Omnibus One and Two

The devils begin to fail....Letter 30

2009-04-22T10:04:00.002-05:00

In this letter Screwtape worries that they are losing the patient. The first raid has occurred in his village. The patient was very frightened and considers himself a coward, but had no pride. Screwtape also mentions that although the patient is afraid, he has done all that is asked of him and more. This is the definition of courage~being able to persevere through difficult, dangerous or fearful times. The patient has become courageous, the pinnacle of all virtues.

Screwtape admonishes Wormwood for allowing this to happen, demanding him to bring back food or be food himself.

Some additional questions about this letter:
What can fatigue produce? (extreme gentleness, quiet of mind, and even something like vision).

How do men react to fatigue? How do women react? What kind of problems can this create in their relationship?

How does Screwtape suggest they use the horror of war to change the patient's perception of reality?

War in the Backyard...Letter 29

2009-04-21T09:35:00.002-05:00

The Germans are coming to the patient's hometown. Screwtape knows this will force the patient to face his possible death. The devils of course do not want him to die with faith in God. They would like him to doubt. In this letter Screwtape discusses how they should accomplish this goal, either by cowardice or courage followed up by hatred of the Germans or pride.

Screwtape tells us how cowardice is a truly painful vice, "horrible to anticipate, horrible to feel, horrible to remember," and that hatred is actually pleasant to feel. (Screwtape Letters p 160). The more a man fears, the more he will hate. To make hatred acceptable to his Christian side, the patient can be made to hate the Germans on behalf of the women and children.

He goes on to discuss how courage is the high point of all virtues. In order to be completely honest, you must sometimes need to be courageous too.

From these two choices, it seems cowardice may be the best to use.

Here are some questions you may want to discuss:
1. Why can the devil produce no virtues?
2. How can hatred be pleasurable?
3. What does fear lead to? (self-knowledge or despair).

Heaven on Earth.....Letter 28

2009-04-20T09:46:00.002-05:00

In this letter Screwtape is concerned as the war progresses. He fears that the patient could die, and if he did, at this time they would lose him.

What does Screwtape say prevents the young from becoming worldly? The beauty of creation and love cry out to God and keep them focused on the eternal.

How can the young become more worldly? By creating "Heaven on earth" through politics, science or psychology.

Why does a man become more worldly when he is middle aged? His prosperity is intricately attached to earth. All good things that happen to him are earthly things: good job, good pay, respect etc. or at the opposite end of the spectrum they can be made to see that their life is dull and drab, which wears them out.

Distracting prayer......Letter 27

2009-04-20T09:04:00.003-05:00

In this letter, Screwtape is disturbed at the patient's obedience in prayer. It seems that the patient is becoming distracted by his love for his Christian girlfriend. This distraction happens during prayer time too of course, but the patient is also asking God for help in this area. Screwtape feels that his nephew Wormwood is failing in this area and quick diversion is needed to steer the patient away from obedience. This is what he suggests: convince the patient that petition in prayer is ineffective, that God already has determined our actions, that man has no free will, so prayer in this are is not needed. Instead he should pray to praise God only. Prayers that are answered can be explained by mere coincidence.

Screwtape then praises the modern education. He notes that in Europe they no longer have to worry about man reading the wisdom of the great books. That only the old, learned continue to read them and even they are not to be feared since they read from a Historical Point of View only. This view analyzes the book in the traditional way, but forgets to answer the question, "How can I apply this to life today?" I had to do the happy dance when I read this, as this is what I've learned to do through Adler's How to Read a Book, and a question we as a class answer each time we finish a book. If you perceive this book to be true, then how will you allow it to change your life?

Along the lines of "close reading," I came to a name in this letter that I did not recognize, Boethius. After looking it up, I found he was the author of Consolation of Philosophy. Here's what Wikipedia has to say regarding this book:
Consolation of Philosophy

"Consolation of Philosophy was written during Boethius' one year imprisonment while awaiting trial, and eventual horrific execution, for the crime of treason by Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great. Boethius was at the very heights of power in Rome and was brought down by treachery. This experience inspired the text, which reflects on how evil can exist in a world governed by God, and how happiness can be attainable amidst fickle fortune, while also considering the nature of happiness and God. It has been described as "by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen."[4]

Boethius writes the book as a conversation between himself and Lady Philosophy. She consoles Boethius by discussing the transitory nature of fame and wealth ("no man can ever truly be secure until he has been forsaken by Fortune"), and the ultimate superiority of things of the mind, which she calls the "one true good". She contends that happiness comes from within, and that one's virtue is all that one truly has, because it is not imperiled by the vicissitudes of fortune.

Boethius engages questions such as the nature of predestination and free will, why evil men often prosper and good men fall into ruin, human nature, virtue, and justice. He speaks about the nature of free will versus determinism when he asks if God knows and sees all, or does man have free will. To quote V.E. Watts on Boethius, God is like a spectator at a chariot race; He watches the action the charioteers perform, but this does not cause them.[5] On human nature, Boethius says that humans are essentially good and only when they give in to “wickedness” do they “sink to the level of being an animal.” On justice, he says criminals are not to be abused, rather treated with sympathy and respect, using the analogy of doctor and patient to illustrate the ideal relationship between criminal and prosecutor.

Boethius sought to answer religious questions without reference to Christianity, relying solely on natural philosophy and the Classical Greek tradition. He believed in harmony between faith and reason. The truths found in Christianity would be no different from the truths found in philosophy. In the words of Henry Chadwick, "If the Consolation contains nothing distinctively Christian, it is also relevant that it contains nothing specifically pagan either...[it] is a work written by a Platonist who is also a Christian, but is not a Christian work." (wikipedia.org, Confessions of Philosophy).

Love to learn has some great discussion ?'s on this letter: http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/LitGuild/Screwtape/index.html

Selfless Love......Letter 26

2009-04-18T10:07:00.002-05:00

In this letter, Screwtape explains how Wormwood can use the selfless acts of Love that man displays in early courtship to become a source of conflict in later yrs. This conflict originates from the different ways that men and women define unselfishness.

How does a woman define unselfishness? (Doing for others)

How does a man define unselfishness? (not giving others trouble).

How can these 2 definitions create conflict? (if a man does not do something for someone in a time of need, the woman will perceive it as his being selfish. If a woman does something for someone in need, the man will see it not as an act of charity but as being interfering).

How can doing an act of charity for someone cause bad feelings? (The one who receives the act will feel indebted to the person who helped them).

What is the Generous Conflict Illusion? (this often occurs in families. One person will state his desire. Another person will state that while he doesn't really want to do what the other person wants to do, he will do it out of unselfishness. This results in everyone refusing to do what was originally planned so that no one will have to be unselfish). This I've found is especially useful in vacation planning! Happens every yr at our house.

Change and novelty

2009-04-18T09:44:00.002-05:00

In this letter Screwtape discusses how the desire for change can be misdirected into a craving for novelty and excitement. How relevant is this today? How often do we hear our children say "we're bored!" How often do we think we're being cheated if life isn't fun enough?

I learned a valuable lesson when I was first married. When my husband and I were dating we went out a lot. Then we got married, and the reality set in. He worked a lot and was tired. He wanted to be home and relax. I wondered where all the fun went. I'll never forget his telling me that we didn't need to go out all the time, that sometimes doing the same ol thing everyday was OK. Shocked, I slowly learned to love home and thrive on a routine. I've let go of the need for constant entertainment. I have peace.

Here are some questions from the reading.
What does God balance change with? (a love of permanence)

What type of change does God give us? (change of seasons, change of celebrations in the church calendar)

How has the devil twisted the pleasure of change? (He's made it a craving for novelty, the more novelty you have the more you want. Soon the novelty becomes less and less pleasurable. Kind of like a drug).

How does this letter tie into the letter written about fashion?

How can the desire for novelty distract us?

Letter 24....Spiritual pride

2009-04-01T10:44:00.003-05:00

It turns out the patient's girlfriend has one small flaw. She tends to think that those who don't believe the same as her are stupid and silly. I think there are 4 good questions to discuss about this letter.

Where is the root of the girl's flaw? Can this happen to us today?

How can spiritual pride turn off non-Christians?

How can spiritual pride divide different religions or sects of Christians?

How should we treat non Christians?

