In The Kite Runner, what were Amir's sin and his redemption?I would like to know how to explain the author's attempt to show the readers how he...

You have placed your finger on the key theme of the novel.
It is of course Amir's failure to protect his friend, Hassan (who also turns out to be
his half-brother) from being raped that is the driving conflict of the story. Following
this incident Amir feels so ashamed about what he didn't do that he "organises" for
Hassan and his father to leave his household by planting stolen goods on Hassan. This is
Amir's "sin", if you want to call it that. However, it is later on in his life, once he
has left Afghanistan and married in the United States, establishing himself as a writer,
that he is contacted by an old family friend, and feels he needs to try to redeem
himself by helping Hassan. He finds out about Hassan's death for his continued loyalty
to Amir's family, and also discovers the truth of Hassan's parentage. Then in his
attempt to rescue Hassan's son from the same man that raped Hassan, he is very badly
beaten up, but manages to leave to the United States where he and his wife adopt
Hassan's son. This is how Amir finds his repentance, but you would do well to think
about how this theme is much wider than just Amir.

How are arthropods beneficial to other living things?

Phylum Arthropoda include organisms from the Class Insecta
which are insects, Class Arachnida, which are spiders and Crustacea, which are lobsters,
crabs, crayfish. There are others however, they all have an exoskeleton which is molted
when they grow and jointed appendages. One example of how Arthropods are beneficial is
in the role of insect pollinators. Without bees and other pollinators, flowering plants
would have a difficult time with the transfer of pollen to the female pistil for
fertilization to occur. Another way Arthropods are beneficial is in the role of
scavengers. Many Crustaceans feed on dead organic matter or wastes. Examples of these
types of scavengers are crabs. They help to remove debris from the ocean environment.
Another example of how Arthropods are beneficial is that they are a major food source
for other organisms. Insects, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, spiders, etc. are food to a
variety of organisms. Krill, which are tiny crustaceans, are the major food source for
many whales and a key member of the food chain in the Arctic region. Arthropods are very
successful and have adapted to every biome on Earth.

How effective were the Spanish in gaining control of Latin America?

I would have to say that the Spanish were very effective
in gaining control of Latin America.  After all, they controlled pretty much everything
from the Valley of Mexico to Patagonia (not including Brazil) for over 200
years.

Of course, the Spanish were not able to gain
complete control.  They did not have enough Spaniards to control all of the rural areas
and many natives lived more or less outside of Spanish control even up to the time that
the various countries became independent.  But in terms of the heartlands of the various
countries, the Spanish held firm control and were only really challenged for control by
other people who were essentially Spanish (the creoles).

Compare/ contrast the use of figurative language in the two poems "Harlem"by Langston Hughes and "We wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar.

In my mind, the use of figurative language resides in how
both thinkers conceive of being a person of color in America.  For Dunbar, the use of
the “mask” is designed to conceal the pain of being Black in America.  The mask is to
hide the struggle and frustration in a land that preaches opportunity, but delivers
quite another reality.  The use of figurative language is designed to present that a
dual consciousness plagues people of color for one part of their identity seeks to
believe the promises and possibilities of America while another fully understands the
despair and denial within it.  The mask is employed as a metaphor to convey both
experiences.  In some ways, Hughes uses his examples of figurative language to tear away
the very mask that Dunbar creates.  Hughes is open in his opening line about the reality
of this condition.  He does not necessarily answer what happens to a dream that is put
aside on a continual basis.  Yet, rather he explores this idea through a series of
images that brings to light the reality of what goes on underneath the mask that Dunbar
suggests is worn by all of those who are pinned on the outside looking in to the America
of their hopes and dreams.  In Hughes’ world, the use of figurative language helps to
explore the complexity of what it means to be a person of color, in particular, African-
American in the nation of the modern setting.  Both thinkers use figurative language as
a way to bring to light the pain and struggle in a part of American life that is not
completely articulated in a lucid manner.

In "To Build a Fire", why did the second fire fail?

You would do well to read the story - this is an excellent
and, in some ways, terrifying story that pits man against Nature and with Nature easily
winning and showing its might and strength against the pitiful arrogance of the man. Let
us remember the reason why the man is trying to light a second fire - he has fallen
through thin ice and desperately and urgently needs to light a fire to dry
his moccasins and shoes and socks and warm his feet. Failure to do this effectively and
efficiently could result in death at worst or frostbite and amputation at best. However,
the man's mistake leads to the quenching of the flames and sets off a series of cause
and effects that results in the man's death:

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It was his own fault, or, rather, his mistake.
He should not have built the fire under the spruce tree. he should have built it in the
open. But it had been easier to pull the twigs from the bush and drop them directly on
the fire. Now the tree under which he had done this carried a weight of now on its
boughs. No wind had blown it for weeks, and each bough was fully freighted. Each time he
had pulled a twig he had communicated a slight agitation, so fare as he was concerned,
but an agitation sufficient to bring about the disaster. High up in the tree one bough
capsized its load of snow. This fell on the boughs beneath, capsizing them. This process
continued... it grew like an avalanche, and it descended without warning upon the man
and the fire, and the fire was blotted
it!

Thus by taking the "easy"
option and the quicker option of building a fire beneath the spruce tree, the man has
ensured that the fire would be quenched by the snow that fell when he was picking up the
wood from the base of the tree. Again, he has shown himself to be not wise enough to
brave the dangers of Nature, and will pay the price.

How would describe Jimmy and Bob's personalities in "After Twenty Years?"

Jimmy is portrayed as the protagonist of the plot. He has
been shown as somebody who is torn between his affection for his friend and the call of
duty.  In a roundabout way, he has been given the subtle role of the antagonist of the
plot as well. Because the only "evil thing" of the plot, so to say, was the arrest of
the "friend" who came to visit an old pal his. Jimmy proved to be a person of mettle in
the end  who preferred duty to friend.

However, Jimmy's
actions are justified in the narrative as "Silky Bob" turned out to be a thief. But, as
"Silky Bob" too kept his promise, he too, has been shown in a positive
light, notwithstanding his profession.

What is the theme and style for Bud, not Buddy?

You have asked two questions that must be posted
separately.  Let me discuss the theme of the story.

Your
question is about Bud, Not Buddy, written by Christopher Paul
Curtis. This book is about a boy who is orphaned during the Great Depression which took
place during the late 1920s and the 1930s. The reader learns about the conditions of the
Depression, about Hooverville (little "cities" made up of cardboard and wood outside of
main towns where people tried to survive when they had lost everything to an extremely
bad economy), that during the Depression work and money were hard to come by, and so,
too, were food and clothing—even having a home.

Bud is ten
years old and has lost his mother in recent years. His father has never been around, and
Bud learns some of life's really hard lessons not only in being moved around between
foster homes, but seeing how hard it is for adults to survive as well as kids during
such difficult times in the United States.

Bud is trying to
find his way to the man he believes to be his father, and he must travel from Flint,
Michigan, to another town, Grand Rapids, which could easily take two days to reach on
foot. With some help along the way, Bud finally reaches Herbert Calloway, and there is a
secret Mr. Calloway holds as to who Bud really
is.

There are several themes in the story: some may be
different for different people based on the message each reader picks up from the
author.

One theme is that family is very important, and
that sometimes it is stronger than almost every other problem someone could think
of.

Another theme is that life is hard, and sometimes you
have to stand up for what you believe and be brave, even when you're
afraid.

A third theme may be that if you want something
very badly, and work really hard, you may not get exactly what you were hoping for, but
the hard work will eventually pay off.

After reading this
book, I believe you will be able to see how each of these themes is present in the
novel.