This is the Society of Avid Young Readers, or SAYR. Come join us as we dive into good books. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:10:00 -0500 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:10:00 -0500 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/597397/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:10:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/597397/ We’ll be meeting back here on Thursday to discuss chapters 1-6. Enjoy! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/593432/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/593432/ 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/587952/ Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:04:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/587952/ 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/547780/ Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:56:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/547780/ 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! :) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/542812/ Wed, 4 Jun 2008 11:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/542812/ 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/522773/ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:11:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/522773/ 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/504868/ Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:28:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/504868/ 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/502508/ Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:53:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/502508/ 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/501436/ Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:52:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/501436/ 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 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/500764/ Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:41:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TheSAYR/500764/