The major themes of the story: There are three major themes that heavily convey allegorical elements throughout Dante's Inferno. These include the following:

Morality and divine justice: In each circle of hell, the sinners are punished based on what their crime or sin was. For example, the greedy souls continue to push bags of gold uphill without any outcome. These sinners represent the relentless greed of people who chase wealth or excess without any real thought or care for anything else.
Cleansing of the soul: Dante's journey by itself is used as a device to show the value of introspectively looking at your misdeeds and rectifying them. Dante's journey begins in darkness, but the trial itself pushes Dante to new limits and makes him reflect on his own morality. Eventually, the hero is able to cleanse himself of sin and live a moral and just life.
The poet's story (poem within a poem): A unique aspect of the allegory is that the story is a poem within a poem, which is used to show the power of poetry as a way to reflect on morality and religious devotion. The main characters are both poets, and the story itself leans heavily on verse to guide the plot and develop the entire journey through the nine circles.

Why do many people believe Columbus discovered North America?

During the Renaissance period in Europe, ca. 1350-1550, there was dramatic development in a multitude of areas. Exploration was among them. Although historians may have, for a time, overstated how stagnant and isolated Europe was during Medieval times, nonetheless the continent was coming out of a sort of slumber. For this reason, European accomplishments seemed new and unprecedented, even when they were not in broader historical terms. Europeans saw these accomplishments as epic and their significance became exaggerated, owing also in part to the Europeans's (and specifically western Europeans's) own growing confidence and sense of self.
Christopher Columbus' voyage to what came to be known as the New World is one such example. Another is Vasco da Gama, who, as many textbooks will tell you, was the first European since the ancient Greeks to cross the Indian Ocean. In other words, da Gama was repeating something that had been done before, yet in that context, it seemed new and unprecedented. It is also of note that the Portuguese da Gama was greeted in Calicut, India, by a Muslim merchant from Tunisia: virtually da Gama's neighbor. In other words, many of the European achievements became exaggerated in Europe and the larger West. As for Columbus, in seeking support for his enterprise after his first voyage failed to get to his destination of India, he sought to sell his project and play up his accomplishments. In short, European accomplishments in navigation were overstated by Europeans themselves and entered western culture in that overstated form.
As a foil to the claim that Columbus found North America, our contemporaries often cite that Leif Erikkson reached Newfoundland and surrounding areas around 1000 A.D.; but how reliable are the Norse sagas? Even if they are reliable, did the Spaniards and other Europeans of Columbus's time know of them? Furthermore, although we tend to see the Caribbean and Canada as belonging to a single entity called North America, there was no such entity by that name. The name America derived from the accounts of Amerigo Vespucci and was initially applied only to what we today call South America. Are Newfoundland and, say, Hispaniola, the same part of the world?
Further, the greatest significance of Columbus' voyage was that it was reproducible and created a bridge between the so-called Old World and New World, which the Norse expeditions had not done. All these issues need to be taken into consideration and explored in more depth before we find a satisfying answer to the above question.

Write an epilogue to the story "The Cask of Amontillado" in which a case against Montresor finally comes to trial. In your epilogue, provide the prosecuting attorney’s closing argument, reminding the jury of any evidence that proves Montresor’s guilt. Then provide the defense attorney’s closing argument. What is the jury’s final verdict?

In an epilogue, you might include that Montresor's story was overheard by someone standing outside the bedroom door while Montresor was confessing his crime to the priest. This person (you will have to decide who this is) would go to the police or authorities. The police would go into the catacombs, find the wall Montresor had made, and take it down to discover the skeleton chained there.
Montresor would go to trial for murder. Since this story is set in a time before modern forensics, there would be no DNA testing or other modern tools to help determine the body was Fortunato's.
In the closing arguments, the prosecution would argue along the lines that, although there were no witnesses to the deed, the person who overheard the confession was able to quickly lead authorities to the body based on what Montresor said he had done. They would mention that Fortunato disappeared right after the festival, and that Montresor had mentioned and that Fortunato's body was never found. They might perhaps argue that the skeleton was the right height to be Fortunato, and that the rotting jingling cap on his skull was consistent with the one he wore the night he disappeared. Other evidence, such as perhaps an abandoned wine bottle, would be consistent with Montresor's story, proving that the body was Fortunato's and Montresor had murdered him.
The defense would almost certainly argue that the confession was a symptom of Montresor's insanity and that he, perhaps suffering from dementia in old age, was confusing stories he had heard of a corpse being chained in the catacombs hundreds of years before with something he thought he had done. They would say Montresor was suffering from delusions of grandeur and wanting to take credit for another person's crime. They would point out that nobody could come up with any wrong Fortunato had done to Montresor that would motivate such a horrible revenge.
The jury would then have to evaluate the evidence. Could the wall built in front of the corpse be hundreds of years old? Or must it be newer? How could experts tell? Would a cap have survived hundreds of years without decomposing? The evidence would, it seems to me, point to Montresor's guilt, but since this is a Poe story, you would have to decide if justice would prevail. Would Montresor would be convicted, or would there be a more macabre ending? (Hint: in Poe stories, grim though they can be, criminals often are brought to justice.)
You would have decide what time period the story is set in. If you put it in Poe's time, there might be a police force; in an earlier time, it might be magistrates going to find the body. Also, go through the story again, find more details about what happened to build your case (did anyone who is still alive, for example, see Montresor and Fortunato leave the party together?), and try to stick as closely as possible to what the story says.

