McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson C · Part 10: Granada, Hamlet and the Union
106. The Closing Year (George Denison Prentice)
Goal: Your student can explain what the poet sees as the year ends at midnight and what he says about Time.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
Prentice's poem written at midnight on the last night of the year, about Time passing over the world. The heading is in the middle of the page, after the note on Webster's murder trial.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Look over the notes and definitions printed at the end of the lesson before you start, so names and hard words don't trip up the reading.
Your student picks three unfamiliar words, guesses each meaning from the sentence, then checks a dictionary.
About the author
The book says Prentice (1802–1870) was born in Preston, Connecticut, and was known as a political writer, poet and wit. He graduated from Brown University in 1823, studied law but never practiced, and for nearly forty years edited the Louisville Journal, from 1831. It says he encouraged other writers.
Read aloud
Read it aloud at a slow, solemn pace, as if it really were midnight.
Listen for these lines:
'Tis midnight's holy hour, and silence now
Is brooding like a gentle spirit o'er
The still and pulseless world.
Talk about it
SayWhat is the poet listening to at midnight?
SayHow does he picture Time? What does Time do as it passes?
SayFind the comparison to a conqueror near the end. Why is Time like one?
SayIs this poem sad, hopeful, or both?
Narration
Your student describes the poem's picture of Time in their own words.
Memorize or copy
Copy and learn the opening lines:
'Tis midnight's holy hour, and silence now
Is brooding like a gentle spirit o'er
The still and pulseless world.
Writing (optional)
Write a short paragraph about the last year of your own life: one thing gone, one thing gained.
Tip
This is a fine lesson for New Year's Eve if you can time it.