In Chapter 9 of The Great Gatsby, what is the significance of Nick's taking charge of Gatsby's funeral arrangements?

Throughout the novel, Nick is the observer and impartial
judge.  He is related to the Buchanans and is a neighbor to Gatsby.  He goes with Tom to
see Myrtle, and he arranges a meeting between Gatsby and Daisy.  He sees Gatsby as
socially awkward and is suspicious of his past.  He sees Tom as having a "cruel body"
and living in the past glory of his college school football
days.

But as the novel closes, Nick begins to take Gatsby's
side.  He recognizes the Buchanans as careless people, and that Gatsby
is

worth the
whole damn bunch of them put
together.

After the
"holocaust," Nick further distances himself by picking up the "mess" made by the others.
 Even though the responsibility of Gatsby's funeral is somewhat thrust upon him, Nick
does a very conscientious job of contacting friends and relatives who would be
interested in attending Gatsby's funeral.  He even writes
Wolfhshiem.

As Nick continues in the arrangements he begins
to have

a
feeling of defiance of scornful solidarity between Gatsby and me against them
all.

Earlier Nick claims
that

I found
myself of Gatsby's side and
alone.

Arranging Gatsby's
funeral sets Nick apart from the Buchanans and the guests at Gatsby's parties.  By being
responsible, Nick shows his character and prepares the reader for his return to the
Midwest where he would like to command the world

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to stand at a sort of moral attention
forever.

What are the different theoretical perspectives when talking about Nature versus Nurture? I can not find a clear answer.

In talking about the debate on whether nature or nurture
is more important in determining the differences in behavior and personality among
individuals, those who would argue on the side of nature believe that hereditary and
other inherent factors are the most important factors to consider. In other words, a
child is born with inherent characteristics which will determine how he or she
will behave in the future. Heredity plays a big role for those who believe that the
influence of nature is primary; the traits handed down in the genetic makeup of an
individual are of critical importance in determining behavior and tendencies during
growth and in later life.

Those who would argue that
nurture is the primary influence believe that outside forces are the most important
factors in determining personality and behavior. Taken in its most extreme
perspective, a child is born as "a blank slate;" environment and experiences then
combine to act on that blank slate, shaping personality and behavior as the individual
develops.

In a nutshell, the "nature" theory says that
personality and behavior are determined by influences already in an individual, whereas
the "nuture" theory says that personality and behavior are shaped by the outside
forces to which an individual is subjected during
development.

In a simplistic but practical example of the
nature versus nurture debate, imagine a man who has become a criminal. A person who
believes nature is the cause will say that the man was born with certain inherent
tendencies which inclined him to a life of lawlessness, whereas one who believes nurture
is the cause will argue that the man became a criminal because he had, perhaps, a bad
childhood.

What does "golden door" mean in the poem "The New Colossus"?

“Golden Door,” in the poem href="http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/new-colossus">“The New Colossus”
by Emma Lazarus represents a few meanings in relation to the subject matter of the
sonnet. One meaning is that those who have suffered poverty and hunger in their
respective homelands because of oppression now have a golden door of real opportunity
opened to them in the land of the free (the United States of America) where they have
now arrived. The golden door is a beacon of promise beckoning immigrants to embrace a
new land and all it offers.

Another meaning of the golden
door is that anything worthwhile is worth fighting and working hard for, and gold is
emblematic of something of worth. Therefore, the golden door represents all that is
right and proper about America. The opportunity that America affords must be sought
diligently and when success is attained it must be cherished like gold – the gold of the
golden door that is the entrance into a free land that rewards hard
work.

Another meaning of the golden door is that it is like
the pearl of great price. When one sees the value of coming to America and beginning a
new life, it is often necessary to give up the ties and baggage of a past life in
another country where one suffered hardship and even deprivation and humiliation. The
golden door represents forsaking much to attain that great pearl – freedom in a land
that respects individual freedom and promotes it
diligently.

One other meaning of the golden door is that it
represents a new way of thinking. It represents a changed mindset in the person who has
taken the initiative to try a new land and new way of life. The golden door can
represent this person’s optimistic view of what life in a free land is all about. The
golden door is symbolic of the hope in the person’s mind, which causes him or her to
take brave action to change their destiny.

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What are the various filial and familial relations within Macbeth?For example: The king and his subjects, and Macduff and his family...[kingship +...

Consider these filial relationships
first:

a) King Duncan and his two sons--Malcolm and
Donalbain;

b) Banquo and his son,
Fleance;

c) Macduff and Lady Macduff and their
son;

d) Old Siward and his
son.

You may find other familial relations as well in the
play:

1) Duncan and Macbeth are two
cousins;

2) Ross and Lady Macduff are also
cousins;

3) Malcolm and Donalbain are two
brothers;

4) Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are husband and
wife;

5) Macduff and Lady Macduff are another conjugal
pair

You have mentioned the king-subjects relation, but
that does not fall in the familial/filial category, though king Duncan and more so the
English king may be seen as father figures.

