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Seven St
This paper is about the Chronicles of Narnia. They are a series of seven books by C. S. Lewis. Narnia is a fantasy world ruled by a lion, named Aslan.
In Lewis' books, Aslan represents God, having made a heaven and a hell. He knows what you are doing when you are not even there. He can turn dead people into living people and when he was killed, he came alive again unexpectedly, just as did Jesus.
Although Narnia is a fantasy world, most of the books involve children from the "real" world as characters. They are called, "Sons of Adam" or "Daughters of Eve," said to come from the "out-world." The children may make limited number of visits. The children in the first book visited Narnia only once. The oldest children after them made two journeys while the youngest made three. In Book 7, they all returned to Narnia, but in heaven to live with Aslan, forever.
The children and the Narnians have enemies; some are secret spies, others are from separate countries in the fantasy world or separate worlds. No matter where they originated, the enemies always tried to rule when they thought Aslan was away. Right in the middle of their attack, Aslan would return and tell them to get out and stay out. Most of the time they would listen.
When a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve enters Narnia and meets an enemy, they should observe what the enemy does, instead of listening only to what they say. The enemies tempted the children with food, shelter, and offered them power if they would betray their brothers and sisters. To detect the lies they had to listen carefully to what they say and remain detached by resisting the temptation. For the children to remain detached they also have to observe all of their evidence of the enemies' real intentions. To find and observe the evidence they had to have patience and persistence. To do this, they had to be honest and truthful to themselves. Then they would have to make a choice upon what they thought would be the right thing for them. The books teach that what you choose when you are a child makes a big difference when you grow-up.
If a child listens to what an enemy says and gives in to temptation, she or he becomes a slave. The slavery would last until they had learned the consequence of choosing to believe the enemy (Aslan seems to know when). Aslan would send a rescue party and give them a challenge to see if they would use what they learned, so they wouldn't make that mistake again. Even if they hadn't listened in the first place, they would still get a challenge when they met Aslan. The challenges were harder if they had listened to the enemy.
Our first example is from Book 1:The Magicians Nephew. There is a witch in this story who is an evil magician and a liar. Digory and Polly left the "out-world" by magical rings and entered a fantasy world called Charn. They found a room full of wax figures and a bell with a sign below it. It read, "Do Not Ring This Bell". Polly said that they should not ring the bell but Digory rang it anyway. One of the wax figures woke up. It was the evil witch. She grabbed their wrists and asked them questions. They were scared and trying to save themselves. They both answered the questions. While trying to escape, they accidentally took her to the "out world." When they arrived she went on a rampage and tore up London. When she knocked out a policeman, Digory and Polly grabbed her ankles and took her to the newly created world of Narnia. There they all met Aslan.
When the witch saw Aslan, she tried to scare him away. Aslan showed no fear and stayed. She ran deeper into Narnia. Digory had the courage to walk up to Aslan, to ask for help for his sick mother. Aslan told Digory to get an apple out of a garden and gave him the directions to get there. Digory listened and followed instructions this time. He picked the apple, then noticed the witch was in the garden too. Digory tried to out-run the witch, but when she nearly caught up, she stopped him by talking in her sweetest voice. Digory listened so carefully that at one point he heard her say something that made everything she had said hollow. Digory ignored her and went back to Aslan. He said, "Well done." When Digory and Polly returned to the "out-world," he fed his mom the apple and she got well as his reward.
Book 2 is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The children in this example are Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter. They entered Narnia by a magical wardrobe. Lucy entered first alone. She ran into a fawn and learned about the witch by listening to him. She said, "Thank you very much," and went back to the out-world. She told her brothers and sister about Narnia. Nobody believed her. The next day she went back to Narnia, but this time Edmund secretly followed her. When they entered, he stopped and went his own way. He soon got lost and ran into the witch. Edmund didn't listen carefully or observe what she said, and instead, he let himself be tempted by the witch. She told him to bring his brother and sisters to her castle. Then the witch went home. Edmund saw Lucy running toward him. When she reached Edmund they talked a little and agreed to go in and tell the others. When they returned to the outer world Edmund lied to his brothers and sisters by telling them that Narnia didn’t exist.
The following day they all accidentally entered Narnia and discovered Edmund had lied, so they let Lucy be the leader. They met a beaver along the way. Lucy had kept the whole group together until the beaver said that Aslan was coming. Edmund felt a horrible feeling and quietly snuck away to warn the witch. The beaver was the first to notice that Edmund was missing. It was too late. Edmund had already reached the witch's castle, and warned her. She took him slave. By now Peter, Susan, Lucy, and the beaver were searching for Aslan. When they found him, they told him their situation. Aslan sent a rescue party after Edmund. Once they had Edmund with them, and the whole party was together, Aslan gave them instructions to fight in a war against the witch the next day.
That night, Aslan went to meet the witch. She killed him and left. A couple of hours later, Aslan came alive again. The next day Edmund courageously fixed his mistake by saving his teammates in battle. Their reward was they were better people, better at their talents, and made many friends.
Book 3 is a story of courage, persistence, patience, and honesty: The Horse and His Boy. The two children in this book are from Narnia: Shasta (a Narnian boy) and Aravis (a Calormene princess). Shasta was kidnapped when he was a baby. Shasta knew he was not home because he overheard he was going to be sold. When he heard about Narnia, he planned a midnight escape on horseback. On the second day after his escape, he saw Aravis. They rode together all day, stopped and talked to each other, and realized that they each had the same goal: to return to Narnia.
When they reached a city, they were separated. Shasta was grabbed out of a crowd by some soldiers who had been mistaken him for Prince Corin (who had been missing). He was taken to a castle. That evening Prince Corin showed up and Shasta traded places with him. Aravis was taken to a mansion to live with a rich lady. While Aravis was leaving she heard that the Calormenes, were planning to kidnap Queen Susan to marry their prince. When Aravis met Shasta, she told him about the plot. They decided to warn Queen Susan and rode out faster than before. A few days later they had almost entered Narnia, when Aslan suddenly attacked Aravis and scratched her on her back. Aslan explained his reason for the attack. She had arrogantly put slaves that loved her, in danger of being killed. He scratched her to show her what it felt like to be a slave. She was humbled. Shasta ran and warned Queen Susan, alone. His return to Aravis was longer and harder than he thought. He chose to fight in a war against the Calormenes. After the war Shasta's true father, King Lune discovered him to be his second son, Prince Cor. He went back to Aravis and married her as his reward.
Our next story is from Book 4, Prince Caspian. This story is about faith, persistence, patience, and courage. The children from the out-world are Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, and had all visited in Book 2. They entered Narnia, found a dark chamber, and had faith in Aslan that they would be OK if they went in. So they did. They found their gifts from Father Christmas. They scared off a couple sailors and set free a dwarf. He told them he was sent by Caspian and captured by the Tellamarines. Believing his story, they followed him toward Caspian. Halfway there, Aslan joined them. They completed the journey the following morning. Upon their arrival in Caspian they had only a few hours to learn their parts in the battle against the Tellamarines. Although they won the battle, there was still bad news: Susan and Peter were told they couldn't return! Their reward was that they saw all their old friends from Book #2, growth, and adventure.
Our next book is 5: The Dawn Trader. In this story, Edmund and Lucy were sitting in a room talking when they magically reappeared in Narnia with Eustace (their cousin). They found themselves in the middle of the Eastern Ocean swimming in the water! There was a nearby boat so they swam toward it. King Caspian helped them on board and soon found land. Eustace was unhappy with the conditions and snuck away from camp. He saw a dragon come out of a cave and die. Eustace went in and felt greedy dragon feelings, and slept in the dragon's bed. He was turned into a dragon himself! He went back to camp and had to prove that he was still Eustace. He was sorry that he had been greedy and helped his friends to fix it. One week later Aslan cured him, and they boarded the boat again. Eustace helped defend his friends, fighting a battle against a sea serpent. The next day they found land again and were taken prisoner by six giants. They took a chance by identifying themselves as King Caspian, King Edmund, Queen Lucy, and Estuace, and were surprised that the giants released them. They boarded the boat again. The next land seen was a place with invisible people called Dufflepuds that wanted to be visible again. When they saw Lucy, they asked her to go up to a magician's book and read a spell. They also told her that if she didn't, they would cut off everyone's head. It took courage for her to do it, and it worked. The Dufflepuds said good-bye and sailed onward. Aslan’s face on a shield spoke to them, telling Caspian and his crew to go back to Narnia. He also told the children to go back to the out-world and said that Lucy and Edmund couldn't enter again.
We continue with Book 6: The Silver Chair. The children are Jill and Eustace. Aslan met them immediately after they entered the fantasy world. He told them to find King Caspian's missing son Prince Rillan. Aslan took them to Narnia and vanished. They met a talking owl named Glimfeather. He told them that Rillan had been kidnapped and the people of Narnia had never heard from him since. He said that the lady suspected of kidnapping Prince Rillan wore a green dress. That night Glimfeather took them to a Narnian half man, half frog named Pudleglum. He and the children journeyed through the land and soon came to a giants' palace. They stayed until they discovered they were to be cooked the next day. It took focus and patience on for them to wait for the doors to open, but when they did, they had to have courage to run to safety. They ran toward a perfectly sized crack in the ground. When they got in, they met slaves of the witch who took them to an underground castle.
There they met an old man who said that he needed to be bound to a silver chair for one hour to restrain him when he goes mad. While he was there, he started telling them that he was Prince Rillan and told them to untie him. At first, they refused, but after about the tenth time, he told them to untie him in the name of Aslan. After listening to him carefully, they finally believed him and untied him. Once he was released, the spell of the chair no longer worked. The "old man" suddenly changed into Prince Rillan, who then destroyed the silver chair.
