The time for God's force has come again. . . . Others may hesitate, others may procrastinate, others may plead for further diplomatic negotiation, which means delay, but for me, I am ready to act now, and for my action I am ready to answer to my conscience, my country, and my God. JOHN M. THURSTON, "A Plea for Cuba"

3. SHYLOCK. There I have another bad match: a bankrupt, a prodigal, who dare scarce show his head on the Rialto; a beggar, that was used to come so smug upon the mart; let him look to his bond: he was wont to call me usurer; let him look to his bond: he was wont to lend money for a Christian courtesy ; let him look to his bond. . . . He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.

SHAKESPEARE, "Merchant of Venice," III, i

4. CITIZENS [on being shown the wounds inflicted by Cæsar's assassins]. Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!

SHAKESPEARE, "Julius Cæsar," III, ii

CHAPTER XII

EMPHASIS

Emphasis is a special prominence given by the voice to a word or group of words in order to make them stand out above the other parts of the sentence in which they occur.

The function of emphasis. The need for emphasis is due to the fact that all words in a sentence do not usually play an equal part in expressing the main idea. As we know, some are altogether essential for expressing the thought, while others are relatively less important and can be passed over with little attention. But in order to make the thought of any sentence clear, there are always some parts that must be made to stand out prominently, and it is the function of emphasis to accomplish this.

In all expression there is a constant stream of ideas that follow one another in rapid succession, and as each of these ideas occurs, the mind tends to center upon those words that serve to convey its meaning. If the mind is active and the speaker intent upon the idea to be expressed, there is not likely to be a great deal of misplaced emphasis. But if his ideas are merely floating along loosely, or if he has an imperfect understanding of what he is trying to express, the emphasis is likely to be applied in a very haphazard fashion. It is to avoid this indiscriminate use of emphasis and to enable the speaker

to express at all times exactly what he intends that a study of this principle is necessary.

The determining factor of emphasis. It is not at all uncommon to hear strong emphasis applied to words that express no definite idea and therefore should have no emphasis at all, as in the sentence It is evident that a change is necessary." To give emphasis to the word. that" in this instance is to stress a part of the sentence that is not a thought center and that needs no prominence. Such expression, with undue emphasis placed upon very unimportant parts of a sentence, shows a lack of clear mental concept and a failure to fix the attention upon the important idea. It is the idea that in every instance must determine the emphasis to be employed.

Almost any sentence may be made to convey a variety of meanings, depending upon the idea that is in the mind of the speaker or writer. This simple sentence will illustrate :

James is a good student.

If it is the idea that James rather than some other student is the subject of discussion, it would be expressed thus:

James is a good student.

If, on the other hand, the meaning is that James is a good student although he may be poor as an athlete or in some other respect, one would say:

James is a good student.

If the meaning is that James's scholarship is of such a quality as to deserve special mention, then we should say: James is a good student.

While if someone were disposed to doubt our statements in regard to his scholarship, we should most likely assert very emphatically :

James is a good student.

Emphasis not a mechanical principle. In every sentence, therefore, we find that the prominence given to one part or to another should be determined not by mechanical laws but always by the thought. Unless it is the thought that in every case determines what parts are to be given prominence, the expression becomes mere chance, and the speaker has no assurance of being correctly understood.

Emphasis not determined by parts of speech. It is sometimes suggested by teachers that there are certain so-called key words, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, that carry the main thought of every sentence and therefore should receive the emphasis; while the articles, prepositions, conjunctions, and other minor parts of speech, which serve merely as articulating elements, are to be passed over with little or no attention by the voice. Such a method of employing emphasis would be decidedly mechanical. While it is true that words of the former class do receive prominence more often than the latter, it is neither necessary nor desirable to give attention to any particular parts of speech more than to others. As a matter of fact, any part of speech may become emphatic when the idea to be expressed makes it necessary. In the sentence "He is the man for the place," if the meaning is that he is the one man best fitted to occupy a certain position, then the article has just as definite meaning as

any other part of speech, and should be given the same prominence by the voice. Similarly, Webster, in speaking of liberty and union, pleads for a policy not of liberty first and union afterward, but of "liberty and union." And in the Gettysburg address Lincoln speaks of "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Here we find that the "of," "by," and "for" of Lincoln's address convey ideas as definite and important as might be expressed by any other parts of speech, and accordingly are no less emphatic. Therefore no attention need be given to one part of speech more than to another. Any word, even the most insignificant, may express an idea and require definite emphasis.

Emphasis not dependent upon any given number of words. Moreover, it should not be supposed that ideas can always be expressed by emphasis centered upon single words. Not a few beginning speakers have the idea that the whole problem of emphasis is one of bringing the voice down with much stress upon one or two words in every sentence. The result is that their delivery has the effect of a kind of regular pounding with the voice, rather than that of a nice touch which expresses accurately relative values. They should understand that the voice does not by any means center always upon single words. Constantly it does this, of course, but it is just as apt to center upon several words or to carry its weight throughout a whole phrase or clause.

The following lines from Patrick Henry illustrate how ideas may be centered in single words or how they may require an entire phrase to express their meaning: "We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have