Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

forgiveness. The righteous it animates with triumphant hope. To the ignorant it holds forth instruction; to the unwary, caution; to the presumptuous, humility; to the feeble-minded, support; to the wavering, perseverance; to the dispirited, encouragement; to the afflicted, consolation. Who but that power who discerns every va riety of the human disposition; every winding of the human heart, could have been the author of a religion thus provided with a reme. dy for every corruption; a defence under every weakness ?"

Extract from pleadings of Sir George McKenzie against a woman accused of the murder of her child. "Gentlemen, if one man had any how slain another, if an adver. sary had killed his opposer, or a woman occasioned the death of her enemy, even these criminals would have been capitally punished by the Cornelian law; but, if this guiltless infant, who could make no enemy, had been murdered by its own nurse, what punishment would not then the mother have demanded ? with what cries and exclamations would she have stunned our ears? What shall we say then, when a woman, guilty of homicide, a mother, of the murder of her innocent child, hath comprised all those misdeeds in one single crime; a crime, in its own nature detestable; in a woman prodigicus; in a mother, incredible; and perpetrated against one whose age called for compassion, whose near relation claimed affection, and whose innocence deserved the highest favour?"

XIII. PAUSES.

The number, names, and utility of the pauses used in reading and speaking, must be too well known to need description here. Perhaps it may not be superfluous to make two or three remarks; first, that the interrogatory point has two inflections, the rising and the falling one. The rising, when the question is formed without an interrogative word at its commencement, the falling, when an interrogative word commences it. Example of the first.

Suppose a person generally well informed, can he say that his education is perfect, if, when asked to read or recite, he feel inade quáte?"

Of the last.

"Who is here so base, that would be a bondman?

Who is here

so rude, that would not be a Roman? Who is here so vile, that

would not love his country?"

When the two parts of a question are connected by the conjunction or, the first has the rising and the last the falling inflection. Example:

"Who was the greater man, Cæsar or Alexander?"

The same rule exists when an affirmative and a negauve are opposed to each other. Example.

"He deserves censure, not eulogy."

Breaks are pauses which cut a subject short before the meaning is fully developed. They generally occur when extreme grief or violent rage agitates the human breast.

Example.

"Darkness and demons!

Saddle my horses; call my train together:
Degenerate viper-"

TRAGEDY OF LEAR.

The period should be marked by a depression of voice, sufficient to denote the completion of the sense, but great care must be taken not to lower the tone to such a degree as to endanger the loss of the last word of the line, or sentence: a fault frequently observable, even in some eminent public speakers.

XIV. IRONY.

Irony is a rhetorical figure, which gives a meaning contrary to the words expressed, and is productive of very great effect, if not too frequently used. Irony admits of various modes of delivery agreeing with the subjects which may occur, but monotone is most used.

Irony often excites our laughter, and sometimes our contempt and disgust. The three first examples which follow make us smile, the last elicits our disgust.

Examples.

"What drugs, what charms, what conjuration, and what mighty magio-,"

OTHELLO.

"Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last
You spurn'd me such a day: another time
You call'd me dog; and for these courtesies
I'll lend you thus much moneys."

MERCHANT OF VENICE.

Charming house, and charming lady of the house, ha!

na! ha!"

JEALOUS WIFE.

"No wars have ravaged these lands, and depopulated these vil. bages-no civil discord has been felt, no disputed succession, no teligious rage-no cruel enemy-no affliction of Providence, which, while it scourged for a moment, cut off the sources of resuscitation-no voracious and poisoning monsters-no; all this has been accomplished by the friendship, generosity and kindness of the English nation."

SHERIDAN AGAINST WARREN HASTINGS.

XV. ALLITERATION.

Alliteration is a figure which occurs when several words, commencing with the samne letter, immediately follow each other. If too often used it will pall; but if seldom resorted to, it will give a pleasing variety to the subject into which it is introduced. This figure is read or spoken in monotone, climax, anti-climax, and parenthesis.

Examples.

The sun, the soil, but not the slave the same."

[blocks in formation]

"He rush'd into the field, and foremost fighting fell."

Ibid.

"The humanity, harmony, and happiness

DWYER.

"Mind, manners, magnanimity, mercy,
Make the man."

Ibid.

• Man is *obnoxious to pain, penury, and pestilence."-Ibid

This word is often improperly used both in speaking and wri

ting for noxious.

XVI. INTERROGATION.

Of all figures, this is the most overwhelming and rapid; but it should never be employed in unfolding the principles upon which a discourse is established; for it causes obscurity, and a species of declamation, offensive to persons of good taste. The success of interrogation is infallible, when properly employed. A memorable example of it occurs, when Tully, unable to express the lively indignation of his patriotic zeal, rushes abruptly upon Catiline, and instantly overwhelms him by the ve hemence of his interrogations.

"How long, Oh Catiline, wilt thou abuse our patience? How long shall thy madness elude us? Whither will thy ungovernable audacity impel thee? Could neither the nightly garrison of the citadel, nor the watch of the city, nor the general consternation, nor the congress of all good men, nor this strongly fortified place where the Senate is held, nor the enraged countenances of those senators, deter thee from thy impious designs? Dost thou not perceive that thy counsels are all discovered? Thinkest thou that there are any of us ignorant of thy transactions the past night, the place of rendezvous, thy collected associates?"

By using such language as this, the orator leaves not a moment's time for false or evasive replication, but paralyzes the accused, by irresistibly showing the extent and enormity of his guilt, thus rendered as apparent to the astonished auditor, as it is overwhelming to the trembling criminal. Dr. Blair says, "Interrogations are passionate figures. They are, indeed, on so many occasions, the native language of passion, that their use is extremely frequent and in ordinary conversation, when men are heated, they prevail as much as in the most sublime oratory. The unfigured literal use of interrogation is to ask a question; but when men are prompted by passion, whatever they would affirm, or deny, with great vehemence, they naturally put in the form of a question; expressing thereby the strongest confidence of the truth of their own sentiments, and appealing to

their hearers for the impossibility of the contrary. Thus, in scripture:

"God is not a man-that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said? and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken ? and shall he not make it good ?”

Demosthenes addressing himself to the Athenians,

says,

"Tell me, will you still go about and ask one another, what news? What can be more astonishing news than this, that the man of Macedon makes war upon the Athenians, and disposes of the affairs of Greece? Is Philip dead? No, but he is sick. What signifies it to you whether he be dead or alive? For if anything happen to this Philip, you will immediately raise up another."

All this, delivered without interrogation, had been faint and ineffectual; but the warmth and eagerness, which this questioning method expresses, awaken the hearers, and strike them with much greater force."

XVII. ITERATION OR REPETITION
BY SOME CALLED ECHO.

Iteration serves to strengthen and enforce argument, and in many instances, produces great force and beauty. Iteration should be read or spoken in the same manner as the subject from which the repetition occurs.

Examples.

"As Cæsar loved me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him; but as he was ambitious, I slew him."

"There are tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honor for his valor; and death for his ambition." JULIUS CAESAR.

"There still remains that which is even paramount to the law. That great tribunal which the wisdom of our ancestors raised in this country for the support of the people's rights-That tribunal which has made the law-That tribunal which has given me you to look at-That tribunal which is surrounded with a hedge as it were set about it-That tribunal which from age to age has been fighting for the liberties of the people, and without the aid of which

« AnteriorContinuar »