What familiar face did Scout find in the hostile mob? How did her conversation with that person relieve the tension?

Scout was concerned when the mob approached her father outside of the jail.  She spotted a face she knew in the mob.  Fearlessly, she spoke to the man.  It was Walter Cunningham, Sr.  He was the father of Walter, a boy in her class at school.

In a friendly manner, Scout greeted Mr. Cunningham.  She asked him about his entailment, which was a legal matter Atticus had assisted him with.  Mr. Cunningham did not answer at first.  He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, as if he were uncomfortable.  Scout did not give up.  She asked Mr. Cunningham if he remembered her.  Then she mentioned his son, Walter.  She reminded Mr. Cunningham that Walter was in her class at school.  Mr. Cunningham nodded and Scout continued:

"He's in my grade," I said, "and he does right well.  He's a good boy," I added, "a real nice boy.  We brought him home for dinner one time.  Maybe he told you about me, I beat him up one time but he was real nice about it.  Tell him hey for me, won't you?" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 15)

Scout kept talking.  She did so until Mr. Cunningham "squatted down and took [her] by both shoulders.  Her promised to pass her greetings along to his son.  Then he stood up and told the mob to disperse.  They all left.

Mr. Cunningham had confronted Atticus in anger.  Scout's persistent friendliness and warmth had broken through that anger.  He saw Atticus as a father to Scout, and not just as a man who he was angry with.  His conversation with Scout caused him to examine his actions.

How is Crake seen as a God in Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood?

The character of Crake, who is also Snowman's (Jimmy's) childhood friend Glenn, is heralded as a God-like being to the Crakers, the genetically altered species of humans that Crake bio-engineered. The reason Crake is depicted as their God is because Snowman answers various questions the Crakers have about the world. When they ask about where they come from, Snowman describes Crake, who takes on many of the same attributes as God in Christian theology, such as being all-seeing and all-powerful, being in the sky, and speaking through messengers to the people, in this case Snowman.

It is important to note that Crake himself was against religion and wanted to eliminate these systems of belief in creating his new generation of humans. However, the natural desire to know where you come from comes from the Crakers, who ask Snowman questions repeatedly. These stories about Crake being a God-like figure are a depiction that Snowman creates, and Crake is in fact just a human. He is, however, their creator and holds the same place and commands the same respect as a God figure.

The depiction of Crake as a God-like figure is extremely ironic on the part of Snowman, since Snowman knows Crake's aversion to religion and his desire to engineer it out of the Crakers. Crake himself said that "God is a cluster of neurons," indicating that he believes more in science than religion.  Crake was also resistant to the way institutions such as churches utilized religions for their own gain, as exemplified with the quote "Nature is to zoos as God is to churches." Therefore, the depiction of Crake as a God-like figure by Snowman, and the Crakers' firm belief in this truth, is an ironic retort to Glenn by Jimmy.

What are weight loss medications?

Indications and Procedures

By the mid-1990’s, several drugs had come onto the market showing promise in helping people achieve weight loss. The most widely sought and prescribed of these were Fen-Phen (combining serotonergic fenfluramine and amphetamine-like phentermine) and Redux (dexfenfluramine, with similar properties and actions to fenfluramine). Fen-Phen inhibited the brain’s utilization of the neurochemical serotonin, which acts on the brain’s appetite control center in the hypothalamus, and suppressed appetite directly, much as traditional over-the-counter diet pills do. Other drugs, less widely used, included phentermine, mazindol, and fluoxetine.

The hope and early evidence were that these medications would produce improved cardiac function, cholesterol and triglyceride profiles, blood sugar concentrations, and blood pressure; assist in the treatment of bulimia; and reduce weight in the obese and prevent weight gain in those at high risk for it, such as individuals who recently have quit smoking. The drugs were intended to assist those with morbid obesity, obese persons with serious medical conditions, and obese persons who had failed to manage their weight using more conservative nutritional and behavioral methods. At no point did researchers intend the medications as quick fixes for those unwilling to exercise or unwilling to change their eating habits. Nevertheless, many physicians prescribed them to patients who were not significantly obese or who were merely overweight.

