Things I Wonder

A nifty new blog that I started will help me to chronicle many of the things that I randomly find myself wondering. For example, what is microblogging, or what is speedtest.net? When I find myself curious about things like this, technology oriented or not, I will try to post a smidge about it, and link up to someplace that can deliver all the answers. Look for this blog here or at http://five-thirty.blogspot.com. Check it out!!!

Karl Marx: Revolutionizing the Way People Think; A Research Paper

Karl Marx: Revolutionizing the Way People Think
One of the men commonly known to be responsible for the formation of communism, and our interpretation of it, was born in 1818. Karl Marx’s family lived in the Rheinish Prussian city of Trier, where they remained Jewish until converting to Protestantism when Karl was six years old. Upon graduating from high school, Karl left for the university at Bonn where he was to study law. The basis behind this judgment was that Karl’s father was a lawyer, thus Karl felt obligated to follow in his father’s footsteps. Karl transferred universities from Bonn to Berlin, where he graduated in 1841, having majored in history and philosophy. Karl Marx’s education led him to become acquainted with many new colleagues, which in turn affected a great deal of what he did in his life: the books he wrote, the newspapers he wrote and edited for, the organizations he joined. Through his many written works, Karl Marx has managed to revolutionize the way people reflect upon their government.

Throughout his career as a historical major and philosopher, Karl Marx wrote numerous tomes and novels on a variety of topics, ranging from politics, to philosophy, to economics. Following Marx’s college graduation, he relocated himself, with his new wife, Jenny Westphalen, to Paris. There, Marx became associated with Arnold Ruge, and together they published the Deutsch-Franzosische Jahrbucher. “Marx’s articles in this journal showed that he was already a revolutionary who advocated ‘merciless criticism of everything existing’, and in particular the ‘criticism by weapon’, and appealed to the masses and to the proletariat” (http://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/m/a.htm#marx).

This began a series of socialist writings, beginning with Criticism of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right. This is the first occurrence of opposition and criticism from Marx. Following the completion of his first piece of writing, Marx teamed up with Friedrich Engels, to produce The Holy Family Against Bruno Bauer and Co. This was another criticism towards German philosophical idealism that was currently in place. Towards the latter part of his life, Karl Marx became increasingly interested in politics. He participated in the founding of the International Working Men’s Association, in London. For this organization, Marx produced a number of works, mainly as a proclamation of the group’s personal feelings on political issues of the time. He wrote the association’s first address, and a plethora of other literature. “Finally, in 1861 there appeared in Hamburg Capital, a Critical Analysis of Capitalist Production, Volume I, Marx’s chief work, which expounds the foundations of his economic socialist conceptions and the main features of his criticism of existing society, the capitalist mode of production and its consequences. The second edition of this epoch-making work appeared in 1872;” (http://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/ m/a.htm#marx). The production of this masterpiece, as well as every previous creation, eventually led to the development of mass working-class socialist parties in numerous countries around the world.

Along with the production of a myriad of masterpieces, Karl Marx also contributed articles to a wide variety of newspapers. The first of these newspapers, was the Rheinische Zeitung, which focused mainly on the opposition to the Prussian government. In 1842, Marx became the editor-in-chief of the paper, and then decided to move from his location in Bonn, to Cologne. “The newspaper’s revolutionary-democratic trend became more and more pronounced under Marx’s editorship, and the government first imposed double and triple censorship on the paper, and then on January 1, 1843 suppressed it” (http://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/m/a.htm#marx). In an attempt to resuscitate the paper, and keep it from being completely abolished, Marx resigned his position. This was to no avail, however, for the paper was still put to an end.

This illustrates how Marx’s objectionable views to politics in the world around him, led him to be disliked by the government, and even the discontinuation of the newspaper of which he was chief. Approximately six years after losing the Rheinische Zeitung, Marx relocated to Cologne, Germany, where he became the editor-in-chief of a newspaper created by himself, titled: Neue Rheinische Zeitung. This newspaper was published for about a year, before it was shut down by the government. Because of Marx’s previously published newspaper articles, his work in the Communist League, and now his articles in his newest newspaper, Karl Marx was banished from Germany. The basis behind this banishing is the fact that Marx’s objective position toward the government came out incredibly clearly in all his writings, and led to a revolution. In each of the different newspapers in which Marx published articles, he was given a way of expressing his views on politics and economics. This led him to develop an even greater interest in these areas, and a want for change in the world around him. This want, was the force that compelled Marx to eventually publish his [and Engels’] greatest masterpiece, the Communist Manifesto.
In September of 1844, Marx’s domicile was located in Paris, and one of his closest friends came to visit for a few days.

These few days turned into quite an ordeal, much longer than Engels had intended. Together, the two laid down the foundations of Marxism and formed a publication. This first work of Marxism to be published was titled The German Ideology. During this time, Marx and Engels were both taking part in the revolutionary groups of Paris, attempting to have as large an impact on the world as they could. They each felt that they mission in life was to ‘change it’. Just as Marx’s ideas begin to take notice, the French government, under pressure from the Prussian government, banished Marx from Paris. The logic for this was that both countries considered Marx to be a hazardous insurgent. He found a way to deal with this though, by moving to Brussels, and carrying on with his work there.

Towards the beginning of the year 1847, Marx and Engels made the decision to join a surreptitious organization called the Communist League. The two excelled in this organization, and at the League’s request, Marx and Engels produced the Communist Manifesto, and published it soon into 1848. “With outstanding clarity, this work outlines a new world-conception based on materialism. This document analyses the realm of social life; the theory of the class struggle; the tasks of the Communists; and the revolutionary role of the proletariat—the creators of a new, communist society” (http://www.marxists.org/glossary/people/m/a. htm#marx). The publishing of the Communist Manifesto opened up a new doorway for many countries as an alternative means of government. It was also brought to the attention of many people around the world, primarily the working class, as having made sense. This encouraged revolution and the want and need for change within countries throughout the world.

The way in which people reflect upon their government, has been undoubtedly altered by the many written works published by Karl Marx. Marx has published an overabundance of written material, a lot of it with a recurring theme: life has always been about class struggles, and the fight to be on top. It is for this reason that Karl Marx, along with his partner, produced a solution to this problem: communism. At the time during which Marx and Engels were designing this manifesto, they could not have imagined that their work would yield such profound results in history. “Marx’s name and work have been bandied about in support of the ideology of numerous peasant revolutions; and yet to date there has been no successful socialist revolution in any of the advanced industrial nations of which he wrote” (Richard E. Olsen, Karl Marx, 154). This true fact is ironic, in that there have been successful socialist revolutions in more than a few Asian countries of which he didn’t write. Through the publication of Marx’s books and tomes, newspapers and newspaper articles, and works of Marxism, people have been presented with a new form of government that is highly beneficial to the working class: everyone is equal. This sort of government made sense to a lot of people, and thus led to the creation of mass working-class socialist parties in a great number of countries, not only in Europe, but around the world. With these organizations in place, the people often attempted, through revolutions, to get what they wanted: radical change to a new government; their kind of government. Can you imagine what Russia would have turned out to be if Karl Marx hadn’t written the Communist Manifesto, the basis for communism?

Works Cited

Basgen, Brian, and Blunden, Andy. Encyclopedia of Marxism. 1999. 2004. .
Olsen, Richard E. Karl Marx. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1978.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Why the Title?

There are countless titles that, if chosen, would have been appropriate for the critically acclaimed To Kill a Mockingbird. Why the author, Harper Lee, chose the title she did, is evident from the first chapter to the last of the novel. The title of this novel reflects upon a few of the major themes presented in it, including racial injustice and prejudice. The mockingbirds in this novel, as referred to in the title, are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, who were both condemned to silence by the actions of those around them.

Scout was once told: “‘It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird… don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us’” (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 239). This statement is the basis for which the author has titled her novel. Tom Robinson was falsely accused (as Atticus had proved) of committing a terrible crime against a white woman. African Americans in the deep south, including Maycomb, during the mid 20th century, were still considered to be inferior to white people. Mayella Ewell was the white woman making the false accusations, and her word counted for more than anyone’s, including some black man. For this reason, Tom’s life was condemned, and this mockingbird was killed; this pertains to Tom not only figuratively, but literally.

Other posts related to To Kill a Mockingbird:
An Outline for a Paper on To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeming vs. Reality
To Kill a Mockingbird: Why the Title?