At that moment, the witch entered the room. When she saw what had happened, she locked the door and threw some green dust on the fire. Then she picked up a mandolin and plucked the strings. The witch's enchantment from the dust made their minds fuzzy. Puddleglum courageously gathered all that was left of him and stamped most of the fire out. The witch was so angry she changed into the form of a serpent. They killed the serpent and escaped an advancing tidal wave by horseback on an unknown road that led to Narnia. The next morning Jill and Estuace reunited King Caspian to Prince Rillan and went home.
Our final story, Book 7: The Last Battle, brings all the other stories together. Shift was a monkey who had a donkey he used as a servant, named Puzzle. Both Puzzle and Shift could talk. One day they saw a lion skin. Shift sewed it onto Puzzle so that he could pretend that Puzzle was Aslan and boss him around. He hid Puzzle in a stable not far away. Puzzle hated being dressed up like Aslan and didn't like Shift bossing him or anyone else.
Shift accepted what the Calormenes said, that their god, Tash, was the equal to Aslan. He told the other Narnian animals lies to make them believe in Tash. The Calormenes took the Narnian King Tiran and his unicorn Jewel prisoner. They had executed two Calormenes for forcing a Narnian talking horse to pull more than it really could. The Calormenes tied Tiran to a tree and left him there. They tied Jewel to the back of the stable where Puzzle was being held. Jill and Eustace magically appeared, saw King Tiran, and untied him right away. That night, Tiran took the guard prisoner and freed Jewel while Jill took Puzzle out of the stable. Along the way, they freed some dwarves from two Calormenes and one joined them. His name was Poggin.
Tiran and the others saw the Calormene god, Tash heading toward the stable. They followed Tash, and when they reached the stable, they found a great meeting. Shift told the animals that Puzzle was posing as Aslan. The Calormene captain said that Aslan and Tash were the same, naming them "Tashlan," and called upon Tash. Tiran captured Shift and threw him into the stable. Shift disappeared in a blinding flash and a great noise.
The Narnian animals and the Calormenes fought two battles. The Calormenes captured Eustace and threw him into the stable as a prisoner for Tash. Jewel, and a few Narnian animals remained fighting outside the stable and were captured. The Calormenes won the first battle. Jill escaped and hid behind a rock.
The Calormene captain gave his prisoners a choice between slavery to Tash and death. Jewel and Poggin the others chose instead to fight back. A second battle began. Jill was thrown into the stable. As Tiran was fighting with the Calormene captain, he dragged the Captain through the door into the stable. Tash appeared, and asked the captain why he had been called upon. Not hearing an answer, Tash grabbed him and a loud voice told him to take the captain and do what he wanted with him. Tash did so and disappeared.
There in the stable, Tiran was surprised to see the children of the out-world from all the other books. Jill, Eustace, Peter, Lucy, Edmund, Polly, and Digory had all grown to adulthood and were wearing what they would have worn for a feast at Cair Paravel, the finest palace in Narnia. You might have noticed that I didn't mention Susan in the list of people that Tiran saw when he entered, well, she had grown up too, but no longer believed in Narnia, and could not return.
For the first time, they all noticed a garden of fruit trees. They were still inside the stable, but all they could see of it was the door. Peter said that the inside of the stable was bigger than the outside. If you walked around the door all you could see was a door, if you looked through the door you would see the outside of the stable. Then they saw Aslan. He was touching noses with other animals that had followed him.
He went to the door and let dragons and bats separate those that had betrayed him from his followers. He led the animals who had followed him through the door and into heaven.
At the end of book five Aslan told Lucy that he was also in the outer world. He said that he built Narnia so that the children of the out-world would grow close to him in Narnia and know him better. There, he had a different name and my guess is that the name is God.
It's very clear to me that C. S. Lewis wanted to make the Bible and the commandments clear to children because he loved them. Mr. Lewis built stories around them. They were stories he thought you, I, or anybody would love, learn, and remember. His books taught me some of the morals and about the structure of the Bible:
Bump
Awesome paper!
You'd better be nice.
That's my little home-schooled girl.
Nattie......thanks for the post. Years ago when my children were little I bought all seven. Started reading them to the children (two.....one boy, one girl.) To make a long story short.......I got so interested in them that I had to read them myself after the kids went to bed and while they were at school the next day until I finished all seven.
Eventually, we finished the whole series together. I think they read them again later themselves but they are excellent reading He has written some pretty good adult novels for those who 'graduate' from the childrens literature. He also wrote some other childrens books. I think I have them all.
Excellent work!
I guess, given his death at the hands of the witch on the Stone Table and all, I always thought of Aslan primarily as Christ and God the Father as the Emperor Beyond the Sea ... whom Reepicheep seeks in his coracle once the Dawn Treader can go no farther. It's true Aslan does play all persons of the Trinity, though, at different points in the Chronicles.
The books are magnificent. I still pull them off the shelves sometimes to this day.
C.S. Lewis always maintained they began not as a means to teach children the Bible but because he could not get the image of the lion out of his head. =)
Bust a button for me, Carry_Okie ... she's done a splendid job!
Thank you for responding to my post. I read them all once. In a year or so I am going to read them again.
That's my little home-schooled girl.
Ya done good so far.
Hey Dad, can I ...
NattieShea,
You've a talent to follow. I think I know where it's from.
You'll be a better writer than I am a reader for sure.
Excellent work!
Thank you for responding. I feel that I did a good job writing the paper. It took me about two months.
I guess, given his death at the hands of the witch on the Stone Table and all, I always thought of Aslan primarily as Christ and God the Father as the Emperor Beyond the Sea ... whom Reepicheep seeks in his coracle once the Dawn Treader can go no farther. It's true Aslan does play all persons of the Trinity, though, at different points in the Chronicles.
That's true that Aslan plays all three people of the Trinity. It makes it harder to understand the pattern of how the books follow the Bible.
C.S. Lewis always maintained they began not as a means to teach children the Bible but because he could not get the image of the lion out of his head. =)
Why did he have the image of the lion as God?
Do you want to buy more Girl Scout Cookies?
Nice work. We better get the FBI on this one, though, looks like the work of a crackpot and a rabble rouser :) (see link)
I posted a paper and would like you to read it. Thank you for making FreeRepublic.
... looks like the work of a crackpot and a rabble rouser :)
No, I am not! :-)
You must be a runaway circus clown. ;-)
Do you want to buy more Girl Scout Cookies?
We'll talk. Peanut butter=good....'night.
What a wonderful book review! I will save it and post it when I am published to the web again. It is very nice work and I know you must be proud Carry-O. Thanks for the flag!
Excellent job, Nattie Shea. I'm 40 years old and I still read The Chronicles of Narnia every single year. My favorite scene is the one in Voyage of the Dawn Treader where Reepicheep the Mouse paddles off in his little coracle over the edge of the earth. It always gives me the chills.
You might have noticed that I didn't mention Susan in the list of people that Tiran saw when he entered, well, she had grown up too, but no longer believed in Narnia, and could not return.
Stick a semicolon between the words "entered" and "well." In Grammar Land, semicolons are used before conjunctive adverbs that introduce a clause in a compound sentence. Here, your sentence has two clauses connected with the word "well," which serves as a conjunctive adverb. Thus, your new sentence would read:
You might have noticed that I didn't mention Susan in the list of people that Tiran saw when he entered; well, she had grown up, too, but no longer believed in Narnia, and could not return.
I also inserted an extra comma before the word "too."
Here are some of my suggestions for further reading:
Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. LewisPerelandra, by C.S. Lewis (this is possibly his most beautiful book)That Hideous Strength, by C.S. LewisThe Pendragon Cycle, by Stephen LawheadAlso, I enjoy this website called C.S. Lewis Online
.
19 Posted on 02/08/2001 17:47:26 PST by DallasMike
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To: NattieSheaVery well done, Miss NattieShea. Now, you may be ready for Mr. Lewis' The Pilgrim's Regress, where he makes essentially the same trip that is traveled in Narnia, but with completely different people and a new way of writing. I think you would enjoy it just as much as Narnia. Even better, though, it will give you a new way to think about the same things which will add to what you've learned so far.
As the young Mr. Grace would say, "You've done very well!"
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To: NattieSheaThe image of God as lion would be one he'd know well. Lewis was a great scholar of the medieval age ... particularly its poetry and literature, rich with the symbolism of an age where all things had meaning.
I'll see if I can't track down the quote for you. Might be in his book of letters to children ... I know I have it somewhere and will get back to you when I find it.
P.S. Believe it or not, even though my sister was a big Chronicles fan when we were kids, I thought they were silly children's books. (I was a "Susan" at the time, I'm afraid.) I still thank my aunt for convincing me they were "must-reads" and arranging for me to read them in chronological order ... starting me off with the Magician's Nephew.
It's nice to see you're smarter than I. That gives me hope!
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To: logosVery well done, Miss NattieShea. Now, you may be ready for Mr. Lewis' The Pilgrim's Regress, where he makes essentially the same trip that is traveled in Narnia, but with completely different people and a new way of writing. I think you would enjoy it just as much as Narnia. Even better, though, it will give you a new way to think about the same things which will add to what you've learned so far.
I have started it. I think the beginning was a little bit too grown up for me because I don't like reading about people making babies when they are not married.
As the young Mr. Grace would say, "You've done very well!"
Thank you for telling me so.
22 Posted on 02/08/2001 17:53:50 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaJust out of curiosity, Miss NattieShea ... how old are you?
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To: NattieSheaI think the beginning was a little bit too grown up for me because...
