How is the motif of colors in "Shooting an Elephant" related to the theme? Support this with evidence and examples.

"Shooting an Elephant" shows the cruelties of imperialism, because to maintain power and control over the Burmese, the narrator, an English policeman representing British imperial interests, must shoot an elephant unnecessarily, causing it to suffer, so that he doesn't lose face with the native population. 

Orwell uses color to illustrate the sense of the difference or gulf the narrator feels between himself and the people his government rules, showing the dehumanization British imperialism engenders. From the start, the Burmese are not humans anymore, "but sneering yellow faces." Later, the narrator will look at a "sea of yellow faces--" not distinct humans but the "yellow" Other. Yellow is used two more times in the essay along with the word "faces" to describe a dehumanized mass. 

"White" is used in close proximity to words such as "dominion," "gun" and "tyrant." The  term "white man" is also used as a generic, faceless term, showing that imperialism dehumanizes the ruling class as well as the natives. 

I have to write a 5 page response paper about the Iranian movie Fireworks Wednesday. What are the main points I should focus on? How should I...

You seem to have a lot of freedom in how you approach your critical response to the film, which can often be an intimidating prospect for students. My suggestion is that you find a social element that the director presents that you find particularly interesting, poignant, or else reductive, and then discuss how the director's treatment of the subject influences you.

For instance, I am a feminist critic, so I am always interested in how directors and writers address issues of gender. More specifically, I know that Fireworks Wednesday centers on several couples and their interactions with one another. So I personally would consider examining how gender dynamics function between each couple. How does the squabbling married couple compare with the couple who will soon marry? Indeed, looking at how the director presents marriage in modern-day Iran could prove fruitful.

Another avenue that you could pursue is how the director treats social stratification in Iran. The characters represent a number of different levels of socioeconomic success. How do these characters interact, and how do issues pertaining to social status contribute to the plot of the film?

Perhaps you could even examine your own personal reaction to the film. How do the values presented differ from your own? How are they similar? Can you relate to the film? Why? What are the parallels between your culture and the portrait of Iranian life the director presents?

These are merely suggestions. Ultimately, you should write about the aspects of the film that gripped you the most. That's one of the joys of this kind of prompt: you have the power to examine the film in the ways that you find most interesting.

Find the compound interest on $10 000 for 2 years at 7.5 % per annum compounded annually.

Compound interest is defined as the interest added to the principal amount of a deposit or a loan in order for the added interest to earn interest from then on. 

The formula to calculate compound interest is as follows: 

`A = P (1 + i) ^n`

Where: 

A = Accumulated amount (Principal + interest) 

P = Principal amount (initial amount invested or initial loan amount) 

i = Interest rate per conversion period (decimal amount)

n = number of conversion periods 

Let's write down the information we have. 

P = $10000

i = 7.5/100 = 0.075

n = 2 * 1 = 2 (conversions is per annum over a two year period)  

A = ?  - What we are looking for. 

`A = 10000 (1 + 0.075)^2`

`A = $11556.25` 

The compound interest, I, is calculated as follows: 

`I = A - P = $11556.25 - $10000 = $1556.25`

The total compound interest is $1556.25

What is codeine?

History of Use

Codeine was isolated from opium by French chemist Pierre-Jean Robiquet in 1832 and was used in the nineteenth century for pain relief and diabetes control. Near the end of the nineteenth century, codeine was used to replace morphine , another substance found in the opium poppy, because of the highly addictive properties of morphine. Codeine has effects similar to, albeit weaker than, morphine and was not thought to be addictive. Codeine was subsequently used in treatment for withdrawal from morphine.

The first detailed report of codeine addiction is thought to be from 1905, and reports by others followed. In the 1930s, concern over the widespread abuse of codeine in Canada was noted. Codeine abuse in the United States was evaluated more fully in the 1960s, leading to inclusion of codeine as a schedule II controlled substance. Schedule II drugs have a high potential for abuse.

Subsequently, among substance abusers, prescription cough syrups containing codeine began to be mixed with soft drinks and candy (in a combination known as lean syrup, sizzurp, or purple drank). The combination remains a substance of concern.

Effects and Potential Risks

Codeine primarily exerts its medicinal effects by being metabolized by liver enzymes to substances that bind to specific receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems. One of the most potent of these substances is morphine. The codeine metabolites can effectively block the transmission of pain signals to the brain and can inhibit the cough reflex. The metabolites also contribute to the usefulness of codeine in treating diarrhea by affecting, among other things, the contraction of gastrointestinal tract muscles.

Short-term use of codeine provides pain relief and euphoric effects. Some of the more common side effects of codeine ingestion include itching, constipation, dizziness, sedation, flushing, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and hives.

