Even though he was still far off we could make out the appearance of a boy we had known from our neighborhood. ... By this time everything my friends were saying was just background noise. ... The background noise that was the voices of my friends faded away even more as I remembered a few years ago, when I was still in middle school. ... As John was nearly upon us now, the air came out of my lungs as I did yell. ... I would never fall into the trap of becoming someone that would cause the type of pain to another person that others had caused to me. ...

• Word Count: 1058
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

One writer that especially stands out from any other is Washington Irving. ... Irving's background as a native New Yorker helped him write A History of New York about Dutch immigrants living in early New York. ... He begins to fall in love with a local girl, Katrina Van Tassel. ... When Rip goes home, he finds out that he has missed the entire American revolution. ... Irving stands out among all other writers of the romantic era for these reasons....

• Word Count: 1020
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School