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Defiance.

1. And, rising on his theme's broad wing,
And grasping in his nervous hand
The imaginary battle-brand,

In face of death he dared to fling
Defiance to a tyrant king.

2. Quick, as it fell from the broken staff,
Dame Barbara snatched the silken scarf;
She leaned far out on the window-sill,
And shook it forth with a royal will:
"Shoot, if you must, this old gray head,
But spare your country's flag," she said.

Argument.

Were I an American, as I am an Englishman, while a single foreign troop remained in my country I would never lay down my arms- · never! NEVER! NEVER!

Final stress is application of force to the latter part of the vowel sound, and is used to express earnest resolve, firm determination, and stern rebuke. It is represented thus,

EXAMPLES.

Earnest Resolve.

Sir, before God, I believe the hour is come. My judgment approves this measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all that I am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon it; and I leave off as I began: that, live or die, survive or perish, I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and, by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment: independence now, and independence forever!

Firm Determination.

1. Let the consequences be what they will, I am determined to proceed. The only principles of public conduct which are worthy of a gentleman or a man are, to sacrifice estate, health, ease, applause, and even life, at the sacred call of his country.

2. Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostril wide,
Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit

To its full height! On, on, you noble English!
Whose blood is set from fathers of war-proof;
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
And sheath'd their swords for lack of argument,
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war!

Stern Rebuke.

And, Douglas, more I tell thee here,
Even in thy pitch of pride-

Here in thy hold, thy vassals near,
(Nay, never look upon your lord,

And lay your hand upon your sword,)

I tell thee thou'rt defied!

In median stress the force is given to the middle of the sound, and is used in selections where a succession of words are emphatic, or in rendering grand and sublime ideas. It is indicated thus,

EXAMPLES.

Succession of Words.

1. Days, months, years, and ages shall circle away,
And still the vast waters above thee shall roll;
Earth loses thy pattern forever and aye;

O sailor-boy! sailor-boy! peace to thy soul!

2. Property, character, reputation, everything, was sacrificed. Toils, sufferings, wounds, and death were the price of our liberty.

Grand and Sublime Ideas.

1. O thou that rollest above, round as the shield of my fathers! whence are thy beams, O sun! thy everlasting light? Thou comest forth in thy awful beauty: the stars hide themselves in the sky; the moon, cold and pale, sinks in the western wave.

2. Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll!

3.

Father! Thy hand

Hath reared these venerable columns.

Thou

Didst weave this verdant roof. Thou didst look down

Upon the naked earth; and, forthwith, rose

All these fair ranks of trees. They in thy sun

Budded, and shook their green leaves in thy breeze,
And shot towards heaven.

In thorough stress the force of voice is carried through the vowel sound, but is strongest in the middle. It is used in braggadocio, and in emphatic command, and is indicated thus,

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I'll fly a few times around the lot,

To see how 't seems, then soon's I've got

The hang o' the thing, ez likely's not,

I'll astonish the nation,

And all creation,

By flyin' over the celebration!

Over their heads I'll sail like an eagle;

I'll balance myself on my wings like a sea-gull;

I'll dance on the chimbleys; I'll stand on the steeple;
I'll flop up to winders an' scare the people!

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Compound stress is a union of the radical and final, and is upon the opening and closing of the vowel sound, and is used much in the language of surprise, mockery, or contempt. It is represented thus,

1. Gone to be married!

EXAMPLES.

Surprise.

Gone to swear a peace!

False blood to false blood joined! Gone to be friends!
Shall Lewis have Blanche, and Blanche these provinces?

2. Then came wandering by

1.

A shadow like an angel, with bright hair

Dabbled in blood; and he shrieked out aloud:

"Clarence is come-false, fleeting, perjured Clarence,--
That stabbed me in the field by Tewksbury!

Seize on him, Furies,― take him to your torments!

Mockery or Contempt.

Yet this is Rome,

That sat on her seven hills, and from her throne
Of beauty ruled the world! and we are Romans.
Why, in that elder day, to be a Roman

Was greater than a king!

2. I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee speak:
I'll have my bond; and therefore speak no more.
I'll not be made a soft and dull-eyed fool,

To shake the head, relent and sigh, and yield
To Christian intercessors. Follow not:

I'll have no speaking: I'll have my bond.

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3. If ye are beasts, then stand here like fat oxen waiting for the butcher's knife.

Intermittent stress is the varying of the voice in such a manner as to produce a tremulous tone, and is indicated thus, ~ It is used in fear, joy, and laughter, and in the broken voice of sorrow, and in imitation of the feeble voice of old age.

EXAMPLES.

1. Pity the sorrows of a poor old man,

Whose trembling limbs have borne him to your door,

Whose days are dwindled to the shortest span:

Oh, give relief, and Heaven will bless your store.

2. Mother, the angels do so smile, and beckon little Jim;
I have no pain, dear mother, now, but oh, I am so dry:
Just moisten poor Jim's lips again and mother, don't you cry.

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LESSON XI.

POSITION, GESTURE, AND FACIAL EXPRESSION. Elocution is defined to be audible reading intensified by position of the body, gesture, and facial expression.

The correct position for a reader or speaker is the erect, with one foot a little in advance of the other, with the shoulders well back, and the head erect, so as to give good capacity for breathing.

POSITION.

The body may assume many positions on the platform, but the mention of a few will suffice. They are as follows:

First. Left foot in rear, supporting weight of body; right foot slightly advanced, forming an angle of about 85 degrees with left, and heel of right pointing toward instep of left.

Second. Right foot in rear, supporting weight of body; left foot slightly advanced, forming an angle of about 85 degrees with right, with heel of left pointing toward instep of right.

Third. Weight of body on both feet, which form an angle of about 85 degrees, with neither foot in advance; body fronting the audience.

Fourth. Body leaning forward, weight on advanced right foot, only the toe of left foot touching.

Fifth. Body leaning forward, weight on advanced left foot, only the toe of right foot touching.

The body inclines forward or backward from the erect as the thought presented requires it.

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