“To say ‘I love you’ one must first be able to say the ‘I.’ ” ~~ Ayn Rand
Submitted by Amit Kumar.
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“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” ~~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Submitted by samuel udoh.
“Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.” ~~ Jean Luc Picard
Submitted by Sunita.
SUMMARY: Rudyard Kipling (30 December 1865-18 January 1936) Rudyard Kipling is the author of The Jungle Book among other stories.
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There are many stories that stand out in British culture but one of the stories that is highly favored is The Jungle Book. This iconic story was written by Rudyard Kipling in 1894. Rudyard Kipling is the author of many different stories and was also the recipient of the Nobel Prize of literature in 1907.
Born in 1865 Joseph Rudyard Kipling had an impressive upbringing as he was born in Bombay but was later sent to live in England. The stories that Kipling was able to tell often brought in stories of British soldiers in India, poems of Britain, and of course the many stories and tales that he wrote for children.
When Kipling wrote The Jungle Book, the tale of adventure immediately was a success. The Jungle Book was actually a collection of several short stories like Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. He was a master of short stories and was able to create unique works like The Man Who Would be King. Not only could Kipling tell a story in a few short pages he was also well-known for his poetry works like the poems Mandalay and Gunga Din and “If—” .The children’s books he wrote and his ability create short stories still reign supreme and he remains one of the innovators of short stories.
Rudyard Kipling was one of English writers that was able to captivate everyone around him with his complex personality and intelligence. Through the late 19th century and the early 20th century, Kipling was among one of the most popular authors of all time. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1907 at the age of 42, which is still the youngest age of any Nobel Prize in Literature recipient. Rudyard Kipling was also offered and given many awards for his creative writing abilities. There are some awards and honors that he simply turned down as he did not feel they were needed.
During the early part of the 20th century, Kipling was seen as one of the most inspiring and popular authors of all time. His career was continuing to rise and he was given the Nobel Prize and was the first English author to ever be given this prize. The poem “If—” still remains one of the most popular poems in England.
Kipling was very powerful in English literature and culture and was able to help England in their involvement in World War I. Rudyard Kipling ended up writing pamphlets that were used to support the war aims of the United Kingdom and to raise money.
Adding to his icon character, Rudyard Kipling was also actively involved with Freemasonry. Kipling was able to become a freemason in 1885, which was unheard of as minimum age requirement is 21 and he was 6 months shy of this window. When he became a freemason he was first at the Perseverance Lodge in Lahore and became secretary of the lodge and then became an apprentice. As he was able to pass to the degree of Fellow Craft and later to Master Mason, it helped to shape his character. Kipling praised his experienced and loved them so much that he ended up writing a poem entitled The Mother Lodge which briefly shared his love for his Masonic experiences.
Rudyard Kipling was a beloved author and continued to write up until his death. His writing began to slow as he aged and then he eventually passed away in 1936 due to a perforated duodenal ulcer. His body was cremated and his ashes were buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey where other icon authors like Charles Dickens are buried.
SUMMARY: Mahatma Gandhi (2 October 1869-30 January 1948) Gandhi is known for peaceful protests that brought about great change.
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Mahatma Gandhi, also known as Karamchand Gandi, Mahatma or Great Soul, Father of the Nation and Bapu Father Gandhiji, was born on October 2, 1869 and died on January 30, 1948. Mahatma Gandhi helped the Indian independence movement and is considered the father of the great movement. He spent his time in South Africa working to fight discrimination and while there he created his famous concept of Satyagraha. Satyagraha is a non-violent way to protest against injustices. Gandhi spent the last of his years working to remove British rule from India and help raise the poor class.
When Gandhi was 13 years old, he was placed in an arranged marriage and married Kasturba. Gandhi and Kasturba had four sons. Kasturba died in 1944, but supported Gandhi through all of this travels. In September 1888, Gandhi left India at the age of 18 to become a lawyer in Long. He left his wife and newborn son behind while he spent his first three months attempting to make himself into an Englishman. He bought new suits, took French, dance lessons and learned the violin. After the three months ended, Gandhi decided that the extras in life were a waste of time and money. During the next three years in London, Gandhi focused on being a student and lived simple life. On June 10, 1891, after focusing and studying, Gandhi passed bar and moved back to India. Back in India, he practiced law but was unsuccessful and was offered a position in South Africa.
Gandhi arrived in South Africa in May 1893. Once again, he left his family behind in India. During a business trip taken after he arrived in South Africa, Gandhi became resilient to discrimination. On this trip, Gandhi was asked to visit Transvaal province of South Africa. He arrived at the Pietermartizburg train station and was told by railroad officials that he needed to sit in the third class passenger car. Gandhi had already purchased tickets for the first class car and refused to move. He was escorted off the train by police. After talking to other Indians that were living and working in South Africa, he learned they were going through the same experiences. That is when Gandhi decided to fight and change the discriminatory practices.
