Speech Before the Spanish Armada Invasion

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 16^th 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 19^th-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: 1939