Explain the main differences and similarities of the two spirits in A Christmas Carol.

I'm not completely sure why this question asks about two spirits. This wonderful story technically has three spirits that visit Scrooge. If you count Jacob Marley as a spirit, then the story has four spirits. The three spirits that visit Scrooge are similar in that they all exist to teach Scrooge something about himself and hope to change him into a better man. Beyond that, they are quite different in appearance and personality. The Ghost of Christmas Past is an odd combination of a small child and old man. The ghost is quiet, thoughtful, and quite compassionate. The Ghost of Christmas Present is described as a "jolly giant." He is perpetually happy, is loud, laughs a lot, and is a general pleasure to be around. This makes sense based on his message being about the present and Christmas time. It's a season of happiness and love. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come probably contrasts the most with the other two spirits. There is a very strong Grim Reaper vibe to him.

It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand.

He's scary to look at, but the main difference is that he doesn't speak at all. There is no verbal teaching or reprimanding of Scrooge. This ghost does all of his teaching through showing Scrooge potential eventualities.

What do Jimmy, Jay, and Myrtle have in common?

Despite the obvious differences between Jay Gatsby's extravagant life and Myrtle Wilson's shabby existence, the parallels Fitzgerald draws between the two characters are numerous and not coincidental. Through the similarities, two themes in the novel are underscored.
Gatsby and Myrtle are driven by the same psychological force: They reject who they are and despise the lives handed to them without their consent. Before his transformation, Jimmy Gatz was restless and discontent, on fire with the desire to rise above his social station and possess wealth and all the glittering things it can buy. He longed for beauty and romance and believed in his heart that he did not belong in his dull, impoverished life on a farm in North Dakota with “shiftless” parents and a father who ate “like a hog.” Unable to endure his life, he ran away from home at seventeen to reinvent himself as Jay Gatsby.
Like Jimmy, who felt trapped in a life not his own, Myrtle Wilson is trapped in a nightmare she did not imagine when she married George Wilson. Fitzgerald doesn’t give readers the details of Myrtle’s youth, but she married George believing he was a “gentleman” who could provide the life she wanted. Myrtle was appalled when she discovered George had to borrow the suit he wore at their wedding. Just as Jimmy Gatz felt disdain for his family, Myrtle holds George Wilson in contempt, believing, as she tells her sister Catherine, that he “wasn’t fit to lick my shoe.” Psychologically, Myrtle runs away from home, too, by throwing herself into an affair with Tom Buchanan, who she believes will fulfill her dreams by buying her a glamorous new life; moments before her death, she runs away physically, as well, in pursuit of Tom.
Gatsby and Myrtle want more than wealth; they want to climb the social ladder, leaving their former identities behind. By the time Gatsby is settled in his West Egg mansion, a house he pays for in cash, he believes he has succeeded in obliterating Jimmy Gatz; lying about his past and concealing his criminal activities make him a mysterious figure, and he cultivates the persona. Like Gatsby, Myrtle also struggles to forge a new identity, first as Tom’s mistress and then as his wife. Not content to remain his mistress, she dreams of marrying Tom and assuming Daisy Buchanan’s role in society. Myrtle’s taunting Tom by repeating Daisy’s name during a violent, drunken argument shows Myrtle’s persistence in refusing to settle for anything less.
Gatsby and Myrtle are both naïve to believe they can create new identities and join the upper class. Uneducated and unrefined, they are interlopers among the Eastern elite. Myrtle’s coarse language and behavior, in contrast to Daisy’s cool confidence and superficial charm, set Myrtle apart from Tom and Daisy’s society in ways that money can’t erase. Gatsby mimics the manners and what he erroneously believes to be the language of the upper class, but Tom Buchanan recognizes him at once as an imposter, despite Gatsby’s wealth. In different ways, Gatsby and Myrtle are both vulgar in contrast to those of the staid, conservative society of East Egg. Gatsby spends his money in tasteless displays of conspicuous consumption and wears a pink suit; Myrtle conspicuously displays her voluptuous body in clothes that Daisy Buchanan would never consider wearing.
Compelled to seize all that life would deny them, Gatsby and Myrtle believe what they must to carry on. Myrtle accepts the “elaborateness” of Tom’s lie regarding Daisy’s being a Catholic who doesn't believe in divorce, and Gatsby dies waiting for Daisy’s call, still clinging to the belief that having money will make marrying Daisy possible. Gatsby and Myrtle, by necessity, are blind in regard to the Buchanans, unable to see them for who they are, “careless people” without conscience, united by the ingrained, snobbish sense of superiority conferred upon them by inherited wealth.
In rejecting their own identities and attempting to reinvent themselves and their lives, Gatsby and Myrtle are destroyed; each suffers a violent death directly related to having associated with the Buchanans. The parallels between Gatsby and Myrtle develop the old money-new money theme in the novel. Through Jimmy, Jay, and Myrtle, another theme emerges, as well—that reinventing oneself in the pursuit of a new life is part of the American Dream, but how one chooses to do it is of no minor consequence.

Given the current public attitude toward criminals, what do you see as the likely future of parole release?

The public attitude toward criminals has become increasingly negative. With increased coverage of criminal activities on television news programs, round the clock access to information, and social media usage, there have been calls to reduce or to end parole release. The easy way to deal with this issue is to either shut it down completely or significantly reduce its use. However, that may not necessarily be the future of this program.
Part of the issue with parole release is that many people who are released eventually have their parole revoked. This occurs because these people go back into environments when released from prison that aren’t conducive for leading a successful life. They may not have a stable place in which to live and they may not find meaningful employment. In cases when judges are reelected, if a judge allows for a sentence that could include being released early, and if that person then commits a serious crime, opponents of the judge in the next election will likely use this case against the judge. This may make it less likely that judges would be willing to issue a sentence that includes the possibility of parole. Additionally, members of a parole board may be hesitant to grant a prisoner’s request for early release because of the fear of the public backlash that would occur if that prisoner were to commit another crime after being released.
However, the cost of keeping a person in prison is very high. As states face financial issues, overcrowding of prisons, and a shortage of prison workers, it is very possible that parole release is not going to disappear. Inmates need an incentive to behave properly while in prison and to work to reform their ways of living for when they are released from prison. Parole release is part of this incentive. As a result, while it may be politically popular to get tough on crime and criminals, the reality may be that parole release programs aren’t going to disappear.
https://robinainstitute.umn.edu/news-views/parole-revocation-problem

Consider The Things They Carried and other war literature. It can be said that the most effective war literature focuses on horror, not heroism. To what extent to you agree?

Great question! This is an opinion prompt, so I can't answer it for you. I can, however, pitch a few ideas to help you organize your response.
The first task I would encourage you to complete in your response is to define "effective." This word indicates to me that the prompt assumes some defined purpose for writing about violent conflict. War literature is a vast corpus of writing that includes everything from racist propaganda poetry to gritty anti-war novels. Both genres had dramatically different purposes when they were published; both could be considered "effective," depending on their historical aim. Clearly outlining what "effective" means in your response will be helpful both for your audience and for you as you structure your thoughts.
Most memorable war-literature, at least from the past few centuries, has explored the horrors of war rather than glorifying it. Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage, Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, the poetry of Wilfred Owen, Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo and The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien all highlight the gruesome reality of war and reject the suggestion that war is noble or heroic.
Focusing on the horror of war rather than glorifying the conflict accomplishes several things that make for memorable literature. For a start, the average experience of war is undoubtedly one of horror, not heroism. Most soldiers do not receive medals for bravery, but they do witness the carnage of war. By writing stories that realistically portray the horrors of war, a story becomes relatable to veterans and often serves as a tool to help them process their own stories. For example, The Things They Carried received accolades from former Vietnam soldiers who felt that O'Brien captured in his anthology feelings that they struggled to communicate themselves.
In contrast, literature that emphasizes the heroism of war can often come across as propagandistic and does not generally age well. Many action-stories of World War I heroes were published in the 1920s, but few are remembered today. This is because a hero is rooted in a specific historical and cultural moment, whereas a story that explores the terror and horror of conflict can appeal to a broader audience across time and geographic location. For example, Stephen Crane's novel The Red Badge of Courage is just as relevant today as when it was written after the Civil War.
In the case of Tim O'Brien's work, he explicitly attempts to tell a "true war story." In the chapter "How to Tell a True War Story," O'Brien claims:

A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behaviour, nor restrain men from doing the things they have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie.

This thought from O'Brien is perhaps the best argument for the effectiveness of literature focusing on the horrors of war: they reflect the truth of violence and the loss that conflict inevitably brings.
I hope this helps!

What are the different experiences of the pilgrims in the poem "Enterprise"?

The pilgrims begin their journey happily and with "burdens light."
The pilgrims by the second stanza are continuing to hold up well despite the hot sun. One experience they have is making notes about what they see on their travels, such as what people buy and sell.
But then their experiences grow darker. "Differences" arise, and they part company with a friend. A "shadow" falls over them. Later, they are attacked twice, they get lost, and a section of their group tries to break off and go its own way ("A section claimed its liberty").
Now, instead of taking notes, the pilgrims simply experience trudging onward, bent or broken by their sufferings during travel. They are "deprived of common needs, like soap."
Finally, the pilgrims arrive at their destination and have forgotten why they have ever set out. The pilgrimage has not led to "deeds" that were "great" or "rare." They realize that home is the place "to gather grace."
In sum, the pilgrims start out full of hope and joy that their pilgrimage will have meaning and that they will do great deeds. Gradually, though, they experience problems, such as quarreling, attacks, getting lost, and running out of basic supplies such as soap. By the end of their journey, home seems like much the better place to find "grace," or spiritual enlightenment.

Who was Nat Turner, and why was he significant to this resistance?

