Posted in The Hobbit

I feel like a kid reading this story again. ;) Everything is coming back to me as I read and it’s fun remembering all the little details. There are so many silly, childlike things about this book, but that's just what I love about it.

I think it would be funny to go back and count how many times Bilbo wished that he were back in his home at Bag End; he seemed to do it CONSTANTLY. Imagine living in a cozy hole eating 8 meals a day for your whole life and then being whisked off on a mad adventure to obtain a dragon's treasure with 13 dwarves and a very eccentric old wizard. Hahahahaha!!

But actually, I can entirely understand the way Bilbo feels. Christianity isn't exactly a comfortable sort of religion. You have to stretch yourself and put yourself in some pretty awkward positions if you're really willing to do what God's asking you to do. Sometimes I step back, look at myself and think, "What kind of insanity is this? I could be normal and act like everyone else and then people wouldn't see me as a nut. How much easier would life be then?" It's like a mad adventure (think Pilgrim's Progress). But if Bilbo had stayed home in his nice, warm hole he would have missed out on a lot. He would have been a different person at the end of it all. Think about it; if he hadn't gone, he wouldn't have obtained the ring, he wouldn't have had his cravings for adventure later on in life and passed on the ring to his nephew, his nephew wouldn't have carried it, and well, Middle-earth would have been a very different place. Every big thing starts out in a small place.

Discussion Questions

1. What kind of a hobbit is Bilbo? What are some words that you think describe him?
2. Did he find the ring on accident?
3. Just for kicks, what was one of the lines that just made you laugh out loud? ;)

Read chapters 7-12 for next time.

Have fun!
Sylvia

Posted in The Hobbit

We’ll be meeting back here on Thursday to discuss chapters 1-6. Enjoy!

Posted in Announcements and Updates

Welcome back! Now that we’ve all had a nice, long summer break (haha!), I hope you’re ready to jump into the new school year with another book. We'll be starting again on September 22. Some of my fellow Tolkien fans will recognize this significant date as it is, of course, the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. ;) Does this give you a clue?

No, we won't be reading the Trilogy (at least, not here anyway). We'll be taking the easier, but no less enjoyable, option by going through The Hobbit. I know I've been wanting to re-read it for a while, and I figured that most of you have probably either read it before and liked it or have been wanting to read it for a long time.

Now here's the cool part. If you do want to keep going and read the Trilogy, you can. I've created a blog called the Tolkien Reading Quest where, beginning on September 22, Tolkien fans can begin the challenge to read through as many Tolkien books as they choose. I've written out my own list consisting of 22 books ranging from The Hobbit and the Trilogy to The Silmarillion to the entire History of Middle-earth series. You don't have to read all 22, but you're welcome to join me in as many books as you want.

This time I think we'll try doing weekly discussions. It sounds like it would probably be more manageable for all of us. I'll also be posting trivia tidbits and stuff on the Tolkien Quest blog so you can check those out as we go along.

Also, if you know any other Tolkien fans who might like to participate, be sure to let them know about it!

Looking forward to our next reading adventure ;)
Sylvia

Posted in Till We Have Faces

This is a long time coming, but I’ve finally gotten things sorted out…sorry about the very long absence!

This book surprised me in a lot of different ways; I can't say that I expected it to be so difficult to understand, but it certainly was enigmatic in parts (especially at the last bit). There's no way that I could dissect it all, but there are some interesting and thought-provoking things to think about.

I loved the two separate parts of the book and how they shed light on each other. I think that Orual's journey mirrored the ways that we resent things we don't understand. How many people do you know who hate God in the same way as Orual? They curse him and use "logic" (as the Fox did) to disprove everything about Him. Orual stubbornly refused to submit; her struggles are similar to ours sometimes. She hated because she didn't understand.

I can think of times in my life where I've resented my parents because they forced me to experience things that were unpleasant. From what I could see, they were just being cruel tyrants. Later, after talking to them, I realized how foolish I was being. Just because I couldn't see everything behind what happened, I didn't have the capacity to make judgements against them.

At the end of the book, the [figurative] veil is removed from Orual's eyes and she sees her true self, her true role. Psyche helps to define it because she was the picture of sweetness, submission, humility and pure faith.

"I ended my first book with the words no answer. I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words. Long did I hate you, long did I fear you. I might--"

Discussion Questions

1. What does Orual's veil symbolize about her?
2. How does Lewis paint the picture of human love as opposed to divine love?
3. Was there one quote that really struck you? Please share :)

I found an EXCELLENT list of discussion questions HERE. If you want to scroll through them and answer the ones that you really like in the comment section, that would be great! I might do the same.

