I've read through all your posts and here are a few comments on them:
Elanorelle: You brought up the question of time. It's an interesting one and I'm not entirely sure we know the answer. It's clear that some time passes between when Polly leaves and Digory follows her, but exactly how much is hard to tell. We also don't know how much time the adventures in the Woods and Charn take place - how long did Uncle Andrew wait and did Polly get into trouble for being late or just for being dirty? We had a discussion on the old forum about "the muddle with times" and it's not quite as straightforward as you'd think, even when it just involves Narnia. For instance when Ed and Lucy enter the Wardrobe in LWW the timing doesn't coincide exactly. I think the point about time is that time does not run at the same speed in different worlds but that it is not a consistent difference. It's more like if you imagine each world moving along on it's own timeline and all the timelines are parallel and you can jump from one to the other at different points. It just happens that in most of the stories Aslan makes sure that no time is taken up in our world while the children are in Narnia (they are returned to the point where they left) so they don't miss out on any of their lives here. (Not sure if that makes sense - I could explain in more detail with diagrams if anyone really wanted to know how it works in my head - which is not necessarily how it worked in Lewis').
Eria: I also noticed the point you made about Polly's age where it talks about her putting the ring in her mouth. I do wonder how old she was? Old enough to come up with the smuggler's cave and not be scared on her own in the attic, and to be writting a story.
Swan and Ariel: I Swan's bit on the Uncle's Nephew and the similarities Digory and Andrew and what Ariel said about their curiosity/search for knowledge. I was wondering when I read the bit about him becoming a professor, what he was a professor of? Remember, in Britain, a Professor is the highest academic rank only given to the head of department in a university not just to any lecturer, so he must have been a very good scholarly man. I'd love to know more. I also thought it was interesting, having spent two years in a highly academic environment how true it is what Ariel said that the quest for knowledge through study can either lead you to God or lead you to think you're so superior you don't need God. I was struck by the fact that although Andrew had lots of books in his office, something we would think of as a good thing (books are good, right?) they didn't lead him to the right place. They either were "the wrong sort of books" (to quote VDT) or he was getting the wrong message from reading them. Makes you think...
SYorikson: I liked what you said about Aslan singing creation into being (it being a work of art). Tolkien does a similar thing by having the Ainur (angels) sing creation into being by following the melody devised by God (Illuvatar) in the beginning of the Silmarillion. I'm interested to know whether the idea of creating being sung was merely a Lewis/Tolkien concept or if it is part of an older tradition. I should do some research if I remember.
Swan: Loved the hill poem (and all your other poems too, as usual
)Ariel: I also liked Aslan's speech to the Cabby and the bit about him knowing him a long time. It is a lovely picture of how God knows us before we ever come to him.
Tenny: I was going to try explain why Andrew couldn't understand the animals but I think you figured it out. It's a bit like the Pharisees who's hearts were hardened against the gospel when they refused to recognise who Jesus was:
Happy: It's interesting what you said about the book not seeming as deep as you would have liked on a spiritual level. I kinda got the same feeling, at least compared to HHB and SC which we did the last two years there seemed to be less obviously spiritual content in it. I wasn't sure if it was really the case or just the stressful/busy circumstances in which I was reading it. It didn't bother me too much though, because I sometimes find overt spiritual content detracts from the story and I know that was something Lewis passionately tried to avoid.
Elanorelle: In answer to your question about the First Joke, I think I understand it though you need to know something about British slang. "No fear" is kind of British slang for something like "No worries". The joke was that here was Aslan being all formal and everything and the animals were answering him seriously. And then the Jackdaw came out with this informal "don't you worry" which was rather embarrassing and everyone laughed at him. That's why he was the first joke rather than making the first joke.
Finally, I just want to say well done to all the poets and artists, all your works were very impressive.
Well done once again!!
Statistics: Posted by Ajnos — Sat Sep 07, 2013 12:44 pm
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(And Ariel, what specific thing I did with sticks are you referring to?
)Statistics: Posted by Swanwhite — Sat Sep 07, 2013 12:44 pm
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Met a soggy boy
Explored along the passage
Poof! Where did I go?
Uncle Andrew is
Fiddling with other worlds
Off to the rescue!
Impossible Wood
Wetting our feet in the worlds
And "One--Two--Three--Go!"
A desolate land
One moment's foolish ringing
Is it over now?
A Queen awakens
Her empire silenced by the
Deplorable Word
Ensnaring an ear
She follows our young heroes
Splash! Into London
Throwing Aunt across
The room, she heads into town
There's trouble out front
Through another pool
We find stillness, darkness and
The start of a song.
A lamppost rises.
Creatures emerge from the soil.
"Awake. Love. Think. Speak."
The Animals talk.
Jackdaw becomes the First Joke.
Run, Uncle Andrew!
Digory inquires
And admits he brought the Witch.
Queen Helen is called.
Digory shall quest
To find a silver apple.
Strawberry sprouts wings.
They find the garden
Where Digory meets the Witch
But ignores her lure.
Bringing the apple
He plants a protective tree
At Aslan's command.
Home, his mother healed
Digory plants the tree which
Becomes a wardrobe.
Statistics: Posted by kristi — Sat Sep 07, 2013 12:42 pm
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Can you guess what is happening in each?
Statistics: Posted by Benisse — Sat Sep 07, 2013 12:36 pm
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Full Picture: "Hullo"
http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t44 ... 68d609.jpg
^^ "One morning she was out in the back garden when a boy scrambled up from the garden next door and put his face over the wall. Polly was very surprised because up till now there had never been any children in that house.... So she looked up, full of curiosity. The face of the strange boy was very grubby. It could hardly have been grubbier if he had first rubbed his hands in the earth, and then had a good cry, and then dried his face with his hands. As a matter of fact, this was very nearly what he had been doing. 'Hullo,' said Polly. 'Hullo,' said the boy. 'What's your name?' "
So on the theme of known and unknown, there's an awful lot of that in this book: what's in the third house, can we get to it via the rafters, what's behind this door, what's so special about these curious rings, magic, other worlds, goodness-knows-what's-over-there, and what have we gotten into?
And as much I can say about curiosity and so on, I think the rest of you have covered that well. But in thinking of curiosity, I couldn't help but think about this: God has made us to search and discover. And what's more, it won't stop because once we've reached one level of discovery, there is another to work toward, more to learn. And as we've already seen from other posts, this process of discovery can be abused. When curiosity grows into a greed of one kind or another, our discoveries are serving ourselves first and foremost and we've just thrown away the purpose of discovery in the first place: to see God and glorify Him. Uncle Andrew's closed heart will result in disbelieving God when he sees Him whereas Digory's open heart will lead him straight to the Lion.
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Day 2:
One thing I really noticed was the stark contrast between the Wood and Charn. One was nothing but life and rest; the silence is a sleepy sort and it's all a natural beauty that forever blossoms. The other is all death and uneasy; the silence is eerie and it's little more than crumbling, man-made structures that mean nothing. I'm sure Polly would hate Charn no matter what, but seeing it right after having been in the Wood must have been one horrible shock indeed.
This is part-Day-2-part-Day-3 since it borrows from chapters 4 and 5 (though moreso from 5).
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9503341/1/Strike-the-Bell
"Here stand I, Jadis, the last but true queen. Here I will stay, if for a thousand years, till there come a day I am wakened. Here stand you, pilgrim. Break the spell. Strike the bell."
Day 3:
Frankly, I'm mostly thinking of John 10:10, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." Even before she came to our world, Jadis was intent on conquering it. And all throughout chapter 6 especially, she's constantly asserting her power and essentially bullies Uncle Andrew into instigating the first step of her conquest (and with threats of nasty spells and a supposedly all-seeing eye, Andrew in his blindness can do pretty well little else!).
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Day 4:
Because I have such a liking for the creation of Narnia (one that I forget every time till I come to it!), this is pretty much all from the last few pages of chapter 8, heh heh.
I love these moments. Hearing the voice in the dark, seeing the sky pop with stars, watching the sun peep over the horizon, ... and laying eyes on Aslan for the first time. It's just one of those "ahhhhh" moments for me. It reminds me of God's monologue in Job about His awesomeness in the true sense of the word. It makes me think of verses like "The heavens declare the glory of God". It makes me sing songs that say "How great You are, how small I am: how awesome is Your mighty hand!" From the vastness of the universe and the spinning of the galaxies to the formation of a baby and the mysteries of the atom....
Day 5 (with a teensy bit of Day 6):
... and yet, He cares for us. And more than we know or can understand. No matter what we've done or what we'll ever do, He gives us Himself. We, who were formed of dust and shall return to it, He gives His glorious self.
