What is Screwtape’s idea on the best way for humans to die? Why?
Screwtape believes that the best way for humans to die is in a nursing home where they have the misconception that their lives are fine and taken care of. In addition, they believe that they can do anything they please without regards to morals or eternity. In a demon's perspective, this is a good way to die because humans are placing the entirety of their trust on human abilities and reasoning. Because the humans are believing that anything is permissible and focusing on pleasant gratification, it takes their minds off concerns for their future eternal lives after death.
How do you picture the devil? What does this chapter challenge you about regarding the spiritual warfare over your soul?
I picture the devil as a dark, shadowy demon figure that lurks around influencing or tempting masses of people to do wrong and turn from God. This chapter reminded me of the reality of spiritual warfare. Screwtape wanted Wormwood to convince his patient that demons don't exist. This shows that disbelieving or forgetting about the existence of demons causes a great weakness because we won't be on our guard. We certainly wouldn't be fighting against something that "doesn't exist." However, if we are constantly aware of the raging war, we can, with God's help, fight against the evils that face us each day.
What is the “law of Undulation” (37)? Give an example of this in your life.
The "law of Undulation" expresses the concept that humans experience a cycle of "highs and lows." There is always a certain point in life, during which circumstances or feelings are good, when we must face some type of hardship. Even when we overcome this hardship, once we get up to another good point, or "peak," in life, we will face another hardship, or "trough." I can see the "law of Undulation" in my relationship with immediate family members. Sometimes I feel really grateful for my family, especially when spending some quality time with them. However, through the bumps of daily life, I get upset at or frustrated with them. Eventually, I work out that conflict and restore the relationship to how it was before. The cycle of of a good relationship, conflict, and resolution continues on.
“Our cause is never more in danger, than when a human, no longer desiring, but intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys” (40). What are your thoughts on this?
Out of all of the reading tonight, this quote stuck out to me the most. It reminded me of Job, and how it seemed like God punishing or forsaking him; yet, Job never cursed God. The human from this quote should be the type of human that I should be striving to be. My life should be so consumed by a love for God that, no matter how difficult life seems, no matter how hard it becomes to believe that a loving God would allow hard times to happen, I will seek to glorify Him.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Chapter I-IV Questions
What are you passive about because of the "ordinariness of things" (4)? Is it your family? Your life? Your church or school?
I have become passive about the mess in my room. Before school started, I cleaned up my room. However, in the rush to get my uniform or pack my bag, I just left some things lying around. The first couple of times, I cleaned up the stuff I had left behind. Eventually, I forgot to clean up the things I had left behind in the morning. Every time I went into my room, I didn't let it bother me that my room was messy. The mess in my room became "ordinary" and something I didn't care to fix. Instead of being a good steward with the things God has allowed me to have, I let messiness become acceptable.
What do you think about the following quote? "The Enemy allows this disappointment to occur on the threshold of every human endeavour" (7).
I think that this quote is so true because it (in addition to the following examples) illustrates the challenge of translating thinking into doing. However, as Lewis mentions later in the chapter, people can overcome that "disappointment" to come out of the experience as a stronger person. I, along with other people, conceptualize situations or achievements that are greatly desired. We enter the process of making a glorious dream come true only to find out that the actual process is much harder than expected. We face the difficult task of overcoming the conflicts or complacency that stand in the way of that idealized goal. For example, I decided to make a music track on GarageBand for a video project last year. I imagined that I could make this absolutely amazing track that would sound really professional and match my video perfectly. However, when I actually tried to use the musical typing function, I had a hard time making the different tracks fit together nicely. I eventually overcame that "disappointment" to finish the track. Of course, it wasn't as good as I had first expected, but I was able to finish the song and gain more valuable experience.
What are your "daily pinpricks" (11)?