Letter 23.....New Friends

2009-04-01T09:17:00.002-05:00

In this letter, Screwtape is flabbergasted at the quality of new, Christian friends that the patient has made through his new love. Screwtape suggests corrupting the patient's spirituality. He suggests that the best point to attack the relationship between the patient and his intelligent, Christian friends is the border between theology and politics. The best way to accomplish this is by creating a "historical Jesus."

I wasn't really sure what a "historical Jesus" was so I looked it up. Here is Wikipedia's definition:
The historical Jesus is the figure of the first-century Jesus of Nazareth as reconstructed by scholars using historical methods that include critical analysis of gospel texts as the primary source for his biography, and non-biblical sources for the historical and cultural context in which he lived. Use of the term "the historical Jesus" implies that the figure thus reconstructed differs from that presented in the teaching of the ecumenical councils ("the dogmatic Christ") and in other Christian accounts ("the Christ of faith").[1]

By using the intellect of this new group, Screwtape hopes to steer them towards a new definition of Jesus, until they are worshiping something quite different than the actual Jesus.

Screwtape uses 4 steps to create a "historical Jesus"
1. Make Him solely a teacher and conceal the similarities between His teachings and the teachings of all great moral teachers.
2. Do not allow man to realize that all great moralists are sent by God to remind man of the moral platitudes.
3. Destroy the devotional life of prayer and sacraments.
4. Create a false history and conceal the fact that man is usually converted by one event such as the resurrection or redemption. Let man believe that a complete biography of Jesus is the best way of conversion.

Screwtape than addresses Religion and politics. He states that God appreciates those men that allow their Christianity to flow over into his political life, but does not like Christianity to be used as a means for man's own advancement.

Letter 22 ......Finding Perfect Love

2009-03-31T13:36:00.003-05:00

Screwtape begins this letter angrily, as the patient has found true love. The worst kind ever.

This girl is a Christian, a demure yet humorous, quiet, virginal, bread and butter Christian. The type that faints at the sight of blood, but dies with a smile.

Screwtape goes on to accuse God of being a hedonist (one who is centered on pleasure). Screwtape claims that fasting, vigils, stakes and crosses are a facade for what God really wants for us~which is pleasure.

Screwtape goes on to explain that everything has to be twisted before it can be used by them.

Here are some questions to discuss:
Describe the girl the patient falls in love with:

What does god really want for us?

Why does everything have to be twisted before the devil can use it?

Describe the women's family? Why do you think people change once they emerge from there?

What sounds do we hear in Heaven?

What sounds are heard in Hell and are filling the earth today?

Why is Screwtape transformed into a centipede?

Letter 21.....Who owns it anyway?

2009-03-31T09:08:00.002-05:00

In this letter, Screwtape encourages Wormwood to attack the patient's peevishness. Now my vocabulary is not very large, so I had to look up the meaning of peevishness to fully understand the meaning. If anyone else needs help, here is the definition:
peevishness:
1 : querulous in temperament or mood : fretful
2 : perversely obstinate (a peevish child)
3 : marked by ill temper
What trespasses make us angry? Someone taking too much of our time? Someone overstepping their boundaries? Screwtape focuses on time throughout much of this letter. He points out that man assumes all things belong to him, including time and his body. I must admit, I never looked at my day as belonging to God. I actually thought I could give my time to Him. I do look at my body as mine since I occupy it. But, this letter points out how foolish we are. We did not create time or one ounce of our body (well, maybe we contributed to the fat and muscle tone). We just occupy both. How different we might behave if we thought we were working for someone else in this time and body.

Here are some discussion ?'s for today:

Who owns time?

Does this change how we should use it?

Who owns our bodies?

How would you feel if someone mistreated a gift you gave them?

Letter 20...Beauty and the Beast

2009-03-30T18:09:00.002-05:00

In this letter, Screwtape discusses with his nephew the type of woman he would like to encourage the patient to "fall in Love" with. He goes on to disclose how the devils have been working for decades, using popular artists, dressmakers, actresses and advertisers to sell a certain type of woman that will appeal to a man's vanity. How true this is today.

Here are some questions to discuss with your students:
1. Why are attempts to forcibly end a man's chastity always unsuccesful?

2. Who does the devil enlist to help him influence man's definition of the "perfect" woman?

3. What type of woman according to the letter is pleasing to God? I will go ahead and answer that here, as it may be hard to discern in the letter: one who is charitable, readily obedient to marriage, coloured all through with the golden light of reverance and naturalness.

Letter 18....Falling in Love

2009-03-30T10:58:00.002-05:00

This letter confused me a little. It almost seemed as if Lewis was suggesting marriage have nothing to do with love, which I heartily disagreed with. Was I confused by the worldly view of love today? I looked up marriage in my handy, dandy concordance, and there really wasn't much scripture about prerequisites to marriage. So, I remain confused. On to the letter:

This letter discusses falling in love. Screwtape points out that God wants either abstinence from us or complete monogamy in marriage. Screwtape discloses that the devils have made monogamy (staying with just one person) very difficult. The devils have done this by promoting the idea of "falling in love." He (Screwtape) explains that falling in love is a short term excitement that he wants humans to think should last forever. If that feeling of excitement doesn't last forever (which it won't) then a marriage should end.

I think the first point C.S. Lewis is trying to make in this letter is that the expectation that a long term relationship will have the giddiness of falling in love is not possible. That God describes marriage as "one flesh." God did not say marriage was a happy married couple or a couple that married because they fell in love, at least not in the way we define falling in love today. God created marriage so man and women could help each other, so they would not be lonely. Marriage does include love, but not the giddy kind of love we expect today, it has more of the enduring steadfast love. By expecting the excitement of new love to last throughout a lifetime will only produce disappointment.

The devils in this letter explain that they can use the idea of "falling in love" to tempt man to do many things. We will see exactly how this is done in the following letters.

Letter 17...Gluttony

2009-03-30T10:50:00.002-05:00

This letter is about gluttony. What is gluttony? Gluttony is
1. Eating before the time of meal in order to satisfy the palate.
2. Seeking delicacies and better quality of food to gratify the "sense of taste."
3. Seeking after sauces and seasonings for the enjoyment of the palate.
4. Exceeding the necessary amount of food.
5. Taking food with too much eagerness, even when eating the proper amount, and even if the food is not luxurious.

So, while you may have thought gluttony was just overeating, it can also mean being too particular, eating just to eat or just focusing too much on food.

I never realized the true definition of gluttony included "Seeking delicacies, sauces and seasinings." I must admit, I fall into this category. We are vegetarians, and therefore, must be "priggish" when eating out with friends by refusing meat. I could easily turn vegetarianism into a large part of my day. Planning meals, going to this store for this and that store for that. Cooking detailed recipes to provide my family with sumptuous meals. Yep, it happens.

My husband has become spoiled by all this attention to diet and cooking. Sometimes after I've prepared a laborious meal he will exclaim, "Hmm, this needs something else, some sort of spice." Do you think it would be OK if I hit him with the gluttony stick?

Anyways, here's the questions for this letter:

How can focusing on food interfere with your life?

In what ways according to the letter are women made to be gluttonous?

In what ways are men to be made gluttonous?

Letter 16....Church shopping anyone?

2009-03-30T10:49:00.001-05:00

One word that may help you understand this letter better is coterie: an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose.

In this letter, Screwtape is alarmed that the patient has been loyal to one church.

What does he suggest Wormwood do about this situation?

What 2 reasons according to Screwtape is "church shopping" better than belonging to one church?

What does Screwtape suggest can be done between "party churches" to cause disruption?

Letter 15.....Live for the Present

2009-03-30T10:40:00.003-05:00

Before we get started, here are a few words defined to help you understand the letter:

This topic actually came up in my Sunday school class this weekend. I've been amazed at how many times I've been able to apply what I've learned from these letters to my life throughout the past couple weeks and how much I've grown as a Christian.
We are studying Revelations, when the class began to argue over Millenium theory. Do Methodists prescribe to premellenialism, post mellenialism or amellenialism (Excuse the spelling, I'm too lazy to look it up)? Aagh, my mind screamed, just the topic to divide the class. Wouldn't Screwtape be happy. I happen to know one man in my class is very much a Revelations scholar. Stuck trying to figure out the future. I mentioned perhaps we should not put so much energy into trying to know the past (creationism) and trying to define the future, as we really need to focus on how we're living now.