How does Ray Bradbury use the text to make the readers aware of the need for a purpose in life?

Bradbury uses different characters in the novel to make readers aware of the need for a purpose in life. Mildred is the most stark example of a person who suffers from not having any sense of purpose. Early in the novel, her sense of meaninglessness becomes so profound that she tries to kill herself by overdosing on pills to escape a life of mindless, empty television watching. However, when she returns to life, she is afraid to leave the security and conformity of her telescreens and lapses back into a purposeless life. When she dies, Montag can hardly grieve her, because it feels as if she hadn't been really alive.
She is contrasted at the beginning of the book to the vibrant, acutely alive Clarisse, who walks in nature, notices what is around her, and actually engages people in conversation. She listens to and is interested in what Montag has to say. Her family talks and takes walks rather than watching television.
Likewise, at the end of the novel, Granger remembers his grandfather, who, unlike Mildred, had a strong sense of purpose and engagement with life. He was sculptor who played the violin, told jokes, helped clean up a slum area, and raised pigeons and doves. He made an impact on the world around him. When he died, people missed him because he had been so fully alive and motivated to be an active part of his society.

What seems to be the key differences between the four translations of 1 Corinthians 13? Do the language differences reflect religious or ideological differences, or are there other factors that might be involved in the translations? The four translations is Tyndale, the Geneva Bible, the Douay Rheims version and the Authorized (King James) version.

I have included the four translations below. In terms of 1 Corinthians 13, they are very close.

As a general background, the King James version took as its point of origin the pre-existing Tyndale and Geneva Bibles. The Geneva Bible is understood to be a more radical translation of the original Hebrew and Greek than the King James version. It was favored by the Protestants, and though banned in England, many copies were smuggled in.

King James wanted an authorized translation that would replace the Geneva Bible and use language more amenable to ideas of monarchy and hierarchy than the Geneva Bible.

The Douay-Rheims Bible was the Roman Catholic translation from the Latin rather than from Hebrew and Greek. It was translated in accord with Catholic theology and was most often used by English Catholics.

The Tyndale and Geneva versions are the translations that most favor the common person while the Douay-Rheims and the King James are more supportive of the privileged classes and the existing status quo. Often the differences in translation are subtle.

As for 1 Corinthians 13, the Tyndale and Geneva Bibles are most likely to use the word "love" while the other two translations use the word "charity." Other differences include, in verse 4, the Tyndale and Geneva versions describing love as "courteous" (Tyndale) and "bountiful," (Geneva) whereas the other two versions opt for the words "patient" and "kind." "Bountiful" carries a connotation of material generosity that "patient" and "kind" do not: we can understand how a more conservative version might move away from a "spread the wealth" translation.

As for the other verses, you can easily line up the translations below and compare them. As mentioned about, they are all very close:

Tyndale:


1 Though I spake with the tonges of me and angels and yet had no love I were eve as soundinge brasse: or as a tynklynge Cymball.

2And though I coulde prophesy and vnderstode all secretes and all knowledge: yee yf I had all fayth so that I coulde move moutayns oute of ther places and yet had no love I were nothynge.

3 And though I bestowed all my gooddes to fede ye poore and though I gave my body even that I burned and yet had no love it profeteth me nothinge.

4Love suffreth longe and is corteous. Love envieth not. Love doth not frowardly swelleth not dealeth

5 not dishonestly seketh not her awne is not provoked to anger thynketh not evyll

6 reioyseth not in iniquite: but reioyseth in ye trueth

7 suffreth all thynge beleveth allthynges hopeth all thynges endureth in all thynges.




8 Though that prophesyinge fayle other tonges shall cease ) or knowledge vanysshe awaye yet love falleth never awaye

9 For oure knowledge is vnparfect and oure prophesyinge is vnperfet.

10 But when yt which is parfect is come then yt which is vnparfet shall be done awaye.

11When I was a chylde I spake as a chylde I vnderstode as a childe I ymagened as a chylde. But assone as I was a man I put awaye childesshnes.

12 Now we se in a glasse even in a darke speakynge: but then shall we se face to face. Now I knowe vnparfectly: but then shall I knowe even as I am knowen.

