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LESSON XXVII.

Attitudes of the Head.-Continued.

V.-The Head Inclined (Fig. 12)

Indicates ease, trustfulness, familiarity, or indifference. When the head is inclined toward a person or object it indicates affectionate or trustful attention. When the head inclines in the opposite direction from the object at which the speaker is looking, it indicates distrust, or criticism. When the eye also is turned away, the expression is of great indifference, inattention.

FIG. 12.

As a bearing, the head may sway from side to side, in which case it indicates self-esteem, indifference to others, egotism, or merely an easy-going nature, according to the degree of the movement. The head

inclined habitually to one side is indicative of a sentimental nature, apt to be indiscriminately trustful. Very great inclination denotes a degree of mental weakness. Usually this attitude is an affectation.

VI. The Head Advanced (Fig. 13)

indicates eagerness, curiosity, and sometimes threatening. This also may be a bearing.

VII. The Head Drawn Back (Fig. 14)

indicates surprise, suspicion, harsh moods of the mind, like hatred, fear, anger or disgust. As a bearing it denotes characteristics of a like unpleasant nature.

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VIII. The Head Hing (Fig. 15)

indicates shame, despair, or bodily weakness. The hang of the head differs from the bow in that all the muscles of the neck relax and the head drops lifelessly forward, while in the bow the neck yields but a very little at the most. As a bearing this would indicate weakness as of a very old man, an invalid, or an imbecile.

IX.-The Head Thrown Back (Fig. 16)

indicates prostration, agony either of mind or of body. We seldom have use for so extreme an attitude as this,

but quite often make a similar movement to express disgust or weariness, throwing back the head as if seeking to rest it on an imaginary pillow or on the shoulder.

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Be angry when you will, it shall have scope;
Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor.
O Cassius, you are yokèd with a lamb,

That carries anger as the flint bears fire. V.

-Shakespeare.

Here is a beautiful example of the indifferent inclination and action of the head in the first two lines, changing to the affectionate bearing as the anger of Brutus gradually melts.

Who is it leans from the belfry with face upturned to the sky, Clings to a column and measures the dizzy height with his eye? VI. -Stansbury.

How like a fawning publican he looks. V., VII.

-Shakespeare.

Here Shylock's expression is a mixture of suspicion and jealousy, and the attitude of the head should cor

respond. The head will not only incline away but be drawn back from Antonio, whose approach he is watch. ing.

King Robert crossed both hands upon his breast

Aud meekly answered him [VIII.] “Thou knowest best;

My sins as scarlet are; let me go hence,

And in some cloister's school of penitence,

Across those stones that pave the way to heaven,

Walk barefoot, till my guilty soul be shriven!”—Longfellow. Oh, I die, Horatio;

The potent poison quite o'er-crows my spirit. IX.

-Shakespeare.

By my troth, Nerissa, my little body is a-weary of this great world. -Shakespeare.

IX.

In practising these attitudes, always try to feel the corresponding emotion. Take a sentence like "what shall I do," and give it with each attitude, expressing by your voice, as well, the different meanings that it would have.

Thus, with I. the question would be simply for information, or to express willingness to perform what might be required.

With II. it should express submission (willing or unwilling) or great courtesy; or it might be reflective in character, or indicate that you are greatly perplexed.

With III. it might express joyous willingness,"how can I best show my pleasure?”

With IV. it would indicate a degree of uncertainty if you pivoted the head from side to side; or a great

degree of attention if the head were quiet; or you might express contempt by turning the head away,"how shall I get rid of this fellow ?"

With V. indifference, or trustful affection might be shown in the voice.

With VI. and VII. the meanings would be obvious. With VIII. it would express despair or shame. With IX. it would indicate either agony, or terrible mental suffering; or, if given with but partial relaxation, weariness or disgust.

TO THE TEACHER:-Be careful that the pupils do not mix the attitudes in practising, as, for instance, bowing and hanging, lifting and throwing back, pivoting and inclining. At the same time, do not forget that many of these attitudes may be legitimately combined. Space will not allow of indicating or exemplifying these here, but it will be found very useful to work out such combinations, with their appropriate definitions, as, for instance. inclining and bowing toward the object denotes trustful submission, while the opposite inclination would indicate distrustful submission.

LESSON XXVIII.

Climax.

We have studied the relations of the words in a phrase. It remains now to show that the phrases in a sentence are related to one another, just as the words in a phrase are; that sentences, again, combine in groups, of which one will be the most important; that, again

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