The other mockingbird in this novel, Boo Radley, was always though out to be some malicious, rampant character, with a terrible history: “…where he has remained unseen since his arrest and subsequent release from jail for an adolescent prank fifteen years earlier” (CLC, “Harper Lee”). Boo’s reputation has been developed over time, through the work of a few prime characters that live in close proximity to the Radley home. Naturally, Scout has developed a misconception of Boo, primarily through the spread of established rumors. But as the novel progresses, Scout’s worst fears are assuaged, as Boo begins to reveal himself and his ways: “‘Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough’” (Lee, 322). This event is also symbolized in the book that Jem reads, The Grey Ghost; its plot on which Scout comments: “‘An’ they chased him ‘n’ never could catch him ‘cause they didn’t know what he looked like, an’ Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things… Atticus, he was real nice’” (Lee, 323). Boo Radley was no ‘malevolent phantom’; in fact, he ended up saving the children’s lives at the end of the novel. For this reason, Atticus and the sheriff make up a story to protect Boo, because they now know how he really is: a nice, caring character that would never do anything to hurt anyone. Scout confirms this false story to be true, with the comment: “‘Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?’”(Lee, 318).

Boo Radley and Rom Robinson are two mockingbirds who were condemned to silence because of tradition and rumor. The novel was undoubtedly titled for these two main characters, who, in one way or another, were sentenced to death [figuratively, and in Tom’s case, literally]. The title To Kill a Mockingbird symbolizes that to kill a mockingbird, would be killing either Boo or Tom; and as the novel itself expresses, killing a mockingbird is a sin against humanity. With this being the case, why did society still kill the mockingbirds in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Other posts related to To Kill a Mockingbird:
An Outline for a Paper on To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeming vs. Reality
To Kill a Mockingbird: Why the Title?

Works Cited

“Harper Lee.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 60, 1990.
Johnson, Claudia. Understanding To Kill a Mockingbird: a Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historic Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper Collins, 1960.

Sir Gawain: Eternal Jewel

Sir Gawain Was Correctly Depicted in Gawain’s ‘Eternal Jewel’

In the beginning portion of the critical essay, “Gawain’s ‘Eternal Jewel’”, the critic states that the poem “is richly drab with the constant dread of the main story,” (Anon., “Gawain’s ‘Eternal Jewel’”, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 129). This is partly explained by the critic because of the cheerful yet devilish nature of Sir Gawain’s opposition, the Green Knight. The author of the poem portrays the part of the Green Knight very well, in testing the hero of the poem, Gawain. I am in complete agreement with the critic on the fiendish nature of the Green Knight, for playing such a devilish trick on Gawain in the first place. No person should have experience such a thing as this, an unknown test of morals and principles.

The critic quotes Sir Gawain as being “a knight of luminous chivalric purity” (‘Eternal Jewel’ 130). He says also that Gawain is more focused on the moral quality of truth, as apposed to courtesy. This quality of truth in the poem is meant as ‘good faith’. The good faith of Sir Gawain can be easily seen while he and the Green Knight reaffirm their agreement;
“‘Let us affirm our pact freshly, before going farther.
I beg you, bold sir, to be so good
As to tell me your true name, as I trust you to.’
‘In good faith,’ said the good knight, ‘Gawain is my name,
And whatever happens after, I offer you this blow,
And in twelve months’ time I shall take the return blow
With whatever weapon you wish, and with no one else
Shall I strive.’ ”

(Brian Stone, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 35). From this passage, Gawain is projected as being a noble character, true to his word, and good in faith; just as the critic affirms. Sir Gawain expresses his truthfulness through the use of the Pentangle, which he has deliberately placed on his shield. The pentangle represents the fact that the bearer of the symbol is faultless in his five senses, his five fingers, faithful to the five wounds that the Lord received on the cross, the five joys of the Virgin Mary, and the five virtues of truth. Sir Gawain has portrayed these characteristics throughout the poem, just as the critic has pointed out.

“It is quite a different matter on the morning of the first hunt, when the Lady visits his bedchamber. Her offer of her body, and her inference that if Sir Gawain is true to his reputation, he will accept it, is suggestion indeed. Sir Gawain’s response shows that on this occasion he is not suggestible at all and that his courtesy and tact can preserve his ‘truth’ for him” (‘Eternal Jewel’ 133). Although the Lady was merely testing Sir Gawain, he was unaware of the situation, and thus found a polite way to get past the subject. Sir Gawain used his courtesy, of which he is known for, to love-talk his way out of a situation in which he didn’t want to be in; offending the Lord that was allowing him to stay in his castle. I share the same insight on how Sir Gawain escaped the three temptations presented by the Lady. Sir Gawain used the chivalric nature in which he was raised, to his advantage several times throughout the poem.

“The fifth five I find the famous man practised
Were—Liberality and Lovingkindness leading the rest;
Then his Continence and Courtesy, which were never corrupted;
And Piety, the surpassing virtue. These pure five
Were more firmly fixed on that fine man
Than on any other, and every multiple,
Each interlocking with another, had no end”
(Stone 46).

The critic tells of Sir Gawain as being an individual containing identical characteristics as those listed above. I too believe Sir Gawain to be the noble knight presented in the poem. The critic mentions that it has been noted that Sir Gawain is nowhere in the poem described, although the critic and I share the same opinion in that Sir Gawain is described thoroughly throughout the poem through his actions, and even the symbols he uses to represent himself, as observed in the above citation.

Works Cited

Stone, Brian. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. London: Penguin Books, 1974.

A Code of Conduct

I shall respect myself.
I shall respect others.
It is imperative that I put forth my greatest effort at my schoolwork 100% of the time.
I will remain trustworthy to my friends at all times.
I will be truthful in any situation, as not to escape punishment for my actions or wrongdoings.
It is necessary that I constantly make an effort to help others when they’re in need.
I shall treat others as I desire to be treated.
I will always act with the utmost obedience toward my peers.
I must remain true to myself and be brave always no matter what the case.I will never cheat, lie, or steal in order to obtain what I desire.

Random French Sentences

J’ai les cheveux rouges.
J’ai un chien; il s’appelle Mickey.
Je suis très actif.
J’aime des pâtes.
Je suis un bon élève.
J’aime faire du snow-board.
Je suis toujours en avance.
Je fais bien du bowling.
Je suis très amusant.
Je soutiens les militaires.

Many more posts with random French sentences:
Random French Sentences 1
Random French Sentences 2
Random French Sentences 3
Random French Sentences 4
Random French Sentences 5
Random French Sentences 6
Random French Sentences 7
Random French Sentences 8
Random French Sentences 9
Random French Sentences 10
Random French Sentences 11
Random French Sentences 12
Random French Sentences 13
Random French Sentences 14
Random French Sentences 15
Keyboard Codes for French Accent Marks/Characters

Alphabetized: Still might not be perfect...

The List!

Ackroyd, Peter. Introduction to Dickens. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992.
“All the Comforts of Dickens.” The New York Times Book Review May 15, 1988 p13
col 1
Bodenstein, B. “Reality, unreality and the novel.” The New Republic 2001: 25-8.
Cooper, Lettice. A Hang upon the time; a life of Charles Dickens, by Lettice Cooper. New York, Pantheon Books, 1968.
“Dickens, Charles” Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary. May 1995 p1F58
Hudson, John. Dickens’ Christmas. Stroud, Gloucestershire: A. Sutton, 1997.
Kaplan, Fred. Dickens : a biography / Fred Kaplan. New York: Morrow, 1988.
Kennedy, J. M. “Charles Dickens: Was he an Artist?” The New Age. 15 February 1912, 368.
Kyle, Elisabeth. Great Ambitions : a story of the early years of Charles Dickens / by Elisabeth Kyle. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1966.
Matsuoka, Mitsuharu. “The Dickens Page.” 28 Sept. 1995.
http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Dickens.html#New
Moore, Toni D. “Student Companion to Charles Dickens.(Review) / (book review)” School Library Journal May, 2000
Perdue, David. “David Perdue’s Charles Dickens Page.” 1997-2002 http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/
Stanley, Diane, and Peter Vennema. Charles Dickens : the man who had great expectations / Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1993. Winnebago Online Catalog. A Tale of Two Cities. Sound Recording Prince Frederick Recorded Books, 1986.