Long-term use of codeine can lead to tolerance, necessitating higher doses to achieve the same euphoric effect. Endorphin (natural painkiller) production may be slowed or stopped, causing increased sensitivity to pain if codeine is not used. More serious side effects include respiratory depression, central nervous system depression, seizures, and cardiac arrest.

Bibliography

Amer. Soc. of Health-System Pharmacists. "Codeine." MedlinePlus. US Natl. Lib. of Medicine, 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

McCoy, Krisha. "Opioid Addiction." Ed. Michael Woods. Health Library. EBSCO, Jan. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Manchikanti, Laxmaiah, et al. “Therapeutic Use, Abuse, and Nonmedical Use of Opioids: A Ten-Year Perspective.” Pain Physician 13 (2010): 401–35. Print.

Parker, James N., and Philip M. Parkers, eds. Codeine: A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References. San Diego: Icon, 2003. Print.

Parker, Philip M., ed. Codeine: Webster’s Timeline History, 1888-2007. San Diego: Icon, 2010. Print.

How did Macbeth's ambition help him in a positive way? And how did it make it easier for the witches to manipulate him?

Though Macbeth's ambition is primarily considered his tragic flaw, it does help him in positive ways throughout the course of the play. Most specifically and obviously, he does become king. By all accounts, including the words of Duncan himself ("O Valiant Cousin! Worthy gentleman!" Act 1, Scene 2), Macbeth is a well respected, honorable man. King Duncan promotes him to Thane of Cawdor without hesitation. This leads readers to believe that his advancement is a positive track Macbeth might have enjoyed even without the witches' intervention. 

His ambition, while positive to a degree, does make him an easier target for the influence of the witches. It's a human trait to have desires, and, often, our level of desire can blind us to some of the negative aspects of the desire or to the dangers of the methods we might use to obtain that which we desire. The witches had an easy mark with Macbeth because he wanted to advance so desperately; he was willing to accept their words and actions without question or critical thinking. He didn't imagine any possible negative consequences, which, had he analyzed, would have been obvious to someone with Macbeth's intelligence. He essentially got caught up in the moment, almost an individual mob mentality, and the witches were able to capitalize on his blind following, his blind ambition, without much effort. 

What are four clues throughout the story "By the Waters of Babylon" that suggest the setting of the story is New York, sometime in the future after...

Four clues to a nuclear event in New York are that the metal is dangerous, there are many Dead Places within eight days, John calls it newyork, and the "gods" died in everyday positions.

The first hint that the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of our world is the reference to metal.  We are told that there is metal in the houses of the gods, and that the metal is dangerous.  John’s people salvage the metal. 

It is forbidden to go to any of the Dead Places except to search for metal and then he who touches the metal must be a priest or the son of a priest. Afterwards, both the man and the metal must be purified. 

Clearly, we have metal all over our own houses.  It also makes sense that the metal might have been dangerous at one time.  If some people really do get sick from touching the metal, it might be the result of some nuclear activity.  The fact that some people can touch it without harm means that perhaps an immunity built up among some.

The hints that it was a nuclear event also come from the fact that there are so many Dead Places.  If it was a small-range, minor incident there would not be as many.

It is eight suns' journey to the east and a man passes by many Dead Places. The Forest People are afraid of them but I am not. Once I made my fire on the edge of a Dead Place at night and, next morning, in the dead house, I found a good knife, little rusted. 

John travels for eight days and passes many places.  This would seem to indicate that whatever occurred, it happened over a large area and killed everyone or almost everyone in its wake.  John’s people are descendants of survivors, either from outside the area or the people who were immune somehow.

Once John gets to the city itself, there are clues abound that this is New York City.  First of all, he refers to it as newyork.  He also seems remnants of buildings and technology that we easily recognize.  He also sees a “god” watching television.  It seems that people died where they were, so that points to a nuclear event.  John also realizes that the gods are not really gods at all, but ancestors of his people who all died from some serious catastrophe.

What was Bela Katz forced to do once he was chosen to work in the crematory because of his strength?

Once the Jews arrive at Birkenau, the reception center for Auschwitz, there is a period of "selection." Obviously many of the Jews, especially the old, weak and sick, were selected for immediate extermination in the concentration camp's gas chambers and crematories. Elie's mother and one of his sisters were probably chosen for death at this initial selection. Elie and his father, however, are selected for slave labor. During this period the SS officers were also sorting out the prisoners to identify the most able among them. Those that were determined to be the strongest joined the "Sonder-Kommando" and went to work in the crematories. One such man was Bela Katz, who came from Elie's town. He was the son of a tradesman and had arrived with the first group of Jews from Sighet. When Bela found out that Elie and his father had arrived he got word to them as to his whereabouts and the awful news that he had actually had to put his own father into the oven of the crematory.