Thomas deliberately creates a strategy to provoke and support his idea to the reader's curiosity by using examples from the simplest forms of life to the more complex, we humans. ... In the next paragraph he describes a near death experience that occurred to Montaigne. ... The story becomes more emotional as he begins to describe in detail how Montaigne remembered the episode, despite having been "dead, for two hours." ... To complete, he is also vivid with his ideas that make us think a bit more about death and pain. ...

• Word Count: 824
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Nearly 70 years after Erasmus wrote about the importance of studying the classics and the Latin language, Erasmus" ideas were challenged by Michel de Montaigne, a French essayist and politician. In Montaigne's essay "Of Presumption," he criticized the educational system because it focused on becoming learned, rather than becoming "good and wise." ...

• Word Count: 1240
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Graduate