EXPLAINING AND DESCRIBING BY COMPARISON 241 The blind man asked, "And is it cold like snow? And in spite of all the comparisons that the man who could see made, the blind man was wholly unable to understand what the color of milk really was. - TOLSTOI Why could not the blind man get the correct mind picture of the color white? 2. In the following rhyme, the writer uses some comparisons to describe a person. To a Little Girl Her eyes are like forget-me-nots, Is, like a lily, white. To what does the writer compare the little girl's eyes? lips? hair? soul? If the reader is to understand clearly the author's comparisons, he must know the color of forget-me-nots; the color of a pink sea shell held to the sun; the ripple and sheen of ripening grain in the sunlight ; and the purity and whiteness of the lily. Perhaps you have not seen all these things to which he compares the child's eyes, lips, hair, and soul, but you do know other things that are blue, pink, shining or golden, and pure and white. Make as many comparisons as you can for the child's eyes, lips, and hair. Arrange your work as follows: Write a description of a boy or girl in this room. Make your description kind. Be careful to hurt nobody's feelings. Before beginning to write, look closely at the pupil you are going to describe, but do not stare at anyone. Think what adjectives or comparisons best describe the hair, the eyes, the face, the figure, the dress. Do not mention the name of the person you are describing. Tomorrow you may be asked to read your description aloud. Your classmates will then try to tell from your description whom you had in mind while you wrote. Make your description so clear that pupils will know whom you are describing. SELECTING ADJECTIVES XVIII. READING AND CRITICIZING DESCRIPTIONS 1 XIX. SELECTING ADJECTIVES 1. Read the following stanza: The Sandman comes across the land, I never hear his gentle tread, But when I bend my sleepy head, 243 MARIE VAN VORST Properly read, what a quiet, restful feeling this gives one! It is the close of the day, just dusk, the sun is "low." It is the adjective "low" that tells us what time of evening it is. The two adjectives "soft" and "slow" describe the steps of the Sandman. Can't you see him stealing softly and slowly to the tired baby? What adjective in the next line describes his step or tread? In the following line what adjective describes "head"? Can you see the little head drooping and the eyes half closed? 1 Note to the teacher: For suggestions, see Manual, page 189. The writer gives us this idea of peace, of rest, of slumber, by selecting and using adjectives that really describe the picture as she sees it. Read slowly the adjectives she has used — "low," "soft," "slow," "gentle," "sleepy." Are they not well chosen for a Sandman's song? Oftentimes people are careless about the selection of the right adjectives. Then their speech and writing grow tiresome. Everyone wearies of hearing the same word repeated again and again. There is no reason why one should do this. Remember, like Mark Twain, you have all the adjectives in your dictionary. For the word "bold" I may use: OVERWORKED ADJECTIVES 245 Add to these lists other adjectives with nearly the same meaning. XX. OVERWORKED ADJECTIVES 1. There are three adjectives that some children use over and over in their talk and writing - "pretty," "good," and "nice." These children make themselves understood, but the three words used so often do not always express their exact meaning; moreover, the frequent repetition of these words is tiresome to listeners and readers. Here is a list of words, some one of which can often be used to advantage instead of the overused word. There are other words that should be used at times, rather than any of the above words. |