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Copywork
About This Passage
Screwtape names one of the devils' favourite tricks: turn a wrong act into 'just a joke,' and the shame that should stop a person disappears. Even cruelty, he admits, can be excused this way. Copying this sentence shows how a single example — calling cruelty a 'practical joke' — can expose a big, dangerous idea.
Cruelty is shameful—unless the cruel man can represent it as a practical joke.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell the story of Screwtape's eleventh letter to Wormwood in your own words. What different kinds of laughter does Screwtape describe, and which ones does he like and dislike?
Discussion Questions
- Screwtape warns Wormwood that real laughter from 'Joy' and 'Fun' is no help to the devils, because Fun 'promotes charity, courage, contentment, and many other evils.' Why are the devils unhappy when people laugh out of real joy and fun? Which detail in the letter to Wormwood helps you decide?
- Screwtape says 'almost anything he wants to do can be done' with everyone's admiration 'if only it can get itself treated as a Joke,' so meanness or cowardice can be 'passed off as funny.' Why is turning a bad thing into a joke a sneaky way to stop feeling ashamed of it? How do you know, from what Screwtape says in the letter to Wormwood?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
The sound and act of laughing.
Item 2
Generous love and kindness toward others.
Item 3
Being brave when something is hard or scary.
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Critical Thinking
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