Avarice: excessive desire for wealth or gain (hhmm, not much avarice in the world today, she says flippantly).

Philological: Study of literature or language.

Complacency: self satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiency.

In this letter, Wormwood notes a lull in the war and wonders how he should take advantage of this lull. Should he use "Stupid confidence," or anxiety about the future? This question brings about a discussion of time. Time is defined as the past, present and future.

What is so bad about living in the past?

Why would the devils want us to avoid living in the present?

Which virtues look to the future?

How should we look to the past, present and future?

***Search for quotes about "living in the present" on google. Post your favorite quote here, remember to note the author.***

Letter 14....

2009-03-30T10:37:00.002-05:00

This is a great letter, and one who's meaning is very hard to achieve. Why do we have such a hard time accepting compliments? I think the point that we should be just as happy for ourselves as we would be if someone else accomplished the same thing is a wonderful guideline.
My questions for this letter are simple:

What is the theme of this letter (remember the theme is the point the author is trying to convey) ?

What does God want for us?

Letter 13..The Blunders of Wormwood

2009-03-30T10:35:00.001-05:00

Screwtape shames his nephew, Wormwood in this letter for allowing his patient to experience 2 real pleasures. This letter explains that the devils would rather keep people focused on things they don't truly enjoy. I don't think this means they have to focus on horrible things or even behaving badly, they just need to be kept busy doing things that really don't matter much.

Often, the things people enjoy are what God has given them in the form of gifts and talents. By using these talents they often become closer to God. Something so simple as a walk along a beautiful path can produce a sense of peace and delight that can bring one closer to God. Remember the verse, "Even the rocks cried out His name."

What do you think the "asphyxiating cloud" was that surrounded the patient on his walk from the old mill?

What characteristic does Pain and Pleasure bring?

What state does Screwtape want the patient to be in and why?

How can Wormwood turn this disaster concerning his patient around?

Letter 12....The Slippery Slope

2009-03-23T10:05:00.001-05:00

In this letter, Screwtape congratulates his nephew on his progress. It seems his patient is spending increasing amounts of time with his new group of friends, and less time developing his faith. Sure, he still attends church, but his whole heart is not there. A "dim uneasiness" settles in. This "dim uneasiness" can cause him to repent and turn to God or guilt might build up and turn him farther away.

What will God not allow the devils to completely suppress?

What do you think the "dim uneasiness" is that Christians feel when they're being spiritually lazy?

What is the safest road to hell? How can we prevent this in our own life?

Screwtape says, "As one of my own patients said on his arrival down here, I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked." Explain what this means? How does not following God produce this type of life?

Here's a link to a music video that sums it all up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLJF9vaIJ_0

Enjoy!

Letter 11...The Art of Telling Jokes.......

2009-03-23T09:59:00.002-05:00

I'm teaching my usual C.S. Lewis class online this week, so I'm just going to post their lessons here in case anyone is interested in doing them with their students at home.

Here are a couple words defined before you start to read, that will help you to understand the letter better.
Incongruities: not compatible, not harmonious
Flippancy: Excessive silliness and lack of steadiness especially regarding grave or sacred matters.

This letter discusses the patient's increasing circle of friends. Screwtape comments that much laughter can be heard and goes on to explain the 4 causes of laughter.

What are the 4 causes of laughter?

Which 2 causes are NOT useful to the devils?

Why do the devils hate fun?

Why is flippancy great for the devils? How can they use it to their advantage?

Letter 10...you are who you hang out with

2009-03-18T12:15:00.002-05:00

At least that's what my mother told me, and what I tell my children. In this letter Screwtape encourages the friendship of friends with opposing morals and priorities. I have friends like this. Friends that say things that make me cringe. Friends that have worldviews different than mine. Yet, I still continue a friendship with them based on the hope that it is possible that they will see my life and change. Sometimes I rationalize it and tell myself, aren't we supposed to love the enemy? (That doesn't mean we have to be cozy with him though). So, I know this scenario all too well.

This letter gives us the perfect opportunity as families to discuss this situation. How we gradually can become the same as our friends. How it's dangerous to "play" along with people who do things we're opposed to. How we can gradually convince ourselves that their way may not be so wrong.

Some words were unfamiliar to me and defining them has helped me to understand the meaning of the letter. One word is:
Mammon: a term, derived from the Christian Bible, used to describe material wealth or greed.

Screwtape stated that in modern Christian writings he see a lot about mammon, but little warnings about world vanities, the choice of friends, and the value of time. This forces the question what do we value? Who are our friends and how do we spend our time? Truly looking at these things may change how we see ourselves.

Letter 9....How the enemy uses our trough times

2009-03-18T09:04:00.003-05:00

In this letter Screwtape instructs his nephew how to properly exploit his patient's trough time. He outlines 3 ways to exploit the patient:
1. Use the trough times to tempt him into perversions of pleasure and also to make the pleasures less pleasurable.
2. The second method is to keep the patient ignorant of the natural ups and downs of life. Convince him that the highs may not return and that the present state must be accepted.
3. Another method is to directly attack his faith by convincing him that the time period of faith was just a passing phase.

A great list of discussion ?'s is located here: http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/LitGuild/Screwtape/ScrewTape9.pdf

Letter 8....slugging through the troughs

2009-03-18T08:30:00.002-05:00

Ahh, what a beautiful letter. I'm lucky that I'm old enough now to be able to look back and to see God's hand in the hardest of times. I can see how some terribly difficult times and horrible things produced good in me and I am so thankful for those times. I must say, I've never not felt his effect as Lewis suggests in this letter, that after a few glimpses he leaves us, to grow on our own. Maybe, I'm not that mature yet and still require some hand holding.

It reminds me of a little girl I teach in my 3rd & 4th grade church group. She and her mom are homeless sometimes and she has quite a few emotional difficulties. Last week she asked me why God doesn't answer her prayers. Why doesn't he speak to her. I knew no "pat" answer would do. I explained to her that God doesn't "speak" to us in a voice as we'd expect. At least not to all of us. That sometimes he speaks through a feeling of comfort, or a feeling that you should take a different path. Sometimes he speaks through another person. I explained that we go through hard times and it seems like God's not there, but that we will learn from the hard times and become stronger from them. Then I hugged her, for this girl lives in a trough.

So, what can we ask each other about this letter?
Perhaps, how can your relationship with God grow stronger when you are in a trough?
How do we define "trough" periods?
Can you look back and see different trough periods in your various interests?

When we're in the trough, we can remind ourselves that the peaks will come back. They usually do.

Letter 7.....to reveal or not to reveal that is the question

2009-03-17T10:23:00.002-05:00

Screwtape begins his letter by explaining why the devils are currently concealing themselves from humanity. With concealment they are able to do their work unseen, with belief in the devils humans can be terrorized, but also are forced to believe in the spiritual existence of both the devils and God. Humans through their desire to have things be proven, are more likely to believe what they can see.

Shortly after this point comes the most confusing passage to me:
"I have high hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalise and mythologise their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, belief in us, (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to the Enemy [God]. The "Life Force," the worship of sex, and some aspects of Psychoanalysis may here prove useful. If once we can produce our perfect work--the Materialist Magician, the man, not using, but veritably worshipping, what he vaguely calls "Forces" while denying the existence of "spirits"--then the end of the war will be in sight." p 33.

What does he mean by materialist magician? How can one emotionalize and mythologise science? After researching this some, I've come to the conclusion that the enemy would benefit by humans emotionalizing their science through believing that "forces" cause significant life events, denying any spiritual realm. We can see this as psychiatry attempts to define conscience, mores and values. Remember earlier in the book we were introduced to materialism which defines everything as matter. This may help define the role of a materialist magician as someone who defines all events as tangible, explainable occurrences.

Soon, Screwtape moves into discussing the use of extreme factions in winning souls. He points out how a belief in any extreme can cause a soul to falter even if it's in the name of religion. This happens when the person begins to value the cause more than God himself. He winds up fighting for his own selfish agenda and puts God's name on it, which can be rather pretentious. Often the causes are untangible, distant causes that force one to concentrate on them rather than those around them that may need help.

He also describes how any factions, even in the church, can cause divisiveness. This divisiveness causes an us against them agenda that opposes elements of Christianity.