Here are a few of them:
1. I get frustrated when my younger brother refuses to or takes a long time to help take care of our dog (e.g,, walking, picking up after, or washing her). Sometimes the best solution is to just give up and do it myself, but at the same time, I want him to be more responsible.
2. There's this one group of people at school who seem to have such a hard time throwing away their trash after lunch.
3. Loud or distinctive chewing noises from certain family members can sometimes get to me.
I've been working on overcoming these "pinpricks." Some have been easier to overcome than others (or maybe it's just because I've worked longer and harder to overcome certain "pinpricks".
I have become passive about the mess in my room. Before school started, I cleaned up my room. However, in the rush to get my uniform or pack my bag, I just left some things lying around. The first couple of times, I cleaned up the stuff I had left behind. Eventually, I forgot to clean up the things I had left behind in the morning. Every time I went into my room, I didn't let it bother me that my room was messy. The mess in my room became "ordinary" and something I didn't care to fix. Instead of being a good steward with the things God has allowed me to have, I let messiness become acceptable.
What do you think about the following quote? "The Enemy allows this disappointment to occur on the threshold of every human endeavour" (7).
I think that this quote is so true because it (in addition to the following examples) illustrates the challenge of translating thinking into doing. However, as Lewis mentions later in the chapter, people can overcome that "disappointment" to come out of the experience as a stronger person. I, along with other people, conceptualize situations or achievements that are greatly desired. We enter the process of making a glorious dream come true only to find out that the actual process is much harder than expected. We face the difficult task of overcoming the conflicts or complacency that stand in the way of that idealized goal. For example, I decided to make a music track on GarageBand for a video project last year. I imagined that I could make this absolutely amazing track that would sound really professional and match my video perfectly. However, when I actually tried to use the musical typing function, I had a hard time making the different tracks fit together nicely. I eventually overcame that "disappointment" to finish the track. Of course, it wasn't as good as I had first expected, but I was able to finish the song and gain more valuable experience.
What are your "daily pinpricks" (11)?
Here are a few of them:
1. I get frustrated when my younger brother refuses to or takes a long time to help take care of our dog (e.g,, walking, picking up after, or washing her). Sometimes the best solution is to just give up and do it myself, but at the same time, I want him to be more responsible.
2. There's this one group of people at school who seem to have such a hard time throwing away their trash after lunch.
3. Loud or distinctive chewing noises from certain family members can sometimes get to me.
I've been working on overcoming these "pinpricks." Some have been easier to overcome than others (or maybe it's just because I've worked longer and harder to overcome certain "pinpricks".
Copyright
Poster URL: http://smore.com/48pm
Copyright provides a way to give authors their proper and/or desired rights of ownership. Whether the copyright deals with reproduction, derivative works, profit, or something related to all three, we must learn to accommodate and abide by all of the restrictions. I definitely wouldn’t want someone to improperly take credit for or just take something that I worked hard to make. Because authors put a lot of time and effort into their products, they deserve to have restrictions placed in order to receive proper credit for their works. Anything less would be robbery.
Copyright provides a way to give authors their proper and/or desired rights of ownership. Whether the copyright deals with reproduction, derivative works, profit, or something related to all three, we must learn to accommodate and abide by all of the restrictions. I definitely wouldn’t want someone to improperly take credit for or just take something that I worked hard to make. Because authors put a lot of time and effort into their products, they deserve to have restrictions placed in order to receive proper credit for their works. Anything less would be robbery.
Reading
from this
website (in addition to my experiences from many school projects) helped me to
gain a deeper understanding of copyright.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Personal Introductory Video
Various Addresses:
Gmail: laing27@gmail.com
Google Sites: https://sites.google.com/site/litclassupdates/
Blogger addresses: http://litupdates.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Preliminary Questions
A. What are your thoughts on writing?
I am comfortable with writing. I don't think that I am an amazing writer. However, through my years at Hanalani, I think that I have definitely improved my writing. Because my classes from previous years put a lot of focus on essays, I am taking the Creative Writing class this year to look at writing in a different perspective. B. What are your thoughts on reading?
