"He in his mercy preserved you, to be our shield and our flashing conviction right into the hearts of the heathen." To be Scanned Long at the window he stood, and wistfully gazed on the Washed with a cold gray mist, the vapory breath of the Forest and meadow and hill, and the steel-blue rim of the ocean, Lying silent and sad, in the afternoon shadows and sun shine. Figure of Speech Do you find a metaphor in the passage to be committed to memory? If you do, write it. Questions 1. Why was John Alden so busy with his letters? What was the hurry? 2. Prove that the breastplate of Miles Standish was of good quality. 3. What was a favorite maxim of Miles Standish? Find five synonyms for maxim. 4. Did Miles Standish neglect his weapons? Why are soldiers in an arsenal required to take scrupulous care of the weapons? Who is the author of The Arsenal at Springfield? Read aloud the first stanza. 5. Why did a smile dance in the eyes of Miles Standish as he told about his army? 6. Why did the Pilgrims need an army? 7. Tell some of the advantages of Plymouth as a place of settlement. 8. Who was Rose Standish? Why did she rest in an unmarked grave? 9. Why did the Indians send scouts to the settlement? Explain the feeling of the Indians towards settlers. 10. When Miles Standish mused by the window, do you think the landscape affected his thoughts? Write a paragraph of about three hundred words following what might have been the trend of his thoughts. By his contract, Captain Jones was obliged to remain off shore until the Pilgrims had settled. The winter of 1620–1621 was a mild one for the New England coast. Had it been severe, probably none of the colonists could have survived. "Of a hundred persons scarce fifty remain; the living scarce able to bury the dead; the well not sufficient to tend the sick, there being, in their time of greatest distress, but six or seven, who spare no pains to help them." — Bradford and Winslow's Journal in Young's Chronicles of the Pilgrims. Letters written by Alden, and full of the name of Priscilla, cilla! Figures of Speech To what are the thumb-marks on the margin of the leaf compared? Give the whole simile. Find an example of metaphor in one of Longfellow's poems other than The Courtship. Questions 1. Give a reason for the partiality of Miles Standish for each of the three books mentioned. 2. In which of his books could he read of the wars of the Hebrews? Did he often read the Commentaries? How do you know? 3. Why did John Alden mention Priscilla's name so often in his letters? 4. Why did the captain sigh as he read the marvellous words and achievements of Cæsar? What are memoirs? 5. Why did Cæsar order forward the ensigns? 6. Can a good friend soothe all our sadness? How had Miles Standish proved the fact? 7. Why did the Mayflower remain so long in Plymouth harbor? 8. How long was it before John Alden received an answer to his letters? Give a simple word for epistle. 9. What made Priscilla attractive in the eyes of Miles Standish? 10. Why did so many of the Pilgrims die during the first winter? Give the causes of death. John Alden thought that the Lord was punishing him for letting his affections fix themselves too strongly on the things of this world. In America, the Mayflower is the trailing arbutus. It is a vine bearing delicate pink and white blossoms, which bloom in the earliest spring, and which peep out from beneath the fallen leaves. To be Defined ford brawled shallow type To be Explained a man not of words but of actions taciturn stripling To be Scanned mask his dismay "I can march up to a fortress and summon the place to sur- But march up to a woman with such a proposal, I dare not." Figures of Speech Between lines 145 and 219, find three similes and three metaphors. Questions 1. Quote the lines telling that the proposal of Miles Standish for Priscilla was not a sudden impulse. 2. Form some conjectures as to why John Alden had not asked Priscilla to marry him. 3. Was Miles Standish correct in his supposition that fine speeches would win Priscilla? Explain. 4. Why was John Alden surprised, embarrassed, bewildered, at the words of Miles Standish? Give a reason for each feeling. 5. What did Miles Standish mean when he said that they must use the maxim discreetly, and not waste powder for nothing? 6. Was Miles Standish ever guilty of cowardice? 7. In the conflict of thoughts in the mind of John Alden, tell what each emotion could say for itself: love to friendship, and friendship's reply; self to generous impulses, and the reply. 8. Tell all that John Alden sacrificed when he agreed to go on the errand for Miles Standish. Find the lines. 9. What is meant by a crisis? Do you see any crises in the lines between 145 and 219? |