13 Now abideth fayth hope and love even these thre: but the chefe of these is love.


Geneva:


1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and Angels, and have not love, I am as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I had the gift of prophecy, and knew all secrets and all knowledge, yea, if I had all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and had not love, I were nothing.
3 And though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body, that I be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Love suffereth long: it is bountiful: love envieth not: love doth not boast itself: it is not puffed up:
5 It doth no uncomely thing: it seeketh not her own thing: it is not provoked to anger: it thinketh no evil:
6 It rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth:
7 It suffereth all things: it believeth all things: it hopeth all things: it endureth all things.
8 Love doth never fall away, though that prophesyings be abolished, or the tongues cease, or knowledge vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect, is come, then that which is in part shall be abolished.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child: I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass darkly: but then shall we see face to face. Now I know in part: but then shall I know even as I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope and love, even these three: but the chiefest of these is love.

Douay-Rheims:

If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.
King James:
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

What are some of the literary questions that The Hound of the Baskervilles raises?

Q: How does the use of Watson as the narrator's voice aid the author in maintaining the tension of the plot?
A: Since Watson's powers of deduction and criminal analysis are no match for Holmes', placing him as the narrator allows the author to maintain the tension between the supernaturalist and scientific materialist explanations put forward by the various characters. That way, the resolution of the mystery is put off until the end of the story.
Q: How does The Hound of the Baskervilles both confirm and subvert the genre of the Gothic novel?
A: The author uses the conventional marvelous apparitions and settings (in this case, the hell hound, the 'castle', the ancestral curse, and the spooky moors), but he subverts the genre by revealing that no supernatural explanations of these elements are required.
Q: Compare and contrast The Hound of the Baskervilles with another Gothic novel. What elements are common to both, and how does Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's treatment differ?
A: In The Castle of Otranto, the supernatural elements (the giant floating helmet, the giant limbs, the groaning ancestor portraits, and the talking spectral skeleton monk) are all real. In The Hound of the Baskervilles, all of the apparently supernatural elements have perfectly rational explanations.

What does "universal bride" refer to in "Ode on a Grecian Urn"?

The narrator of the poem speaks directly to the Grecian urn, using a poetic device called apostrophe, which is when a speaker talks to something that is not alive and cannot respond or someone that is not present or living and cannot respond. In this case, the apostrophe sort of functions like personification in that the speaker addresses the urn, calling it "Thou" (an archaic form of "you") and asking it questions as though it could talk back which, of course, it cannot. Thus, the "unravish'd bride of quietness" in the first line of the poem is actually the Grecian urn itself, and the speaker calls it that because time has not ravished—or destroyed—it. Despite the hundreds of years since its creation, it continues to exist with its sylvan scenes. In addition, it does not speak (it may convey information, but it is silent), and this makes it the "bride of quietness."

In Gulliver's Travels, what are some examples with quotes about economic inequality or equality?

In part 4, chapter 6, Gulliver goes into detail about England's economic inequality. His Houyhnhnm master is unable to understand why lawyers would participate in injustice "merely for the sake of injuring their fellow-animals." Gulliver explains that lawyers do it for hire, but his master cannot comprehend the concept of money in relation to power. Gulliver details the circumstances in his own country, using the "Yahoo" term that his master is familiar with to parallel England's lower class:

When a Yahoo had got a great store of this precious substance, he was able to purchase whatever he had a mind to; the finest clothing, the noblest houses, great tracts of land, the most costly meats and drinks, and have his choice of the most beautiful females . . . that the rich man enjoyed the fruit of the poor man’s labour, and the latter were a thousand to one in proportion to the former; that the bulk of our people were forced to live miserably, by labouring every day for small wages, to make a few live plentifully.

Thus when a member of the lower class is able to accumulate considerable wealth, they become part of the upper class, which outnumbers the lower class 1:1000. The inequality lies in the reality that the poor are working to expand the riches of their masters, while they themselves are not profiting on their own labor.
I recommend you focus on this section of the novel, as it goes into detail on England's economic disparity in relation to class, trading of goods, colonization, and law.

Explore how connections to others and the wide community can enrich or reshape an individual's sense of self (referring to the stories "Neighbours" by Tim Winton and Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman).

