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Speech Before the Spanish Armada Invasion

              MY LOVING PEOPLE, We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live or die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honor and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonor shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concordin the camp, and your valor in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people[105].

 

After Reading

Comprehension: Recall and Interpret

1.According to Sir Thomas More, what should a king’s labor and effort secure for his people?

2.Why does More think it is in a king’s interest to ensure the prosperity of his people?

3.What does Elizabeth I claim she will do if “any prince of Europe” dares to invade her realm?

Literary Analysis: Evaluate and Connect

4. Understand Persuasive TechniquesPersuasive techniques are the methods writers use to influence others to accept their views. How does More appeal to the values of kings to persuade them not to impoverish their subjects?

5. Analyze Rhetorical DevicesReread lines 20–23 in the selection from Utopia. What does More emphasize through the use of an analogyin this sentence?

6. Make InferencesIn each of the following statements from the Speech Before the Spanish Armada Invasion, what does Elizabeth suggest about the responsibilities of leadership?

• lines 2–4 (“We have been persuaded . . . loving people.”)

• lines 5–9 (“I am come amongst you . . . even in the dust.”)

• lines 14–16 (“I know already . . . shall be duly paid you.”)

7. Draw ConclusionsReview the notes you took as you read the two selections. What conclusions can you draw about Elizabeth as a ruler? Do you think More would have approved of her governing style? Explain your ideas using specific details.



8. Compare ToneTone is an expression of a writer’s attitude toward a subject. In what ways do these texts differ in tone?

Literary Criticism

9. Social ContextMost women had little or no role outside the home in 16th c. England, yet Elizabeth I successfully ruled the country. What details in her speech suggest how she gained the respect of her subjects and anticipated their misgivings about her ability as a woman?

Reading Focus VI. from The King James Bible

KEY IDEA If you have ever “burned the midnight oil” to finish a paper or “stuck your neck out” for a friend, you were using expressions derived from the King James Bible. The Bible is one of the world’s most important works of literature and, for many people, a source of great wisdom. For example, Ecclesiastes is intended to help people find meaning in life. Psalm 23 offers spiritual guidance, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son imparts a moral lesson.

Before Reading: The King James Bible

 


In 1603, when James I, the successor of Elizabeth I, became king of England, Puritan leaders petitioned him to support a new translation of the Bible. Although James bore no great love for the Puritans, he agreed that English worshipers needed a better translation of the Bible than the ones that were currently popular.

A Massive UndertakingIn 1604, the king appointed 54 distinguished scholars and clergymen to create a new version. (In the end, not all of them actively participated in the translation.) Their goal was to create a Bible that would be more accurate than previous English versions and more beautiful in its use of the English language. The scholars split into groups and translated the Bible piecemeal. To ensure consistency and impartiality of the new translation, they all followed a strict set of rules.

To make their translation as accurate as possible, they worked from original Greek and Hebrew texts. They also consulted previous English translations. In the preface to the new translation, they praised earlier translations and noted their indebtedness to them: “We never thought, from the beginning that we should need to make a new translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one; ... but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one.” The final result of their endeavors was the King James Bible, which was to remain the main English version of the Protestant Bible for some 300 years.

A Popular ClassicAlthough the language of the King James Bible is elegant, it is also simple and straightforward. It was not intended solely for the educated elite. Clergymen throughout England read from it at services, making its message available to the most humble parishioners. The translation also had a tremendous impact on the authors of the time, including John Milton and John Bunyan, whom the 19th-century clergyman C. H. Spurgeon claimed was so “saturated with scripture” that he was “a living Bible.” Centuries later, authors such as William Wordsworth, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, and T.S. Eliot continued to find inspiration in the themes, imagery, and language of the King James Bible. Even today, although many other translations are available, it remains the most influential of all versions.


While Reading


Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1664


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