Essays & Speeches

These study guides analyze powerful words that have shaped and reflected some of the most influential moments in history. Perfect for exploring the power and craft of rhetoric, this collection covers Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments, among many others.

Why I Write

by George Orwell

Publication year 1946

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Art, Politics & Government, Language

Tags Politics & Government, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography

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Why We Can't Wait

by Martin Luther King Jr.

Publication year 1964

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Race & Racism, Black Lives Matter, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government, Biography

Why We Can’t Wait is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s history of the Birmingham protests that took place in 1963 and his effort to explain the aims and goals of the Civil Rights Movement to a national audience. King explores the background of the protests in Birmingham, the importance of nonviolence as the primary approach to protest, how this approach played out in Birmingham, and the aftermath of the protests in an introduction and eight chapters... Read Why We Can't Wait Summary

Wintering

by Katherine May

Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Grief, Femininity, Religion & Spirituality, Mental Health

Tags Psychology, Health, Self-Improvement, Science & Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness

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