Nat Turner was a Virginian slave. In 1831, he spearheaded one of the deadliest slave revolts in the United States. Nat Turner's contribution to the slave resistance was significant for this reason: his efforts sparked future slave rebellions in the South and precipitated the advance of the Civil War.
On the night of August 21, 1831, Nat Turner and his peers killed their slave owners with axes. They then made their way to other plantations to free other slaves. The slave revolt sent a shock wave through Virginian society, and the call went out to the militia and army to quell the rebellion.
Turner and his peers closely guarded their plan to revolt. This is because previous rebellions were quashed after word got out. On August 21, 1831, Turner put into motion a surprise attack. He gathered a trusted few and began killing slave owners and their families. None in their path were spared; women and children were killed alongside the men. As Turner and his group arrived at each plantation, they begged the slaves to join them. Many did. However, many others balked at killing women and children.
For example, at Catherine Whitehead's plantation, the slaves actually foiled a rebel plan to kill Harriet Whitehead. Nat's men were only able to convince one slave to join them in their resistance. At another neighboring plantation, Nat's group failed to galvanize even a single slave to join them. In all, the Northampton County resistance was a small group effort at best.
On August 22, 1831, Nat Turner and his men met with violent resistance from the militia and military. Many of Nat's peers were captured. By the end of the next day, August 23, Turner's group was completely defeated. Turner himself remained at large. He was not captured until August 30. Immediately after his capture, he was interrogated and soon released what is today known as the Confessions of Nat Turner.
Nat Turner was significant to the antislavery resistance movement because his efforts constituted one of the first influential slave revolts in the country. His Northampton rebellion also precipitated the advance of the Civil War in the fight to eradicate slavery from the South.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/changing-america-emancipation-proclamation-1863-and-march-washington-1963/1863/resistance

https://docsouth.unc.edu/highlights/turner.html

https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Revolt_Nat_Turner_s_1831

What significance does the word "But" have in the last verse (i.e., "The woods are lovely, dark and deep /. . . And miles to go before I sleep") of the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost?

The word "but" in the final stanza reveals the fateful choice of direction that the speaker has made.
He'd flirted briefly with resigning himself to an easeful death: to penetrate deeper into the "lovely, dark" woods, as he calls them. But—and there's that word again—he has much in life he still needs to do; that is to say, he has "promises to keep." No matter how "lovely, dark and deep" the woods may be, the speaker won't succumb to their temptations: he will go on.
Another valid reason for avoiding the woods is that the speaker has miles to go before he sleeps, (i.e., a lot of life still left in him before he finally gives in to death). The fact that this line is repeated right at the end of the poem indicates the importance of the direction that the speaker has chosen to take.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening

List and explain several major sources of the new wave of imperialism that occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century. To what extent did these ideas find support among the populations of imperialist states?

Whereas early European exploration and colonization was born out of dire necessity (to avoid conquest and enslavement by the invading Ottoman imperialists), European colonization in the second half of the nineteenth century had acquired a variety of ideological and practical justifications.
Wasn't the success of imperialism self-evident? The settlers of the first English colonies in North America had achieved the world's highest living standard by the eighteenth century and by the end of the nineteenth century had created the world's greatest modern industrial power. The second British Empire in India had made the British East India Company one of the world's most successful.
The influence of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection of the fittest was applied by Herbert Spencer to human society as Social Darwinism. The Social Darwinists saw European domination as a natural outcome of their own fitness, much as the previously dominant Asian Empires of the Ottomans, Moghuls, and Chinese had attributed their success to their innate superiority and looked down on Europeans as inferior.
Practical justifications included the need for raw materials for industrial production that were unavailable domestically like rubber and rare minerals. Often these resources were ignored or underdeveloped by the natives and the advanced industrial economies could use them in manufactures to raise domestic and global living standards. Indeed, industrial output and global trade was having a profound positive impact on raising global living standards for those willing to participate in the new world economy.
The mission to civilize the world appealed to social reformers and practical men alike. Establishing new markets often required introducing more primitive societies to the self-evident benefits of the Western work ethic, competition, science, medicine, private property rights, law, and Western modes of consumption. Indeed many felt that withholding these benefits in the first world would be a moral crime. The civilizing mission of colonization and imperialism would help to eradicate the twin relics of barbarism (so-called) of polygamy and slavery. What Charles Dickens called "telescopic philanthropy" was a major motivation to provide help to the needy of what would come to be called the third world. Christian missionaries often saw themselves as playing a dual role in spreading the Gospel and the benefits of Western civilization.
There is little doubt that many of these ideas found enthusiastic support among the populations of the imperialist states. The evidence is still found in British material culture from the period where the Empire is an obvious source of national pride. The benefits of imperialism were widely believed to outweigh the costs and, in many cases, the humanitarian motivations were entirely sincere. Europeans and Americans would leave secure lives of prosperity to bring the blessings of civilization, as they saw it, to remote and dangerous parts of the globe often at their own expense and to no reward (sometimes to be killed).
The desire for natural resources was just as real and often the natives benefited from the resulting wealth, some of which was re-invested in the building up of the local infrastructure including modern transport, communication, and education systems. Of course, there were appalling abuses at times like the Belgian exploitation of the Congo, and the popular view today is that the Europeans derived all the benefits, but this was not the popular view at the time. Imperial powers often understood themselves as maternal guardians and protectors of their colonial subjects, and the investments in native education and infrastructure show that the advancement of the natives was thought to be to everyone's benefit.

The _______ the complainant, the more likely a patrol officer is to use formal procedures to report and investigate a crime. A. Older B. More affluent C. Less affluent D. Younger

The missing answer to complete this statement is (B) More affluent. Formal policies and procedures are in place so that institutional law enforcement is conducted in compliance with all constitutional and statutory requirements. Therefore, if the patrol officer acts in conformance with relevant formal policies and procedures, it is more likely that there will be a defensible result in case the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome or how they were treated.
Ideally, the patrol officer would always act in conformance with formal policy. However, as with any human endeavor, sometimes shortcuts are taken, or proper methods and policies are not followed. In general, the more affluent the complainant, the less likely they are to be routinely involved in the justice system and therefore might (perhaps unfairly) be viewed as more credible with their complaint, which would justify a more thorough investigation "by the book." Also, the more affluent the complainant, the more likely they are to have the resources and personal resolve to question outcomes they find unsatisfactory and bring suit if their concerns are not addressed and resolved.

Beorn supplies Bilbo and dwarves with what?

In Chapter 7, Beorn, the skin-changer and farmer, supplies Bilbo and the dwarves with lots of useful provisions and just as useful, if not more useful advice and friendship. First of all he supplies them with food, as a reward for the story they tell him about how they killed the Great Goblin. Beorn doesn't like goblins either. After he verifies that their story is true, he then offers to supply them with "ponies for each of them, and a horse for Gandalf." He also offers to give them enough food to "last them for weeks," "skins for carrying water" and "some bows and arrows."
Beorn also supplies Bilbo and the dwarves with advice about the route they will take. He tells them where they can find nuts, warns them about "dark, queer, and savage" creatures, and also about an "enchanted" stream that they should not drink from or bathe in. Beorn also tells Bilbo and the dwarves not, under any circumstances, to stray from the path he has described. And, finally, he tells them that his house will always be open to them, should they find themselves passing by it again.

How does the relationship between Marianne and Colonel Brandon change over the course of the novel?

