Discover words and books and the place they've made in history through
the lives of amazing characters.

Shakespeare
Quotes:         
           "Simply, the thing that I am, shall make me live." (Alysia, Gr 7)

           "You have a quick wit, but yet it cannot overtake your slow purse."
             (Cooper, Gr 5)
    

Cleopatra
The Library of Alexandria, Egypt   
           Cleopatra of Egypt owned an amazing library.  The Library of Alexandria
contained over 700 000 books and scrolls, had 100 librarians and was the
greatest collection of literature in history. Cleopatra and Julius Ceasar met and
fell in love. But in a battle with other Egyptian rulers, Ceasar attacked
Alexandria and set fire to Egypt's harbour and powerful fleet. What is still
considered a mystery, the Library of Alexandria was also burned to ashes,
perhaps by accident.  The library contained very important books, including
the works of Plato and Socrates, great thinkers of their time.  This destruction
has erased our knowledge of Egyptian history.  Later on, Cleopatra married
Mark Antony who presented her with 200 000 scrolls as a wedding gift, in hope
of replacing her pride and joy, the Library of Alexandria.
(Emily, Gr 6 and Georgia, Gr 6)

Churchill
Quote: "All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single
            words:  freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."
        
          Sir Winston Churchill will always be remembered for his leadership as
prime minister of England during World War II.  But people will also never
forget his sophisticated language.  When asked why he spoke so well, he
laughed and said, "because I failed every English class as a boy."  In his
later years he went back to painting and writing.  Although he died on
January 24, 1965, his amazing style of language will never be forgotten. 
(Thomas, Gr 7)

Homer
       The Iliad and Odyssey are two books over a thousand years old written
by the Greek poet Homer.  One of the amazing things about him is that
historians haven't found any solid evidence that he actually exists, and that
maybe Homer is a figure used to represent a group of poets.  Another
surprising thing about him is that in the Iliad, a Greek army builds a hollow
wooden horse called the Trojan horse. Unfortunately, we can't replicate the
horse because the knowledge has been lost over the centuries.  The man
Homer and the poems he left behind will never be forgotten. Ancient Greeks
memorized and recited the poems regularly. These epic poems are the
origins of the whole of Western literature.  The same themes define our
world today. 
(Thomas, Gr 7, 2008)

Socrates