Non-fiction!

1. "The Philosophy of Composition" by Edgar Alan Poe

''The death ... of a beautiful woman, is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world."

I think this quote really goes well with Poe's style of writing and his ideas. He is known for the many stories about death and disaster, so this quote talks about his favorite subject. Poe is stating how beautiful the idea of death is and how poetic it is. He loves death!

2. "How Schools Fail Democracy" by E.D. Hirsch

"For American English is not a purely formal system. Proficiency in its use requires possession of widely shared background knowledge."

I really like this quote because it tells of how we need to be well-rounded in our educations. I think this is very important. We can't be knowledgeable in the world if we've only been taught one subject, or a strict version of a subject. This applies to reading and writing. We need to have background knowledge to be able to have sophisticated conversation.

3. "The Strenuous Life" by Theodore Roosevelt

"A life of slothful ease, a life of that peace which springs merely from lack either of desire or of power to strive after great things, is as little worthy of a nation as of an individual."

This is a great quote. I agree with the fact that we shouldn't be lazy or "slothful." It won't get us anywhere in life at all. We should always be productive and striving to be better. We should desire to do more and achieve more.

4. "Of Studies" by Francis Bacon

"To spend too much time in studies is sloth…”

At first I did not agree with this quote. I thought it was stupid to not want to study more and learn more. Now, though, I agree with this. You should always be learning but not too much time should be put into studying. You should be a well-rounded person and experience all you can experience. You might be wasting your time studying too much.

5. "Rules by Which..." by Benjamin Franklin

"In the first Place, Gentlemen, you are to consider, that a great Empire, like a great Cake, is most easily diminished at the Edges."

This quote is basically telling them that the provinces of their country around the edges will be the first gone. Those are the easiest places to get rid of first. Franklin is basically making fun of the British because that is what was currently happening. The British were losing their outside provinces. Benjamin Franklin is saying they should not let this happen.