Lesson Three: Narnia (TLTWTW) Chapters 3 & 4

Chapter Three Summary:
Lucy runs out of Narnia through the wardrobe and is shocked when her siblings declare that she has only been gone for a few seconds. She brings them back to look in the wardrobe to show them the strange world of Narnia, but now it is just an ordinary wardrobe. Peter and Susan tolerantly assume that she is just making up stories, but Edmund spitefully torments her about her fantasy world. On the next rainy day, the children play a game of hide and seek. Edmund peers into the spare room and sees Lucy vanishing into the wardrobe. He follows her into the wardrobe, he finds himself in Narnia. Edmund sees no sign of Lucy and Edmund is unsure what to do. Suddenly, a deathly pale woman approaches on a sledge pulled by white reindeer. She is carrying a wand and wears a fur robe and a crown. The woman stops in front of Edmund, demanding to know what he is. Edmund introduces himself awkwardly. She sternly informs him that she is the Queen of Narnia and that he must address her appropriately. Edmund is puzzled, and stammers something incoherent.

Chapter Four Summary:
The Queen discovers that Edmund is a human child. Though she had looked stern and threatening to Edmund at first, when she hears that he is a human she suddenly becomes very attentive, and invites Edmund to sit in her sledge under her fur mantle and talk with her. Edmund does not dare disobey her orders. The Queen conjures up food and drink for him, which consists of a hot drink and a box of Turkish Delight (a type of chocolate). As he eats and drinks, the Queen asks him many questions. He is completely fixated on the sweet food. The narrator explains that the Turkish Delight is enchanted, causing whoever eats it to feel an insatiable greed for more. This chocolate compels the unfortunate eater to keep on eating it until he is prevented from doing so or until it kills him. Since Edmund is distracted by his desire, he does not notice the ominous signs when the Queen interrogates him sharply about his family, particularly his brothers and sisters. She seems intrigued to hear that there are four children in his family, two boys and two girls. Edmund also tells her that Lucy has been to Narnia and met a faun.

When Edmund finishes the Turkish Delight, he desperately hopes that the Queen will offer him more, but she does not. Instead, she asks him to bring his brother and sisters to Narnia to meet her. The Queen sends him back to the lamppost. There he meets Lucy, who tells him she has been with Tumnus, who is well and has not been punished by the White Witch for his treachery. Edmund asks her for details about the White Witch, and he realizes that the Queen of Narnia is the same person. Edmund, however, is still obsessed with Turkish Delight and rationalizes that the Witch and the Queen are not the same entity. Edmund and Lucy go back into the wardrobe to the Professor's house. Although Lucy is ecstatic that now Edmund can support her story, Edmund is not eager to look like a fool because of his original skepticism.

Discussion/Narration:

1. define. greed: excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs. Gluttony: overindulgence in food, drink or intoxicants. The Turkish delight represents greed.
   
2. The witch is mean when she first talks to Edmund. But after she gives him the turkish delight, he doesn't seem to be able to see it.. why do you suppose that could be?
3. The narrator was careful to say that the magical Turkish delight fed greed inside the eater, not that it blinds him. This means that Edmund is still responsible for his own actions, he has the choice whether to follow his gluttony or not.
4. It is a flaw in Edmund's character that his greed is stronger than his concern for his siblings.
5. Edmund allows his greed to get the better of him and it shuts his mind to the belief that the Queen is the white witch. This is an example of how making bad choices and choosing the wrong things can cloud your judgment and perceptions. It can inhibit your ability to make moral choices.
6. What do you think of the White Witch?

   The White Witch is, perhaps, your typical witch. The Witch is evil to the core, without even a hint of goodness within her, which we can attribute to her not being human. Although the Witch claims she is human, she is actually part giant and part Jinn. The Witch is merciless, cruel, power-hungry, and sadistic. The Witch claims the throne of Narnia by brute force. She enchants the land so it is always winter and never Christmas and so that the poor Narnians have no hope. The Witch sways many Narnians to her side out of fear or lust for power, so that the Narnians are divided and are completely terrified. The Witch carries a golden wand that she uses to turn living things into stone—she does this rather frequently when she is annoyed. The Witch is hated and feared throughout the land, but no one except Aslan has the power to stop her.

Activites:

1. Make Turkish delight Here (or get peanut brittle or fudge and call it Turkish delight, cause the Turkish delight does not look gluttony inducing). Since its "enchanted" it can be whatever I like I suppose.
   
2. Make hot chocolate with lunch, like Edmund drank in the Witch's sleigh.
   
3. Edmund describes the White Witch as a great lady, taller than any woman he has ever seen. She is covered in white fur up to her throat, wears a golden crown, and holds a long golden wand in her right hand. Her face is white-like snow, or paper, or sugar icing-except for her very red mouth. Give the kids white yarn, white paper, and glitter to create the white witch. Then have them describe her appearance on a piece of paper with words. Here is our pics.
   
4. Put the tension rod back up and let the kids act out the scenes again.
   

Read Chapters 5 and 6 for tomorrow.