Yes, in one sense it may have been, but since you seem to have gotten his message, that pleasure and bliss under the wrong conditions lead one on a false trail, you may well be more "grown up" than you suspect. :-)
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To: Askel5I'll see if I can't track down the quote for you. Might be in his book of letters to children ... I know I have it somewhere and will get back to you when I find it.
Thank you for your time trouble.
Believe it or not, even though my sister was a big Chronicles fan when we were kids, I thought they were silly children's books. (I was a "Susan" at the time, I'm afraid.) I still thank my aunt for convincing me they were "must-reads" and arranging for me to read them in chronological order ... starting me off with the Magician's Nephew.
It is a good thing you changed when you did.
It's nice to see you're smarter than I. That gives me hope!
I am thankful that I could give you hope. I didn't think anybody on FreeRepublic would tell me that. I didn't expect so many people to respond to my paper.
25 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:02:25 PST by NattieShea
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To: Askel5I am 8 years old.
26 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:03:06 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaGood report, and great choice of reading. The Narnia Chronicles is one of my favorite books, along with Lord of Ring. If you haven't read Lord of the Ring yet, I think you'd like it.
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To: KfromMichGood report, and great choice of reading. The Narnia Chronicles is one of my favorite books, along with Lord of Ring. If you haven't read Lord of the Ring yet, I think you'd like it.
I just read The Hobbit. What makes me want to read Lord of the Ring is the note in the back of the book saying that I can learn more about hobbits. His writing is so vivid that you don't really need the pictures, because you can see them in your head.
28 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:14:12 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaAs Curly would say, "Hey! I resemble that remark!"
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To: Askel5I still thank my aunt for convincing me they were "must-reads" and arranging for me to read them in chronological order ... starting me off with the Magician's Nephew.
That's interesting. That's normally the way I would want to approach something, too. But I read them in the standard "book order" (non-chronological). And I really enjoyed the process of the larger story coming together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. It required me to re-examine characters and story lines more than once with a new perspective each time. And each time with a greater appreciation.
30 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:18:14 PST by Prince Caspian
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To: EdmundI know who Curly is, but I don't understand.
31 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:18:37 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaMy goodness, NattieShea. That was an excellent report, and one that someone in 12th grade or beyond would be proud to have written! I have a hunch your Dad is proud of you, too.
I didn't read The Chronicles of Narnia until I was in high school. I liked them so much, I read them again in college.
I haven't read them again since, and that has been quite awhile ago now. But your review reminded me of those wonderful stories, and I thank you for that.
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To: NattieSheaThey stayed until they discovered they were to be cooked the next day. It took focus and patience on for them to wait for the doors to open, but when they did, they had to have courage to run to safety.
Looks like a typo bled thru all your proofreading; no surprise! It's hard to catch them all, even in a shorter piece than this.
I was about 35 or so when I came across "The Horse and His Boy" and got engrossed. So I read the entire Narnia series, and have borrowed videotapes of a few of the stories from the library.
33 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:19:33 PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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To: NattieSheaVery nice job. In fact, now you've got me homesick again for all of my friends and wishing I could be back in Narnia. And those are wonderful morals you have identified at the end of your paper!
34 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:26:14 PST by Prince Caspian
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To: Prince CaspianDon't get me wrong. I think the original order IS the best way to read them. I've heard they are repackaging them now chronologically and I think that's awful.
I'm just also one of those people who will perhaps sit through the rest of a film I'm enjoying but only if you tell me RIGHT NOW whether X dies or not and whether Y is really W's mother. I never cheat and read the ends of books I've decided to read but I just haven't a great deal of patience with fiction (particularly plastic arts) as a rule.
It's the White Rabbit in me, I guess. Not only am I running late as a rule but I'd rather use the time to find my gloves if this story's going to turn out trite.
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To: NattieSheaI am 8 years old.
That is stunning. I would consider this a good paper for a high school student . . . quite good. And excellent for an eighth-grader. But 8 years old?! I'd doubt your word--but nobody who chose this subject matter, and treated it this respectfully, would be likely to make up a story like that.
Wow . . . we'll hear more from you!
36 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:32:44 PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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To: Dog GoneMy goodness, NattieShea. That was an excellent report, and one that someone in 12th grade or beyond would be proud to have written! I have a hunch your Dad is proud of you, too.
My Daddy helped me with the thesis, taught me how to do flow charts, timelines, summarizing, and editing.
37 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:33:09 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieShea
Girl Scout cookies, by which I take it you mean the modern mass-produced kind, are evil. Please do not distribute them.
Why? Every variety contains the evil (and, unfortunately, ubiquitous) partionally hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Nutrition information for Girl Scout cookie varieties from Little Brownie Bakers, licensed Girl Scout cookie producer:
A long and very informative article on hydrogenated vegetable oils:
38 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:34:30 PST by Benoit Baldwin
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion ALLAllow me to be very clear. NattieShea had help. She is a young 8, very bright, but still very much an 8 year old. She studies grammar at the 8th grade level. She has completed her first year of high school algebra. She is bright, but no genius. This is what we should be expecting of our schools, and more.
Every word is hers, though some were prompted. She worked on this paper every day for perhaps two to three hours for two months after reading the works. Each day we would go over it using Socratic dialogue. That is the great opportunity afforded by home schooling.
It was hard for her. She showed a lot of guts and never talked about giving up.
Why?
It was the inducement of posting it here for all of you. I thought it perhaps an inspiration to others of what can be done. God bless you all and God bless FreeRepublic.
39 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:47:18 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: NattieShea. . . I don't like reading about people making babies when they are not married.
That does you credit. I once took my wife to see a play--and found out in the opening scene that the whole story was about nothing else but that sort of thing. We just got up and walked out, then and there. You would have done the same thing, and you would have been right.
40 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:47:34 PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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To: Benoit BaldwinYou need medical care.
41 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:49:16 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Askel5I just haven't a great deal of patience with fiction (particularly plastic arts) as a rule. It's the White Rabbit in me, I guess. Not only am I running late as a rule but I'd rather use the time to find my gloves if this story's going to turn out trite.
Ha! I feel the same way about a Rubik's Cube (speaking of plastic arts...).
42 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:52:23 PST by Prince Caspian
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To: Prince CaspianAnd those are wonderful morals you have identified at the end of your paper!
Those were entirely hers.
43 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:55:32 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Carry_OkieIt was hard for her. She showed a lot of guts and never talked about giving up.
Why?
It was the inducement of posting it here for all of you.
Why then, I am most pleased to have participated in that reward. Thank you both for sharing that with us. You have made use of the Internet in a most exciting way--all of us on FR are congenial, and you have allowed us to help amplify your educational efforts. We're honored!
44 Posted on 02/08/2001 18:57:59 PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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To: NattieSheaHere's a little passage from the introduction to C.S. Lewis - Letters to Children
I thought you also might like an excerpt or two from the letters he wrote ...
When Lewis began to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, his vivid imagination -- his love for dressed animals, knights in armour, and all things faeire -- pulled him inevitably in the direction of fantasy. The actual writing began with an image. As Lewis explained:
I see pictures ... I have no idea whether this is the usual way of writing stories, still less whether it is the best. It is the only one I know: images always come first.Making the point another way, he mentioned that:
Some people seem to think I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children ... I couldn't write in that way at all. Everything began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn't even anything Christian about them; that element pushed in of its own accord.
[Those quotes were taken originally from "On Three Ways of Writing for Children" in Lewis's On Stories and Other Essays on Literature, edited by Walter Hooper.]
Thanks again for a great thread, NattieShea!
- Where did you get the name Aslan?
- I found the name in the notes to Lane's "Arabian Nights": it is the Turkish for Lion. I prounounce it Ass-lan myself. And of course I meant the Lion of Judah.
- What is Aslan's other name?
(asked a girl who sent him watercolors of the characters in his book)
- As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there never been anyone in this world who
Don't you really know His name in this world. Think it over and let me know your answer.
- Arrived at the same time as Father Christmas.
- Said he was the son of the Great Emperor.
- Gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people.
- Came to life again.
- Is sometimes spoken of as Lamb (see the end of the Dawn Treader).
Reepicheep in your coloured picture has just the right perky, cheeky expression. I love real mice. There are lots in my rooms in College but I have never set a trap. When I set up late working they poke their heads out from behind the curtains just as if they were saying, "Hi! Time for YOU to go to bed. We want to come out and play."
- LETTER TO A FIFTH GRADE CLASS
(this is an interesting insight, I think)
- Dear Fifth Graders:
You are mistaken when you think that everyting in the books "represents" something in this world. Things do that in The Pilgrim's Progress but I'm not writing in that way.
I did not say to myself "Let us represent Jesus as He really is in our world by a Lion in Narnia": I said "Let us SUPPOSE that there were a land like Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a Man in our world, became a Lion there, and then imagine what would happen."
If you think about it, you will see that it is quite a different thing.
So, the answer to your first two questions is that Reepicheep and Nic-i-brick don't, in that sense, represent anyone. But of course anyone in our world who devotes his whole life to seeking Heaven will be LIKE Reepicheep, and anyone who wants some worldly thing so badly that he is ready to use wicked means to get it will be likely to behave like Nick-i-brick.
Yes, Reepicheep did get to Aslan's country. And Caspian did return safely: it says so on the last page of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace did get back to Narnia, as you will find when you read The Silver Chair. As for who reigns in Narnia to-day, you won't know till you have had the seventh and last book.
I'm tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double-chinned, black-haired, have a deep voice and wear glasses for reading.
The only way for us to get to Aslan's country is through death, as far as I know: perhaps some very good people get just a tiny glimpse before then.
Best love to you all. When you say your prayers sometimes ask God to bless me.
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To: Prince CaspianBut of course anyone in our world who devotes his whole life to seeking Heaven will be LIKE Reepicheep
Rubik's cubes were beyond me ... though I'm a fool for number puzzles ever since I can remember.
