Why does Momaday want to visit Yellowstone, the Rockies and the Black Hills?

The Way to Rainy Mountain is N. Scott Momaday's reflection on Native American culture, particularly that of his Kiowa tribe which came out of the mountains of Montana and, as Momaday puts it, "ruled the whole of the Southern Plains." At one point he recounts the life of his grandmother. She was, for Momaday, symbolic of the "golden age" of the Kiowa because she had been present at the "last Kiowa Sun Dance." Although his grandmother spent her entire life in Oklahoma "in the shadow Rainy Mountain," Momaday claims that within her "mind's eye" she had witnessed all of the places the Kiowa had traveled after they came down out of the mountains. She had told stories of the Crows, the Black Hills, and the legends of the Kiowa.

Momaday sets out on a "pilgrimage" to visit the places which were in his grandmother's "blood." He travels to Yellowstone to begin his journey where his ancestors had started and then travels south and east into the Plains where the Kiowa first met the Crows and Blackfeet and formed an alliance with those tribes. In the Black Hills, at Devil's Tower, Momaday tells of the legend of the eight children, one who became a great bear and the other seven, the stars of the Big Dipper. Like pilgrims before him, Momaday sought to witness the natural elements which shaped his culture and the destiny of his Kiowa ancestors. His pilgrimage ends at the site of his grandmother's grave at the foot of Rainy Mountain.    

In Mrs. Dalloway, why did Clarissa reject Peter Walsh and marry Richard? Does she regret her decision? Is theirs a successful marriage? How has her...

The relationship between Clarissa Dalloway and Peter Walsh is one of the most important components of Mrs. Dalloway. 

Peter and Clarissa had once been good friends. They were very intimate and familiar with each other. Apparently, Peter could "see through" Clarissa, an extremely powerful trait in a novel in which everyone is constantly positioning, posturing, and performing in a complex social milieu. Clarissa, a high-society woman, is particularly adept at playing this game. 

Peter remembers of their friendship: 

"They had always had the queer power of communicating without words. She knew directly he criticized her. Then she would do something quite obvious to defend herself... but it never took him in, he always saw through Clarissa." 

It is suggested in the book that this was the reason Clarissa rejected Peter: he made her feel vulnerable, by "seeing through" her performances.

Clarissa instead chose to marry Richard Dalloway, a reliable, if unimaginative, man. In the novel, they don't share the intimacy that she shared with Peter, which is something she both longs for and fears, as that intimacy also makes her vulnerable. 

Clarissa continues to be affected by her memory of Peter. She thinks of him the morning of her party, when she believes he is still in India and hasn't seen him for many years, wondering what it would have been like to marry him. When he visits her, unannounced, that afternoon, she thinks to herself, "Now of course... he's enchanting! perfectly enchanting!", before becoming annoyed at him again, and then becoming emotional when he tells her that he's going to marry a woman he met in India. 

Peter, similarly, continues to be affected by his memory of Clarissa. He revisits in his mind the moment when he first saw her together with Richard Dalloway, and he had the "sudden revelation... 'She will marry that man'... He didn't even know his name." When he visits her, he breaks into tears.

What is the theme of "Winter Saturday" by Earle Birney?

The theme of “Winter Saturday” by Earle Birney is unfilled expectations. The poem describes the emergence of folks on a Saturday night during a deep cold winter. They are in search of relief from cabin fever after a snow storm. The author uses the metaphor of caterpillars emerging to go into their cocoons as the people head to their vehicles.

Furred from the farmhouse

like caterpillars from wood

they emerge, the storm blown out,

and find in the Ford their cocoon.

With high expectations for a Saturday night in town, the people make their way from the warmth of their homes. They are dressed up, “furred,” and ready to take over the town for a night. While in town they flutter about like “moths.” Some of them attend movies or go to a local establishment to dance. By the end of the evening, they realize their expectations were not met. Winter still surrounds them as they head home on the cold windy night that portends of more snow.  

But lights fail, time is false,

the town was less than its glow.

What is a vegetarian diet?

Overview

A vegetarian diet has many health benefits and may actually reduce the incidence of some diseases. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) states that properly managed vegetarian diets “are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

The defining characteristic of a vegetarian diet is abstention from meat consumption. There are, however, a number of different types of vegetarian diets, ranging from the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which includes dairy products and eggs, to the vegan diet, which excludes all meats and animal products. The focus here is the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.

Mechanism of Action

A vegetarian diet works through eliminating the consumption of meat products that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, while increasing the intake of high-fiber, cholesterol-free, plant-based foods.

Uses and Applications

The transition to a healthy vegetarian diet can be simple with some education and planning. A healthy vegetarian diet centers on decreasing fat intake and increasing fiber intake. This can be accomplished through emphasizing fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and other legumes, and whole-grain foods that are high in fiber and low in cholesterol and saturated fat. The diet avoids processed foods and refined sugar. A healthy vegetarian diet fulfills all these criteria.