"Neighbours" is a short story by Tim Winton, and Seedfolks is a young adult novel by Paul Fleischman. Both works are centered on a particular neighborhood, giving the respective narratives an insular feel and articulating a microscopic point of view of the people who live there. In "Neighbours," Winton features a young white Australian couple who move to a neighborhood in Queensland which is predominantly composed of European immigrants. From the beginning of the story, readers quickly learn that the couple have prejudices against immigrants and migrant groups. Initially, the couple perceives their new neighbors as uncivilized and unsophisticated. They experience culture shock when they observe the ways of their immigrant neighbors. However, the couple gradually begin to understand the humanity beneath their prejudices as they develop interpersonal relationships with their neighbors. The couple experiences commonalities with their "foreign" neighbors that are universal, regardless of nationality and ethnicity—such as the struggles of day-to-day living in an uncertain economy—and other general daily issues that all can relate to. By looking at their neighbors as fellow Australians and, more importantly, fellow human beings, the once-judgmental couple enriched themselves through understanding and empathy.
Similarly, Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman centers on a neighborhood in Cleveland that is primarily composed of immigrants, first-generation Americans, and American minorities. The title refers to the community garden project initiated by a Vietnamese girl living in the neighborhood. The book is composed of several vignettes that depict the lives of the various characters in the intertwined stories. They all come from different backgrounds, cultures, and races, and have varying personalities. However, as the community garden begins to develop and the crops they planted begin to grow, the connections between the once-socially distant neighbors become stronger. The urban garden itself is an analogy for the development of the economically-deprived neighborhood, because it takes an entire community to take care of vegetation. By accepting and respecting others' differences whilst still working together in harmony, the residents individually grow like the plants they are caring for.
https://annakuznik.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/neighbours-by-tim-winton-a-summary/

What is a character sketch of Pip in Great Expectations?

Pip is young, naive, and aspiring throughout the novel Great Expectations. In the beginning, he is a young child who has a very rough life, but he remains positive and tries to be kind and friendly to others. As he spends time with Miss Havisham, his naivete is shown, but also his devotion begins to be expressed when he meets Estella. He falls in love with her and remains obsessed with her the majority of the novel.
Later, when he moves off to the city with a mysterious benefactor, he remains very kindhearted, but also has great dreams and aspirations of becoming wealthy and earning Estella's hand in marriage. He works tirelessly, but his kind nature and sweetness begins to ebb as he becomes obsessed with earning wealth and with pursuing Estella, missing the friendships and love he has waiting in front of him. Eventually, it is stripped away when his benefactor runs out of wealth, and Pip is left to pick up the pieces of his life, rekindling the friendships he had made and mourning the multiple loves he lost in the process.

Write one scene that is missing from The Sun Also Rises in Hemingway’s style.

There are numerous distinctive stylistic elements that are either characteristic of Ernest Hemingway’s style overall or distinctive to this novel. Hemingway became famous for a minimalist style with short sentences and large amounts of dialogue. As many have noted, it is deceptively simple, which makes it notoriously hard to imitate well (although easy to parody).
In terms of characterization, although the actions often seem realistic, he rarely probes deeply into their psychology. In The Sun Also Rises, Jacob Barnes is the first-person narrator. While this perspective gives more insight into the character telling the story, it limits the amount of information that is provided. In selecting an additional scene, it would have to be something that Jake observed, that was reported to him, or perhaps that he read, like in a newspaper.
One scene that is referred to but is not part of the action is Brett’s trip to San Sebastian (chapters 7–8). When Jake asks her about it, she is vague. What might be accomplished if she had provided him with more information? Such a scene could include her narrative about the events there and a conversation between her and Jake.
Another scene that occurs “offstage” is Robert’s fight with Romero over Brett (chapter 17). Mike and Bill, who were present, tell Jake about the fight. This scene could be effectively described by Robert, who was directly involved.

What is the illuminating moment in King Lear that acts as a window to explaining the meaning of the work as a whole?

One of the most impressive features of William Shakespeare’s masterful portrayal of an elderly father’s decline is the length of time it takes for Lear to realize the full extent of his daughters’ betrayal. At each step of the way, Lear rejects the implications of their behavior, somehow rationalizing their actions as less reprehensible than they are. The audience, as it sees him losing his power, his lands, and his self respect, wants to intrude into the play and intervene to save him. Lear’s massive arrogance makes it hard to like him, but his decline does elicit the audience’s sympathy. Too late, Lear must face that he has not been a good father, and that his behavior has helped create the monster those girls have become.
The illuminating moment comes during the storm, when Goneril and Regan shut him out of the castle. At first he is incredulous, fully expecting his predicament to be temporary. Once he realizes they do not care at all and he is truly on his own, his emotions take a different tack. He rails against the storm, calling down its wrath onto him. He eventually realizes that, although it is dangerous, the storm is just a composition of natural elements and its threat to him is not premeditated; the storm cannot bear him personal animosity. He addresses the storm:

I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness;
I never gave you kingdom, called you children.
You owe me no subscription. Then let fall
Your horrible pleasure. Here I stand your slave,
A poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man.

At this point, Lear acknowledges that through his failings as a king and a parent, he has partly brought this upon himself, and he learns some humility.

How long was Jeff in the rebel territory in Rifles for Watie?