I also noticed how Aslan prepares his infant world already against the witch. He wastes no time in informing his creation that it is here and it is deadly. He also gets right to counseling them in how to keep the evil at bay. And this makes me think of all the times Jesus has told us that there will be all sorts of terrible things in the world - and some of this being directed at us - but He never left it at that. He walks with us through it, teaches us how to trust in Him, fortifies us with His prayers and His Word, and encourages us by telling us the end result of it all.
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Day 6:
"Son," said Aslan to the Cabby, "I have known you long. Do you know me?"
"Well, no, sir," said the Cabby. "Leastways, not in an ordinary manner of speaking. Yet I feel somehow, if I may make so free, as 'ow we've met before."
"It is well," said the Lions. "You know better than you think you know, and you shall live to know me better yet."
I don't even know what to say about this. It just jumped out at me. I guess this goes back to how each of us is born with the knowledge that there's Something/Someone far bigger than us out there that we ought to know. Unfortunately, there are so many out there who, unlike the Cabby, don't know Who they're even looking for. Either that, or they suppress it and run the opposite direction, like Andrew. But the bit that sticks out the most to me is Aslan's "I have known you long." Regardless of whether or not we recognize Him, He knows us.
Moving on to Aslan and Digory. Aslan knows his sorrows more than even Digory knows them himself. He knows what Digory needs without his asking and still (in a way) provides (like the toffee-tree growing or even the fact that Polly had toffees at all) though He would have provided much more if Digory had only asked. These are all great things, but I also notice how He doesn't let Digory off the hook for his role in bringing the witch to Narnia. And rightfully so (of course!) since He knows what Digory is only now admitting: that he chose to strike the bell despite everything that told him not to. Like a father disciplines his children, so the Lord does us. And as a father would not give his son a stone when asked for bread, so the Lord does us.
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Day 7:
Just as a serpent had so many years ago in our world, Jadis tempts Digory to leave his mission unfulfilled. The Enemy is crafty and very good at mixing truth and lies and appealing to our greatest wishes and fears and even painting pictures of things we just may be enticed by. First, she appeals to his curiosity ("If you do not stop and listen to me now, you will miss some knowledge that would have made you happy all your life."). Then she tries to get him to desire power and immortality. When that tack doesn't work, she hits him where it hurts most: "But what about this Mother of yours whom you pretend to love so?" She completes this temptation with the promise of healing and the happiness that would result from it. Then she vilifies Aslan, painting about a wild beast who doesn't care a hoot for Digory and his problems and would rather use the boy as a messenger boy to get the apple.
But Digory snaps out of it, fulfills his mission, and receives not just a "well done", but another apple he may take to his mother. Aslan rewarded him - and richly - for his obedience.
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Day 8:
In thinking about Polly and Digory burying the rings, I thought ahead to LB, then back to MN where Aslan tells them, "You have no need of rings when I'm with you." He doesn't need any external aids in order to do what needs doing. And when He is involved, we don't need them. The kids never needed to use the rings again because Aslan would call for them and bring them in his own time and on his own terms.
Recap:
What marvels I've seen,
what tales to be told!
I shan't ever forget
even if ninety years old:
A friendship formed,
games unforgotten.
An uncle rude
and terror begotten.
Trees of living green,
pools of wondrous hue.
A wasted land
where nothing grew.
A queen of power
and terrible might.
A witless uncle --
served him right!
A moment of hope,
a chance to heal.
A new world's birth,
a song to feel.
Magnificent Lion
creating all around.
Wonders more
still to be found.
Reminded again
of mistakes made.
But mission ahead
and not without aid.
A quiet garden
and a watchful eye.
A nation founded
and my good-bye.
My joys restored
as years unfold.
Mine is just the first
of a story yet untold.
Statistics: Posted by Ariel.of.Narnia — Sat Sep 07, 2013 12:33 pm
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As I read Chs. 4-6 I noticed how they continue to highlight the connection between arrogance and cruelty. Before twisting Polly's wrist, Digory says demeaning things to her. By setting himself above her, he’s more comfortable taking actions that will put her in danger.
When Jadis talks about how she wiped out Charn, she repeats Uncle Andrew’s ideas about being lofty and free from common rules. Because she sees herself as more important than her subjects, she sees no moral issue with taking their lives to ensure victory against her sister.
I appreciate how Lewis takes a severe act like killing a nation, and traces its connection to the quality of arrogance. He reminds me to guard against that quality in my own heart.
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I was thinking about way Lewis had Aslan "sing" Narnia into existence. He shows that creation was than a feat of engineering. While creation was the ultimate act of engineering (as there is a godly beauty to scientific precision) it was also a work of art. God poured his love and all his passions into the act of creation, like a musician pours himself into a work of music.
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The discussion about Uncle Andrew at the end of chapter 10 is very insightful. He refuses to have faith in Aslan, despite the evidence of the Lion's creative work staring him in the face. Because he doesn't have faith in Aslan, he sees terrors and dangers where others see beauty. He sees an opportunity to satisfy his own greed by exploiting the new country where Digory sees a chance to heal his dying mother. Like the characters in the story, our only hope to see beauty in the world and chances to give to others is by beginning with faith in Jesus Christ.
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As I was reflecting on the book today, I was thinking about how Aslan says Uncle Andrew has made himself unable to hear his voice, and how the "old sinner" would only hear roaring if the lion spoke to him. In some situations, my lack of faith in God's love can have the same effect. When my life is difficult, I can feel that God has abandoned me or even is angry at me and "roaring" at me by allowing painful circumstances. In actuality, he is using hardships to instruct me, and I will be able to hear his instruction if I have faith and believe that the things he allows in my life are a part of his love.
Statistics: Posted by SYorickson — Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:11 pm
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Ch 1. The Smuggler's Cave http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybSULWwWxhU
Finding a way
Through the attic door
Step the curious brave
To the make-shift floor
Of the smuggler's cave
Lighting the way
With a candle stick
To the in-between place
To the rafter and brick
Of the smuggler's cave
Hiding away
Like a nesting bird
In the under-slate
With whispered words
In the smuggler's cave
Ch 2. The Rings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ-ODw-_W_s
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Chapter Three
The Wood Between The Worlds
The place between
The scene serene
Where few have been
And few have seen
The waking dream
As light as cream
And as rich as a dish of cake
What does it mean?
The growing green
The Wood Between the Worlds
Chapter Four
The Uncle's Nephew
I have noticed how sometimes a well-devised villain may exhibit to a greater degree the fault of the hero himself, and the hero must not only conquer the villain, but also the villain‘s vice in himself. I think this is very much the case in The Magician’s Nephew with Digory and his Uncle Andrew.
Digory is repulsed by the actions and speech of his uncle, by his cruelty, by his lack of morality, by his unconcern for the feelings and safety of others, but Digory and his uncle are not wholly unlike each other. They are both exceedingly curious. Digory stuck his head over the wall, Digory wanted to explore the rest of the tunnel, to look for more worlds in the wood between the worlds. We are told that “Digory was the sort of person who wanted to know everything” and that this is why he later becomes a professor. He is especially interested in finding out things that no one has ever before discovered. Andrew Ketterly is also strongly motivated by curiousity. He has spent his life to /know/ the contents of the Atlantean box, he tricks Polly and Digory into using the rings so that he can /know/ what the other world is like. He has convinced himself that the pursuit of that knowledge excuses all his sins.
Now in Digory, curiousity is much more than a fault. His curiousity leads him to many good things. Digory and Polly’s friendship is based on imagination and curiousity. It is probably curiousity that led him to stick his head over the wall to say “hullo” to her in the first place. It is their curiousity that leads them to imagine interesting explanations and explore them, to venture across rafters and jump into pools. It is his curiousity that helps him find Narnia and become the professor and make all the goings and comings between Narnia and our world possible, but it is also his curiousity that brings evil and the hundred year winter to Narnia. Digory pushes Polly to explore Charn when she is less inclined to do so, and when the ultimate test of curiousity comes in the shape of a bell and a hammer, Digory forcibly keeps Polly in Charn and puts her in danger so that he can find out what will happen. Perhaps he thinks at the time that what he does is different from his uncle because he is putting himself in danger as well, instead of remaining behind like his uncle did while sending Polly into the dangerous unknown. However in essence their actions are the same. Many of Digory’s accusations to his uncle could be applied to himself in that moment.
