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Lady Macbeth refers to the blood of King Duncan when she cries, "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" She tries to wash away the guilt which now consumes her. In Act V, Scene 1, it is a transformed Lady Macbeth that audiences witness. As this scene opens, a gentlewoman informs the physician that Lady Macbeth has been exhibiting some rather strange behavior: She rises from bed and sleepwalks to her chest; she unlocks it and... Lady Macbeth refers to the blood of King Duncan when she cries, "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" She tries to wash away the guilt which now consumes her. In Act V, Scene 1, it is a transformed Lady Macbeth that audiences witness. As this scene opens, a gentlewoman informs the physician that Lady Macbeth has been exhibiting some rather strange behavior: She rises from bed and sleepwalks to her chest; she unlocks it and takes out a paper upon which she writes. Then she reads it, seals it, and replaces it into the chest. After doing all this, she returns...

Piggy has a number of excellent leadership qualities, despite the fact that most of the boys don't like him and mock him. Piggy has the ability to envision courses of action that other boys miss. This is evident from the first chapter when he suggests to Ralph that he use the conch to summon the other boys on the island. When Ralph feels beaten because the "beast" is preventing them from having a signal fire on the mountain, Piggy suggests moving the fire to the beach: "Only Piggy could have the intellectual daring to suggest moving the fire from the mountain." Piggy also seems to have a natural gift for administration and organization. He is the one who attempts to learn the names of the littluns, and he is the most vehement in enforcing the rules of the conch.  Piggy is also surprisingly clear-headed. When Ralph begins to falter in his dedication to keeping the signal fire lit, Piggy keeps reminding him of the necessity of the fire to achieve their end goal of...

Harold Krebs has returned to his small Oklahoma town after serving as a Marine in some of the most important battles of World War I. After facing the horrors of the war, Krebs claims he simply wants to avoid "consequences" and for his life to go "smoothly." He's unable to effectively communicate his experience and one way of coping is to spend time reading books about the engagements he participated in. Other than that, he spends his time sleeping late, playing pool and generally doing nothing. This behavior clashes with the middle class and protestant ethics of his parents. The conflict between Harold and his parents comes to a head one day as his religiously devout mother challenges him to break out of his idleness and get on with his life. One definite conflict is that his mother continues to treat him as a child rather than a man who has fought for his country. She cannot even bring herself to pay attention when he tries to describe his experiences in the wa...

Jem is not really upset at all at the end of Chapter Ten. Rather, he is somewhat in awe of his father, who he has just witnessed kill a rabid dog in the streets of Maycomb with a single shot from a rifle. In fact, he learns from Miss Maudie that Atticus was once known as "One-Shot Finch," the best shot with a rifle in the county. He does make it clear to Scout that... Jem is not really upset at all at the end of Chapter Ten. Rather, he is somewhat in awe of his father, who he has just witnessed kill a rabid dog in the streets of Maycomb with a single shot from a rifle. In fact, he learns from Miss Maudie that Atticus was once known as "One-Shot Finch," the best shot with a rifle in the county. He does make it clear to Scout that he doesn't want her to tell her schoolmates about the encounter with the dog, or about what a crack shot her father is (he correctly realizes that Atticus would regard that as vain and overly proud) but he is hardly upset. Indeed, at the...

Half-life is the time period in which a substance reduces to 50% of its original value. Thus, a substance reduces to 50% original value in 1 half-life, to 25% in 2 half-lives, 12.5% in 3 half-lives and so on. Here, nitrogen-13 has a half-life of 10 minutes. That means, 50% of nitrogen-13 decays in 10 minutes.  The number of half-lives can be calculated by using the following expression: 2^n = 100 / (% of original... Half-life is the time period in which a substance reduces to 50% of its original value. Thus, a substance reduces to 50% original value in 1 half-life, to 25% in 2 half-lives, 12.5% in 3 half-lives and so on. Here, nitrogen-13 has a half-life of 10 minutes. That means, 50% of nitrogen-13 decays in 10 minutes.  The number of half-lives can be calculated by using the following expression: 2^n = 100 / (% of original content left) where, n is the number of half-lives. Here, 17.8% of the original content is left.  Therefore, 2^n = 100/17.8  or n log 2 = log (100/17.8) solving th...