What is it about Fortunato that makes him fall prey to Montresor in "The Cask of Amontillado"?

To me, there is one thing about Fortunato that we can see
clearly and one that we have to guess at.  Both of these seem to have some role in
making him fall prey to Montresor.

The clearly evident one
is his pride.  Montresor keeps giving him the chance to just go home but his pride won't
let him.  Montresor keeps saying that he'll go get Luchesi to see whether the wine is
really amontillado.  But Fortunato is too proud to let this
happen.

The thing that we have to guess at is why Fortunato
doesn't know Montresor hates him.  One guess is that Fortunato is too arrogant and stuck
on himself to even think about how others see him.  Maybe he never even thinks about how
his actions affect others like Montresor.

How does the at-large system allow voters to choose from a broader base of candidates compared to district system?

To answer this, just think about it in terms of the size
of population available in each case.

If you have a
district system, the only candidates that the voters in a given district have to choose
from are people residing in that district.  This means that there is a relatively small
group of people from which the candidates can come.

But now
think of an at-large system.  In this system, candidates from the whole city or the
whole state are eligible to run.  This gives a much bigger pool of candidates to choose
from.

An at-large system also gives you a broader set of
candidates in terms of ethnicity and ideology.  Where I live, there are very few
liberals.  On the other side of the state, there are very few conservatives.  In
district races, we are stuck with conservatives and the people on the other side are
stuck with liberals.  In at-large races, there are more choices for the people in both
parts of the state.

What types of conflict are there in Mockingjay?ex. Man vs. Man or Man vs. Beast or vs. nature, vs. society and vs.self

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is ripe
with conflict, most predominantly Man vs. Man and Man vs.
Self.

Man vs.
Man

The heart of the conflict in
Mockingjay is the open rebellion of the districts against the
Capitol.  President Coins' forces from District 13 lead the other districts in an
uprising.  The battles escalate in violence, from the fire-bombing of District 12 to the
decimation of the hospital in District 8. 

President Snow
also takes the war to a personal level with Katniss when he leaves her the white rose in
her Victor house, "a promise of revenge" that "whispers, 'I can find you. I can reach
you. Perhaps I am watching you now'" (99).  Katniss answers back in her propo video when
she says:

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  "President Snow says he's sending us a
message? Well, I have one for him.  You can torture us and bomb us and burn our
districts to the ground...Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!"
(99-100)

Man
vs. Self

Katniss and Peeta both face
internal struggles in Mockingjay as well.  Katniss debates her role
in the rebellion, questioning whether she is being manipulated and used by Coin similar
to the misuse by the Capitol.  Katniss also struggles discerning her true feelings for
Gale and Peeta. 

Peeta has tremendous internal conflict
after the Capitol "highjacks" him, using a type of "fear conditioning" with tracker
jacker venom (180).  "Arguing with himself like he was two people," most of his struggle
in the novel happens internally as he tries to figure out what is real
(244).

What is the answer to the speaker's question in "The Lamb", and why is it not directly stated?

First, let us remember that this poem, as with so many of
Blake's poems in his Songs of Innocence and Experience, are really meant to be studied
alongside their counterparts. In this case, Blake set "The Lamb" against his other great
poem, "The Tiger". Both poems are alike in that the speaker in both poems asks who made
the tiger and the lamb respectively. Actually, I would take issue with your question,
because in "The Lamb", this question is answered, albeit indirectly, whereas it is in
"The Tiger" that the question remains unanswered.

The first
stanza of "The Lamb" poses the question:

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Little Lamb, who made
thee?

Dost thou know who made
thee?

The rest of the first
stanza features excellent examples of imagery that create a picture of the innocence and
tenderness of the lamb. For example, we are presented with an image of the lamb feeding
"By the stream and o'er the mead" and we also see the wool of the lamb as "Softest
clothing, wooly, bright."

It is in the second stanza that
we are given the answer to the question posed at the beginning of the
poem:

He is
called by thy name,

For He calls himself a
Lamb.

He is meek, and he is
mild;

He became a little
child.

Reference to the
person who refers to himself as a "Lamb" makes it clear that the answer to the question
is Jesus Christ. However, what is key to realise is that this Song of Innocence gives us
an easy, simple answer, reflecting perhaps the child-like nature of the speaker. In "The
Tiger", the speaker appears to be more adult-like who believes that there are no easy
answers to such complex questions. Both reflect different perspectives within
Christianity.

How do you remember the formula for the triogomentric functions?

The trigonometric functions sinex , cosinex and tangentx
and the respective  reciprocals  cosecant x , secant x and cotangent x, where x is the
angle other than the right angle.

To remember easily these
functios are expressed interms of the sides right angled
triangle.

Let ABC be right angled triangle with right angle
at B. Letanle A = x.