Still, Digory is not his Uncle. The significant difference is this: Digory feels real remorse and shame for what he has done. Uncle Andrew has smothered his shame with conceit and excuses, but Digory recognizes his actions for what they are and humbles himself and surrenders to the Lion.
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So I'm a bit late
but here are my reflections for yesterdayChapter Five: The Deplorable Word
Chapter Six: The Beginning of Uncle Andrew's Troubles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3BHnCqE3Q
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Here are my reflections for chapters seven and eight.
Chapter 7.
The Housemaid’s Morning
An ordinary dawn, one day without warning,
Became the most beautifully-exciting of mornings
When old Mr Ketterly put on his best hat
And frantically told me to order a cab
And a lunatic lady appeared from no where
And flung my dear Mistress right up in the air
Chapter 8.
The Curious Case of the Disappearing Giantess
I have held off on writing up this case for several years now because Sherlock Holmes has kept insisting that it remains an ongoing investigation. Perhaps I would not make an account of such an inconclusive case, but for two reasons. Firstly it is unique in being the only unsolved case in all the time I have witnessed the great detective at work- Sherlock insists that I write “presently unsolved”- and I believe as such it may provide some insight into his method that no other case can. My second reason is that this case is in many respects one of the most astonishing cases that Holmes has ever tackled, and it would seem a great misfortune for it to never be made public.
The day began wet and rainy as most days had that summer, but by the afternoon it had let up and I went out for a stroll before tea. When I returned I found Sherlock Holmes in a great state of agitation.
“Quick Watson. Keep your hat on. Something has just turned up” He said, coming out the front door and not even letting me enter.
“Is it about the Walker Case?” I asked.
“No, no, never mind the Walker Case. Something much better- much better,” he said. Very shortly we were on our way in a hansom cab and Holmes was filling me in on the details.
“One of our very own baker street irregulars was a witness to the event,” he began. “And he came and told me right off. The actual crime of the matter is two simple for me to care two pence, but what happened after- well”
“What was the crime?” I cut in.
“Oh, a Jeweller robbed,” he said. “Glass broken, Jeweller knocked down, all his best stock taken and out the door again. Nothing subtle or clever. Only brazen brute force, but what fascinates me is how when cornered by the police she puts up a terribly fierce fight and then suddenly and quietly slips out of sight. Disappears into thin air they say.”
“She?” I asked incredulously.
“Ah yes, a terrible warrior-giantess by all accounts.”
"A giantess ought to be a trick to hide."
"A giantess and a horse"
“I suppose this might be worth skipping tea then,” I said.
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Chapter 9
The History of Hills
He sang to the earth
And it bubbled in mirth
And brought you to birth
Out of newly made hills
The world was transformed
By the song he performed
That, with careful skill, formed
All the land and the hills
Then in your strife
He gave even his life
When he suffered her knife
On the stone table hill
But it was not the end
He returned to defend
For he rose up again
From that terrible hill
Then at the end of your days
When the truth appeared gray
A small structure was raised
On a hill- stable hill
When hope seemed no more
In the very last war
Then he opened the door
To the light, on that last of the hills
Chapter 10
Black jaw
Jack daw
Crying out “No fear!”
No, you didn’t make the joke
You were the joke, my dear.
Uncle Andrew sprints away with a multitude of squeals
For a maniacal menagerie is fast upon his heels
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Chapter Eleven
“She felt quite sure that anyone who heard that call would want to obey it and (what‘s more) would be able to obey it, however many worlds and ages lay between”
The Lion’s Call
He opened his mouth, but not to devour,
And let out a sound, not loud, but with power.
Simply and sweetly a single long note
That the greatest composers of all never wrote,
And through any world, age, distance or wall,
She could and would answer the Great Lion’s Call.
Chapter Twelve
Narnia Home and Garden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL4ysx3U504
Toffee Recipe
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 (11 ounce) can condensed milk
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
Directions:
1. Grease an 8" cake pan.
2. In a large heavy saucepan, soften the butter.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium high heat.
5. Candy thermometer should reach 260 degrees or hard ball.
6. Stir constantly as it will stick to the pan easily.
7. Pour into pan quickly and cool.
8. You may make a softer toffee by decreasing cooking time slightly.
Chapter Thirteen
I brought you the apple you wanted sir
I brought you the fruit. I brought you the cure
For the hurt that I brought to the world that you made
For the evil I woke and the trust I betrayed
Chapter Fourteen
A waiter walks the streets of London never imagining that the coins he had given as change to the Gentleman who had dined with strange foreign lady, -that those two half sovereigns, three half crowns and sixpence that he had held in his hands- were pulled through the worlds to a new born world and grown into trees and formed into crowns for the first King and Queen of a story just beginning.
Chapter Fifteen
“He had part of the timber made into a wardrobe”
The carpenter started to pick up some of the odd pieces of wood that had been cut off in the process of forming his handiwork. He looked them over thoughtfully.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said, holding the pieces up for his daughter to see, “these pieces aren’t useful for much, but I’ll make you a picture frame out of them and you can do what you like with it.” She thanked him, and began turning over ideas in her mind, but it was many years before a picture was produced to suit that frame and many years after that where the picture and frame lay dormant and ignored. But its stillness would not last
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Statistics: Posted by Swanwhite — Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:00 pm
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Questions
One of the most intriguing and endearing things about Lewis’ writing is that he so often throws out random references to things he never elaborates on. Passing references that have little to do with the story, but when you stop to think about them, they point to countless other untold stories or adventures. Stories we catch only that brief passing glimpse of and are given nothing further; tantalising glimpses (in the literal meaning of the word). It is these that can often lead to fan fiction or other types of musings as people try to imagine what story might underlie that briefest glimpse.
There are a number of these in the first couple chapters of The Magicians Nephew. The first is Digory’s past. We learn that before coming to London, Digory lived in the country, in a house with an apparently large property with a river at the bottom of the garden and room for a pony whom he loved. This is all we get of his childhood before moving to London and yet it makes me wonder what amazing stories and adventures the young Digory must have had before his real adventures even began.
And then there’s Polly. Her life is fascinating and yet we get to learn so little about her family and background. It is only in these initial chapters that we get told a tiny bit; especially, the fact that she was a child with a vivid imagination and able to occupy herself during her recreational time most pleasantly. She had built for herself a secret “smugglers cave”; a place of retreat where she kept her treasures, and would retire to to enjoy a quiet bottle of ginger beer and to work on her story. Her story? Now how is that for tantalizing? Wouldn’t you, like Digory, just love to know what it was that she was writing? I wonder if she ever became a more accomplished writer; if in later life, she ever published anything? After her adventures in The Wood between the Worlds, Charn and Narnia itself, can you imagine the creative stories she might have written? I can just see her writing out an imaginary history of Charn.
Another question is about Digory’s dad. We know much about his mother, but very little about his father except that he was called away to India. My first guess is that he was a soldier called to serve in India which was still a British colony in those days. I suppose he also might have been some kind of government official or representative. Wouldn’t you just love to know what adventures he got up to in India? And what stories he must have had to tell his son coming back? I wonder if Digory was ever brave enough to tell his father that he’d been to places even further away than India?
Another mystery I don’t believe is ever solved (unless it is later in the book and I have simply forgotten) is what really lies in the empty house one over from Digorys. After all the build-up in the first chapter, it is a little bit disappointing that we never find out whether the house was haunted, secretly inhabited by someone who only came out at night with a dark lamp, if it was the den of a gang of criminals or if it really just had bad drainage. On the other hand it’s almost like Lewis does this on purpose. By keeping the empty house a mystery it remains appealing. If we knew the truth, it might turn out to be one of the uninteresting explanations grown-ups had and the story would lose some of its charm.
Another mystery is Uncle Andrew and his study. Although we know much about Uncle Andrew’s awful character and motivations, I’m really curious to know how he occupied his days before Digory and Polly stumbled upon his office. What was in all those books? He had a lot of them. We know a little, that he spent a lot of time and effort discovering what was in the box from Atlantis and how to make the rings, but what other tricks and experiments was he up to?
And probably the greatest and most tantalising question of all is who was Mrs Lefay and what in the worlds did Atlantis have to do with it all? I’ve loved the story of Atlantis for a long time, and especially since doing a module on it in one of my university classics courses. But Lewis tells us so very little. How did Atlanteans get dust from the Wood between the Worlds? What did they do with it (they hadn’t made it into rings)? How did it survive the downfall of Atlantis? How did Mrs Lefay get hold of it? How did Uncle Andrew figure out that rings were the way to make the dust work? How did he make the rings? So many questions never answered and left up to our imagination. Oh Lewis!
