How does Augustus show himself to be a merciful leader? Augustus Achievementsfollowing link is about Emperor Augustus report of his achievements...

This is a good question, especially in light of your past
questions. It is important to realize that not all people are purely good or bad. All
people have both good and bad qualities.

If we believe in
Augustus' words, then he was very merciful and generous. Let me give you a few examples.
First, he was merciful to his enemies and pardon anyone who asked for it. Look at
section three of the RES GESTAE. He also states that he always preferred to preserve
foreign people, rather than destroy them (same section).

He
was also merciful to the people by restoring public buildings at his own expense. He
also gave tons of money to men, soldiers and towns, again at this own expense. See
sections 15-18.

Finally, he creates peace in a time of
civil war and gives to the people restoration. See section 34.

How does Atticus defend Calpurnia from Aunt Alexandra?

I assume that you are talking about what happens in
Chapter 14.  There, Atticus tells Aunt Alexandra a number of
things.

First, he says that Calpurnia has done a good job
raising the kids.  He says

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If anything, she's been harder on
them in some ways than a mother would have been... she's never let them get away with
anything, she's never indulged them the way most colored nurses
do.

He also
tells Alexandra that the children love Calpurnia for how she has raised
them.

He tells Aunt Alexandra that he will never throw
Calpurnia out because she is essentially a member of the
family

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"Alexandra, Calpurnia's not leaving
this house until she wants to. You may think otherwise, but I couldn't have got along
without her all these years. She's a faithful member of this family...

By
saying these things, he is clearly defending Calpurnia against Aunt Alexandra, who has
come in part because she does not approve of a black woman raising Scout as she gets
older.

The contemporary reader is likely to find Margaret Mitchell's handling of both race and gender problematic in Gone With the Wind. Please...

Recently, a professor at Auburn University expunged the
word "nigger" from every page that contained it in The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn.  This action exemplifies the problems that occur when one
seeks to "modernize" a work of literature that is set in a historical context.  Quite
simply, the novel loses its verisimilitude.  In Twain's novel, for instance, the n-word
is used because this is what people said, and Huck merely uses it as one would use any
common word; he has no denigration intended. In fact, as the narrative continues and
Huck begins to perceive Jim as a loving and caring friend, he decides to "go to hell"
for protecting an escaped slave, believing that slavery is wrong.  So, if Huck did not
speak of Jim as merely a n----, how would he be able to change in his perceptions, a key
theme of the novel.

Therefore, whenever people read a
novel, they must accept the verisimilitude which exists in this novel, even if they find
some words or situations offensive by modern standards.  Clearly, Margaret Mitchell
attempted a realistic portrayal of the Old South, so she used words and situations that
are realistic to the setting of pre-Civil War and post-Civil War.  Otherwise, the
narrative loses its value.  Besides, Scarlett actually cares for Mammy. And, Prissy is
meant more for comic relief than she is for racial ridicule.  Readers must not forget
that Gone With the Wind is a historical romance, so they need not
be so politically critical.  It is meant to portray the drama of the South under the
impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Novels are
works of literature that often reflect the human experience of their time period.  Are
they, now, to be censored, edited, or maligned because they represent their era
realistically?  These works of literature are an important part of history, and must
remain so.

What kind of story is "Lullaby"?

"Lullaby" is an arresting and immensely sad story about
the passing of life and also the passing of the old ways of life of the Yeibechei, or
Navajo Indians. The major character, Ayah, has accepted the poverty of her existence
with her husband, Chato, but now the two are old and they can no longer keep the home in
which they have lived. There is a low moment of Ayah’s bitterness when she realizes that
the family is losing the home, where she gave birth to her many children, all of whom
have been lost to them: "The illness came after the white rancher told Chato he was too
old to work for him anymore, and Chato and his old woman should be out of the shack by
the next afternoon because the rancher had hired new people to work there. That had
satisfied her. To see how the white man repaid Chato’s years of loyalty and
work"

For what x the inequality is true 2(x-1/2)(x+2)

We'll divide both sides by
2:

Since the value is positive, teh inequality still
holds:

(x -
1/2)(x+2)<0

We'll conclude that a product is
negative if the factors are of opposite sign.

There are 2
cases of study:

1)  (x - 1/2) <
0

and

      (x+2) >
0

We'll solve the first inequality. For this reason, we'll
isolate x to the left side.

x <
1/2

We'll solve  the 2nd
inequality:

    (x+2) >
0

We'll subtract 2 both
sides:

x > -2

The
common solution of the first system of inequalities is the interval (-2 ,
1/2).