In the short novel Rifles for Watie, Jeff lives in a rebel camp as an undercover Union officer for over a year. He spends a total of 4 years in service in the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, beginning at just 16 years old. He starts out as a Union soldier and fights against what he feels are the callous, lawless southerners—the Confederates. To help the Union cause, he infiltrates a rebel Confederate camp and lives there for over a year. During this time, he begins to learn that the men on the other side of the trenches are just as human as his compatriots, and this drives home the point of the story and the Civil war—that brother fought against brother, and the war itself was cruel, even while it was fighting for glorious ideals.

What does the newspaper article report in the first chapter of Tears of a Tiger?

Under the heading Teen Basketball Star Killed in Fiery Crash, the newspaper report sets out the details relating to Robbie's tragic death. It says that Robert Washington, 17, captain of the Hazlewood High School basketball team, was killed in a fiery automobile accident on I-75. The report goes on to say that the car was driven by Andrew Jackson, 17, whom police say was drinking. He's been treated at the Good Samaritan Hospital for burns and bruises. Two other passengers in the car, B. J. Carson, 16, and Tyrone Mills, 17, were also treated at the hospital, but have since been released.
According to the newspaper report, the three passengers who escaped serious injury managed to jump out of the car immediately after the accident. Robbie, however, had his feet on the dashboard, so that at the moment of impact they went through the windshield, pinning him inside the car. The car's gas tank then exploded, and despite Andrew's best efforts to save Robbie, he and his friends could only watch in horror as Robbie burned to death.

What is the "rising action" in "The Monkey's Paw"?

Rising action takes place between exposition (setting up the characters, setting, and situation of a story) and the climax (the point of highest dramatic tension). The rising action is all about building to the climax and how the conflict escalates to the final confrontation.
In "The Monkey's Paw," the rising action occurs when Mr. White ignores the sergeant-major's warnings about the monkey's paw and makes a wish on it anyway. This generates suspense, leaving the reader to wonder if the sergeant-major's warnings are legitimate and if horrible things will befall the family after Mr. White wishes for two hundred pounds.
When Herbert is killed at work and the Whites receive two hundred pounds as recompense, the tension escalates. Mrs. White goads her husband into wishing their son to return to life, setting the stage for the climax where this does appear to happen.

The rising action of a story is the way that the plot is established and developed, and the events of the rising action lead up to the story's climax. The plot of "The Monkey's Paw" is established with the arrival of the White family's old friend Seargent-Major Morris. He tells the family stories of his time abroad and eventually begins to talk about the monkey's paw that he says grants wishes—but only at a severe price—which was meant to teach people about the necessity of fate.
The family demands to see the paw, and Mr. White eventually takes it and pays Morris for it, despite Morris's protests. The family confers on what to wish for and settles on Herbert's plan to wish for the money they needed to pay off their house. The next day, Herbert dies at work, and the family receives the exact sum they asked for in the form of Herbert's life insurance. Mr. and Mrs. White are distraught and discuss bringing Herbert back with their remaining wishes, which they finally attempt.
All of these events and any other plot details contained between the first events of the story and the climax (the arrival of the unseen, late-night visitor) listed here can be considered rising actions.

Rising action can be defined as those events in a story that build suspense and increase the readers' interest. In "The Monkey's Paw" the rising action starts when Sergeant-Major Morris tells the Whites about the paw and how the fakir put a spell on it to grant three wishes. He further tells them that if those wishes are granted then unpleasant consequences will follow. This is what happens to those who defy the power of fate. Morris speaks from personal experience here, and as he doesn't want the Whites to succumb to the temptation of making three wishes on the paw, he throws it into the fire.
Yet, Mr. White retrieves the paw from the fire. This takes the rising action to the next level. Treating the monkey's paw as a harmless piece of mumbo-jumbo, the Whites proceed to make their first wish: to have the £200 they need to pay off their mortgage. Their wish is duly granted, but not in the way that they'd hoped. For their sudden windfall comes in the form of compensation paid out after their son Herbert dies in a workplace accident. At this point in the story, the suspense is building; we're anxious to know what happens next.
The next and final stage of the rising action comes when the Whites use the second of their three wishes to try and bring Herbert back from the dead. This will lead directly to the story's creepy climax.

How does being unable to read affect other aspects of people's lives?

Individuals can survive in some areas of modern life without learning to read; in fact, the value of universal, public literacy has only been widespread for the past 800 years or so, beginning with the end of the Middle Ages. Acceptance of illiteracy continued through the modern slave trade, when literacy was viewed as dangerous for slaves to have, a possible catalyst for organization and rebellion.
Today, one way in which illiteracy disadvantages people is by limiting the rate of learning. People who cannot read depend on the individuals they meet in person in order to acquire new knowledge through spoken discourse. In contrast, people who can read generally have access to libraries, search engines, encyclopedias, and other curated storage systems of knowledge.
Another way in which illiteracy impacts people is by inhibiting them from experiencing written stories that can help develop empathy. Written language exposes readers to the internal lives of others, demonstrating how they think differently yet arrive at analogous conclusions, values, and stories that expand one's own conception of what it means to be human. In an increasingly globalizing world, where people meet other people they would not have been able to meet even a generation ago, empathy is more vital than ever.