Best regards, Prince.
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To: conservatism_IS_compassionShe's here, but quite tired, and taking a bit of a break before dinner. She's had a long day clearing up a couple of OOPSIES in the paper, and the dog is providing some distracting entertainment.
I am selfish in this regard: Maybe someday she'll make a low-cost proof reader for her daddy! She loves catching my goofs on my posts. It was a good experience for both of us.
The grammar lessons were invaluable to me, as I was teaching it while editing my book for publication. The current teaching focus is geology. She and her younger sister (the budding math whiz) are learning about the origins of soils, preparatory to learning about climatology and agriculture. This is a resource economics approach to teaching history. As we progress through time, we will discuss technologies as they were developed.
47 Posted on 02/08/2001 19:30:59 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: NattieSheaReply to #31: I "resemble" this thread in that my screen name here is Edmund. However, I must say that I took the handle from a character in King Lear (only because that book happened to by at my desk at the time. I'm not implying that I myself am, er...., like Jesse Jackson's west coast kid is, single-parent wise). BUT...I myself wrote a class paper on C.S. Lewis when I was in the 9th grade. The teacher raved about it. Not to me, but apparently to my parents--note the plural--at a PTA meeting.
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To: NattieSheaGreat paper! The Narnia Chronicles are an excellent read. I first read them when I was 10, and 18 years later I still crack them open from time to time, and enjoy them still. Next to Frank Herbert's Dune series they are my favorite.
49 Posted on 02/08/2001 19:49:06 PST by BigBadWolf
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To: Carry_OkieThanks for the bump.
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To: Carry_Okie, OWK, Jerry_M, Aggressive Calvinist, the_doc, George W. Bush, Diamond, TheophilusAllow me to be very clear. NattieShea had help. She is a young 8, very bright, but still very much an 8 year old. She studies grammar at the 8th grade level. She has completed her first year of high school algebra. She is bright, but no genius. This is what we should be expecting of our schools, and more. Every word is hers, though some were prompted. She worked on this paper every day for perhaps two to three hours for two months after reading the works. Each day we would go over it using Socratic dialogue. That is the great opportunity afforded by home schooling. It was hard for her. She showed a lot of guts and never talked about giving up. Why? It was the inducement of posting it here for all of you. I thought it perhaps an inspiration to others of what can be done. God bless you all and God bless FreeRepublic.
Thanks for this post.
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To: Askel5I found the name in the notes to Lane's "Arabian Nights": it is the Turkish for Lion. I prounounce it Ass-lan myself. And of course I meant the Lion of Judah.
Thank you for finding it for me. What does C. S. Lewis mean by The Lion of Judah?
52 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:18:48 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaThis is excellent work, lass. You are to be congratulated.
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To: NattieSheaWhat a wonderful paper! My compliments!
The Chronicles of Narnia were my son's favorite books. I myself didn't read them until he started reading them...somehow they escaped me when I was a child.
I am 52. My son is 32. He has started reading these to his young son, who is almost 5. I still re-read them once a year, because when my faith seems a little shaky, or life seems a little too bleak, I can go to Narnia, where everything seems just right.
Thank you so much for posting your paper. It brought back many fond memories.
54 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:24:04 PST by Miss Marple
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To: NattieSheaWhat does C. S. Lewis mean by The Lion of Judah?
REVELATION 5: 5 -- And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
REVELATION 22: 16 -- I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
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To: Uriel1975small OFF
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To: NattieSheaNattie,
Thanks you so much for sharing your paper with us.
I had BELIEVED, since I was 8, that the Lion's kingdom is near, but the Chronicles of Narnia baptised my imagination to SEE his kingdom around me.
That was many years ago. As I get older I sometimes forget to see, until the Lion, to encourage me out of blindness, sends a prince or princess my way.
Like you.
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To: Uriel1975This is Carry_Okie asking, not NattieShea:
I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star
I am struck by the reference to the morning star and the reflexive confluence of terms among Jesus and Lucifer. Most poignant with its appearance in Revelation. Can you elaborate?
(She's back; she just brought her Daddy a BEER!)
58 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:32:40 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaDon't forget the incredible introduction, "The Hobitt" ....
59 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:33:07 PST by Buckeroo (gibraltar@discover.net)
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To: TaliesanAnd Nattie, never write "thanks you" when "thank you" would be better. If I checked my spelling as I should I wouldn't do that.
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To: Uriel1975This is excellent work, lass. You are to be congratulated.
Thank you. Are you from Scotland?
61 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:35:41 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaI am struck by the reference to the morning star and the reflexive confluence of terms among Jesus and Lucifer. Most poignant with its appearance in Revelation.
Jesus is reclaiming the Images.
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To: NattieShea, LurkerSeven Stars for Home Schooling, FRiend Lurker (the author of this piece is eight years old).
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To: NattieSheaI think he's talking about Jacob's prophesy on the two advents of Christ.
See Genesis 49:9-10.
There are also these passages from St. Justin's dialogue with Trypho (the latter wherein he quotes the Genesis cited above).
And by Jeremiah, concerning this same new covenant, He thus speaks: 'Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt').If, therefore, God proclaimed a new covenant which was to be instituted, and this for a light of the nations, we see and are persuaded that men approach God, leaving their idols and other unrighteousness, through the name of Him who was crucified, Jesus Christ, and abide by their confession even unto death, and maintain piety.
Moreover, by the works and by the attendant miracles, it is possible for all to understand that He is the new law, and the new covenant, and the expectation of those who out of every people wait for the good things of God.
CHAPTER LII -- JACOB PREDICTED TWO ADVENTS OF CHRIST.
"And it was prophesied by Jacob the patriarch that there would be two advents of Christ, and that in the first He would suffer, and that after He came there would be neither prophet nor king in your nation(I proceeded), and that the nations who believed in the suffering Christ would look for His future appearance.
And for this reason the Holy Spirit had uttered these truths in a parable, and obscurely: for," I added, "it is said, 'Judah, thy brethren have praised thee: thy hands[shall be] on the neck of thine enemies; the sons of thy father shall worship thee. Judah is a lion's whelp; from the germ, my son, thou art sprung up. Reclining, he lay down like a lion, and like [a lion's] whelp: who shall raise him up?
A ruler shall not depart from Judah, or a leader from his thighs, until that which is laid up in store for him shall come; and he shall be the desire of nations, binding his foal to the vine, and the foal of his ass to the tendril of the vine.
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To: TaliesanIt was very nice of you to say that. I don't think of myself as a princess; my goal is to be a lady.
65 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:42:31 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieShea...my goal is to be a lady.
Then you will.
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To: NattieSheaDinner time!
67 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:47:12 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieSheaThis is excellent work, lass. You are to be congratulated. ~~~ Thank you. Are you from Scotland?
No, just employing a term of friendly cordiality for a young lady who has left me much impressed....
...although, now that you mention it, my chosen Christian denomination (Orthodox Presbyterian) does hail from Scotland (the Presbyterian Church was originally founded by the Reformer John Knox of Scotland, of whom "Bloody" Queen Mary said, "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than an army of ten thousand men"). So perhaps you have some rather superior intuition, eh?
Best Regards,
Uriel
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To: Carry_Okie
>You need medical care.Yes, but not as much as I would need if I were in the habit of consuming mass-produced Girl Scout cookies.
Anyway, you are right to be proud of your daughter; it is an excellent report.
69 Posted on 02/08/2001 20:51:07 PST by Benoit Baldwin
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To: Uriel1975Tsk tsk ... she had no reason to fear death.
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To: Carry_Okiemorning star
A real study would require comparison of the wording of the different translations in regard to Isaiah 14:12; me, I've usually simplified the discussion to "Lucifer: Fallen, false morning star/ Jesus: Eternal, true morning star". I could go a lot further but that will do in a pinch, for a late night.
Enjoy your beer (... which reminds me... I'm out... hmmm....)
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To: Benoit Baldwin Carry_OkieOils run a poor second to other perils. In any case, I'm sure Carry_Okie keeps a close eye on his scout and is certain she derives all -- and only -- the good things I too derived from scouting.
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To: NattieShea
An astute and timely analysis. Your critical skills are excellent, and you express yourself fluently.
I foresee trouble with politically correct academicians in your future. ;-)
I'm reading "The Magician's Nephew" to my youngest child (she's 6) a chapter at a time, before bedtime every night.
73 Posted on 02/08/2001 21:04:04 PST by George Smiley (george.smiley@lycos.com)
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To: NattieSheaWonderful! You've made me want to read them again .. and I just read them last year for the first time - My husband had bought them for our daughter and I ran into the second one laying out on the table so I picked it up and started reading... by the time my daughter got home from school that afternoon I was tearing up her room trying to find the rest:-) I loved them and your paper is perfect!
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To: NattieSheaIt was very nice of you to say that. I don't think of myself as a princess; my goal is to be a lady.
You do your mother proud, Miss.
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To: NattieShea, TaliesanWhy did he have the image of the lion as God?
I think Taliesan's hinting that he knows the answer. The lion is the King of Beasts, is he not?
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To: Askel5
>Oils run a poor second to other perils.Ah, but real butter is brain food (Omega-3 fatty acids); just the thing to ward off the effects of feminist indoctrination.
A sound mind is inextricably linked to a sound body.
77 Posted on 02/08/2001 21:29:30 PST by Benoit Baldwin
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To: Uriel1975Perhaps there is hope after all.
L
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To: NattieSheaPerhaps there is hope after all.
See what I mean? You're a treasure.
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To: NattieSheaThe Calormene captain gave his prisoners a choice between slavery to Tash and death...Don't be deceived by evil because it leads to slavery.
