How does the choice of details set the tone of the sermon?

Edwards is remembered for his choice of details, particularly in this classic sermon. His goal was not to tell people about his beliefs; he knew they already were aware of what Christianity had to say about the fate of their souls. His goal was to make them care. To that end, he focused on painting pictures with words of how dangerously close to the edge of the pit of hell they were walking, and how precarious was their foothold. Hence he begins this sermon with Deuteronomy 32:35: "Their foot shall slide in due time," breaking it down into observations about how suddenly this will happen and how no one will even need to push them; they'll fall by their own weight—all perfectly logical observations.

From there, he moves to what it means to speak of the "power of God," beginning with the observation that God can do anything at any time and we can do nothing to stop it:

Though hand join in hand, and vast multitudes of God's enemies combine and associate themselves, they are easily broken in pieces: they are as great heaps of light chaff before the whirlwind; or large quantities of dry stubble before devouring flames. We find it easy to tread on and crush a worm that we see crawling on the earth; so 'tis easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that anything hangs by; thus easy is it for God when he pleases to cast his enemies down to hell.

Note the images of the whirlwind, the devouring flames, and the worms. The whirlwind is God, and the flames and worms are images in other scriptures depicting hell.

Edwards' tone is one of warning. He wants his congregation to picture what he describes and be afraid. If he invokes fear, he gains converts.

How is the Lord of the Flies like a devil in the novel?

One powerful literary device that William Golding uses in Lord of the Flies is the Christ-figure. Simon, the most sensitive of the boys and the only one who understands the deeper truths about "mankind's essential illness," acts as a Christ-figure. Many works of literature that contain a Christ-figure use a devil figure to reinforce the role of the Christ-figure. That is part of what Golding does with the sow's head that becomes the Lord of the Flies in Simon's vision. Several parallels to the biblical devil are apparent.

First, the devil has delusions of grandeur. In the Christian tradition, Lucifer, a being that most people believe is Satan, declares "I will be like the Most High." Thus the body-less pig has the grand title "Lord of the Flies" and claims to be "the Beast," although Simon names it for what it is: "Pig's head on a stick." "Lord of the Flies" is the translation for "Beelzebub," considered to be the chief demon or Satan himself.

Second, the devil seeks to torment those who have a special calling in their lives. Jesus said to the Apostle Peter, "Satan has desired to have you that he may sift you like wheat." The Lord of the Flies says many things to torment Simon, telling him that the other boys think he's batty, that there isn't anyone to help him, and that "we shall do you." 

Third, the devil seeks to prevent the Christ figure from fulfilling his mission. Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 days in the wilderness. The devil tried to get Jesus to worship him and to do things contrary to his mission. The Lord of the Flies tries to get Simon to forget what he knows about how the "beast ... is only us." It tries to convince him that "it was just a joke, really" and says, "Get back to the others and we'll forget the whole thing."

Beyond the way it interacts with Simon, the Lord of the Flies is an embodiment of filth, representing evil. The disgusting flies crawl all over it; "the obscene thing grinned and dripped." It has the "infinite cynicism of the adult life." Golding's language makes the head the embodiment of evil, which is like the devil.

Because of the way the head interacts with the Christ-figure, Simon, and because of its association with evil, it is like the devil in Christian tradition.

Maya Angelou makes use of questions as a device. What is the impact of these questions in the poem, "Still I Rise"?

By addressing her reader with questions, Angelou is hoping her reader will then begin to question their own feelings and emotions on how comfortable they are that a black woman has found her self-worth. The six main questions she asks her reader are:

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Does my sexiness upset you?

After years of misconceptions, racism, stereotyping, and lies that have been told about her and her ancestors, Angelou is ready to claim her value as a black woman.  Instead of being downtrodden and oppressed, Angelou expresses her “sassiness,” “haughtiness,” and “sexiness” throughout the poem. She says,

Up from a past that's rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

These words stress that Angelou has come from a past of pain, terror, and fear; however, she has risen above that history and now loves herself for the characteristics (like haughtiness) that she possesses. Now, she is asking you if you are upset by the fact that she is no longer “broken” or shows a “bowed head.” She is asking her audience to come to grips with the new woman she has become.  

What are the key themes in the poems "Roscoe Purkaphile" and "Mrs. Purkaphile?"

The major theme in these poems is the commitment of marriage. Roscoe Purkaphile was never keen on the idea of being married, but eventually resigned himself to it. Mrs. Purkaphile, however, took her vows very seriously: "But a promise is a promise / And marriage is marriage...". The seriousness of her dedication is highlighted by the fact that she is not known by her first name, but only by her husband's surname. She is a woman who is dedicated to tradition.

Roscoe, on the other hand, comes off as a man who is constricted by social convention. He wants to "escape" from Mrs. Purkaphile. He hopes that she will divorce him, or that she will die before him so that he can be free again. He concludes, however: "But few die, none resign." Not many young women die suddenly; and none will risk the social opprobrium that comes with divorce. So, he becomes an unfaithful liar: "Then I ran away and was gone a year on a lark...I told her that while taking a row in a boat / I had been captured near Van Buren Street / By pirates on Lake Michigan..."

