The Copy Book

One Delicious Grinding Snip

If little Maggie Tulliver is going to get her hair cut, it’s going to be done on her own terms.

Part 1 of 2

published 1860
In the Time of

Queen Victoria 1837-1901

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One Delicious Grinding Snip

By William McGregor Paxton (1869–1941), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Source

‘Girl Combing her Hair’, by William Paxton.

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‘Girl Combing her Hair’, by William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941). Nine-year-old Maggie Tulliver had hair that was heavy, black and mutinously straight, much to her mother’s frustration. “Cut it short” was her father’s simple solution; but Mrs Tulliver’s not-so-secret grievance was that her sister’s child had curls. “Her cousin Lucy’s got a row o’ curls round her head, an’ not a hair out o’ place. It seems hard as my sister Deane [her married surname] should have that pretty child; I’m sure Lucy takes more after me nor my own child does.”

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‘Girl Combing her Hair’, by William Paxton.

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By William McGregor Paxton (1869–1941), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

‘Girl Combing her Hair’, by William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941). Nine-year-old Maggie Tulliver had hair that was heavy, black and mutinously straight, much to her mother’s frustration. “Cut it short” was her father’s simple solution; but Mrs Tulliver’s not-so-secret grievance was that her sister’s child had curls. “Her cousin Lucy’s got a row o’ curls round her head, an’ not a hair out o’ place. It seems hard as my sister Deane [her married surname] should have that pretty child; I’m sure Lucy takes more after me nor my own child does.”

Introduction

Little Maggie Tulliver’s aunts have called round, and she has been subjected to repeated criticism for her heavy shock of unruly black hair. Even her father has ventured that “it ’ud be as well if Bessy ’ud have the child’s hair cut, so as it ’ud lie smooth.” Rebellion rises, and Maggie beckons to her older brother Tom.

Tom followed Maggie upstairs into her mother’s room, and saw her go at once to a drawer, from which she took out a large pair of scissors.

“What are they for, Maggie?” said Tom, feeling his curiosity awakened.

Maggie answered by seizing her front locks and cutting them straight across the middle of her forehead.

“Oh, my buttons! Maggie, you’ll catch it!” exclaimed Tom; “you’d better not cut any more off.”

Snip! went the great scissors again while Tom was speaking, and he couldn’t help feeling it was rather good fun; Maggie would look so queer.

“Here, Tom, cut it behind for me,” said Maggie, excited by her own daring, and anxious to finish the deed.

“You’ll catch it, you know,” said Tom, nodding his head in an admonitory manner, and hesitating a little as he took the scissors.

“Never mind, make haste!” said Maggie, giving a little stamp with her foot. Her cheeks were quite flushed.

The black locks were so thick, nothing could be more tempting to a lad who had already tasted the forbidden pleasure of cutting the pony’s mane. I speak to those who know the satisfaction of making a pair of scissors meet through a duly resisting mass of hair.

Continue to Part 2

Précis

Maggie Tulliver has summoned her brother Tom, and gone upstairs to her mother’s room where, she knows, a pair of scissors waits. At first Tom is puzzled, but understanding soon comes when Maggie cuts through her unruly fringe. Tom is thrilled at the rebellious gesture, and delighted to be asked to cut Maggie’s back hair himself. (56 / 60 words)

Maggie Tulliver has summoned her brother Tom, and gone upstairs to her mother’s room where, she knows, a pair of scissors waits. At first Tom is puzzled, but understanding soon comes when Maggie cuts through her unruly fringe. Tom is thrilled at the rebellious gesture, and delighted to be asked to cut Maggie’s back hair himself.

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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: although, because, despite, if, must, or, otherwise, unless.

Word Games

Sevens Based on this passage

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why did Maggie want her brother to come upstairs with her?

Suggestion

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.

Jigsaws Based on this passage

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Maggie was upset. People kept telling her to get a haircut. She cut it herself.

Variation: Try rewriting your sentence so that it uses one or more of these words: 1. Badger 2. Enough 3. Own

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