Thanks for sticking with it. :) I'll have news for you on the next book sometime soon! I'm going on a couple trips this summer, but I'll try to plan around. Maybe we should pick one book to read over the entire summer? I don't know if you still want to keep up with the set-up that we're doing now. Let me know your preference!

Enjoy your first days of summer! :)
~Sylvia

Posted in Announcements and Updates

Has it really been that long since I updated this blog? Yikes. I feel bad now. Thankfully, Eric reset the password for me so I could get it.

I think what the plan will be is everyone can have another week to finish the book, and then I'll post a final review type thing at the end. Does that sound like it'll work? I see from the comments that some of you went ahead and finished already.

Thanks for your patience! I hope to have this blog up and running like normal again soon! :)

Hello SAYR!
Sylvia wanted me to write to inform you all that she is having problems logging in, so it may be a while before she comes back.

How are you liking the book so far? I haven't read it yet, but I do plan on reading it eventually. :)

Sincerely,
Cassidy

Posted in Till We Have Faces

Again, I’m sorry for posting so late! I didn’t get a chance to read the chapters till this evening.

Dicussion Notes

This is where the book really starts to get into mythology. My absolute favorite passage from the reading is definitely when Psyche tries to explain the West-Wind to Orual:

   "'Oh, it was no dream. One can't dream things like that, because one's never seen things like that. He was in human shape. But you couldn't mistake him for a man. Oh, Sister, you'd understand if you'd seen! How can I make you understand? You've seen lepers?'
   'Well, of course.'
   'And you know how healthy people look beside a leper?'
   'You mean--healthier, ruddier than ever?'
   'Yes. Now we, beside the gods, are like lepers beside us.'
   'Do you mean this god was so red?'
   She laughed and clapped her hands. 'Oh, it's not use,' she said. 'I see I've got given you the idea at all. Never mind.'"

The reason I love this is because it makes the distinction between natural and supernatural so clear. In Miracles, C.S. Lewis writes how the natural world is like a limited version of the supernatural world. Sometimes we picture God as kind of being less real than us; you know, like a floating ghost instead of an actual reality. Lewis suggests that the supernatural is actually more real than the natural. This is the basic message that Psyche is trying to communicate to Orual. We have matter here on earth; instead of imagining heaven as being abstract, try to imagine it as being more dense, more matter-like. The matter here on this natural earth is only a shadow of the matter in the supernatural world. I'd strongly encourage all of you to read Miracles; it's my favorite out of all of Lewis's books. It made me think about things in a different light.

Discussion Questions

1. Were you surprised that Psyche was still alive?
2. Why do you think Orual wasn't able to see the castle? Why did she see Psyche wearing rags when really she was wearing fine clothing? What was it that was blinding her?

That last question is pretty hard, so I'll leave it at two. Keep reading one chapter each day! I'll do my best to post another discussion on Friday.

Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in Till We Have Faces

Again, I’ve had to restrain myself from reading ahead. Ack...why do we always have to leave off on cliff-hangers!?

Discussion Notes

After reading those last chapters, we can really see the true natures of each of the characters. The king has been revealed to be a first-rate JERK, and Psyche could not be more opposite him. The Fox is more of a hero than I divined, and Redival probably couldn't be more shallow.

I think that, in these few chapters, we've seen very clearly the differences between cowardice and bravery. The king, when he found out that it was Psyche who was "the Accursed" rather than himself, he was actually relieved. He was so self-absorbed that he didn't care about anyone else. The Fox was the one who said that, if he could, he would sacrifice the kingdom as well as his life to save Psyche.

"But, Master, I'd lose not only my throne but my life to save the Princess, if I were a king and a father. Let us fight. Arm the slaves and promise them their freedom if they play the man. We can make a stand, we of your household, even now. At the worst, we should all die innocent. Better than going Down Yonder with a daughter's blood on your hands."

When Redival acted out of her own selfish interest, she ended up sentencing her sister to death. It not only shows her ignorance, but how little she cared for anyone but herself.

Orual wanted to take Psyche's place rather than let her die. I thought it was interesting when the king said this:

"There's some cursed cunning that I haven't yet smelled out behind all your sobbing and scolding. You're not asking me to believe that any woman, let alone such a fright as you, has much love for a pretty half-sister? It's not in nature."