How would you factor and simplify the following: 6x^2(x^2 – 4)^2 – 5(x^2 – 4)^3

We are asked to factor and simplify 6x^2(x^2-4)^2-5(x^2-4)^3 :
First we factor out the common factor (x^2-4)^2 to get:
(x^2-4)^2(6x^2-5(x^2-4))
Working within the parentheses, we use the distributive property to get:
(x^2-4)^2(6x^2-5x^2+20)
(x^2-4)^2(x^2+20)
Now, x^2-4 is a difference of two squares and will factor further. On the other hand, x^2+20 is prime (irreducible) (at least in the real numbers*). Factoring, we get:
((x+2)(x-2))^2(x^2+20) or
(x+2)^2(x-2)^2(x^2+20) which is the result we seek.
* In the complex numbers, this further factors to:
(x+2)^2(x-2)^2(x+2sqrt(5)i)(x-2sqrt(5)i)
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PolynomialFactorization.html

Identify the author and the story from which the passage comes. Examine the most important or striking details of the passage itself. Depending on the passage, point out details on character and characterization, setting, conflict, style, and narrative point of view. Include a clear thesis statement that explains the importance of the passage in terms of the rest of the story. Depending on the passage, show how it contributes to theme, to character, to conflict, or to setting: "They were older when they married than most of their married friends; in their well-seasoned late twenties. Both had had a number of affairs, sweet rather than bitter; and when they fell in love—for they did fall in love—had known each other for some time. They joked that they had saved each other “for the real thing.” That they had waited so long (but not too long) for this real thing was to them a proof of their sensible discrimination. A good many of their friends had married young, and now (they felt) probably regretted lost opportunities; while others, still unmarried, seemed to them arid, self-doubting, and likely to make desperate or romantic marriages."

This passage is from the short story "To Room Nineteen" by Doris Lessing. It is important to note that this passage comes at the very beginning of the story. There is only one line before it:

This is a story, I suppose, about a failure in intelligence: The Rawlingses' marriage was grounded in intelligence.

Lessing has not yet given the first names of Matthew and Susan. All we know is that they are married and intelligent.
The passage focuses on their marriage. The only pronoun used is "they," not "he" or "she." Lessing is establishing the characters as a unified pair. They share a similar history, have the same opinions, and even use the same jokes. The passage is in third-person with a focus on this couple.
I think a striking aspect of the passage is that while it seems to be sweet and romantic when discussing this perfect relationship, the whole thing has a practical sense to it as well. Lessing uses repetition to clarify for us that they indeed "fell in love," which shows us that this is an important detail. While the characters are practical and sensible, they genuinely loved each other when they married. The phrase that stands out as showing their practicality over sentimentality is "their sensible discrimination."
This passage does not directly introduce a conflict, but when I read it I wonder if their relationship will stay as strong as it is. (A "failure" is brought up in the first line of the story, and after reading the whole story, we know the problems that arise that lead to the tragic ending, but in a passage analysis we can only look at the selected text). That being said, since the passage seems to present them as a perfect couple, it makes me wonder what (if any) their shortcomings are.

What happens in Canto XI of Dante's Inferno?

Canto XI
Dante and Virgil have traveled past the burning tombs of Frederick II and the Ghibelline Cardinal. The stench emanating from the forever flaming bodies is horrendous. Dante and Virgil duck under the cover of one of the stones, trying to take cleaner breaths. Dante sees that the inscription on the tomb reads:

“Pope Anastasius I hold,
Whom out of the right way Photinus drew."

These two men are, in Dante’s estimation, the worst of the arch-Heretics. Phonitus was a Deacon in the Church of Constantinople (the Greek Orthodox Church). Phonitus believed, and led Pope Anastasius to believe, that Christ’s birth was not miraculous at all; rather, he argued, Jesus was the product of natural human sexual relations. Additionally, Phonitus tricked the pope into giving him communion, an act strictly forbidden for those outside the Roman Catholic faith.
Virgil tarries, and Dante urges his guide to move on; but Virgil wants to prepare his charge for the horrors that are to come. The next circle will house the Violent. Inside the large seventh circle are three sub-circles. The largest outer ring is reserved for conducted violence against people or property. These murderers and bandits are submerged in a river of blood:

A death by violence, and painful wounds,
Are to our neighbour given; and in his substance
Ruin, and arson, and injurious levies;
Whence homicides, and he who smites unjustly,
Marauders, and freebooters, the first round
Tormenteth all in companies diverse."

The next inner circle imprisons those who have committed violence against themselves: the suicides and the squanderers:

"Man may lay violent hands upon himself
And his own goods; and therefore in the second
Round must perforce without avail repent
Whoever of your world deprives himself,
Who games, and dissipates his property,
And weepeth there, where he should jocund be."