I have always enjoyed reading. My English class last year challenged me to read books that I normally would not (and I enjoyed 2 our of 3 of them). At the end of the year, Mr. Robinson suggested that we read classics instead of limiting ourselves to popular books of today (like the Hunger Games Series). This summer, I read a historical fiction book about foot binding because a woman at church lent it to me so that I could get a taste of ancient Chinese culture and mentality. Although it was not my favorite book or genre, I enjoyed getting a grasp of the culture of that time. C. What are your thoughts on technology?
As with writing, I feel comfortable with using technology. I'm not really into gaming or social networking. I really enjoyed Digital Storytelling class last year and was able to better shape my ideas of how to use videos for strong storytelling and communication. I still have a lot to learn and work on though. Mostly, I use computers for school and YouTube. I am kind of concerned about security, which is why I prefer not to use my real name for things online (which I do realize can cause my work to seem more unprofessional). D. What are your thoughts on learning?
I like discussions and lectures to some extent because I enjoy hearing others unique thoughts (which I could never think of), but sometimes they seem slow or too dragged-out. I don't really care for tests and quizzes, but do like creative projects. In my English class last year, I enjoyed how we used "non-classical" methods to improve our thought processes. For example, we had to make videos to communicate important themes from books, summarize chapters from books through drawings and acting, and aim to truly get into Thoreau's mindset by analyzing his works while in nature. To think more critically, we did some activities that, on the surface, might just appear to be "fun and games" (I really enjoyed the combination of trying something fun and new with becoming a better thinker). E. Why do you want to take this course?
I like reading, and wanted to expand my reading scope. Since we no longer have to take speech class (as I first expected), I have an extra period, so I want to make use of tuition money by taking another class. Also, I enjoyed your teaching in seventh grade.
I am comfortable with writing. I don't think that I am an amazing writer. However, through my years at Hanalani, I think that I have definitely improved my writing. Because my classes from previous years put a lot of focus on essays, I am taking the Creative Writing class this year to look at writing in a different perspective. B. What are your thoughts on reading?
I have always enjoyed reading. My English class last year challenged me to read books that I normally would not (and I enjoyed 2 our of 3 of them). At the end of the year, Mr. Robinson suggested that we read classics instead of limiting ourselves to popular books of today (like the Hunger Games Series). This summer, I read a historical fiction book about foot binding because a woman at church lent it to me so that I could get a taste of ancient Chinese culture and mentality. Although it was not my favorite book or genre, I enjoyed getting a grasp of the culture of that time. C. What are your thoughts on technology?
As with writing, I feel comfortable with using technology. I'm not really into gaming or social networking. I really enjoyed Digital Storytelling class last year and was able to better shape my ideas of how to use videos for strong storytelling and communication. I still have a lot to learn and work on though. Mostly, I use computers for school and YouTube. I am kind of concerned about security, which is why I prefer not to use my real name for things online (which I do realize can cause my work to seem more unprofessional). D. What are your thoughts on learning?
I like discussions and lectures to some extent because I enjoy hearing others unique thoughts (which I could never think of), but sometimes they seem slow or too dragged-out. I don't really care for tests and quizzes, but do like creative projects. In my English class last year, I enjoyed how we used "non-classical" methods to improve our thought processes. For example, we had to make videos to communicate important themes from books, summarize chapters from books through drawings and acting, and aim to truly get into Thoreau's mindset by analyzing his works while in nature. To think more critically, we did some activities that, on the surface, might just appear to be "fun and games" (I really enjoyed the combination of trying something fun and new with becoming a better thinker). E. Why do you want to take this course?
I like reading, and wanted to expand my reading scope. Since we no longer have to take speech class (as I first expected), I have an extra period, so I want to make use of tuition money by taking another class. Also, I enjoyed your teaching in seventh grade.
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