Uses and Complications

Multiple studies across many different populations have tended to show the same results: Measurable weight loss in those taking the drugs was between 5 and 15 percent, with weight regained one year after patients had stopped taking the drug. The medications had few initial side effects—dry mouth, constipation, and drowsiness being the most common—and were unlikely to become physically addicting.

Health providers across all disciplines were particularly concerned, however, that some patients were coming to rely on these medications as alternatives to the sustained, hard work of developing lifestyle habits of healthy, proportional eating and exercise. In addition, concerns grew over the drugs’ potential to cause neurotoxicity and primary pulmonary hypertension. Fen-Phen, in particular, was responsible for numerous reports of valvular heart
disease and pulmonary hypertension.

Perspective and Prospects

In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew approval of Fen-Phen and Redux for treating obesity, and their marketing and distribution were discontinued. Class-action lawsuits were filed—former Fen-Phen users alone have filed approximately fifty thousand lawsuits against the makers of the drug—and large settlements were reached for those who had used Fen-Phen and other such drugs.

The government then set its sights on dietary products containing ephedra. Manufacturers claimed that ephedra, a botanical source of ephedrine, is a “fat-burning” supplement that could boost energy and enhance athletic performance, but reports began to surface about seizures, strokes, heart attacks, and even deaths in otherwise healthy users. In 2003, the FDA banned the use of ephedra.

Bibliography

Berke, Ethan M., and Nancy E. Morden. “Medical Management of Obesity.” American Family Physician 62, no. 2 (July 15, 2000): 419-427.

Finn, R. “Pharmacotherapy May Help Some Obese Teens.” Internal Medicine News 38, no. 19 (June, 2005): 45.

Marcovitz, Hal. Diet Drugs. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Lucent Books, 2007.

Mitchell, Deborah R., and David Dodson. The Diet Pill Guide: A Consumer’s Book to Prescription and Over-the-Counter Weight-Loss Pills and Supplements. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2002.

Peikin, Steven R. The Complete Book of Diet Drugs: Everything You Need to Know About Today’s Prescription and Over-the-Counter Weight Loss Products. New York: Kensington Books, 2002.

Whelan, S., and T. A. Wadden. “Combining Behavioral and Pharmacological Treatments for Obesity.” Obesity Research 10, no. 6 (June, 2002): 560-574.

In To Kill a Mockingbird how are Jem and Dill affected by racism?

Jem and Dill are shocked and disillusioned by the way Tom Robinson is treated during the trial. First, Dill becomes emotionally overwhelmed by the way Mr. Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney, speaks so condescendingly and disrespectfully to Tom. He becomes so upset that he cries during the trial; so Jem has Scout take Dill outside to calm down. Once they get outside, Scout tries to explain that attorneys have to talk that way because that is their job. Scout even says something very insensitive: "Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro." This shows that Scout does not have the mature perspective that Dill has, yet. Dill responds to her by saying the following:

"I don't care one speck. It ain't right, somehow it ain't right to do 'em that way. Hasn't anybody got any business talkin' like that--it just makes me sick" (199).

Clearly, Dill understands the nastiness behind the way Mr. Gilmer was speaking to Tom Robinson, but he can't articulate it. Dill feels great empathy for Tom because of the racism and prejudice being displayed. He is sickened and cries because of how much it frustrates him to see Tom treated so poorly. 

Jem, on the other hand, understands the ways of attorneys and trials; so, he puts up with Mr. Gilmer's attitude for longer than Dill can. With faith in the justice system, and in Atticus's arguments for the defense, Jem holds onto hope for Tom's acquittal up until the disappointing verdict is read. This is when Jem breaks down and cries. Atticus does his best to explain the nature of racism afterwards--although he doesn't use that word. He tells Jem that a jury of white men simply could not acquit Tom because of a long-standing tradition of prejudice and racism in the South. Jem has such a difficult time accepting this that he never wants to talk about the trial again. For example, when Scout wants to understand the difference between how Hitler treats Jews and the way her teacher, Miss Gates, spoke about African Americans after the trial, Jem explodes as follows:

"Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. 'I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don't you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!'" (247).