Zora Neale Hurston's  Their Eyes Were Watching God is full of examples of figurative language. I will quote a few from Chapters 2 and 3 and explain how they impact the meaning of Hurston's novel.  Chapter 2 begins with following short paragraph: Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches.  Here, we can see the narrator comparing Janie's life to the blossoming tree. Hurston uses a simile in the first line when she says, "Janie saw her life  like  a great tree in leaf." In thinking of her life like this tree, she imagines that the leaves represent her experiences, good and bad. In the final sentence of the paragraph, Hurston uses a metaphor to say that "Dawn and doom was in the branches," as there is no like or as to make the comparison here. The line means that both the beginnings and the ends of things are seen here in the tree. The tree is meant to rep...

While Michael Obi is not really a hero or a villain, he comes closest to being a villain. He hopes to be a hero, bringing modern ideas to the villagers; he acts, however, with "misguided zeal," and to the villagers, he would likely be seen as a villain.  Michael Obi, who has just been named headmaster of the Ndume School, sees the school as "backward in every sense of the word." He is young, energetic,... While Michael Obi is not really a hero or a villain, he comes closest to being a villain. He hopes to be a hero, bringing modern ideas to the villagers; he acts, however, with "misguided zeal," and to the villagers, he would likely be seen as a villain.  Michael Obi, who has just been named headmaster of the Ndume School, sees the school as "backward in every sense of the word." He is young, energetic, and modern and hopes to bring a positive change to the village. Yet his inability to respect the villagers and their customs and beliefs shows ar...

At the beginning of the novella "Heart of Darkness," Marlow, now in England, meditates about what it might have been like for a Roman soldier to have journeyed to current-day England. He describes the experience as "utter savagery...all that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men" (page numbers vary by edition). In other words, the soldier would have been thrown into savage conditions, and, as Marlow says, "There's no initiation either into such mysteries. He has to live in the midst of the incomprehensible, which is also detestable" (page numbers vary by edition). Marlow is, of course, describing his own experience in the Congo, when he was thrown into a situation of barbarity without any preparation.  Now, looking back at his idolization of the evil Kurtz, Marlow feels some remorse. He now knows that colonization only leads to evil. As he says: "The conquest of the earth, which mostl...

When carbonic acid reacts with potassium hydroxide, we get potassium carbonate and water. This reaction can be written as: `H_2CO_3 (aq) + KOH (aq) -> K_2CO_3 (aq) + H_2O (l)` Here, carbonic acid is a weak acid and potassium hydroxide is a strong base.  The above reaction is not balanced. A balanced equation has the same number of atoms of each element on both sides. Here, potassium, hydrogen, and oxygen are not balanced—you can count... When carbonic acid reacts with potassium hydroxide, we get potassium carbonate and water. This reaction can be written as: `H_2CO_3 (aq) + KOH (aq) -> K_2CO_3 (aq) + H_2O (l)` Here, carbonic acid is a weak acid and potassium hydroxide is a strong base.  The above reaction is not balanced. A balanced equation has the same number of atoms of each element on both sides. Here, potassium, hydrogen, and oxygen are not balanced—you can count the number of atoms of each of these elements on both sides of the equation and verify. The equation can be balan...

Texture stimulates Lennie in a way that it overrides his limited capacity for rational thinking. Once he is in contact with something that feels soft to the touch, Lennie reverts to a primitive, almost primal behavior quite similar to the engagement that is felt during sexual arousal. The difference is that someone who can keep control of their emotions would be able to snap out of such sense of arousal (albeit quite difficultly) and move... Texture stimulates Lennie in a way that it overrides his limited capacity for rational thinking. Once he is in contact with something that feels soft to the touch, Lennie reverts to a primitive, almost primal behavior quite similar to the engagement that is felt during sexual arousal. The difference is that someone who can keep control of their emotions would be able to snap out of such sense of arousal (albeit quite difficultly) and move on to do something else.  Lennie, on the other hand, locks-in his emotion and continues to build upon it, to th...

