Why shouldn’t a lens be thick?

August 26, 2018 Educator

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN

Do you think Nafisi and her students are taking action against this repressive regime by meeting…

This is one of those interesting questions that posits an either/or binary, so let’s unwrap this a little. In the end, the question becomes: to what extent is escapism political action? Nafisi is…

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THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS

What is the significance of the repeated references to rain throughout the story?

The rain signifies nature’s way or function of cleansing itself. And, following this nuclear explosion and the decimation of the human population, there is the sense that nature is cleansing itself…

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THE CAY

What dangers did Phillip face by going on the reef?

In Chapter 8, when Timothy goes to the reef without Phillip to find some fish to eat, the old man doesn’t know if the reef will be safe for Phillip or not. Although the reef is a source of food,…

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LITERATURE

We are doing a newspaper project on Romeo and Juliet, and I need ideas for ads/advertisements.

This assignment takes some creative thinking by remembering events and items in the story. Here are a few ideas: An advertisement for the Capulet ball; a dress shop selling gowns for the ball A…

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ROMEO AND JULIET

What did Romeo learn from his experiences?

The answer to this question regarding William Shakespeare’s drama Romeo and Juliet depends entirely on when in the play you ask this question. What I can do is break down the play by its acts and…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What are some of Heck Tate’s characteristics in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Heck Tate is forty-three, a lifelong resident of Maycomb County, and takes his job as sheriff seriously. Here are some character traits of Heck Tate: —Practical When Sheriff Tate receives the…

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GAMES AT TWILIGHT

What is your overall impression of the children and their games throughout the story? Explain

My overall impression of the children in Anita Desai’s “Games at Twilight” is that they are portrayed very realistically. In the beginning of the story, the children are going stir crazy, because…

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THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

What is the symbol for choice in the poem “The Road Not Taken”?

The physical symbol of the moment of choice is the divergence of the two roads. The speaker is speaking literally about choosing between one of two roads, but the metaphor is that he must choose…

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SCIENCE

Can a ray of light go undeviated from a prism?

Yes, it can, but only in very particular situations. The first possibility. A ray does NOT change its direction on a divide between two matters if it is perpendicular to this divide (boundary). So…

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THE HUNGER GAMES

In Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, how is the central conflict resolved?

In Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games, the central conflict revolves around the theme of “man vs. society.” While the story’s protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, must fight to survive the Hunger…

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THE BET

Was the lawyer who took up the challenge to get imprisoned for 15 years a ghost?

No. The lawyer that took up the challenge to be imprisoned for fifteen years was a real, living, walking, talking, breathing, solid state man. He was attending a social gathering at the banker’s…

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ROMEO AND JULIET

Where is the comedy in Romeo and Juliet?

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, but it does have episodes of humor, particularly in the first two Acts. In fact, if the play had ended after Act II, Scene 6 it would be labeled as a…

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LITERATURE

For what could the lake in “Once More to the Lake” by E.B. White be a metaphor? What are some…

In this essay E.B. White returns with his son to the same camp by a lake where he spent his own childhood summers with his family. The lake has not changed much, nor has the quality of the…

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RASHŌMON

What is the conflict in the story “Rashmon” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa?

First, to be precise, the name of the story you are probably asking about is actually entitled “In a Grove.” The name of the book that the story is in is Rashomon and Other Stories. There is often…

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JULIUS CAESAR

What is Cassius’ opinion of Antony after Caesar’s death?

After the conspirators kill Caesar in Julius Caesar, their focus is on showing the people of Rome that what they did was right and noble and done to protect the Republic, not out of a grudge…

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THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

How are the themes of love and death described in “The Canterville Ghost”?