While it is true to say that Marianne has no attraction toward Colonel Brandon because he is too old and wears "flannel" waistcoats, it is not true to say that, as a consequence, she rejects his suit: Colonel Brandon makes no suit for her love--thus no suit can be rejected--until well after Edward and Elinor are married and settled in the parsonage at Brandon's estate of Delaford. It is equally untrue to say that at any point Brandon continues a courtship of Marianne: Colonel Brandon never has the heart to initiate a courtship until Marianne spends considerable time in visits to Elinor and Edward at Delaford, and then only with Mrs. Dashwood's assistance and encouragement.
Marianne Meets Brandon
How does Marianne meet Colonel Brandon and on what is her long-lasting first impression formed? Marianne and all the Dashwoods are invited to take dinner at Barton Manor. It is at this dinner that Marianne meets Colonel Brandon. Her first assessment of him is that he, at thirty-five, is "old," "infirm" and in "declining life." She finds a modicum of respect for him because he is attentive, although not rapturous, about the music she sings and plays. She considers him an unfortunate man of "advanced years" in a "forlorn condition as an old bachelor." So, had he been, in her opinion, pretentious enough to advance a suit of marriage, she indeed would have rejected it. Yet pursuing a courtship of Marianne was not a possibility Brandon even contemplated because of Marianne's decided disinterest in him.
Second Attachments and Flannel
Although, as Mrs. Jennings and Sir John noticed, Colonel Brandon had an immediate "partiality" for Marianne (we later learn the immediate nature of his partiality was due to her striking resemblance to Eliza), Marianne has, as shown above, an immediate disdain for Brandon: Marianne was "prejudiced against him." On top of this dislike for thirty-five-year-old Brandon, Marianne was completely enamored of twenty-five-year-old Willoughby: "what could a silent man of five and thirty hope, when opposed to a very lively one of five and twenty?" In view of Marianne's sensibilities, it would take a bold and audacious man to pursue Marianne's affection, which we know Brandon was not; he was grave and "reserved."
In addition, Marianne's "romantic" ideas about love and attachments prohibit the existence of "second attachments," second loves in life. As Brandon's conversation with Marianne brings out, even if Brandon had overcome his gravity and reserve and had summoned the fortitude to dare to approach Marianne while her thoughts and affections were absorbed by Willoughby, he would have thwarted because of Marianne's rejection of second loves, especially second loves in "old" and "infirm" men who dare to wear flannel.
[Marianne said,] "[Colonel Brandon] may live twenty years longer. But thirty-five has nothing to do with matrimony."
Marianne's Opinion on Brandon
On the day of the group outing to the "very fine place about twelve miles from Barton," when Brandon is so suddenly called away to attend to urgent business that "cannot afford to lose ONE hour," Marianne agrees with Willoughby's diminishing pronouncement that Brandon probably invented the urgency as a rouse to avoid the "party of pleasure." Before Brandon mounted his horse to leave, he "bid [Elinor] farewell for a longer time than [he] should wish to do" but "merely bowed" to Marianne "and said nothing."
Brandon's behavior throughout this time does not bespeak the behavior of a man who is pursuing a romantic suit for Marianne's love. He doesn't see her again until they are all in London and Marianne is first desperate to hear from Willoughby and then desperate because she has heard cold and unloving things from him. It is highly unlikely that Brandon would even contemplate pursuing Marianne's affection in such an atmosphere of sensibilities. Marianne leaves London to go to Cleveland only to fall into dangerous illness--caused by her own neglect and melancholy dejection--that brings her to the brink of death. It is Brandon who, at word of Elinor's fears, volunteers to go to Barton to bring Mrs. Dashwood to Marianne's side.
Brandon Confides in Mrs. Dashwood
It is during the carriage drive back to Cleveland that Brandon pours his heart out to Mrs. Dashwood, telling her of his deep and earnest love for Marianne and sharing all the trials of his ill-fated love for Eliza. Mrs. Dashwood is deeply by her responsive sensibilities and grants Brandon her blessing in attempting to gain Marianne's love as his own, although both have realistic doubts as to Marianne's ability to respond or reciprocate. It is during Marianne's convalescence that Brandon is invited to call at Barton cottage to inquire from Marianne about her continued improvement. Even later, Mrs. Dahwood continues to encourage Brandon to make himself a guest at their home:
"I ... rather expect to see, than to hear from [Colonel Brandon] again. I earnestly pressed his coming to us, and should not be surprised to see him walk in today or tomorrow, or any day."
Mrs. Dashwood Helps Brandon
Brandon's hours at his home at Delaford were spent in repining over the disparity and "disproportion between thirty-six and seventeen." His gloomy mood upon arriving again at Barton cottage could only be lifted by Marianne's improved health and kind welcome and by Mrs. Dashwood's encouraging words.
[Brandon] had little to do but to calculate the disproportion between thirty-six and seventeen, ... [and was] in a temper of mind which needed all the improvement in Marianne's looks, all the kindness of her welcome, and all the encouragement of her mother's language, to make it cheerful. Among such friends, however, and such flattery, he did revive.
A man in this condition of sorrowful despair could not be described as a man who was engaged in continuing a gentle suit for the love of Marianne. So when does Brandon actually initiate an active suit for Marianne's love? It is doubtful that we can truly say that he ever actually does initiate an active suit for her love. It is more correct to say that proximity and Mrs. Dashwood's good efforts cause a blooming of regard in Marianne that Brandon finally plucks by proposing marriage.
Mrs. Dashwood was acting on motives of policy as well as pleasure in the frequency of her visits at Delaford; for her wish of bringing Marianne and Colonel Brandon together was hardly less earnest, ... It was now her darling object. Precious as was the company of her daughter to her, she desired nothing so much as to ... see Marianne settled at the mansion-house ... [Marianne] was born to overcome an affection ... [and] voluntarily to give her hand to another!—and THAT other, a man who had suffered no less than herself ... [who] she had considered too old to be married,—and who still sought the constitutional safeguard of a flannel waistcoat!

Who is Dante’s traveling companion though the Inferno, through Purgatory and through Paradise and why would Dante have chosen these companion?

La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) is a fourteenth-century epic poem written by one of the most well-known Italian poets: Dante Alighieri. It consists of three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). Essentially, The Divine Comedy is an allegory for the soul's journey towards God. Throughout the poem Dante makes a clear distinction between two separate personas: Dante the Pilgrim (the one who goes on a journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven) and Dante the Poet (the one who wrote about the experiences of Dante the Pilgrim in Hell, Purgatory and Heaven). Dante the Pilgrim has two traveling companions who guide him through the three mythical places; the famed Ancient Roman poet Publius Virgilius Maro (or Virgil) is his guide through Hell and half of Purgatory, and his beloved Beatrice is his guide through the last four cantos of Purgatory and Heaven.
The wise Virgil appears to Dante in ghost form. Virgil is stuck in Hell because he died before the birth of Christ and is considered a pagan. Dante has a lot of respect for his fellow poet and even considers him an inspiration:

Thou art my master, and my author thou,Thou art alone the one from whom I tookThe beautiful style that has done honor to me.

This is why Dante, essentially, chooses Virgil as his guide and traveling companion through Hell and part of Purgatory. Virgil is, basically, Dante's mentor, and Dante shows the admiration he feels for the poet by making several references to Virgil's Aeneid.
As Virgil cannot enter Heaven or come close to it, Beatrice is the one who takes over his role as a guide to Dante. She appears to Dante as an angel, but she was apperently a real person named Beatrice Portinari, who came from a rich banking family. According to several sources, Dante had met Beatrice only twice in his life, but he was so fascinated by her beauty and grace that he fell in love with her deeply and instantly. This is why Dante chose her as his traveling companion in Heaven.
In The Divine Comedy, Beatrice is thought to represent the ideal woman and humanity's virtue, kindness, and faith in God. Dante alludes to the fact that he was able to endure his journey through Hell because he constantly thought of his love for Beatrice. Before starting the journey through Heaven, Beatrice informs Dante that he cannot enter if he is not cleansed of all sins.

How are hysteria and peer pressure related?

Hysteria is defined as exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion, especially affecting a group of people. For example, the accusations of the girls — as well as the Putnams', Parris', and Hale's willingness to believe them — ignite a hysteria in Salem Village. Some of the girls themselves appear to succumb to hysteria, girls like Mary Warren, who seem so caught up in uncontrollable emotion that they can actually grow physically cold and even faint whenever emotions run particularly high. It's only later that Mary realizes that she didn't actually feel the results of witchcraft but of hysteria (though she does not call it this). Peer pressure also plays a role in hysteria; it is, simply, influence from one's peers. Mary certainly experiences this — she is unable to recreate the sensation of growing cold or fainting without the group doing it as well. The more people grow to believe in the accusations, that there are witches loose in Salem Village, the more it seems to compel others to believe as well so that, soon, it becomes possible for people like Rebecca Nurse or John Proctor to be hanged.

What is the story timeline of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry?

Mildred Taylor’s novel about growing up in 1930s Mississippi centers on Cassie Logan, an African-American girl who is nine years old during most of the novel’s action. Not only is Cassie conscious of her place in a lineage of enslaved people who gained their freedom, but she also looks ahead toward her own future achievements; she is a bright, scholarly, ambitious girl, and her mother is a teacher. The Logan family farm, much of which is planted with cotton, was purchased by her grandfather after gaining his freedom. It is surrounded by the farms still owned by the white family, the Grangers, who had formerly owned the Logan’s land; now they want it back. Anti-black terrorism is on the rise, conducted by the infamous “night riders,” who burn crops and houses in their efforts to drive out the black farmers. Klansmen shoot and injure Cassie’s father, whose friend Morrissey is an outspoken civil rights and labor rights advocate.
Cassie’s older brother Stacey strives to function as the family’ head, although he is just 12 years old, after their father is injured. This includes taking a stand against his friend T. J.’s exploitation after their relationship threatens to draw Stacey into legal troubles. T. J., one of Cassie’s mother’s students, plots revenge over a bad grade by spreading a rumor that Mrs. Logan started a store boycott. The insecure boy is easily swayed by the white boys’ pretenses at friendship, but after a robbery attempt goes bad and a storeowner is killed, his supposed friends make him the fall guy and also beat him. The strong racial discrimination in the rural South is accentuated by T. J. being framed. Mr. Logan does his best to force attention away from the boy by setting fire to the fields, but his fate is in the hands of justice—meaning life imprisonment—and a lynch mob, meaning sure death.

Why does the speaker of the poem lie down by the side of the tomb by the sounding sea?

This line comes from the famous Edgar Allan Poe poem "Annabel Lee," which was inspired by the poet's young wife.
The speaker describes the unrivaled love he shared with the titular woman, a love that was so pure and intense that the speaker accuses angels of being jealous of the young couple. This jealousy, he says, is why a "wind blew out of a cloud" and caused Annabel Lee to grow ill and die.
In the third stanza, the speaker indicates Annabel Lee's death with the use of "sepulcher." A sepulcher refers to an entombment. The speaker repeats this term in the penultimate line of the poem, which emphasizes its importance.
The speaker lies in the sepulcher by the sea because that is where his beloved is buried. The speaker describes how he stays there all through the night because he cannot bear to be separated from his love. Therefore, one could infer that the reason the speaker does this is because of his grief. He is not coping well with her loss, and he finds comfort in being close to her. Using the word "bride" in this final stanza where the speaker describes his mournful slumber also suggests that he has turned her tomb into a perverse form of marital bed.
Maybe the speaker believes he is forever wed to Annabel Lee and must show his devotion by never leaving her side—even if that means sleeping at her tomb.

What are summaries of the important works of Gabriel García Márquez?

Gabriel García Márquez was a Nobel Prize–winning novelist who began his writing career as a journalist. He is most well known for his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, which centers on the Buendía family's involvement in Colombian history over the course of one century in the fictional village of Macondo.
Other notable novels include The Autumn of the Patriarch, written without conventional chapters or paragraphs, which reviews the lifetime abuses and achievements of a dictator exiled on an island.
A moving love story situated within the social and political upheavals of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Latin America is Love in the Time of Cholera. Much as Albert Camus did with The Plague, García Márquez uses the metaphor of a disease, cholera, to explore the illness and decay of modern society.

What is the perspective?