Though I have never read the Chronicles I'm guessing that Lewis wants us to think of slavery and death as the same thing. What do you think?
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To: Benoit BaldwinA sound mind is inextricably linked to a sound body.
Um, well ... this year in particular it seems I'm taking a page from the Dumb_Ox. Doubtful I'll lose 40 pounds by next Wednesday so you may need to rethink this should anyone catch sight of me at CPAC and blow your theory to smithereens with a snapshot. (Assuming I'm of sound mind, of course. =)
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To: RomulusNEVER READ THE CHRONICLES????
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To: George Smiley Askel5 Conservative_IS_CompassionateWe really don't know quite what to do with her when she nears high school age. (She could probably pass a high school equivalency test now.) She is like many very bright people I knew at Harvey Mudd: She seems so normal, pleasant, and happy that it's almost disturbing. I keep telling her that this is all about options and that if she chooses to slow down and work a job or something, that I will do what I can.
I really do feel for the poor professoriate that tries to brainwash her, because the level upon which they will likely fail is beneath their comprehension.
It was a really nasty trick upon my part, but as a father, I felt that I simply had to effect a prophylactic cure for any potential attack of, 'but-I-want-to-be-like-the-other-kids' disease. I ran the following "experiment" with both of them for the purpose of enlisting their dedication to home schooling:
We went down to the local middle school at the end of the day and sat and watched the kids as they walked off the campus. Now, this is a prosperous, upper middle class town in Santa Cruz County, California. The 'prisoners' were shuffling along, looking at the pavement, cussing, posturing, and chewing gum while waiting for the bus. Few had books. The girls were dressed like whores. The only ones that smiled were playing nasty jokes on their victims. We watched this misery for about fifteen minutes, silently sitting in the car. Then I asked them a question...
"Girls, how many of them look happy?"
They haven't wanted anything to do with public school ever since.
83 Posted on 02/08/2001 21:55:38 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Askel5Pssst! Neither have I.
84 Posted on 02/08/2001 21:56:39 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Askel5And you have never read Waugh, so we're even.;-)
During my entire junior year of HS, everyone carried around a copy of the Chronicles. Everyone but me. It was not contrariness or rebellion that prevented me, only an indifference to fashion. This indifference may have caused me to miss a really great book, but it has saved me from a lot of really crummy ones too (Soul on Ice also was ubiquitous that year.)
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To: RomulusSoul on Ice also was ubiquitous that year.
Where I went to school, it was Do It!
86 Posted on 02/08/2001 22:02:58 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Carry_OkieThank you for this post at the end of a very hard day. It literally warms my heart and brings me joy. I have never read The Chronicles, but I know about children, and this post is spectacular and I commend you, deeply. :>)
87 Posted on 02/08/2001 22:05:07 PST by Aggressive Calvinist
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To: RomulusAnd you have never read Waugh, so we're even.;-)
I read his book on Campion. (And, < cough >, Soul on Ice.)
You must read the Chronicles.
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To: Carry_Okie (Askel5)Outstanding. You must be so proud. I haven't thought of the books for years. Another homeschooling prodigy quietly enters the world. Who needs vouchers when there's parents that care? Be well.
89 Posted on 02/08/2001 22:08:25 PST by nunya bidness
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To: Askel5
>Assuming I'm of sound mind, of courseWell...
90 Posted on 02/08/2001 22:10:34 PST by Benoit Baldwin
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To: Aggressive CalvinistThank you kindly. It really was Socratic teaching because I have never read the Chronicles either.
91 Posted on 02/08/2001 22:13:24 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Askel5You must read the Chronicles.
I'll read Chronicles if you'll read Sword of Honour. Win/win. Deal?
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To: RomulusShe was very proud of the title. On one of her handwritten copies, she had put the five-pointed star in the middle. Then I had her type it. You should have seen her face, days later, when she saw that I had snuck the star into the title on the computer. I'm really glad it came through in the html version.
93 Posted on 02/08/2001 22:19:04 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: NattieSheaYou probably won't read this till in the morning. Sorry I missed getting here sooner. I must say, NattieShea, I am truly impressed!
Your father told me you would be posting this and how old you were and I was eager to see just how well you were going to do. I certainly was not disappointed in the least.
You are so fortunate to have the parents you have! Mine loved me very much and thought they were doing right by me, too. They followed their church teachings very closely and wouldn't let me attend school at all until I was age seven.
They didn't believe that fiction and fantasy was the best thing for little children until they had learned more of real life. I was never allowed to read such flights of fantasy, even though it was designed to help one deal with real life as a young person.
I do not feel cheated by this, except to say that I missed out on some beautiful writings. I certainly exercised my vivid imagination on flights of fantasy of my own, plenty! My mother was the literate one and actually was my teacher in grades 2-8.
In fact, when I graduated from the 8th grade, I was both the class valeditorian and the class dunce! You see, our little one room church school was almost like home schooling! Enough about me. I was just trying to identify with your experience a little.
I'm so pleased to see that you have "understanding" far beyond your years of age and I am still waiting for my order of Samoas that I can never get enough of. (I don't care what that other guy says about G.S. Cookies. There is alway some smartalec trying to tell everbody else what not to do, even on FreeRepublic.com)
94 Posted on 02/08/2001 22:36:35 PST by SierraWasp
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To: NattieSheaWonderful, wonderful writing, NattieShea! I am very impressed. I read the Chronicles many years ago, (during my classes at government school):-(
I loved those books, but you have inspired me to read them again.Genesis 49:8-10
Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.
You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.Cordially,
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To: NattieSheaI was raised in the Emperor's House, but in my weakness I went astray for many years, and got lost in darkness. I had to pay a high price for my mistakes, and I hurt a lot of other people, too, but just as things looked their blackest Aslan Himself called for me and I found my way back home. (It was Aslan's servant, Professor Lewis, who stood next to Aslan and held the lamp so that I could see his lion's face.)
Your post was like a light, too - a bright spot at the end of a long, cold, sad day.
As you grow older, you will sometimes be tempted to wander away from the path of Truth, just as I was. Please don't make the same mistakes I did! Listen to your folks, and to the voice of Aslan, and always keep your eyes on the light of home.
God bless you!
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To: NattieSheaI thought Aslan was that area of northwestern Mexico, California, and some other states that the bitter leftist Mexicans claim will become a seperate nation when enough Mexicans enter these states.
Oh, my bad, that is Aztlan.
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To: Carry_OkieI'm really glad it came through in the html version.
Well, on machines with the font "Monotype Sorts" installed it does. Otherwise it's "Seven StIrs for Aslan".
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To: Carry_OkieEach day we would go over it using Socratic dialogue
Oh dear! It's good you come out real believers at the end.
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To: cornelisElaborate, please for my education. Perhaps I am misusing the term. I ask her questions so that she can exercise her thinking to derive the answers.
100 Posted on 02/09/2001 08:32:57 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Carry_OkiePerhaps I am misusing the term. I ask her questions so that she can exercise her thinking to derive the answers.
Oh no. You are using it correctly. Your questions lead her to the right answers.
Its just that Socrates did so much questioning, that some say he didn't have any answers. They then refer not to the Socratic method, but to Socratic ignorance. I think it is a mistake to call this ignorance of his a modern critical skepticism, where difficult things, nearly unbelievable and problematic, are ignored through a suspension of judgment. But questioning is a proper pedagogical stance toward ever expanding our learning. I wish more people on FR would approach the subject matter from this point of view by starting from ignorance and moving to knowledge, rather than beginning from arrogance and never searching.
Good dialogue is when the teacher is also questioning along with the student.
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It's (Bad typo, cornelis)
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To: AngeliqueThis thread should ease your heart.
103 Posted on 02/09/2001 18:20:00 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Teacup Billie Hopalong Manny Festo SierraWaspBump
104 Posted on 02/09/2001 20:57:33 PST by NattieShea
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To: AngeliqueI would like you to read my paper and tell me what you think. Please?
105 Posted on 02/09/2001 21:04:53 PST by NattieShea
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To: B-ChanI was raised in the Emperor's House, but in my weakness I went astray for many years, and got lost in darkness. I had to pay a high price for my mistakes, and I hurt a lot of other people, too, but just as things looked their blackest Aslan Himself called for me and I found my way back home. (It was Aslan's servant, Professor Lewis, who stood next to Aslan and held the lamp so that I could see his lion's face.)
When I lie, I hurt my whole family. I have learned that it's better to just do the right thing. When I do the right thing I don't feel the temptation to lie. I have learned that before I do the wrong thing I have to convince myself that it's OK with lies.
Your post was like a light, too - a bright spot at the end of a long, cold, sad day.
I am glad my paper helped you.
As you grow older, you will sometimes be tempted to wander away from the path of Truth, just as I was. Please don't make the same mistakes I did! Listen to your folks, and to the voice of Aslan, and always keep your eyes on the light of home.
I will do my best to hear the Truth, tell the truth, and do the right thing. If I do the wrong thing, I will ask for forgiveness and fix my mistake.
106 Posted on 02/09/2001 21:42:44 PST by NattieShea
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To: SierraWaspShe is so tired, that by the time she deciphered it, she forgot to answer.
107 Posted on 02/09/2001 22:01:45 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Carry_Okie, Natty Shea"It was the inducement of posting it here for all of you. I thought it perhaps an inspiration to others of what can be done. God bless you all and God bless FreeRepublic."
I teared up when I read that.
Your thread made my day, NattyShea! Thank you very much for sharing your excellent paper with us.
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To: Askel5Don't forget the Out of the Silent Planet trilogy by Lewis. Geared for adults.