Then sine A = Sine x = BC/AC =
Opposite side/Hypotenuse.

cosineA  = cosx = AB/AC = 
Adjacent side /Hypotenuse

tanA = tanx = sinx/cosx  = BC/AB=
Opposite side/ Adjacent side.

cosecantA = cosecantx =
1/sinex =AC/AB

secantA = 1/cosinex =
AC/AB

cotangentx = 1/tangentx =
AB/BC.

Thus the trigonometric functions could be easily
remembered and calculated  through the sides of the right angled triangle at least
roughly.

What are the important steps in the revision process?

I'm sure there are revision "manuals" in existance that
provide a clear step by step process of revision, but I've found in 6 years of teaching
writing, there is a pretty quick and easy way to get the job done.  Revising an essay,
in my opinion, is a two-part process:

1. Content
   revision


2. Mechanical
   revision

There is no point in fixing spelling,
grammar, and capitalization errors if the content of your essay is not there.  When
editing for content, the best thing to do is to grade your own
essay according to the rubric your teacher will use.  If one has not been provided, you
should look at the following four areas (in the order they are presented) by asking
these
questions:

1. Focus:
   does my essay have a focus (or thesis)?  Does every paragraph stay on topic?  From start
   to finish, is it clear what my focus
   is?


2. Organization: does my
   essay have a clear introduction, body, and conclusion?  Does my introduction state (or
   imply) my thesis and the major points outlined in my body paragraphs?  Do my body
   paragraphs start with topic sentences which support my thesis?  Does my conclusion sum
   up my essay without being
   redundant?


3. Support/Elaboration:
   do I provide ample support (or examples) in each of my body paragraphs?  Do I explain
   these examples by elaborating on
   them?


4. Style: have I utilized
   skillful vocabulary that is appropriate for my grade level?  Have I utilized a variety
   of sentences (simple, complex, compound, etc.) and avoided fragments and
   run-ons?

If you feel the
content of your essay from start to finish is ready, mechanical
errors are easy to spot.  I even encourage peer-editing for mechanical errors, as
getting a pair of fresh eyes will really help.

How would I factor equations like this? x^2 + 3x + 2. or x^2 - 2x - 15thank you

There are two  quadratic expressions
given.

x^2+3x+2 and  x^2-2x-15. To find the
factors.

1)

To find the
factors of x^2+3x+2, we split the middle term 3x  into two terms in sich a way that the 
product of the two split terms equal to the first and last
term.

3x  is split into two terems 2x + x. Product of the
split terms = 2x*x = 2x^2. Product of the 1st and last terms = x^2 * 2 =
2x^2.

Now group the terms and find the common factors
(CF) for each
group.

 (x^2+2x)+(x+2).

x(x+2)
+1(x+2). x+2 is the CF.

Take out the
CF:

(x+2)(x+1).

2)

x^2-2x-15.

-2x
= (-5x)+(3x). And (-5x)*(3x) = x^2*(-15).

Therefore
x^2-2x-15 = (x^2 -5x)+(3x-15) = x(x-5)+3(x-5) =
(x-5)(x+3).

x^2-2x-15 = (x-5)(x+1).

In "The Fall of the House of Usher", what is meant by the “fall” of the house of Usher, both literally and symbolically?

You have picked up on a very important aspect of the
title. Of course, the "fall" in question works on many levels that are key to the story
and the brooding atmosphere of evil that Poe creates through setting and character.
There seems to be a real, supernatural kind of relationship between the literal House of
Usher as in the location, and its two surviving members, the stricken Madeline and
Roderick.

You will want to think about how in the
description of the narrator's first sight of the house it is clear that it is given a
supernatural menace:

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The discolouration of ages had been great.
Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the
eaves... In this there was much that reminded me of the specious totality of old
woodwork which has rotted for long years in some neglected vault, with no disturbance
from the breath of the external
air.

Note the important
emphasis that is placed on the rot and decay - a rot and decay that is symbolically
present in the line of the heirs of the Usher family too, as we discover, for both
Roderick and his sister Madeline suffer from a mysterious ailment that has changed them
both dramatically. Consider how Roderick is
described:

A
cadaverousness of complexion; an eye large, liquid, and luminous beyond comparison, lips
somewhat thin and very pallid, but of a surpassingly beautiful curve; a nose of
delicate Hebrew model, but with a breadth of nostril unusual in similar formations; a
finely moulded chin, speaking, in its want of prominence, of a want of moral energy;
hair of a more than web-like softness and
tenuity...

Some critics have
commented on the descriptions of both Madeline and Roderick, arguing that they appear
incredibly vampire-like, but there is definitely something of the supernatural about
their appearance.

Add to this mention of hereditary curses,
the doom of the family of Usher and the finale where both twin brother and sister die
together so dramatically, you can understand that the "fall" of the House of Usher
refers to the end of the line of the Usher family with the spectacular deaths of its two
surviving heirs, as well as the actual literal "fall" or collapse of the House of Usher
in the last paragraph. It is as if the house is so tied up with the fates of its owners
that it cannot survive or escape the fate that has come upon them either, thus
emphasising the totality of the evil that has destroyed the House of
Usher.

