What are two lines in which personification is used to give human traits to the Happylife Home operating system in "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury?

Two different passages that contain personification as it relates to the Happylife Home are the following:

1. They walked down the hall of their soundproofed Happylife Home, ...this house which clothed and fed and rocked them to sleep and played and sang and was good to them.
   


2. "...the whole damn house dies as of here and now"

In the second example, Peter's father thinks of the house as alive because he says, "...the whole damn house dies as of here and now" as he shuts off various machines throughout the house, as well as the nursery.

This use of personification by Bradbury underscores his theme of the dangers of technology. By becoming too dependent upon machinery and other non-human sources, man risks becoming alienated from others. And, certainly, too much attention to technology mitigates emotional involvement with others.

What do the opening descriptions of Marlow compare him to, an angel, Jesus, Buddha, or Neptune?

The answer to this question can be found in one of Conrad's descriptions early on in the novel:

...[Marlow] began again, lifting one arm from the elbow, the palm of the hand outwards, so that, with his legs folded before him, he had the pose of a Buddha preaching in European clothes and without a lotus flower... (10)

As you can see, Conrad very obviously compares Marlow to the Buddha. This comparison is significant because it sets him apart from Christianity, which, for most of the English sailors listening to his tale, would be the most familiar religious culture of the day. In this way, Conrad very subtly identifies Marlow as an outsider. Even more importantly, he identifies him as an "enlightened" outsider, one who sees into the true nature of things, as the Buddha is traditionally conceived to be an enlightened and wise being who studies the complex threads of existence. Thus, through this small and seemingly simple description, the astoundingly dense nature of Conrad's writing becomes apparent, as he's able to convey immense amounts of meaning within the span of a single sentence. 

When you are comparing species richness between two types of land management, how do you determine which is better? Can you measure the mean and...

It really depends on what you're trying to determine.

The t-test would make sense if you have some species richness estimates for plan A and plan B which have means and standard errors attached, and this is the question you're trying to ask: "Will plan A most likely result in more mean species richness than plan B?"

But maybe you're not as worried about mean species richness; maybe you are risk-averse, and one plan is riskier than others. In that case you'd want to maximize expected utility where you have some utility function defined over species richness (maybe log of richness or something like that). That might mean taking the plan that has a lower mean but also a lower standard error.

Also, the t-test only works if you're only comparing two options. To compare 3 or more options, use ANOVA.

During the Civil War, what were the technology strengths and weaknesses of the Confederacy?

From a technological standpoint, the Confederacy had more disadvantages than advantages. A major disadvantage, particularly relevant in warfare, was the lack of industrial capacity. The South had only 20% of the manufacturing capacity of the entire United States. This was important because it was more difficult for the Confederacy to equip and arm its military. Because the South lacked vital industries, it was difficult to produce cannons, rifles, and other weapons. The South also lacked a viable transportation infrastructure and only had a fraction of the rail lines of the North. These major disadvantages with regards to manufacturing and transportation would eventually turn the tide of the war in favor of the Union.

As for innovation in weaponry, the Union had a remarkable advantage. During the course of the war, the Union utilized repeating rifles, ironclad warships, and balloons for reconnaissance. The one technological innovation that the Confederacy used was the submarine. The South used the submarine in an attempt to break the suffocating blockade of the ports in the South.  That was one of the few technological advantages of the Confederate States of America.  

Who is the speaker of “Dover Beach”? Is it Matthew Arnold or a character he created? What type of person do you think the speaker is?

While the speaker and his companion could be any two English lovers, it is supposed by many that the speaker of "Dover Beach" is the poet himself, Matthew Arnold, who, with his new wife, spent their honeymoon at the Straits of Dover near the time of the poem's writing (1851).

It seems apparent in this dramatic monologue, though, that the speaker is pensive and troubled as he gazes out to "where the sea meets the moon-blanched land." He hears the "grating roar" of the sea as the pebbles of the beach are flung back by the sea's new waves after having been pulled off the beach. As he recalls how Sophocles heard in the sea's "tremulous cadence" the ebb and flow of "human misery," the speaker may well be anxious about how the societal changes made with the Industrial Revolution may affect English society.

In the fourth stanza, it is clear that the speaker is disturbed about the "Sea of Faith" which sounds 

Its melancholy, long withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Thus, challenges to traditional religious beliefs wrought by new evolutionary theories, as well as the social ills of industrialization that beset England seem reflected in the speaker's contemplation of the ebb and flow of the sea and the melancholy mood that the sea creates.

In the following sentence from Lyddie by Katherine Paterson, what does the word ravenous mean? What does this sentence show about Lyddie's...

“Ravenous” in this context means really wanting something.

The word “ravenous” means very hungry.  This might be a literal hunger.  You might be ravenous after you have been running around all day without eating.  However, it can also be used figuratively, to mean that you really want something.  This is the way Lyddie uses it.

Lyddie has never really been to school.  This does not mean she wants to be uneducated.  She just never had a chance because she was always taking care of everyone at home.  Her mother was too unstable.

When Lyddie gets her job at the factory, she makes friends with the other girls at the boarding house.  She particularly enjoys it when Betsy reads to her from Oliver Twist.

She fought sleep, ravenous for every word. She had not had any appetite for the bountiful meal downstairs, but now she was feeling a hunger she knew nothing about. She had to know what would happen to little Oliver. (Ch. 10) 

Betsy tells Lyddie that she met Charles Dickens once when he visited her factory.  She does not want to hear that story.  She wants Betsy to read more.  She is not interested in the author.  She wants to know what happens to Oliver. 

Lyddie has a hunger for learning, as if the books could really nourish her.  She is feeding her mind rather than her body.  The story appeals to Lyddie because she feels like she has been orphaned and had a hard life too.  She hangs on every word because she can’t wait to find out what happens. 

Lyddie uses this book to teach herself how to read and write more proficiently.  She values the book both for its story and for the fact that she is improving her education.  When she writes letters, she checks her spelling and grammar against the book.

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson. 

Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him. 

Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law. 

“Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till the truth’s told.”

Atticus’s voice was even. “And you know what the truth is.” (Ch. 15) 

Then the children see Atticus come out with “a long electrical extension cord” with “a light bulb on the end” and he tells them he is going out for a while.  The children go out after him, and when he is not at his office they find him in front of the jail. 

A long extension cord ran between the bars of a second-floor window and down the side of the building. In the light from its bare bulb, Atticus was sitting propped against the front door. He was sitting in one of his office chairs, and he was reading, oblivious of the nightbugs dancing over his head. (Ch. 15) 

When the Cunninghams come, Atticus stands his ground.  They tell him that they sent Sherriff Tate off on a “snipe hunt” and he can’t protect Atticus.  Atticus refuses to back down.  He knows that this is just a mob of drunk men.  Scout, ironically, is the one who gets them to disperse.  She strikes up a friendly conversation with Walter Cunningham’s father, and the men come to their senses.