What is the purpose of the Sigemond and Heremod digressions?

The poet uses Sigemond and his killing of the dragon as a positive comparison with Beowulf even though the results of their respective fights are vastly different—Sigemond kills his dragon and takes the dragon's hoard whereas Beowulf kills the dragon and saves his kingdon, but dies in the process. The main point of the Heremod digression, however, is to point up the difference between a bad king, who fell victim to "floods of sorrow" and betrayed his duties as king, and Beowulf, who has already shown his ability to protect his people and his stronghold (Heorot). A secondary but perhaps equally important reason for the digression is to discuss kingship. Even though Beowulf's fight with Grendel appears as the centerpiece of the poem—the action that readers remember—it is just one episode in the long life of a king who ultimately is known and loved for having created a powerful and peaceful kingdom for the Geats and who dies protecting his people from evil (the dragon).
https://www.owleyes.org/text/beowulf/read/xiii

When was King Lear originally performed and published?

The first known performance of King Lear was on St. Stephen's Day (26 December) in 1606. It was first published in 1608, and also appears in the First Folio of 1623, a collection of 36 of Shakespeare's plays entitled Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, edited by Shakespeare's colleagues John Heminges and Henry Condell.

What were impacts of Berlin conference on Europe?

There were two Berlin conferences that had impacts on European history. The more significant of the two occurred from 1884 to 1885. It dealt with the division of Africa into spheres of influence, occupation, and colonization. The second, far smaller one, took place in early 1954 and it attempted to determine the fate of occupied Germany and Austria after World War II (1939–1945).
Fourteen nations met at the first conference in Berlin. The fate of Africa was determined largely by four of the nations: Germany, France, Britain, and Portugal. These were the main colonial powers in Africa. Belgium and Italy would eventually colonize parts of Africa. The result of the conference was a disaster for Africa. The continent was divided arbitrarily in ways that did not reflect its ethnic or linguistic differences. African nations did not regain their sovereignty until after World War II.
After the defeat of Germany in 1945, that nation and Austria were divided into zones of occupation between America, Britain, France, and the USSR. In 1954, these four nations tried to agree on the political fate of occupied Germany and Austria. However, because of the Cold War, there was no agreement. This second conference ended in stalemate.

Describe the encounter between Beowulf and Grendel's mother.

Following the death of her son, Grendel's mother attacks Herot, kills Esher, and flees with her son's claw. Beowulf follows the monster to the entrance of her lair, which is at the bottom of a dangerous, monster-infested lake. He proceeds to put on woven mail armor to protect him from Grendel's mother's claws and leaps into the lake with Unferth's sword named Hrunting. Grendel's mother then grabs onto Beowulf and drags him into her underwater lair, which is actually a battle hall.
Beowulf initially strikes Grendel's mother's head with Hrunting, which does not harm the monster at all. He then throws away his ineffective sword and proceeds to fight Grendel's mother with his bare hands. The two engage in a long struggle, and Beowulf begins to tire. When Beowulf stumbles, Grendel's mother manages to stab him with a knife, but his chain-mail saves his life.
Beowulf then spots a magical ancient sword from the days of the giants on the wall of the battle hall and uses it to kill Grendel's mother by striking her in the neck with the sword. After Beowulf kills Grendel's mother, he proceeds to decapitate her and swims to the surface of the lake.

Why does Marian hide the apple?

Marian hides the apple before entering the old ladies' home. This tells us an awful lot about what kind of person she is. For Marian is a very selfish individual. She only visits old ladies' homes and similar institutions to gain points as a Campfire Girl. She doesn't turn up at these places out of the goodness of her heart or because she wants to help people, but simply to gain credit for being charitable. Her selfish motivations are reflected in the act of hiding the apple. Marian doesn't want to share the apple with any of the ladies in the home. They're already taking enough of her time; she'll be damned if they're getting any of her food as well.
The impurity of Marian's intentions is illustrated further when she emerges from the old ladies' home after a truly uncomfortable experience there. Marian retrieves her hidden apple and takes a large bite out of it. Just as Eve in the Garden of Eden sinned by eating of the Tree of Knowledge, so Marian has sinned through her selfishness and lack of concern for any of the old ladies at the home.

How successful was the New Deal in the short- and long-term at achieving Roosevelt’s goals?

In order to stabilize the economy, reform the financial system, and provide relief, jobs, and new employment opportunities for the American people during the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration issued a series of experimental programs, projects, and regulations that provided help for those in need, mainly the elderly, the unemployed, and the youth.
These programs were known as the New Deal, and they were instituted between 1933 and 1936. The most famous projects and programs were the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Farm Security Administration (FSA), the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA), and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
To determine whether or not the New Deal was successful, we need to look at its short-term and long-term effects and answer two basic questions: Did it totally eliminate poverty and unemployment? No. Did it have a lasting impact on the economic climate of the US? Yes.
In his first hundred days of office, Roosevelt ended the Prohibition and won passage of fifteen other major laws, such as the National Industrial Recovery Act, which allowed the workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and working conditions. Despite his efforts to fulfill his mission, however, the Great Depression was still affecting the American people. Because of this, Roosevelt enacted the Second New Deal in 1935, which included much more aggressive reforms and programs. Thus, the positive short-term effects of the New Deal and the Second New Deal included:
The rapid creation of manual-labor jobs for the unemployed (with the help of the CWA program)
The establishment of the Farm Credit System, which allowed cooperating organizations to make loans for the production and marketing of agricultural products (with the help of the Farm Credit Act)
The establishment of the Social Security Administration, which enabled people to retire with pension
The government's attempts to regulate fair wages and prices, in order to stimulate the economic growth of the country (with the help of the NIRA program)
The individuals that didn’t support the New Deal argued that all the acts and programs that were enacted by Roosevelt were, in fact, short-term policies and that his administration didn’t include significant plans or changes that could improve America’s economy in the long-term. However, as history shows, there are several positive long-term effects of the New Deal and the Second New Deal as well. These include:
The enactment of the Social Security program, administered by the Social Security administration, which guarantees the social welfare of millions of Americans to this very day (with the help of the Social Security Act)
The protection of the rights of all employees and employers (with the help of the National Labor Relations Act)
The creation of the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), which is a corporation created to insure bank deposits (with the help of the Banking Act, a.k.a. the Glass-Steagall Act)
The creation of the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), which is an agency that oversees and regulates the US stock market (with the help of the Securities Exchange Act)

Why does Achebe use juxtaposition with the details about the buried bicycle and the buried son?

Jonathan's buried bicycle is symbolic of his Igbo identity. Like his bicycle, he's had to bury that identity during the vicious civil war that's torn Nigeria apart for three long years. But with the war now over at long last he's able to dig up his bicycle—and with it, retrieve his buried identity—and move on with his life.
The bicycle's inevitably a bit rusty and has seen better days. But it's still in working order. And although Jonathan's son is no longer alive, what he represents—the Iwegbu family name—still lives on. For despite his sad loss, Jonathan has been able to keep his family together in the midst of all this chaos, bloodshed, and suffering. That explains his remarkable optimism in spite of everything that's happened. Just as Jonathan can use the bicycle once more as a way of providing for his family, he can point to the fact that most of his family are still alive as proof that he has much to be thankful for.