Point out passages in this essay that indicate that Carlyle was a man of deep emotion, of sympathy, of sincerity, of strong moral force.
Outline for the Study of Macaulay's Life Of Johnson
I. Preparation
The more a student knows of life in London during Johnson's time, and especially of the life of literary men, the more he will get from this essay; nevertheless, it is interesting in itself without that knowledge. It is probable that any boy or girl who takes up the book will have read The Vicar of Wakefield, or at least have studied the life of Goldsmith and have learned of the "Literary Club." To review some of the facts about the members of this club and about the life in London at that time will be comparatively easy, but to attempt more before reading the essay does not seem necessary.
II. Reading and Study
The first reading should enable the student to make a simple outline to be filled in later. The teacher might take part of the recitation periods to introduce the class to Boswell's Life of Johnson.
The second reading should make the class thoroughly familiar with the matters treated in the essay and with the important features of Macaulay's style.
III. Study of the Book as a Whole
The students should be required to write in their notebooks outlines and short paragraphs on topics based on the essay. Most of the following topics have been used for this purpose:
Content.—The story of Johnson's life; boyhood and education, his thirty years of struggle, his mature years, his decline and death.