109 Posted on 02/09/2001 22:16:35 PST by Campion Moore Boru
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To: AquinasFanI thought that you'd like to see this.
Homeschooling BUMP!
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To: ArtistI teared up when I read that.
I teared up when I wrote it.
She got a playday today as a reward for completion. She's exhausted. I'll be sure to tell her of your kind words.
111 Posted on 02/09/2001 22:29:24 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: PoisedWomanBump for a budding author.
112 Posted on 02/09/2001 22:50:40 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: NattieSheaExcellent essay, Nattie Shea, and thank you very much for the flag. I read the whole essay carefully. It is well written and well thought out. You have done an enormous amount of work, and present your thesis in readable, persuasive form.
I have not read much C. S. Lewis myself, but my daughter, who is also eight, has read the Chronicles, and has told me something about the story.
She is presently writing an essay on Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. She researches various aspects of the story and writes a chapter a week. Last week, she wrote a chapter on how Irving presents the schoolmaster on the way to the "quilting frolic" at Van Tassel's farm as a "chevalier" outwardly much in the mode of Don Quixote, complete with an appropriately broken down steed.
This week, she contrasted Ichabod's bottomless and materialistic appetites, evinced by his turning the whole landscape he sees on the way to Van Tassel's farm into delicious things to eat, with Don Quixote's equally single-minded, but more courtly and spiritual romanticism. She has her own computer, but she does not use the internet. She and her home school friends, however, have a "Great Book Club", which meets periodically to discuss chosen works.
Best regards. S&W R.I.P.
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To: NattieShea
I learned a lot from your paper; and the world is a better place because of you.
I remember from somewhere: God does not expect us to always do everything right; we will fail sometimes, guaranteed. Perhaps God is pleased when we care enough to try.
You have helped others care enough to try. Thank you very much.
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To: cornelisGood dialogue is when the teacher is also questioning along with the student.
Just like in school...
Amen brother. I hear that there's a new on-line homeschool opening. I think the name had "Aquinas" in it. Anyway, on-line Socratic dialogues are supposed to begin in third grade.
115 Posted on 02/10/2001 03:53:58 PST by Aquinasfan
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To: NattieSheaAnalogies may be helpful, but considering many people haven't read one book of the Bible completely in one sitting, yet will read such analogies repeatedly, I am led to opt for Scriptural study first.
Those areas of Scripture which I have studied, I have never come to regret the time spent, even 20 years later. More profoundly, I've found some elements of mature love do not become manifest until some time and experience has past from the first study of Scripture and later repetitive review. A renewal of mind if you will, which only occurs if one begins early to allow mature study in later years.
IMHO, Scriptural study should be foremost in any education system. This testimonial coming from a person who agreed with materialist and humanist positions for many years is also offered as evidence of the fruitless nature of those philosophical systems.
It is recognized that younger children will also be exposed to false doctrines and stories involving mysticism may appeal to their curiosity. An effort to relate all such exposure back to Scripture will assist in turning such curses to blessings only by reference to Scripture. Likewise, if some lack discernment and are uncertain as to the truth value of mystical stories or some stories contain some truth then confirmation by Scripture will promote discernment and again assure blessings rather than cursings. (Although the obvious admonitions against sorcery and spiritism in Scripture are not to be ignored.)
All in all, IMHO, the time is better spent studying Scripture.
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To: NattieSheaI am 8 years old.
Wow! Great job!
Mom and dad should be very proud too.
117 Posted on 02/10/2001 04:41:38 PST by Aquinasfan
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To: Taliesan, Nattie SheaNattie,
Thanks you so much for sharing your paper with us.
I had BELIEVED, since I was 8, that the Lion's kingdom is near, but the Chronicles of Narnia baptised my imagination to SEE his kingdom around me.
That was many years ago. As I get older I sometimes forget to see, until the Lion, to encourage me out of blindness, sends a prince or princess my way.
Like you.
It was very nice of you to say that. I don't think of myself as a princess; my goal is to be a lady.
Then you will.
Taliesan,
Of course when our imaginations are in Narnia, we are all chilren--and princes or princesses as well.
Your note is so much in the spirit the Chronicles, and so gracious, that it brought a tear to my eye. I tried to quote it to my wife, but couldn't remember it accurately enough to do it any justice on the first try. And I was discomfitted by the unsteadiness of my voice.
Bravo Zulu to you both.
118 Posted on 02/10/2001 05:57:25 PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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To: HopalongShe and her home school friends, however, have a "Great Book Club", which meets periodically to discuss chosen works.
What a wonderful idea. Do they trade papers for evaluation?
We don't have anything like that around here. Kalifornia standards of education, you know. People get all worried (or jealous) that she is even reading these books. "Too advanced." I dimly recall that the Swedish term is laglom.
119 Posted on 02/10/2001 06:46:36 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: NattieShea, SierraWasp, Carry_Okie, Carlo3bIf you make a mistake, you will be given a chance to fix it, but it is harder than doing the right thing in the first place.
When you are separated from your partners, have faith in them.
Don't be deceived by evil because it leads to slavery.
If you do right and love God, you will receive your reward.
If you do that, all your life, when you die you will go to heaven, and live with Aslan, foreverMon cher Mademoiselle Nattie, your post is most splended and heartwarming to see a keen mind, and it must be most wise beyond your years, since you are CO's daughter. Indeed, you make us look like a bunch of amateurs. If I may suggest, however, the inclusion of another author to add to your premises:
"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances - to choose one's own way."
-Victor Franklps Will ya's bees talkin ceilly, now, likes yer paw?
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To: CvengrMy 1611 KJV is a bit much for her and WAY too much for her sister who just turned 7. We cover that one with evening Bible readings (by popular demand, I might add). That way I get to explain much of what would otherwise be incomprehensible and frustrating. Interestingly, we went through Exodus first, and then through Genesis. It was my intent to reflect the likely order of writing. Haste, you know.
121 Posted on 02/10/2001 07:00:59 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: AngeliqueI don't want to throw cold water on what is a very good essay by an 8 year old but the Gospel is not
"If you do right and love God, you will receive your reward. If you do that, all your life, when you die you will go to heaven, and live with Aslan, forever"
The Gospel is that Aslan died to save sinners who could not save themselves.
I'm a big fan of Lewis(The Great Divorce is my favorite). But currently, I am reading Luther's commentary on Galatians and wish (although I'm a very direct person) to gently remind that "...If you do that all your life..." does not get one into heaven and it misses the highest intention of the Chronicles which is Christ.
122 Posted on 02/10/2001 07:16:12 PST by Duke of Milan
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To: Duke of MilanActually, I think the child had it right. As a child being instructed by the nuns, I was automatically told that if one was not baptized Catholic, one would not go to Heaven. I questioned this premise, since my best friend and her family was not Catholic, but certainly lived a life in the light of God. You prompt me to ask this question, "Are there different Heavens?"
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To: Angelique Duke of Milan Cvengr RomulusI think it not so complex as you portray, sir Duke. I have long said that God would not design requirements for salvation that could not be satisfied by an idiot. God keeps things simple: Ten Commandments. Communion. How many of us succeed at just that?
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, yee shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew:18:3
Yea, my Duke, I need not go on.
'Doing the right thing' entails hearing and studying the word of God and asking for forgiveness as appropriate, does it not?
I do not say this in defense, quite the contrary. For in the explicit effort to own the way to God, we close the door for others to find Him in the example of our hearts. It is to that of which I speak.
124 Posted on 02/10/2001 10:27:40 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: HopalongHey ... I used to do the "Great Books" club!
Hope once Jim gets a Junior FReep page up and running (an excellent idea I'd like to see come to fruition) we'll see more of your daughter and NattieShea!
Regards, Hopalong!
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To: Carry_OkieVerily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, yee shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew:18:3
Oui! The questions of children give us the answers.
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To: NattieSheaMy dear Nattie, I had no idea when SierraWasp, (don't worry, he only stings the bad guys), that you were eight years, going on many more, of age when I responded to you. In retrospect, it probably is a response that you have already considered.
What do I think of your paper? I think that you have just brought more hope to me in such a long while to see such insightful and beautiful words from a child.
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To: Carry_OkieYour child has done more than ease my heart. I would guess that if I REALLY were stuck on the Cliffs of Dover, her papa would lend a hand.
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To: NattieSheaWhat a wonderful report, NattieShea!
I first read "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at just about your age, but spent more time doing silly things like trying to chew a whole "Big Wad" bubble gum at once.
My current set of "Chronicles" (my second) is well-worn, and I, too, take them out once a year to read. My favorites are "The Magician's Nephew" -Aslan's miraculous creation of Narnia by singing it into existance, the grief, temptation and ultimate redemption of a young Digory, and "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader", because spoiled, misinformed Eustace stuck in the Dragon's skin was ME, and always, in the end, was Aslan and love.(^:
129 Posted on 02/10/2001 15:01:06 PST by Ragtime Cowgirl
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To: AngeliqueMy dear Nattie, I had no idea when SierraWasp, (don't worry, he only stings the bad guys), that you were eight years, going on many more, of age when I responded to you. In retrospect, it probably is a response that you have already considered.
I think it is kind of fun that many FReepers didn't know my age. When they thought I was a grown-up, they told more of the truth about my paper than they would if they had known I was a child.
Thank you for your good wishes.
130 Posted on 02/10/2001 15:24:07 PST by NattieShea
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To: RomulusThough I have never read the Chronicles I'm guessing that Lewis wants us to think of slavery and death as the same thing. What do you think?
Not meaning to answer for Nattie, but in "The Last Battle" a good Calormene who was raised to believe Tash (Satan) was good and Aslan was evil approached Aslan in "Heaven":
"But the Glorious One bent down his head and touched my forhead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But, I said, alas Lord, I am no son of Thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me.....for I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swears by Tash and keep his oath for the oath's sake, it is by me that he is truly sworn."