A Sample Works Cited List for Charles Dickens

Works Cited List

“All the Comforts of Dickens.” The New York Times Book Review May 15, 1988 p13
col 1
Bodenstein, B. “Reality, unreality and the novel.” The New Republic 2001: 25-8.
“Dickens, Charles” Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary. May 1995 p1F58
Winnebago Online Catalog. A Tale of Two Cities. Sound Recording Prince Frederick Recorded Books, 1986.
Hudson, John. Dickens’ Christmas. Stroud, Gloucestershire: A. Sutton, 1997.
Perdue, David. “David Perdue’s Charles Dickens Page.” 1997-2002 http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/
Matsuoka, Mitsuharu. “The Dickens Page.” 28 Sept. 1995.
http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Dickens.html#New
Moore, Toni D. “Student Companion to Charles Dickens.(Review) / (book review)” School Library Journal May, 2000
Cooper, Lettice. A Hang upon the time; a life of Charles Dickens, by Lettice Cooper. New York, Pantheon Books, 1968.
Ackroyd, Peter. Introduction to Dickens. New York: Ballantine Books, 1992.
Kennedy, J. M. “Charles Dickens: Was he an Artist?” The New Age. 15 February 1912, 368.
Kyle, Elisabeth. Great Ambitions : a story of the early years of Charles Dickens / by Elisabeth Kyle. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1966.
Kaplan, Fred. Dickens : a biography / Fred Kaplan. New York: Morrow, 1988. Stanley, Diane, and Peter Vennema. Charles Dickens : the man who had great expectations / Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1993.

Other Works Cited Lists and Annotated Bibliographies:
Works Cited List for Charles Dickens
William Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography
Works Cited List for Science
Works Cited List for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
A Sample Works Cited List for Charles Dickens
Works Cited Page for Coca-Cola Analysis of Alliances Portfolio
Works Cited for Tata Motors Expansion into US
Works Cited List for Nuclear Arms
Works Cited List for Samuel Barber
Works Cited List for Hoarding Behavior

One Side of the Columbus Day Argument

Due to the relevance of the Europeans bringing diseases and unkindly circumstances toward the Native Americans, Columbus Day should be ruled out of society and no longer considered a holiday. Columbus came with others on ships over to the Americas (not knowingly at the time), and killed many Native Americans with European diseases and weapons. Columbus did not discover America; he merely stole what the Native Americans had already claimed for themselves.

Columbus Day is a disgrace to be considered a national holiday and should be abolished. Replacing it with a more appropriate holiday would be very fitting in this situation because Columbus did us no good when he found America, by aimlessly slaughtering innocent Native Americans. Not only did Columbus slaughter the Native Americans, but the Native Americans still living after all of this destruction had most of their traditions and customs wiped out. They were forced to hate their god and to become Christian, thus wiping out the majority of their specialized ceremonies. Abolishing and/or replacing Columbus Day is the best solution to this ongoing yet short term problem that could be easily fixed if people actually took the time to notice what great harm the Europeans inflicted upon the Native Americans.

Vocabulary Sentences

I sometimes show a great antipathy for arrogant people.
The aquiline fishing hook effectively caught its prey.
Her beautiful countenance inspired me to work harder towards achieving my dreams.
The culpability was put on him after they found his fingerprints on the murder weapon.
His music had a slight dissonance to it.

The domicile was full of refugees from the neighboring country.
The emigrant was leaving the U.S. and was headed for France.
The emissary’s one goal in life was to become a jet pilot in the Air Force.
The man was frugal in his work, never wasting a precious minute of his time.
The ligature was being used to hold the two sticks together so that the tee-pee could be formed.
The man very ostentatiously rushed for the finish line so that he could be first in the race around the world.

He repudiated George for his boisterous and disorderly behavior which on many occasions caused him to be suspended from school.
To sequestrate a mother and child, is morally wrong and should never have to happen to anybody.
9/11 was an unprecedented event that took the lives of many innocent Americans.

The Most Dangerous Game

Rainsford Killed In Self Defense
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I come before you at this time to prove to you that my client, Sanger Rainsford, is not guilty of murdering General Zaroff. As my client has testified, he accidentally fell off of his boat one night. He then swam to the shore, and found Zaroff’s residence. Zaroff explained to Rainsford how he had gotten tired of hunting animals, and was now hunting other game; humans. When Rainsford refused to hunt men with Zaroff, Zaroff decided that he’d hunt Rainsford.As it has been testified by the other men in the training workshop, this entire story about Zaroff hunting men is true.

These men were being trained so they could provide more enjoyment for their hunter, Zaroff. Sanger managed to elude Zaroff for the allotted three days, and was declared the winner, until the two challenged each other to a duel on the third night in Zaroff’s bedroom. Rainsford killed Zaroff in self defense. Rainsford’s life was at risk and it was either he or Zaroff was going to die. You cannot punish a man for protecting himself. You could have been in the same position and defended your own life, but you wouldn’t want to go to jail for protecting yourself. Stop and think about it for a minute; what would your decision have been?

The Research Paper: Grand Summary

The Germination Rate of Radiated Seeds

For my science fair project this year, I decided to go with the botany theme. I found an experiment in a book titled, Science Fair Success with Plants, by Phyllis J. Perry. The experiment called for the radiating of radish seeds in a microwave before planting them to see what affect it had on the germination rate of the plants. I decided to slightly modify the experiment to make it a little more unique. I decided to use 3 types of seeds and microwave them for different amounts of time. If I expose different seeds to different amounts of radiation from a microwave, then I expect them to germinate earlier than seeds that weren’t exposed to the microwave radiation.

I hypothesize this because fats and oils don’t absorb microwaves as well as water does, meaning that the parts of the seeds that become the hottest during the microwaving are those that contain the most water molecules. Evidently, heating the water-containing portion of a seed slightly causes that seed to germinate faster. By doing this experiment, I hope to be able to prove that microwaving seeds before planting them does affect the germination rate in some way, rather than not at all. I first went out and purchased the 3 types of seeds, a container with about 48 individual planting cups in it, and some fresh potting soil. Then, I took some radish seeds and microwaved them for 15 seconds, then some more for 30 seconds, and then some more for 45 seconds on half power. I then planted the four sets of seeds (the three sets of microwaved ones and the set that wasn’t microwaved at all). After, I repeated this process 3 more times, giving me my three trials. I then labeled each plant according to what trial number it was, and how long it had been microwaved for. That completed the setup for the radish seeds. You can obviously see that this process took a while, but to make it even longer, I redid this entire process again with sunflower and tomato seeds.

After having all of the planting done, I then watered the plants, and continued to water them every day of the experiment, making sure to give each one relatively the same amount of water. Then, as the plants began to germinate, I used my Palm Pilot to record what day of the experiment it was (after planting), and how tall the plant had grown (in centimeters). I continued to do this until all the plants had sprouted, but then continued to record the plant heights for 1 or 2 additional days, out of curiosity to see if the growing rate of the plants was also affected by how much radiation exposure from the microwave they received. Please see my display board for pictures of this process as it was happening. See also my drawing for a better visual understanding.

The source from which I obtained my project idea offered a similar experiment, although in that experiment, only radish seeds were used, and each set of radish seeds was either not microwaved, or microwaved for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 seconds. As you can see, by adding two other seed types into the mix, cutting out 3 extra microwaving times sort of balanced the project out a little more. The information uncovered in this experiment could someday be used to help farmers get their plants germinating faster and growing faster. With plants germinating and growing faster, farmers may be able to fit more crop cycles in a season. This would enable the production of more food for the general public to consume, and thus offering a legitimate and possible solution to world hunger.

As the plants began to sprout and grow taller and taller, I noticed a few interesting facts. On the reverse side of the seed packages, it said that the seeds should be expected to germinate in about 5-7 days, although the majority of the radish seeds germinated in about 4 days, and they had all germinated by the 5th day. An uncontrollable event that may have affected my results is the occasional overcast, although it would have affected the sunlight getting through to all of the plants, and not just some of them, so I have concluded that all the plants received the same amount of sunlight, and sunlight was not a factor here. By looking at the data sheets attached to this paper, you can see and understand a little better of what I will be talking about next; my results. In the case of the radish seeds, the plants that generally seemed to germinate the fastest, and grow the tallest overall, were those that hadn’t been microwaved, and those that had been microwaved for 45 seconds.

