When do bones stop growing?

It is difficult to give a concrete answer to your question because anatomy varies widely from person to person, and even within one individual, different bones complete growth at different times. In general, most people are finished growing by the age of 25. Regardless of gender and health status, terminal height and peak bone mass are achieved by this age. In exceptional circumstances, some people do not achieve peak bone mass until the age of 30. 

A very large portion of people are finished growing around the age of 18, having experienced several "growth spurts" throughout puberty. Terminal height may be achieved around this time, and the long bones of our legs will typically complete fusion around this time. Some bones, like those of the elbow, fuse several years prior to physical maturity. Others, like the clavicle, will continue to grow until fusion in the 20's.

Discuss how religion was a theme in Uncle Tom's Cabin. This is in reference to the book Mightier Than the Sword by Reynolds.

In Mightier Than the Sword, Reynolds makes the point that Uncle Tom's Cabin contains a great number of references to Catholic rituals (page 31). For example, in the novel, Eva owns many icons, including angels and statues of Jesus. However, Reynolds notes that Harriet Beecher Stowe herself was anti-Catholic and disliked the idea of a priest working as an intermediary between people and God. Instead, Stowe was inspired by the ideas of the Second Great Awakening, including the idea that God spoke directly through people. Stowe believed that God's love could be brought to earth and work through people. She also believed, contrary to many people of her time, that African-American people could be good Christians and that the Christian cause should align with abolitionism. Christianity, thought Stowe, could redeem a society that had gone horribly wrong in its countenance of slavery. 

Stowe identified with oppressed people in society, including children and slaves--the two main characters in Uncle Tom's Cabin. Both Tom, a slave, and Eva, a child, are Christ-like figures who are what Reynolds calls the "centers of religious authority" in the novel (page 35). Stowe regarded simplicity as holy, and she had a pictorial, visionary approach to religion in which God has a loving bond with people. These religious ideas are embodied in Eva and Tom. When Eva is close to death, for example, she assures Tom that she will reunited with God in a loving way. Tom and Eva are so loving towards people around them that they also bring about their conversions. For example, Eva is able to convert the slave girl Topsy, and Eva is a type of Christ figure. Stowe's characters show the type of power that she felt Christianity could have to redeem society. 

In "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" by William Saroyan, what does Aram feel about the crazy streak in the family?

In the story, Aram feels that Mourad perfectly exemplifies the 'crazy streak' in his family. He thinks that this streak explains Mourad's extraordinary behavior in regards to the stolen horse.

Aram explains that a man can be genetically descended from his father and still diverge from his paternal heritage in terms of spirit. Effectively, Aram feels that Mourad is the 'natural descendant' of the bad-tempered and mercurial Uncle Khosrove, even though Mourad is the genetic son of Zorab, a very practical man.

Aram is ambivalent about Mourad's rationalizations about the stolen horse, but he does admire Mourad's daredevil sense of adventure. While Aram's own sense of decorum would never have allowed him to steal John Byro's horse, he appreciates the opportunity, accorded him by Mourad's 'crazy streak,' to ride the magnificent horse for a time.

When did Ezekiel experience captivity?

The prophet Ezekiel did not experience captivity in the sense that we often think of it—that is, being kept in prison—but was taken into exile when the Babylonians attacked and defeated Judah (the southern kingdom) in 597 BCE. It was standard practice for the ancient Babylonians: after they had conquered another nation, they gathered up the wealthy and influential citizens and brought them back to Babylon to work. Since Ezekiel was part of a priestly family, he was considered important enough to take into exile. This was before he delivered any of his prophetic oracles, since he received his call to become a prophet only once he was in Babylon:

In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. (Ezekiel 1:1)

It appears that Ezekiel, like many other exiles, was not imprisoned but allowed to live and work with some degree of freedom. Thus Ezekiel lived in his own house (Ezekiel 3:1) and was married (Ezekiel 24:15-18).

A decade after the first defeat of Judah, in 587/586 BCE, the Babylonians invaded again. This time they destroyed the kingdom more completely, including Jerusalem and its temple, and brought even more prisoners back to Babylon with them. It was not until 538 BCE, when Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon, that the people of Judah were allowed to return and rebuild the city of Jerusalem and their temple.

What is the difference between the author's tone and mood in "The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton?

Both tone and mood are set by the author of the story, and they are easily confused!  The tone is the feeling surrounding the story, or it can also be the feeling toward a character or subject within the story. For example, if a character says, "That gave me goosebumps," we might assume the character is nervous or excited. The author is purposefully using certain words, phrases, and sentences to set the tone. Tone is the way the author feels about his/her subject matter.

Mood, on the other hand, is what the reader feels as he/she reads the story. Again, the author wants the reader to feel a certain way whether it's joy and excitement or pity or fear or anger, etc. 

It may seem that both should be the same, right? Well, often they are very closely related, but in "The Lady or the Tiger?," author Frank Stockton is masterful in distinguishing between tone and mood. The tone is very lighthearted. Stockton seems to be poking fun at this king and his subjects. The story is written much like a fairytale, where a reader might fast forward in his/her head to, "And they all lived happily ever after."

However, as we read, we quickly become horrified by the events before us. This "semi-barbaric king" (Stockton 1), has a system for determining one's guilt or innocence, and no matter the outcome, someone most likely loses. The accused is either eaten by a tiger or forced to marry someone he/she may or may not love or who might already be married to someone else! 

So here is a story where the tone and mood are almost opposite to one another. 

Who was the author of the Gospel of Matthew?

Unfortunately, authorship of the Gospel of Matthew remains a mystery. Traditionally, it is believed to have been written by one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, by the name of Matthew (or Levi) of Capernaum.

There are some factors which complicate the traditional belief that Matthew of Capernaum authored the Gospel bearing his name. The Gospel of Matthew is heavily drawn from the Gospel of Mark. If Matthew were indeed the author and writing down his eyewitness account, he would not need to reference Mark. It is also believed in tradition that Matthew was written in Hebrew so as to be accessible to the Jewish people. The high degree of consistency of the language between Mark and Matthew implies that both were written in Greek, and that Matthew was not originally written in Hebrew.

The best guess for the authorship of Matthew is a Jewish man who lived and wrote sometime between 80 and 90 AD. Scholars believe the author was Jewish based on several deferential terms used in Matthew that are common to Jewish texts--like the intentional avoidance of using the name of God.

How would you describe the relationship between Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders?

Dally and Johnny have a unique relationship throughout the novel, and each of them displays mutual respect and admiration for one another. They both come from broken homes and Dally sees Johnny as a younger brother. Johnny looks up to Dally and views Dally as his hero. Johnny thinks Dally is a "gallant" individual because Dally selflessly sticks up for his friends in the most desperate situations. While Johnny openly voices his admiration for Dally, Dally lets his actions depict his feelings for his friend. In chapter 6, Dally expresses his concern for Johnny after Johnny tells him he is going to turn himself into the police. Dally says, "you get hardened in jail. I don't want that to happen to you. Like it happened to me" (Hinton 76). Dally's comments portray his true feelings about Johnny and show he deeply cares about Johnny's well-being. Dally also risks his own life pulling Johnny's body from the burning church later in the chapter. When Johnny dies, Dally loses his mind because he lost the only person he truly loved.