Wednesday, November 29 ~ Perelandra Ch.3

Discuss Ch.2

HWRead Ch.3 & complete J31.

Journal 31: Perelandra Ch. 3 Questions

1. What concepts do you see here from Abolition of Man or The Great Divorce (sorry juniors, we haven't read that yet)? Consider the line, "On the contrary, it is the words that are too vague. The reason why the thing can't be expressed is that it's too definite for language" (33).
2. What words would you use to describe the general "flavor" of Perelandra and Ransom's experience there?
3. Describe what he means by a trans-sensuous life.
4. Lewis seems to be hinting at an external source of the knowledge of contentment when he explains why he does not eat a second fruit even though it tastes wonderful. Any guesses as to what or who he may be imagining?
5. This chapter is particularly poetic. Record at least two instances where Lewis' phrasing goes beyond necessity. Explain why for each. Why do you believe Lewis adds so much figurative language to this chapter? 

Block Day, November 30 ~ Perelandra, Ch. 4-6

Journal 32: Pleasure Decoded
First, work with a partner to come to an interpretation of the line below. Then take a few minutes to write of a time when you've actually experienced the same thing Lewis is describing.

 "As he stood pondering over this and wondering how often 
   in his life on earth he had reiterated pleasures not through
   desire, but in the teeth of desire and in obedience to a spurious
   rationalism" (43).



Now take a few minutes to finish J30.

Discuss Ch.3

Notes: Literary Criticism (deep waters...tread carefully :)

• EQ: How do we know we have looked at enough angles to capture the meaning of a text? 
• A short ppt (Although short and incomplete, this one has a nice summary)
• A mini-text book (Although longer and still incomplete, this one has some helpful proof questions)
• Which criticism do you guess is most applicable to Ch.3 in order to gain the richest interpretation?

 Photo cred: Douglas Jennings

HW: Read Chapters 4-6

Journal 33: For each chapter, decide on a suitable literary lens (make sure you choose a different one for each chapter). Write a paragraph for each chapter explaining what richer meaning can be gained from viewing it through your chosen lens. (You may find the questions in the second link helpful here). 

Tuesday, November 28 ~ Perelandra, Ch.2

For starters, can you please turn in your Out of the Silent Planet reflections via email today? (A well-focused screen shot or two will do if you wrote it in your journal.)


Perelandra Ch.1 Discussion Questions

1. What is Lewis revealing in the first few pages by displaying the progression of his thoughts along the long walk? 
2. What theme do you see emerging when he mentions the reality of an eldil and again when he speaks about his possible madness and again when he mentions the inorganic voice?
3. What historical WWII image is referenced?
4. What is he getting at with the unlikable "goodness"?
5. Thematically, why does he include the last large paragraph? 

Perelandra Ch.2 

1. What two values/emotions are contrasted between Ransom and Lewis? Why?
2. Draw as many connections between this chapter and Screwtape Letters.
3. Describe the benefits of the friendship displayed in this chapter.
4. Why do you believe Lewis chose to include himself? to frame the story this way?  

Monday, November 27 ~ One down, two to go!

Discuss final thoughts and journals from Out of the Silent Planet.

EQ: What did you think of the framing Lewis added in the ending letter? Why would Lewis add this? What final parts of his message was he finishing off?

Begin Perelandra.

A pdf for you here. 

Some food for thought here.

Block Day, November 16 ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

First a wee small quiz!

Discuss Chapters 7-9.

Journal 30: Complete the novel over the break. Enjoy it without major journals! At the end, write a 1/2 page reflection on the novel using one of the big picture questions below.

And some BIG PICTURE questions: 

• How do the actions of Weston and Devine mirror the evils of WWII?
• The era of European imperialism came to an abrupt end after World War II, but before that conflict, some still treasured the ideals of the age of imperialism, including Social Darwinism. C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet was written in 1938, on the eve of World War II. In what ways does the novel criticize the thinking of British imperialists?
• How do the three species on Malacandra represent three divisions of humanity?
• Lewis clarified that this novel was an attack on scientism not science. What does this mean? Consider that Lewis criticizes both Uncle Andrew and Weston on this point.
• What makes Weston "worth saving" to Oyarsa while Devine is not?
• How biblical is Lewis' view of death, the angels (eldila and Oyarsa), the human condition, the inhabitants of Thulcandra, and ...
• How does Ransom change on account of his trip to Malacandra? How does this correspond to the idea of sanctification? 
• What is Lewis' philosophical and social critique summed up in the last conversation between Weston and Oyarsa? 

Wednesday, November 15 ~ Silent Planet

Hey! Lookie, lookie what you could be listening to! Opening comments are pretty entertaining too.

Discuss Chapter 6

HW: Read Chs. 7-9 and write two discussion questions for class tomorrow.

Monday, November 13 ~

Discuss previous journals.