Even months after the trial, Jem still isn't ready to face the facts of racism and prejudice--or at least he can't talk about them.

What were the successes and failures of American liberalism in the 1960’s?

The greatest successes of American liberalism in the 1960s have to do with civil rights and with anti-poverty programs.  The greatest failures of American liberalism during that time are connected to the Vietnam War and to the fact that liberalism was unable to prevent the country from splitting on cultural lines.

In some ways, the 1960s were the greatest decade for American liberalism since the New Deal.  The most important thing that liberals accomplished was the increase in racial justice during this decade.  At the beginning of the decade, segregation was legal and prevalent throughout the South.  By 1964, the US Congress passed a law banning racial discrimination in public accommodations in all parts of the country.  The next year, Congress passed another law making it harder for Southern governments to suppress the black vote.  These were monumental accomplishments that most people would credit to liberalism.

President Lyndon Johnson helped push those two civil rights laws through Congress and he is also mainly responsible for the other major accomplishment of American liberalism during this time.  This was the “Great Society” that Johnson pushed for.  Johnson wanted to create a set of government programs that would rid American society of poverty and which would (he thought) improve American society by doing things like guaranteeing medical care to seniors (Medicare) and protecting the environment (many laws, including the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966).

However, American liberalism would not continue to thrive through the end of the decade.  Instead, it foundered, partly from its own successes and partly because of the Vietnam War.  The Vietnam War cost a great deal of money, making it harder for the government to afford Great Society programs.  The war, along with liberal successes, also split the country.  Many conservatives were very unhappy with the changes in American society that they blamed on liberalism.  The anti-war movement and the Counterculture in general appalled traditional Americans, leading them to turn against liberalism.  Because of this, the US started to split by the end of the 1960s.  Those splits are still with us today.  The inability to prevent them from happening is perhaps the greatest failure of American liberalism in the 1960s.

Why does Atticus consider it a sin to kill a mockingbird and not a blue jay?

In Chapter 10, Atticus tells Jem and Scout that they can shoot all the blue jays they want if they can hit them, but it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Scout asks Miss Maudie why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, and Maudie tells her that mockingbirds do nothing but sing joyfully. She also says that mockingbirds don't nest in anybody's corncribs or dig up their gardens. Mockingbirds are essentially innocent beings that do nothing to bother anybody. However, blue jays are notorious for ruining people's gardens and plundering other bird's nests. Blue jays are considered a nuisance which is why Atticus allows his children to shoot them. Metaphorically speaking, mockingbirds represent innocent people like Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Blue jays symbolically represent malicious people like Bob Ewell. Atticus' comment represents his feelings about protecting innocent beings and punishing those who attempt to harm others.

How do I write a narrative story which shows a character through their thoughts? I have to present the character through the language she uses.

A narrative is a story, and can be either fiction or nonfiction. You can use characterization through the narrator and dialogue. Dialogue is conversation between characters. The narrator could include a description of the character’s thoughts. 

Since you are supposed to use the character’s thoughts, a first person narrator might be used. First-person narrators use first-person pronouns such as “I” and “we” to tell their stories. This really makes you feel close to the character.  The main character is not directly characterized by the narrator, though, because they are the same person.  The first-person narrator describing him- or herself is a little biased. For that reason, you might want to use a third-person point of view, which means the story will use third-person pronouns such as "his" or "hers."  That way, you can be inside the character’s head and describe the character’s thoughts, too.

When you talk about characterizing through language, it means we can learn a lot about a character through his or her speech patterns, dialect (local language usage), and vocabulary. We can also learn a lot about a character through how that character interprets the world around him or her. This includes how the character describes the world around him or her.