As he does with the speaker in several of his Civil War poems--"Bivouac on a Mountain Side," "An Army on the March," and "By the Bivouac's Fitful Flame"--Whitman employs the immediacy of a first-person speaker (or, in "Crossing," implied first-person), one who is both present within and apart from the actions of the army he is observing. Whitman is, in short, in the poem. In "Cavalry Crossing a Ford," the speaker observes the action of a cavalry unit from a distance, but close enough to catch the sounds and details of the movement:
They take a serpentine course, their/ arms flash in the sun--hark to the musical clank. . . .
The speaker's perspective--a middle distance--allows him to take in the totality of the scene and, at the same time, to focus on the sounds, sights, the postures, and even the sun-burned faces of the troopers as they cross the river. His perspective, then, moves him into the scene so that sensory details emerge--"the splashing horses loitering, stop to drink"--but he creates a word-picture of the cavalry unit's complete movement from the first troopers across to those waiting to cross who, as tired cavalry troopers do, "rest on the saddles."
And, also as is typical of Whitman, he places himself, or his speaker, solidly into the poem by commanding the reader to pay attention:
Behold the silvery river . . . Behold the brown-faced men. . . .
This is an implied first-person speaker who stands next to us and shouts that we need to be looking at particular images, as if we are standing beside him while he directs our attention to the details that will allow us to understand what sounds and sights accompany a cavalry unit crossing a ford. He is not writing a poem, and we are not reading it--he is, and we are, experiencing a moment in the life of a Civil War unit.
With this commanding tone and immediate perspective, he places us, as he has placed himself, in the world of this anonymous cavalry unit as it goes about the business of war. It is not reaching to argue that Whitman's skill as a poet derives, in part, from his ability not only to create masterful poems that touch our senses but also to take his readers into his poems--even if he has to nudge us to pay attention to certain sights and sounds.

Why does Gatsby throw huge parties?

Jay Gatsby is Nick Carraway's extremely wealthy neighbor. He lives in a magnificent mansion in the West Egg, directly across the sound from the Buchanan estate. When Jay Gatsby returned from the war, he became business partners with Meyer Wolfsheim and amassed a fortune in the illegal bootlegging industry. He never lost his love for Daisy, and he purchased an extravagant mansion directly across the water from her home. Gatsby knew that Daisy had married Tom Buchanan, but he still held onto his dream of one day marrying her.
In an effort to reconnect with Daisy, Gatsby hosts elaborate parties, where strangers from all over the East and West Egg are invited. Interestingly, Gatsby does not participate in the revelries taking place at his home but passively watches over his parties as a host, hoping that Daisy will attend. At the end of chapter four, Jordan Baker explains to Nick how Daisy and Jay Gatsby originally met. She then mentions the reason why Gatsby hosts elaborate parties at his mansion, telling Nick,

I think he [Gatsby] half expected her [Daisy] to wander into one of his parties, some night . . . but she never did. Then he began asking people casually if they knew her, and I was the first one he found. It was that night he sent for me at his dance, and you should have heard the elaborate way he worked up to it. (Fitzgerald, 85)

Overall, Jay Gatsby hosts elaborate parties at his mansion in the hopes that Daisy Buchanan will attend one of the parties and they will finally reconnect.

Gatsby throws huge parties because he hopes Daisy will hear of them and someday show up at one. He also hopes that someone who knows her will show up at the parties and perhaps offer him access to her. He has purchased his mansion because it is across the water from hers, in close proximity.
Although he lives close enough to Daisy to watch the green light at the end of her pier, and although he has become wealthy, Gatsby is hampered by not being in her social class (the "old money"). He is also hampered by not wanting to recognize that Tom is part of her life. When he learns that Nick is her cousin and has full access to her—and also that Nick lives next door to him—a plan to reconnect with Daisy without including Tom begins to form in Gatsby's mind.

Why did colonial American builders use clapboards?

Clapboard, which refers to long thin boards that were used to cover the exterior of walls, was commonly found on homes in the New England Colonies. Due to the harsh winters, they needed a way to insulate homes and protect them from the weather. Builders of the time typically built houses with exposed timber that had an infill between the frames. However, lime was an essential part of the infill, and there was not a lot of it to be found in the New England area. Wood was abundant, so they adapted their building techniques to include thin wooden boards on the exterior of homes and other buildings. Clapboard was able to keep out the winter winds but allow the house to air out in the summer.

Summarize chapter 1 of The Tin Flute.

The first chapter of Gabrielle Roy's The Tin Flute opens with the young Florentine working at the lunch counter at the local Five and Ten in St Henri. On this particular day, she feels a sense of anticipation, because she is hoping to see a young man she met at a bazaar the day before. She notes, however, that she has never expected to meet her destiny amid the "caramel" smells and "clacking" noises of the cash register at a store in her poverty-stricken neighborhood.
Nevertheless, the young man shows up at the lunch counter and beckons her to come over to him, demanding to know her name. When she won't tell, he says his own is Jean and that he knows hers is Florentine. She is both put off and attracted by his insolent, demanding, and sometimes brutal manner as he asks her out.
During the chapter, the scene shifts to Jean's point of view as he gazes at Florentine and gets a sense of how hard her life must be:

She stiffened under his brutal scrutiny, and he was able to see her better. He saw her upper body reflected in the wall mirror, and he was struck by her thinness. She had pulled the belt of her green uniform as tight as it would go around her waist, but you could see that her clothing barely clung to her slender body. And the young man had a sudden glimpse of what her life must be like, in the rush and bustle of St. Henri, that life of spruce young girls with rouged cheeks reading fifteen-cent serial novels and burning their fingers at the wretched little fires of what they took for love.

Jean informs her that he too is from St. Henri. When she ends up accepting his invitation, her life will change.

In the first chapter of The Tin Flute (published in 1945 under the title, Bonheur d'occasion), written by Canadian writer Gabrielle Roy, the protagonists are Florentine Lacasse (a young, working-class girl who works at a convenience store as a clerk) and the attractive, intelligent, but dismissive Jean Lévesque. Jean condescendingly invites her out to the movies, and Florentine is taken aback as, though a stranger, he "seemed to know her better than she knew herself."
The novel is set in Montreal during World War II, and Florentine sees many soldiers come and go from the store, but she is intrigued by Jean. Florentine is one of many children, and her family is poor. Soon after inviting her out, Jean will regret his decision, as he does not want to be distracted by a woman.
Looking ahead to the rest of the novel, Jean will remain without attachment to family, though he will affect Florentine's life profoundly.

Why are the children fearful of the Professor at first, and how do their feelings change?

The children are indeed scared of the Professor at first. But then, most people in their situation would be. He comes across as a really unfriendly man, kind of creepy in a way—certainly not the sort of person you'd want to get too close to. It's no wonder that children in the neighborhood stay away from his shop. The Professor's been turned into the local bogeyman, a figure of legend rumored to be responsible for not one, but two child murders in the vicinity. If this guy turns out to be anything other than a stone-cold psychopath, it'll be a miracle.
But miracles do happen, and over the course of the book we find out that we—and the children—have been getting the Professor all wrong. It turns out that his lack of engagement with the outside world isn't because he's a serial child killer, but because he withdrew into himself after his wife passed away. The death of the Professor's wife was so painful to him that he didn't want to get too close to anyone else, and so he retreated behind closed doors, cutting himself off from the neighborhood.
Now that they've seen a whole different side to the Professor, the children's feelings about him change accordingly. They learn to trust him, seeing him as one of life's good guys. He demonstrates this when he saves April from being attacked in his storage yard, and also when he gives the children the keys to the yard so that they can continue to play there.

What does the bible say about temptation, and how does it relate to stimuli control?

In the book of Corinthians, Saul talks about temptation. He claims that God allows people to face temptations that they can overcome. According to the Bible, there is always a way of resisting temptation. Moreover, the Bible says that temptation occurs to everyone. Therefore, when reciting the Lord’s Prayer, Christians pray not to be “led into temptation.” In the book of Luke 22:40, Christians are advised to pray to avoid temptation. Therefore, the Bible implies that prayer can help one to overcome temptation.
In terms of temptation and positive stimulus control, temptation is the antecedent, prayer is the controlled behavior, and the outcome is overcoming temptation. A negative stimulus would be if a person does not pray and, therefore, cannot resist temptation. For these reasons, prayer is the stimulus when one is faced with temptation.

Summarize "Blindness" by Charles Lamb.

“Blindness” by Charles Lamb is a poem about the encounter of a gentleman riding in a stagecoach with a young girl and her mother. In the first stanza, he observed that the little girl did not look at her surroundings “by the way.” She did not look at what the coach was passing, but she looked like she was engrossed in the thoughts of a child.
In the second stanza, he speaks to the girl, calling her a “pretty dark-eyed maid” and asking her to look at the wide world that passed by.
She responded kindly to him, telling him she could not see “the prospect” because she was blind. Her words stung him and made him grief-stricken. It was then that her mother told the man how she found out her daughter was blind.
In the final stanza, the mother tells the speaker how the little girl put her needlework down one bright day. The mother admonished the child to continue her work. The little girl complained that it was too dark to see the needlework and told her mother that she would complete her work when it was daylight. It was then, as the sun shined on them, that the mother realized her daughter could not see that she lived in a world of darkness: “The sun shone bright upon her when she spoke, And yet her eyes received no ray of light.”

What is the climax of Turtles All the Way Down?

Turtles All the Way Down culminates with the gruesome discovery by Daisy and Aza, freshly reunited after their argument and Aza’s stay in hospital, of the runaway Pickett’s body. They are alerted to this by the smell of the unfortunate millionaire decomposing in the unfinished drainage complex near Pogue’s Run. They alert the police of their discovery via an anonymous tip, thus concluding the mystery that has puzzled their community throughout the novel. With their parents now gone and their father’s fortune bequeathed to his favorite animal, Davis and his brother are compelled to move away to Colorado, leaving Aza behind. They say an emotional goodbye, and the novel ends with Aza speculating optimistically over the possibilities of her future.

1. Once colonizing Europeans established the plantation system on the west side of the Atlantic, what labor sources might they have drawn upon instead of enslaved Africans? 2. Once the Portuguese found a way to navigate down the west coast of Africa, was it inevitable that a slave trade would begin? To what extent was the slave trade forced upon West Africans? What were some of the dynamics of African complicity in it?

