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Copywork
About This Passage
Here Screwtape traces how a borrowed pose hardens into a real self. First the man only acts the part 'by his manner,' then 'by his words,' and finally — if the tempter plays him well — the act becomes the man. Copying this passage shows a writer how a sentence can build in stages from outward performance to inward change, ending on the chilling law Lewis wants the reader never to forget.
He will assume, at first only by his manner, but presently by his words, all sorts of cynical and sceptical attitudes which are not really his. But if you play him well, they may become his. All morta...
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, retell Screwtape's tenth letter to Wormwood in sequence. How does he plan to use the man's new friends, and how can you tell he treats the man's pride in his own inconsistency as the deepest victory?
Discussion Questions
- Screwtape welcomes the man's new friends — 'rich, smart, superficially intellectual,' and 'brightly sceptical about everything' — and the use of 'all his social, sexual, and intellectual vanity.' Is the man drawn to this set mainly by what they believe, or by the flattery of being accepted among them — and why does Lewis stress one of these over the other? Use Screwtape's words to Wormwood to defend your reading.
- Screwtape prizes 'a subtle play of looks and tones and laughs' implying the man is 'of the same party,' a betrayal he 'does not fully realise.' Why does Lewis make the man's lack of awareness, rather than the act itself, the most dangerous feature of this betrayal? Use Screwtape's words to Wormwood to develop your answer.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
On the surface only; lacking depth or seriousness.
Item 2
Firmly fixed; deeply rooted by long habit.
Item 3
Making something seem small or unimportant.
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Critical Thinking
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