Compare the characters of Old Harjo in "The Problem of Old Harjo" and Uncle Julius "Goophered Grapevine" in regard to how they were powerless.

The character of Old Harjo in John Milton Oskison's short
story "The Problem of Old Harjo" is a Creek Indian who has been convinced by a
missionary woman, Miss Evans, to convert to Christianity (Oskison himself is a
Cherokee). Old Harjo has two wives. Interpretation of Scripture since around the twelfth
century prohibits christian men from having more than wife. Old Harjo faces the dilemma
of knowing how to blend his new beliefs with his old life. He also faces the problem of
deciding what authority he sill recognize and embrace: his ancestral and cultural
authority or his new religious authority, an authority presented to him in the form of
Mrs. Rowell, who is the Director of the Indian Mission. These dilemmas make Old Harjo
feel powerless as he is psychologically and practically forced from both sides of the
dilemma: If he wants to embrace the new faith Miss Evans has taught him, he has no
choice--according to the authority of Mrs. Rowell.

The
character of Uncle Julius McAdoo in Charles Waddell Chestnutt's short story "Goophered
Grapevine" is a former slave of advanced age living in the South and functions in the
story structure as the narrator of the interior framed tale. His narration bridges the
life of the Northerner of the frame who is interested in buying the plantation with the
conjurer of the past. We learn from his story that, as his surname is McAdoo, he is the
son of the previous plantation owner, "Mars Dugal' McAdoo" and he was a slave to his
father on his father's plantation. His tale about the "goophered" plantation reveals the
evil that was visited upon slaves by their masters as when Uncle Julius tells that Mars
Dugal set up "guns en steel traps" in order to catch the slaves he suspected of eating
from his harvest of grapes. Uncle Julius's tale also demonstrates how, following
emancipation, former slaves had the liberty to turn, or attempt to events, to their
advantage: As the Northern says when the frame returns following Uncle Julius's
narrative, "[Our] respectable revenue from the neglected grapevines. ... doubtless,
accounted for his advice to me not to buy the vineyard, though whether it inspired the
goopher story I am unable to state."

In the end result,
while Uncle Juluius experienced powerlessness as a slave (although, as he says of the
slaves behavor,"en de grapes kep' on a-goin des de same"), as an emancipated former
slave, he found he had some power to direct his destiny as proven by his situation on
the Northerner's new plantation: "I believe, however, that the wages I pay him for his
services are more than an equivalent for anything he lost by the sale of the vineyard."
This contrasts with Old Harjo's situation in which power over directing his preferred
and desired destiny never entered his hands: He was forced to bow to one external force
or the other. There is a common element in their powerlessness in that Old Harjo and
Uncle Julius were each powerless against the dictates of the white culture surrounding
them.

"Grown-ups knew things... the majesty of adult life." Is Piggy right about why they're here?

In many ways Piggy's quote is ironic.  The problem that
led to the boys being in the aircraft that was moving the boy's to safety was caused by
the adults not being able to orchestrate a peaceful life.  As a result the world that
Piggy and Ralph had come from was at war and the boys were being flown to safety when
they landed on the island.

The things that Piggy is
considering is that adults have the knowledge of how to prepare and organize
civilization and maintain it which is questionable.  However, from a child's
point-of-view the adults seem to be the ones with all of the answers.  Piggy seems to
believe that adult knowledge is a powerful thing which could keep them safe and
protected. 

The boys are not failing because they are not
grown up, but rather scared at the unfamiliar situation.

In the short story, "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe, state and explain two examples of verbal irony in the story.