The memories that Jonas experiences as received by the Giver give him knowledge and wisdom. First he learns about the ability to make choices based on preferences; then he learns about the concept of love; and finally, he learns what being  released really means. Jonas learns about each concept from a different memory and they teach him more about humanity than any of his friends or family could ever understand. The first memory Jonas ever receives is in Chapter 11. Jonas gets to go sledding down a snowy slope, which gives him a great feeling of joy that he's never experienced before. Afterwards, he is told that snow, hills, and sledding don't exist anymore because they were sacrificed for Sameness--the condition that makes the community equal, safe, and secure. This is the first time that Jonas realizes that there are experiences that he has never known about and that others whom he loves will never, ever know.  As Jonas receives more memories, his insight into seeing beyond ...

Janie Crawford drives women crazy with envy and men crazy with lust. Chapter one shows Janie walking through Eatonville to get to her house, and the way the townspeople respond to her proves the effect she has on most everyone with whom she comes in contact. First, the men notice her aesthetically attractive and tempting physical features along with her long flowing hair and the following: "They, the men, were saving with the mind what they lost... Janie Crawford drives women crazy with envy and men crazy with lust. Chapter one shows Janie walking through Eatonville to get to her house, and the way the townspeople respond to her proves the effect she has on most everyone with whom she comes in contact. First, the men notice her aesthetically attractive and tempting physical features along with her long flowing hair and the following: "They, the men, were saving with the mind what they lost with the eye" (2). This means that what they saw walking before them was saved in ...

Solar energy  originates with the Sun. It can be captured by plants and other producers for the process of photosynthesis. As a result of this process, solar energy is converted to chemical energy in the form of glucose molecules. Glucose can be in turn eaten by herbivores and these organisms can be eaten by other organisms in a food chain. When an organism dies, bacteria and fungi known as decomposers, consume dead organisms and obtain... Solar energy  originates with the Sun. It can be captured by plants and other producers for the process of photosynthesis. As a result of this process, solar energy is converted to chemical energy in the form of glucose molecules. Glucose can be in turn eaten by herbivores and these organisms can be eaten by other organisms in a food chain. When an organism dies, bacteria and fungi known as decomposers, consume dead organisms and obtain energy.  All of this energy is indirectly from the Sun.  Coal  is formed from the remains of ancient trees that liv...

Romeo loves Juliet because she returns his affections. Romeo was very depressed when Rosaline dumped him.  She told him that she was not interested in dating, and he considered this a waste. She was beautiful, and she should have had a man, in his opinion. He moped around, gloomily pining for her. He decried her decision to live “chaste.” She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste,For beauty starved with her severityCuts... Romeo loves Juliet because she returns his affections. Romeo was very depressed when Rosaline dumped him.  She told him that she was not interested in dating, and he considered this a waste. She was beautiful, and she should have had a man, in his opinion. He moped around, gloomily pining for her. He decried her decision to live “chaste.” She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste, For beauty starved with her severity Cuts beauty off from all posterity. She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair, To merit bliss by making me despair: She hath forsworn to love...

Melba's wise grandmother, Grandma India, gives Melba her diary. When Melba was about six, she told her grandmother that she thought bodies were just containers for sprits and that one day, she would exchange her black body for a white body so she could have more control. Her grandmother agrees with her about spirits but says that what Melba wants is to be free, not to be white. Her grandmother recognizes Melba's need to write... Melba's wise grandmother, Grandma India, gives Melba her diary. When Melba was about six, she told her grandmother that she thought bodies were just containers for sprits and that one day, she would exchange her black body for a white body so she could have more control. Her grandmother agrees with her about spirits but says that what Melba wants is to be free, not to be white. Her grandmother recognizes Melba's need to write down some of her deep thoughts, and she buys Melba a pink diary that she can lock with a small key (page 11). Each night,...