This is pretty much the opposite of what I hypothesized what would happen; that the plants that would germinate the soonest would be those seeds that had been microwaved for either 15 or 30 seconds. In the case of the sunflower seeds, a similar occurrence took place. Five sixths of the time, the seeds that weren’t microwaved at all, and those that had been microwaved for 45 seconds, germinated first, and in the end, grew to be the tallest overall. This was not the case however with the tomato seeds. My hypothesis was proved correct with the tomato seeds; the tomato seeds that had been microwaved for 15 and 30 seconds grew taller than any of the other plants on Day 6, when the majority of the seeds germinated, and grew the tallest overall in the end. If I were to do this experiment over again, I would incorporate into the experiment a wider variety of microwaving times to see if anything in between the already tested times has a faster germination rate or growth rate. Also, other experiments that could be done would be to grow some vegetables from radiated seeds, and test them for edibleness, ensuring that they are safe for the populace of this world to consume, without having to worry about any short-term or long-term side-effects.

I have thus been led to the conclusion that yes, microwaving seeds before planting them does effect the germination rate of the seeds, but the results are different from seed to seed as to how much faster than normal the microwaved seeds germinate. As I have just explained, the sunflower and radish seeds that were microwaved for 45 seconds tended to germinate the fastest, but the tomato seeds that were microwaved for 15 and 30 seconds tended to germinate the fastest. So, seeds vary as to how long they need to be microwaved for them to germinate the fastest, and although I haven’t found any yet, I’m sure that there’s a type or seed or two out there that when not microwaved at all, germinate the fastest.

Other posts on germinating radiated seeds:

Abstract for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
The Research Paper: Grand Summary
Materials for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Hypothesis for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Plan for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Germinating Radiated Seeds... An Experiment
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds - 3
Some History on the Experiment
A Conclusion to my Experiment about Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science
Works Cited List for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds

Works Cited

Perry, Phyllis J. Science Fair Success with Plants. New Jersey: Enslow Publishers Inc., 1999.

More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds - 3

Date Time (hours) Activities

10/15/02 1:00 Purchasing Materials. Today, I purchased the rest
of the seeds that are needed to perform my
experiment off of Burpee.com .

10/23/02 :45 I retyped my second logbook entry today. I added
more detail as to what I did.

Other posts on germinating radiated seeds:

Abstract for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
The Research Paper: Grand Summary
Materials for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Hypothesis for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Plan for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Germinating Radiated Seeds... An Experiment
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds - 3
Some History on the Experiment
A Conclusion to my Experiment about Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science
Works Cited List for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds

More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds

Date Time (Hours) Activities

9/19/02 2:00 Brainstorming- Today I spent time brainstorming
about the different types of soil that I could
use for my experiment.

9/29/02 3:30 Searching for resources for project. Today, I
spent time searching on the internet for radish seeds. I found some at burpee.com .

10/5/02 1:00 Purchasing resources for project. I went out
today and purchased 2 of the types of seeds
needed to perform my experiment.

10/15/02 1:00 Purchasing Materials. Today, I purchased the
rest of the seeds that are needed to perform my
experiment off of Burpee.com .

10/23/02 :45 I retyped my logbook today. I added more
detail as to what I did to achieve the results
listed above.

11/4/02 1:15 My time today was spent on brainstorming. I
was busy today thinking about when the best
time to start my project would be. I imagine I
should begin relatively soon.

11/14/02 1:45 Today, I went out and purchased the soil needed
to perform the experiments in order to complete my project.

Other posts on germinating radiated seeds:

Abstract for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
The Research Paper: Grand Summary
Materials for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Hypothesis for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Plan for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Germinating Radiated Seeds... An Experiment
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds - 3
Some History on the Experiment
A Conclusion to my Experiment about Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science
Works Cited List for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds

Some History

Date Time (Hours) Activities

11/27/02 2:00 Today, I began to microwave my seeds, beginning
with the sunflower seeds. The first batch went in
for 15 seconds, then the next for 30 seconds, then
the next for 45 seconds. I decided to cut out the
1 minute microwaving variable out of fear that
the seeds might explode. I wouldn’t want to lose
my microwave..
12/6/02 1:00 I began to brainstorm about how my display
board is going to look, and how I should put
things on it in a neat and orderly way, including
pictures and everything.
1/4/03 3:00 Today, I finished microwaving my seeds and I
planted them. I watered my seeds and recorded
data on them.
1/5/03- :30 Every day following the planting of my seeds, I
1/12/03 spent a half an hour on recording the height of my
plants until all of them had germinated.

Procedure for Germinating Radiated Seeds... An Experiment

The procedure for properly completing this project is not that difficult, but at times is a little time consuming. First, I went and purchased radish, sunflower, and tomato seeds. Then, I took one type of seed, and microwaved a few seeds for 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and 45 seconds. I then completed this another two times, giving me my three trials. After, I performed the same process for the other 2 types of seeds. After microwaving the seeds, I planted the microwaved seeds, and the non-microwaved seeds in soil, labeling each by their seed type, microwaved time, and trial number. Then, I watered the plants each day. When the first plant sprouted, I recorded which day it was on (after plating), and the plant height (cm). I did so for each plant until all of the plants had sprouted. During the process, I made several observations about the rate at which the plants were growing. After the sprouting process was complete, I compared the rate at which the plants sprouted, observing how some plants unexpectedly sprouted faster than others.

Other posts on germinating radiated seeds:

Abstract for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
The Research Paper: Grand Summary
Materials for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Hypothesis for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Plan for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Procedure for Germinating Radiated Seeds... An Experiment
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds
More of tracking progress in germinating radiated seeds - 3
Some History on the Experiment
A Conclusion to my Experiment about Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science Fair Project: Germinating Radiated Seeds
Works Cited List for Science
Works Cited List for Science Fair: Germinating Radiated Seeds

China's One-Child Policy: My View 5 Years Ago

I strongly agree with the one child policy currently in effect in China. There are many reasons that I support this policy. First of all, China’s population is about one-fifth of the total world population. There are approximately 1.28 billion people in China, most of which are squeezed onto the eastern seaboard of the country. The living conditions in the country are horrendous and something needed to be done about it a long time ago. That is why the one child policy is currently in effect in China; the government is communist and they can do whatever they want to in their country. By putting this policy in effect, the government has attempted to lower the population. Some people think that this is inhumane and shouldn’t be aloud, but those criticizers must see that unless China’s population is greatly reduced, the entire country will live in mass poverty forever, until some natural disaster or a war breaks out, killing many of the Chinese people. Being a communist government, the government has every right to enact this policy, and I believe that it was a good move on their part.

Science Fair Project?

Will seeds germinate faster if they have been radiated in the microwave?

Hypothesis
If I expose different seeds to radiation from a microwave, then I expect them to sprout earlier than non-microwaved seeds, because fats and oils don’t absorb microwaves as well as water does. So the parts of the seeds that become the hottest are those that contain the most water molecules. Evidently, heating the water-containing portion of a seed slightly causes that seed to germinate faster.

Procedure
I will expose different seeds to different amounts of radiation from a microwave and plant them in soil. I will then observe the plants every day until the first one germinates and then I’ll record the time and date that the seeds germinated on. Next, I am going to compare the germination rates for different seeds that were exposed to different amounts of radiation from the microwave. Finally, I will determine the amount of radiation needed to cause seeds to germinate the fastest.
Bibliography
Phyllis J. Perry, Science Fair Success with Plants (Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers Inc., 1999), 36-38.
Helen Sullivan and Linda Sernoff, Research Reports
(Brookfield, Connecticut: The Millbrook Press, 1996), 54.
Robert P. Gwinn, Charles E. Swanson, and Philip W. Goetz, “Microwave,” also “Electronic Oven,” Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed.

Out of Context: A Geometric Patterns Design Project

I believe that my line design project was my best piece of work. The fact that I took a lot of time and put a lot of effort into this project makes it representative of my best work. In composing this piece, I learned how you are able to use straight lines to form an optical illusion that looks like a curve. Seeing this causes the viewer to only imagine the days and days that were put into the making of this piece. But what these viewers don’t see at first is that it’s only straight lines. If I were to redo or revise this piece, I would add a few more curves and arcs to it.

Finding the solution! Mathematic equations

When choosing a method for solving systems of equations, there
are a few things that I keep in mind. First, I look to see if there are any
alike variables with the same value in front of them. If so, then I put
one equation under the other, and I add. If there are no alike terms,
then I use substitution. While in most cases, elimination is easier, there
are certain occasions where I would just choose to use substitution instead. Although substitution is harder in some cases, you might not realize until you’re in the middle of using elimination, that substitution was the easy way to go in that problem. I will usually choose elimination though, since it has less steps, and if no numbers are the same, then I can just multiply the either, or both, of the equations to make them have a common value. I think elimination is the way to go.

