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Copywork
About This Passage
Screwtape is reporting a defeat: during the air raid the patient was terrified and felt like a coward, yet he still did everything his duty required. Copying this sentence helps a child see that real bravery is not about feeling brave — it is doing what is right even while frightened and feeling like a coward.
He has been very frightened and thinks himself a great coward and therefore feels no pride; but he has done everything his duty demanded and perhaps a bit more.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell the story of Screwtape's thirtieth letter to Wormwood in your own words. How did the patient act during the air raid, even though he was very scared? And what trick does Screwtape want to use to make sad, ugly things seem more 'real' than happy ones?
Discussion Questions
- After the air raid the patient 'thinks himself a great coward and therefore feels no pride,' yet he 'has done everything his duty demanded and perhaps a bit more.' Is the patient really a coward, or is he brave even though he feels afraid and proud of nothing — and why? Which detail in the letter to Wormwood helps you decide?
- Screwtape wants to wear the patient down by feeding him 'false hopes' — telling him the raid will not come again and the hard part is almost over. Why might believing a hard time is 'almost over' make it harder to keep going when it is not? What part of the story Screwtape tells Wormwood helps you decide?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
The thing you are supposed to do because it is right.
Item 2
Someone who lets fear stop them from doing right.
Item 3
A pleased, sometimes puffed-up feeling about yourself.
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Critical Thinking
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