McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XVIII · Part 3: Ballads, battles and Abou Ben Adhem

24. The Festal Board optional

Goal: Your child reads a solemn poem about a merry feast and what became of its guests, and states its warning.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 6 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A notebook and pencil

What's in the book

A poem, with no author named, that begins with an invitation to a joyful banquet and then asks what became of the guests, ending with a warning to shun the enchanted cup. Definitions and a note follow.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Words and meanings

    Read some definitions:

    Festal, mirthful, joyous.

    Sundered, separated.

    Felon, a public criminal.

    Enticing, attracting to evil.

    Lure, to attract, to entice.

    There is also a note: Golconda was an ancient city and fortress of India, famous for diamonds.

  2. Read aloud

    Read the first stanzas brightly, then change your voice as the poem turns sad.

    Nature and art their stores outpoured; Joy beamed in every kindling glance;

    And the warning at the end:

    Learn wisdom, then. The frequent feast

    And shun, oh shun, the enchanted cup!

  3. Talk about it

    SayHow does the poem's mood change partway through?

    SayWhat happened to some of the guests later?

    SayWhat is the "enchanted cup," and why does the poet call it enchanted?

    SayWhy does the poet show the happy feast first?

  4. Tell it back

    Your child tells what the poem says in two parts: the feast, then what came after.

  5. Copywork

    Copy:

    And shun, oh shun, the enchanted cup!

  6. Write (optional)

    Write one sentence describing the feast and one describing what came after, to show the contrast.

Tip

Like Lesson XVII, this is a temperance piece. It is marked optional; read it first and decide if it suits your child.

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