It only shows his character all the more clearly. He didn't think it's natural that Orual should love Psyche because, in his life, his view of the natural was so skewed. His outlook on the world was centered on himself, therefore, everything else was disproportionate. He didn't understand Orual's or the Fox's desire to sacrifice themselves for someone else, especially someone for whom they had good reason to be jealous of.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13

Discussion Questions

1. How did Psyche show her noble nature?
2. How did Bardia show his noble nature?
3. How did the priest of Ungit show his cowardly nature?

Have a wonderful Easter!
Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in Till We Have Faces

I have been looking forward to getting a chance to read this book for a long time. As you know, I am a big Lewis fan. I have actually read all of his fiction except for this. (I also enjoy his non-fiction, but in that area, there is still much to read)

Some of you have said that the first couple chapters were difficult, some have said they were easier than expected. Sometimes it takes a while to get used to the style and tone of a book. I often have to re-read the first couple chapters of a book to make sure that I haven’t missed anything important. It might be a good idea to skim through them again to get a better understanding of the scope of the first four chapters. I think this book is definitely worth taking a little bit more time on.

Discussion Notes

Hopefully by now we all have a pretty good idea of what each of our characters are like and what the setting of this story is. The kingdom of Glome is, to borrow the word from the book, "barren." The peasants are poor and sick, the king can't manage to produce an heir, and the whole situation just seems to be a mess. At first, Psyche seems to be some sort of bright savior, but when nothing miraculous happens, the townspeople grow disgruntled and angry.

What interests me is the very beginning of Chapter 1, when our main character (I can't figure out her name) begins her narration. It gives a small peek into what the end of the story will be like, but there's not much that we can deduce. All we know is that it sounds rather ominous. We'll just have to keep reading and find out why she wrote what she did. ;)

As the subtitle of the book explains, Till We Have Faces is "a myth retold." The classic tale of Cupid and Psyche is something that's been around for a long time (you may or may not be familiar with it). Why did Lewis choose to "re-tell" a familiar piece of literature by writing a novel?

The value of the myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores them to the rich significance that has been hidden by the veil of familiarity...By putting bread, gold, horse, apple, or the very roads into a myth, we do not retreat from reality: we rediscover it. As long as the story lingers in our minds, the real things are more themselves. ~ C.S. Lewis

Lewis believed that truth could be communicated through mythology. The truths that we encounter in everyday life is sometimes hard to see because they are "hidden by the veil of familiarity." The myth puts them in a new light and helps us to see them more clearly.

I'm looking forward to re-discovering some more truths in this book as we continue reading. ;)

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think "the Fox" was so "ashamed of loving poetry"?
2. Why didn't Psyche didn't bond as much with Redival as she did with her other half-sister?
3. Was there any quote or passage that struck you in some way? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. :)

We'll keep reading one chapter a day. I'll post another discussion on Saturday.
Until then!
Sylvia

Posted in Till We Have Faces

Hi all! I’m really sorry that I’m so late in posting. I haven't had time to type up the discussion today, so we'll plan on it tomorrow. I think it'll work out better if we read only one chapter a day (since they are a bit longer), and have discussions every third day. It'll take the pressure off just a little bit.

I have enjoyed it so far; I look forward to digging into it more tomorrow!

Thanks for your patience. :)
Happy reading,
Sylvia

Posted in Till We Have Faces

Don’t forget to read the first and second chapters today! We’ll meet tomorrow to have discussion.

Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in Till We Have Faces

We had a great time reading The Giver a couple weeks ago. I hope you are all ready to dive head-first into our next book: Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.

Get ready to read: Monday, March 17th

This was the choice that got the most votes in the poll that we had in December. And, of course, as you've probably already figured out, C.S. Lewis is among my very favorite authors. His books always have a sense of childlike simplicity, and yet are amazingly profound. There is so much that we can learn from him.

This is one of the few books of his that I haven't read yet. I'm definitely looking forward to getting into it.

I hope you'll join us! Please leave a comment if you plan to participate. If you have any questions, feel free to send a private message.

Regards,
Sylvia

Post Script: Welcome to our newest members, EstrellaEnchanted and brownbeauty!

Just for fun~ Have you read any C.S. Lewis books before? The first book that we read as a group was The Magician's Nephew from the Chronicles of Narnia series. Which of his books have you read? Have you read any of his non-fiction? Which one do you think is your favorite?

Posted in The Giver

I want to say thanks to Cassidy for insisting that we read this book…lol. ;-) I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise. I tend to spend most of my time in the old classic literature and sometimes ignore "contemporary classics," if I can call them that. I know that Lois Lowry has won many awards, and now I can see that they're well deserved.