After reading this letter, it makes me think that our founding fathers had a good idea when deciding to separate church and state. You can see the divisiveness when you look at any cause that has Christianity mixed into it. It can even divide Christians
and certainly doesn't reflect well to the outside world. I realize that Christians need to act, and take a stance in things, but I think this must be done very carefully.

I found 2 very useful sites for discussion questions regarding this letter:

http://theplowman.org/2007/01/17/screwtape-letter-7/

http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/LitGuild/Screwtape/ScrewTape7.pdf

Until next time...Peace.

Letter 6..... more war and confusion

2009-03-16T09:42:00.003-05:00

In this letter Screwtape continues to counsel Wormwood on the best way to use the war to align the patient with their side. The most important thing Screwtape would like to do is bring the patient to a place of maximum uncertainty. He would like the patient to be confused by both fear and hope. Screwtape even goes so far as to point out that God wants us to focus on what we do, the enemy wants us to focus on what might happen to us. How applicable this is to today, with our current state of economy. How often during these uncertain times do we worry so much about how much this might affect us, in oh so many various ways that we forget to consider that others may need our help too. I don't mean to imply that we completely forget our troubles, but to focus on what we can actually do to solve them, let go what we can not control and then look out to helping others in this time of need.

Screwtape would like the patient to consider his fears the cross that he must bear. He would like the patient to think that the fear is God's will. In our lives, when we're afraid we must remember Philippians 1:27-28 I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those that oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved, by God. 1 Peter 19 reminds us that when we suffer for God's will, we must commit ourselves to Him and continue to do good.

After emphasizing the importance of the allowing the patient to feel fear, Screwtape points out that no matter what there will be feelings of both benevolence and malice in the patients heart. Screwtape would like to direct the mailce towards those close to the patient, and the benevolence to those far away. I can see how this plays out in my own life. When I'm in a difficult situation and scared, it is so easy to lash out at those closest to me, even if they have nothing to do with the cause of my anxiety. Directing benevolence to those far from us, keeps it less real, and more fantasy. Acts of kindness or good works are much more tangible and felt more strongly when given to those around us as opposed to perhaps praying for those in a far off country, without any tangible acts being done.

A great list of discussion questions for students can be found here: http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/LitGuild/Screwtape/ScrewTape6.pdf

Letter 5....A Call to War

2009-03-15T15:40:00.002-05:00

Here we go again, more reasons this book confuses me. In this letter, Screwtape warns his nephew Wormwood, not to revel too long in the development of the war. That quite to the contrary, war which a cruel and horrible experience can actually work for God. He goes on to say that Wormwood may find success in working with extreme patriotism or pacificism in his patient. That is what made my head spin. How can patriotism be bad? After thinking about it awhile you can certainly see how someone could put that ahead of God, the same with pacificism. An extreme in anything can become a negative.

So, the question of this letter is how can war work for God? Screwtape tells his nephew, "We may hope for a good deal of cruelty and unchastity (Unpure conduct~I had to look this one up). But,if we are not careful, we shall see thousands turning in this tribulation to the Enemy, while tens of thousands who do not go so far as that will nevertheless have their attention diverted from themselves to values and causes which they believe to be higher than the self."

Remeber from the last letter, the devil loves for us to look inward. War, even though it may not be approved by God, brings people together, fighting for causes other than themselves, and forces them to think about death and what they believe will happen after death. Screwtape says the devil's best weapon is "Contented Worldliness" when one is content with thinking of things of this world, and not things that are beyond this world, such as death and faith.

In this letter Screwtape points out that the devils can not even use suffering to bring humans to turn against God. For God has told them, that "suffering is a natural part of what He calls Redemption."

Vocabulary words for students:
unchastity
tribulation
tantalise
pacifist
redemption

Discussion ?'s: How can God win souls from war?
What is the devil's best weapon for winning souls?
What does suffering produce?
What does contentment produce?
How can extreme patriotism or pacifism lead one away from God?

Letter 4....no more lazy prayers please

2009-03-11T10:04:00.005-05:00

It's letters like this one that twist my brain! Reading through the letter quickly, I get the impression that informal prayer with God is just what the enemy wants.

But wait, that's what I do. I'm pretty good at casual conversational prayer with God. I thought that's what we should be doing according to the verse that incites us to pray ceaselessly. I thought prayer was intended to build a relationship with God, so the more comfortable it is the better.

So what exactly is this letter supposed to tell me? Maybe that God deserves a position of reverence in our prayers. Maybe there should be more awe and fear in mine. In practice, prayer should be concentrated and focused. A formal position helps to keep us focused, not lazy. We should wait for God to answer our prayers instead of trying to force an answer or feeling on ourselves.

As for the class, the discussion director's role is to write a list of questions for the group to discuss. I hope they will address some of the following:
How does the enemy want us to pray?
How should we pray to God, in what attitude?

The connector's job is to make connections between the book and ordinary life:
How can we apply what we've learned to our prayer life?
Do we have a habit of prayer?
How should we approach God?

The literary luminary's role is to choose a paragraph or sentence from the book to discuss with the group. There are many possible passages they could choose for this. One migh be, "In reaction to "parrot-like prayers of his childhood" he may be pursuaded to aim at something entirely spontaneous, inward, informal, and unregularised; and what this will actually mean to a beginner will be ab effort to produce in himself a vaguely devotional mood in which real concentration of will and intelligence have no part."

Stay tuned for letter 5......

On to Letter 3......

2009-03-10T12:18:00.004-05:00

Letter 3 is a study in ignoring the obvious sin in ourselves, while pretending to be pious. This pious attitude of course brings on judgement and can wreak havoc in the lives of our families and friends. How many times have I done this myself? The answer is too many to count~just ask my husband.

In this letter, Screwtape advises Wormwood to have his patient concentrate on "higher" spiritual activities and study. This study may lead to a bit of arrogance in the patient. One of the key phrases in this letter is when Screwtape recommends, "Aggravating that most useful human characteristic, the horror and neglect of the obvious." p12. Here is a wonderful note concerning this concept that I found on an anabaptist conference web site:

A Word from Dorothy
The horror and neglect of the obvious
One of my favorite "old" books is THE
SCREWTAPE LETTERS by C.S. Lewis, first published
in 1942. In it is this encouragement from the senior
devil to his apprentice devil: "...Keep his mind off the
most elementary duties by directing it to the most
advanced and spiritual ones. Aggravate the most useful
human characteristic, the horror and neglect of the
obvious...." (pp 20-21)
During the seasons of Advent, Christmas and
Epiphany, we prepare, we celebrate, we share. We are a
people who wait, who receive, who hope. This
important Christian season is also an important spiritual
discipline.
Yet, during this season, we sometimes neglect
the obvious. We scurry around, rushed and bedraggled.
We are pummeled by advertisements about objects and
things that would make us happy--or so they say. We
are harassed by ever more activities, ever more foods,
ever more events. So I wonder, what is the point? What
season is this anyway?
The devil's advice comes screaming at us--
"neglect the obvious". How do we, as Christians,
neglect the obvious? We neglect the children among us
who are lonely, have special needs, or are caught with
chronic illness. We neglect the youth among us who are
either very talented or very marginalized. We neglect
the neighbor who just lost a spouse or our fellow church
member whose diagnosis of cancer is a startling change
of life. We neglect the homeless who walk our streets.
We neglect the senior adult who has no visitors. We
neglect our own congregations who ask for leaders and
volunteers. We neglect ourselves and our spiritual
disciplines.

And so I thought our seasonal prayer might go
like this:
God of miracles and of new life,
we pray for the gift of vision.
Help us to see your world with compassion and love,
not hate and competition.
Inspire us to seek justice and love mercy.
Open our eyes to the obvious.
Take away our neglectful natures.
Give us patience in our waiting for your Son to bring
life to all. Amen.
----Dorothy Nickel Friesen

I think the message of this letter and what the enemy would like us to focus on is the scholarly side of Christianity. He would like us to be oblivious to the needs of those around us, either by being so self centered. We can even do this as Christians by focusing on lofty goals instead of the basic needs of those around us.

As for possible questions I hope my student that is the discussion director will ask:
What 4 ways is Screwtape suggesting Wormwood use to distract the patient?
1. Keep his mind on his inner life.
2. Keeps his prayers focused on spiritual needs, not actual basic life needs of others.
3. Have the patient focus on the traits of his mother that irritate him the most.
4. Have him read additional meaning into her words and tone.
What evidence do we have from this letter that the devils work together as a group?