The World Created by Johannes Gutenberg

Johannes Gutenberg: The Printing Press and the World it Made
Numerous inventions throughout the course of history have had profound impacts on the outcome of history itself. There is one invention in particular though, that affected not only European, but world history with so great an impact that nobody could ever have imagined. Such a colossal invention is none other than the printing press, invented in 1453 in Mainz, Germany. The man responsible for introducing the printing press to this world is Johannes Gutenberg. The use of wooden blocks to mold objects originally came into practice by the Japanese and Chinese. Throughout the following six centuries, the art of printing evolved until Gutenberg eventually invented the printing press. The printing press was originally developed from the wine press of the Rhine Valley. When Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, he had no idea of the immense role it was going to play in the spread of ideas throughout European history.
One of the first works created by Gutenberg with the use of the printing press was the ‘Gutenberg Bible’. Because the bible could now be mass produced, many more people were inspired by what it had to offer. About 180 copies of the bible were made by Gutenberg in 1454. The printing press was far superior to scribes, because the concept of mass production was thus introduced, making literary works significantly cheaper. Not only was the bible printed, but classic plays, poems, and books were also produced in mass. Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet are all Shakespearean plays produced in the late 1500s that were instantaneously popular among the public. Because these plays were so popular, the demand for copies of them increased dramatically, thus spreading literature and making the printing press ever so popular.
With the arrival of the printing press, soon came thousands of books. Several of these books focused on humanists and humanistic concepts. The Humanist view of thinking originated in Italy, but through the utilization of the printing press, those ideas soon spread much farther than Italy. Humanists were people that specialized in the humanities. “Humanists became convinced that a person had to become actively involved in practical affairs such as patronage of the arts” (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, World History: People & Nations, 46). In 1528, Baldassare Castiglione published The Book of the Courtier. This was perhaps one of the most influential books published, relating to the Renaissance. The invention that made the production of this, and many other books about the revival of art and literature possible, was, of course, the printing press. “Printing doesn’t produce the Renaissance but becomes the chief means of spreading its thinking and philosophy” (http://www.mchschool.org/~malbert/printing. htm). Without Johannes Gutenberg inventing the printing press, numerous humanistic ideas would not have reached outside of Italy. Thus, the Renaissance would not have had such a profound effect as it did on European history.
An abundance of events throughout history have been closely linked to Gutenberg’s invention. Because of the surge of books being produced, and the people’s desire to read them, in 1475 Pope Sixtus IV opened the Vatican Library, in Vatican City. Over the following 25 years, thousands for copies of novels were produced so that there were over 10 million copies of 25,000 different books. As a result, a book trade flourished and related industries, such as papermaking and ink making, thrive. Learning and literacy escalate dramatically, because a plentiful supply of books is a powerful stimulus for great numbers of people to learn to read. In the 1700s, mass fabricated newspapers began to emerge in many major cities throughout Europe. The spread of humanistic ideas through tomes and novels eventually led to the Enlightenment, and American and French revolutions in the late 1700s. These uprisings led to the current use of democracy, and the conception of nationalism. The extension of such concepts as humanism and the Enlightenment, to all of Europe, could only have been made possible by one person, and one thing: Johannes Gutenberg and the printing press.
Johannes Gutenberg was unaware that the printing press was going to have such a profound effect on European History when he invented it. The demand for movable type and printed books became overwhelming around 1500, and the number of books being published skyrocketed, as well. The printing of the Bible helped to spread Christianity throughout Europe, and the printed works of humanists spread ideas which later spurred the Renaissance. Numerous accounts of European history have undoubtedly been altered by the invention of the printing press. The printing press forever changed not only European History, but world history as well. If Johannes Gutenberg hadn’t invented the printing press, how much longer would it have taken for someone else to have invented it?

Works Cited

Keep, Christopher; McLaughlin, Tim; and Parmar, Robin. Johannes Gutenberg and the Printed Book. 1993. 2000. <>
Maney, Kevin. The Net Effect: Evolution or Revolution? Aug. 9, 1999. Miller, Sue. World History: People & Nations. New York: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston. 2000.

Imperialism Simulation

Imperialism is over, but the Europeans continue to interact a great deal with the Latin American countries. The two continents almost act as friends and business partners now. Shocking as it may seem, right after the Europeans were kicked out, they came right back in and ran a monopoly with all the Latin American markets. This was not a very bright idea considering the fact that the Europeans were just booted out; to come right back in and antagonize the Latin Americans was a mistake. Despite gaining their independence, imperialism did not end for the Latin American countries because of the Europeans’ unending and persistent struggle to once again control Latin America.

Although the Peninsulares were removed from their position in the Latin American countries and returned to their homes, social classes remained appealingly much the same to the lower classes. The lower classes felt as though they were still at the bottom. The only immense change amongst the social classes was that anybody and everybody was now a step higher on the social ladder. The Creoles took the place of the Peninsulares, and performed the same line of work as them. It was unfortunate for the Natives, who were still trapped at the bottom of the social chain, to be continuously ruled in this unorthodox fashion. Another effect on social organization was the fact that the majority of the government officials were still the rich citizens in town. By gaining their independence, the Natives expected to change this unjust way of operating a society. What they got is what they least expected to be done; nothing. Despite seeing no apparent change in these two previously mentioned points, this next point shows an overwhelming change. The overwhelming majority of the Natives in the Latin American countries were Christian by the time the Europeans had left; their missionaries had converted most of the Natives to Christianity before they left. All of the Native’s bloodletting had ceased after this change, which affected their lives forever. Not only was social organization influenced in the Latin American countries, but many other changes also occurred all throughout the retreat of Imperialist influence from these poor, beaten up countries.

Even though the Europeans were gone, they really weren’t gone at all; they had just taken a different form. The Europeans were now back in Latin America, and back in action. The Latin American countries attempted to produce their own goods, but were unsuccessful because they could never produce enough of them. The Europeans ran the markets like a monopoly. The Latin Americans would produce a product, and then put it on the market. The Europeans would then find out about it, and put out a similar type of product but at a cheaper price. The Europeans would flood the market with this cheaper merchandise and would be willing to take a loss in the beginning because they knew that in the end, they would take total control over the market for that product and would have all the business and profits for it. The Latin Americans couldn’t afford to do this, and thus were sold out of the market. With this happening as often as it did, the Natives became so dependent on the Europeans for most of their material needs, that they were willing to pay any price for them. Although the Europeans were gone physically, they really weren’t gone at all; they still controlled the innocent Latin American countries economically.

Latin American countries attempted to modernize, but were cut short because they just didn’t have the money. Because they didn’t possess the money, the Europeans came in and started companies and businesses. These companies and businesses were usually large in size, and created many jobs for the natives producing goods and products needed by most people. The Latin Americans assumed that they could also make a bundle of money by creating their own companies. Unfortunately though, these eager citizens hadn’t hardly any money to start with, and were forced to take out loans from the Europeans; many of which could ultimately not be paid off. With these outstanding debts, the Latin Americans were forced to work under the Europeans, revealing the true strength of the Europeans. Now with great debts on their hands, the citizens of Latin America were being forced to furnish the European demands for more political power. Despite their own efforts to help modernize and revolutionize Latin America, the unruly Europeans still managed to greatly manipulate the Latin American countries in many ways. Despite gaining their independence, the Europeans’ economic, social, and political intervention with the Latin American countries failed to halt. Once more, desperate times emerged posing a whole new line of problems replacing the old ones.

The greatest mistake that the Europeans made in this matter was to come back in the first place, and to manipulate the Latin American countries even more. It was a very beneficial move on the Europeans’ side, but it didn’t please the Natives too much. If anything, gaining their independence only increased the amount of European control over the Latin Americans. Although, now the control was almost entirely economic, and not hardly political any more. The Europeans left once, but came back for another round of manipulation on Latin America and all the Natives in it. How do you suppose the Natives will handle this matter?

Other posts on imperialism:

What is Imperialism
The Effects of Imperialism on Foreign Lands
British Imperialism: South Africa
Imperialism Simulation
Historical Review: 20th Century Yugoslavia

How to Draw Geometric Figures

Parallelogram-
Draw any pair of intersecting lines, then draw one line parallel to each.

Rectangle-
Construct a set of parallel lines, then draw two more parallel lines, perpendicular to the first set.

Rhombus-
Draw segment AB and construct the radius of point A, then draw radius AC of the circle; construct two lines parallel to each of the radii.

Square-
Construct two congruent, perpendicular segments, and a line parallel to each.

