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Introduction
John Buchan had little time for the kind of historian who makes a career out of rubbishing reputations, pulling the great (if flawed) figures of history down from their pedestals in the hope of some scattered applause from his peers. Some giants of history are quite simply too big for their critics.
THE hero in history is a terrible nuisance to the lover of dapper generalities. He breaks the symmetry and spoils the syllogism. What is to be done with him? The scientific mind likes to deal with human nature in the lump, but what about the daimonic* figures who obstinately refuse to be merged in the mass?
The embarrassed scientist is driven to one of two courses. Either he declares that the great people had but little influence on the course of events, that the real motive force was this or that intellectual movement or economic grouping. But in many cases this is simply not the truth. The great individuals — Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, Charlemagne, Luther, Calvin, Peter the Great, Napoleon,* — cannot be explained in the terms of any contemporary movement. They are in a sense the children of their age, but they bring to their age more than they draw from it; they seem to be, like Melchizedek,* without recognisable ancestry, and by the sheer force of personality and mind they lift the world to a new plane. ...
A ‘daimon’ (or daemon) is a figure from ancient Greek mythology, a spirit of a nature between the human and the divine, especially a supernatural force of inspiration. Daimon or daemon are simply alternative spellings of the word demon, coming into vogue in the 19th century to distinguish the inspirational daemon from the always evil demon.
Buchan’s remarks would apply just as well to less destructive heroes of history, such as anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce, free market economist Adam Smith, nursing reformer Florence Nightingale, and champions of individual liberty Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Critics persist in arguing that their genius or influence have been overestimated.
King of Salem and worshipper of ‘God most high’, who brought bread and wine to Abraham: see Genesis 14:18-20. In Hebrews 6:1-3 it is noted that Melchizedek is given neither ancestors or descendants by the Old Testament authors. This is intended as proof that Jesus Christ can be High Priest too, despite not being a descendant of Aaron and despite having no priestly descendants himself.
Précis
John Buchan took certain historians to task for deliberately running down some of the great figures of history. Some, he said, tried to paint them as products of their environment, carried along by economic events or intellectual fashions; but in Buchan’s view the great heroes all added something to their age they had not learnt from it. (57 / 60 words)
John Buchan took certain historians to task for deliberately running down some of the great figures of history. Some, he said, tried to paint them as products of their environment, carried along by economic events or intellectual fashions; but in Buchan’s view the great heroes all added something to their age they had not learnt from it.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, may, otherwise, ought, until, whereas, who.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
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