As for the connector, I hope they might make some of the following connections:
What should we focus on in our lives?
What is more important, studying scripture or acting on it?
How can we prevent arrogance?

The literary Luminary might focus on the passage focused on above: the horror and neglect of the obvious.

Letter 2 of the Screwtape Letters......

2009-03-10T09:08:00.003-05:00

In Letter 2, we learn that the patient has become a Christian. No need to worry says, Screwtape. The church itself can be used against him. Not the "Church" as it stands over time as an united body of Christians, but the patient's church itself. How can this be? The devil uses the image we have in our minds of the Holy church. The gothic style building filled with pious scholars. This image of course does not measure up to the true church we attend with the farmer sitting next to us in his not so Sunday best. The people inside the church are the same as the people outside the church, ordinary. How could they be seen then as holy? asks Screwtape.

Here are some discussion questions the discussion director in the group might ask:
How does the patient see Christianity at this point? He sees it as heavenly images.
How would Screwtape like him to see Christianity? As ordinary people, nothing special or miraculous.
What is the patient's worship like? Surface level, parrot type prayers with a bit of arrogance after his conversion sprinkled in.
What is Lewis warning us about? Looking at the church as a group of annoying, ordinary people which we are above.

Connector: How does Screwtape's plan to keep church ordinary tie in with yesterday's plan to barage him with jargon? Multiple images will confuse his belief or at least make it less holy.
How can we prevent this from happening in our lives?
How can we become more aware of the presence and beauty of God around us?
How does what we think about our fellow church members effect our spiritual lives?

Literary Luminary: The quote I chose, which summarizes the letter is this: "He has not been anything like long enough with the enemy (God) to have any real humility yet. What he says, even on his knees, about his own sinfulness is all parrot talk. At the bottom, he still believes he has run up a very favorable credit-balance in the enemy's ledger by allowing himself to be converted, and thinks that he is showing great humility and condescension in going to church with these "smug" commonplace neighbors at all. Keep him in that state of mind as long as you can." (Lewis, p 8-9)

I'm sure this isn't happening in our pews today....cough, cough.

The Screwtape Letters.....one by one

2009-03-09T17:56:00.003-05:00

I must admit I'm probably the only person who had a hard time reading The Screwtape Letters. I had to twist my mind to process the opposite of what Screwtape, the devil, is suggesting. So, I've spent some time wrestling with it and have come up with a basis for my literature co-op class which I teach.

I'll be posting (hopefully) a lesson for each letter. I'm using literature circles to teach this book, but the questions produced by the literature circles could easily become discussion questions for the family. When using literature circles the students take the role of the teacher. Each student has a different role. If you're interested, the roles I've chosen are here:
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basics/reading/literature_circles/
The students are to read one letter and then complete their role sheet which they will first discuss with their small group and then with the class at large.

The first lesson is based on the first letter. In this letter, Wormwood, tries to gain his patient for his father down under, by guiding his reading and encouraging time with his materialistic friend. Screwtape, the elder devil, suggests instead overloading the patient with jargon.

There were two words in this letter that I wasn't truly sure of the concrete meaning. The first was materialism. Materialism is the theory that physical matter is the only reality and that all processes and phenomena can be explained by physical matter. One can see how this belief would interfere with Christianity and why Wormwood would use it.

The other word I was not sure about was jargon. Jargon means confused,, unintelligible language. Strange, outlandish or barbarious language or dialect. It can also mean obscure or pretentious speech marked by circumlocution and long words. This is what Screwtape considers a superior method in keeping the patient from his enemy, God. We can definitely see this used in media today. And think how this applies to texting and how that threatens to change our language.

I think the overall purpose of this letter is to show how multiple media streams can distract a person. If Lewis felt this in his time, just think how much media has increased in the last decade with increased computer use, cell phones and multiple news channels filled with spin.

Back to the lesson. I put myself in all the roles, so I'd have material to help the students in case they are stuck doing this for the first time.
Questions from the discussion-director:
How does Wormwood attempt to hold onto his patient?
What does Screwtape suggest is the better way to keep him from the church?
How does the enemy use this idea today?

Literary Luminary: the passage I chose as most significant is: "Thanks to processes which we set to work in them centuries ago, they find it all but impossible to believe in the unfamiliar while the familiar is before their eyes. Keep pressing on him the ordinariness of things.

Connector:
How are we distracted from God today? How can we prevent distraction? Why must we prevent distraction? How can we benefit from limiting distractions?

You'll have to read the letter to find the answers.

Moving on to The Last Days of Socrates

2009-03-02T11:09:00.003-06:00

I read the warning prior to reading Euthypro that this is not to be read like a book, as it does not have a plot line. Basically, it is the outline of an argument. I must admit by the end of the dialogue, I too like Euthypro wanted to scream; Socrates has a way of getting under your skin, like a burrowing mite.

Maybe it would be best to review deductive reasoning with your students before reading. That way they are aware of the argument and its twisting and turnings.
The basic argument of Euthypro is "what is Holy?" Remember, we aren't speaking of holy to our God, but holy to the Greek Gods.

The Modus Ponens for deductive reasoning assumes
"If p is true then Q occurs or is true
p.
Therefore, q occurs
(Rulebook of Arguments p38.)

Euthypro attempts to define holy as that which appeases all the gods collectively.

Used to define holiness, it would look like this:
If something appeals to all gods, than it is holy
Something appeals to the gods
Then it is holy.

Socrates argues that Euthypro can't prove that prosecuting his father for the murder of his hired hand appeases the gods. Therefore, we can't assume it is holy.

They than attempt to define holy. This proves very difficult to do. They ultimately prove that holy is a branch of justice.

Not all just things are holy
It is just
Then it might not be holy.

Holy is just a part of the whole concept of justice.

An exhausted Euthypro leaves before they can define holy as it relates to justice and the reader probably by now has a headache.

Perhaps in the Apology we'll find the definition of what Socrates considers holy.

Progressing through Plutarch's Lives

2009-01-28T16:49:00.004-06:00

So far in Plutarch we have studied Theseus and Romulus, Publicola (or Poplicola) and Solon. This has been one of the few books I've read out to the girls in a while as they think they've gotten a little old for such a thing, but we found it was necessary when they just weren't grasping the story. Reading out loud has brought even more great discussion. We've looked for each leaders gifts or strengths and asked ourselves if that would still make a great leader today. We've watched how the leaders have evolved from being heroic based on the killing of thieves (not something we admire today) to being heroic based on justice and mercy to the poor, which is still a high ideal today.

It's great too to see names that were mentioned in Herodotus and Spielvogel come up in Plutarch. During our reading of Solon Cereus, Cyrus & Cinncinatus were mentioned.

I've truly enjoyed this time together and hopefully we'll do more books out loud in the future. Sophocles is up next, a drama, which is meant to be heard, not read. I do think students need to learn to decipher the great books on their own, but alternating with a good read and discuss method seems to benefit them too.

I hope you all are enjoying your studies!

Plutarch's Lives....

2009-01-15T10:37:00.003-06:00

As you read Plutarch's Lives you may want to take notes on each person in order to answer the following questions:
1. What do we know about his birth, his parentage & gifts of body, mind and opportunity?
2. What do we know about his education, training and development of these gifts?
3. What works and deeds did he do throughout his life?

How does this compare to the opposing man?
Do we still value these qualities or actions in leaders today?

For easier reading consider the readings by Rosalie Kaufman linked on the Ambleside Online web site (scroll to bottom of page):
http://www.amblesideonline.org/PlutarchSch.shtml

Is revenge ever OK?

2009-01-07T16:12:00.002-06:00

Here is anna's essay answering this question.

Revenge
According to the Bible, is revenge wrong? That is the question for the essay you are reading currently.
The answer is, that unless produced by God (as in God spoke to a certain person to take revenge on a certain person), revenge is wrong and harmful. The whole aspect of revenge is pointless if you think it is correct, because you know that the person you take revenge on will take revenge on you and you’ll just have to keep going back and forth like that! In my opinion that doesn’t sound very satisfying.

Some Bible verses that speak about revenge and enemies are: Romans 12:17-21 which says “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord. Instead, ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.’ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” And also Ephesians 4:2 which reads, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for others fault because of your love.”

