McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson CVII · Part 11: Country, sea and the great classics
113. The Virginians (Thackeray)
Goal: Your child describes colonial Virginia plantation life as Thackeray paints it, tells the difference between the twins George and Harry, and talks honestly about how the passage treats enslaved people.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
What's in the book
From Thackeray's novel "The Virginians." A picture of the loyal, hospitable Virginia gentry before the Revolution, then the Esmond household at Castlewood: twin brothers George (quiet and bookish) and Harry (lively and fond of sport), their grandfather's death and grand funeral. The passage describes slavery from the planters' point of view. Definitions and notes follow.
The lesson, step by step
About the author
The book says William Makepeace Thackeray (b. 1811, d. 1863) was an English humorist and novelist born in Calcutta, who first wrote for magazines under the name Michael Angelo Titmarsh. "Vanity Fair" is thought by many his greatest work. He lectured in American cities in 1852 and 1856.
Words and meanings
The words and meanings are printed at the end of the lesson. Read a few together before the reading, so they don't trip your child up:
Patrimonial, inherited from ancestors.
Disaffected, discontented.
Urbanity, civility or courtesy of manners, refinement.
Epitaph, an inscription on a monument, in honor or in memory of the dead.
Your child reads each meaning aloud, then uses the word in a sentence of their own.
Read aloud
Read the lesson aloud together, a few paragraphs at a time. It begins with Virginia:
It was a loyal colony.
and describes the planters this way:
Their hospitality was boundless.
A hard part
Stop at the paragraphs about enslaved people and the boy who is sent to be whipped. Tell your child plainly: the book shows slavery the way the planters saw it, as if it were normal and kindly. It was not; it was a great wrong.
SayHow did George act when the boy was to be punished? What does that show about him?
Talk about it
SayHow were George and Harry different? Which details show it?
SayWhy does Thackeray say the Virginians were "less republican" than people in New England?
SayWhat does the grand funeral tell you about Madam Esmond?
Tell it back
Close the book.
SayTell me about the twins, George and Harry, and their home at Castlewood.
Older children can write their narration in a short paragraph instead. Don't correct while they talk; just listen.
Tip
This lesson needs a parent beside the child. The book's own words for enslaved people are of its time; it is fine to say so and to talk about why they are hurtful.