We'll solve the second system of
inequalities:

2)  (x-1/2) >
0

and

      (x+2) <
0

x-1/2 > 0

x >
1/2

     (x+2) < 0

x
< -2

Since we don't have a common interval to satisy
both inequalities, we don't have a solution for the 2nd
case.

So, the complete solution is the
solution from the first system of inequalities, namely the interval (-2 ,
1/2).

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, according to the last two sentences of the book, what is Huck planning to do?

Great question! The story ends at a kind of strange place
because the last two sentences that you indicated clearly suggest that there is action
to come. Let us examine them:

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But I reckon I got to light out for
the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize
me, and I can't stand it. I been there
before.

Huck clearly says
that he is thinking of running away again to escape the painful process of being
"sivilized." Let us remember that Huck's escape down the river with Jim is essentially
an escape from civilization. Huck has seen civilization in its many different forms and
found it wanting.

By ending the story with Huck talking
about civilization and his desire to avoid it, Twain seems to indicate that this novel
is primarily about a boy's desire to find his place in the world, even if his place is
not a part of the world. Huck is among the first of many protagonists in American
literature who stand against society. By the end of the novel, Twain has explored the
moral, ethical and human development of Huck, and he now urges readers to examine their
own lives and beliefs through the device of showing Huck's decision to "light out" and
escape civilization.

Compare and contrast Piaget's and Festinger's cognitive theories of motivation.

Piaget and Festinger explored (different aspects)
cognitive theory which researches the connection between an individual's mental
capacities and their ability to construct meaning from experiences, thus clarifying the
world around them. According to Piaget children develop 'schemas' a sort of building
blocks that allow children to either 'assimilate' new experiences into what is already
understood or 'accommodate' a new experience by altering an existing schema. Festinger's
theory focused on the paradoxial elements of cognition mainly in adults. Referred to as
Cognitive Dissonance Theory, Festinger suggests that although an individual has the
knowledge that what they do is not good for them, for example, someone who does harmful
drugs knowing they can die alters their belief to...but I probably
won't die to make what they do 'fit' into their cognition and behavior. For Festinger,
cognitive dissonance is the result of a psychological need, not a logical one. Piaget
would argue that in his theory the assimilation/accommodation motif support cognitive
consonance, a connectivity where as in Festinger's theory the individual desires a
disconnect.

What is the theme of "Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock"?

The poem seems to be about loneliness and regret. The
white nightgowns that "haunt" the houses refer to brides who do not inhabit these
dwellings; the descriptive colors of the absent nightgowns convey a melancholy regret at
the loss of energy and joy that might have come with marriage and partnership. The many
color combinations echo the change of the seasons, the change in fashions a man living
with a woman might recognize. It is an old fashioned set of images conveying an old
fashioned sensibility of marriage. "Disillusionment at 10 o'clock" refers quite
literally to the feeling of regret and loss that occurs each night at bedtime, when the
old sailor, drunk and asleep in his boots (with no helpmeet to assist him in dressing
for bed), realizes he is alone. The "red weather" is a sexual image, referring to the
constant presence of sexual frustration and possibly anger at being alone. Catching
"tigers" is also a sexual image, a fantasy of wild animals and distant shores filling in
for the loss of a fulfilling family life the old sailor
rejected.

What kind or resettlement process did Baba snd Amir have to endure when they came to the US? How did this affect their status & class in the US?

When Baba and Amir move to the United States, like many
immigrants, their status totally changes. While Baba was a wealthy, respected
businessman in Afghanistan, he has to work at a gas station in the United States so that
Amir can go to college. Baba's new social status affects Amir because he is no longer
the son of a wealthy businessman. Both Amir and Baba are forced to live in conditions
way below those they were accustomed to in Afghanistan, before the Taliban took over,
because they had a fancy house in a well-to-neighborhood, and now they live among their
fellow immigrants in less-than-comfortable circumstances. They live simply and they go
to flea markets to sell their things and buy cheap things they need from others.
Further, when Baba is diagnosed with lung cancer, he turns down treatment, not only
because he does not want to undergo the pain of chemo and radiation, but also because of
the cost. He sacrifices his health so that his son can have opportunities in the
U.S.

