McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XXVIII · Part 4: Lessons XXV-XXXVI: Orators and soldiers
34. Character of Napoleon Bonaparte (Charles Phillips)
Goal: Your student reads a famous piece of oratory and explains how it uses contrast to portray Napoleon.
You'll need
- The book, or the scan beside this guide
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
Phillips's portrait of Napoleon after his fall, built on contrasts, with notes on the people and places named.
The lesson, step by step
Words and meanings
Read the book's notes together. They explain Maria Louisa, the Treaty of Tilsit, the battle of Leipsic (October 1813), and the publisher Palm, Madame de Stael, Kotzebue, David and De Lille.
Before reading, find these words in the selection and look up any your student does not know: prodigy, sceptered, pliable.
About the author
The book says Charles Phillips (1787-1859) was an eminent barrister and orator, born in Sligo, Ireland, who died in London. He made his name defending in criminal cases, and wrote verses and several books, mostly biographies.
Read it aloud
Read the opening together:
He is fallen!
Your student reads on, firmly. Find:
Grand, gloomy, and peculiar, he sat upon the throne a sceptered hermit, wrapt in the solitude of his own originality.
Talk about it
SayWhy begin with three words, "He is fallen!"?
SayWhat is a "sceptered hermit"? Why is that phrase surprising?
SayFind two places where Phillips sets one quality against its opposite. What picture of Napoleon do they make?
SayDoes Phillips admire Napoleon, condemn him, or both?
Tell it back
Your student describes Napoleon as Phillips sees him, in their own words.
Copywork and memory
Copy and learn:
Grand, gloomy, and peculiar, he sat upon the throne a sceptered hermit, wrapt in the solitude of his own originality.
Write (optional)
Write a paragraph about a famous person, using at least three contrasts in the style of Phillips.