Often when we think of the Atlantic Slave Trade, we assume that all plantation labor in the Americas was performed by African slaves, and in many cases, that is true. However, some plantations in the New World, or Western side of the Atlantic, were operated by the indigenous Americans that lived there prior to European colonization.
Once the Spanish learned of the New World and its inhabitants, the Spanish crown was eager to colonize and profit off of the rich and fertile lands of the Americas. One system they developed in order to encourage Spaniards to migrate and set up a profitable Spanish plantation (which would benefit the crown due to the mercantile economic system) was called the encomienda system. Please check out the picture I've attached for a fun visual!
The idea behind the encomienda system was to grant plots of land and indigenous inhabitants to middle-class Spanish families and/or merchants to encourage them to colonize regions in the New World. In exchange for profits, the Spanish crown offered them a new start and the potential for social mobility - by owning land and laborers, they were better off in the New World than they were in Spain. So other than African slavery, we know that indigenous laborers who survived the initial exchange of European diseases (the most well known would be the Great Dying pandemic of smallpox which killed an estimated 50-80% of indigenous populations in the Americas).
More on the slave trade. Once the Portuguese made their way down the coast of Africa, it was likely that slave trade would occur. This is because slave trading was a process already present in Africa and was not contingent on the Europeans. Prior to Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, and Dutch slave trading with strong African coastal kingdoms, slave trading had existed in Africa as long as Africa's tradition of human civilizations. Not only can we trace slave trading back as far as ancient Egypt, but we also see extensive slave trading between the Post-classical/Medieval Kingdoms (like Mali, with its most famous leader Mansa Musa, often hailed the richest man who ever lived) and Muslim merchants in the North. In fact, slave trading continues today in Northern Africa (check out the article cited below if you are interested!)
Once the Europeans found success in the New World, however, is when the slave trade was escalated. That was contingent on European trade. As plantation agriculture became immensely profitable (primarily with sugar, secondarily with cotton, tobacco, indigo, rice and coffee), Europeans built even more plantations that required even more slaves. In addition, the conditions on sugar plantations in Brazil and in the Caribbean were so harsh that life expectancy was low and plantation owners needed to continually replenish their supply of slaves. All of these reasons escalated the slave trade, which completely changed trading interactions between African kingdoms and European merchants and nations.
https://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN1IV1R5-OZATP

Are all urban cities "the scene and symbol of African America's perpetual alienation?" If so, then why?

In Shadow and Act, a collection of nonfiction prose by writer Ralph Ellison, Ellison states in the essay "Harlem Is Nowhere" that "Harlem is the scene and symbol of the Negro's perpetual alienation in the land of his birth.”
Harlem, in New York City, was considered the cultural and political "capital" of African Americans during the 20th century. For instance, the Harlem Renaissance allowed black musical and artistic talents to showcase their work and brought them into the mainstream. The vibrant artistic scenes in Harlem contributed to the overall American culture. Jazz music, theater performances, and literature from Harlem-based artists also influenced non-African American figures. For instance, playwright Eugene O'Neill was inspired to write The Emperor Jones and All God’s Chillun Got Wings while collaborating with Harlem actor Paul Robeson.
However, in the essay and throughout much of the book, Ralph Ellison poignantly articulates the differences and intersections between African Americans and the white population. He perceived Harlem not only as a bridge between the two American cultures or part of the general American culture itself, but as a stand-alone insulated urban landscape where African Americans could thrive but also limited themselves.
Ellison also chronicled the mental health of African Americans in Harlem during the time period. He posited that discrimination, economic issues, and social alienation from the greater American society had effects on the mental health of African Americans.
The question of whether Ralph Ellison's observations about Harlem apply to all urban cities cannot be answered generally. Hypothetically, one would have to conduct a survey with every African American in every city of the United States to observe their individual experiences. While some cities, such as Chicago and Detroit, receive media attention for being "scene[s] and symbol[s] of African America's perpetual alienation," there are cities such as Atlanta that have a large middle-class African American population with a booming artistic scene.
In the essay the quote comes from, Ralph Ellison was commenting on the urban conditions in predominantly African American neighborhoods and cities during his time, Harlem in particular. His critique can sometimes be applied to other urban areas, and sometimes it cannot.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/shadow-and-act

Can you help me create a thesis statement about obesity in the United States?

A thesis statement introduces the topic of your paper and states your opinion on the topic. A good thesis statement will also encapsulate the argument of an essay by describing a problem you want to solve or a question you want to answer. It's usually one or two sentences long—sometimes three, if your argument or topic is complex or contentious—but not more than that. Most writers present their thesis statement near the beginning of a paper.
Here's an example. "Existing aerospace technology is insufficient to support a return journey from Mars. Vehicle thrust systems, and life support systems, cannot be maintained over a period of years without prohibitive strains on a vehicle's payload or the cost of the mission." Notice how this statement tells you that the following essay will be about the obstacles to getting to Mars and back. It implies that the journey is desirable and that I think the barriers are not all technological. It also gives you an idea of how my argument will look: I'll focus on the cost and on vehicle payload.
Try the same thing about obesity. First, ask yourself what you think about obesity. Is it a problem? Why do you think that? What evidence can you show in your essay to support your opinion? If you can answer those questions, you'll be on your way toward crafting your thesis statement. The trick then will be to condense what you know into a few sentences. Don't try to tell your whole story in those sentences. Just give readers a hint, a brief look, or a summary. Good luck!

What is the one thing that Jane longs for while at Lowood which keeps her focused through all her turmoil?

After Jane experiences the emotional turmoil of losing Helen, Brocklehurst's neglect of the girls at Lowood is found to be one of the causes of the typhoid outbreak. Mr. Brocklehurst is replaced by other overseers, and conditions at Lowood improve after this point. In chapter 10, the narrative shifts forward as Jane completes six more years of school, then remains at Lowood for two years as a teacher. Based on the circumstances of her time at Lowood, Jane is not particularly anxious about leaving the school. Jane has a strong and resilient spirit, and she endures the conditions at Lowood with little complaint. When Miss Temple leaves the school to get married, Jane does not feel anything keeping her at Lowood. She wishes to experience more of the world and decides to make a change in her life. Jane puts a notice in the regional newspaper advertising her availability as a tutor or governess and is hired by Mr. Rochester a few weeks later.

What happened to Sal after Phoebe became suspicious of Ms. Cadaver?

Phoebe Winterbottom's still deeply traumatized by the sudden disappearance of her mother. Inspired by a Longfellow story read out loud in English class by Mr. Birkway, she gets it into her head that Margaret Cadaver and her strange mother Mrs. Partridge are somehow responsible. So she and Sal start snooping around Margaret's place, looking for clues that will point to Mrs. Winterbottom's whereabouts. As well as finding some suspicious items, the girls are shocked to find Mrs. Partridge reading in the dark. She also creeps out Phoebe by telling her that she's seen her brother, even though Phoebe doesn't actually have one.
After her and Sal's little escapade, Phoebe is now more certain than ever that her mother's been murdered. Sal, however, is not so sure. Drawing on her own personal experience she tells Phoebe that perhaps her mother left because she wanted to leave, but for some reason couldn't tell Phoebe about why she was going. But Phoebe is having none of it. The very idea that her mother would just take off like that without a word is just too horrible to contemplate. So she lashes out at Sal and silences her at once.

How did Malala transmit information to the BBC reporter?

After the Taliban take control of Malala's hometown of Mingora, the young girl shows immense courage in speaking out about what life is like under this fundamentalist terror organization. But she has to do so anonymously, otherwise the Taliban will track her down and kill her. Her point of contact with the outside world is the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and they allow Malala to write a blog about life under the Taliban for its Urdu Service.
But this is a very tricky task for Malala, to say the least. With the Taliban in charge, there are frequent power cuts. Not only that, but the Swat Valley where Malala lives has very poor internet connection. So the only way that Malala can transmit information to the BBC is by using her mother's phone. In this way she's able to let the outside world know just how repressive life under the Taliban really is, especially for women and girls.

How does Ken Kesey challenge societal notions of sanity and insanity? Who is sick, according to Kesey?

In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, author Ken Kesey consistently challenges our notions of sane and insane in a variety of ways.
First, Kesey’s protagonist, McMurphy, gains admittance to a mental hospital by faking insanity to avoid prison. If one person can fool the hospital administrators, it raises immediate questions in reader’s minds: How many other patients do not live with a real mental illness? Can the staff really tell the difference?
Continuing with this theme, Kesey reveals that Chief Bromden, another main character, has also fooled the hospital staff. He has been faking being deaf and dumb (an outdated medical term for one who is unable to speak) for years. Kesey also implies at several points that Bromden has been “cured” of his disabilities. This is indicated when the chief talks about “seeing clearly,” without the fog that clouds his vision before McMurphy arrives.
Furthermore, Kesey exposes the use of shock treatment (electroconvulsive therapy) and lobotomies, which were common treatments throughout the mid-twentieth century. After reading about these treatments (or seeing them on the screen), one might wonder if the hospital personnel are the insane ones.

How are radio isotopes used in food preservation?

Radioisotopes have many different functions in various industries, like medicine, technology, archaeology, art, and especially the food industry. The main function of radioisotopes used in agriculture and food production is food preservation. They assist in killing harmful bacteria that can cause food-borne disease, while at the same time, they can also increase shelf life.
Consider for a moment how quickly food becomes perishable. With the use of radioisotopes, food can be stored longer. Both the farmer selling the food and the consumer benefit. It is very useful in countries with little access to refrigeration. Another place you will see it used is aboard a space shuttle, where astronauts benefit from irradiated food with a longer shelf life.
Another benefit of radioisotopes and food irradiation is that it eliminates the need to use harmful chemicals for insect control. It does not make the food radioactive, as some believe. Long-term, if food is better preserved, it creates "food security for present and future generations."

Why did Rowdy flip out on Junior? How did his reaction carry out Mr. P's prediction?

