Wreaked Havoc

Here is 17-year old Jake’s first summary from the Writing Summaries 3 Email Course.

A Viking ship was a sign to flee in fear when it sailed into view. Viking ships were half- decked, long, low riding vessels of war, with sides laden with shields. At the bow a beautifully carved wooden figure stood. One ship could hold 60 rowers and up to 150 warriors. These ships were weapons on land and also on the sea. They could be easily disguised as merchant ships because they looked similar. Viking ships delivered weapons and warriors effectively. One tactic they used was stretching a chain between two ships. When a vessel would pass over it, Viking warriors would haul the chain in and pull the crippled ship to the side. Overwhelmed by the attack, the fearless Vikings would take the disabled ship for their own. Vikings and their ships wreaked havoc in a variety of ways wherever they sailed.

Nixon’s Deceit

a summary by Jonas, age 15, Writing Foundations Level 1

A special senate committee meticulously investigated the Watergate accusations and effectively revealed its origin. Determined to find the underlying cause of the felony, the impartial agency summoned witnesses from Nixon’s White House staff. Ira Peck, author of A Nation Grows, states that John Dean, a member of Nixon’s staff, candidly relayed information about his meeting with the head of Nixon’s election committee, John Mitchell. Explicitly, the witness announced that Mitchell, and several handsomely remunerated spies, set out to bug the Democratic offices. Dean implicated Nixon, stating that he knew about the cover up efforts and the conspiracy. If the statements Dean boldly and fervently claimed proved true, then President Nixon unlawfully aided in concealing a devious crime and willfully obstructed justice. Later, an anonymous witness revealed the existence of numerous recorded tapes of Mr. Nixon’s White House conversations (366). When the senate committee fervidly demanded that he yield the archival recordings, the President starkly refused to surrender the tapes. Nixon’s lawyers locked horns with the determined senate which spread talk of impeachment throughout America. Due to his refusal to hand over his recordings, Peck states, “Opinion polls showed that a majority of Americans distrusted their president”. Ira Peck concludes that the solicitous Nixon vacillated about whether to continue his term and risk the possibility of impeachment or resign (367). Thus, the tenacious senate committee’s investigations successfully uncovered the source of the Watergate scandal.

Saving Fort Henry

by Lacey, age 12, Online Writing Summaries 3

Elizabeth Zane was a brave young lady who helped save Fort Henry during the summer of 1777. Led by a vicious, blood thirsty man known as Simon Girty, the Indians attacked Fort Henry. Colonel Sheppard, the man in charge of the fort, sent out a group of men to ward off their enemies. They were savagely attacked and killed. This left only a handful of men to defend the defenseless, which were mostly old men, women and young children. They were in desperate need of more gunpowder which was outside the fort. Elizabeth Zane volunteered. She believed that as a woman the Indians would be less likely to attack her. Thus, two soldiers cautiously cracked the gates, just enough for Elizabeth to squeeze through. The Indians were stunned and stood motionless while they watched her walk swiftly across the field and into a house. Thinking she was surrendering as a hostage, they held their fire until she darted from the house with a barrel of gunpowder. Shots rained down on all sides of her, but she was not hit. Serendipitously, the supply of gunpowder held Fort Henry until reinforcements arrived. After the battle, a cheer rose up for Elizabeth as she shyly took her place next to Colonel Sheppard in the courtyard where she was applauded for her courage. To this day, people love to repeat Elizabeth Zane’s story of how she bravely risked her life to save Fort Henry and spared many lives.

A Quest for World Domination

by Rohan, age 12, Online Writing Summaries 2

Napoleon Bonaparte was the omnipotent Emperor of France who attempted to conquer Europe. He became dictator of France after the Reign of Terror. As a general, he led France to many victories. Cunningly, he overcame nearly all European countries as easily as a knife slices butter. He overthrew the Emperors of Russia and Austria. When he captured Moscow, however, the Russians incinerated the city to the ground. The French were forced to retreat. Starving, many of the troops died. The depleted French army was attacked by Austrians, Prussians, and Russians in the Battle of Leipzig in 1814. The French lost, and Napoleon was exiled to island of Elba. He skillfully escaped to France in 1915.Persistant and brave, Napoleon gathered the army one final time to fight the English and the Germans at the battle of Waterloo. France lost the battle, and Napoleon was exiled again to St. Helena where he died after attempting to take over the world.

Volcanic Violence

by Dominic, age 13, Online Writing Summaries 1

Vesuvius was a dark, dormant volcano that burst to life and destroyed the surrounding cities. Pompeii, a sleepy town at the mountain’s base, experienced many minor earthquakes. After numerous intervals for over sixteen years, the earthquakes did ample damage. Finally, on the 24th of August in the year 79, Vesuvius erupted. Some tree-like clouds covered the city with a blanket of darkness, except for lava glowing on the mountain. Buildings were coated with lava from the eruption, and the sea seemed to roll back on itself. An immense cloud enveloped the whole ocean. From the eruption, ashes, smoke, and darkness covered the whole world, it seemed. When the inhabitants of the town finally could see again, the mountain emitted a flash of fire, and everything plunged back into the shadows. After three days of gloom, the light revealed the extent of the destruction. The pollution eclipsed the daylight, and the people couldn’t believe their eyes. Buildings were shrouded with white ashes. The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabie had all been destroyed. Titus, a Roman ruler, sent a force to uncover the cities, but unfortunately the cost was too great, so the cities were forgotten. When Pompeii was found again in 1860, archeologists uncovered over half of the city. Volcanic Vesuvius had molded people in their daily life with lava, darkness, and ashes.

