Résultats lu par "Larry G. Jones" dans Toutes les catégories

Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms is an important document in the history of the United States. In it, the Second Continental Congress explained why the Colonies had taken up arms against Britain.

Mark Twain wrote this essay when asked to share something with America’s youth. Though he begins in a serious tone, his advice quickly takes a turn for the satirical: “Always obey your parents, when they are present. This is the best policy in the long run, because if you don’t, they will make you.” In a similar tone, he goes on to address the matters of respecting one’s elders, rising early, lying, handling firearms, and reading books. This essay is a great example of Twain’s infamous satirical wit and an easy entry point for anyone interested in the writer’s nonfiction.

Mark Twain delivered this speech after following a toast made to “the ladies.” In it, he praises women for their contributions both large and small to history and society. “Take any type of woman”, he says, “and you shall find in it something to respect, something to admire, something to love.” From Joan of Arc to Florence Nightingale to his own mother, Twain sings the praises of incredible women everywhere.

Counsels and Maxims is a classic work by noted German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. His work has influenced some of the modern world's greatest thinkers, including Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, and Erwin Schrödinger. This piece was originally translated by Thomas Bailey Saunders.

Poe’s characters often take turns for the worse, and this is the literal case in this shipwreck story by the author. Aboard a ship taking off from Indonesia, the narrator’s ship and crew is struck by a storm that kills everyone but the narrator and one other crewmember. As the ship sales on under the enchantment of the storm, it collides with another seemingly enchanted object - a large black galleon crewed by blind men. The narrator keeps a ship’s log while aboard and is forced to abandon it over the side of the ship with the hopes of someone reading it someday.

The act of dedicating a time to be thankful preceded the Thanksgiving holiday. It even preceded what most think of as the “First Thanksgiving” in Plymouth. This act became an official holiday only after a committee introduced a resolution on the matter to the House and Senate in 1789. President Washington instituted the holiday, stating that it would be “devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”

George Washington gained a reputation for military excellence for his service in the French and Indian War. This experience, combined with his unique situation as a relative outsider, made him an obvious choice to lead the Continental Army. Washington managed to get a ragtag army into fighting form, leading them to victory against all odds. Yet he remained humble; in this acceptance speech, he said, “I am truly sensible of the high Honor done me in this Appointment.... I do not think myself equal to the Command I am honored with.”

Before George Washington was president, he was a great general. He understood not only how to lead men into battle, but also how to keep them fighting when things became bleak. After the brutal Battle of Long Island, Washington wrote to the president of the Continental Congress. In his letter, he described the distressing nature of the situation and how best to maintain an army when morale was low.