The themes of love and death are intertwined in “The Canterville Ghost.” Beneath the surface comedy of role reversal, in which the American Otis family frightens the ghost and not vice versa, lurks…

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ANNE STEVENSON

In the last stanza of “Poem for a Daughter” by Anne Stevenson, why belong to the world (not just…

In order to explain the last stanza, let’s take a step-by-step approach. A woman’s life is her own until it is taken away by a first, particular cry. Here, Stevenson is saying that a woman’s life…

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BUSINESS

How can an organization with a strong “made in America” identity compete in the global…

The number one rule in successful competition is this: Find your comparative advantage. What do you do better, faster, and/or cheaper than anyone else?As is well known, wages are considerably…

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BUSINESS

Discuss how “development” and “underdevelopment” are two terms that are intertwined.

In order to decide whether a country is “underdeveloped”, we need some sort of metric for what it means to be properly “developed”. We don’t have any real absolute standard to compare against; we…

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LITERATURE

Why did General Zaroff walk away, leaving Rainsford safely in the tree, during the first part of…

Robert Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” details a deadly hunt involving two men. Sanger Rainsford, a big game hunter from New York City, accidentally falls off his yacht and swims to…

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THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF

A kidnapping plan ought to do better in the country than in the city. Why did Sam and Bill think so?

In the opening paragraphs of the story, Sam describes the town they have chosen to attempt the kidnapping as such: There was a town down there, as flat as a flannel-cake, and called Summit, of…

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SCIENCE

How can I convert 12g of oxygen gas and 20g of water into moles?

For both of these calculations, you will need to use the conversion factor “1 mole = molar mass”. So, before we begin the mole conversion calculations, we will need to calculate the molar masses of…

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SOCIAL SCIENCES

Please compare and contrast the government of ancient Rome with the government of the United…

Ancient Rome had, in many ways, a very similar government to what we have in the United States. Generally it is thought that the ancient Roman government also had three branches. The same three, in…

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SCIENCE

Why there is current in a neutral conductor, but no voltage?

Well, actually, when we say that the voltage at a point X is equal to a certain value, what we’re really doing is measuring the voltage difference between this point X and an implicit point. In our…

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SCIENCE

How do we make a working model to depict buoyancy ?

Here is an excellent working model that depicts how submarines are able to dive deep below the sea and come back up to surface of the water by changing their buoyancy. When an object is placed in…

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LITERATURE

In what ways is the title of the poem “To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such…

The title of this poem is unusual because of its subject matter. We all know that sexual crimes are among the worst crimes that can be perpetrated on any human being, but our sensibilities are…

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HISTORY

What was the effect of the Quit India movement on the struggle for Indian freedom?

In August of 1942, Gandhi began the Quit India movement by giving a speech that called for passive resistance to British rule in India. As a result, the All-India Congress Movement started a mass…

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HISTORY

How did Thomas More influence the spread of the Renaissance?

England was a Catholic country until the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, commonly associated with the dissemination of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. King Henry VIII had…

OZYMANDIAS

What does the title “Ozymandias” suggest about its subject?

“Ozymandias,” a simple, one-word title, suggests the focus of the poem will be on Ozymandias, whoever that might be. The name sounds “Oriental,” and at the time Shelley wrote the poem, in 1819,…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Why is Scout extra excited about the idea of Dill coming back?

When Dill runs away from his home in Meridian and shows up unexpectedly in chapter 14, Scout is shocked but excited! Life in the Finch house has been tense recently. The trial of Tom Robinson is…

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LITERATURE

Is “Death Rains’ by Mary Ndlovu written in blank verse or free verse?

Technically, this poem was originally part of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Prologue to The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s style is usually iambic pentameter, meaning ten syllables or five metric “feet” of a…

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THE POSTMASTER

What does the author mean when he uses the phrase “lonesome waif, forsaken by the world”?

These words are used to describe Ratan, the girl who came to help out around the home and office of the Postmaster. Ratan is an orphan, but one who is old enough to remember her parents and her…

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THE PEDESTRIAN

The voice from the police-car notes: “No profession” in response to the Mead’s statement that he…

Because the society in “The Pedestrian” is so obsessed and enthralled with television and the 100’s of channels that are beamed to them each day, there is no need for things like books and…

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THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Discuss the theme of friendship and loyalty as it is displayed by Antonio and Bassanio in The…

It is patently clear from the text that Antonio and Bassanio share a deep friendship. Bassanio trusts that Antonio will assist him in any predicament for he has obviously done so in the past. Their…

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MACBETH

Why is there a constant repetition of “tomorrow” in Macbeth’s speech in Act 5, Scene 5?