Daring Do

by Tommy, age 14, Online Writing Summaries 3

Nathan Hale was a daring captain who died for the sake of the United Sates of America. The wily Washington wanted the British military plans to protect his miniature army. Courageously, a captain by the name of Nathan Hale accepted this treacherous mission. Nathan boldly, nervously, but openly, walked up to the red coats fort and notified them that he did not believe in war because he followed the unadorned Quaker life. Stealthily, Hale kept his eyes on the British for the next couple weeks recording his observations in Latin so nobody could effortlessly read them. Weeks later Hale gathered up all of his notes and drawings, which he stuffed inside the soles of his shoes. As the hero sat in a tavern, a man entered and conspicuously gazed at Nathan. Anxious to return to the American camp, Hale hastened down to the dock where Washington had arranged for him to be picked up. He was shocked to find a British ship in its place. The next day the young man hung from the limb of a tree. Through his daring espionage, Nathan Hale died to help the United States win the war.

Frozen in Time and Stone

by Toliver, age 15, Online Writing Summaries 1

In 79 AD, an infamous disaster of epic proportion caused mayhem in the Pompeii region. A plethora of warnings like small tremors heralded that something monstrous was going to come to pass, but people ignored the warnings. When venerated Vesuvius violently exploded, tons of ash and lava fell out of the sky. Blocking the sun entirely, a mushroom cloud of ash created total darkness. The only light came from explosions in the darkened sky. Crying out loud to their gods, dismayed denizens of the area were terrified, and some chose to absquatulate. Thousands of people died from noxious gases, mud and lava; some while trying to escape the area and some right where they stood or slept when the disaster hit. When Vesuvius exploded, the aftermath of ash and lava froze Pompeii in stone for eternity.

Bumping Along

by Hannah, 9th grade, Writing Summaries 3 – American History

Despite its time-saving advantage, stagecoach travel was extremely uncomfortable and somewhat dangerous. Before stagecoaches, people who desired to travel walked or took canoes over the water. The time it took to mail a letter and receive a reply from New York to Boston was about one month! After the Revolution, however, the roads became somewhat better, and travel was swifter as stagecoaches operated until the arrival of the speedy railroads. Passengers rode in old shackling carriages pulled by horses with rope harnesses, and each pair of horses pulled the stagecoach for eighteen miles. Nightly, exhausted travelers arrived at an inn around 10 PM, ate a late supper, and slept heavily until they awoke at 2:30 in the morning to continue their journey. Rain or shine, stagecoaches traveled across muddy, bumpy, rutted roads. Often passengers needed to help the driver push the carriage out of a deep hole, rut, or quagmire. Also, they often found it necessary to lean out one side to help the driver keep it upright on rugged rocky terrain. The roads, especially in the South, were terrible, and in the winter, the passengers shivered miserably in the unheated vehicle. Traveling by stagecoach posed many dangerous disadvantages, but it essentially provided everyone with a more efficient method of travel than walking.

Fear Of The World

by Emma, age 10, Online Writing Summaries 1 – Ancient History

Attila the Hun was a cruel, barbarous king who led his army through many battles. When Attila started his reign at age twenty one, he desired to conquer the world and gain power over everyone. Immediately, he gathered an army and marched into Rome. He destroyed cities, captured citizens, and burned villages. Without the Roman emperor, the whole city would have been burned to bits. He offered a peace treaty and stopped the barbarian’s rampage. Attila agreed but not for long because he soon discovered the emperor’s plot to kill him! He returned to war without delay. Finally, the emperor could battle no longer and reluctantly gave Attila a large sum of money and an extensive portion of land. Finding no further reason to keep fighting, Attila drove his troops to Orleans, France, but the French proved much stronger than the Romans. Soon, Attila spied another army in the distance. Behold! The Romans and their new allies, the Visigoths, had arrived to assist the French. Attila finally experienced his first loss. Embarrassed, the “Fear of the World” trudged back home in defeat.

The Preserved Destruction

by Joshua, age 15, Online Writing Summaries 1 – Ancient History

The eruption of Vesuvius was a terrifying massacre that buried three entire towns: Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiæ. The giant first awoke from its slumber in 63 AD when violent earthquakes shook the surrounding area. On the 24th of August of 79 AD, a vicious explosion tore the top of the mighty mountain clean off. Steam and ashes spewed high into the sky. Illuminated by horrifying explosions, a tree-like cloud rose into the air. Soon after, darkness spread throughout the surrounding country in the form of thick, suffocating ashes. Only the glare from each following explosion relieved the somber darkness. One victim, the elder Pliny, was commander of a fleet in Misenum, which was in the same district as the volcano. Being a naturalist, the elder Pliny was extremely interested in the cause of this catastrophe; he ventured too close and as a result lost his life. Horror-stricken and distraught, citizens of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiæ fled in terror, but a number of unlucky Romans were buried alive within their homes. On the fourth day after the catastrophe, many survivors searched somberly for their lost homes and found their once bustling cities had turned to plains of white ashes. A few recovered their most prized possessions; however, thieves reaped a rich harvest. The disaster of the century buried a model of Roman culture for nearly two millennia.