Mrs. Purkaphile knows better, but chooses to believe his lie so that she can keep their marriage intact. She knows that he is having an affair: "I knew very well / What he was doing, and that he met / The milliner, Mrs. Williams, now and then..." It is not out of respect for her husband, but "for [her] own character" that she refuses to divorce. She made a promise; marriage is a vow for life. If she cannot keep this promise, then she is not true. She contrasts her own character with her husband's: "I refused to be drawn into a divorce / By the scheme of a husband who had merely grown tired / Of his marital vow and duty." She trivializes his feelings with the phrase "merely grown tired," and asserts her own moral superiority. 

Though marriage is the main, overarching theme, there are also the peripheral themes of infidelity, morality, existential boredom (Roscoe wants to be with other women because people often grow bored living with the same person), and the place of God in marriage. Much of what Mrs. Purkaphile believes about marriage is probably rooted in religious faith. Ironically, Roscoe comes to agree with her side of things: "I then concluded our marriage / Was a divine dispensation / And could not be dissolved, / Except by death. / I was right." Due to his wife's earnestness, only death allowed them to part.

What is DMT?

History of Use

Europeans who first arrived in the Caribbean and in Central and South America came into contact with indigenous peoples who used DMT derived from plants to induce hallucinations as part of their religious experience. The explorers tried to suppress these practices, which persisted, often in secretive settings.

DMT was first synthesized in a laboratory in 1931 by chemist Richard Manske. It
gained popularity as a drug of abuse in the counterculture of the 1960s. In 2006,
the US Supreme Court ruled in Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficiente
Uniao Do Vegetal that a Brazilian church in the United States could
import and use hoasca, a tea containing DMT, for their religious ceremonies,
saying that the practice is protected by the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration
Act. According to the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the use of DMT in
the United States has increased from roughly 688,000 users in 2006 to more than
1.4 million in 2012.

Effects and Potential Risks

DMT is the shortest-acting of commonly abused hallucinogens. Its effects are evident within ten minutes, peak at about thirty minutes, and usually end within an hour. Hence the street name businessman’s special.

Physical effects of DMT abuse include increased blood pressure and heart rate,
agitation, dizziness, nystagmus (involuntary, rapid eye movement), and loss of
coordination. At high doses, seizures and respiratory arrests have occurred.
Psychological effects of DMT abuse include intense visual hallucinations,
depersonalization, auditory distortions, and altered sense of time and body image.
DMT causes anxiety attacks far more frequently than does the hallucinogen
LSD (acid).

Bibliography

Abadinsky, Howard.
Drug Use and Abuse: A Comprehensive Introduction. 8th
ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2013. Print.

Julien, Robert M.,
Claire D. Advokat, and Joseph E. Comaty. A Primer of Drug
Actions. 12th ed. New York: Worth, 2010. Print.

Kuhn, Cynthia, Scott
Swartwelder, and Wilkie Wilson. Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the
Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy. 4th ed. New
York: Norton, 2014. Print.

Ruiz, Pedro, and Eric
Strain. Lowinson and Ruiz's Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive
Textbook. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 2011.
Print.

What will cause an increase in the period of a simple pendulum that is swinging with small amplitude?

The time period of a simple pendulum which is oscillating is given by the following equation:

`T = 2pi sqrt(L/g)`

where, T is the time period of oscillations, L is its length and g is the acceleration due to gravity. 

Thus, the time period is directly proportional to the square root of the pendulum length. That is,

`T alpha sqrtL`

This means that in order to increase the time period of a simple pendulum, we have to increase its length. If the length of the pendulum is increased by a factor of 4, the time period increases by a factor of 2. 

That is, `T' alpha sqrt(L')`

`T' alpha sqrt(4L)`

`T' alpha 2sqrt(L)`

`T' = 2T`

The change in the mass of a pendulum will not have any effect on the time period of the pendulum. 

Thus, pendulum length is the only variable on which the time period of a simple pendulum depends.

Hope this helps.

What are three talking points that provide information about how humor heals?

Evidence supports the use of humor in healing because it has the ability to provide a growth in meaningful relationships, and an increase in mental and physical health benefits. Three talking points could address these issues: mental health benefits, physical health benefits, and increasing the development of relationships that cultivate humor. 

Belief that humor aids the healing process comes from a variety of medical specialties including psychotherapy, oncology, and pain management. Humor is beneficial in the treatment of chronic pain syndromes and pain from procedures and surgeries.

It is believed that humor and laughter increase the chemicals in the brain that are responsible for many bodily functions including those that control heart rate and emotional reactions.  Studies point to laughter in the reduction of heart disease by reducing stress and regulating the heart rate.

Humor that leads to laughter can reduce a patient’s response to pain by creating a diversion while regulating the biological substances that modulate pain. Medical professionals encourage patients with pain to watch funny movies or find a way to integrate humor into their lives.

Humor plays a role in mental health, in part by changing a person’s point of view so they are able to see they have the ability to adapt to difficult situations by maintaining a more positive outlook in the face of adversity. Again, there is evidence that humor increases endorphins and hormones that are responsible of feelings of well-being.