quote:

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling,---rejoicing,---sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought. -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

quote:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be. -- WSC, 18 May 1940

quote:

Originally posted by remshooter:
Having gone back to college after too many years, I have learned two things in my English classes. One, I can't even speak English and second, I can't write English either.
I don't think there has been a decent speech writer in the US since MLK jr.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Whilst we're talking non politically correct and greatly mis understood words, whilst a lot of people frown on the word, it's only because the misunderstand one of the most important and versatile words in the English language.

My apologies to the easily offended amongst you!

Fuck

Perhaps one of the most interesting and versatile words in the English language is the word fuck. It is the only word which can describe pain, pleasure, hate, and love. Fuck falls into many grammatical categories. It can be used as a verb, both transitive (John fucked Mary) and intransitive (Mary was fucked by John). It can be an active verb (John really gives a fuck) or a passive verb (Mary really doesn’t give a fuck), an adverb (Mary is fucking interested in John), and a noun (Mary is a fine fuck). It can be used as an adjective (Mary is fucking beautiful). It should be obvious now that there are not many words in the English language with the versatility of the word fuck. Here’s just some of the other ways in which this lovely word can be used:

• Insurance fraud: I got fucked by my agent.
• Happiness: I got fucked by my girlfriend.
• Dismay: Oh fuck it.
• Frustration: Fuck.
• Amazement: Well, fuck.
• Trouble: I guess I’m fucked now.
• Aggression: Fuck you.
• Passive: Fuck me.
• Anger: Fuck it.
• Confusion: What the fuck is going on?
• Difficulty: I can’t understand my fucking homework.
• Curiosity: What the fuck are you doing?
• Despair: Fucked again.
• Uncaring: Who gives a fuck?
• Religious: Holy fuck!
• Incompetence: He’s all fucked up.
• Laziness: He’s just fucking around.
• Rebellion: Fuck off.
• Romantic: Let’s fuck.
• Fear: Oh fuck.
• Displeasure: What the fuck is happening?
• It can be used in descriptive anatomy: He’s a fucking asshole.
• It can be used to suggest ideas: Go fuck a tree,
• It can be used to tell time: It’s fucking 5:30
• It can be used in business: How did I get this fucking job?
• It can have maternal connections: Motherfucker.
• It can be nautical: Fuck the admiral.
• It can be political: Fuck the President.
• It can be medical: Re-fucking-tarded.
• It can open the door to new relationships: Let’s fuck.
• It can enhance the meaning of a word: Beauti-fucking-ful.
• It can be used as a greeting: - How the fuck are you?
• It can display confusion: What the fuck?!;
• It can be used to express disgust: "Fuck me"
• It can be a philosophical statement - "Who gives a fuck?"
• It can be used in numerology : "Sixty-fuckin'-nine";
• It can be a navigational term: - "Where the fuck are we?"
• DISBELIEF - "Unfuckingbelievable
• RETALIATION - Up your fucking ass!"
• SATISFACTION – That’s fucking wonderful!PREDICTION - "Well, I'll be fucked!"
• A PUT DOWN - "Fuck off, buster!"
• ALL ENCOMPASSING - "Fuck 'em all!"
• AS AN ACCEPTANCE - "Fuckin' eh!"
• ENJOYMENT - "Fuckin' Wow!" "

Never forget the quotes of some famous people in our history and in the present:

• Michelangelo: "You want me to paint what on the fucking ceiling"
• George Custer: Where did all these Fucking indians come from?
• Einstein: "Any fucker can understand that"
• Mayor of Hiroshima: What the fuck was that?
• Heidi Fleuss: Fuck these celebrities!
• Mayor Richard Daley: Fuck the heat - - Chicago IL
• John Wayne: "Fuck death and the lung cancer he rode in on."
• Bill Clinton: What the fuck's this inhaling thing?
• Oliver North: You're all fucking liars!
• Sean PennFuck: Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck etc.
• Eddie Murphy: Fuck you, Fuck you, and Fuck you. Who's next?
• Jack Nicholas: Fuck this for a lark, 1995 British Open

And last but not least, the immortal words of the captain of the Titanic, who said "Full speed ahead and fuck the iceberg" and five minutes later said "Where is all this fucking water coming from?

The mind fairly boggles at the many creative uses of the many creative uses of the word. How can anyone be offended when you say "FUCK"? Use fuck in your daily speech.

quote:

Originally posted by DMCI*:
And yet with all the confusion and rules which would satisfy the most adamant contrarian, English Language is full of incredible beauty and power.

quote:

Originally posted by Brice:
Thanks DMCI. I've been reading a book of WSC's speeches that includes commentary. He worked long and hard on those speeches. When I hear folks refer to Obama as a great speaker, I wonder if they've ever read anything decent at all.