McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XV · Part 3: Lessons XIII-XXIV: Dickens, Gray and Patrick Henry
21. A Political Pause (Charles James Fox)
Goal: Your student reads a piece of parliamentary oratory and explains how the speaker uses irony.
You'll need
- The book, or the scan beside this guide
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
An author note on Fox, then part of his speech in Parliament during the war between England and France, mocking the government's word "pause." A note points to the rising inflection after a negative.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Before reading, find these words in the selection and look up any your student does not know: experiment, heretofore. Read the note at the end, which sends you back to Rule V in the elocution section.
About the author
The book says Charles James Fox (1749-1806) was a famous English orator and statesman, son of Henry Fox, educated at Westminster, Eton and Oxford, and in Parliament before he was twenty. He favored the American colonies in the Revolution and was a friend of Burke, who called him "the most brilliant and successful debater the world ever saw."
Read it aloud
Your student reads the speech aloud with growing force. Two lines to find:
It is merely to try an experiment — to see whether Bonaparte will not behave himself better than heretofore
they are not fighting; they are pausing.
Talk about it
SayWhat does the government call its policy, and what does Fox think it really is?
SayFox imagines a battlefield where men "are not fighting; they are pausing." Why is this so bitter?
SayWhat is irony? Find it in this speech.
SayRead the book's note. Where does the rising inflection fall after a negative in this speech?
Tell it back
Your student explains Fox's argument in four or five sentences.
Copywork and memory
Copy:
they are not fighting; they are pausing.
Write (optional)
Write a short paragraph explaining how a single word can hide an ugly truth. Give an example.