The final circle is exclusively for the tormenting of those who had committed crimes against God or nature. These sinners were, in life, the blasphemers, the sodomites, and the usurers. These shades exist on a plain of sand, which eternally erupts underneath them in excruciating flames:

"Violence can be done the Deity,
In heart denying and blaspheming Him,
And by disdaining Nature and her bounty.
And for this reason doth the smallest round
Seal with its signet Sodom and Cahors,
And who, disdaining God, speaks from the heart.
Fraud, wherewithal is every conscience stung,
A man may practise upon him who trusts,
And him who doth no confidence imburse.
This latter mode, it would appear, dissevers
Only the bond of love which Nature makes;
Wherefore within the second circle nestle
Hypocrisy, flattery, and who deals in magic,
Falsification, theft, and simony,
Panders, and barrators, and the like filth.
By the other mode, forgotten is that love
Which Nature makes, and what is after added,
From which there is a special faith engendered.
Hence in the smallest circle, where the point is
Of the Universe, upon which Dis is seated,
Whoe'er betrays for ever is consumed."

In these verses, Dante is alluding to the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, a city so morally evil that it was destroyed by God (Genesis 19:24-5). Cahors was a city in France, infamous for its usury. Usury is the charging of interest on money lent. It is a sin because Adam’s punishment was to “live by the sweat of his brow” (Genesis 3:19). Since there is no labor involved in collecting interest, medieval Catholics consider the practice sinful.
Virgil then tells Dante that when they get to the Eighth Circle, he will see those who are guilty of fraud, a sin almost every human commits. These sinners include those who had been practicers of

“Hypocrisy, flattery, and who deals in magic,
Falsification, theft, and simony,
Panders, and barrators, and the like filth.
By the other mode, forgotten is that love
Which Nature makes, and what is after added,
From which there is a special faith engendered.
Hence in the smallest circle, where the point is
Of the Universe, upon which Dis is seated,
Whoe'er betrays for ever is consumed."

(Note: “Simony” is the practice of selling spiritual items. “Barrators” are those who continually file frivolous lawsuits.)
Dante understand the crimes of the condemned, but he asks Virgil why these souls are punished so much more harshly than those of the upper Hell. The elder poet reminds Dante of Aristotle work, Ethics and how sin is divided: "incontinence, malice, and insane bestiality.” (Note: “incontinence” means a lack of self control, particularly sexual, but also gluttony, wrath, and sullenness; “malice” means the fraud previously described; “insane beastiality” refers to all the acts of violence also discussed previously.)
Of these three, incontinence is the least serious although, of course, it still merits punishment. All of these sinners pay their eternal debt in upper hell. The remainder, the most serious, offenses, are housed below.
Dante understands everything except for the harsh judgment against usury. Virgil explains that the man who thwarts honest work not only cheats his customer, but shows his disdain in real work:

“the usurer takes another way,
Nature herself and in her follower
Disdains he, for elsewhere he puts his hope.”

Time is passing. Virgil notices the changing constellations and tells Dante they must leave the tortured souls of Circle Six behind them.

How were the Chesapeake colonies created?

The Chesapeake colonies (Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) were founded primarily by white, English, male settlers. The first colony of Jamestown (in the Virginia region) was established in 1607 and was the first settlement among all of the 13 colonies. It was sponsored by King James, who granted a charter to the Virginia Company to settle the region (by means of appointing a governor and other officials) and identify raw materials to be sent back to England. Maryland was given to a man named Sir George Calvert by Charles I, who established an enclave for Catholics. The Chesapeake colonies were primarily rural, and the rural classes were primarily wealthy Catholic landowners.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania were founded by Quakers, who were considered to be dissenters by the English Protestants because they believed they could communicate with God directly without the mediation of a preacher. The New Jersey area was ruled by the Dutch before the English took over. William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, sought to establish a refuge for Quakers in the land given to him by Charles II (as repayment for a family debt).

How is Hamlet melancholic?