What is the thesis of "Rip Van Winkle"?

"Rip Van Winkle" is assuredly Irving's true claim to
immortality, and this story of a man who falls asleep for twenty years seems indeed to
escape the law of time, for it haunts us still with its mystery. Once we realize that
Rip sleeps precisely through the American Revolution, the story begins to bristle with
cultural overtones. Yet its deepest riddle has to do with the strange vision and potion
that caused Rip to sleep in the first place, and this question is inseparable from Rip's
own odd temperament, his refusal to grow up. It is a prophetic American
hang-up.

Irving is again telling us something about this
new America, a country now liberated from England and embarking on its own path. We may
wonder how appetizing this new country is for the author. What changed in the twenty
years during which Rip slept? Irving sketches for us a new realm of politics, a new
landscape. We recognize, in Rip's visionary experience on the mountain-top, a classic
variant of religious epiphany, or illumination. Rip, summoned by the strange figures he
sees bowling and drinking, experiences a classic initiation: serving the gods, entering
their world. Watching the figures bowl and drink is tantamount to watching the gods at
play, and Irving has included references to Barbarossa, Charlemagne, Odin, and Thor.
Moreover, the specific "play" itself, Bowling and Thunder, can also be seen as a form of
erotic sport.

We see that Rip is no less than the eternal
child: he frequents children, and he shuns responsibilities of all sorts. It is also no
accident that Rip is no soldier; we may indeed wonder what kind of gun he is carrying.
Rip does not do "family duty," we are told, and with that notation we may unpack still
further the sexual dimensions of this fable. It is no surprise that Rip is ultimately
happiest at the "male club," separated from women altogether. We would expect the
protagonist of such an "initiation" story to be altered by his experiences. How is Rip
changed by the vision? America is altered in powerful political ways; even nature is
altered, as Irving's language suggests. But Rip remains unchanged. The rusty fowling
piece that he carries with him down the mountain fits in perfectly with his new life, a
life without wife or "family duty" of any sort. Rip's momentous return to the village is
arguably Irving's most fascinating touch. The setting is entirely changed, the family
Rip earlier sired has grown up, and Rip undergoes what can be seen as a crisis of
identity.

What is the reaction of the people around the prison?

In chapter 2, the answer to this question is
revealed.

Several women have an opinion on this point.
First, one woman believes a panel of women should judge Hester for what she has done.
She feels they could get to the bottom of this situation. Women can make women talk.
Another woman notices that Hester's pastor is the Reverend Master Dimmesdale who is
internalizing this great sin that has come upon his congregation. Another woman notes
that the judges are just but merciful and designates a punishment they should offer, a
good branding. A final woman notes that if she is branded, "the pang of it will always
be in her heart." This last statement is key because it foreshadows the future and
illustrates the power and depth of her sin.

Continuing
debate focuses on if she should die or not for this crime. This varies from goodwife to
goodwife as none would wish such pain on each other if trial and tribulation were
knocking on their doors.

How does Danforth intimidate Mary Warren in Act III?

I believe that Danforth intimidates Mary Warren by using
harsh and accusing words towards her at the start of Act III, Scene 3.  He tries to
threaten her and he tries to make her feel guilty.

He
starts to intimidate her by making her feel guilty for what she has done.  He implies
that (if she was really lying before) that she has condemned innocent people to be
hanged.  He does not believe this, I think -- he is just trying to badger
her.

Later on, he starts to threaten her.  He tells her
that if she had been lying she will be sent to jail herself for perjury.  This is
clearly intimidating because he seems to be telling her that she had better not change
her testimony or else she'll be in big trouble.

How does Melville use Ahab and his mission to explore the mystery of evil?

The book's plot is built on one basic conflict: Ahab vs.
the whale. Ahab loses a leg to Moby-Dick; here is the wound that can never be healed.
The revenge scenario that follows is worthy of Shakespeare in its reach. Body and soul
blend together, are inseparable, in Ahab's mind. Ahab blasts Moby-Dick as incarnation of
evil and regards his task as that of a face-to-face encounter with evil. Is such a
mission sacrilege? Men such as Starbuck pointedly ask this question in the text itself.
Ahab suggests that the world is a fraud, an illusion. Ahab as Prometheus conducts a war
with God; he is staking out the limits of human doing and human reach. Have we
encountered an overreacher? "Striking through the mask" is Ahab's formulation, and the
theatrical metaphor conveys Melville's sense of living among shadows and illusory
surfaces. The corollary is that we can know reality only through an act of agency and
violence. Melville gaudily decks out Ahab in satanic colors. Melville proposes woe as
the eternal core of the soul. We discover madness also, as if the "dig" itself toward
the kingdom below were the very pulse of madness. Ahab presents an archaeological depth
of character. Melville is at his most theatrical when he suggests that great passion and
madness are a form of takeover, that the hostage self is eclipsed. Melville carries this
view of madness to its grisly conclusion in a view of marionette-like behavior: the
vacated self has no authority left, as it gesticulates and acts in its mania. The final
loss of self is shown in the black cabin-boy, Pip, who falls overboard and witnesses the
indifferent gods; he is "vacated" by the experience, and the book's most haunting
passages are related to his "orphaned" vision. We are made to understand that Pip is
precisely Ahab's alter ego, that the monomaniac and the witless idiot are versions of
each other. Ahab sees that Pip will be his own undoing. This is a ghostly kind of
fraternalism, different than the kind that binds Queequeg and
Ishmael.

