McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XL · Part 5: Lessons XXXVII-XLVIII: Faith, ambition and character
46. The Philosopher (John P. Kennedy)
Goal: Your student enjoys a gently comic character sketch and explains how the writer creates humor.
You'll need
- The book, or the scan beside this guide
- A notebook and pen
- A dictionary
What's in the book
From Swallow Barn, sketches of early Virginia: Parson Chub, the plump old schoolmaster and "philosopher," and the arrival of his library.
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: embowered, meandering, rivulets, abstruse.
About the author
The book says John P. Kennedy (1795-1870) was born in Baltimore. He served in the state legislature and three terms in Congress, and was Secretary of the Navy under President Fillmore. He wrote novels and political papers, and "His writings are marked by ease and freshness." This extract is from Swallow Barn.
Read it aloud
Your student reads the selection aloud. A line to enjoy:
He is a plump, rosy old gentleman, rather short and thickset, with the blood-vessels meandering over his face like rivulets.
Talk about it
SayDescribe Parson Chub. Which detail is funniest?
SayWhat does he do when his library arrives? Why is that funny?
SayWhat do the family think he and Frank Meriwether do in the library every evening? What does Ned Hazard find?
SayIs Kennedy making fun of Chub unkindly, or affectionately?
Tell it back
Your student tells the story of the library from beginning to end.
Copywork and memory
Copy:
He is a plump, rosy old gentleman, rather short and thickset, with the blood-vessels meandering over his face like rivulets.
Write (optional)
Write a gently funny sketch (a paragraph) of someone with a hobby they take very seriously.