So, even a slave is free to serve God, but not to do evil even at his 'master's' command. (^:
131 Posted on 02/10/2001 15:35:23 PST by Ragtime Cowgirl
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To: NattieShea ALLI wish to report that MY first thread got a whopping 28 posts, a quarter of which were mine.
Drum, drum, drum, drum...
Thank goodness that she is so sweet (and that her daddy is such a tyrant), er the keid's hed wood git soooo big dat she wood bee ensufferible. (I spellt it dat way sews when she coodint look it up. Gotta keep a few advantages wile I ken kinter kin.)
132 Posted on 02/10/2001 15:38:11 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Carry_OkieHow about Ruth? And a picture illustrated Bible.
Studies about the Temple led me at the age of 7.
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To: Carry_OkieGod would not design requirements for salvation that could not be satisfied by an idiot.
Agreed and concur. Then again, we both know the real idiot is the one who rejects God, but I agree with you in that the most sophisticated as well as the least educated or least mentally endowed, still have an opportunity for salvation.
Those who condone comparative religions are challenged by this feature of Christianity and I find it outstanding testimony of its truth.
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To: Carry_OkieMY first thread got a whopping 28 posts, a quarter of which were mine.
Just goes to show--if you'd spent
(2months)x(4.3 wk/mo)x(5 days/wk)x(3hr/day)=129 hours
composing that first thread, you probably would have gotten at least thirty posts . . .
135 Posted on 02/10/2001 17:25:31 PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
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To: NattieSheaI just read your paper. It is beautifully written. My favorite quote is:
. . . observe what the enemy does, instead of listening only to what they say . . .
136 Posted on 02/10/2001 23:15:33 PST by WillaJohns
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To: NattieSheaI think it is kind of fun that many FReepers didn't know my age. When they thought I was a grown-up, they told more of the truth about my paper than they would if they had known I was a child.
There you have it! Be wary of adults and trust your instincts. My best to you always.
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To: spoosmanYour nom de guere of "crackpot and rabble-rouser" has given NattieShea considerable glee over the last week. She has long concluded that the media are idiots.
138 Posted on 02/12/2001 06:08:23 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: Carry_OkieWhat does the Bible say? "the FOOL has said in his heart there is no God"
That is where the battle is, was, and always will be in this world. For those that follow Jesus, in good times and bad, people that after they fall get up and keep moving, these people carry the blessing from above into this world.
For the rest of the bunch, with the exception of those who will come to follow the Master, they are the 'crackpots'
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To: NattieShea, Carry_OkieBravo! Very nice paper! NattieShea, you are very blessed to have such a carrying family. My little eight year old grandson is also being homeschooled by parents (like yours) who will go to any lengths to insure that he has the best education.
Keep up the good work little FReeper. I look forward to other thought provoking posts from you! Be sure to flag me. :-)
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To: NattieSheasuch a carrying family...
....make that caring family. I need a proofreader! :-)
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To: NattieSheaThe Calormene captain gave his prisoners a choice between slavery to Tash and death. Jewel and Poggin the others chose instead to fight back.
Good plan. They used their heads and made a better choice.
I can see you've put much time and effort into your report Nattie Shea and that's why it was such a pleasure to read.
142 Posted on 02/15/2001 10:28:40 PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: NattieSheaI thought this article was about the Hierate just spinward of the Solomani Sphere. Oh well.
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To: Carry_OkieCarry_Okie
I have just one thing to say:
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food food from afar.
She gets up while it its still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously' her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her beds; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.Proverbs 31:10-31 NIV
Press on dear sister =) Your home-schooling is inspiring a multitude of others.
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To: NattieSheaRegarding "The Horse and His Boy" (which I read recently) you write He went back to Aravis and married her as his reward. IIRC, he did not marry Aravis. Check the end of the book again.
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To: NattieSheaNow that is a very well-written essay for such a young rabble rouser! The majority of 8 year-olds couldn't read the Chronicles, much less write an article including succinct summaries and extrapolation. I hope to see more from you.
PS: I am not just saying this to be nice; your work is more cogent than half of the essays I've seen from college students (and even some professors)! LOL
146 Posted on 02/15/2001 12:39:14 PST by antidisestablishment
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To: NattieSheaIt's very clear to me that C. S. Lewis wanted to make the Bible and the commandments clear to children because he loved them. Mr. Lewis built stories around them.
CS Lewis did not write the Chronicles of Narnia as an exercise in allegory. Nor did he write them as means to an indoctrinative end. If the author had read Lewis's own description of the stories' genesis, he wouldn't have said something so silly as "Mr. Lewis built stories around [the Bible and the commandments]" or any of the other senses the ambiguity of the sentences' construction permits.
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To: NattieSheaPS. Remember that what a reader believes a story to mean or what he attributes to an author's intentions as a result of reading the work is entirely subject to what the author himself says about it or what one can discover about the author's own intentions. The origin of most Bible-related cults comes as a result of ignoring this distinction and people assuming that what a passage in the Bible meant to them was what the author intended.
If you want to read Lewis's own description of how he came up with the Narnia stories, you can find it in God in the Dock, a collection of essays by him. What is known for sure is that Lewis didn't sit down and say, "Hmmm, I love children so much and really want them to know Biblical doctrine so I'll make up a series of stories that will illustrate it all."
You may also find helpfulThe Lion of Judah in Never-never Land by Lindskoog. Lewis gave this treatment of the Chronicles of Narnia by a graduate student high praises.
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To: aruananSee Post #26.
149 Posted on 02/15/2001 14:38:51 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: aruananThank you for your criticism. I have God in the Dock and I will be sure to read it.
150 Posted on 02/15/2001 14:49:55 PST by NattieShea
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To: NattieShea, Carry_OkieHere is C.S. Lewis's description, in response to a request by an editor, of the genesis of the Narnia stories. It first appeared in Radio Times, Junior Radio Times, vol CXLVIII (15 July 1960) and later in Of Other Worlds, Essays and Stories
The Editor has asked me to tell you how I came to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe I will try, but you must not believe all that authors tell you about how they wrote their books. This is not because they mean to tell lies. It is because a man writing a story is too excited about the story itself to sit back and notice how he is doing it. In fact, that might stop the works; just as, if you start thinking about how you tie your tie, the next thing is that you find you can't tie it. And afterwards, when the story is finished, he has forgotten a good deal of what writing it was like.
One thing I am sure of. All my seven Narnian books, and my three science fiction books, began with seeing pictures in my head. At first they were not a story, just pictures. The Lion all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture had been in my mind since I was about sixteen. Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself: "Let's try to make a story about it.'
At first I had very little idea how the story would go. But then suddenly Aslan came bounding into it. I think I had been having a good many dreams of lions about that time. Apart from that, I don't know where the Lion came from or why He came. But once He was there He pulled the whole story together, and soon He pulled the six other Narnian stories in after Him.
So you see that, in a sense, I know very little about how this story was born. That is, I don't know where the pictures came from. Making up is a very mysterious thing. When you 'have an idea' could you tell anyone exactly how you thought of it?
In another essay entitled On Three Ways of Writing for Children found in the same book mentioned above he said (emphasis added):
I hope my title did not lead anyone to think that I was conceited enough to give you advice on how to write a story for children. There were two very good reasons for not doing that. One is that many people have written very much better stories than I, and I would rather learn about the art than set up to teach it. The other is that, in a certain sense, I have never exactly 'made' a story. With me the process is much more like bird-watching than like either talking or building. I see pictures. Some of these pictures have a common flavour, almost a common smell, which groups them together. Keep quiet and watch and they will begin joining themselves up. If you were very lucky (I have never been as lucky as all that) a whole set might join themselves so consistently that there you had a complete story: without doing anything yourself. But more often (in my experience always) there are gaps. Then at last you have to do some deliberate inventing, have to contrive reasons why these characters should be in these various places doing these various things. I have no idea whether this is the usual way of writing stories, still less whether it is the best. It is the only one I know: images always come first.
In the same essay, on the matter of writing for children with a moral lesson in mind:
Before closing, I would like to return to what I said at the beginning. I rejected any approach which begins with the question 'What do modern children like?' I might be asked, 'Do you equally reject the approach which begins with the question "What do modern children need?"--in other words, with the moral or didactic approach?' I think the answer is Yes. Not because I don't like stories to have a moral: certainly not because I think children dislike a moral. Rather because I feel sure that the question 'What do modern children need?' will not lead you to a good moral. If we ask that question we are assuming too superior an attitude. It would be better to ask 'What moral do I need?' for I think we can be sure that what does not concern us deeply will not interest our readers, whatever their age. But it is better not to ask the question at all. Let the pictures tell you their own moral. For the moral inherent in them will rise from whatever spiritual roots you have succeeded in striking during the whole course of your life. But if they don't show you any moral, don't put one in. For the moral you put in is likely to be a platitude, or even a falsehood, skimmed from the surface of your consciousness. It is impertinent to offer the children that. For we have been told on high authority that in the moral sphere they are probably at least as wise as we. Anyone who can write a children's story without a moral had better do so: that is, if he is going to write children's stories at all. The only moral that is of any value is that which arises inevitably from the whole cast of the author's mind.
We must meet children as equals in that area of our nature where we are their equals. Our superiority consists partly in commanding other areas, and partly (which is more relevant) in the fact that we are better at telling stories than they are. The child as reader is neither to be patronized nor idolized: we talk to him as man to man. But the worst attitude of all would be the professional attitude which regards children in the lump as a sort of raw material which we have to handle. We must of course try to do them no harm: we may, under the Omnipotence, sometimes dare to hope that we may do them good. But only such good as involves treating them with respect. We must not imagine that we are Providence or Destiny. I will not say that a good story for children could never be written by someone in the Ministry of Education, for all things are possible. But I should lay very long odds against it.