Discuss the Thomas Malthus Theory of population

To this point, at least, Malthus's theory of population
has not been accurate.  Malthus believed that the world's population would tend to grow
too rapidly to be sustainable.  He said that the poorer people would end up without
enough food and that populations would therefore crash.  In other words, he posited a
sort of situation in which populations are kept relatively low by the lack of
food.

So far, we have not reached this point.  Our
technological ability to produce more and more food has so far made it possible to
sustain a population much larger than Malthus imagined
possible.

This is not to say that he will not some day be
right.  It is possible that we will run out of technological advances and our food
production will stop growing.  However, this has not yet happened and so Malthus appears
to be incorrect.

A supervisor is contemplating whether or not to investigate labor efficiency variance in the Assembly Department.It will cost $ 6000 to undertake...

Let p be the probability of superwisor that investigates
the labour efficiency variance . Then the resulting cost  of investigation and
corrrection = $(6000+180000) = $24000

So the expected cost
= 24000p.

If the superwisor does not investigate the labour
efficiency variance, then the  the departmental inefficiency cost =
33000.

So the expected inefficiency cost = 33000*probabilty
that superwisor does not investigate= 33000(1-p)

Since the
question of indetermacy is when both costs are same.

24000p
= 33000(1-p)

24000p =
33000-33000p

(24000+33000)p
=33000

P =
33000/(24000+33000)

p =
33/57

p = 11/19 is the probability that superwisor
investigate.

Also the probability that the superwisor does
not investigate = 1-11/19 = 8/19

What is the beta of a stock?

Beta is one of the measures used to compare the risk-
return profile of different stocks. By definition, the beta of the stock market is
assigned a value of 1.

Now if a stock’s price volatility is
more than that of the market it is assigned a beta greater than 1. The exact value
depends on what the change in the value of the stock is for a unit change in the value
of the market. For example if the value of stock A changes by 20% for every 1% percent
change in the value of the market it is given a higher beta than a stock B which only
changes by 2% for every 1% change in the value of the
market.

Stocks with a higher beta can provide a higher
return than that provided by the market, but at the same time they are also riskier as
the loss incurred when the market falls is much more in the case of these
stocks.

A low beta stock rises and falls at approximately
the same rate as the market. Stocks with a beta less than 0, vary in price opposite to
that of the market, i.e. their value goes up when the market falls and vice
versa.

Investors, use the beta of a stocks, while choosing
between them to find those that match their risk appetite and the returns they expect to
make.

Should the U.S. help eradicate doping in sports in other countries?

There is no way to answer this question factually -- it is
simply a matter of opinion and one person's opinion is as good as any other
person's.

My opinion is that it makes some sense for us to
help stop doping in other countries if only because we want our athletes to compete on a
"level playing field."  If our athletes are not doping (that might be a big if) then we
do not want them to have to compete against athletes who are doping and are, presumably,
getting a competitive advantage.

So I think that we should
help contribute to international efforts to stop doping (like the WADA) so that everyone
can compete on an equal basis.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a story of madness and passion that depicts the darkness of human nature. Do you agree? Give maximum 10 reasons."The...

Madness and the dark side of human nature certainly seem
to be two of the major themes of Poe's classic short story. I've included some examples
below.

• The murderer tries to explain to the
  reader that his careful plans are not a sign of madness, but his actions suggest
  otherwise.


• The narrator claims to hear things that emit
  from unearthly sources.


• The narrator claims that he has
  no specific reason to kill the old man other than his "vulture
  eye."


• His careful preparation to kill the man in his
  sleep shows a dark side of the man's character.


• The
  dismemberment of the body is a particularly gruesome task that could only have been
  carried out by a man filled with either mental instability or pure
  evil.


• His belief that he can still hear the heart beating
  is further proof of madness. 

In "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning," line 5, how is the image of melting relevant to the poem? "So let us melt, and make no noise."

Let us remember that the speaker of this poem is telling
his wife not to mourn him when he dies, as the title suggests. The first two stanzas of
this unforgettable poem therefore urge the wife to behave with quiet dignity when they
part, just as virtuous people die without drama or display. You need to be aware that
the first stanza is a simile which offers the comparison of people parting with dignity
to show the wife how she and the speaker of the poem should
part:

As
virtuous men pass mildly away,

And whisper to their souls,
to go,

Whilst some of their sad friends do
say,

The breath goes now, and some say
no:

Like this, therefore, the
speaker encourages his wife to say goodbye to him. The image of "melting" in the poem is
thus used as a metaphor to reinforce this image - rather than spontaneously and quickly
burn, they are to express their feelings and love for each other slowly and with
respect, just as candles melt slowly and gradually - not with "tear-floods, nor
sigh-tempests move", because, as the speaker says in the second stanza, to react in this
undignified manner would actually spoil the sacredness of their love. Displaying their
feelings so openly would show a lack of reverence of the special relationship that they
had.