Why does the crew choose to follow Ahab in his mission to kill Moby Dick?Herman Melville's Moby Dick

In Chapter 36 of Herman Melville's Moby
Dick, Ahab has paced the deck as is his wont; finally, he orders Starbuck "to
send everyone aft." When all the ship's company is assembled, Ahab paces some and then
asks them, "What do ye do when ye see a whale, men?" The united voices answer him.
Ahab's magnetism is tremendous as he pulls the men's attention.  Before he indicates his
intent, he nails a Spanish gold doubloon to the mast; then, after mesmerizing them with
this bit of wealth, Ahab mentions Moby Dick.  He tells
them,

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Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale
with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; shosoever of ye raises me that white-headed
whale with three holes punctured in his starboard fluke--look ye, whosoever of ye raises
me that same white whale, he shall have this gold ounce, my
boys!

The "intense interest
and surprise" of the harpooners, Tashtego, Daggoo, and Queequeg adds to the the
excitement:  they know Moby Dick.  Starbuck then asks if it were not Moby Dick who took
off Ahab's leg.  "Aye, Starbuck; aye, my hearties all
round...."

In his monomanical desire for revenge, Ahab
swears that he will chase Moby Dick around the Cape of Good Hope if he must.  He asks
the men if they will join him.  The harpooner shout, "Aye! Aye!"  Ahab elicits the crew
to help him avenge himself on the White Whale, explaining that the whale represents the
impossibility of going behind the superficial layers of nature or reality.  He sees in
the white whale "an inscrutable malice."  Further, Nature wears an "unreasoning mask,"
and Ahab wishes to break through this mask and understand what lies behind
it.

Something is touched in the "innermost being" of the
men as Ahab declares his both physical and metaphysical mission to find the whale and
breakthrough "that pasteboard mask."  He orders the men to have communion with him as a
flagon is passed around.  Then, Ahab calls the mates and has them cross their lances
cermoniously. He has them remove the ends of their lances and pour the liquor into
them.  Alluding to himself as the Pope and his mates as the cardinals, Ahab gives the
ceremony religious significance. Ishmael narrates
that

A wild,
mystical, sympathetical feeling was in me; Ahab's quenchless feud seemed mine.  With
greedy ears I learned the history of that murderous monster against whom I and all the
others had taken our oaths of violence and
revenge.

The men are
mesmerized by the search for the great white, evil whale.  They wish to destroy this
force.

Is Verbal Communication defined as a language as a system for communicating meaning? Nonverbal Communication defined as communicating without words?

In general verbal communication refers to communication
using speech. The verbal communication may be contrasted with written
communication.

Both verbal and written communication make
use of language such as English, Hindi, or Persian. Also, both ways of communicating,
are used to convey meaning, data, information or knowledge. To this extent, it is not
appropriate to define verbal or non-verbal communication on the basis of use of language
or on communication of meaning. However, in verbal communication, it is quite usual to
identify a "non-verbal" component. Used in this sense, non-verbal refers to
communication that is not based on used of words, traditionally considered to be which
form the basis of formal languages. The may include, for example, other ways of
communicating meaning like the tone of speaking, face expressions, and body language.
Lying in between verbal and non-verbal component of verbal communication is
para-linguistics, which refers to sounds like ..oooh, ..aaah, and hmmm... which are
sound people make while speaking, but which are not formally identified words in the
language they speak.

It is important to note that there can
be many other ways of communication used by people which do not fall under the category
of either the verbal, or written communication. For example, the traffic signal lights
and the smoke signals used by native Americans.

To what extent can "The Black Cat" be considered a "horror" story?

Horror stories usually have some pretty common elements: 
Violence, the supernatural, dead things never quite dying, trustworthy characters
turning out to be untrustworthy, and murder.  "The Black Cat" has all of those elements,
to be sure.  We have a man who, at the beginning, is a kind, loving husband and
caregiver to animals.  By the end he is abusive and violent, even killing his wife
unexpectedly, and wreaking havoc on his pets.  He is violent, and the story has some
very gory details to it in describing the black cat's demise, and also his gruesome
murder of his wife.  There is the supernatural through the "visions" the man has of the
cat, and also in the end as the cat is apparently not dead, but alive and well in the
wall.  All of these factors lend themselves well to the horror
genre.

