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Copywork
About This Passage
This one sentence holds Screwtape's whole plan: he sets 'Jargon' against 'argument' to show he fights the truth with confusing words instead of honest reasoning. Copying its comma-balanced shape teaches a young writer how a single line can hold two opposite ideas.
Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell someone what Screwtape's letter to Wormwood says, in order. When you reach the part about the man in the British Museum, slow down: what did Screwtape do to stop the man's thinking, and what do you think about it?
Discussion Questions
- Screwtape tells Wormwood to stop the man from thinking by talking about lunch and a bus instead of arguing. Why does Screwtape choose to distract the man rather than argue with him? Which detail in the letter helps you decide?
- Screwtape teaches Wormwood to trap the man he calls 'the patient.' Was it kind, or was it wrong, for Screwtape to stop the man's true thought by talking about lunch and a bus? How do you know, from what Screwtape says in the letter?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
To give reasons to show something is true or false.
Item 2
Fancy or special words that sound important but are hard to understand.
Item 3
The power to think carefully to find what is true.
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Critical Thinking
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