Rowdy flips out on Junior because he thinks that Junior has betrayed him.
In the book, Junior and Rowdy are best friends. However, when Junior announces that he will be attending the Reardan high school, Rowdy loses his temper. He accuses Junior of having a superiority complex. Rowdy is upset because he thinks that Junior is rejecting their Native American heritage. If we refer to the text, we get a clear description of Rowdy's pain. After hearing about Junior's plans, he erupts into a keening scream and eventually punches Junior in the face.
Rowdy's reaction certainly brings to pass Mr. P's prediction. Early in the story, Mr. P has a conversation with Junior after the latter throws a book at him. During the conversation, Mr. P advises Junior to leave the reservation. The older man contends that Junior will never make anything of himself if he stays. He tells Junior that every Native American who has ever stayed on the reservation eventually gives up on life. Mr. P doesn't want Junior to share their fate.
Mr. P particularly doesn't want Junior to become like Rowdy. The older man predicts that Rowdy will become "meaner and meaner" as time progresses. He tells Junior that Rowdy indulges in physical violence because he has given up on life and wants others to feel as bad as he does. Mr. P's words prove prescient when Rowdy later beats up Junior for professing a desire to leave the reservation. Instead of being pleased for Junior, Rowdy becomes violently angry. Essentially, Rowdy's inferiority complex leads him to despair. In his despair, he resorts to violence as a means of salvaging his self-respect. When Junior tells him about his plans, Rowdy flips out because he truly believes that his best friend is betraying him.

How did Multivac change?

This is an interesting question because it is treating a machine like a dynamic character. My initial reaction is that Multivac did not change because it isn't something that is capable of change; however, as a science fiction writer, I am quite certain that Asimov would say that Multivac is subject to the same scientific laws as the rest of the universe. I believe the important law to keep in mind regarding Multivac is the second law of thermodynamics and how it relates to entropy. Entropy can be thought of as a measure of disorder. The higher the entropy, the higher the disorder. The characters in the story discovered that as Multivac got older and older and was given more and more data, it became more and more unreliable.

"To me, it didn't matter whether the data being supplied Multivac were reliable or not. The results weren't reliable. That much I knew."

Multivac changed by becoming more and more unreliable to the point where the main men working with the machine depended more on their own intuition than the machine that supposedly won the war.

What is the reason for the complaints against Rebecca Nurse?

Thomas Putnam and his wife, Ann, are the two primary characters who make complaints about Rebecca Nurse. Rebecca Nurse is a righteous, beloved elderly woman whose reputation as a morally upright Christian precedes her. Despite her flawless reputation, the Putnams resent Rebecca and her husband for several reasons. Miller writes that Francis Nurse had fought a land war against Thomas Putnam that lasted for two days. In addition to their land feud, the Nurse family was part of the faction that prevented Thomas Putnam's man, James Bayley, from being elected as Salem's minister. The Nurse family also allied themselves with other neighboring farms to break away from Salem and form Topsfield, which was a new independent entity that old Salemites like Putnam resented.
Mrs. Putnam also resents the fact that Rebecca Nurse had eleven children and twenty-six grandchildren, while none of her children except Ruth were able to survive infancy. Ann Putnam reveals that she resents Rebecca Nurse by saying,

You think it God’s work you should never lose a child, nor grand-child either, and I bury all but one? There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!

Overall, the wealthy Putnam family view the Nurse family as their rivals and despise them for their success and spotless reputation. By getting rid of Rebecca and falsely accusing her of witchcraft, the Putnams hope to be the last remaining wealthy family with power in Salem.

Rebecca Nurse is primarily complained about by Ann Putnam. Ann had a few reasons as to why she would want to level complaints against the well-known and respected Rebecca Nurse. Primarily, Ann's complaints against Rebecca stem from her jealousy of Rebecca's ability to have a large family. Rebecca freely admits that she has 11 children and 26 grandchildren. In stark contrast, Ann Putnam has had seven children die in childbirth. Ann Putnam cannot simply fathom how God could richly reward one person with a large family and severely punish another by killing the majority of her children before they've really had a chance to live. Furthermore, the Putnams view the Nurse family as rivals because they are well-known and one of the oldest families in the town and therefore hold a lot of the power. By removing the Nurse family from the picture, the Putnam's would be one of the oldest families in the town, thereby increasing their power and say.

Why did the American colonists use indentured servants?

People were ready to leave Europe due to the economic depression that followed the Thirty Years' War, and the colonies were an excellent and attractive place for people to migrate to, for the poor and rice alike. Generally, only the very wealthy were able to afford this passage. When people began settling in the American Colonies, they had access to much more land than was available in England. With all this land came the need to find people to work it. The solution that arose was indentured servitude. This allowed indentured servants to exchange passage, lodging, board, and eventual freedom for four to seven years of servitude. This system accounts for 1/2-2/3 of all of the immigrants that arrived in The New World.
While indentured servants did have some of their rights protected, they were harshly punished for misdeeds and their service contract could be extended for breaking the rules. These contracts often included land, arms, livestock, and crops, so for some, the period of service was worth it.

The rise/phenomenon of indentured servants in America has at least two basis in fact. One is that the beginnings of the industrial revolution were taking place in Europe and thus many people who were share farmers at home were put off their land and out of their houses. Thus being unemployed, hungry and having no support (no welfare) they had to fend for themselves. This meant theft, prostitution and other forms of crime spiked. Thus the churches (who were overwhelmed by the numbers) could not help all those in need. So also were the jails being over run and the wealthy/politicians were being put on to find a solution.
Thus the development of the indentured servants began. There was a huge need in the colonies for workers and few people were interested in going. It was easier for the magistrates, police and churches to round up the 'people on the street' and to send them off to 'a better life' overseas. At the same time these officials would get a kickback for every person they put onto the boats. The corporations running the boats also got a huge kickback; for each new settler arriving in the new world, they would be entitled to over 6 acres of property (this varied over time and location)- but as these corporations had provided the transit they claimed all the land. Thus being able to accumulate vast tracts of land these same corporations needed more people to work it. These same people became the establishment the ones who set the laws, ran the communities and thus controlled how the indentured servants were treated.
Thus abuse of power became rampant. What were to be 5 to 7 year terms of indenture were often extended to 15 to 20 years for something as simple as talking back to the landowner, taking a wife or having a child without the landowners permission. Running away or making any demands also met with even more harsh judgments. While the indentured servant was supposed to be able to 'work their way to freedom' little to no wages, being over charged for housing and food, as well as for clothing would make their ability to buy their freedom an impossibility. Not only that but even with freedom they would never be given their grant of land, would not be accepted members of the community and would have to purchase an overpriced plot of land if they wanted to farm.
So while technically indentured servants were different than slaves, the differences were often a matter of degree rather than as a totally different direction. Being beaten is being beaten, it was arguably being done as hard and as viciously on both.

WHITE CARGO; THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF BRITAIN'S WHITE SLAVES IN AMERICA
DON JORDAN and MICHAEL WALSH 2007

First, indentured servitude was essentially a contract of cheap labor between a worker and a colonist. As the colonies grew in North America, so did the vast amount of land controlled by the various land companies. This land became too much to handle with the small population in early colonial America. Simultaneously, a dragging economy in Europe caused high unemployment and left many workers jobless. Combine that with the new era of traveling to America, and the opportunity arose to work yourself into the colonies.
The life of an indentured servant was not as harsh as that of the slave, but it was not an easy agreement either. They were typically overworked and treated severely with any wrongdoings. However, the prize for indentured servants was their eventual freedom. Moreover, once freed, the indentured servant was also given a parcel of land and food in many cases. The colonists had no right of ownership once the contract had expired. Thus, they couldn't simply refuse to give the indentured servant his or her freedom. The contract usually spelled out the length of time they would work, the provisions during the work, and the amenities awarded to them after the contract expired.
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/indentured-servants-in-the-us/

In Stephen's King's novel Pet Sematary, what is the plot summary (protagonist/antagonist, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, conflict, and theme)?

Pet Sematary is a 1983 supernatural horror novel written by famed American writer Stephen King. Set in the small town of Ludlow, Maine, it depicts the life of a man named Louis Creed (the protagonist), a doctor from Chicago, and his family, which consists of his wife, Rachel, and their two children, Ellie and Gage, who discover that they have a pet cemetery on their newly acquired property. Thus, their tragic and unfortunate fate begins to unfold.
The book received generally positive reviews and great commercial success, mainly because of King’s dark, thrilling, and suspenseful narrative, and it had various adaptations for film, TV, and radio. Pet Sematary covers King’s usual themes of death, humanity, fear, trauma, reality, loss, grief, honesty, denial, and resurrection. It is considered one of King’s most popular and influential novels and, according to the author himself, the scariest book he has ever written.
The story is separated into three parts: “Part 1: The Pet Sematary,” “Part 2: The MicMac Burying Ground,” and “Part 3: Oz the Gweat and Tewwible.” It is mainly told from Louis’s point of view, except in part 2, in which we see the perspectives of Rachel and the Creeds’ new, kind, and wise elderly neighbor, Judson Crandall.
It all begins when the Creeds move in to their new home in Ludlow. Louis has been recently given the opportunity to work as the head doctor and administrator at the University of Maine student medical center. Soon, they meet their neighbor Judson Grandall, to whom Louis quickly grows very close and who kindly shows them around town. Jud warns the children to be careful when they cross the road, as truck drivers are always driving fast. He also tells the family that there is a road on their property which leads to a pet cemetery where all of the dead pets are buried. Ellie begins to worry about her cat, Winston Churchill (a.k.a. Church) dying, and her parents argue whether or not it’s too early to explain to her the concept of death.
On his way to work, Louis witnesses the death of a student named Victor Pascow, who gets hit by a car. That night he has a dream in which Victor tells him not to go beyond the pet cemetery. The next day Ellie’s cat gets run over by a truck, and Louis doesn’t have the heart to tell her the tragic news; fortunately, he doesn’t have to, as his family is out of town visiting Rachel’s parents, with whom Louis doesn’t really get along. He realizes, however, that he will have to tell Ellie that her cat has died eventually, and Jud tells him that whatever and whoever was buried in the pet cemetery will come back to life, as the land is actually an old, mystical Indian burial ground. Louis and Jud bury the cat, and as expected, Church returns the next day. However, he seems rather different; he smells bad, he is aggressive, and he acts really weird, but no one notices.
Sometime later, the family goes on a picnic, and Gage is run over by a truck. Louis and his family are devastated, and he decides to bury his son in the pet cemetery so that Gage can come back. Jud warns him not to, as there was once a father who buried his son there, and the son came back an evil person. The father was forced to kill him and then killed himself. Louis promises Jud that he won’t do it, but he does it anyway.
Ellie and Rachel go to visit the grandparents again, and Ellie dreams of Victor Pascow, who warns her that they should go back to Ludlow to stop their father from doing a horrible deed. She tells Rachel of her dream, and they rush back; however, they arrive too late, as Gage has already been resurrected and killed Jud. When Rachel goes to Jud’s house, Gage stabs her to death before Louis can stop him. Naturally, Louis veers toward a mental breakdown, but he manages to calm himself and uses morphine to put down both his son and the cat, hoping to end all of the chaos and madness.
As everything slowly comes to an end, Louis cannot help himself and buries Rachel’s body in the Indian burial ground. He goes back home and waits for his dead wife to return.

