Johnson the writer and Johnson the talker. The Literary Club. Macaulay's treatment of Boswell. A detailed outline of the essay. A character sketch of Johnson showing the weaknesses as well as the strength of his character. RHETORICAL FEATURES.--Examine the opening sentence in each of the paragraphs, pp. 57-69, to see how Macaulay secures coherence in his essay. Examine the paragraphs on pp. 64-66, to find the plan of structure. Find passages in this essay where Macaulay aims to secure emphasis by the use of the following devices: inverted order in the sentences, the use of particular terms where the general would be more accurate, the use of superlatives, striking comparisons, repetition of ideas, contrast, balanced expressions, succession of short sentences, biblical language. Define the following words and use them in sentences: railed, maundered, coxcomb, parasite, conclave, turgid, folio, overture. THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR.--What do we know of Macaulay's childhood? his precociousness? his education? his tastes and acquirements while at college? his entry into politics? his parliamentary life? his life in India? his literary work? his habits? his principles? As we compare him with other literary men what were his special talents? his limitations? Compare him with Carlyle with reference to character, if you have studied the _Essay on Burns_. What characteristics of Macaulay can you trace in this essay? OUTLINE FOR THE STUDY OF BURKE'S SPEECH ON CONCILIATION I. Preparation This work is usually found to be the most difficult book of the course in English; yet in the opinion of many the results of its study are most valuable. The fact that it is difficult leads the teacher to exercise great care in planning his work, especially in the matters that he presents to his class in preparation for the actual reading. The first difficulty lies in the fact that pupils are only vaguely acquainted with the conditions to which Burke constantly refers. The long story of the quarrel between the Colonies and the Mother Country is known to them in a superficial way. Any exhaustive study of the history of the time is out of the question; so, unless the class have been studying history recently enough to make a rapid review profitable, the best plan seems to be to assign definite topics for individual study and class report. The following is a suitable list for this purpose: The Navigation Acts--what they were, their purpose, and the ways in which they were violated. Renewed attempt, after the Treaty of Paris, to regulate colonial commerce. Grenville's New Act of Trade, Stamp Act, and Quartering Act. The Stamp Act Congress in New York in 1765. The Townshend Acts. Opposition of the colonies led by Massachusetts, to Parliament's right to tax them. The Boston Massacre. The Hutchinson Letters. The Boston Tea Party. The Boston Port Act, The Massachusetts Government Act, and The Administration of Justice Act.