Mrs Lefay is especially interesting in light of the fact that (as someone years ago on TLC pointed out in a discussion thread) she shares her surname with an enchantress of Arthurian legend, Morgan LeFay. Did Lewis intend a direct connexion? We are told that she had fairy blood in her, and in old British legends the women like Morgan Lefay were associated with the faerie or fair folk (the “fay” part meaning something like “fairy”). Interestingly, in Stephen Lawhead’s Arthurian Pendragon Cycle, he equates refugees who escaped the downfall of Atlantis to Britain with the fair folk of such legends and people such as the Lady of the Lake, Merlin and a character that bears some resemblance to Morgan LeFay are Atlanteans and therefore faerie in his stories. I’m fascinated to know whether this is purely coincidence or whether Lawhead was drawing on a mythology that equated the faerie with Atlantis; a tradition Lewis himself was a acquainted with. I’d like to do some more research into this at some point, to see if there is anything to it. A last question regarding Mrs Lefay. Wouldn’t you love to know what she was imprisoned for?
So there we have it. The story has barely started and already Lewis has posed so many questions by hinting at elements of the story we never get to learn more about. But as I’ve suggested above, this is very much what makes Lewis such a good writer and this such a good book. It is full of mystery and much of the mystery must remain thus to add to the quality of the story. It is up to our imaginations and our unfortunately poorer skill (on my part anyway) to come up with our own answers to these questions and to explore these untold stories in more detail.
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Day two: Chapters 2 & 3
Digory Kirke
I’ve always thought of Edmund and Eustace as characters that start out quite nasty and then, through their adventures and encounters with Aslan, they develop and mature. I’ve never really thought of Digory as belonging to the same category as these two boys, but when you think about some of his actions in these two chapters, he has a good number of character flaws and, as others have pointed out, is not unlike his uncle. Don’t get me wrong, he’s much better than Uncle Andrew, seen clearly in the fact that he is willing to go and rescue Polly, when Uncle Andrew won’t even dream of going himself. But once he finds Polly, rather than getting her safely back home, he bullies her into exploring a different pool.
After coming up with the idea of exploring another world, he loses all sense of caution, and gets angry with Polly for resisting:
“Well even if you can-” began Polly, but Digory went on as if he hadn’t heard her.
Later he makes a fuss, even to agreeing to Polly’s plan to go halfway into their own world before trying another pool. He’s so annoyed about the delay, that he very nearly makes one of the most terrible mistakes of his life, by running off without marking which pool leads to our world. After this, he doesn’t apologise, but becomes all defensive arguing with Polly which leads to a several minute long quarrel between the two.
Once they arrive in Charn, Polly does not like it from the start, but Digory continues to ignore her feelings and cares only to satisfy his own curiosity. When Polly suggests they go home, Digory accuses her of cowardice to convince her into exploring with him.
And then they find the bell. It’s hard to know how much Digory is effected by the magic of the place and how much he is using it as an excuse to indulge his curiosity, but the following lines are telling.
“I expect anyone who’s come as far as this is bound to go on wondering until it sends him dotty. That’s the Magic of it, you see. I can feel it beginning to work on me already.
“Well I don’t, said Polly, crossly. “And I don’t believe you do either. You’re just putting it on.”
To which Digory retorts that she knows nothing ’cause she’s a girl.
Polly replies: “You looked exactly like your uncle when you said that,”
To which he replies: “Why can’t you keep to the point?...what we’re talking is-”
At this moment, Digory does not only look like his uncle, but he sound just like him. Remember Uncle Andrew used very similar phrases to Digory during their conversation about the rings? Whenever Digory brought up Polly’s safety, Uncle Andrew reprimanded him for going off topic, not sticking to “the point”. And yet here Digory does the exact same thing.
Another heated argument ensues between the children, Digory calling Polly a kid and Polly threatening to leave him behind. And then the crucial moment follows:
“None of that!” said Digory in a voice even nastier than he meant it to be [again sounding very much like his uncle]…
I can’t excuse what he did next except by saying he was very sorry for it afterwards (and so were a good many other people)…
He grabs and twists her hand (which hurt her quite a bit) and reaches for the hammer, striking the bell.
In this moment, his growing selfishness and lack of concern for Polly, reaches its climax, and he gives in to the temptation of the bell, which results in a great deal of harm to many people. But that’s well, another story (as a matter of fact a whole series of stories called The Chronicles of Narnia
).Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike Digory as a character. And like Edmund and Eustace he grows through his adventures and encounter with Aslan. While he doesn’t understand why Polly wants him to apologise on their return to England, by the end of the book, I’m sure he looks back on what he did and said to her in the Woods and Charn and regrets it very much.
But here I’ve highlighted some of his faults and the way his poor character and attitude led up to the moment where he struck the bell. There’s a thread on the forum about whether he sinned by striking the bell. I’m not sure quite how I feel about that, but if we look at his behaviour and attitude leading up to that moment, it seems that he was already on his way down a selfish path before he ever saw the tempting verse.
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Day 3 - Chapters 5-6
This actually probably more accurately relates to Chapters 4 and 5, but my Day 4 post should incorporate a bit of 6, so it should all even out in the end. This is just a surmisal; I've no real evidence this is what Lewis intended, and in fact I highly doubt it. (Also in case it's not completely clear, I don't really think any of this is true in the real world - it all applies to the imaginary alternative universe Lewis created in which places like Narnia and Charn are real.)
The Atlantis Connection
As I mentioned on the first day, I’ve always been fascinated by Atlantis and its role in the Narnia universe. And one of the things that’s puzzled me for a number of years is the fact that I’ve always associated it with Charn. When I read the description of Charn – old ornate stone buildings, terraces, the whole palace complex – it has the feel to it of descriptions of the lost continent. It has the feel of a society highly advanced, powerful and cruel. And then there’s the desolation. While it’s true that from the earliest myths, Atlantis was lost by drowning, the result is that most stories of its “discovery” involve the discovery of an ancient and now crumbling city (sometimes underwater, sometimes not) and Charn seems so accurately to mirror those depictions. After Jadis is awakened, my sense of connection between Atlantis and Charn grows, as we learn a little about the history and people and culture of Charn. She refers to slaves, sacrificial drums and terrible battle. And then there is Jadis’ story itself, so full of arrogance and the desire for absolute power. It was arrogance of this sort that led to the downfall and destruction of Atlantis in the old myths. The way Jadis’ ancestors are described as looking grimmer, prouder and crueller in the Hall of Images as time wears on, points to an increasingly arrogant society.
Yet despite all these connections, I’ve never been able to convince myself that there is any real link between Charn and Atlantis. There’s nothing in the story that suggests that there should be. The dust that Uncle Andrew uses to make the rings comes from Atlantis, and the Atlanteans somehow got it from the Wood Between the Worlds. The Wood has pools leading to all worlds, and Charn is just one of those many worlds. Ours is another. Charn is the one Digory and Polly arbitrarily pick to explore. There is no reason that Charn should be related to Atlantis any more than our world or Narnia. For these reasons I’ve never pursued the links that I noticed between the two.
But after reading the chapters that describe Charn, I’ve been thinking about it some more. And there might be a way of accounting for the links and attributing them to more than mere coincidence. I’ve often wondered whether the Atlantis to which Uncle Andrew refers was really another world; another world of which rumours had come to our world many years ago; rumours which had been passed down in legend. That at any rate would account for there not being any trace of it in our world today. But that introduces other problems, and Uncle Andrew talks of it as a civilisation in our world and by removing it from our world, we lose the legends of its wars with Greece and many other accounts in which it is really a civilisation of our own.
But what if Atlantis was indeed a civilisation in our world, but one that had links with another? A colony from another world? We know that the Atlanteans must have had the ability to travel between worlds (at least between our world and the Wood) and so if the people who settled Atlantis were really from another world that had the power of inter-world travel; could they not have set up a colony in our world? That would account for the advanced technology and skill that the Atlanteans possessed in so many versions of the myth.
And if Atlantis were a colony of another world, that world might have been Charn. That way we have an explanation for the similarities in architecture and culture and the apparent pride of the race, but maintain the more traditional accounts of Atlantis as a place in our world that was drowned when its people became too proud. In fact, I’d even suggest that what caused the downfall of Atlantis was an attempt by one among its people to use the Deplorable Word to gain a victory. We know Charnian magic doesn’t work in our world the way it does in Charn, so instead of destroying all living things, the uttering of the word destroyed only the continent of Atlantis, drowning it in the fury of the sea.
