Teachers' outlines for studies in English, based on the requirements for admission to college

by Gilbert Sykes Blakely

Introduction:	pp. 37-45.
Main Argument:	pp. 46-96.
Conclusion:	pp. 96-110.
Refutation:	pp. 110-123.
Peroration:	pp. 124-127.

A.		England ought to concede; for
	I.	The population is too large to be trifled with.	pp. 46-47
	II.	The industries even more than the population make the colonies important.	pp. 47-55
	III.	The use of force is unwise (refutation).	pp. 55-57
	IV.	The temper and character of the colonists make conciliation advisable.	pp. 57-65
	V.	Our policy of coercion has endangered the fundamental principles of our government	pp. 65-69
	VI.	Concession is a necessity	pp. 69-79
B.		What the Concession ought to be.
	I.	It must satisfy the colonists on the subject of taxation	pp. 79-82
	II.	It should admit them into an interest in the English Constitution	pp. 82-95
	III.	Satisfaction is possible without admitting the colonies into Parliament.	pp. 95-110

III. Second Reading

This reading should be accompanied with a careful and detailed study, both of thought and form. There seems to be a general agreement that a detailed brief should be studied; but some prefer to have the brief more or less fully worked out by the teacher, while others maintain that much, if not most, of the value of such practice is lost unless the student actually works it out for himself. The former hold that students make sorry work of it unless they have a great deal of help, and that the results are not commensurate with the time and effort expended. On the other hand, an honest and earnest effort on the part of the students to work out for themselves the detail of the argument, even though they are not all equally successful, is so valuable that a good deal of time and effort may well be devoted to it. If the class can work out in the first reading, even with much help from the teacher, the main propositions of the brief as they are given above, they can be expected to work out most of the details without much difficulty.

Another very important and valuable line of study in Burke's writings is the significance of his language. The meaning of such words as fomented, mace, bias, sensible, dissidence, and the significance of such phrases as auction of finance, ransom by auction, taxation by grant, touched and grieved, repay careful study. The study of from fifty to a hundred such words and phrases, carefully selected by the teacher, will do much toward familiarizing the students with Burke's thought, and with his habit of mind. In addition to this detailed study, and in connection with it, there should be frequent review of the main arguments in their logical order. In this way the student, while adding to his knowledge of the argument in detail, will be acquiring a larger grasp of the argument as a whole.

Finally, there is abundant opportunity here for the study of rhetorical features: the orderly arrangement of thought in the paragraphs, the series of short sentences, the long sentences, biblical language, epigram, paradox, rhetorical question, figurative language, etc. A comparison with Macaulay's essays will add interest and profit to the study.

IV. Study of the Book as a Whole

Content.—Why did Burke apologize for presenting his plan?

What comparison did he draw between his own record and that of Parliament on the question of colonial policy?