These verses clearly show that we are to not take revenge and to love our enemies (you know, those people you want to take revenge on). And by being kind to our enemies they feel guilty, which is in a way revenge, but you were just loving them so you didn’t really make them feel guilty. And that is what I think. Peace.

The History of Greek drama

2008-12-26T12:21:00.003-06:00

Greek Drama can be found to date back to the religious worship of Dionysus as far back as 1200BC. One of the central rites of Dionysus was the dithyramb. Dithyramb means "Choric hymn," a hymn accompanied by mimic gestures and most likely music. This dancing and singing rose to the form of artistic poetry by 600BC, becoming a competition in various Athenian festivals. It soon ceased to be centered around Dionysus and began to include other heroes of Greek Mythology. In 543 BC, the ruler of Athens, Pisistratus, changed the Dionysian Festivals and began drama competitions. The competitions became popular annual events.

Two types of dramas evolved. The first being the Tragedy and the Satyr play. The tragedies had a noble purpose to teach religious lessons, much like the parables of our Bible. They were designed to show the consequences of taking the wrong path in life. The protagonists of the dramas pitted themselves against fate, society or life's rules. Most often the main character's major fault is "hubris" or unmerited arrogance.

The second type of drama is the comedy. Originally comedies were considered trivial and common. The most famous Greek comedy writers were Aristophanes and Cratinus. They too were presented at the Athenian festivals.

Only a small number of tragedies survived as full texts from the annual competitions in Athens, but they include work by three dramatists of genius. The earliest is the heavyweight of the trio, Aeschylus.

Aeschylus added a second actor, increasing the potential for drama. He first won the prize for tragedy in 484 BC. He is known to have written about eighty plays, of which only seven survive. One of his innovations was to write the day's three tragedies on a single theme, as a trilogy. By good fortune three of his seven plays are one such trilogy, which remain one of the theatre's great masterpieces - the Oresteia, celebrating the achievement of Athens in replacing the chaos of earlier times with the rule of law.

Sophocles gained his first victory in 468 BC, defeating Aeschylus. He is credited with adding a third actor, further extending the dramatic possibilities of a scene. Whereas Aeschylus tended to deal with great public themes, the tragic dilemmas in Sophocles are worked out at a more personal level. Plots became more complex, characterization more subtle, and the personal interaction between characters more central to the drama.

Although Sophocles in a very long life wrote more plays than Aeschylus (perhaps about 120), again only seven survived intact. Of these Oedipus the King is generally considered to be his masterpiece.

The youngest of the three great Greek tragedians was Euripides. More of his plays survived (19 as opposed to 7 for each of the others), but he had fewer victories than his rivals in the City Dionysia - in which he first competed in 454 BC.

Euripides introduced a more unconventional view of Greek myth, seeing it from new angles or viewing mythological characters in terms of their human frailties.

The Greek Theater
Greek tragedies and comedies were always performed in outdoor theaters. Early Greek theaters were probably little more than open areas in city centers or next to hillsides where the audience, standing or sitting, could watch and listen to the chorus singing about the exploits of a god or hero. From the late 6th century BC to the 4th and 3rd centuries BC there was a gradual evolution towards more elaborate theater structures, but the basic layout of the Greek theater remained the same. The major components of Greek theater are labled on the diagram above.

Orchestra: The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular. It was a level space where the chorus would dance, sing, and interact with the actors who were on the stage near the skene. The earliest orchestras were simply made of hard earth, but in the Classical period some orchestras began to be paved with marble and other materials. In the center of the orchestra there was often a thymele, or altar. The orchestra of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was about 60 feet in diameter.

Theatron: The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat. The theatron was usually part of hillside overlooking the orchestra, and often wrapped around a large portion of the orchestra (see the diagram above). Spectators in the fifth century BC probably sat on cushions or boards, but by the fourth century the theatron of many Greek theaters had marble seats.

Skene: The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly behind the stage. During the 5th century, the stage of the theater of Dionysus in Athens was probably raised only two or three steps above the level of the orchestra, and was perhaps 25 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The skene was directly in back of the stage, and was usually decorated as a palace, temple, or other building, depending on the needs of the play. It had at least one set of doors, and actors could make entrances and exits through them. There was also access to the roof of the skene from behind, so that actors playing gods and other characters (such as the Watchman at the beginning of Aeschylus' Agamemnon) could appear on the roof, if needed.

Parodos: The parodoi (literally, "passageways") are the paths by which the chorus and some actors (such as those representing messengers or people returning from abroad) made their entrances and exits. The audience also used them to enter and exit the theater before and after the performance.

Hopefully this will give us some much needed background information before we read Oresteia.

The Histories of Herodotus Book 2....

2008-12-15T09:01:00.003-06:00

We're back on track with Omnibus, and here are some discussion ?'s I've developed for Book 2. My girls were getting a bit bored with Herodotus, so I've decided to reread it along with them and come up with some stimulating discussion questions for afterwards. I'm hoping by my reading the books when they do instead of months before, we'll be able to have better discussions.

What were some positive traits of Sesostris as a leader?

What were some negative traits?

Do you think Helen of Troy ever reached Troy?

Do you think the Trojan War really occurred? What evidence do you have for it occurring or not occurring?

What might the true cause of war been if it wasn't Helen?

What happened to Egypt when Cheops became ruler?

Comparison/Contrast Handout...

2008-11-10T14:11:00.001-06:00

Please leave a request for the handout if you would like me to email you one in the comments section. I couldn't figure out how to copy and paste a table onto blogger.

Thanks, Michelle

A Lesson on Christmas Short Stories..

2008-11-10T14:01:00.006-06:00

Here is a Christmas Short Stories lesson I've developed for my Secondary Reading class....

Christmas Lesson, Short Stories

Information for this lesson was gathered from www.wikipedia.org and http://www.fidnet.com/~dap1955/dickens/christmas.html

Lesson 1 (can be done over several days):
We will begin our Christmas lesson by contrasting 2 very similar
stories, “A Child’s Dream of a Star,” by Charles Dickens and “The Little Match Girl,” by Hans Christian Anderson.

Remember, before we read, we must consider the context of the story. When was it written, what was the author like, what were the times like? This is especially important when considering anything written by Charles Dickens who wrote as a social advocate for the poor during the industrial revolution of England.
Charles John Huffam Dickens, 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870), pen-name "Boz", was one of the most popular English novelists of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner.
Critics George Gissing and G. K. Chesterton championed Dickens's mastery of prose, his endless invention of unique, clever personalities, and his powerful social sensibilities. Although his early years seem to have been an idyllic time, he thought himself then as a "very small and not-over-particularly-taken-care-of boy". He spent time outdoors, but also read voraciously. He talked, later in life, of his extremely poignant memories of childhood, and of his continuing photographic memory of the people and events that helped to bring his fiction to life. His family's early, moderate wealth provided the boy Dickens with some private education at William Giles's school, in Chatham. This time of prosperity came to an abrupt end, however, when his father, after having spent beyond his means in entertaining, and in retaining his social position, was imprisoned at Marshalsea debtors' prison. Shortly afterwards, the rest of his family (except for Charles, who boarded nearby), realizing no other option, joined him in residence at Marshalsea. After only a few months in Marshalsea, John Dickens was informed of the death of his paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Dickens, who had left him, in her will, the sum of £450. On the expectation of this legacy, Dickens petitioned for, and was granted, release from prison. Under the Insolvent Debtors Act, Dickens arranged for payment of his creditors, and he and his family left Marshalsea for the home of Mrs. Roylance.

Just before his father's arrest, the 12-year-old Dickens had begun working ten-hour days at Warren's Blacking Warehouse. He earned six shillings a week pasting labels on jars of thick shoe polish. This money paid for his lodgings at the house of family friend, Elizabeth Roylance, and helped support his family.

Although Dickens eventually attended the Wellington House Academy in North London, his mother did not immediately remove him from the boot-blacking factory. Resentment stemming from his situation and the conditions under which working-class people lived became major themes of his works, and it was this unhappy period in his youth to which he alluded in his favorite, and most autobiographical, novel, David Copperfield . "I had no advice, no counsel, no encouragement, no consolation, no assistance, no support, of any kind, from anyone, that I can call to mind, as I hope to go to heaven!"

Charles Dickens has probably had more influence on the way that we celebrate Christmas today than any single individual in human history except one.