Many nutritionists, however, recommend that a person transition to a vegetarian diet in stages, allowing the body to adjust by substituting a few meat meals each week with vegetarian food. One should start by reducing and eliminating red meat, then gradually eliminating pork, poultry, and fish. A simple way to make the transition is to use readily available soy-based meat substitutes such as tofu, tempeh, and textured vegetable protein, which are high in protein and can have a meat-like texture and taste.

In 2003, the ADA published a set of guidelines for North American vegetarian diets, recommending the following elements:

Whole grains. Six servings per day, including wheat, oatmeal, quinoa, couscous, and rice. Grains provide fiber, iron, and B vitamins. If possible, one should soak grains overnight to increase their digestibility.

Vegetables and fruits. Six servings per day, including carrots, leafy greens, collards, brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts), apples, oranges, and bananas. Brassicas are rich in vitamin C, fiber, and carotenoids. Leafy greens and collards are sources of calcium, protein, and many vitamins, including C and A. Fruits are rich in vitamins B and C and calcium. Fresh vegetables and fruits have the highest vitamin content. One should steam or lightly cook vegetables to maintain higher nutrient value.

Legumes, nuts, and other protein-rich foods. Five servings per day, including beans, peas, soy, nuts, dairy foods, and eggs.

Fats. Two servings per day, including vegetable oils, walnuts, mayonnaise, butter, and margarine.

Calcium-rich foods. Eight servings per day, including milk, cheese, fortified soy and fruit juices, and leafy greens.

Scientific Evidence

Research has shown that people who eat a healthy vegetarian diet weigh less and have lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of many diseases. Research also has shown that this diet can reverse the effects of atherosclerosis. The risk of men contracting prostate cancer and women getting breast cancer are almost four times as high for meat eaters, compared with those on a largely vegetarian diet. In addition, a vegetarian diet has been used successfully to treat osteoporosis, arthritis, allergies, asthma, gout, hemorrhoids, kidney stones, premenstrual syndrome, anxiety, and depression. A 2000 study of members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (who practice a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet) indicated that these members live, on average, two years longer than persons on a meat-based diet.

In 2014, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: Internal Medicine confirmed the connection between vegetarianism and lower blood pressure through a new meta-analysis of all previous studies conducted on the subject. The researchers reported that their analysis suggested that a vegetarian diet is about half as strong as taking medication in terms of keeping blood pressure down. Neal Barnard, one of the lead researchers of the study, also stated that he believes those who consume meat and subsequently animal fat have higher blood viscosity that leads to higher blood pressure.

Safety Issues

A well-planned vegetarian diet is a healthy and safe diet; however, vegetarians need to be aware of particular nutrients that may be lacking in diets without meat. These nutrients include protein, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and N-3 fatty acids. It is possible to get these nutrients from plant-based foods, but they are not as abundant as in animal-based foods. To reap the benefits of a vegetarian diet, it is important to eat a diverse mix of whole grains, fresh vegetables, fruits, leafy greens, legumes, and nuts and to consciously reduce cholesterol and saturated fat intake by limiting dairy, eggs, and high-fat foods.

Animal-based proteins are complete proteins but are high in cholesterol. Research has shown that plant sources can meet the body’s need for protein as long as a variety of plant foods are consumed. Most plant proteins are incomplete, lacking one or more of the essential amino acids. However, vegetarians can easily overcome this lack by combining a variety of complementary plant sources. In general, combining legumes such as beans, soy, and peas with grains such as rice, wheat, and couscous (for example, in beans and rice, hummus and crackers, or peanut butter and bread) forms a complete protein.

Those vegetarians who regularly eat eggs and dairy foods get adequate amounts of vitamin B12
, yet the ADA recommends regular B12 supplements or foods fortified with B12. Vitamin A requirements can be met through eating carrots, leafy greens, or fruits (such as apricots, mangos, and pumpkins) that are rich in beta-carotene or by taking supplements. Vegetarians can get adequate amounts of vitamin D through regular exposure to the sun, by eating fortified foods, and by taking supplements.

Calcium is readily obtained by eating enriched soy products, nuts, legumes, dairy, and dark green vegetables such as broccoli and kale. Iron is available in raisins, legumes, tofu, potatoes, and leafy greens. Iron is absorbed more efficiently in the body if iron-rich foods are combined with those containing vitamin C, such as oranges, apples, and tomatoes. Zinc is abundant in pumpkin seeds, legumes, peas, lentils, whole grains, and soy products.

Vegetarians need to get adequate amounts of N-3 or omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetarian diets tend to be high in N-6 fatty acids but low in N-3 fatty acids (found in abundance in seafood and in some plants and nut oils). The body needs a balance of both. Vegetarian sources of N-3 fats include soy, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds. Flaxseed oil is particularly rich in these fats.

Bibliography

Freston, Kathy. "Why Do Vegetarians Live Longer?" Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

Hagler, Louise, and Dorothy R. Bates, eds. The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook. 2nd ed. Summertown: Book, 1989. Print.

