Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. "The Casbah Gate" depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, "Bright Lights Paraphrase

Read the excerpt from rena's promise: two sisters in auschwitz. “i have a favor to ask of you, andrzej . . this is very difficult for me, but i must ask. it is no longer safe in tylicz for rena. her mother and i are worried for her safety every day.” “i heard what happened last night, mr. kornreich. i understand your concern.” “i have no money to pay you for this favor.” “sir, i would not take any money from you. she is my friend since childhood. i will do whatever you ask to your daughter.” “ you.” papa paused, stroking his chin where his beard should have been. “you seem like a man of your word. if you would bring rena across the border to slovakia, her mother and i might find sleep at night.” which best summarizes the excerpt? although he does not trust andrzej, rena’s father fears for his daughter’s life and finally agrees to leave her with him. slovakia is the only safe place for the jews of europe, and andrzej has agreed to take rena there. rena’s father asks andrzej to take her to safety in slovakia, and he agrees to do so. after much deliberation, rena’s father pays a polish man to take her safely across the border to slovakia. mark this and return