Where in Mockingjay is there foreshadowing?Please explain where and what it foreshadows.

Foreshadowing occurs from the very onset of Suzanne
Collins' Mockingjay in the first chapter as Katniss revisits the
bombed-out District 12. 

In her house in the Victor's
Village, Katniss Everdeen finds a "dab of white [that] peeks out of a vase of dried
flowers" (14).  On closer inspection, Katniss discovers that it is a "fresh white rose. 
Perfect. Down to the last thorn and silken petal"
(14). 

Katniss reels from the realization that the rose is
from President Snow, "a promise of revenge" (15).  Collins uses this moment in the
novel, Katniss' horrified discovery, to foreshadow the looming conflict to come between
President Snow and Katniss Everdeen.  The snow white flower is as much of a reminder for
Katniss as it is for the reader, sending the message that there is still much to come
from both of the characters.  Ultimately, Katniss and President Snow will have to deal
with their "unfinished business" (15). 

Please interpret the following quote from Paul D in Beloved."For a used-to-be slave woman to love anything that much was dangerous if was her...

The novel Beloved is a complicated
story about an escaped slave and the trauma she suffered over how her children were
treated and what she ended up having to do to them to avoid a return to
slavery.

In the historical context of the story, we have to
remember that slaves were legally property, whether they had escaped or not.  Slave
marriages had no legal status, and all the children produced by such marriages were
owned as property as well.  This meant that your spouse or your kids could, and probably
would, be sold away from you at some point.

So it was
common to see much less of a bond develop between slave mothers and children in those
days, because heartbreak, trauma and in the case of Beloved,
insanity could easily result.

What are some health effects of beryllium?

Beryllium is an element not known to be used by either
plants or animals. Beryllium dust is known to be toxic and it is corrosive to tissues.
In certain individuals, a chronic, serious condition called berylliosis can occur which
is life threatening. Beryllium is a carcinogen and long term exposure can lead to lung
cancer. For people who have been exposed to beryllium, some can develop chronic
beryllium disease or CBD, resulting in respiratory problems, night sweats, fatigue, dry
cough and weight loss, anorexia, heart disease. CBD occurs when the immune system
recognizes the small beryllium particles in the lungs and mounts an immune response.
White blood cells collect around the beryllium particles forming granulomas which
interfere with the functioning of the lungs. Therefore, it is important to minimize
exposure to beryllium dust.

Describe the religious imagery in Lord of the Flies. How does Golding’s depiction of the island compare to the Garden of Eden?

The forces of good and evil are generally divided up into
the forces within the boys.  Piggy and Ralph are trying hard to help the boys govern
themselves and to organize to help effect a rescue and to make sure people are fed and
accounted for.

Simon, who also serves as the Christ figure,
is aligned with no one, shows particular care for the little ones, and eventually has
the epiphany and understands that the evil forces are really those within the boys, the
beast is within.  Soon after this realization he is killed, of course it is also notable
that his vision comes after wandering off alone into the
wilderness.

Jack and to an even larger extent Roger
represent the evil within boys.  Particularly Roger as he reaches the point where he has
no issue with killing and does it with glee, he really represents evil by the end of the
story.

What is the Imagist movement in American poetry? Imagism

This movement resulted from a reaction to Victorian
poetry that  Imagist poets felt was too sentimental, moralizing, and too conventional is
its diction and form. Rejecting the conformity of such poetry, the Imagist poets sought
to concentrate on the precise rendering of images in free verse.  Ezra Pound and
F. S. Flint first documented the Imagist Movement in the second decade of the twentieth
century.  They called for three primary precepts:  conciseness, musical rhythm, and the
direct treatment of the 'thing,' whether it is subjective or
objective.