At the beginning of the Victorian period the celebration of Christmas was in decline. The medieval Christmas traditions, which combined the celebration of the birth of Christ with the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia (a pagan celebration for the Roman god of agriculture), and the Germanic winter festival of Yule, had come under intense scrutiny by the Puritans under Oliver Cromwell. The Industrial Revolution, in full swing in Dickens' time, allowed workers little time for the celebration of Christmas.

The romantic revival of Christmas traditions that occurred in Victorian times had other contributors: Prince Albert brought the German custom of decorating the Christmas tree to England,
the singing of Christmas carols (which had all but disappeared at the turn of the century) began to thrive again, and the first Christmas card appeared in the 1840s. But it was the Christmas stories of Dickens, particularly his 1843 masterpiece A Christmas Carol, that rekindled the joy of Christmas in Britain and America. Today, after more than 160 years, A Christmas Carol continues to be relevant, sending a message that cuts through the materialistic trappings of the season and gets to the heart and soul of the holidays.

Dickens' describes the holidays as "a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of other people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys". This was what Dickens described for the rest of his life as the "Carol Philosophy".

Dickens' name had become so synonymous with Christmas that on hearing of his death in 1870 a little girl in London asked, "Mr. Dickens dead? Then will Father Christmas die too?"

No we’re going to complete the Dickens portion of our compare contrast story sheet. Hand out compare/contrast sheets.

I’m sure most of you have heard The Christmas Carol written by Dickens, which features Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Dickens also wrote 4 other Christmas stories, one of which we’ll read today, called “A Child Dreams of a Star.”

Read A Child Dreams of a Star
http://www.answers.com/topic/a-child-s-dream-of-a-star

Complete story organizer (Setting, plot, conflict, climax, theme)

Now, we’ll move on to our next author and story. The next story we’ll read will be The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen.

First we must look at the context of The Little Match Girl. Hans Christian Andersen was born in the same time period as Dickens, but lived a very different life in Denmark. He is most known for his fairy tales, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and Thumbelina.

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, on Tuesday, April 2, 1805. Most English sources use the name "Hans Christian Andersen", but in Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia he is usually referred to as merely "H. C. Andersen". His name "Hans Christian" is a traditional Danish name and is used as a single name, One cannot be used without the other, for instance, he would never be called just Hans.
Andersen displayed great intelligence and imagination as a young boy, traits that were fostered by the indulgence of his parents. He made himself a small toy-theatre and sat at home making clothes for his puppets, and reading all the plays that he could lay his hands upon; among them were those of Ludvig Holberg and William Shakespeare. Throughout his childhood, he had a passionate love for literature. He was known to memorize entire plays by Shakespeare and to recite them using his wooden dolls as actors.
Youth
In 1816, his father died in a fire and, in order to support himself, Andersen worked as an apprentice for both a weaver and a tailor. He later worked in a cigarette factory where his fellow workers humiliated him by betting on whether he was in fact a girl. At the age of fourteen, Andersen moved to Copenhagen seeking employment as an actor in the theatre. He had a pleasant soprano voice and succeeded in being admitted to the Royal Danish Theatre. This career stopped short when his voice broke. A colleague at the theatre had referred to him as a poet, and Andersen took this very seriously and began to focus on writing.
Following an accidental meeting, Jonas Collin started taking an interest in the odd boy and sent Andersen to the grammar school in Slagelse, paying all his expenses.[3] Before even being admitted to grammar-school, Andersen had already succeeded in publishing his first story, The Ghost at Palnatoke's Grave in 1822. Though an unwilling pupil, Andersen studied both in Slagelse and at a school in Elsinore until 1827. He later stated that these years had been the darkest and most bitter parts of his life. He had experienced living in his schoolmaster's own home, being abused in order to "build his character", and he had been alienated from his fellow students, being much older than most of them, homely and unattractive. Furthermore, he was dyslexic, a very likely reason for his learning difficulties and he later said that the school faculty forbade or discouraged him to write.
In June 1847, Andersen paid his first visit to England and enjoyed a triumphal social success during the summer. The Countess of Blessington invited him to her parties where intellectual and famous people could meet, and it was at one party that he met Charles Dickens for the first time. They shook hands and walked to the veranda which was of much joy to Andersen. He wrote in his diary "We had come to the veranda, I was so happy to see and speak to England's now living writer, whom I love the most.”
Ten years later, Andersen visited England, primarily to visit Dickens. He stayed at Dickens' home for five weeks, oblivious to Dickens' increasingly blatant hints for him to leave. Dickens' daughter said of Andersen, "He was a bony bore, and stayed on and on." Shortly after Andersen left, Dickens published David Copperfield, featuring the obsequious Uriah Heep, who is said to have been modeled on Andersen. Andersen quite enjoyed the visit, and never understood why Dickens stopped answering his letters.
In the spring of 1872, Andersen fell out of bed and was severely hurt. He never quite recovered, but he lived until August 4 1875, dying painfully in a house called Rolighed (literally: calmness), near Copenhagen, the home of his close friends Moritz Melchior, a banker and his wife.[17] Shortly before his death, he had consulted a composer about the music for his funeral, saying: "Most of the people who will walk after me will be children, so make the beat keep time with little steps."

Let’s get our compare and contrast sheets and add Andersen.

How are the 2 writer’s lives similar? How are they different?

Now let’s read “The Little Match Girl”
http://hjem.get2net.dk/chenero/hca/hcaev040_en.html

Complete Compare/Contrast Worksheet for both stories.

Discuss similarities and differences in the two stories. Dicsuss the the irony of how Dicken's story doesn't portray his usual struggle of the working class, but Andersen's does.

Research the Industrial revolution in England and it's effects on the class system.

A Literary Comparison essay may be done to contrast the two short stories.

In Preparation of The Histories of Herodotus....

2008-11-06T09:51:00.004-06:00

I'm scrounging the internet for some lesson plan resources. I'm one of those people that is never happy from just using one resource to teach from.

So far, here is what I've found: http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=735
http://www.coastal.edu/ashes2art/delphi2/pages/edu_files/Becoming_Herodotus.pdf

Note the recommendation of the movie 300, a film of graphic novel genre. I think its rated R, so parental perusing may be needed.

The end of The Odyssey...a review quiz

2008-11-03T09:50:00.002-06:00

Here's a review quiz for completion of The Odyssey, the questions were taken from Teaching Literature in the Grammar Grades and High School, Bolenius

1. Where was Ulysses home?
2. Why was Ulysses forced to take these long journeys?
3. What are the most thrilling scenes?
4. What characters do you like the best?
5. What was the cause of the Trojan War?
6. Whose side are you on?
7. How did the gods and goddesses side?
8. What is your idea of a hero?
9. Who in The Odyssey comes closest to your idea of a hero?
10. What monsters did you meet?
11. Which of the women do you like best?
12. What was the Greeks idea of heaven and hell? _
13. Compare Helen and Penelope:
14. Compare Ulysses with our modern idea of a hero:
15. How did Ulysses fall short of a hero?
16. What did you learn of home life of the Greeks?
17. What was their social life like?
18. What amusements did they enjoy?

Some writing assignment ideas for The Odyssey....

2008-10-05T12:43:00.002-05:00

These are taken from Teaching Literature in Grammar Grades and High School:
"Incidents can be retold, conversations between characters can be imagined; scenes described; matters of policy argued. Paris may be contrasted with the type of man a boy should admire; Helen the flirt, contrasted with the ideal woman. Home life, as seen in Hector's home, may be pictured."

Good resources for learning more about Greek Drama...

2008-09-22T14:57:00.002-05:00

More of a reminder to myself than anything else, I'm going to write down some books that have been helpful to me in learning Greek drama. The books have to go back to the library and I don't want to forget what they are when it comes time to teach this.

The first is Aristotle Poetics again.

The second is Greek Drama by Harold Bloom.

And again, Greek and Roman Classics a Guide to Humanities by Meyer Reinhold.

Some good resources I've found for teaching literature....

