McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XVII · Part 3: Ballads, battles and Abou Ben Adhem
23. The Venomous Worm, by John Russell
Goal: Your child follows an extended comparison to its surprising answer and explains why the author hid the subject until the end.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pencil
What's in the book
An essay describing a small worm more deadly than a rattlesnake, whose victims go mad and harm their families, ending with its name: the Worm of the Still. A note about John Russell begins it; definitions follow.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Read some definitions, but save the last two until after reading:
Recoil, to start back, to shrink from.
Subtle, acute, piercing.
Delirium, a wandering of the mind.
Paroxysm, a fit, a convulsion.
About the author
The book says John Russell graduated from Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1818, edited newspapers in Illinois and Kentucky, and wrote tales of western adventure. It says:
His language is clear, chaste and classical; his style concise, vigorous, and sometimes highly ornate.
Read aloud
Take turns by paragraph. Don't guess the answer aloud yet.
Who has not heard of the rattlesnake or copperhead?
The brute creation it never molests.
The answer
Read the question near the end:
Youths of America, would you know the name of this reptile?
Now read the last two definitions:
Worm, a spiral metallic pipe used in distilling liquors.
Still, a vessel used in distilling or making liquors.
SaySo what is the venomous worm really?
Talk about it
SayWhy did the author describe strong drink as a snake instead of saying it plainly?
SayWhich details made more sense once you knew the answer?
SayWhen did you first guess what he meant?
Tell it back
Your child explains the comparison: what the worm is, where it lives, what its bite does, all in terms of strong drink.
Write (optional)
Write a short riddle that describes something ordinary as if it were a creature, and save the answer for the last line.
Tip
The essay was written as a warning against drunkenness. Talk about it in a way that suits your family.