Between 1915-1917, American Amy Lowell edited a
volume of the anthology Some Imagist Poets.  One of her poems is
entitled "Generations."   This poem is concise, it has musical rhythm, and it treats its
subject directly.  In this poem, Lowell initially
declares,

You
are lke the stem

Of a young
beech-tree,

Straight and
swaying,

Breaking out in golden
leaves.

Just as directly,
Lowell ends her poem:

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But I am like a great oak under a cloudy
sky,

Watching a stripling beech grow up at my
feet.

In conveying the
contrast, Lowell employs much light/dark imagery: 

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Your shadow is no shadow, but a scattered
sunshine:

And at night you pull the sky down to
you

And hood yourself in
stars.

"Put out the light, and then put out the light." What figure of speech has been used in this statement? Explain.

A few figures of speech could fit this famous line from
Othello.  Depending on the translation (I'm assuming it's accurate)
and the stage action (the way the line is delivered on stage), it could mean any of the
following:

Aposiopesis --
Breaking off as if unable to continue: “The fire surrounds them while—I cannot
go on.” Othello is telling Desdemona to put out the light (of her candle and
*life*), but he can't bring himself to say it literally and directly, so he just repeats
himself metaphorically.

Puns (Paronomasia)
-- A pun twists the meaning of words, often to create an ironic, humorous
effect.  "Put out the light" could mean to put out the candle and to be extinguished of
life.  He seems to direct the first half of the line to Desdemona and the second part to
himself, as if to summon up the courage to kill
her.

Diacope (also called
Epizeuxis)-- Uninterrupted repetition, or repetition with
only one or two words between each repeated phrase.  ("The horror!  The horror!")  He's
simply repeating it for memorable effect.  The anaphora (of sorts) becomes more dramatic
upon repetition.

In Night, how do the Jews in the concentration camps attempt to observe their religion in spite of the brutality they face on a daily basis?

It is clear that the Jews in the concentration camps
initially at least cling to their faith as a support and a comfort in their severe
plight. Whilst they are obviously unable to observe their religion in the same way, we
are told that they do what they are able to continue their religious practices. For
example, in the first few days of their time in Aushwitz, we are
told:

readability="9">

Evenings, as we lay on our cots, we sometimes
tried to sing a few Hasidic melodies. Akiba Drumer would break out hearts with his deep
grave, voice.

Elie goes on to
comment that the men would talk about God and what he is doing in and through the
concentration camps.

One of the most poignant of these
moments, however, is when the Jewish inmates are allowed to celebrate the end
of the Jewish year - the festival of Rosh Hashanah. We are told tha the inmates had been
allowed to gather together, and that many came. This triggers off a huge crisis of doubt
in Elie as he finds it hard to join in the prayer. Likewise, the next day, the day of
Yom Kippur, Elie chooses not to fast as a symbol of his increasing disenchantment with
his faith.

Therefore the Jews did what they could to
continue observing their faith, either officially with the permission of the camp
authorities, or unofficially, as and when they could.

How do Proctor, Francis and Giles plan to use Mary Warren's testimony to prove that "Heaven is not speaking to through the children?"

Mary Warren confesses to them that the girls are indeed
lying. Perhaps pretending is a more accurate word, in fact, Mary Warren uses the word
pretense with Proctor.

They get her to agree to testify,
and she does indeed admit the same thing that she admitted to the guys, she uses the
word "pretense" with Danforth. She turns on her friends and claims that they were
pretending too. Proctor futher contends that Warren will "swear she lied to you."
(meaning Danforth)

The manner in which they hope to do this
is also through testimony. Giles and Proctor get together and determine that they have a
common interest, the truth... oh and land. Thus, they convince Warren to remain faithful
to that testimony. Proctor even envokes a bible story to remind her to hold fast to
truth.

Giles connects this to others who on behalf of
Putnam have been crying witchcraft just to get people's land. Giles gets peoples
testimonies, has them signed and brings them to court as his own
evidence.

The men try to prove that this is not Heaven
speaking, but Thomas Putnam.

Who are the Achaeans in the Iliad?

In this epic poem, the Achaeans are the people that we
tend to think of as "the Greeks."  These are the people who have come over from what is
now Greece to fight in Asia Minor (what is now Turkey) against the Trojans.  To modern
archaeologists and historians, the term "Achaeans" is connected to a civilization that
is known as the Mycenaean civilization.

As far as
individuals go, the Achaeans were people like Achilles and Agamemnon and
Patroclos.

