IV. LOUD FORCE. Loud force is the tone used to express courage, boldness, defiance, anger, grandeur, and sublimity. It is used by the public speaker in addressing a large audience, or when speaking under the sway of strong emotion. This degree of force requires full and deep breathing, and a vigorous use of the vocal organs. The middle pitch is the appropriate key of loud force. A high pitch weakens the effect of forcible reading or declamation. EXAMPLES. 1. Joy! Joy! Shout, shout aloud for joy. 2. Hark to the brazen blare of the bugle! Hark to the rolling clatter of the drums. 3. Not in vain the distance beacons. Forward, forward, let us range; Let the great world spin forever down the ringing grooves of change. 4. ALEXANDER'S FEAST. Now strike the golden lyre again; A louder yet, and yet a louder strain. Break his bands of sleep asunder, And rouse him, like a rattling peal of thunder. 5. REVENGE. And longer had she sung-but, with a frown, DRYDEN. He threw his blood-stained sword in thunder down, And, with a withering look, The war-denouncing trumpet took, And blew a blast, so loud and dread, Were ne'er prophetic sounds so full of woe: The doubling drum with furious heat. COLLINS. 6. MILTON'S "PARADISE LOST. Now storming fùry rose, 7. THE BELLS. Hear the loud alarum bells Brazen bells! What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells! How they scream out their affright! They can only shriek, shriek, Out of tune, In the clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire, With a desperate desire, And a resolute endeavor, Now, now to sit or never By the side of the pale-faced moon! POE. V. VERY LOUD OR DECLAMATORY FORCE. Very loud force prevails in oratorical declamation before large audiences. It is also heard in the tones of anger, of passion, of command, in calling or shouting, and in intensely dramatic reading. EXAMPLES. 1. Now for the fight! now for the cànnon peal, Forward! through blood and tòil, and cloùd, and Glorious the shout, the shock, the crash of steel, 4. Thy threats, thy mercy I defŷ, 5. He raised a shout as he drew on 6. From every hill, by every sea, In shouts proclaim the great decree, Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! 7. SPARTACUS TO THE GLADIATORS. [Radical and vanishing stress, and strongly marked circumflex inflections.] Ye stand here now like giants, as ye àre. The strength of brass is in your toughened sinews; but to-morrow some Roman Adonis, breathing sweet perfume from his curly locks, shall with his lily fingers pât your red brawn, and bet his sèsterces upon your blood. Hark! hear ye yon lion roaring in his dén? 'Tis three days since he tasted flèsh; but to-morrow he shall break his fast upon yours, and a dainty meal for him ye will bè. If ye are beasts, then stand here like fat oxen, waiting for the butcher's knife! If ye are měn, follow me! Strike down yon guard, gain the mountain passes, and thère do bloody work, as did your sìres at old Thermòpylæ! Is Spárta dead? Is the old Grecian spírit frozen in your véins, that you do crouch and cower like a belabored hound beneath his master's lash? Oh, cômrades! warriors! Thracians! if we must fight, let us fight for ourselves! If we must slaughter, let us slaughter our oppressors! If we must díe, let it be under the clear sky, by the bright waters, in nòble, hónorable battle. KELLOGG. 8. CATILINE'S DEFIANCE. Conscript fáthers, I do not rise to waste the night in words: 9. RICHELIEU. Who spake of life? I bade thee grasp that treasure as thine hônor— Begone! redeem thine honor! Back to Marion- Regain the packet-or crawl on to àge CROLY. Age and gray hairs like mine-and know thou'st lost. That which had made thee great and saved thy country. See me not till thou'st bought the right to seek me. Away! Nay, chèer thee! thou hast not fail'd yět— There's no such word as fail. BULWER. 8. If I could stand for a moment upon one of your high mountain tóps, far above all the kingdoms of the civilized world, and there might sée, coming úp, one after another, the bravest and wisest of the ancient warriors, and státesmen, and kings, and monarchs, and priésts; and if, as they came úp, I might be permitted to ask from them an expression of opinion upon such a case as this, with a common vòice and in thunder tones, reverberating through a thousand válleys, and echoing down the ages, they would crý: "Liberty, Freedom, the Universal Brotherhood of Man!" I join that shout; I swell that anthem; I echo that praise forever, and for evermore. 11. THE WAR INEVITABLE. They tell us, sir, that we are weak-unable to còpe with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disármed, and when a British guárd shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and ináction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sír, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. It is in vain, sir, to extènuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry péace, peace-but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbîd it, Almighty |