It's impossible to think of great literature without thinking of Mark Twain. Many people consider him the best of all American authors. Twain has been more widely read than any American author of his time-except, perhaps, Melville and Poe.
Twain was born in Missouri in 1835. His real name was Samuel Clemens. He changed it when he worked as an apprentice to a pilot on a
Mississippi steamboat. "Mark Twain" is a riverboat term meaning "two fathoms deep." In the 1860s during the Civil War, Twain moved to Nevada,
then California, where he worked as a newspaperman. His writing soon became extremely popular, and he eventually published more than 20
novels and short stories. His humorous stories of small-town life. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, are considered by many critics to be his best
works.
Shortly after he became well known, Twain married Olivia Langdon. They had a rather unhappy marriage since his wife did not always
approve of what he wrote. In 1894, he suffered a complete financial failure. After that, his writing was often filled with despair--so much so, that
Twain ordered that some things not be published until after his death. He died famous, but alone and in debt, in 1910.
Which conclusion is valid, based on the passage?
1. Mark Twain was the greatest American author of the 19th century.
2. Twain's marriage caused his financial failure.
3. Fame did not make Twain's life a happy one.
4. Mark Twain's later works were never published.

()activityconstruct an argument about a topic, theme, or idea that you read about in william shakespeare's romeo and juliet, act ii or act iii. make sure you create a central claim for your argument that is debatable. provide textual evidence from the play to support your argument. my analysis juliet shows maturity by putting their needs before hers. after juliet has arranged her 'death' with friar lawrence, she is an emotionally awoken woman who will do anything to be with the one she loves. "and i will do it without fear or doubt, to live an unstained wife to my sweet love". juliet faces her fears and trusts in god and friar lawrence. she is forced to use trickery in order to stay true to dear romeo. this showed remarkable courage. before she takes the potion she uses a soliloquy that confronts all her fears. she speaks in blank verse showing the seriousness of the situation. when juliet awakes to see a lifeless romeo lying beside her, juliet's maturity and loyalty takes over and she takes the decision to choose eternity over the present. the quotation "then i'll be brief. o happy dagger! this is my sheath; there rust, and let me die." shows the quickness and determination of juliet's death. during the period of a few days juliet matures into a committed and reliable woman and wife, capable of taking decisions without the of others. shakespeare shows this by clearly stating the different stages that happen and by making everything occur in a short period of time. part cwrite a 300-word essay arguing the thesis of your analysis.