Scholars who believe that melancholy is Hamlet’s tragic flaw believe that Hamlet “thinks too much” and this “thinking too much” makes Hamlet excessively sad and thoughtful. Ornstein is famous for naming this particular tragic flaw. Just as the long soliloquy that is considered Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” speech can be considered evidence of inaction, it can also be submitted as evidence of melancholy. Shakespeare loved soliloquies. They are found in every single one of his plays. Many scholars consider Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” speech as the most important, existential, and metaphysical soliloquy of all time. It is here that Hamlet weighs the major advantages and disadvantages of being alive. Many scholars conclude that Hamlet is contemplating suicide. (I must include here, though, that there are scholars who disagree and think Hamlet is simply contemplating his own lack of action through thought, which may also lend to Hamlet’s tragic flaw of melancholy.) The entire soliloquy is Hamlet giving his reasoning (to himself and the audience) for contemplating that suicide. Hamlet makes the case that this world is full of sorrow and pain. Hamlet further muses that this suicide is actually “devoutly to be wished," but Hamlet stops his suicide because of his fear of the afterlife. If Hamlet considers death “sleep,” then he is worried about what happens in the “dream” for the soul who kills itself. A bit of background on Hamlet’s melancholy here is that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that the sin of taking one’s own life is one of the most serious sins and cannot be forgiven, leading the soul directly to hell (except in the case of desperate, immediate, and final forgiveness in the moments before death). A full forty lines of soliloquy are devoted to Hamlet contemplating this grim idea. Can you think of a more melancholic subject? The scholars who believe this soliloquy has been misplaced and that it isn’t about suicide at all but rather about “troubles of turning thought into action” also give a perfect explanation for the tragic flaw of melancholy.
Let’s look at some more specifics from the speech to point to more melancholy. In lines 85-89, “Thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, / And enterprises of great pitch and moment, / With this regard their currents turn awry, / And lose the name of action." How is this melancholy? Well, Hamlet is convinced that “the native hue of resolution” is being “sicklied ‘o’er with the pale cast of thought.” Some point to the idea that here Hamlet names his flaw when he says “the pale cast of thought.” That is melancholy. Of course, you add the “lose the name of action” idea and you have fodder for the flaw of inaction. Therefore, this quote can be used to prove either flaw. Even if you lean toward the inaction flaw here, you can’t deny that the reason behind his inaction is contemplation of suicide or sad musings on the afterlife or thoughts about esoteric wisdom or the random gyrations of the mind.
Leaving the contemplation of suicide and looking at Act IV, Scene 4 because here is yet another soliloquy that provides ample evidence for the flaw of melancholy. All one needs to do is look at the precise first lines: "How all occasions do inform against me / and spur my dull revenge!" Although this line can be used (to a lesser extent) to prove the flaw of inaction, what is important here is that what Hamlet is constantly doing is precisely “thinking” about acting, while not actually doing so. Now we have Hamlet again naming his flaw, or at least his condition: "A thought which, quarter'd, has but one part wisdom / And ever three parts coward." In other words, Hamlet’s thoughts are mostly cowardice, and only one quarter intelligence.
Here are some more of Hamlet’s words to consider in regards to melancholy: "I do not know / Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do,' / Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means / To do't." It is a wonder that Hamlet can repeat the exact same thing again and again. Hamlet is revealing (again) how he has the motive to do what he needs to do (avenge his dad). How melancholic. Yet again, saying the same thing in different words: The "tender prince, / Whose spirit with divine ambition puff'd, / Makes mouths at the invisible event, Exposing what is mortal and unsure / To all that fortune, death , and danger dare." Now Hamlet is talking about actually having “divine ambition” to do what he needs to do even though it is dangerous. He is standing and talking: idle again.
Let’s look at yet another: "Rightly to be great / Is not to stir without great argument, / But greatly to find quarrel in a straw / When honour's at the stake." Here it is honor that is at stake, but again it is Hamlet simply talking about that honor and not acting on it. This particular quote requires a bit more explanation. If “honour’s at the stake” and your dad has his life taken by your uncle, it would be important for the son to kill that uncle out of honor. “Stir” without any delay, and not finding “quarrel in a straw” (even if it’s one of his father’s lands) so that there isn’t anything getting in the way of what needs to be done. As a reader, you will notice that a support is better used for the flaw of melancholy (as opposed to inaction) if Hamlet doesn’t really have an opportunity to act at that moment (such as when Claudius is praying).
How about this example: "How stand I then, / That have a father kill'd, a mother stain'd, / Excitements of my reason and my blood, / And let all sleep." Hamlet is basically saying, “Here I stand, again not acting, even though my mom is sinful and my uncle killed my dad and, yet, I let it all go (or ‘sleep’) by not acting.” Another moment when Hamlet doesn’t really have an opportunity to act, but stands deep in thought is in Act IV when he says, after another grand soliloquy, “O, from this time forth, / My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” This line is particularly interesting because Hamlet talks about how important it has been, even before this, to get on the ball and avenge his dad, and yet he still stood around talking. In fact, he continues to stand around talking now. Does Hamlet need to clear his conscience yet again before acting? Interesting that he says only his “thoughts” will be bloody. That makes me laugh, actually. Has he been listening to himself talking? His whole point is that honor requires more than just bloody “thoughts.” It requires action.
As a final thought, I would like to assert that almost any of Hamlet’s soliloquies could be use to show the tragic flaw of melancholy. Hamlet is always thinking and talking to himself about those (often sad) thoughts. Therefore, as a researcher of this topic, any soliloquy could be used as support for melancholy as the tragic flaw.