There are also points in the
Iliad where the Greeks are called by different names.  They are
also known as the Danaans and as the Argives.  These are the same people as the
Achaeans.

solve the system 2x + 3y = 8 x + 8y = 17

We'll solve the system of equations using the elimination
method, also:

2x+3y= 8
(1)

x+8y= 17 (2)

We'll
multiply (2) by -2:

-2x - 16y =
-34 (3)

We'll add (3) to
(1):

2x + 3y - 2x - 16y = 8 -
34

We'll combine like
terms:

-13y = -26

We'll divide
by -13 both sides:

y =
2

We'll substitute y = 2 in
(2):

x+8y= 17

x + 16 =
17

We'll subtract 16 both
sides:

x = 17 -
16

x =
1

The solution
of the given system is {(1 ,
2)}.

We
could also use the substitution method. We'll write x with respect to y, from the
equation (2).

x+8y=
17

x = 17 - 8y (3)

We'll
substitute x in (1):

2(17 - 8y)+3y=
8

We'll remove the
brackets:

34 - 16y + 3y =
8

We'll combine like
terms:

-13y = 8 - 34

-13y =
-26

We'll divide by
-13:

y =
2

We'll substitute y in
(3):

x = 17 -
16

x =
1

What is your impression of Elizabeth Proctor by the end of Act 2 of The Crucible?

Elizabeth Proctor has been seen in numerous lights by the
end of the second act of the play.  The only impressions that we get of her from the
first act are those given by other people.  Abigail obviously doesn't have a very good
impression of Elizabeth, and if we believe what she says, we will think that Elizabeth
is cold, gossipy, cruel, dishonest and unmerciful.  However, if you are a discerning
reader, you will probably recognize that Abby has ulterior motives in thinking that way
of Elizabeth, and so will postpone your judgment of her until you get to know her
yourself.  It is easy to feel a bit sorry for Elizabeth when we learn that her husband
had an affair on her; that in combination with Abby's accusations, make one at the very
least curious about her.

In act two, at first Elizabeth
comes off as demure and eager to please her husband.  She is cautious and careful in her
words.  As she accurately predicts events that come later in the act, it turns out that
she is pretty wise and discerning, especially about the nature of women and how they
feel about things.  It's easy to have sympathy for her; she is the jilted wife who has
concerns about Abby, concerns that are pretty valid.  However, it is also easy to
conclude that Elizabeth is very judgmental and has overly high expectations of those
around her.  She is a bit cold and immovable in her opinions of others, and not very
forgiving.  By the end of the act, when she quietly submits to the officers who are
arresting her, it's easy to feel bad for her, and to admire her calm fortitude in the
face of such horrible events.

I hope that those thoughts
helped; good luck!

In the poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling what is the actual "burden" that white men are plagued with?

According to the poem, the actual burden that white people
are plagued with is the non-white people that they have conquered and the need to care
for these non-white, inferior peoples.

What Kipling is
saying is that when a white country colonizes, it has all these people who are "half
devil and half child."  It must, therefore, care for the those people the same way that
a parent must care for its children.

Parenting clearly
involves sacrifice and so, says Kipling, does colonization.  White people will have to
go out to all these primitive places where they have to do without civilized comforts
and work hard (in "heavy harness") to take care of all these inferior people who need to
be helped because they are not advanced enough to take care of
themselves.

In part 1, section 16 of Fahrenheit 451, when Millie can't answer the question, what does she get up to do?

Montag is still thinking about all that has happened since
the beginning of the story.  Clarisse's question to him about whether or not he is
happy, her suggestion that he might not be in love, the death of the old woman who would
not give up her books are all events that are weighing heavily upon Montag.  He asks
Millie if she can remember when and how they met ten years earlier because he cannot. 
She doesn't remember either.  Montag realizes how shallow their existence is; how devoid
of real emotion or love.  After Montag asks Millie the question, she gets up, goes to
the bathroom and Montag can hear her pouring a glass of water and then swallowing. 
He tries to count the number of swallows and wonders how many of those pills she had
taken already that night.  He knows that if she died from an overdose, he would not cry
because he doesn't really have a connection to her.  He is very saddened by the
emptiness.  Millie's actions reveal that she, too, is not happy.  She takes the pills to
avoid reality. Reality is cold and sterile in their world and that hurts, so Millie
hides behind the chemical relief of the pills.  She is like most of the people in that
society - escaping a harsh, cold reality for a less painful chemical
addiction.