Macbeth’s speech featuring “tomorrow” follows the news of Lady Macbeth’s death. All Macbeth can say at first is, “She should have died hereafter.” He has become numb to death due to the…

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JANE EYRE

Compare and contrast between Mr. Rochester and St. John from Jane Eyre.

St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester have some things in common despite the fact that they are very different characters. Edward Rochester is a wealthy man, who owns Thornfield Hall and a great deal…

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THE RED CONVERTIBLE

What is the significance of the photograph in “The Red Convertible”? Why does Lyman dislike it so…

Significance of the PhotographThe picture was taken on the last day of Henry’s life. It was taken just before Henry lost his life either because of a thoughtless mistake or a need to escape…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What are some examples in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that show Calpurnia either initiating,…

There are several examples of Calpurnia subverting prejudice throughout the novel. In Chapter 3, Scout chastises Walter Cunningham Jr. for pouring syrup all over his dinner. Calpurnia takes Scout…

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POETRY

In which way is the title of the poem unusual and is it effective in relation to the poem’s…

The title of the poem is unusual in that it is relatively long in relation to the short, terse titles of many poems. Also, this title is unusual in that it is conveyed almost as how one would start…

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PEER GYNT

What is the importance of the forest as a space in Peer Gynt?

Peer Gynt is a five-act play by Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. To understand the importance of the forest, you must understand the 19th century shift in the arts, from the Romantic movement to…

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ARTS

How is space and light used in the Oath of Horatii painting by Jacques-Louis David?

The “Oath of the Horatii”is a painting painted in 1784 and done in the Neoclassical style. It depicts a scene from Roman legend where three men, brothers, salute toward three swords held up by…

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LITERATURE

The word “and” is repeated at the beginning of eight different lines in the poem “To The Doctor…

When conjunctions are repeated for effect in prose or poetry, the writer is using the literary or stylistic device called polysyndeton. In this poem, the word “and” is repeated at the beginning of…

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1984

What is the difficulty/ dilemma that Winston faces in the book, 1984?

In 1984, we can sum up Winston’s dilemma in the following way: he has become conscious of the party’s control over himself and other citizens of Oceania and he wants to overcome it. This dilemma is…

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THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM

Why did Grandpa not answer Peterkin when he asked what came out of the war in the Battle Of…

Grandpa Kaspar did not answer the grandchild Peterkin in Robert Southey’s poem “The Battle of Blenheim”, when the grandchild asked what came out of the war because Kaspar was focusing more on…

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MATH

How do we calculate the century effectively?

A century is defined mathematically is the value of ‘100’. A century is used mainly when we speak about year’s and also used in the sport cricket. In cricket if a player scores 100 runs, it means…

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THE INTERLOPERS

With whom did you sympathize, Ulrich or Georg, neither or both? Why?

Since this is a personal opinion or reaction question, I’ll feel free to state my opinion or reaction, which is that I sympathize with Ulrich von Gradwitz. There are basically three reasons for why…

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THE LAST LEAF

In the story “The Last Leaf,” is there any evidence in the story that Sue and Johnsy are gay?

A comment by Sue might be taken, or mistaken, as an indication that she and Johnsy are gay and are living together as lovers. When the doctor tells Sue that Johnsy needs something to live for and…

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POETRY

What makes a poem’s title unusual?

A poem’s title is unusual (among titles of other types of works: novels, works of nonfiction, dramas) in that it often gives us a great deal of information that is necessary to understanding the…

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ARTS

How would I describe the musical tone colour in the song “Pompeii,” by Bastille?

Musical tone color, which is also known as timbre, is the quality of sound that is not frequency, amplitude or duration. At its simplest, musical tone color is the thing that allows listeners to…