Once in a hotel dining-room I said, rather too loudly, 'I doathe prunes.' 'So do I,' cam an unexpected sic-year-old voice from another table. Sympathy was instantaneous. Neither of us thought it funny. We both knew that prunes are far too nasty to be funny. That is the proper meeting between man and child as independent personalities. Of the far higher and more difficult relations between child and parent or child and teacher, I say nothing. An author, as a mere author, is outside all that. He is not even an uncle. He is a freeman and an equal, like the postman, the butcher, and the dog next door.
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To: aruananNattieShea has gone on an overnight trip with her Brownie Troop. She will get back to you next week.
152 Posted on 02/16/2001 19:53:48 PST by Carry_Okie
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To: NattieShea austinTparty Mediaqueen RikaStrom anniegetyourgun SShultz460 textide March I UpWow! Y'all come on over here and see this work!
NattieShea: You did a much better job that I can :-). Way to Go!!!
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To: NattieSheaExcellent paper! I also read this series when I was in high school. I loved it so much that I began reading it to my son, who is five years old, also homeschooled and will be done with first grade in a few weeks. We finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe just night before last.
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To: NattieSheaYoung lady, your writing is awesome. You're parents (I'm sure) are very proud of you!!!!
To be honest, I've never heard of these books, and I always considered myself very well read. I will be in the book store this afternoon seeking them out.
I think they will be above the comprehension level of my 2 and a half year old daughter, but at least I will read them and have them for her when she is older.
Young people like you give hope to those of us, like me, with very young children. Thank you, and God Bless you.
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To: Cool Guy, nattiesheaAh, NattieShea, how wonderful to be encouraged in the love of reading! And even more so, in the love of truly good books. Coincidentally, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was the first book I ever bought my niece, because it was always a special favorite of mine.
You will read these books again and again and always find something new to discover within the land of Narnia. I was about your age when I first read them, and I recently bought the set again to re-read. The best books for children, I find, are the ones that don't talk down to you. On the contrary, they are the books that allow you to stretch and grow and discover. They are the books that respect you and expect a lot from you. I liked books that had words in them with which I was unfamiliar. My father never would tell me what a word meant when I asked him; he would send me to the bookshelf to find the dictionary, and in this way, I would not only learn the meaning of the word, I also never forgot the word.
I will, of course, add my vote for you to read the J.R.R. Tolkien books "The Hobbit" and the rest of the Lord of the Rings cycle. Mr. Tolkien was a very good friend of Mr. Lewis, you know. I was 8 when I first read "The Hobbit", and I remember being told that it was too old for me. That just made me want to read it more. I hope you feel the same way, NattieShea. And my congratulations on a very fine report.
156 Posted on 02/20/2001 11:33:00 PST by austinTparty
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To: NattieSheaHi NattieShea, My 8-year old girl is right in the middle of reading the whole Narnia series! I'll have her read your paper and write to you via e-mail. Excellent job..... Mediaqueen
157 Posted on 02/20/2001 13:57:37 PST by Mediaqueen
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To: Carry_OkieNattieShea has gone on an overnight trip with her Brownie Troop. She will get back to you next week.
Wow! She writes better than a Senior Girl Scout (and better than a lot of adults who post here)! I'd not have characterized as "silly" something she could not possibly have known at her age had I realized this.
I read all the Chronicles of Narnia to my third and fourth grade classes. This reading was something the principal characterized as a waste of time. Poor, poor lost soul. He called any reading that wasn't from the assigned text as "practice reading". He didn't seem to have a concept of reading for the pleasure of it.
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To: NattieSheaAll I can say, Nattie, is Wow! Well-written. Even more important is the fact that you grasped the lessons behind the stories. You are a thinker. Keep up the good work.
Can you believe I have never even heard of this series? And I'm a college grad (from a liberal state university... having attended public school all my life... oh, well, I did learn a few things there -- but lots more after graduating!) Anyway, your paper has inspired me to get the books and read them -- and the other C.S. Lewis works. Thank you for your contribution to Free Republic, and for the contribution you are obviously already making for good in this world.
159 Posted on 02/21/2001 15:19:32 PST by wakeupcall
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To: NattieSheaDear Nattie Shea,
I just finished reading your work; you have written a wonderful essay. I plan on re-reading it, before getting into its particulars. However, this I will say. In your seven book report sections, you manage to clearly convey a great deal of complicated, narrative detail that could very easily have become very confusing and have consumed much more space.
The beauty part about planning and executing such an ambitious project, is that you have produced something of value, that no one can ever take away from you, and which will be yours forever. If ever you should feel blue, and for some reason doubt yourself, you need only pull a copy of "Seven Stars for Aslan" out of your drawer, or retrieve it from your computer, or should a catastrophe befall your computer, from Free Republic, to remind yourself that your doubts are misplaced.
And, of course, there is a practical virtue to your essay. You have developed mental and literary "muscles" which will make future tasks easier, and prepare you for yet greater challenges that will be difficult, but which would be impossible, had you not first met this one. (On a personal note, regarding the choices children make which have consequences for them in adulthood: as a young boy, I so hated school that I did not complete any essay assignments. As a result, it took me many years, in college and thereafter, to catch up on what I had missed.)
C.S. Lewis was that rare spirit who could write fascinatingly on any subject. I have only read a few of his non-fiction books (Mere Christianity, which is actually a wonderful introduction to philosophy, The Four Loves, which is more about ethics, and one of the Screwtape books, which is also about Christianity, if I recall correctly), and none of his stories, but based on your article, I plan on reading the Chronicles.
My wife and I have a one-year-old baby boy, our first child, and I am trying to figure out how to educate him. (I may ask your Dad for some pointers.) I have already been planning on reading some of Rudyard Kipling's animal fantasies to him, like "How the Camel Got His Hump," which he can later read for himself. It sounds like the Chronicles might be a good idea to read aloud to him down the road some, and which he can read for himself when he's seven or eight.
Thanks again, for your thoughtful, insightful work.
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To: NattieSheaThanks for the report NattieShea.
I have never read any of these but your report has peaked my interest. The books sound wonderful.
I don't read much fiction because I love history so much I am always buried in a history book.
I see from your report that non-fiction can be educational also and fun.I will go to the library this weekend and hopefully they will have all seven.
161 Posted on 05/31/2001 19:10:29 PDT by snippy_about_it
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To: independentmindFrom NattieShea's report on "The Last Battle" ...
There in the stable, Tiran was surprised to see the children of the out-world from all the other books. Jill, Eustace, Peter, Lucy, Edmund, Polly, and Digory had all grown to adulthood and were wearing what they would have worn for a feast at Cair Paravel, the finest palace in Narnia. You might have noticed that I didn't mention Susan in the list of people that Tiran saw when he entered, well, she had grown up too, but no longer believed in Narnia, and could not return.For the first time, they all noticed a garden of fruit trees. They were still inside the stable, but all they could see of it was the door. Peter said that the inside of the stable was bigger than the outside. If you walked around the door all you could see was a door, if you looked through the door you would see the outside of the stable. Then they saw Aslan. He was touching noses with other animals that had followed him.
He went to the door and let dragons and bats separate those that had betrayed him from his followers. He led the animals who had followed him through the door and into heaven.
Dwarves in "The Last Battle" are a mixed lot. They have a tendency to fight both on the side of Aslan's Narnia and that of their enemy, the Calormenes.
The scene of which I spoke takes place in that stable. Lucy is very pure of heart and wishes desperately for the motley crew of dwarves who've made it that far to accompany the rest into the meadows of Heaven.
By way of illustrating the Beatific Vision ("each man sees to his ability to see," said my beloved professor Sr. Mary Jude), Man's Free Will and--I believe--God's special love for true saints who love Him and serve Him with their whole, pure hearts ... Lucy's wish is granted and the Dwarves are presented an additional appeal--or miracle, if you will--by which they might please be convinced to come along with her through the door instead of cowering and cursing in the stable.
So, a table is laid for them ... a shimmering feast. But they spew the wine which to them tastes something rancid and the delicacies Lucy bids them eat are like straw in their mouths. The whole event only makes them sputter more harshly, cursing the fate that is their being stuck in the dark (even the candles and silver are to no effect) and being tricked into eating soiled hay as some kind of sport.
It's tough for Lucy (especially in that she sorta made things worse by trying) ... but she's sad only for so long as it takes her to turn her head from their wretched grousing and step through the door to join the others.
Pity has no hope of holding Bliss captive in the End.
(And that's a lesson best illustrated by the Beautiful Lady, the Dwarf and the Tragedian in Lewis's The Great Divorce ... as if you hadn't enough to read! =)
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To: Askel5I loved this series as a young boy. C.S. Lewis, along with Jack London were my favorite writers in my youth. For anyone who's interested, the BBC did productions of the Chronicles of Narnia, I think in the 80s. I don't recall how many of the books they did, but the shows were quite good. I would recommend seeing them if you can find them.
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To: Carry_Okie, NattieSheaMy Daddy helped me with the thesis, taught me how to do flow charts, timelines, summarizing, and editing.
And you were (and perhaps still are!) only *eight* years old. I am so impressed - I cannot tell you. You already know more about writing than most grownups - including how to organize and summarize a very large amount of complex material. Believe me - that is a valuable skill. [Translation: you can not only have fun but make a great living with that ability!]
Your essay is terrific - a delight. It was an honor to read your work. And thanks for the stimulating discussion your post prompted! You're now on my bookmark list.
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