In a BLAST search, how do you know which sequence of DNA was closest to your unknown sequence?

Before beginning your query, first make sure that you are using the correct database. There are currently five databases to choose from: blastn (for nucleotide sequences), blastp (for protein sequences), blastx (for nucleotide vs. protein translated sequences), blastn (for protein vs. nucleotide translated sequences), and blastx (for nucleotide vs. nucleotide translated sequences). For sequence identification, it is best to use either blastn or blastp (depending on whether you are using a nucleotide or protein sequence). Select the appropriate database and paste your sequence into the query sequence section on the search page. Before running your search, you can adjust the search parameters by organism or taxonomic group. You can also adjust the search program to narrow the speed and sensitivity of your search. For more information on these parameters, reference the BLAST How-to Guide here.
After initiating your search, the results are sorted by "best-match"—so your most similar result will be the first one listed. You can evaluate the level of similarity by looking at the scores to the left of each result description. The result with the highest "Max score" and "Total score" will be the most similar to your unknown sequence. The "e-value" is the error value: any e-value less than 1 x 10^-4 can be considered homologous to your unknown sequence.
If you wish to further evaluate similarities between your unknown and the result sequences, scroll down to "Alignments." Here, look at the "Identities" value. This will tell you how many amino acids in the result sequence exactly match those in your unknown sequence. Once again, the result with the highest number of matches will be the most similar.
This tutorial gives a great visual overview of navigating the query results for further help!

Who is the villain in "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacob?

From a certain point of view, I'm not sure that "The Monkey's Paw" actually has a villain, at least not one of the traditional variety. As Morris explains in the story's opening chapter, the monkey's paw was created "to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow."
But while the monkey's paw has a certain malevolence about it, it's worth asking whether it exhibits any real agency or personality of its own. More than anything else, it seems like an extension of the power of fate. It is in that role, by which it cruelly punishes those who would circumvent destiny (regardless of their intentions when doing so), that the horror of the story is shaped.
The story's plot is shaped by the first wish made upon the monkey's paw, when Mr. White wishes for two hundred pounds. The monkey's paw grants the wish, but it does so through the death of his son. The two hundred dollars came as financial restitution for the family's loss. This will shape the second wish, where grief stricken, White's wife convinces him to wish their son back to life. The third wish will undo the effect of the second.
But what is driving this story's tragic progression? Is it the monkey's paw itself that is responsible, or is it merely emblematic to the real source of horror, which is the power of destiny itself, with its ability to shape the human condition?

It could be argued that both Tateh and Ruth run their households in a tyrannical manner. Why does Ruth succeed and Tateh fail? How are they the same?

The Color of Water is a memoir by American writer James McBride. The autobiography focuses on the life of his mother, Ruth, as well as James McBride's close relationship with her. Ruth was a white woman of Jewish descent who married James's father, Andrew Dennis McBride, an African American pastor during the 1940s, a time when interracial marriage was uncommon and looked down upon by society.
Ruth decided to abandon her family and her Jewish faith, mainly due to her father's tyrannical and devious behaviors. Her father, a rabbi nicknamed Tateh, was a hypocrite in his beliefs. Examples of cognitive dissonance include cheating on his crippled wife with other women whilst preaching the teachings of the Torah. He ruled his family with an iron fist and would even mock his crippled wife, bullying her in front of Ruth and the other children. There was even a passage in the book in which Ruth described her father getting into bed with his daughters, although sexual abuse and incest were never explicitly stated. The eccentricities of her father made her resent him.
Ruth also became disillusioned of her Jewish faith because her father was a rabbi, and his terrible behavior as a man of faith became linked with her disillusionment with the faith itself. Ruth was also a strict leader in her own family. James and his many siblings were prodded and monitored by their mother constantly as children. She emphasized the importance of education in one's life and ability to succeed in the world. In the modern Asian American community, this style of parenting by a mother is called a "tiger mom." Ruth was austere and perhaps somewhat tyrannical in nature, but it was in a different way than Tateh. The latter showed signs of psychopathic tendencies and seemed to derive pleasure in psychologically torturing his family.
In a sense, he was more similar to an actual tyrant imposing his dictatorial ways on his people. Ruth, on the other hand, ruled with love. This is why Ruth ended up raising successful children who admired and loved her, whilst Tateh will always be seen as a bad person, even if Ruth had finally made peace with him before her death.

What is molecular mass and atomic mass

The atomic mass is the mass of an atom of an element. The atomic mass is calculated as (approximately) the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atom. In case there are isotopes of an element (atoms with the same atomic number but a different mass number), the relative abundance of the isotopes is used to calculate the atomic mass.
A simple example is the sodium atom, which has an atomic number of 11 and a mass number of 23. This means that each atom of sodium has 11 protons and 12 (23-11) neutrons. Thus, its atomic mass is (approximately) 23 atomic mass units.
The molecular mass is the mass of a molecule. This is equal to the sum of the atomic mass of each atom present in the molecule multiplied by the number of atoms of that particular element present in the molecule.
For example, water (H2O) molecules consists of 2 atoms of hydrogen (atomic mass = 1 amu) and 1 atom of oxygen (atomic mass = 16 amu). Its molecular mass is 18 g/mol (= 2 x 1 + 1 x 16).
Hope this helps.

What are some comparisons that Mr. Underwood makes about Tom's death and trial in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Several days after the prison guards killed Tom Robinson, B. B. Underwood wrote an editorial in The Maycomb Tribune. One key phrase that Scout picks up on is “senseless slaughter.” Scout notes that Underwood had referred to Tom as a “cripple”—a term that formerly was frequently applied to people with disabilities—and she initially assumes that his criticism is directed toward the guards because they shot a partially disabled person, which would be wrong whether that person was “standing, sitting, or escaping.” What prompts Scout to analyze the editorial further, however, is Underwood’s use of “slaughter” along with “hunters and children.” In this regard, Underwood is not only comparing the guards to predators and Tom to animal prey but also judging the guards’ actions as childish. Tom, in his estimation, resembles a “songbird.” While Underwood strongly criticizes the guards’ action, he avoids discussing the trial, and he explicitly omits any discussion of race. Scout makes those connections on her own.

In chapter 25, Scout mentions that the citizens of Maycomb were interested in the news of Tom's tragic death for two days before they forgot about it. However, Scout recalls reading an article written by Mr. Underwood in The Maycomb Tribune in which he expressed his displeasure and disgust at Tom Robinson's tragic death. Scout mentions that Mr. Underwood did not elaborate or speak on miscarriages of justice and simply believed that it was a sin to kill "cripples." In the article, Mr. Underwood likened Tom Robinson's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds at the hands of merciless hunters.
Mr. Underwood's analogy directly corresponds to Atticus's lesson regarding the importance of protecting innocent, defenseless beings when he explains to his children that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird in chapter ten. After reading Mr. Underwood's article, Scout finally understands its meaning and mentions,

Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. (Lee, 245)

How does having dreams and aspirations positively affect people's lives?