J29 ~ Chapter 4 & 5
Ch.4

• What are the half-hypocritical virtues he is talking about?
• Ransom and Devine have an argument about their differing philosophies on the ethics of science. How does this section reveal the way Lewis view science vs. scientification?

Ch.5

• How does Lewis use Ch.5 to display the beauty of mixing the "marvelous and the mundane"? (much like the sublime we've discussed so often)

Wednesday, November 9 ~ Exploring early SciFi (and Science Fantasy too!)

First, let's discuss the first chapter of Out of the Silent Planet. It might be helpful to discuss the contrasting characters of Ransom, Weston and Devine.

EQ: What was Lewis pursuing in learning and experimenting with this genre?

For starters, let's look at SciFi back then...
Chase found some helpful videos on Frankenstein and the difference between SciFi and Science Fantasy.
And just for kicks here is a cool historical perspective of how it has changed.

Here is a sweet TED Talk on why the world needs this genre.

H.G.Wells was one of the main influencing writers for Lewis. Here is an old movie of one of his most famous works, The Shape of Things to Come.  (The movie is just called Things to Come.)
Two questions before you watch:

1. Consider what things were not yet real in 1936...weapons of mass destruction, no atomic bombs had fallen yet, Hitler was barely known in his true identity yet....
2. The last ten minutes are most important. Consider our EQ: What was it about Wells' work that was so inspiring for Lewis? 

Homework:

J27: After perusing the sources above, answer the EQ.

J28: Read Chapters 2 & 3. 

Tuesday, November 7 Helps for starting the trilogy

Here are some helps for Out of the Silent Planet:

For starters...a pdf.

Major Characters

• Elwin Ransom - The protagonist is a philologist who has been taken against his will to the planet Mars (Malacandra).
• Edward Weston - An evil physicist who travels space seeking to conquer other worlds.
• Dick Devine - Weston’s partner, he seeks to exploit the resources of Malacandra for financial gain.   
• Hyoi - The hross who first encounters Ransom; he is killed by Weston and Devine after the successful hunt for the hnakra. 
• Hnohra - An elderly hross who teaches Ransom their language.
• Augray - A wise old sorn who helps Ransom on his way to Meldilorn.
• Kanakaberaka - A pfifltrigg who carves Ransom’s likeness on a monolith on the island of Meldilorn.
• Malacandra - The Oyarsa (angelic ruler) of the planet that bears his name.

And some hunting questions: 

• How do the actions of Weston and Devine mirror the evils of WWII?
• The era of European imperialism came to an abrupt end after World War II, but before that conflict, some still treasured the ideals of the age of imperialism, including Social Darwinism. C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet was written in 1938, on the eve of World War II. In what ways does the novel criticize the thinking of British imperialists?
• How do the three species on Malacandra represent three divisions of humanity?
• Lewis clarified that this novel was an attack on scientism not science. What does this mean? Consider that Lewis criticizes both Uncle Andrew and Weston on this point.
• What makes Weston "worth saving" to Oyarsa while Devine is not?
• How biblical is Lewis' view of death, the angels (eldila and Oyarsa), the human condition, the inhabitants of Thulcandra, and ...
• How does Ransom change on account of his trip to Malacandra? How does this correspond to the idea of sanctification? 
• What is Lewis' philosophical and social critique summed up in the last conversation between Weston and Oyarsa? 
• Here is my source text... It has a nice summary too. 

Monday, November 6 ~ Into...The Silent Planet?

Discuss J25


Let's do this on Tuesday
As an intro to the trilogy, let's see what Lewis actually had to say about the genre of Science Fiction. Click here for his article. 

Journal 26: "On Science Fiction" by C. S. Lewis

1. What ethical warning/guidance does Lewis teach on the topic of quality literary criticism? Where do you see people making this mistake in their general judgments in everyday life? 
2. List (you may need to name a few of them) and define all four sub-species of the science fiction genre.
3. What does Lewis claim as good reasons to use the science fiction genre?
4. Clearly, Lewis had read a great deal to develop his taste for the genre, though it was not at first a draw for his affections. Do you believe he has left anything out in his assessment of the genre? Would you add anything to this essay?
5. Favorite quote from this piece? Why?  

For Flex.

Block Day, November 2 ~ Agape and onward!

First, let's discuss our collages from the excellent presentation yesterday. (Well done Mattie, Pablo and Chase.)


Next, a presentation on the last chapter from Josh, Robbie, Scott and Nick.

Lastly, a reflection....

Journal 25: Look over your annotations and notes from the book. What are the top three bits of wisdom you will take from this book about love in your own life? What epiphanies or good reminders do you hope to remember and apply?

If we have time, let's research a bit about the science trilogy.

• What did Lewis say about his creation in the trilogy?
• Why did he attempt at the genre of science fiction?
• What works influenced him?
• What historical context could enrich our understanding of these works? 
• Here's a Youtube audio recording...sounds a bit like Bing Crosby.
• And just for kicks, why not take a listen to the Iron Maiden song named after the first book?