One last element of the horror genre that the story
has is a main character with a very interesting psychology.  At its heart, the story is
really a tale of a man who, through the abuse of alcohol, becomes victim to the demons
of his mind and his vices.  It is written through the narrator's eyes; he himself
describes his slow descent into madness and violence.  He can explain, quite lucidly at
a later date, what happened to him.  His mind starts playing tricks on him; he doubts
his sanity, and it leads him to do some pretty awful things.  When we are unsure of our
own mental soundness, everything is strange and bizarre, and we get to see that through
the eyes of the narrator himself.  His psychology is quite interesting, and despite his
descent into moral decay, he relates the events of the story quite clearly after the
fact.

I hope that helps; good luck!

Give an example of an arbitrage opportunity?

Arbitrage is the ability to make a risk-free profit by
using the price mismatch of an entity in different markets or the mismatch of prices
between commodities that can be traded for each other.

For
an example consider the foreign exchange market: you find that with 1 Euro you can buy
$1.5, and with $1 you can buy 100 Yen. But the number of Yen that can be bought with 1.5
Euro is not 150 but 145. So now you invest $1 to buy 100 Yen. Use the 100 Yen to buy
100/145 = .6896 Euro and use the .6896 Euro to buy $1.0344. So you have been able to
make a 3.44 cent profit for a dollar by just utilizing the mismatch in price of the Yen
and the Euro.

Whenever arbitrage opportunities arise these
are spotted immediately and as people try to use them for their gains the prices quickly
re-align to equilibrium levels due to the supply and demand.

Athens and Sparta--ancient history: Who were their allies? What were their military strength, cultural achievements and education like?

Sparta was the most powerful city-state in ancient Greece
for nearly three centuries. Located in the Southern area known as Pelloponnese, Sparta
became the dominant force of the allied Greek armies during the Greco-Persian wars.
Sparta and Athens were enemies during the Pelloponnesian War between 431-404 B.C.
Sparta's decline began when they were defeated by Thebes in 371 B.C. and later by the
Macedonians. The Spartans were arguably the most militaristic group in ancient history.
Children deemed too weak after childbirth were often killed, and most of the males began
their military training at the age of seven. Spartans became reserve members of the
military at age 18 and were expected to serve until the age of 60. They were
deliberately given only enough food to subsist, and their luxuries were few: thus, the
term a "Spartan existence." Their military numbers varied from battle to battle. At
their defeat to the Thebans at the Battle of Leuctra, the Spartan army numbered about
12,000. Children did receive an education beyond the military; reading, writing, music
and the arts were studied. Spartan females also received an education--a rarity in
ancient Greece.

Cite and analyze passages exemplifying unconditional love and loyalty in Act II of Shakespeare's King Lear.

Unconditional love and loyalty are displayed at a number
of points in Act 2 of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Perhaps the best
examples of these traits appear in Act 2, scenes 2 and 3, in the person of Lear’s loyal
follower, Kent, although the Earl of Gloucester also displays real love and loyalty in
these scenes.

Kent, sent by Lear to deliver a message to
Regan, one of Lear’s daughters, roundly abuses Oswald, one of Regan’s servants.  When
Regan and appears with her husband, the Duke of Cornwall, Kent demonstrates his
unconditional love and loyalty to the old king by refusing to curry favor with these
newly powerful people. He even manages to suggest his contempt for Regan and Cornwall –
a contempt rooted in his continuing love and loyalty to Lear.  Thus when Cornwall
suggests that Kent may consider Cornwall and Regan physically ugly, Kent bluntly
replies,

Sir,
’tis my occupation to be plain:

I have seen better faces in
my time

Than stands on any shoulder that I
see

Before me at this instant.
 (2.2.94-97)

Such a statement
is certainly impolitic, but it implies Kent’s devotion to the ruler he truly loves and
respects: Lear. As he later tells Cornwall, “I serve the king, . . . my master”
(2.2.130, 133).  Gloucester also shows love and loyalty toward Lear by referring to the
latter as “the good king” (2.2.143). Gloucester additionally shows love toward Kent by
asking Cornwall not to punish him. Inevitably, however, Kent is
punished for his conduct by being placed in the stocks, but he doesn’t really seem to be
overly bothered this outcome. Nevertheless, Gloucester continues to show concern for
him: “I’ll entreat for thee” (2.2.157).

When Lear himself
appears on the scene, Kent salutes him from the stocks: “Hail to thee, noble master”
(2.3.4). He shows his love and loyalty to Lear by speaking honestly to the king about
the conduct of Regan and Cornwall, even though Lear does not at first believe him
(2.3.11-21). In their ensuing conversation, Kent calls Lear “My Lord” (2.3.26) and “your
highness” (2.3.27) and later worries about the king’s small number of attendants
(2.3.61).  Gloucester also shows his own continuing devotion to Lear by addressing him
as “My dear lord” (2.3.89) and “my good lord” (2.3.95, 97).  It is true, of course, that
Cornwall later addresses Lear as “your grace” (2.3.124), but for Cornwall this is a mere
conventional formality.  Kent and Gloucester, on the other hand, are truly loving and
loyal toward their king, as Kent especially has proved during his time in the
stocks.