The best example of verbal irony to be found in Poe's "The
Cask of Amontillado" is in the fact that Montresor continually refers to the man he
intends to murder as his friend, his good friend, and his poor friend. He has gotten
into the habit of referring to Fortunato as his friend for several reasons. In the first
place, he wants Fortunato to think of him as his good friend. In the second place, he
wants everybody who knows them to think of the two of them as good friends. He wants
everybody to think they are friends because when Fortunato mysteriously disappears,
Montresor doesn't want anybody to have the slightest suspicion that he could have been
connected with it. He knows that he is going to have to act concerned about Fortunato's
disappearance for a long time because of his supposed friendship. He will keep asking
questions about him? If there is a search, he will have to participate. If there is a
reward offered, he will have to contribute generously. He knows that in order to make
Fortunato and everybody else believe in this false friendship, he will have to believe
in it himself. A good liar knows that he must believe in his own lies, and it is quite
possible for an intelligent man to do this. He can't help referring to Fortunato as his
friend throughout his narrative because he has conditioned himself to believing in their
strong friendship.

There are many other examples of verbal
irony in Poe's story. Another interesting one is where Montresor tells
Fortunato:

readability="12">

"Come," I said, with decision, we will go back;
your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy as
once I was. You are a man to be
missed...."

Montresor, of
course, is using reverse psychology. He is also giving his victim a false assurance of
his innocent intentions, because he would hardly be persuading him to go back if he were
intentionally leading him into danger. But most importantly, Montresor is probably
savoring the thought that he can destroy Fortunato's wealth, respect, admiration, and
love with his fiendish plan; and furthermore, he can get the added satisfaction of
inflicting pain on Fortunato's friends and family because Fortunato is a man who will be
missed. Anyone who plans a murder must give some thought to the effect his crime will
have on the victim's loved ones, and Montresor is evidently so sadistic, or so full of
hatred, that he wants to punish Fortunato and everyone connected with
him.

Given the line (1-n)*x + n*y -1 = 0 calculate n for the line is perpendicular to another line that passes through (-2,3) , (1,2).

We  shall determine the line through (-2,3) and
(1,2).

The line through (x1,y1) and (x2,y2) is given
by:

y -y1 = {(y2-y1)/(x2-x1)}
(x-x1)...(1)

(x1 ,y1) = (-2,3) and (x2, y2) = 1,2).
Substituting in the formula (1), we get:

(y-3) = {(2-3)/(1-
-2)}(x --2)

y -3 = (-1/3)
(x+2)

(3y-9) = (-(x+2)

 x+3y
-9+2 = 0

x+3y -7 = 0.This is the line through the given 2
points.

Any line perpendicular to this is  got by reversing
the coefficients of x and y and putting a minus sign to one of the
coefficints.

So x+3y -7 = 0 has the perpendicular is of the
form:

3x-y +k = 0. Comparing this line with the line (1-n)+
ny -1 = 0. If both equations  are of the same line then the coefficits of x , y and
contant terms should have the same proportion:

(1-n)/3 =
n/-1 = k/-1.

From the first two equations, (1-n)/3 =
n/(-1)

n-1 = 3n

-1 =
3n-n

-1= 2n

n =
-1/2.

So n = -1/2.

Is there a problem or something wrong with me if I have to strecth and twist my back a lot, because of discomfort or because I just get that feeling?

Back problems are common, and most people don't realize
how much they use their back and neck until they become injured.  You didn't indicate
that you have trouble moving, sitting or standing, and it sounds like you just feel some
stiffness, which is really a minor issue most times.

The
above poster is very good on medical and science issues, so by all means take her advice
and perhaps see a chiropractor or massage therapist.  You may also wish to try an over
the counter anti-inflammatory drug such as Advil that will often relieve strained
muscles and joints.

Also you might want to take it easy for
a few days or a week, and don't do any unnecessary lifting or bending.  Doctors
sometimes advise sleeping on your side (making sure your neck and head are both
supported and level).  Once you feel better, you can start a regimen of stretching and
back exercises to strengthen the muscles there, which will often ward off future
stiffness.

Should the city of Chicago have to spent so much money on the fair The Devil in the White City?

