Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today,
reviewed homework questions,
read part of chapter 9, where Edmund arrives at the Witch’s house. A theme of chapter 9 is “fear”. The theme for chapter 4 is “temptation”.
What are the themes for chapters 7 and 8?
The themes for chapter 7 and 8 are “hospitality” and “the wisdom of the past”.
Mini-lecture on C.S. Lewis’ ideas:
“enemy-occupied territory”:
(from Book II. What Christians Believe, in “Mere Christianity“「 キリスト教の精髄」. This has been translated into Japanese, but I cannot find an online version of it. If you find one, please tell me the URL.)
* 2. The Invasion
* “Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong. Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel. Enemy-occupied territory-that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.
* Christians, then, believe that an evil power has made himself for the present the Prince of this World.”
“Better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven” (spoken by Satan in “Paradise Lost” by John Milton).
Homework:
Vocabulary – what is the meaning in context of the following words from chapters 9-10?
cold shoulder
flask
scheme
grave
spire
solemn
lithe
sluice gate
cordial
What makes Edmund afraid (list as many examples as you can find in chapters 9-10)?
How does he respond?
What does this tell us about his character?
Find examples of jealousy in chapters 9-10.
What items do the Beavers pack?
List the presents Father Christmas gives to the children.
What do the presents tell us about the children’s characters?
Father Christmas says, the girls are not to fight in the battle. Why not? Do you agree?
Discuss your answers to chapter 8 and 9 discussion questions with your partner.
Teacher’s comments on last week’s discussion questions.
Checked the answers to chapters 8 and 9 quiz questions.
Mini-lecture: the change in children’s reading. For about 2,500 years, until the late 17th century in England, there were no children’s books. Children who learned to read began reading the famous classic works of literature. These are what C.S. Lewis read as a boy. He read Latin and Greek and so read Homer and Virgil in the original languages:
Homework: Finish reading your book by C.S. Lewis and prepare a short oral report (about 2 minutes) for next class. If possible, bring the actual book to class. Give the main points of the book, and tell us if you liked it or not and why.
Class blog for Sheffner's Academic Skills & Writing Strategies at DWC