Kite-
Draw two parallel lines and a line that intersects them both, then construct the perpendicular bisector of the part of the line that falls between the two lines, and lastly connect the ends of the segments as shown.

Trapezoid- Construct two parallel lines, and then two non-congruent segments between the two lines.

More goals: scouting

Create a patrol song.
Formulate a new patrol game to play.
Invent a patrol yell.

My Five Goals!

Organize the quartermaster.
Teach the troop how to properly use a fire extinguisher.
Make sure we always have the necessary equipment on campouts.
Use extra non-perishable items in the quartermaster on campouts, and not buy more of what we already have upstairs.
To keep all troop gear in good condition.

French Project

Est-ce qu’il voyage beaucoup?

Oui, il voyage beaucoup.

Quand est-ce que tu nages?

Je ne nage pas souvent.
Je préfère danser et chanter.

Est-ce que tu peux donne-moi
le ketchup, s’il vous plaît?

Mais oui! Quelque chose pour toi.

À quelle heure est-ce que tu veux
dîner au restaurant avec moi et Dan?

Je voudrais manger à huit heures.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeming vs. Reality

Seeming vs. Reality: To Kill a Mockingbird
When first seen, many individuals aren’t what they seem to be. Individuals are often wrongfully accused of actions they didn’t perform, or of crimes they didn’t commit. Because a person is different on the outside than a “normal” person, they are often taunted and criticized, and untruthful rumors are spread about these unfortunate individuals. These rumors often cause people to believe ideas that aren’t true, and soon those individuals who are said to be so dire and horrid, are actually found to be pleasant, caring individuals. “Radley is the Finch's neighbor who has an evil reputation, especially among the children, who fear him without ever having met him” (Scott Stabler, “To Kill a Mockingbird”). The notion that looks are deceiving has been clearly illustrated through the lives of several characters in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Living in the Radley Place, directly around the corner from the Finch’s house, is Boo Radley. Jem’s description of Boo is as follows: “Above average height for a male, Boo was. His hands were stained red as his meals came from raw squirrels and cats. He had a long, rickety scar down his face and drooled very often. His yellow teeth had gone bad” (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 14). Obviously, Boo isn’t a very attractive guy. Boo Radley is an extremely despised character throughout a great deal of the novel. Numerous rumors have been spread around about Boo; the majority of which are not true. First, Boo’s mother is described: “She also lost most of her teeth, her hair, and her right forefinger (Dill’s contribution. Boo bit it off one night when he couldn’t find any cats and squirrels to eat.)” (Lee 44). Boo is seen here as a cannibalistic psycho that bit off not only his mother’s finger, but on a regular basis dines on raw cats and squirrels. Along with cats and squirrels, Boo is also said to have whittled away all of the furniture in his house.

Other posts related to To Kill a Mockingbird:
To Kill a Mockingbird: Why the Title?
An Outline for a Paper on To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeming vs. Reality

Boo is often recognized by children as being poisonous and dangerous to be around because he is said to be so appalling. Walter Cunningham says, “Almost died first year I come to school and et them pecans- folks say he [Boo] pizened ‘em and put ‘em over on the school side of the fence” (Lee 26). This is yet another instance where it is necessary to place the emphasis of this quote on the fact that ‘folks say’, and ‘people say’. It starts with one person; some fallacious story is told, and soon enough just because ‘people say’, the rumor is believed to be true. “Lee draws parallels of ignorance in her handling of characters Boo Radley and Tom Robinson; they are both presumed guilty with no one having taken the time to get to know them” (Stabler, “TKAM”). Along with believing that Boo is poisonous, is the idea that the Radley Place and everything contained in its lot is poisonous. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to even touch the trees over there? You’ll get killed if you do!” (Lee 37). This declaration by Jem shows how the children fear the wrath of Boo and the Radley Place. Another question in mind is: is Boo Radley still alive? Scout suggests, “Maybe he died and they stuffed him up the chimney” (Lee 48). After this proposition from Scout, Miss Maudi insists that Boo Radley is still alive because she hasn’t seen him carried out of the house in a body bag yet. Scout also says, “People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him” (Lee 9). These ideas are what make Jem, Scout, and Dill want to try to make Boo Radley come out of his house; they are extremely curious as to whether there is any truth to all of the rumors that they had been hearing.

Rumored also to be a criminal, Boo has been constantly tormented behind his back for years with obscene gossip. “According to neighborhood legend, when the younger Radley boy was in his teens he became acquainted with some of the Cunninghams from Old Sarum,” and “they formed the nearest thing to a gang ever seen in Maycomb” (Lee 10). The reader doesn’t actually find out if there is any truth to this rumor, although one usually assumes that a person as hideous and cannibalistic as Boo is likely to commit an act of this nature. Boo is again pictured as a psycho with the following anecdote: “According to Miss Stephanie, Boo was sitting in the living room cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg” (Lee 12). ‘According to Miss Stephanie’; yet again, the rumor is ‘according’ to someone. Claudia Johnson in ­To Kill a Mockingbird: Threatening Boundaries asserts that, “This begs the question of whether his assault on his father is provoked while he is reading the newspaper because it reminds him of his forced prohibition from establishing an intercourse with the world” (Johnson 111). Because Scout has been hearing so many fictitious rumors, she has become paranoid. Her paranoia can be easily seen in the hesitation in which she contains in the following passage: “Every night-sound I heard from my cot on the back porch was magnified three-fold; every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge” and with, “insects splashing against the screen were Boo Radley’s insane fingers picking the wire to pieces” (Lee 62). “Like other dispossessed people in the novel, Boo is doomed to communicate without language,” (Johnson 111). Eventually, Scout realizes that no one person could have ever committed such a great number of appalling acts. Scout begins questioning all that she has heard, and eventually inquires to Miss Maudi, “Do you think they’re true, all those things they say about B- Mr. Arthur?” (Lee 50). Notice, none of the rumors spread around about Boo have come from a credible source; it’s always what ‘they say’ and what ‘folks say’, never what Mr. Radley or town officials have said. Boo Radley is depicted by these rumors as a ruthless character, but as shall be shown, Boo is not what he appears to be.

Boo Radley’s reputation is that he’s a terrible person that does terrible things. Not only the Finch children, but every one of the children in Maycomb fears Boo Radley and the Radley Place. Scout describes Boo as being a “malevolent phantom” (Lee 9). “I ran by the Radley Place as fast as I could, not stopping until I reached the safety of our front porch” (Lee 37). As does every other child in Maycomb, Scout and Jem run past the Radley Place every time they come near it. One of the children attending school with Scout, Cecil Jacobs, essentially walks a half mile out of his way every day, just to avoid the Radley Place. Dill, a friend of the Finch’s, is a young little boy who spends every summer with his aunt in Maycomb. While he is there, he spends most of his time playing with Scout and Jem. Dill too knows of how wretched Boo is, as he states here: “…, where Dill stood looking down the street at the dreary face of the Radley Place. ‘I-smell-death,’ he said. ‘I do, I mean it,’” (Lee 40). Between the three of them, the children like to act out plays during the summer. One summer Dill had the idea that: “‘I know what we are going to play, Boo Radley’” (Lee 43). The children decide to act out Boo Radley, but Atticus catches them on one occasion, and tells the children that it isn’t right to make fun of people. Atticus also tells the children not to perform their ‘play’ any more. The children comply with Atticus’s request, but it makes them ever the more curious to find out what Boo Radley is really like. “, and it was then that Dill gave us the idea of making Boo Radley come out” (Lee 9). “There is the Radley drama, performed for their own edification, which the neighbors and Atticus finally see” (Johnson 112). Jem insists he is unable to conjure up a way of making Boo come out of the house, without him ‘getting’ them.

“Miss Stephanie Crawford said she woke up in the middle of the night one time and saw him [Boo] looking straight through the window at her, said his head was like a skull lookin’ at her” (Lee 14). Clearly visible in this case is the fact that Miss Stephanie Crawford is indeed paranoid herself, and has produced this false story about Boo in a mere attempt to get attention. This is another example of how Boo is pictured as being a horrible individual. Jem even says one time that a “hain’t” lives in the Radley Place, referring to Boo. Jem is telling others of how Boo is a misbehaving, childish creature. Boo is actually not a bad person at all, he just has a number of issues that need to be worked out.

