William Burdon gives us a character sketch of his friend the ‘Count’,
who did not let his small stature cramp his style or narrow his mind.byWilliam Burdon
Jack Curran’s career as a defender of victims of political
prejudice got off to a stuttering start.
BySamuel Smiles1812-1904
1859
In the Time of
Queen Victoria1837-1901
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Not Worth a Shilling
By Anonymous, via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ?Public domain. Source
John Philpot Curran (1750-1817).
X
John Philpot Curran (1750-1817), painted by an anonymous artist. Curran was at the forefront of the Irish civil rights movement, speaking up for equal rights for Roman Catholics (though Curran was not one himself), and denouncing London’s heavy-handed suppression of the Society of United Irishmen. In 1803, however, he felt badly let down after one Society member, Robert Emmet (1778-1803), led an ill-fated insurrection in the belief that Napoleon would come to his support; worse, Curran now discovered that his daughter Sarah had been secretly engaged to Emmet. Curran was absolved of any complicity, but it was a heavy blow to his convictions and he retired to London in 1814, where his friends included poet Lord Byron and playwright Richard Sheridan.
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John Philpot Curran (1750-1817).
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By Anonymous, via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ?Public domain.
John Philpot Curran (1750-1817), painted by an anonymous artist. Curran was at the forefront of the Irish civil rights movement, speaking up for equal rights for Roman Catholics (though Curran was not one himself), and denouncing London’s heavy-handed suppression of the Society of United Irishmen. In 1803, however, he felt badly let down after one Society member, Robert Emmet (1778-1803), led an ill-fated insurrection in the belief that Napoleon would come to his support; worse, Curran now discovered that his daughter Sarah had been secretly engaged to Emmet. Curran was absolved of any complicity, but it was a heavy blow to his convictions and he retired to London in 1814, where his friends included poet Lord Byron and playwright Richard Sheridan.
John Philpot Curran (1750-1817) was a eloquent campaigner for civil rights in Ireland, then governed from London. Small, ungainly and plagued by a stammer, Curran overcame his inhibitions and impediments by a strenuous regimen of reading aloud, behaviour changes and mental rehearsal that transformed him into a fluent speaker, a clear thinker and a persuasive advocate.
CURRAN, the Irish orator, when a youth, had a strong defect in his articulation, and at school he was known as ‘stuttering Jack Curran’.* While he was engaged in the study of the law, and still struggling to overcome his defect, he was stung into eloquence by the sarcasms of a member of a debating club, who characterized him as ‘Orator Mum’;* for, like Cowper, when he stood up to speak on a similar occasion, Curran had not been able to utter a word.* The taunt stung him and he replied in a triumphant speech.
This accidental discovery in himself of the gift of eloquence encouraged him to proceed in his studies with renewed energy. He corrected his enunciation by reading aloud, emphatically and distinctly, the best passages in literature, for several hours every day, studying his features before a mirror, and adopting a method of gesticulation suited to his rather awkward and ungraceful figure.* He also proposed cases to himself, which he argued with as much care as if he had been addressing a jury. Curran began business with the qualification which Lord Eldon stated to be the first requisite for distinction, that is, “to be not worth a shilling.”*
* John Philpot Curran (1750-1817) was an Irish orator and wit, born in County Cork.
* ‘Mum’ here means ‘silent’, as in the (slightly dated) phrases ‘keep mum’ (say nothing) and ‘mum’s the word’ (keep this a secret).
* Poet William Cowper (coo-per, 1731-1800) was at first destined for a career at the bar, a profession that ran in the family: his grandfather William Cowper (1665-1723) had been Lord Chancellor. Young William was sent to lodge with a solicitor and spent his time under the tutelage of Edward Thurlow (1731-1806), later another Lord Chancellor, mostly (he told Lady Hesketh) “employed from morning to night in giggling and making giggle, instead of studying the law”. Cowper was too tender-hearted for the courtroom, so in 1763 he applied for the post of clerk of journals to the House of Lords. However, their lordships required him to undergo a public examination, and the prospect so unnerved him that he broke down and it took him almost eight months to recover.
* Much the same remedy was applied by the Greek orator and lawyer Demosthenes. See Speech Therapy. Benjamin Disraeli was another whose first appearance on the public stage went badly. See As Good as his Word. And on achieving proficiency in writing, see How I Learnt to Write by Benjamin Franklin.
* Until decimalisation in 1971, £1 was made up of 20 shillings (20s) or 240 pence (240d). John Scott (1751-1838), 1st Earl of Eldon, served as Lord Chancellor from 1801 to 1827 (excepting 1806-7). He was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and educated at the Royal Grammar School there; Eldon Square in the city centre is named after him.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author
aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that
strike you. How do they help the author communicate his
ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you?
How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939)
by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at
Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn,
Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University,
USA.
Précis
Samuel Smiles recalled that Irish rights lawyer John Curran discovered his talent for public speaking when his stutter drew such scorn that he found himself delivering a superb speech in reply. Curran then honed his talent by hard work, and fully justified Lord Eldon’s belief that those who rise to the top are often those who start from the bottom.(60 / 60 words)
Samuel Smiles recalled that Irish rights lawyer John Curran discovered his talent for public speaking when his stutter drew such scorn that he found himself delivering a superb speech in reply. Curran then honed his talent by hard work, and fully justified Lord Eldon’s belief that those who rise to the top are often those who start from the bottom.
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Variations:
1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words.2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words.3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, if, may, must, or, otherwise, whether.
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1Much.Speech.Triumphant.
2Aloud.Proceed.Similar.
3Characterize.Occasion.Well.
Variations:1.include direct and indirect speech2.include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who3.use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
For each word above, choose one or more suitable
meanings from this list.
1.‘In this case’ (in this situation), ‘in case it rains’ (lest it rains).2.Speak to; a speech.3.Get ready to hit a golf ball.4.Check out a house prior to burglary.5.A box or container.6.Even now.7.Bear, endure a hardship.8.Busy, occupied.9.Not moving.10.Promised in marriage.11.A weapon.12.Similar to.13.Item of golf equipment.14.Approach a task or problem.15.Pay for e.g. drinks, food, on behalf of others.16.An exclusive society.17.Find pleasure in, approve.18.Not badly.19.A deep hole providing water.20.An investigative task (a case for Perry Mason or Sherlock Holmes).21.Direction on a letter.22.Match well, be appropriate to.23.Legal action.24.A stall in a market.25.Hold oneself upright on one’s feet.26.Apparatus for making alcoholic drink.27.Formal clothing.
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
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