What is the distinction Max Beerbohm makes between going out for a walk and being taken out for a walk?The essay is called "Going...

 "Going Out For a Walk" by Max Beerbohm is a short
humorous essay, in which Beerbohm casts himself as a typical urbanite, aesthete, and
intellectual, who is dubious about the virtues of outdoor
exercise. 

He portrays himself as never "going out for a
walk" voluntarily, of his own volition, but instead as having acquaintances he meets
while visiting the country "take him out on walks", i.e. compel him to walk with them by
offering invitations it would be rude to refuse. In the middle of the essay, he
describes walking as an activity inimical to thought and good conversation, arguing that
the brain shuts off during a walk.

In a humorous twist
though, he ends the essay by mentioning that the inspiration for the essay, and much of
its structure, were worked out by him as he was out walking.

Differentiate y=[1-(1/x)]/(x-1)

We have to differentiate y = [1 - (1/x)] /
(x-1)

Now we can start with rewriting the expression for y
= [1 - (1/x)] / (x-1) so that it is easier to
differentiate

Start with writing 1-(1/x) as
(x-1)/x

=>  y = [(x-1) /x] /
(x-1)

Now divide by numerator and denominator by
(x-1)

=> y = 1/ x

Now
the derivative of 1/x = x^-1 is -1*[x^ (-1-1)] = -1*x^-2 = -1/
x^2

So as y= [1 - (1/x)] /
(x-1)

=> y' = -1/
x^2

The required derivative is -1/
x^2

Can it be viewed as an allegory?

You can view it as an allegory because religious faith may
be viewed as both constructive and destructive, and therefore the allegorical journey
suggests the moral laxness and ambiguity into which people sometimes fall. The lesser
characters belong both to Brown’s journey into evil and also to his later life. Thus
Deacon Gookin and Goody Cloyse meet Brown on the street as he returns to Salem
(paragraph 70), and immediately they embody the theme of Brown’s hatred of hypocrisy. At
this point the narrator presents these characters as virtuous, however, and in this way
Hawthorne emphasizes Brown’s distorted vision. Ironically—and irony of situation is a
major aspect of this story—Brown becomes evil while pursuing good and what he supposed
to be godliness. For these reasons together with a number of others, the forest journey
justifies the claim that it is allegorical.

Simplify (27x^3-64)/(9x^2-16)

To evaluate the expression we'll use factorization. We
notice that the numerator is a difference of
cubes:

27x^3-64 = (3x)^3 -
(4)^3

We'll apply the
formula:

a^3 - b^3 = (a-b)(a^2 + ab +
b^2)

We'll put a = 3x and b =
4

(3x)^3 - (4)^3 = (3x-4)(9x^2 + 12x +
16)

We also notice that the denominator is a difference of
squares:

9x^2-16 = (3x)^2 -
4^2

We'll apply the
formula:

a^2 - b^2 =
(a-b)(a+b)

(3x)^2 - 4^2 =
(3x-4)(3x+4)

We'll substitute the differences by their
products:

 [(27x^3-64)/(9x^2-16)] = (3x-4)(9x^2 + 12x +
16)/(3x-4)(3x+4)

We'll simplify by the common factor
(3x-4):

 [(27x^3-64)/(9x^2-16)] =  [(9x^2 +
12x + 16)/(3x+4)]

We can also combine the
terms 12x + 16 and factorize them by
4;

 [(27x^3-64)/(9x^2-16)]  = 9x^2/(3x+4) + (12x +
16)/(3x+4)

 [(27x^3-64)/(9x^2-16)]  = 9x^2/(3x+4) + 4(3x +
4)/(3x+4)

We'll simplify the last ratio by (3x+4) and we'll
get:

 [(27x^3-64)/(9x^2-16)]  = 9x^2/(3x+4) +
4

How can literary theories be applied to Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" address?

I think that literary theories can be applied to any
work.  The discussion of different and divergent literary theories helps to bring out
different ideas and parts of the work in question.  This same process can be done with
Dr. King's speech.  If one takes a particular literary theory, different parts of the
text end up coming alive in order to see which parts could correspond with the theory. 
The result is that literary theory analysis forces the reader to have a better grasp of
the text because more of it is analyzed and critiqued.  For example, if we applied
Bloom's aesthetic literary theory to King's speech, we find some interesting elements
that emerge.  When Bloom argues that there is a fundamental attempt to re-describe the
modern world in accordance with that which has already been stated, King's speech fits
this aesthetic.  King pulls from Biblical scripture as well as Jeffersonian
Enlightenment to make the case that the struggle for Civil Rights is not a new one, but
rather a current chapter of an ancient aesthetic of individuals seeking to empower
themselves against social and political barriers that are intrinsically wrong.  When
Bloom asserts that, the modern writer is born too late, King willingly accepts this
critique for he is not trying to invent Civil Rights for people of color in the 1960s.  
King understands that the best approach for gaining such rights is to re-describe it in
paradigms that White society already understands.  In Bloom's aesthetic regarding
"anxiety of influence," one gains a greater appreciation for the power and majesty of
King's speech.  This displays how literary theories can be both applicable and help to
bring out more of a specific text.