Discussion Notes

I think it's neat to look back and see how much Jonas changed over the course of the book. At the beginning, you could sort of tell that he was special, but there was something that was just so monotone about his life. In both a literal and an analogous way, there was no "color" in him, just occasional flashes of what might potentially be color. By the end, he had grown into the person who he really was. None of his family--parents, sister, or friends could truly be themselves because something was holding them back.  They didn't have the capacity to feel or to love. Their souls were suppressed, and there was no way that they could grow.

I think this can open our eyes to the answer of Sunday's discussion question. Which is better--having the ability to experience both pain and joy, or living without either one? I would ask, what is the point of living if you don't have the capability of loving? Life wouldn't be worth it. It wouldn't truly be life.

When people ask why God would allow terrible things to happen, they need to realize that if He didn't, He also wouldn't be able to allow us the free will to love. He loves us so much that He wants us to experience the ultimate joy of being with Him, but with that incredible choice comes responsibility and consequences for wrong decisions. The community gives a peek into what life would be like without those blessed and yet dangerous choices.

Discussion Questions

1. How did the Giver change over the course of the book?
2. What do you think it would be like living in a community where you were the only one with the capacity to have true feelings?
3. How do you think the community will respond to the new feelings?
4. In what way did Jonas show his love to the Giver, the community, and especially to Gabriel in the last couple chapters?

Thanks again, sweetpotato, for so faithfully posting in the discussions! There would be no group without you. ;-)

Some quick announcements

According to the poll that we did in December, the book that most of the members wanted to read was Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lews. We'll plan on reading that in another two weeks or so. Make sure you'll be able to get your hands on a copy!

Also, please welcome our newest member, Lillian. We're very glad to have her join us! I hope to see a boost in numbers for this next book. I'll try to get the word out as much as I can.

Until next time,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

I’m liking the idea of reading 3 chapters a day. That means we’ll finish our last chapter on Tuesday. Yes, it is ending all too soon! Perhaps sometime we'll read the sequel Gathering Blue. I know I have really enjoyed this so far, and Lois Lowry is an excellent author. I'll put it on the already long list of books!

Discussion Notes

I kind of already knew that the setting of the book was in the future, but I didn't fully grasp it until I read Chapter 11. What makes this book so fascinating is that it forces the reader to think outside the box. Imagine what a world would be like with "Climate Control" and "Sameness." What kind of shock did you get when you realized that no one in the community saw any color? When I read that Chapter 12, I simply set the book down and tried to wrap my head around it. What an awesome thing it would be to suddenly discover color after living without it for 12 years!

I think that the main thing I've gotten out of this book so far is the idea that if we have wonderful joys then we must also take the "risk" terrible pain. You can't take one and not the other. You can't take the joy of drinking in the sunshine without also having the risk of getting a sunburn. You can't take the joy of sledding down a snowy hill without also taking the risk of bitter cold or the possibility of an awful crash.  Our joy accompanies our pain.

Let's take color for example:

   "'Well...' Jonas had to stop and think it through. 'If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one?'
   He looked down at himself, at the colorless fabric of his clothing. 'But it's all the same, always.'"

Wouldn't it be dull if we didn't have colors on our clothing? I love waking up in the morning and deciding what to wear! It's fun to mix and match different colors to form different outfits. But what happens when we have the the ability to make our own choices? Look at all of the people who are judged because of their outward appearances--simply because of their clothes. Look at all of the wasted money spent on fleeting name brands. Having the ability to choose what we wear is a joy, but it can also be a pain. Sometimes I've wished that I didn't have to decide what to put on in the morning. Would it be better to simply take away the decision-making altogether?

   "The Giver shrugged. 'Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences.' He thought for a moment. 'We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.'"

Discussion Questions

There is only one discussion question today, but it's a huge one. Which way would you rather live? Would you rather have the power to make choices for yourself, or would you rather have someone wiser make the choices for you? Would you rather have the ability to experience both pain and joy, or would you rather live without either one?

Do you agree with Jonas?

I look forward to finishing the book and having our last discussion. :)
Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

We’re nearly halfway through the book now. I think I might change it so that we read 3 chapters a day instead of two. Does that sound good to you? I know I'm itching to find out what happens. ;)

Discussion Notes

Well, we finally found out what Jonas's Assignment turned out to be! I expected that it might be something big. Of course, there probably wouldn't be a book written about him if he didn't experience something very unique. ;)

One of the most intruiging things about why he was chosen is his "Capacity to See Beyond." I suppose that's what the whole changing apple thing was. But what's the significance of that? What's so special about occasionally having the feeling that something has changed, but not knowing what it is? The whole thing is really confusing.

