Our world is filled with quotations that bring us insight, provide an interesting thought, or give an important perspective. Take a moment to consider the quotations listed in the prompt. Choose one. In a short paragraph, explain your interpretation of the quotation. Consider these questions: What does this quotation mean to you?
Why do you think the author wrote it?
Be sure to use specific examples or textual evidence from research, the readings in this class, or your own experiences and knowledge.

Prompt:

Topic 1: In the article “Housing Secretary Ben Carson Clarifies Comment That Poverty Is a ‘State of Mind,’” author Pam Fessler quotes Ben Carson, who says this:

What I said is that it is a factor. A part of poverty can be the state of mind. People tend to approach things differently, based on their frame of mind.

Topic 2: In the article “Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail,” author Angel B. Perez writes this:

Colleges respond to culture shifts, and admission officers are digging deeper to find out who students really are outside of their trophies, medals, and test scores. We get the most excited when we read an application that seems real. It’s so rare to hear stories of defeat and triumph that when we do, we cheer.

in the quotation from passage, connie willis states that literature is a way for authors from the past to communicate with readers of today. we can read their stories, books, and other texts to learn lessons about life. willis refers to these lessons as messages “from beyond the grave.” willis has a favorable viewpoint about the timelessness of literature.

answer: the correct answer is that he still ridicules people that look different.

explanation: in "the nose"   by nikolai gogol, the author sets up a satirical view of russian society. the book is divided into three parts and tells the story of collegiate assessor ('major') kovalyov, who gets up one morning without his nose. he later finds out that his nose has developed a life by itself, and has apparently surpassed him by attaining the rank of state councillor. the short story showcases the obsession with social rank that plagued russia after peter the great introduced the table of ranks. by allowing commoners to attain hereditary nobility through service to the state, a large population was given the chance to move up in social status. this opportunity, however, also gave way to large bureaucracies, in which many of gogol's characters worked.

it was the fourth thursday of november and cassey headed down to the woods to pick up the mushrooms mother had told her to to complement the turkey the family was going to have as they did every day.

she usually sweapt the floors and went for water, but today that task was asked to her younger sister since matthew, the only boy, had gone to the town with father in order to find cheap fabrics to make clothes.

the shoe business was not being as profitable as before, so they had decided to make clothes to sell in the village.

today there would not be time to play with mary, her neighbour and friend, to play to be still in water, a game that was not only part of the fun in the village, but also very useful if there happened to be an acciddent when she had to cross the shore by boat, as she had to at least twice a week to visit grandma.

bored and uninterested in the task she had been imposed to do, cassey started to pull up the best mushrooms she could see. suddenly, something hard was found by her tender fingers. she couldn't believe her eyes: a gold ring crowned by a diamond appeared between her fragile fingers

before she had time to think what to do, a deep voice spoke at her back.

- i heard your mum asking you to pick up mushrooms for the turkey - said her beloved tom - would you collect mushrooms for me next day?

- yes, sure. are you planning to invite someone important? - cassey asked.

- of course. i'm planning to invite two families, mine and my wife's. will you marry me? - tom asked on his knees.

cassey looked at the ring, then at tom, and she felt the moisture in her eyes. she hugged him, kissed him and in those simple actions the answer of her life was implied.