One problem still remains. It is purely coincidence that the world from which the Atlanteans originated was the exact same one that Digory and Polly chose to explore; coincidence that the society that had the dust from the Wood between the Worlds, originated from the one world that our heroes chose to visit. We could call it coincidence and leave it at that. Maybe it happened to be the pool closest to our own. Or maybe there was more going on. We know that Jadis set up the bell and hammer in the hopes that a magician would come and awaken her from sleep and take her to a new place that she could conquer. So perhaps her magic was at work beyond the realms of Charn itself, working in the Wood to draw Digory and Polly towards it. It was not coincidence, but Jadis’ spell that made them choose that pool. And why not? If the dust from the Wood from which the rings were made had belonged to those in Atlantis who were colonists from Charn, maybe magic of Charn could work through the dust and the rings. After all, perhaps, knowing something of the Colony of Atlantis, Jadis was hoping that it would be someone from Atlantis itself, a relation with similar magic, though one inferior to her, that would come and rescue her. Unfortunately Jadis’ plan went a little awry, and it was the non-magical nephew of a weak dabbler in magic, many generations since Atlantis itself was destroyed purely on the search for an adventure that woke her up instead.
Finally, I’d like to suggest that there were some survivors of Atlantis. Just a few. These, as suggested in Stephen Lawhead’s Taliesin, escaped by boat and arrived at last on some shore, perhaps England itself. These survivors, of a different race to ours, kept to themselves and had strange practises, even “magic” of a sort. They became the fair folk, or faerie of British legend. For the most part, they died out, but a few fell in love with humans from our world and married them. Generations later, the descendants of one of these survivors was Uncle Andrew’s godmother, Mrs Lefay. She really did have fairy blood in her, and it was by her connection with Atlantis that she inherited the small chest of dust from the Wood Between the Worlds.
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While you wait for my reflections, a couple pictures I've made from photos I've taken
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey, Wales
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And here I have another one for the lamp post. I went through all my lamppost pictures today looking for one I could use for this but they all had too many buildings or trees or snow in the way. The latter two types are perfect for LWW, but not so good for MN. So I went around college and took around twenty photos of different lampposts till I got the right one (which also happened to be the last one).
Good job to all those who are keeping up with the challenge, even those who are just doing the readings.
I'm planning on writing something from Uncle Andrew's point of view to cover the last few days chapters but may not get a chance till Monday (when I have 5 hour long bus ride). I may not have internet next week, so you might not get my reflection till then, but I'll get to it eventually. In the meantime, a lamp post.
Worcester College, Oxford, England
Statistics: Posted by Ajnos — Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:09 am
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Short post for today
What struck me the most about these two chapters was the contrast in types of curiosity. In Chapter One we see normal curiosity, the healthy kind that drives us as children and adults to explore and play and learn. This was the kind that made Polly and Digory talk to each other and become friends and go exploring in acceptable places.
But in chapter 2 we learn about the kind of curiosity that is practiced without morals, the kind that Uncle Andrew used. I'm sure that there would have been healthy ways to have learned about the dust when his godmother was still alive, but instead he lied, and then delved into the black arts and murdered several innocent rodents and was willing to murder Polly to satisfy his curiosity.
So I think that these chapters tell us that it's good to learn and explore, but we have to set some boundaries before doing so.
Statistics: Posted by Lucy Took — Tue Sep 03, 2013 9:36 am
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This is my third time reading MN and each time I came away having learned new things as well as lessons. I had a few questions as well as other things regarding the two chapters we read
Chapter 1:
Question: How old is Polly? I really started wondering this after reading this "if Polly had been a very little younger she would have wanted to put one in her mouth" considering that, she would have to be around 6 because of the very little that was used but the way she spoke ie: words used; seemed like a much older girl then 6 or so. What do you think?
I also wrote a short little poem
Over the wall
adventure awaits
must heed the call
no time to waste
Chapter 2:
Question: What do you think the Atlantean box would of looked, size, shape, and how much sand was there?
Uncle Andrew is a very easy character to in a way analyze he is the perfect form of how a Christian shouldn't be, his conceitedness and arrogance. I also believe he is a very mysterious person and I wonder how long he had been this way or if something happened to him causing him to become so wrapped up in himself not caring about others he may harm.
Statistics: Posted by Eriathwen — Tue Sep 03, 2013 9:30 am
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Chapter I. The Wrong Door
Polly’s Story
Bleh – I always notice things like this, and it always makes me curious. Am I crazy or does this happen to all writers? I tend to see little things like the mention of “Polly’s Story” and want to make something bigger out of it, and it’s not always possible. Anyway, I’m going to attempt to write what Polly’s story might have been, and try to write it the way she might write it. However, I have a feeling that it won’t be complete till the end of the challenge – I want to do a character sketch of Polly before I attempt being her
I think I’m going to work on it a little at a time, and maybe by the end of the challenge I’ll have a decent story. Me and my aspirations and reflections that probably don’t even qualify as reflections 
Like my Edith Jackle rant last summer. Why, oh, why do I always think of things that have absolutely no relevance to the book at all?!To start – I do notice immediately that Polly is an adventurous girl, and probably not like most other girls. Great, now I’m going to have to research what girls were like back in the 1940’s (I believe that the story was based around that time? I’m going to have to research /that/ in order to research
) Anyway, Polly seemed very… independent, and adventurous, and very curious (like me! Yay!). Here are a few quotes I found that say a few things (to me, at least) about Polly’s character:“Is Mr. Ketterley really mad?” I’d say that’s curiosity!
“Perhaps he keeps a mad wife shut up there… or perhaps he’s a coiner!” Some more curiosity! Also, it seems that she’s adventuresome, and obviously quite imaginative. I can imagine her story is filled with some very exciting things, half of which are probably unbelievable.
And then at the very end of the chapter – Uncle Andrew offers her a ring and says some flattering things and she begins to get less and less afraid and to think perhaps he wasn’t mad after all, and then she takes a ring. Maybe Polly is just slightly gullible? I don’t know; we’ll figure that out later. I’m done with chapter 1 for now
Chapter II. Digory and his Uncle
Ack. I’d forgotten how much I despise Uncle Andrew. Such a beast, such a cruel deceiver. Ack. Poor Digory, getting himself caught up in that. Andrew’s trap was so well-laid out. Ack. *despises Uncle Andrew* And since I’m so mad at him, I can barely think of anything else to say
Ack. Anyway, Psalms 36:1-4 describes the Wicked Man, and I think that Uncle Andrew is pretty well described in that portion. 1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
Uncle Andrew obviously didn't fear God. Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." <----
2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
"Flattereth himself in his own eyes" - Here are a few quotes of Uncle Andrew flattering himself, or asking to be flattered.
"Congratulate me, dear boy... My experiment has succeeded. The little girl's gone - vanished - right out of the world!"
"...rules of that sort... can't possibly be expected to apply to profound students and great thinkers. Men like me... are free from common rules..."
"I am the great scholar, the magician, the adept, who is doing the experiment...."
So obviously - and it wasn't necessary to point out, really - Uncle Andrew is constantly flattering himself.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
DECEIT. His plan was so deceitful, so full of iniquity, so well-planned. To think of tricking a girl into touching something that would make her vanish, lying and setting out a plan to deceive your own NEPHEW into going after her by playing on his sense of chivalry and by making it sound like he would be at fault did he not follow her. That is what infuriated me the most about this second chapter. ARGH. He just infuriates me. If I had been there with poor Digory, I might have helped him be big enough to punch Andrew's head >.<
4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.
If you missed this part, you didn't read the chapter
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I like Kristi's haikus
and I'm short on time. So I'm going for a haiku.In between the worlds,
Exploring different pools;
This will be trouble.
(diff-er-ent - say it with three syllables
)A big, dreary world
A riddle, bell, and hammer.
Fighting boy and girl.
YAY. I did reflections! I intend to stay caught up
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Short reflections - I'm in the middle of mid-term exams and it's 10 my time and I'm /still/ not done with school!
Lewis said that "And you could see at once, not only from her crown and robes, but from the flash of her eyes and the curve of her lips, that she was a queen." How is that? How can the curve of her lips tell her to be a queen? I understand that it could show she was a vicious person, cruel, and such, but this makes me curious to know what kind of curve a queen's lip would have.
*looks up* Woooow, that's weird. It must be late or something.
And I was wondering about the Mark of the magician. Jadis looked at Digory and said that she saw no Magician's Mark on him. It made me curious to know what the mark would be. Would it be something visible, something that only a witch could see, or would it be a look of cruelty?