Also, I really want to find out about this girl that was wrongly chosen ten years ago. It seems that her failure caused huge waves, so the pressure on Jonas to succeed is much bigger.

The big thing that stood out to me was the 8th thing on Jonas's list--"You may lie."

   "Still, the final rule said...well, he wasn't quite ready to think about the final rule on the page."

   "He had never, within his memory, been tempted to lie. Asher did not lie. Lily did not lie. His parents did not lie. No one did. Unless...
   Now Jonas had a thought that he had never had before. This new thought was frightening. What if others--adults--had, upon becoming Twelves, received in their instructions the same terrifying sentence?" [emphasis mine]

It's a crazy thought. What if you had grown up in a place where you pretty much didn't even know what lying was? What would it be like if you suddenly discovered that there may be people out there that could lie? What would it be like if you were that person? It would feel so strange, and yes, "terrifying."

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think your reaction would have been if you were in Jonas's position?
2. Are there circumstances where it's okay to lie?
3. Why do you think that Jonas will have to be "alone" and "apart" in his training?

Let's go ahead and read three chapters tomorrow and Sunday. If it works out, we'll keep doing it until the book is finished.

Happy reading,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

We read chapters 3 and 4 yesterday. Today we are reading chapters 5 and 6. If you get behind, it should be very easy to get caught up. The chapters are short and don’t take much time to get through. I'd encourage you not to read ahead--it's been hard for me to restrain myself from going on to the next chapters! It's probably best not to have any hindsight as we do the discussions. Plus, it's good discipline (especially for me) not to race through a book as fast as I can. It's easier to digest if we take our time.

Discussion Notes

We're beginning to learn more and more about this strange community that Jonas lives in. Let's keep adding to our list of peculiarities that we notice as we read:

1. The ever-present intercom is always interjecting. It's as if people are sitting by watching and waiting for someone to break the rules.
2. The volunteer hours are carefully enforced and regulated.
3. Asher was required to throw balls because his hand-eye coordination wasn't up to standards. (I guess they REALLY pay attention to details...)
4. There's a morning ritual for telling dreams. It seems like nothing is concealed in this little society.
5. Everyone takes pills to suppress their "stirrings" (this one is especially weird!)

I also noticed that mostly everybody seems to know one another. I guess there aren't so many people in the community that they can't all recognize each other.

Now how about the "apple?" I really have no clue what it means, but I'm sure that it'll come into the story later. It seems as if the Elders were trying to hide something, though. And why didn't Asher see the "change" like Jonas did? Hmm. All questions yet to be answered as we keep reading.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you have anything else to add to the list?
2. What do you think are some good things about the community?
3. How about bad things?
4. Do you have any guesses as to what Assignment Jonas will get? (I know I'm on pins and needles to find out...!)

On Friday we'll discuss chapters 7-10.

Enjoy your reading! :)
~Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

Today is the day that we begin reading The Giver. Make sure to read chapters 1-2 and then come back to the blog for discussion. I will have the notes and discussion questions posted as soon as I can!

Happy reading!
~Sylvia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Discussion Notes

I have never read this book before (and I know pretty much nothing about it), so I'm coming into this quite blindly. These first two chapters gave me an interesting first impression, and I'm already looking forward to reading this and discovering the answers to all of the questions that chapters 1 and 2 raised for me.

The setting is all very intruiging. Have any of you ever read the book Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois? If you have, then you'll probably understand what I mean when I say that the community reminded me a lot of the one on Krakatoa. For some reason, it seemed very...well, I don't know exactly how to describe it. The community almost acted like a well-oiled machine. I decided to make a list of all the things I noticed about it:

1. All of the families could only have 2 children, a girl and a boy
2. There were tons of rules and regulations
3. Everyone seemed to be expected to contribute to the community in the way that they were deemed fit
4. It all seemed very orderly, and the "Elders" managed things maticulously
5. Lily's stuffed elephant was called a "comfort object"...kinda weird, don't you think?

Also, I kept wondering throughout the whole reading--where do the "newchildren" come from? And what does it mean to be "released?" It sounds ominous. But, if a community is going to work like that, anyone who might cause trouble would have to be disposed of.