How would you agree/disagree with this quote using context from the book?When Janie says "'Yo’ papa and yo’ mama and nobody else can’t tell...

In accord with this statement, critics have argued
that from the time she was a young girl seeking love until the end of her life with
Tea-Cake, Janie Crawfor  of Their Eyes Were Watching God defines
herself only in terms of the man with whom she lives.  While she finds more independence
with Joe Sparks than she has with Login, and more with Tea-Cake than with the others,
Janie is yet only the woman who belongs to these
men. 

Critic Claire Crabtree, who argues that as a
feminist, Zora Neale Hurtston did not want Janie "to find fulfillment in a man, but,
rather, in her new-found self."  This, Crabtree explains, is why Janie must end
Tea-Cake's life.  For, it is only after his death, that she finds out about living for
herself as she returns to her hometown and relates her tale.  In this narration, Janie
finds her true sense of self; her journey in flashback is her renaissance as a whole
woman.

Can Of Mice and Men be seen as a typical Local Color Story?

I would have to argue that no, it is not a typical local
color story, nor do I think that Steinbeck wrote it as such.  The characters are
certainly rich, and central to the story, but the Great Depression was nationwide
(worldwide) and Lennie and George's economic and personal situation were typical in all
regions, not just 1930s California. 

Candy is an elderly
man and physically challenged, which highlighted two groups all across the country who
were first hit and hardest hit by the Depression.

Women
were socially second class citizens, their opinions and feelings often disregarded in
the home and society.  Curley's wife is never given a proper name in the book, I think
to highlight this common--rather than local--situation.

And
lastly, take Crooks for example.  He is a segregated black man both legally and
socially, just like, at that time, virtually every other African-American in the
country.

Of Mice and Men is a social
commentary on a much grander social scale, told through the eyes and experiences of
typical Americans.

The tangent to the graph of the function f(x)=x^2+4x+2 is perpendicular to y axis . Determine the point of tangency.

The tangent line to the graph of f(x) is perpendicular to
the y axis when it is parallel to x axis.

That means that
the tangent line passes through the vertex of the function  f(x) =
x^2+4x+2.

We'll calculate the vertex of the parabola, using
the coordinates xV and yV.

xV =
-b/2a

yV = -delta/4a

We'll
identify the coefficients a,b,c.

a =
1

b = 4

c =
2

We'll substitute the coefficients into the coordinates of
the vertex:

xV =
-4/2*1

xV =
-2

yV = (4ac -
b^2)/4a

yV = (8 - 16)/4

yV =
-8/4

yV =
-2

The tangent
line, perpendicular to y-axis, is passing through the vertex of the parabola: V(-2 ,
-2).

What are the three characteristics of the Middle Ages literature?

The Middle Ages saw the beginnings of a rebirth in
literature. Early medieval books were painstakingly hand-copied and illustrated by
monks. Paper was a rarity, with vellum, made from calf's skin, and parchment, made from
lamb's skin, were the media of choice for writing. Students learning to write used
wooden tablets covered in green or black wax. The greatest number of books during this
era were bound with plain wooden boards, or with simple tooled leather for more
expensive volumes.

Wandering scholars and poets traveling
to the Crusades learned of new writing styles. Courtly Love spawned a new interest in
romantic prose. Troubadours sang in medieval courtyards about epic battles involving
Roland, Arthur, and Charlemagne. Literature exploded from the universities as scholars
began to question convention and write social commentary, as well as poetic
fiction.

Language saw further development during the Middle
Ages. Capital and lowercase letters were developed with rules for each. Books were
treasures, rarely shown openly in a library, but rather, kept safely under lock and key.
Finding someone who might loan you a book was a true friend. Some might rent out their
books, while others, desperate for cash, might turn to the book as a valuable item to be
pawned.

What is the problem with conducting the forbidden experiment?

I assume that you are asking about the experiment in which
a researcher would deliberately isolate a child from any contact with humans and then
see how or if its language abilities develop.

What is wrong
with this experiment is that it completely disrupts, and possibly destroys, the child's
ability to live a normal life when it is grown up.  It treats the child like an
experimental animal and not like a human being.  When researchers work with human
subjects (at least in the United States) they must get their experiments approved to
ensure that they are not doing anything that will harm the subjects physically or
mentally.  This experiment would clearly harm the subject emotionally in ways that would
be quite profound.