Over the next twenty years, Gandhi worked in South Africa to better Indians rights. The first three years he educated himself about the Indian laws, grievances, wrote letters to officials and completed petitions. May 22, 1894 the NIC or Natal Indian Congress was established by Gandhi. NIC was created and supported by wealthy Indians, but expanded and accepted any class of Indians. In a short time, Gandhi became a leader for the Indian community and was recognized in newspaper in India and England.
When 1901 arrived, Gandhi decided it was time to leave South Africa and move back to India. Once in India he decided to settle in Bombay (now Mombai) and practice law and politics. He was unable to fulfill that dream. He received a notice that he was needed back in South Africa to fight Joseph Chamberlain who was with the British Colonial Secretary. Joseph Chamberlain was sent to South Africa to gift thirty five million pounds to heal the fight between the British and the Boers. Gandhi tried to move Chamberlain in Natal and was unsuccessful. He followed Chamberlain to Transvaal where the authorities would not let Gandhi in. Gandhi decided to stay and fight for the Indians. He soon had a law office set up in Johannesburg.
In 1906, Gandhi decided to take a vow of celibacy. He takes this vow to better himself and serve his senses. To Gandhi, all of humanity was his family and to protect them, he needed to focus on them.
SUMMARY: Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)
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Edgar Allan Poe was born as Edgar Poe on January 19, 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. His parents were actors Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins and David Poe; a brother Williams Henry and sister Rosalie. His mother died in 1811 and father in 1810. After the death of both his parents, Edgar was moved to the home of Frances and John Allan who were wealthy merchants that lived in Richmond, Virginia. While in school at the University of Virginia, Poe and his foster father John Allan became estranged because of a gambling debt that Poe had. John Allan cut off Poe from the finances that were supporting Poe.
Poe was unable to pay the debts that he had created and could no longer pay to attend the University of Virginia; he enlisted in the United States Army and served for two years. During the previous years and in the United States Army, Poe had written poetry and was able to publish his first book of poetry Tamerlane and Other Poems in 1827. Poe used his personal finances to publish his first book of poetry.
Two years passed before Poe reconciled with his foster father, John Allan. The reconciliation took place to honor Poe’s foster mother who died in 1829 and asked for the reconciliation on her deathbed. The reconciliation was brief, but would help Poe publish his second book in 1829 Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems and Poems. Shortly after Poe moved to Baltimore and moved in with his Aunt Maria Clemm. He would later marry his cousin Virginia Clemm at the age of fourteen. For the next few years, Poe placed his poems in different newspaper and magazine and became recognized by the community.
After Poe and Virginia were married, they moved to New York City. In 1838 Poe published the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. This would be the only completed novel that was written and published by Poe. The novel was full of mystery, cannibalism and murder. After the novel was published, Poe directed his attention back to stories and poems for newspapers and magazines. He started to write his first detective story and it was published in 1841.
The Raven and Other Poems were written in 1845 and is what helped make Poe famous. The book included the poems,
“The Raven”
“Eulalie”
“To Helen”
In 1847, Poe lost his beloved wife Virginia to tuberculosis. She passed away at the age of 24. Devastated by the lost, Poe turned to alcohol and started to be looked down upon by society. A year after the death of Virginia, Poe became engaged to his teenage sweetheart Elmira Royster. In 1849, Poe began to tour and do poetry reading to raise funds to begin his own magazine that would later by called The Stylus.
The death of Edgar Allan Poe is a mystery. He died on October 7, 1949 and was buried at the Old Westminster Burying Ground of Baltimore in an unmarked grave. The unmarked grave was marked with a headstone that has the following inscription:
Ouoth the Raven, Nevermore
Original Burial Place of Edgar Allan Poe
From October 9, 1849 until November 17, 1875
Mrs. Marian Clemm, his Mother-in-Law lies upon his right and Virginia Poe, his wife upon his left. Under the monument erected to him in this cemetery.
The poems and stories that were written by Edgar Allan Poe are those of mystery and despair. The intense writings are what made him famous. He was able to publish his first book of poems at the age of 18. After many books of poems, newspapers and magazines his poems and stories will always be remembered.
SUMMARY: Charles Dickens (7 February 1812-9 June 1870) Charles Dickens is famous for writing several books, among them, A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol.
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Drawing from his own personal experiences, Charles Dickens was able to write some of the greatest literary works of all time. Many of the novels and stories that Charles Dickens have withstood the tests of time and they are still in demand today, which means they have never been out of print. Some of the great literary works that helped to create the legend of Charles Dickens include the following:
- A Tale of Two Cities
- Oliver Twist
- Great Expectations
- A Christmas Carol
- David Copperfield
Many of the stories written by Charles Dickens centered around poverty and the treatment of poor people in England. Charles Dickens grew up in London but he suffered from poverty as his father was jailed for being in debt and Charles Dickens ended up working 2 different jobs to help support his family. Upon the death of his grandmother, Charles Dickens father was granted an inheritance and was release from prison but his mother never called for Charles to come home, leaving Dickens frustrated with his mother and causing part of Dickens frustration and resentment toward women.