2008-09-21T13:04:00.003-05:00

The first is for the Odyssey, a study guide by The Center for Learning which focuses on character issues. It's simply called The Odyssey a Curriculum Unit. Some activities are meant for groups, but I'm just having my students go through them on their own. It covers: Who was Homer, the difference in prose and poetry, folk epics, Greek gods and goddesses, the maturation of Telemachus, and discussion ?'s for each book (I like them better than Omnibus~sorry Veritas Press).
http://www.centerforlearning.org/ViewProductDetails-182-571-38.html

The second is great for epic poetry and greek drama: Aristotle Poetics

The next 2 are out of print, but well worth getting:
Essentials of Greek and Roman Classics by Meyer Reinhold (recommended by a fellow WTM'er). It is in outline format, so information is easily obtained. It gives background information behind the literature along with cliff notes type information.

The Next is a google book, again recommended by a WTM'er, but I had to have a print copy, since I thought it so useful to the teacher. It is called Teaching Literature in the Grammar Grades and High School by Emma Bolenius. It contains great information on all types of literature: poetry, ballads, novels, plays, short stories, oratories and more along with well written instructions in how to teach them. Here's a link to the google book:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=THUWAAAAIAAJ&dq=teaching+literature+in+the+grammar+grades+and+high+school&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=yUiphTgxWP&sig=N2-7DbJMixnkgKMO7GconwF_I6E&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result

Questions to ask during The Odyssey

2008-09-16T15:34:00.003-05:00

Here are some excellent questions to ask during your reading of the Odyssey (taken from Teaching Literature in the Grammar Grades and High School by Emma Bolenius).
1. Where was Ulysses' home?
2. Why was Ulysses forced to take these long journeys?
3. Trace his wanderings.
4. Who are the chief characters in each book?
5. What are the chief events in each?
6. What was the most thrilling scene?
7. What characters do you like the best?
8. What was the cause of the Trojan War?
9. On which side are you?
10. What monsters have you met?
11. What is your idea of a hero?
12. Who comes nearest to it in this poem?
13. Which of the women do you like best?
14. What sports did the Greeks like?
15. What was their idea of heaven/hell?
16. What were their methods of fighting?
17. How do these methods compare with those used today?
18. Which Gods and Goddesses exerted a bad influence?
19. Which were good?
20. What have you learned about the home life of the Greek? Social life? Amusements? Religion? Traveling? Treatment of servants?
Possible essay questions:
1. Compare Athene and Aphrodite
2. Which is the better ideal for woman?
3. Compare Helen and Penelope
4. Compare Ulysses with our modern conception of a hero. How did Ulysses fall short?

Worksheets to go with The Odyssey:

2008-09-14T19:03:00.006-05:00

Here's a link from The Web English Teacher: What makes a Poem an Epic?
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson_images/lesson587/HeroCycle.pdf
I can't get the link function to work so you'll have to copy and paste.

Preparing for The Odyssey....What is an epic?

2008-09-14T16:02:00.006-05:00

Epic poetry has its roots in oral, rather than literate tradition. These stories were originally passed on by bards, or professional poets who made their living by singing folk tales and epic poems to audiences. While the details of the poem often shifted from one telling to the next, the most important elements of the story always remained the same.

The epic elevates man to the level of gods and goddeses, monsters and miracles. The reader views life from above, spread out before him. For nearly 3000 yrs, Homer has held the place of the master minstrel. Little is known about the author, claimed to be a blind Ionian singer, claimed by 7 cities of Asia Minor. The epics have been treasured for yrs. Alexander is said to have slept with them under his pillow in a box of gold. (Miller, Erin)

Epic derived from the Greek word "epos," means word, saying or speech. An epic is a long, narrative poem written in a dignified style on a majestic theme, relating the adventures of a legendary hero. Elegant and distinguished language is applied to everyone from the king to the common servant. The plot is straightforward and unifies around a central character. By use of epithet and repitition, to prompt the memory of the poet who is reciting it and to keep the plot fresh in the mind of the audience/reader.

What is an epithet? An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase often used as a metaphor or appositive to describe a character, such as "bright eyed Athena," "sensible Telemachus," and "rosy fingered dawn."

Epics have nine main characteristics:
Opens in Media Res (in the middle of the story)
The setting is vast, covering many nations, the world, or the universe.
Begins with an invocation to a muse
Starts with a statement of the theme (an epic will state the problem and often its solution in the beginning.
The use of epithets.
Includes long lists.
Features long and formal speeches.
Shows divine intervention on human affairs.
"STAR" heroes that embody the values of the civilization.

The hero generally participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey, and returns home significantly transformed by his journey. The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society from which the epic originates. (Wikipedia)

Slowing down on the Bible study...

2008-09-14T15:56:00.002-05:00

As we race through the Bible it occurred to me that this may not be a good thing to do! I want my kids to enjoy the Bible and learn from it too along the way, so we'll be deviating from the Omnibus schedule and instead of reading large chunks in a couple of days we'll read about 15 minutes/day and see how far we get. We'll continue the rest of the books as scheduled.

1 Samuel

2008-09-08T12:51:00.003-05:00

1 Samuel is a book of leadership and God's interactions with those leaders. This is a great time to reflect on leadership, as our country goes through elections. As you read, make notes of positive and negative leadership traits.

On to 1 Samuel...

2008-09-08T10:19:00.001-05:00

What mistake do you think Eli made in raising his sons? Why do you think he did this?

Code of Hammurabi & Moses lesson plan

2008-09-01T13:57:00.004-05:00

In planning my week, I came across this lesson plan for the Code of Hammurabi:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=633
I'm going to use it instead of having the girls read the complete book. Here's the plan for the week in case anyone else is interested:
Day one: Read introduction in Omnibus. Complete activity one of lesson plan. Complete assessment one from lesson plan.
Day two: Complete activity two and three from lesson plan. Complete assessment 2.
Day three: Complete activity four and assessment 3 from lesson plan.
Day four: Complete assessment 4.
There are printable pdf worksheets in the lesson plan to for you to use.
Enjoy!

Gilgamesh & Enkidu, True friends?

2008-08-24T16:37:00.002-05:00

What makes a true friend? Take some time to jot down a few qualities. The Bible is a great reference. Apply these qualities to the friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Do you think they are true friends?

The Epic of Gilgamesh

2008-08-24T16:25:00.002-05:00

We're moving on in our study of the Great Books. Moving into the first story, the first epic. The epic poem is a long, narrative poem detailing an adventure or journey of an epic hero. We must remember what Foster teaches in How to Read a Book Like a Professor, a journey is never just a journey. It is a tale of seemingly insurmountable feats that ultimately results in the hero coming into maturity or self actualization. It's exciting as a reader to go along on these journeys. We can learn life lessons along with the hero himself.

Keep in mind the common characteristics of an epic hero as you read:
1. Unusual circumstances of birth, sometimes in danger or born into royalty
2. An event, sometimes traumatic leads to an adventure or quest
3. The hero has supernatural help
4. The hero must prove himself many times while on adventure
5. When the hero dies, he is rewarded spiritually.

Sounds like it would make a good movie!

Does Man have Free Will?

2008-08-18T10:37:00.001-05:00

As you read Exodus, see if you can determine if man has free will. Is he able to make choices of his own? What about Pharoah, who's heart is hardened. Does he have free will? If not why? Please fell free to comment on your thoughts here. We'd love to here from you!

Exodus

2008-08-18T10:28:00.003-05:00

I am so grateful to have this opportunity to teach my children at home. We have all learned how to really think and explore issues we wouldn't have been able to in public school. This week we enter Exodus in the Bible. I always remember what Thomas Foster says in his book How to Read Like a Professor, "every trip is a quest." Most quests involve an actual reason for leaving that is usually not the true reason for the quest. They involve challenges that the questers must overcome. But most importantly, the reason for most quests in literature is "Self Knowledge." What will the Israelites learn? Will they succeed?

Genesis and the Fall

2008-08-06T18:50:00.005-05:00

Our first Ancient Text to study is Genesis. After God discovers that Adam & Eve have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil He punishes all of mankind. Our question from todays reading (Genesis 1-11), is is it fair to punish or reward some people for the actions of another? What does our culture say? What does scripture say? Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 may give you some food for thought. Please let us know your opinion in the comments section below.

Michaelangelo's Creation of Adam

2008-08-03T20:59:00.003-05:00

Who is the woman under God's left arm? The cheribum are all shown as chubby infants. The woman however is mature. Hint: Eve appears in another part of this painting in the Sistine Chapel and she does not look like this woman.

What do you think the shell is around God and the cherubim?