And a bit about Jadis. (First of all, how do you pronounce that? I've heard it Jade-is and Jaw-dis. Er, I'm confused! I prefer the latter pronunciation.) I'm just barely into the chapter (writing this as I read) and I already know from what has been said that she is proud, cruel, and very strong. Also, I noticed that she has a lack of fear of death.
"There is great peril here," said the Queen. "The whole palace is breaking up. If we are not out of it in a few minutes we shall be buried under the ruin." She spoke as calmly as if she had been merely mentioning the time of day".
And later on it is emphasized that she didn't have fear. To me it seems she is so set upon her ways that she is willing to die and die eternally and has no care what she does and no thoughts of what is in her future. She cares only for the now.
I also recognized about Jadis that she is ready to destroy anything that stands between her and what she wants. Not only with the time when she exploded that door, but by saying the Deplorable Word. Imagine all the people close to her that she destroyed. She doesn't care that the river runs red with blood - she doesn't care about all the lives she is destroying. It's shocking.
"What else were they there for but to do my will"
Remind me that I want to write a fanfiction about her sister over the weekend. Argh. This is getting difficult to keep up with everything.
And remind me I also want to compare Jadis and Andrew in an essay of sorts.
And I haven't even finished reading this chapter but I must go do school. I'll try to post the rest of my thoughts tomorrow
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Chapter 6 and 7 Reflections
Short again! Crazy life! And I'm not sure which is 6 and which is 7 - I pulled some out of each chapter - forgive me for my disorganizedness.
I want to do something on how Jadis and Andrew are different and the same.
Ways Andrew and Jadis Are Similar:
1. “Free from common rule.”
2. Cruel
3. “Mark of the Magician”
Ways They Are Different:
1. Fearful – Not Afraid
2. Sneaky – Bold
Remind me I want to write a fanfiction about how Andrew spoiled Leticia’s money. Poor Leticia. I have a lot more reflections (fanfictions and essays and such), but with school they prolly won’t show up for a few more days or weeks. Till then ya’ll will have to help remind me!
Here's some generalness about Polly for that character sketch I want to do on her - I'm adding some more from this chapter onto what I had from previous chapters.
A Bit about Polly:
1. Curious
2. Adventuresome
3. A bit proud?
4. Stubborn
5. Sensible
6. A good friend
Added 6 because she came back to Digory and was quick to forgive him for what he had done to her.
What chapter are we supposed to be on today (Thursday)?
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Chapter 8:
In an empty world
Watching a new world be formed
By a Lion's song.
Chapter 9:
A lamppost growing
Narnian giraffes and jackdaws.
"Narnia, Awake"
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Chapter 11
Help. I've got thoughts, but I can't share them
tongue-tied tenny over here.I wanted to compare Digory's confession to Aslan to our confession of sins to Christ, in the sense that He already knows what we've done, and we can't really keep what we've done secret. If we want to get right with God, we need to tell Him everything. Digory tried to just tell Aslan he'd met the witch, and then it took him a little while to confess that he had been the one to wake her, to take her to his own world, and then to take him to Narnia.
And I was wondering also if anyone had any thoughts about why Andrew couldn't understand the beasts. Does Lewis say something in a later chapter I'm missing?
And I had something else I wanted to share but I have to dash off to church now. Maybe later
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Chapter 12
Trying to get some stuff done tonight rather than tomorrow.
Two things that I noticed about this chapter that I want to point out. Aslan mourns with Digory. He understands what he is going through and knows that in the future, he will see much grief in Narnia. He understands. It reminds me of how Christ will cry with us. When we are sorrowing, He understands our grief and listens to us and our tears are like prayers going up to Him. That's a tender moment that means something to me
And then the part where Digory was wondering about food and why Aslan didn't supply, and Fledge said he thought Aslan liked to be asked. It made me think about how God likes to be asked. He knows everything about us, all our struggles, all our tears and our pain, but He has a relationship with us as Christians. And having a relationship, He wants us to talk to Him, and tell Him what's going on in our lives, like we would over the phone to a relative.
Chapter 13
Eep. I don't remember ever realizing how much this paralleled with the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. I think I'll have to notice a few similarities here.
1. Digory and Jadis ---- Adam and Eve
How fitting that it should be Digory that's being tempted by Jadis, who is technically in this story Eve /and/ the serpent.
2. The tree
This fruit tree was very near the center of the garden, like the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was in (as I recall) the middle of the Garden of Eden.
3. The apple
It was comparable to the apple that was eaten by Eve in Eden. It was told to her by the serpent that it would give her knowledge and wisdom and her eyes would be opened. Likewise, the witch told Digs that it was the apple of life and (I believe it said wisdom somewhere - my poor memory.)
There is one immediate difference here - the man did not eat. GO, DIGS! I appreciate it when people don't give into temptation. That's probably my favorite part of the story. It shows so much of the witch's evil craftiness and Digory's good character.
Chapter 14:
A nice short reflection to add to my thingy about Uncle Andrew, which I'll have to write out all together tomorrow. Uncle Andrew had made himself unable to hear Aslan's voice. He was so hardened to truth and right things that he couldn't hear Aslan speak anymore. It was all rumblings and growling - sounds of danger and destruction. I'd hate to be in /his/ position. Somebody give me a word to summarize that in
And the crowns - ruby is a symbol of devotion and desire, and emerald has been called a symbol of hope. I just thought of looking that up when I read that in the book that the crowns were set with those - Frank's with ruby and Helen's with emerald.
Chapter 15:
Hey, check it out, I'm actually AHEAD.
I enjoyed this quote very much: (holds the book upside down and tries to see the quote *rolls eyes*) When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start going right they often go on getting better and better.
And I appreciated the fact that Andrew never tried magic again.
(I'll post my whatchamacallit - wrap-up thingy - tomorrow)
Statistics: Posted by Tenethia — Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:46 am
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Chapter 1:
"The dark place was like a long tunnel with brick wall on one side and sloping roof on the other. In the roof there were little chunks of light between the slates."
Chapter 2:
"...for a second Digory really thought he was saying something rather fine. But then he remembered the ugly look he had seen on his Uncle's face the moment before Polly vanished: and all at once he saw through Uncle Andrew's grand words."
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About Uncle Andrew--I like the contrast between Digory and Polly's original fear of (and disgust with) him before they start their magical travels, and later when they see Jadis and Uncle Andrew together, and then when Uncle Andrew is in Narnia--and they realize how weak and foolish he really is. It's like they realize it's not even worthwhile to worry about his conceit and all that (except for, you know, keeping him out of mischief and all that) because he gets himself into all sorts of uncomfortable experiences through his own foolishness, he doesn't need someone to make things uncomfortable for him.
Chapter 3:
"Uncle Andrew, you see, was working with things he did not really understand; most magicians are."
Chapter 4:
"The walls rose very high all around that courtyard. They had many great windows in them, windows without glass, through which you saw nothing but black darkness."
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Chapter 5:
" 'All in one moment one woman blotted it out for ever.'
" 'Who?' said Digory in a faint voice; but he had already guessed the answer.
" 'I,' said the Queen. 'I, Jadis the last Queen, but the Queen of the World.' "
Chapter 6:
"And yet, as Polly said afterwards, there was a sort of likeness between her face and his, something in the expression. It was the look that all wicked Magicians have, the 'Mark' which Jadis had said she could not find in Digory's face."
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*is glad people have been enjoying her illustrations*
This time through MN, I've been kinda bothered by Polly a lot. Partially because I was dressed up as her for the costume party on Monday, so I was thinking more about how she acts and why and that sort of thing. I'm gonna keep an eye on her to see how she develops and grows (as well as Digory, though perhaps not as obviously or as dramatically) throughout the story. I hope she stops losing her temper, because lost tempers tend to frighten me. :/
@Ten: I... think I have an idea of what Lewis was talking about when he spoke of the "Mark" of a wicked magician--but it's not something that I know how to describe. If it's anything like what I've seen in various people, it would be something that shows most in the face, especially about the eyes. The same way that one can sometimes see a sort of light (that is not a literal light) about someone who is good and righteous and devoted to God.
I've been thinking about it and have come to the conclusion that I'm not sure if Jadis had no fear. (Perhaps this reread of MN will clarify as I get further into the book, as it's been a while since I've read it.) I know she was extremely hardened. If she was afraid of anything, it was of light and goodness and the power of God. And perhaps she didn't show fear of death while they were escaping from the collapsing ruins, but she continually protects her life and is always acting to expand her own power in this life. And she later stole and ate the apple in the garden, so as to live forever--she doesn't want to die. She wants to live forever in her sins, and death would bring an end to her life of power and pride. So maybe she is afraid of death and maybe she isn't? :/
Chapter 7:
"This meant that he must watch the front door like a cat watching a mouse's hole; he dared not leave his post for a moment. So he went into the dining-room and 'glued his face' as they say, to the window."