The Devil in the White City is the
story of the World's Fair which took place in Chicago in the late 1800s.  The concept of
world, of course, is that this event was to be shared by literally
everyone, and thus the costs should be paid by literally everyone.  However, it's simply
not realistic to expect each country to actually contribute financially to such a
venture. Because the location of each World's Fair changes, though, the burden is
shared, at least to some degree, by the world. That being said, it
is reasonable in a country like America to expect that the country
would contribute to an event which displays the best of what America has to offer.  One
city should not have to bear the financial burden of the entire
country.

On the other hand, it is the city of Chicago which
inevitably benefited most from hosting the Fair.  From restaurants to construction
workers to hoteliers to transportation sources to...well, you name it...the city took in
millions of tourists and no doubt millions of dollars.  They spent the money, but they
also accrued the benefit.

The best parallel I can think of
is the Olympics.  Cities all over the world bid to have their city chosen as the site of
an Olympic celebration.  They weigh their outlays (expenses) and hope to at least break
even or possibly turn a profit when all is said and done.  In recent years, it seems,
there has not been a huge financial gain; however, the prestige and recognition and
pride which come from hosting the world continue to be enough for cities around the
world to want to host the Olympic Games. 

Chicago certainly
benefited from hosting the World's Fair, despite Holmes's horrific acts.  This city,
considered wild and uncouth and untamed and corrupt before the Fair, gained a prestige
which marked a turning point in the city's history.  Should they have paid?  Probably
so.  Did the city get a fair return on its investment?  It seems to me, after reading
this text, the answer is a resounding "yes!"

What does the word choice and the contrast between the two lines suggest in "In a Station Metro" by Ezra Pound?

First, note that there are no verbs in this poem, making
it only a juxtaposition of two images.  I use that word, juxtaposition, not to be
pretentious but to convey a sense of visual placement, as if the poet were a painter and
these images are visibly beside each other as if in a painting. The semicolon is an
interesting choice. Given that Pound described this poem as an equation, and that the
semicolon can be used to (somewhat paradoxically) link related,
independent clauses, it functions as an equal sign, providing two ways of
expressing a similar thing.  Whereas 2 + 2 and 4 are figures or symbols that express the
same "quantity," the "apparition of these faces in the crowd" and "petals on a wet,
black bough" express a similar "quality." 

There are no
linking words such as the simile links "as" and "like."  Pound was trying to focus on
the images themselves, making the leap from one image to another, making the leap from
faces to the petal metaphor a leap of imagination; not a leap that is literally spelled
out on the page as if it were a technical manual.  As there are no verbs, nothing
"happens" in the poem; unless you consider the work of the equation as the work - in
other words, the imaginative leap that the poem
encourages. 

The poem is a hokku, the precursor to the more
widely known haiku.  Hokku was often an introduction to a longer poem but could also be
a pairing of images, usually with no linking words.  This is called parataxis.  With
respect to this poem, it is often referred to (by Pound, I think) as super-position; one
image "on top" of another. "On top" is tricky wording.  While they are paginated one
above the other, think of the abstract nature of a numerical equation; one is not
necessarily above, below, to the right; etc. 2 + 2 and 4 are concepts and therefore
meanings that are related but that relationship is not relegated to certain spaces in
space and time.  They just are: related but independent. In physics, superposition
refers to a particle that can be in two places at one time; again, somehow beyond
space-time. 

As for the words themselves, it is open to the
reader's own semantic interpretation.  But I think it's clear that apparition (ghost,
and suddenly "appearing," French), faces - petals, and wet,
black bough is a rainy backdrop.  Perhaps it is a gloomy, yet somehow inspirational
vision of the sudden "equating" of a ghostly group of beautiful faces before a metro in
the rain with the likewise ghostly petals, if those petals are no longer attached to the
plant.  So, life, or the ephemerality of it, is the connecting metaphor in this
interpretation and the poet "sees" this as suddenly (appear, apparition); as a
revelation which can be as sudden and abstract as 2 + 2 = 4.  The meaning is
subjective.