Having dreams and aspirations is incredibly important and can positively affect people's lives in a number of different ways, both on an individual basis and on a broader, global scale.
On a global scale, the civil rights movement in America began, for many, as a dream. Indeed, in his famous speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, in 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. declared that he had a dream to one day see "the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners . . . [sit] down together at the table of brotherhood." Many people at this time thought that racial equality was an impossible dream, and that black and white people would never be able to live with one another in peace and harmony. In fact, many people, including many black people, considered that the only solution was for all Americans of African descent to move to Africa. This was known as the Back-to-Africa movement. However, the civil rights movement, led by people like Martin Luther King Jr., believed in and fought for the dream of racial equality, and it is because of people like this that we are now much closer to that dream being a reality. One might even argue that we are as close as we are to that dream being a reality because Martin Luther King Jr. aspired to achieve equality through peaceful, nonviolent protest. Many others, like Malcolm X, believed that this was an unrealistic and unhelpful aspiration.
The civil rights movement, which began as a dream, achieved a number of goals which have positively impacted the lives of millions of people. In 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which made illegal any racial discrimination in the workplace or in schools. One year later, Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act, which brought an end to spurious legal barriers which had previously prevented black people from voting. Over fifty years later, it is certainly arguable that King's dream is yet to be fully realized, but it is indisputable that this dream has, nonetheless, positively impacted the lives of millions of Americans.
In addition to the accomplishments of the civil rights movement, there are plenty of other examples of global achievements which have positively impacted the lives of millions of people and which have begun as dreams or aspirations. Equality between the sexes began as a dream, for example. Like racial equality, it is not yet fully realized, but thanks to people like Emmeline Pankhurst (an English suffragette who helped secure the vote for women in 1918) and Susan B. Anthony (an American Quaker who campaigned for the vote for women in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries), millions of women now enjoy greater equality and have access to many more opportunities than was the case in the relatively recent past.
There are, of course, also examples of dreams and aspirations which have negatively impacted people's lives on a global scale. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party had an aspiration to ethnically "cleanse" Germany of Jews, Romani, and homosexuals, and this aspiration became a reality in which millions of people, including six million Jews, were brutally tortured and murdered in concentration camps. Not long after the atrocities committed by the Nazis, Chairman Mao presided over what is now known as the Great Famine of China (1958–1961), which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people. This famine was in large part caused by Mao's aspiration to accelerate China's process of industrialization so that it could compete with the likes of America. The famine was also caused in part by policies enacted in the name of Communism, such as the forced collectivization of farms into communes.
Therefore, for every dream or aspiration that has led to significant positive impacts upon people's lives on a global scale, there will be an example of a dream which has led to significant negative impacts. The logical inference is that dreams and aspirations only positively affect people's lives if those dreams and aspirations are moral and seek to alleviate oppression and suffering, rather than add to or exacerbate that suffering which already exists.
On a more personal level, dreams and aspirations can also affect people's lives in both positive and negative ways, depending largely upon the nature of those dreams and aspirations and also upon the moral character of the individual who is pursuing the dream or aspiration. Having an aspiration to become rich, for example, could affect a person positively or negatively, depending upon how moral or immoral one is prepared to be to achieve that goal. On the one hand, the aspiration for wealth could make a person work harder and thus contribute more fully to society. On the other hand, aspiring to become rich could result in a person neglecting family, friends, or their own health.
The sporting arena is a good place to demonstrate and develop this point. Athletes work incredibly hard to achieve their dreams, whether it be an Olympic medal, a World Cup, the Super Bowl, or something else. Most who achieve their dreams do so by living healthy lives, persevering, and working hard. And for many, the result is wealth, perhaps fame, and the satisfaction and happiness one gets from achieving a dream. All of these consequences are, ostensibly at least, positive. There are also some athletes, however, who achieve their dreams by cheating. Lance Armstrong (an American cyclist who won seven Tour de France titles) is a good example of an athlete who allowed his dream of success to cause a negative impact. His desperation to win at all costs made him resort to blood doping. His cheating was uncovered in 2013, and he has since been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.
In summary, dreams and aspirations can positively affect people's lives in ways which are life-changing and enduring, but they can also affect people's lives negatively in ways which are devastating and horrific. Whether the impact is positive or negative seems to depend on two factors. The first factor is the moral character of the person or persons who have and work toward the dream or aspiration. If one is prepared to achieve one's goal in a fair and moral way, then it is more likely than not that that dream will have a positive rather than a negative impact. The second factor is the nature of the dream itself. If the goal of the dream is to reduce oppression rather than increase it and increase the scale of human happiness rather than reduce it, then it is possible that the dream, with the right people behind it, can have a huge positive impact.
https://www.archives.gov/files/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf

What did Dad get Leigh for Christmas?

Leigh misses his dad an awful lot. He doesn't get to see him all that much because a). his parents are divorced, and b). his dad drives a truck and so spends a lot of time out on the road. Christmas is a particularly difficult time of the year for Leigh as he's often so incredibly lonely. He wishes that he could have a normal family life like all the other kids instead of constantly wondering if maybe his dad will call.
Days go by and there's still no word from Leigh's dad. Leigh's becoming ever more disappointed; he's seriously starting to think that his old man won't get in touch this Christmas. However, Mr. Botts comes through for his son, sending someone to drop off a present for Leigh on Christmas morning. As we can imagine, Leigh's overjoyed to receive his gift, which is a quilted jacket with lots of pockets and a hood that zips into the collar. It's just what he's always wanted.

Discuss the importance of character and a good reputation in The Mayor of Casterbridge and explain how these values are representative of the era in which the novel was written.

Thomas Hardy explores the qualities of personal character and reputation in light of the Victorian era's changing class relations in England. The Industrial Revolution played a significant role in shaking up the traditional class structure. Rather than being born into high status and being wealthy as a member of the landed gentry, English people now had a greater opportunity to make a fortune and advance in society. The break from land and property as the bases of wealth also increased mobility. In addition, Britain's great naval prowess facilitated its overseas expansion, and fortunes could be made in trade.
The idea of personal integrity and merit, combined with that of self-reinvention, is clearly one of the underlying concepts that Hardy presents. While some of the positive qualities needed for success can be learned, others are innate; this combination also reflects the influence of evolutionism through the concept of Social Darwinism. The relative virtue in character and the related public esteem can be seen in two contrasting characters, Michael Henchard and Donald Farfae.
As the subtitle indicates, Hardy appraises the rise and fall of Henchard as "a man of character." Henchard settles in Casterbridge in hopes of having a comfortable if modest life—an escape from his alcoholic past, which resulted in his selling his wife and child. His dedication to hard work, combined with innate intelligence, propel him to much greater success.
The appearance of ethical dealings, or a reputation for fairness, are the underpinnings of his ongoing achievement. This reputation is a basis for his election to the council which is a stepping stone to becoming Mayor. Henchard's Church participation further cements his good name. The problem, however, is that all of this is built on a lie. Henchard did an unforgivable thing and, once his treachery to his family—the bedrock of all social interactions—is found out, he loses everything.
Donald Farfae, in contrast, arrives with ambition but no dark secret. He is who he says he is. As he does not cross the line into illegal behavior, Farfae embodies the spirit of honest competition as he displaces Henchard. Even his decision to strike out with his own business relates to his attitude toward a disabled person. The ethical question of turning away from true love toward apparently marrying for money is the gray area, although after Lucetta's death he returns to Elizabeth-Jane, whom he can now support.

Argue for one side of this point: we should have limits on our freedom.

We already do have limits on our freedoms in respect of the laws that we are expected to obey. Legally at least, I don't have the freedom to steal something that belongs to someone else, and nor do I have the freedom to hit someone if I feel aggrieved. In this sense, legal restrictions on our freedoms are absolutely necessary for a civil, ordered society that we can all live in peacefully.
Another restriction on our freedom that is legally enshrined in most democratic societies is the restriction of our freedom of speech. At first this may sound like a wholly undemocratic, autocratic restriction, but in fact some restrictions on our freedom of speech are necessary in order for a civilized society to function effectively. For example, employers should not have the freedom to ask about the religion or sexuality of a prospective employee, and advertisers, including politicians in campaign season, should not be free to make whatever outlandish, hollow promises they feel like. In other words, some restrictions on our freedom of speech are necessary to guard against discrimination or to hold people accountable for the promises that they make.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., a Justice of the American Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932, once said that "the right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins." This is a proposition that I broadly agree with. It means that the freedom that somebody has to live their life as they choose extends only so far as it doesn't detrimentally impact the freedom of somebody else to live their life as they choose. This seems to me a rather good basis for any society.

Which laws in the USA don't allow freedom of speech?

Legally, there are limitations to US citizens' right to freedom of speech in the workplace, as members of the armed forces, or as elementary or secondary school students.
In almost all states, an employer can fire an employee without showing or naming cause. Employees are protected from being fired based on race, gender, and so on but not based on their opinions, whether on politics, company practices, or even sports.
People are also frequently fired for trying to join or form unions. In theory, that's supposed to be protected by the Wagner Act. In practice, that law was gutted by the later Taft Hartley Act, which made it legal to not recognize unions with "radical" members, like socialists. Most agencies dealing with labor disputes are staffed by pro-business members, if they are staffed at all.
Those in the military have their speech severely limited. It's common to be punished for what's viewed as insubordination, in the name of military order. Members also are limited in how they can participate in the political process while in uniform, backed up by court martial. There is also a strong custom, backed up by law, that active duty military officers stay out of politics. The alternative would be a place like Latin America, where the military often takes over to decide the nation's fate, often by force in dozens of coups.
The courts have also ruled that students' speech can be limited by administrators in the name of order. This includes hair and dress codes. The main remedy is in appealing to parents through school boards.

In the Rise of Silas Lapham, is Penelope a nonconformist?

As the title indicates, the novel chronicles Silas Lapham’s ascent, in wealth and status. It also traces his fall. Lapham, his wife, and their two daughters benefit from his riches as the family from rural Vermont adapts to metropolitan Boston. In doing so, they adopt the exterior trappings and, to some extent, the interior attitudes of the upper class. When Lapham loses his fortune, however, the family likewise must adapt to their reduced circumstances. Penelope, the older daughter, seems to be a nonconformist through much of the novel but it is possible that her attitudes were a phase or even a posture.
Penelope can be interpreted a nonconformist in the sense of embodying the modern or new woman, as understood in the late 19th century. Along with her mother and sister, she utilizes the family’s resources primarily to live a life of leisure. While upper-class girls often took up accomplishments such as music or embroidery, the Lapham girls prefer indolence. Penelope, not interested in fashion or flirtation, enjoys reading.
In Chapter 7, Penelope is said to be reading George Eliot’s Middlemarch, and getting books from the library—not something the other family members do. Tom, who works in her father’s business, is from a prominent but financially troubled Boston family, the Coreys. His mother disapproves of the Laphams as new money people, and criticizes them for borrowing rather than buying books. In this sense, the whole family does not fully fit in to Boston society, and Pen is exceptional in large part because of personal qualities Tom notices. As that type of behavior was not completely out of the ordinary for upper-class girls of the day, however, she might be considered as conforming to a specific set of trends.
At the novel ends (Chapter 27), she embarks on an apparently conventional path, as she marries Tom. Yet this courtship has its twists and turns; her sister is interested in Tom, and Penelope also claims she does not want Tom to be burdened with a poor wife. After he convinces her that this is not an obstacle in his mind, she consents to the match. Since his business ventures will take him to Mexico, she might have further opportunities to resist social conformity—and in any event, she says, she won’t find it harder to fit in among Mexicans than with his proper family.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/newwoman.html

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/154/154-h/154-h.htm