Chapter 8:
"It was a Lion. Huge, shaggy, and bright, it stood facing the risen sun. Its mouth was wide open in song and it was about three hundred yards away.
" 'This is a terrible world,' said the Witch. 'We must fly at once.' "
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Chapter 9:
" 'Ho, ho! They laughed at my Magic. That fool of a sister of mine thinks I'm a lunatic. I wonder what they'll say now? I have discovered a world where everything is bursting with life and growth.' "
Chapter 10:
"Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. Uncle Andrew did. He soon did hear nothing but roaring in Aslan's song. Soon he couldn't have heard anything else even if he had wanted to."
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Chapter 11:
" 'She woke up,' said Digory wretchedly. And then, turning very white, 'I mean, I woke her.' "
Chapter 12:
"It was Digory who had the bright idea of eating four each and planting the ninth; for, as he said, 'if the bar off the lamp-post turned into a little light-tree, why shouldn't this turn into a toffee-tree?' So they dibbled a small hole in the turf and buried the piece of toffee."
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Chapter 13:
" 'Go then, Fools,' called the Witch. 'Think of me, Boy, when you lie old and weak and dying, and remember how you threw away the chance of endless youth! It won't be offered you again.' " ...
"He was very sad and he wasn't even sure all the time that he had done the right thing; but whenever he remembered the shining tears in Aslan's eyes he became sure."
Chapter 14:
" 'And you, Narnians, let it be your first care to guard this Tree, for it is your Shield.' "
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Chapter 15:
"He peeled it and cut it up and gave it to her piece by piece. And no sooner had she finished it than she smiled and her head sank back onto the pillow and she was asleep: a real, natural, gentle sleep, without any of those nasty drugs, which was, as Digory knew, the thing in the whole world that she wanted most."
Recap, part 1:
Don't know if anyone noticed, but I kinda had a theme going on with the scriptures I was choosing. (I found it to be too broad to try to just find any scripture that attached to something in each chapter--I didn't know where to go with it or what to look for.) I used lots of keywords in my studying, but for each drawing I tried for a verse/verses that somehow related to discerning light from darkness, truth from falsehood; seeing, breaking free from blindness. And I found a lot.
Possibly because I was spending much more time in the Bible each day than in Narnia this time through the book, I found myself disappointed that MN wasn't more biblical in some ways. Almost like Lewis was taking some of the most superficial aspects of the Bible or of various stories/people in the Bible and mirroring them in his story, and leaving out so many of the underlying principles and doctrines, leaving out the reasons for the stories. :/ (Could be just me, though, and my fuzzy giraffe brain.) But then there were other ways that I was pleasantly surprised by the spiritual depth of the story.
I was able to find so many connections, and use the images of the story, use the story as a symbol to demonstrate some of the principles taught in the Bible. It was very rewarding. So that was really neat, and I'm very glad I got to do my reflections (and was actually able to read the entire book! Swan had to read a couple chapters to me over Skype, so I'm very proud of myself for being able to finish the last few chapters by myself). So one last drawing:
"Both the children were looking up into the Lion's face as he spoke these words. And all at once (they never knew exactly how it happened) the face seemed to be a sea of tossing gold in which they were floating, and such a sweetness and power rolled about them and over them and entered into them that they felt they had never really been happy or wise or good, or even alive and awake, before. And the memory of that moment stayed with them always, so that as long as they both lived, if ever they were sad or afraid or angry, the thought of all that golden goodness, and the feeling that it was still there, quite close, just round some corner or just behind some door, would come back and make them sure, deep down inside, that all was well."
I also found myself writing lyrics last night (out of nowhere), so I'll post Recap part 2 whenever I finish that.
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Nice, Swan!
*hugs*And now I'm all done with my MN "homework"! Yay!
Recap part 2:
http://youtu.be/NZLXCgU9Zfc
Lyrics by Islie.
To a public domain melody that is called (or related to) "Prospect of Heaven"
We watch with joy, and diligence too,
Obedient to God's commands.
His light shines through the darkness to last;
Our countenance glows though through trials we pass,
For we've touched the Master's hands.
Prepare the soil, then sow the seeds;
The fruit, if good, is true.
The wonders of our Lord we'll find,
And hearts will learn to be good and kind
As ancient truths renew.
And through each day I turn to my God:
He guides and teaches me
The way to light and life above,
And sends His Spirit, like a dove,
So I, once blind, may see.
Statistics: Posted by The Happy Islander — Mon Aug 26, 2013 1:00 pm
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Wow much longer than I was thinking...
As with any of the Chronicles Lewis uses the first chapter to introduce each character, the setting, and other good details. By the time you are finished with Chapter I you have a pretty idea who Polly and Digory are, just with tiny bits that Lewis gives about the course of their summer. Both Digory and Polly are the only child in their families, and both are quite brave and adventurous, (which will help in later chapters).
Now while I was reading this I thought of something I had never thought before:
Why did Digory look over the wall?
In my opinion it seems odd that a child would look over a wall (or in my case a fence) to peer into the neighbors property. I know I would not do it. So anyways this brought to mind a fanfiction about why he would look over the wall:
Over the Wall
Why did this have to happen to me?
Tears welled in Digory's eyes and his throat began to hurt. He was lying in the garden and was clenching the dirt in his hands as he might do with a blanket. The tears streamed down his face. He cried louder than he had ever done before, anyone that was outside could have heard him. But he was was hurting so much he didn't care.
Father is gone-and mother will die...then I'll be alone.
Then he thought of how things were already, he had no one to talk to. Even his mother could not always be there for him.
I am alone and I'll always be alone.
He cried harder and he felt as if he would not be able to stop.
Then he heard a noise, the opening and shutting of a door. He quieted and listened and his thoughts turned away from his cry. (Besides, now he didn't want anyone to hear him).
He never heard the door open again and began wondering why whover-was-in-his-garden would not go back inside so he could resume crying. So he waited for the noise.
But it never came.
He began to feel uncomfortable and decided to straighten himself up. He wiped his face with his dirty hands, the wit his sleeve, (which wasn't all to clean), and walked over to the wall. Then he realised what he was doing and tried to stop. But he couldn't. He kept getting nearer and nearer, as if some current was pulling at him. He no longer thought of what he was upset about, he just followed the pull until he reached the wall. Then he got the idea to look over the wall, (it may have just been curiosity but then again maybe not). He peered over the top of the wall, and saw someone. A person he would never have thought to see.
A girl! A girl his own age.
“Hullo,” said he.
“Hullo,” she replied.
..............
And so it began.
While writing this I was reminded about how God brings us to people we need to meet. Digory was meant to look over the wall and become friends with Polly. It had to happen. Just like in HHB when Aravis and Shasta (Cor) meet up, (not in the way I just wrote...but still), they were meant to travel together and later marry. So if you feel a current pulling you, or a feeling telling you to go over and talk with someone (or to look over your wall or fence), do it. You may find your best friend.
............
Okay now on to something else in this chapter, (this is a long post already, I know...)
Doors. Why doors? Well I find them to be intriguing, they do get you from one room to another you know. Though that is not what I'll be talking about.
Anyways I feel that Lewis may have a fascination with doors. There are five doors within CoN that I will give special attention to. First Uncle Andrew's door, it is not magical by any means but through that door Digory and Polly would soon enter into another place. Then the wardrobe door that leads to Narnia in LWW. Then there is the door Aslan makes in Prince Caspian (the one that the Pevensies walk through to get back to England). Then the door in SC, the door that leads outside of the school grounds, but actually lead to Aslan's Country. And last, the Stable Door. *Begins to wonder if I missed any doors*
Well I feel that these doors are quite important, without them the children would not go on such adventures as they might. Your thoughts?
...............
And a short poem, 5 syllables per line:
Yes. Friend at first sight
Oh no! The Wrong Door!
Then touches Ring bright
“Ah! Polly's no more.”
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Chapter II: Digory and his Uncle
Alone with a crazy Uncle. Definitely not a situation I would like to be in:
This is one of the chapter that is hardest for me to get through. Why? Uncle Andrew!
Ugh, he is one of the characters that I just can't stand! If Lewis could get an award for creating a character that is so easy to hate, he would with Uncle Andrew. For that reason it is hard for me to read/listen to Uncle Andrew talk with his nephew because I want to shout at him and “punch his head” as Digory wanted. Is it okay to hate a character so terribly?