Hamblin, James. "Vegetarians and Their Superior Blood." Atlantic. Atlantic Media Group, 24 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

“A New Food Guide for North American Vegetarians.” Available at http://www.metabolicdiet.com/pdfs/veg_food_guide.pdf. Outlines the basics of a balanced and healthy vegetarian diet.

Whoriskey, Peter. "Is a Vegetarian Diet Really Better for the Environment? Science Takes Aim at the Conventional Wisdom." Washington Post. Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

What does Winnie see in the woods that causes the Tucks to kidnap her?

The Tucks kidnap Winnie because she's seen their immortality-granting water source in the woods.

In Chapter 5, Winnie sees Jesse Tuck drink from the spurt of water in the forest that he tries to keep hidden. It is this secret source of water—which we find out later gives eternal life to whoever drinks it—that nobody outside of the Tuck family was supposed to see, but Winnie saw it. When Mae Tuck walks up to Winnie and Jesse near the end of Chapter 5 and realizes what has happened, she places her hand over her heart, her expression becomes "bleak," and she tells her family: "The worst is happening at last." She means someone — Winnie — found out her family's secret.

As Chapter 6 opens, the Tuck family kidnaps Winnie. They're desperate to protect their secret, so they whisk her off her feet onto the horse, carrying her deeper into the forest.

Winnie, who doesn't even realize that the spurt of water was such a big deal, finds the experience very strange, especially considering how her kidnappers are now pleading with her not to be scared and promising they'll soon explain why they're taking her. She'd always imagined instead that if she were to be kidnapped, it would be by rough, ugly people, and she would be the one pleading. 

How can I better understand Part Two of The Book Thief?

Part Two of The Book Thief truly cements the meaning behind the title. I can understand why it is difficult to understand this part because, just like in many parts of this book, Death does not tell his tale chronologically. First, Death tells us what happens at the end of Part Two: Liesel steals a book set on fire by the Nazis. Death then returns to events before the Christmas holidays in order to tell the story in full.

Hans continues to teach Liesel to read and gives Liesel two more books for Christmas: Faust the Dog and The Lighthouse. Unfortunately, things get a bit harder for the Hubermanns after the Christmas holidays. Money is tight. Rosa loses most of her clients in the area because people can no longer afford for someone else to do their laundry. At the same time, Liesel grows lonely for her mother. Hans is so upset by Liesel’s sadness about her mother that he forges a letter.

Things get fairly grim as Hitler’s birthday approaches. The Hubermanns cannot find their flag. Hans worries this will be enough to place him under arrest. Soldiers patrol the streets. The Hubermanns' son arrives and accuses Hans of never supporting the Nazis. Liesel finally attends a Hitler Youth meeting, but is disgusted when she realizes that it is Hitler that may have made her lose her own mother. Liesel witnesses a book-burning ceremony by the Nazis and sees a book left almost untouched in the ashes. Leisel steals this book, which is called The Shoulder Shrug.

How does Shakespeare use language to portray the fairies within A Midsummer Night's Dream?

Shakespeare uses rich, lyrical imagery in A Midsummer's Night Dream to accentuate the differences between the magical fairies and mere mortals. He has to employ poetic language to do this, because the fairies inevitability would have been played by humans. All the same, Shakespeare asks us to suspend our disbelief and use our imaginations to see the fairies as he does, mustering all his powers of description and using poetry to seduce us into seeing what his mind's eye sees.

In Act II, scene 1, for example, a fairy uses rhyming verse--brier/fire, queen/green, where/sphere-- to describes the fanciful world of the fairy kingdom, in which the fairies, who can fly, traverse the earth faster than the moon can orbit it and fly through flood and fire. The spots or freckles on the flowers are fairy rubies, which give the flowers their sweet scent:

Thorough flood, thorough fire.

I do wander everywhere

Swifter than the moon’s sphere ...

Those be rubies, fairy favors.

In those freckles live their savors.

Shakespeare also communicates that the fairies are often tiny, describing how the "little elves [fairies]" hide in acorn shells when Oberon is angry:

Creep into acorn cups and hide them there.

This vivid image of frightened fairies cowering in acorn shells conveys more forcefully to us how tiny the fairies are than simply saying they are small. 

Fairies can cause mischief that upset humans and this too is conveyed in rhyme and using rich images that paint a word picture: fairies sometimes steal (skim) the cream from the milk and frustrate housewives by preventing their milk from turning to butter:

Skim milk, and sometimes labor in the quern

And bootless make the breathless housewife churn

Bootless and breathless both begin with "b," creating alliteration in this line. Playgoers can visualize the breathless housewife churning and churning, her hard labor coming to nothing because of fairy mischief.

These are just a few examples of Shakespeare's lush imagery around the fairies, and I would advise looking in acts two and three, scenes one and two of both acts, for more of Shakespeare's description of these magical creatures who can fly off to sit by the river Ganges in India before returning home to England in the same day, who can fit into acorns and flowers and who flit about doing good and ill to humans. The queen and king of the fairies even influence the weather with their moods, which is richly described.