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Copywork
About This Passage
These four sentences carry the chapter's argument about how minds were changed. Screwtape diagnoses a shift from belief that drives action to belief that merely decorates the head. The semicolon, the balanced clauses, and the vivid image of 'a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing' reward close attention to how Lewis builds a claim.
At that time the humans still knew pretty well when a thing was proved and when it was not; and if it was proved they really believed it. They still connected thinking with doing and were prepared to ...
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Summarize Screwtape's first letter, then explain what Lewis most wants the reader to notice about how the man's mind is being handled. What techniques does Screwtape rely on to achieve that effect?
Discussion Questions
- Screwtape claims that long ago people 'connected thinking with doing,' but that 'the weekly press and other such weapons' changed that. What does Screwtape believe the modern world did to people's thinking, and why does that make Wormwood's task easier? Point to the evidence he gives.
- Screwtape treats the man as a 'patient' to be managed rather than a person to be persuaded. Is there something dishonest in Screwtape's whole approach, even by the devils' own standards? Use evidence from his letter to Wormwood to defend your reading and explain why he prefers managing the man to persuading him.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
The belief that only physical matter is real and nothing spiritual exists.
Item 2
Unable to exist together because the parts clash or contradict.
Item 3
Belonging to the present time; current and up to date.
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Critical Thinking
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