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What does Cassie learn about her family from Big Ma in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor?

Cassie learns from Big Ma how Mr. Paul Edward, her grandfather and former slave, acquired the 400 acres of land in Spokane County, Mississippi, that once belonged to the Grangers. One day the children see Mr. Harlan Granger's expensive car pulling away from their dusty driveway. "Big Ma, what was Mr. Granger doing here?" Stacey asks her. Big Ma replies that he has just been "worrying" her about this land again. She explains that during Reconstruction... Cassie learns from Big Ma how Mr. Paul Edward, her grandfather and former slave, acquired the 400 acres of land in Spokane County, Mississippi, that once belonged to the Grangers. One day the children see Mr. Harlan Granger's expensive car pulling away from their dusty driveway. "Big Ma, what was Mr. Granger doing here?" Stacey asks her. Big Ma replies that he has just been "worrying" her about this land again. She explains that during Reconstruction the Grangers had to sell some of their ...

Why does Bruno describe Lieutenant Kotler as "just plain nasty" in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

Bruno makes this comment about Lt. Kotler in Chapter Seven after witnessing the odious term that Kotler calls the Jewish prisoner Pavel twice and the vitriolic tone with which he addresses the older Pavel, who is the cook for the family. "There really was no other way to dress it up; he was just plain nasty." Another reason that Bruno finds Kotler "nasty" is the way that he conducts himself; for, Bruno finds him very... Bruno makes this comment about Lt. Kotler in Chapter Seven after witnessing the odious term that Kotler calls the Jewish prisoner Pavel twice and the vitriolic tone with which he addresses the older Pavel, who is the cook for the family. "There really was no other way to dress it up; he was just plain nasty." Another reason that Bruno finds Kotler "nasty" is the way that he conducts himself; for, Bruno finds him very arrogant. He stands outside the house as those he is in charge of it, and he talks deprecatingly to Bruno as those ...

In Act 5, Scene 1 of Macbeth, what is Lady Macbeth referring to when she says, "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!"

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...

Why is Piggy a good leader in Lord of the Flies?

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...

Describe the conflicts revealed in the conversation between Mrs. Krebs and Harold at the end of "Soldier's Home." What losses on Harold's part does...

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...

Why does Jem get really upset at the end of Chapter Ten of To Kill a Mockingbird?

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...

Nitrogen-13 is used in tracers injected into the bloodstream for positron emission tomography (PET). The half-life...

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...