Other posts related to To Kill a Mockingbird:
To Kill a Mockingbird: Why the Title?
An Outline for a Paper on To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeming vs. Reality

Boo Radley has shown numerous acts of kindness throughout the entire novel. First is an incident where Jem, Dill, and Scout went onto the back porch of the Radley Place to look through a window, in hope that they might be able to catch a peak of Boo. What happens is Mr. Radley hears the noise on the porch, and fires his shotgun into the yard. The kids go scrambling, but Jem’s pants get stuck in a collard patch in the yard, and he is forced to leave them behind. “He [Jem] returns to find them crudely sewn and neatly folded” (“Harper Lee”, Contemporary Literary Criticism, 239). Boo sewed up Jem’s pants and laid them out for him. This is the first of many actions Boo has taken that show the good in him. As the novel progresses, Scout and Jem begin to find objects left in a tree on the corner of the Radley Place lot. First, they find a couple pieces of gum. The gum seems to be a way of showing that he [Boo] isn’t poisonous. After, they discover two soap carvings that look exactly like themselves. This shows that Boo has been watching them, and he knows the children quite well. “Boo’s art- the soap sculptures- are lovingly executed as a means of extending himself [Boo] to the children” (Johnson 112). After the soap carvings, an old spelling medal is found in the knothole. “The carvings are works of art, communication, and love. The spelling medal is also connected with literacy and communication” (Johnson 111). The next item found was a ball of twine, and following that, an entire package of gum. The final article found in the tree was a broken pocket watch with an aluminum knife. All of these items show how Boo is a nice person that is merely attempting to connect with the outside world. “The presents that he [Boo] leaves in the tree appear to be Boo’s last attempt to reach outside his prison” (Johnson 111). Just as Boo was beginning to communicate, his older brother fills the knothole in the tree with cement. “…committed what would be a mortal sin in this novel- he has attempted to silence love” (Johnson 111). Scout summons a meeting with Ms. Maudi Atkins, where at which Scout asks numerous questions about Boo. The answer to one of which was “I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how” (Lee 51). Miss Maudi states that Boo was always nice to her, no matter what folks said. The focus here should be on ‘no matter what folks said’. That is perhaps still the case to that day. No matter what all the rumors going around about Boo say, he may still be a nice person. One night, Miss Maudie’s house caught on fire and went up in flames. Jem and Scout were forced outside of their house in fear that it may catch on too. It was a bitterly cold night, and the children were told to stand at the end of the street, in front of the Radley Place. When Atticus came over to the kids to take them back home, Scout had a blanket around her. Boo Radley put the blanket around Scout on that brutally cold night in concern that she might get hypothermia. Boo acted as he did out of the goodness of his heart.
Seeing the truth within Boo, and understanding how he truly is, is imperative in the expedition to finding the good in Boo. “A real tragedy of Jem’s boyhood, and most likely of Boo’s life, is the severing of their channel of communication, the hole in the oak tree” (Johnson 111). Referring back to the oak tree incident, the filling of the knothole was a major blunder in the quest for finding the true Boo. Who knows what might have come after the pocket watch; it could have been a note from Boo, saying he is a nice person, and wants to be friends with the children. Scout is talking to Atticus on one occasion where she shifts the conversation to Boo. Atticus is in the midst of telling Jem to stay away from the Radley Place and not the bother the Radley’s, when he says: “I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he could a cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead… he ain’t ever hurt us, Atticus-” (Lee 81). Jem is saying how Boo could have murdered Jem that night with the collard patch incident, but Boo isn’t like that; Boo is a nice person, never hurting anybody ever.
Towards the very end of the novel, a tragic incident occurs. On the way back from a Halloween play at the school, Jem and Scout are ambushed by Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell was attacking the children in an attempt for revenge against their father, who defended an African-American against Ewell’s daughter. Ewell manages to break Jem’s arm, when suddenly he is stopped, and stabbed in the stomach with a knife. It was Boo Radley; he was protecting the children against their attacker. When Boo is finally seen, he does not appear the same as originally suggested by Jem. Scout recalls his description: “I looked from his hands to his sand-stained khaki pants; my eyes traveled up his thin frame to his torn denim shirt. His face was as white as his hands, but for a shadow on his jutting chin. His hair was dead and thin” (Lee 310-11). Claudia Johnson in Understanding To Kill a Mockingbird: a Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historic Documents asserts that “Atticus and the sheriff break the law to protect Boo Radley from jail and from the community’s attention after he has saved the children’s lives by killing Bob Ewell” (Johnson, Understanding TKAM, 3). Atticus once told Scout that shooting a mockingbird was a sin because they do nothing but good. Scout then confirms the story with the question: “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 318). Scout is inferring that by prosecuting someone who has overcome as much tormenting as he has, that it would be like shooting a mockingbird because Boo risked his life for the children’s, and saved their lives. Someone who has done so much, does not deserve to go to jail for it. Scout then recalls: “Atticus was right. Onetime he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 322). Throughout the novel, Jem and Scout learn that not necessarily everything they hear is true. They learn the difference between truth and gossip. In this novel, “valuable lessons are learned in confronting those who are unlike ourselves and unlike those we know best- what might be called people of difference” (Johnson, Understanding TKAM, 1). Boo is a person unlike most, whom which the children believe at first to be an uncivilized maniac, but soon learn that “it takes a strong mind and a big heart to come to love Boo Radley,” (Johnson, Understanding TKAM, 2). On the night of the attack, Boo accompanies Scout into Jem’s room, where Jem is sleeping. Scout tells Boo that she can touch him and that its perfectly acceptable for him to do so. Instead of lashing out irrationally like the psycho Boo is first pictured as, he lightly pets Jem’s head. Afterward, Scout escorts Boo home, arm in arm. Boo obviously must contain a great deal of kindness and compassion in order for him to act in the manner in which he did. Scout returns home and asks her father to read her a story. She falls asleep, and when she awakens, she tells her father that she was listening the entire time and knows exactly what happened. Scout gives the following summary: “An’ they chased him ‘n never could catch him ‘cause they didn’t know what he looked like, an’ Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things… Atticus, he was real nice” (Lee 323). The notion that looks are deceiving has been illustrated without doubt through the life of Boo Radley in: To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout’s recap of that story is almost identical to the story of Boo’s life. When Boo was finally seen, the truth was revealed, and he hadn’t done any of the horrible things that he was said to have done. He was a nice person who would never harm anyone, and who just needed someone to communicate with.

Other posts related to To Kill a Mockingbird:
To Kill a Mockingbird: Why the Title?
An Outline for a Paper on To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeming vs. Reality

Works Cited

“Harper Lee.” Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 60, 1990.
Johnson, Claudia. To Kill a Mockingbird: Threatening Boundaries. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994.
---. Understanding To Kill a Mockingbird: a Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historic Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Harper Collins, 1960. Stabler, Scott. “To Kill a Mockingbird.” St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. 1999.

A Day No Pigs Would Die

I can’t believe how much Robert has matured throughout this book! Have you ever read a book where a character acts with more and more maturity as the book progresses? A Day No Pigs Would Die is a novel written by Robert Newton Peck that shows exactly this. In this essay, I will explain how Robert acted throughout tn Robert’s actions in the book as a child. Robert acts very childish towards the first half of the book. He is always asking questions and is very sensitive. One example of this would be when Robert decided to leave school because somebody made fun of him at recess. Robert wound up be seriously injured from that childish mistake of his.

More Sentences from Red Badge of Courage

Proverbial- adj.- Widely referred to, as if the subject of a proverb; famous.
The man was proverbial for his worldwide cheesecake.
Impudent- adj.- Characterized by offensive boldness; insolent or impertinent.
Being the impudent woman she was, Sue fled from the grocery store without paying.
Abashed- v.- To make ashamed or uneasy; disconcert.
The judge made the abashed killer pay the price for his actions.
Philippic- n.- A verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, often insulting language; a tirade. The philippic words from the soldier caused the platoon to be excited.
Musing- v.- To be absorbed in one's thoughts; engage in meditation.
The man was musing at the thought of going into battle.
Docile- adj.- Ready and willing to be taught; teachable.
Being docile made it extremely easy for the instructor to teach the student.
Sublime- adj.- Characterized by nobility; majestic.
Being sublime made it easy for the man’s name to be spread around.
Craven- adj.- Characterized by abject fear; cowardly.
The craven Henry ran from the battle because he feared for his life.
Compunction- n.- A strong uneasiness caused by a sense of guilt.
The compunction within the man grew, for he had left the elder stranded earlier.
Railing- v.- Expressing reproach; insulting.
The railing woman was infuriated by the judge’s sentence.
Petulantly- adv.- Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish.
Petulantly annoyed, he said “Go Away!”
Lugubrious- adj.- Mournful, dismal, or gloomy.
The lugubrious man committed suicide because he couldn’t stand the depression any longer.
Temerity- n.- Foolhardy disregard of danger; recklessness.
The temerity of the man led to a pileup of 15 cars on the highway.
Respite- n.- A usually short interval of rest or relief; a pause.
The quick respite between workouts was badly needed.
Harangued- n.- A long pompous speech, especially one delivered before a gathering.
The harangue before the track meet gave everyone the will power to compete aggressively.
Perturbation- n.- an unhappy and worried mental state.
The soldier was in a perturbation before the battle, in fear that he might die.
Emaciate- v.- To make or become extremely thin, especially as a result of starvation.
In order to emaciate herself, the woman had to starve herself for weeks.
Wane- v.- To continue for a long time.
The night waned with no sign of ever ending.
Stentorian- adj.- Extremely loud.The stentorian man wouldn’t shut his mouth after being tortured to near death.