...................
A small thing but I thought I would want to share it.
Time.
I saw in MN that time did not seem to stop after Polly's disappearance as it might have in the other Chronicles. Why would this be? Could it be that it was because she did not go to Narnia?
...............
A short poem, 5 syllables per line:
“So that's why you smiled!”
“You shall go, not I”
“But I'm just a child.”
“Yes, but I could die”
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Chapter III: The Wood Between the Worlds
So as I read this chapter only one question kept repeating in my mind.
Why did the Wood Between the Worlds even exist?
Is that how Aslan got to other worlds?
Silly idea since He would be able to go however He pleased whenever He wanted. But still, why would there even be such a place as the WBW? I mean what would be it's purpose? Obviously no one knew it had existed until Digory and Polly came upon it, unless.... I think this would bring us back to the previous chapter, with the Atlanteans. Why? Well Lewis said that the stuff with which the green Rings were made up of came from the WBW. So that was where the Dust had to be brought from. But here's the catch, how did the Atlanteans come by it if they did not have the Dust to begin with? It had to have come from that place, Lewis said it himself! So, was there another way to get to the WBW? Because if there is I'd like to find it.
Or did something bring it to our world? Hmm...
I feel as if I've strayed a bit.
Well anyways what are your thoughts on this? Why did the WBW exist?
“The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” Proverbs 16:4 ESV
Hmm, even the wicked... that means YOU Uncle Andrew.
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Chapter IV: The Bell and the Hammer
Ah, this chapter is definitely the most foreboding of all the chapters. The dark light, the lifeless quiet. I agree with Polly, “I don't like it.”
Well, we know that they should have left earlier as Polly said, though what might you have done? I thought it sounded to be an interesting country, a country so full of history, as you see in the faces of the Enchanted Statues, though I'm not so sure I would like to stay. I might be brave in some things, but venturing further than I need to, in a country as quiet as death, I think I'd rather stay in my cozy hobbit-hole thank you very much!
Now the statues. I have always loved this scene. It seems as if in this bleak land, where nothing, I repeat NOTHING lives, it would be nice to see a bit of colour. I loves Lewis' descriptions of the people, it gives you a good idea of their history (as stated a bit above), their faces grew crueler. I believe he gives us an idea about how societies and peoples slowly change over time. Is that a reflection of our own world?
“Don't do it Digory!”
That is what I would like to scream before that one tap that would forever change a world.
This is a very intense scene, that one moment when Digory restrains Polly's hand and lightly touches the bell with the hammer. Then the noise, I would like to know what that sounds like. Instead of getting fainter it grows louder. What kind of noise would it be to you? Sweet or terrible?
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Chapter V: The Deplorable Word
Statue awaken
Children were shaken
Then Queen was taken
To London
Chapter VI: Uncle Andrew's Troubles
Poor, vain old Andrew
Now what do you do?
Have you any clue
Who She is?
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Chapter VII: What Happened at the Door
Waiting, watching down
The Queen about town
Andrew just a clown
In public
Chapter VIII: The Fight at the Lamp-Post
Others they did bring
To world new by Ring
Voice began to sing
Music grand
I also think that a song would do well to listen to for this chapter (but it does have a lot to do with the next few), it's You're the One by Chris Tomlin. It was “inspired” by LWW but whenever I listen to it I think of MN. (If you listen to it or have heard it you'll know why).
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Chapter IX:
“They were terribly afraid it would turn and look at them, yet in some queer way they wished it would”
This line sort of stuck out to me because isn't that how it is? When we (people as a whole) are in sin we really don't want God to look at us because we are ashamed in His presence, we don't want Him to see us as we are (even though He already knows our sins). And yet deep in our hearts we DO want Him to look at us, we want Him to take us and cleanse us because it would give us joy and freedom.
I really like this chapter, as I do for all the chapters, because of the vivid imagery. The grass, the flowers, the trees, then the bubbling grass... then animals! Lewis definitely captured the story of creation in a very unique and imaginative way.
From the grass grew hills
Beasts emerge at wills
To some He instills
Speech and thought
Chapter X:
Every time I read this chapter I always ask “What was the first joke here?” It is most likely an unanswerable question but a very intriguing one. What might have the First Joke been?
Ah Uncle Andrew. He is a most fitting example of those that want to hear nothing of the Good News. He builds barriers and makes himself think that the beauty he hears is nothing but indistinct and terrible noises. A couple of quotes to illustrate my thoughts.:
“For what you see and hear depends on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of a person you are.”
“He had disliked the song very much. It made him think and feel things he did not want to think and feel.” LOVE this example quote.
The very First Joke
Andrew, the old bloke
Away the beasts broke
Chasing him
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Chapter XI:
I felt that this chapter had a very prevalent theme. God knows all.
Digory tried to get out of the trouble he caused by explaining things in a way to make it sound better, when it wasn't. But Aslan knew the truth and kept at Digory till he came forth with it, admitting it to himself. So
Aslan also knew the Cabby, just as God knows EVERY person in the world. Now some people may not know Him but He still knows them. And as Ariel, (I think) pointed out, people have within them a desire to seek Someone bigger than themselves, it is a part of human nature to want there to be a Creator, to know that there is Someone there for us.
Aslan also knew what would come of the Evil that was brought to the new world of Narnia, his eventual death. God also knew the cost for the Fall, his son's death. He KNEW that this would happen because He created, and yet he still did. This just shows us how wonderfully powerful His love for us really is.
Digs tells what had been
A new King and Queen
Ruling land ne're seen
His Chosen
Chapter XII:
In times of confusion
In chaos and pain
I'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame
I'm there through your heart-ache
I'm there in the storm
My love I will keep you by my power alone
-Tenth Avenue North: Times
Aslan knows Digory's pain and sorrow just as our Father knows ours. He is there with us even when it may be hard to see Him. He is hurt when we are hurt, he cries when we cry, we are His children and He
cares for each of us.
As others pointed out, this is a very beautiful scene and it truly shows us how deeply He loves us and how much we mean to Him.
Now there's no more fear
Digory drew near
Saw the Lion's tear,
In His eyes
Beauty at every turn. Oh how I would love to ride a flying horse! And on the first day the world was made, it would be amazing! (Maybe I'll draw a picture of my impression of this scene, but not now).
Quote that I love that explains itself:
“Wouldn't he know without being asked?” said Polly.
“I've no doubt he would,” said the Horse (still with his mouth full). “But I've a sort of idea he likes to be asked.”
Above the new land
The expanse so grand
The river a strand
Of ribbon
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Chapter XIII:
Digory overcomes temptation this time around now that he knows Aslan. He knows that the words of the witch are false, because he knows the words of the Lion. So also must we distinguish the words of the Lord and the lies of Satan.
Through the golden gates
Witch tells future fates
But he knows that He waits
So he left
Chapter XIV:
Digory, Polly and Fledge return and are well with Aslan. Frank and Helen are crowned and are the King and Queen of Narnia. (I feel like writing some sort of a fanfiction revolving around the first King and Queen, but I'm not sure yet).
I love the scene where Aslan gives Digory the permission to take an apple from the Tree of Protection, it is so very moving and realistic. Digory is amazed at the fact that his mother will be healed after all.
Crowning Queen and King
Then Tree sown does spring
A fruit picked he'll bring
Back to Earth
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Chapter XV:
Wow the last chapter!
I know I will be a bit repetitive but I REALLY like this quote:
“When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start to go right they often go on getting better and better.”
This was a very happy ending and I loved every part of this chapter.
Lost in Golden mane
Now back home again
Fruit given, no pain
Mother's healed
This story has come to an end
But others will follow my friend
I have had a ton of fun doing this with everyone, (even though I got overwhelmed by the end of the week), and I truly enjoyed reading your thoughts and insights, seeing your beautiful drawings and watching some interesting videos.
Statistics: Posted by elanorelle — Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:37 pm
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Summer Challenge 2013. The Magician's Nephew. This is the place to post your reflections on the chapters we've read and comment on other people's posts. Enjoy!
Mon 15: Ch 1 & 2
Tue 16: Ch 3 & 4
Wed 17: Ch 5 & 6
Thur 18: Ch 7 & 8
Fri 19: Ch 9 & 10
Sat 20: Ch 11 & 12
Sun 21: Ch 13 & 14
Mon 22: Ch 15 & recap/summary
Statistics: Posted by Ajnos — Mon Aug 26, 2013 12:34 pm
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