McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXV · Part 6: Liberty and the voices of birds
71. The Rising, by T. B. Read
Goal: Your child reads Read's stirring poem about the call to arms, and retells the pastor's sermon and what he did.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pencil
What's in the book
A passage from "The Wagoner of the Alleghanies": news of the fighting spreads, and a pastor in a Virginia church preaches a sermon that ends in a call to fight. A note about Thomas Buchanan Read comes first; definitions and notes follow.
The lesson, step by step
About the author
The book says Thomas Buchanan Read was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He learned sculpture in Cincinnati, became known as a portrait painter, and worked in eastern cities and in Italy as well as writing poems.
Words and meanings
Read some definitions:
Boreal, northern.
Yeoman, a freeholder, a man freeborn.
Guise, external appearance in manner or dress.
And the note: the pastor was John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, a minister at Woodstock, Virginia, who in 1775 was elected colonel of a Virginia regiment.
Read aloud
Start with the news spreading:
Out of the North the wild news came,
Far flashing on its wings of flame,
Then the church scene:
The pastor rose: the prayer was strong;
The psalm was warrior David's song;
Talk about it
SayWhat was the "wild news"? How fast did it travel?
SayWhat did the pastor preach about? What did Berkley shout?
When Berkley cried, "Cease, traitor! cease!
SayWhat did the pastor do and say next? How did the people answer?
SayHow does the poem's rhythm make you feel?
Tell it back
Your child narrates the scene in the church as if they had been there.
Memorize
Learn the four lines that begin:
Out of the North the wild news came,
Write (optional)
Write about a time when news spread quickly through your family or town.
Tip
The last part of this poem continues onto the next pages. Read the whole lesson yourself first; the notes at the end explain several lines.