Some Red Badge of Courage Sentences

The iconoclast man attempted to overthrow the form of government known as democracy.
The stoical acting man expressed no feelings whatsoever when his car was stolen.
To have acted so blatantly, the women must have been very sardonic.
The boy effaced the white board in an orderly manner.
It was impregnable to seize control of the fort.
The new Matrix movie was extremely vivacious.
Unfortunately, feeling despondent was the lease of the poor child’s problems.
He belonged in the epithets of the jail.
The school of fish could be found 8 fathoms below the surface of the ocean.
The vindication that the man had was no match for the prosecution.
The dauntless men climbed Mount Everest very bravely.
The outbreak was an extremely vociferous brawl.
The woman received an impetus to perform even better than usual.
In hopes of finding buried treasures, the woman went perambulating along the beach.
Within himself, the boy felt formidable because he was crossing a busy road.
The poor man suffered from impotency due to a generic defect.
The necklace was resplendent with all of its diamonds and 14kt. gold. The abject man felt that his life was worth nothing, and that he couldn’t survive much longer.

More Tale of Two Cities Vocabulary

The man was very besmirched looking as he lay out on the street with the sense that he was corrupted or tarnished in some way.
As he hid that blunderbuss under his coat, the other man could see the old gun in plain view.
He lay cadaverous looking, sprawled out on the ground as he was, like a dead body.
The woman stopped capitulating toward the stranger; she had given in to his almighty power over her.
The contraband had fallen into the wrong hands; the forbidden substance was in great danger.
He had discomposed the grave in the cemetery; he had disturbed it.
It made me feel bad seeing him so dolefully; to see him sad like that hurt me more than it hurt him.
The man with his swirling smile looked very eddying to the crowd.
The girl was emaciated due to her abnormal eating habits of not eating at all.
In the epoch of the dinosaurs, the era was ruled by many uncivilized beasts.
The team of explorers expeditiously mapped the entire area; perfect accuracy and care was needed to perform this duty correctly.
There was an expostulation sticking out of his coat; the projecting object looked inapt in the place that is was positioned.
The boy feigned in such a way that it was disturbing to even try to comprehend the fact that it was all a fake.
I acted very genial when I saw the same, friendly look on his face.
The teacher was very inscrutable when it came to world politics because I wasn’t the only person there who couldn’t understand what he was saying.
Seeing the lady act so insensible toward the poor shop clerk, I was forced to step in and stop the horrible lack of understanding by the woman.
The whole crew was extremely mutinous and rebellious toward the captain when they had been at sea for three months and still had not found land.
It was a myriad number of days before the seemingly everlasting journey was over at last.
The outspoken woman was nondescript because of her plainness and lack of fashion.
The postilion stopped the carriage and got out to let the passengers out of the back.
The provender, or provisions, of the farmers was so great because of the lack of crops produced this year.
The requisition for fish this year was so great, that the fish vendors requested that people eat less fish than usual.
The retinue of Jesus was a large number as he was so popular with his people.
The rustic community of Portsmouth is the opposite of the urban community of Providence.
The sagacity of the wise men was so great that they could answer any question without having to think about it.
A substratum between my house and the ground is needed to keep my house firmly on the ground with the support it needs.
The turnkey was forced to jail so many criminals this past year, that a second jailer was needed to keep up with it all. The unfathomable ocean floor lay deep at the bottom of the ocean.

An Outline for a Paper on To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

The notion that looks are deceiving has been clearly illustrated through the lives of several characters in To Kill a Mockingbird.

I. Mrs. Dubose
A. Drug addict
B. Extremely mean
C. Is actually a brave woman, just barely hanging onto her life
II. Boo Radley
A. Rumors about Boo
1. Bit off mom’s finger
2. Poisoned nuts, left them out for kids
3. Never been seen
4. Description
5. Criminal
6. Scissors in father’s leg
7. Boo wanders streets at night
8. Eats raw animals
B. Boo is bad!
1. Kids run pass Radley Place
2. Malevolent phantom
3. Make Boo come out
4. Tire incident
5. Adolescent prank
C. Boo’s nice side…
1. Collard patch incident- pants sewn
2. Items found in tree
a. 2 pieces of gum
b. Soap carvings Wilson 2
c. Spelling medal
d. Ball of twine
e. Whole package of gum
f. Pocket watch with aluminum knife
3. Miss Maudi recalls Boo as a child- he used to be nice
4. Blanket during fire incident
5. Boo saves kids in attack in field
6. Boo walks Scout home- acts like a gentleman
7. Boo pets Jem gently, and doesn’t attack him
8. Boo’s older brother fills tree hole with cement- attempts to silence love
D. Understanding Boo
1. Kids play Boo Radley
2. Ms. Maudi says Boo is alive
3. Fishing pole- note delivery attempt
4. Kids sneak on porch- Jem’s pants sewn up by Boo
5. Gum- shows Boo isn’t poisonous
6. Presents in the tree- Boo’s last attempt at outside contact
7. Tree filled with cement
8. Boo has never hurt Scout or Jem, just stays inside
9. Gray Ghost Story
10. Story made up about field incident to protect Boo
11. Description of Boo
12. Lessons learned by Jem and ScoutIt’s a sin to kill a mockingbird…

Other posts related to To Kill a Mockingbird:
To Kill a Mockingbird: Why the Title?
An Outline for a Paper on To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeming vs. Reality

Queen Mab and Mercutio

Unrealistic Love

The Queen Mab speech is filled with meaning and understanding. In the beginning of the speech, Mercutio says that Queen Mab has been with Romeo; in his dreams. In this speech, Mercutio imagines a tiny world where Queen Mab lives and roams free. Queen Mab visits people every night and depending on how much she likes them, depends on whether she gives them a good dream or a nightmare. Mercutio uses this imaginative world of his as a way of explaining how people get their dreams. He explicates how people have nightmares and wake up in the middle of the night, frightened, but then go back to sleep knowing that they are safe, and that nothing has happened to them. Queen Mab sometimes gives people dreams of what they wish their world were like. In this speech, Mercutio is trying to show Romeo just how much his love for Rosaline is unrealistic, because Romeo knows that Rosaline will never love him.

Mercutio’s Personality

Act I Scene IV and the Queen Mab speech tell a lot about Mercutio and his personality. Mercutio cannot see Romeo’s love for Juliet. Mercutio is a bright, witty guy with a good deal of intelligence. In this scene, because Mercutio is such good friends with Romeo, he is able to softly mock Romeo without seriously offending him. No other character can do that because they lack the ability to see through the shallowness that individuals sometimes contain. Mercutio integrates multiple puns throughout his speech that make the piece ever so better. Mercutio is extremely brave, poetic, and humorous.

Not Without My Daughter

I would not have gone to Iran. Going to Iran was the biggest mistake of Betty’s life. I wouldn’t have gone because of the way that Moody has run his life. He has been chased out of one too many communities because of his beliefs. He received threats from people in the book, and was criticized for his way of thinking and acting. He should have followed through with his application on becoming an American citizen. After all, he did put down on his application that he would fight for America if he was ever called on to do so. I believe that Moody was right in his decision to come to America in the fist place, but he should never have come if he was just going to exercise his religion in society as it said he did in the book. He should have just put all of that behind him. I think it’s alright for someone to practice his religion in the privacy of his own home, and for him to attend a mosque or synagogue, but I don’t think that it was necessary for Moody to write that publication about his religion. By doing that, he was going just a little overboard. By just listing all of this, I would have expected nothing less for him to trap Betty in Iran. In conclusion; I would not have gone to Iran.