Introduction
Samuel Smiles gives two striking examples of great Englishmen who have brought much good out of their sufferings, one in the field of science, the other in the arts.
MUCH of the best and most useful work done by men and women has been done amidst affliction — sometimes as a relief from it, sometimes from a sense of duty overpowering personal sorrow.
“If I had not been so great an invalid,” said Dr Darwin to a friend, “I should not have done nearly so much work as I have been able to accomplish.”*
So Dr Donne, speaking of his illnesses, once said: “This advantage you and my other friends have by my frequent fevers is, that I am so much the oftener at the gates of Heaven; and by the solitude and close imprisonment they reduce me to, I am so much the oftener at my prayers, in which you and my other dear friends are not forgotten.”**
Character, in its highest forms, is disciplined by trial, and “made perfect through suffering.”*** Even from the deepest sorrow, the patient and thoughtful mind will gather richer wisdom than pleasure ever yielded.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is famous as the author of ‘Origin of Species’, which popularised his Theory of Evolution. Stress began to affect him seriously from the late 1830s onwards, revealing itself in headaches and skin, stomach and heart symptoms of various kinds which stubbornly refused to go away.
** John Donne (1573-1631) is best known today for his sacred and secular poetry. He nearly died of a bout of fever in late November and early December 1623, while he was Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The experience led directly to his ‘Devotions upon Emergent Occasions’ (1624) and the famous line ‘Never send to know for whom the bell tolls’.
*** See Hebrews 2:10.
Précis
Samuel Smiles encourages us to believe that suffering does not have to dampen our ambitions, or lower our aims in life. He gives as examples scientist Charles Darwin and poet John Donne, both of whom said that they had achieved more, for themselves and for others, as a consequence of persistent ill-health than they would have achieved without it. (59 / 60 words)
Samuel Smiles encourages us to believe that suffering does not have to dampen our ambitions, or lower our aims in life. He gives as examples scientist Charles Darwin and poet John Donne, both of whom said that they had achieved more, for themselves and for others, as a consequence of persistent ill-health than they would have achieved without it.
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, despite, just, must, otherwise, ought, whereas.
Archive
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.
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.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
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.
1 Pleasure. Than. Wisdom.
2 Heaven. Invalid. They.
3 Good. Great. Most.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
blk (5+1)
balk. baulk. bleak. bloke. bulk.
bilk.
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