You Need These Everyday
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Use Idioms and Enrich Your Vocabulary
# To be over the moon. # An old head in a young shoulder.
To be delighted. Too wise for his age.
# Let your hair down. # My hands are tied.
To relax and have fun. Helpless.
# To be a wet blanket. # Being on the wrong track.
To be a gloomy person. Associating the wrong friends.
# To bring the house down. # Keep your hair on.
To cause great amusement. Remain calm though angry.
# To get into hot water. # Don't get on your high horse with me.
To get into trouble. Don't try to dominate.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Do You Want to Know More About the French Revolution?
The French Revolution in a Nut Shell
History
In 1774,Louis the 16th became king of France.He succeeded his grandfatherLouis the 15th and at the age of twenty he had become one of the most powerful
men in Europe.Yet, before the end of the century,this system of government was
to be swept away for ever in a bloody revolution.Louis lost both his crown and
his head.
The Government Before the Revolution
-The First Estate - priests,bishops,monks and nuns who worked for the
Catholic Church.
-The Second Estate -the nobility
-The Third Estate- poor peasants,the rich middle class,towns people
(lawyers,merchants etc.they called the "bourgeoisie"}
The first two estates had many privileges,they paid fewer taxes,though they
were the richest.The great bulk of taxes were paid by the French town
people and the peasants.
The Plight of the Peasants
Though the peasants were by far the biggest group in the French society,
they were the least privileged.They lived under a feudal system that remained
from the Middle Ages.
- they farmed land owned by members of the nobility
- every year they had to give part of their harvest to their lord
- they had to grind their corn at their lord s mill,press their grapes at his
wine- press and bake their bread in his oven,all at a PRICE!
- they had to do unpaid work to maintain local roads and bridges.
The Third Estate Discontented
Life was hard to the peasants and the middle class.The towns people were
unhappy too.They were envious of the nobility s privileges.Not only the
nobles paid fewer taxes,but all the senior jobs in the Army,Navy and church
were reserved for nobleman.
The Fall of the King
Slowly but surely,Louis s government headed towards bankruptcy
The king,the queen,an Austrian Princess called Marie Antionette and
many wealthy nobles lived lives of recklace luxury in the magnificient
Palace of Versailles about ten kilometers outside Paris.They spent the
most of the nation s wealth.
The National Assembly
By the year 1789 food was in short supply, and riots broke out across
the country.Angry demonstrates filled the streets of Paris.Army barracks
were looted for weapons,the Third Estate got the control of the country
to their hand.The king was no longer in control of the country.The Royal
family tried to escape from Paris to the north-east frontier of France.
They traveled in disguise for twenty four hours,but were recognized at
the village of Varennes and sent back to Paris.The Royal family was
imprisoned in 1792.The victorious Revolutionary Committee declared
it self the new "Commune"or the "Town Council",of Paris.
A New Machine Introduced
"The Guillotine"a new machine was introduced for beheading criminals.
It was a popular spectacle at that time.
Louis was beheaded on the 21 January 1793
Marie Antionette in October
Bibliography
Pratt Stephen - The French Revolution and Napoleon
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Friday, September 18, 2015
The Best Anybody Ever Said
Quotes to Remember
"He who wants the rose must respect the thorn."
A Persian Proverb
"Pride is the mask of a persons own faults.
A Jewish Proverb
"Self confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings."
Samuel Johnson
"I am a slow walker,but l never walk back.
Abraham Lincoln
Thursday, September 17, 2015
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