Most of the writings that Charles Dickens published were in serial form before they became complete works. Since they were published in serial form, each chapter was engaging and would have a cliffhanger, as this was used to help keep his readers interested and to come back to reading the next chapter. During the time that Dickens was publishing serial works in magazines he was also writing other great stories such as The Old Curiosity Shop, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and A Christmas Carol.
Charles Dickens always hated his name and often used a nickname of Boz. This nickname can be found in a series of short stories that Dickens published in the 1830’s. Dickens has been criticized for being a racist and sexist in many of his writings. Going back to how he grew up, many of the personality traits he picked up through his own life experiences. Often called short tempered and insensitive, Dickens was also unlucky in love as his first real love affair ended when the woman’s parents sent her to school in Paris as a way to get Dickens to stop pursuing her. Later Dickens met and married Catherine Hogarth in 1836. They had a successful marriage for many years as she bore 10 children and Dickens was able to publish several stories. However the marriage was unhappy and the couple ended up separating in 1858.
Dickens not only spent a large amount of time writing in America but he did a lot of philanthropy work in America. He came to America in 1842 and spent a great deal of time giving lectures and raising support for copyright laws in order to protect the works of writers. Dickens returned to England where he started to practice Unitarian Christianity even though he remained Anglican. He continued to travel abroad where he was able to write many stories such as Dombey and Son and also David Copperfield.
Charles Dickens passed away in 1870 and he was buried in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey. Although Charles Dickens may not have been the most pleasant of individuals, the characters that he wrote into his stories remain some of the most iconic and memorable of all time. Charles Dickens will forever be known for his engaging storytelling abilities and his stories continue to remain some of the most popular of all time. The stories like Oliver Twist and also A Christmas Carol remain two of the most successful stories of all time and they have never been out of print.
SUMMARY: Claude Monet (14 November 1840-5 December 1926) Monet is famous for his Water Lilies painting among others.
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Claude Monet is famous for starting Impressionism with his many paintings. Initially he was a landscape painter but eventually moves onto realistic everyday things like water lilies, women in the park, and so on. He liked to focus on color and how light will bring out many different colors of everyday objects. Some of the paintings he is well-known for include trains, haystacks, and even the London skyline. Monet was able to form great friendships with other inspirational and influential painters like Renoir and Pisarro. Because Monet’s paintings were so desirable they were able to sell for a good price, allowing Monet to afford a nice home and to provide a comfortable life for his children.
Monet was born in 1840 to a singer for a mother and a grocer for a father. While his father desired that Monet take over the grocery business, Monet had other plans to pursue art. His love for charcoal drawing and passion for art allowed him to go to Le Havre secondary school of the arts. This was a great learning atmosphere for the up and coming artist as he was able to learn how to draw but was also taught how to use oil paints and was able to create impressive works of art. He became friends with many other artists at the school and may have been able to continue his education but the death of his mother at age 16 caused him to leave the school and move in with his aunt.
Monet’s aunt continued to support his passion for art and he was able to visit Paris and spend some time observing other painters at the Louvre. While he would watch them, he learned new styles of brushstrokes and colors and the impact of light. Fortunately he brought along his painting set with him and he too ended up joining the many other painters at the Louvre and he would sit and paint for hours. Monet ended up making a close friend while painting at the Louvre named Edouard Manet, another important name to art history.
Monet ended up joining the First Regiment of African Light Cavalry in Algeria in 1861 but he only served for 2 years as he had typhoid fever and his aunt helped to get him home to go back to art school. Monet became frustrated with the traditional styles of the schools and he left to become a freelance student of other famous artists like Charles Glevre and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. As he studied with other artists that helped to create the Impressionist art style he was able to learn unique brush stroke patterns along with the impact of light on daily objects. He liked to used broken colors and was eventually able to use real subjects in his paintings.
His wife, Camillie Doncieux was the model for some of his paintings of Camille and The Woman in the Green Dress. Monet’s wife gave birth to their first child shortly after his painting On the Bank of the Siene, Bennecourt was completed.
Monet fled France in 1870 and took his family to England to avoid the Franco-Prussian War. He was able to create impressive landscape paintings at this time and ended up studying other painters. Some of his works were rejected so Monet ended up taking his small family all over from the Netherlands to France where he continued to earn money as an impressionist painter.
Unfortunately for Monet his wife became ill and soon after giving birth to their second child she died at the age of 32. Monet painted her on her deathbed and continued to paint after her death. He was able to sell his paintings for a high cost and was able to have plenty of funds to purchase land in Giverny where he was able to paint Water Lilies. Many of his art has sold for millions of dollars, leaving Monet as one of the most historic painters of all time.
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