It also interested me how close Jonas was to his parents and sister. They all seemed to have very good relationships. I noticed how each of them was very sincere; there was no trace of cynicism in their conversations.

So...those are my first impressions! It will be interesting to hear yours. ;)

Discussion Questions

1. What was something that you noticed about the community that seemed distinctive to you? Could you add something to the list that I made above?
2. What do you think of Jonas's family?
3. What do you think of the "Elders?"
4. I found this quote interesting:

"Jonas sighed. This evening he almost would have preferred to keep his feelings hidden. But it was, of course, against the rules."

Did you notice that he didn't even consider lying about his feelings? There are just so many things in these two chapters that have such a different feel to them. I'm looking forward to finding out more as we keep reading.

Tomorrow, don't forget to read chapters 3-4. On Wednesday we'll read chapters 5-6 and I'll post a discussion.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

Hello everyone,
Well, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to start this up again! I had a busy month of January, but rest assured that I will do my best to keep this blog alive as long as possible. I know you have all been looking forward to reading our first book of the year - The Giver by Lois Lowry. If you plan on participating, please leave a comment and let me know! Our starting date will be next Monday, February 18. If you don't have the book, that should be enough time for you to get your hands on it. There are 23 chapters, so we'll plan on doing 2 or 3 a day. Does that sound good to you? I think I'll be posting discussions about every other day. Daily discussions might be a little hard on some of us.

Make sure to contact anyone you know who might be interested in joining!

Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in A Christmas Carol

We’re finished with the book!  Once again, Dickens has totally amazed me.  He is easily on my top-ten authors list.  Maybe sometime we'll read another one of his books here on the SAYR.  It would definitely be fun to do it again.

Discussion Notes

To me, I see this story as one of the ultimate pictures of redemption.  I mean, look at Scrooge at the beginning of the story and at the end.  Can you imagine any more polar opposites? 

"Yes!  And the bedpost was his own.  The bed was his own, the room was his own.  Best and happiest of all, the Time before him was his own, to make amends in!"

Oh, if we would only wake up each each morning in that way!  Looking forward to the time before us to make the best of while we have it.  Scrooge lingered in his greed, and look how he ended up.  He nearly spent all of his time.  Thankfully, he was warned before it was too late.  Can you imagine how he must have treasured his time after his conversion? 

Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times! ~ Psalm 106:3

Discussion Questions

1. Which visit from out of the 3 spirits (or 4 including Marley) spoke to you the most?
2. Why did Scrooge seem to delight in every little thing after he awoke on Christmas Day?
3. What would Scrooge have done if his nephew had not been so faithful in inviting him to Christmas dinner?  Would his Christmas have been as joyful?
4. What was something that you learned about the English culture from that time period? 

I think that next we'll be reading The Giver by Lois Lowry.  I've heard a lot of good things about it from different people.  We'll start up sometime in mid-January.  Until then, enjoy your Christmas break! 

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Best regards,
Sylvia

Posted in A Christmas Carol

We’re almost finished with the book!  I’m really glad that we went ahead and read this before Christmas.  I have absolutely loved it.

Discussion Notes

This is the most solemn and frightening of all the visits from the spirits.  This is where Scrooge really sees the consequences of the way he has lived his life--and they're certainly not comforting. 

Oh, cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here, and dress it with such terrors as thou hast at thy command: for this is thy dominion!  But of the loved, revered, and honoured head, thou canst not turn one hair to thy dread purposes, or make one feature odious. It is not that the hand is heavy and will fall down when released; it is not that the heart and pulse are stilll; but that the hand WAS open, generous, and true; the heart brave, warm, and tender; and the pulse of man's.  Strike, Shadow, strike!  And see his good deeds springing from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal!

That last image is so awesome.  Death can't harm us when we have love.  In fact, the more death tries to hurt us, the more fruit our good deeds bring.  When it seemed that death had had the ultimate victory--His good deeds sprung up from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal. 

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory.  O Death, where is your sting?  O Hades, where is your victory?  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:54-56 NKJV

Discussion Questions

1. How did Scrooge's reaction to the spirit show how much he had changed?
2. The spirit showed Scrooge what kinds of effects his actions had on other people surrounding him.  How do you think our actions affect others (even when we don't know it)?
3. How did Tiny Tim's death contrast to Scrooge's death?  What did they both leave behind? 

We'll finish up the book with Stave V: "The End of It."  The last discussion post will be on Saturday.  After that--I hope we'll all enjoy our Christmas break!

Regards,
Sylvia