...The Screwtape Letters was written by C. S. Lewis. Lewis wrote this set of letters during the Second World War. This story was a prime example of how humans are constantly bombarded by different sinful temptations. Lewis flawlessly displayed the scripture, Ephesians 6:12, throughout the entire novel. The characters and their focus on the life of one specific human allude to the struggles they face as they attempt to confuse his religious and spiritual choices. Lewis’s narrator is named Screwtape. Throughout this novel, Screwtape is the only character that speaks. The Screwtape Letters are a collection of 31 letters that Screwtape has written to Wormwood, his nephew. The reader is not allowed the letters that Wormwood has written in reply to Screwtape, but by the letters that Screwtape writes, the reader can infer how Wormwood feels and what his responses...
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...Sonia Del Hierro Ethics 10/29/2012 The Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis’s novel is about a man who finds happiness and meaning in life through Christianity, and, in the end, gains salvation and the presence of God upon his soul. And yet, Lewis tells this story as if it ends terribly and only gets worse from the beginning. Screwtape, a wise, elder demon corresponds, in thirty-one letters, with his young apprentice nephew, Wormwood; he gives him advice about how to go about stealing the soul of a British man from his first conversion to his redemption. Lewis raises major ethical points by fleshing out the mistakes and every day succumbing to sin of Christians. Lewis gives more than a few examples of this ordinary everyday Christian man giving into the temptation of sin, without even knowing it; thus, giving an extremely real insight to the reader’s own life and the decisions they, themselves, make. From judging people based off looks in his second letter to praying in his third letter to worrying about the future in his fifteenth letter, Screwtape endorses the very things the reader recognizes in his or her own actions in a scary, ‘is-there-a-demon-behind-me’ kind of way. Lewis points out major flaws in the Church on several different occasions, but one in which the “Church of England might have become a positive hotbed of charity and humility” (85) had it not been for the demons’ relentless labor to oppose such outcomes. Screwtape tells Wormwood that if he cannot keep his...
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...In response to the war, Screwtape tells Wormwood to give him a full account of the patient’s reactions to the war, so that they can consider whether Wormwood is better off making the patient an extreme patriot or an ardent pacifist. Following this, Screwtape warns Wormwood to not hope too much from a war. 3. The “real business” of demons it to undermine the faith and to prevent the formation of virtues. 4. What delights Screwtape about the patient’s age and profession is that the patient is of the proper age and profession to be considered for military service. Screwtape wants the patient to be as confused as possible about the war. The patient does not know if he will be called, ergo he is uncertain and susceptible to Wormwood’s efforts. Analysis:...
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...Mishawn Lolis 12/14 Bible Mrs.Trahan The Screwtape Letters “The Screwtape letters,” written by C.S Lewis is a series of letters about the Character Wormwood, and the patient. The story is taken place in Hell, during World War II. Screwtape is sending the letters from his office down under, to his patient, or nephew on earth. The patient has fallen into the wrong type of Love, and Screwtape is planning to use this against him. He is constantly saying that Jesus is the enemy. These letters can mean a lot, including the fact that we all each have a Screwtape in us. In the beginning, Screwtape is starting to tempt wormwood. He is giving amazing advice about how to tempt someone away from The Father, and the neighbor. He shows how to tempt someone...
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...This is a fascinating adaptation of the C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters. Linn sets up an interview with Screwtape II, a demon who is jealous because of Pazuzu’s leading performance in The Exorcist. “Screwtape II feels that his colleagues are getting all the credit while doing none of the soul-breaking work.” (p. 82) He has agreed to a “fireside” interview to boast about his ability to impede those seeking help in healing painful memories. As a summary of the book, the interviewer brings up the six steps mentioned in the book and asks Screwtape II what tactics he will use against them. The interviewer asks Screwtape II why he is assigned to tempt those trying to heal their memories. With pride, Screwtape II says that they have developed new tactics...
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...Lewis became an atheist, which changed his life drastically. During World War I Lewis became very close friends with a man named Paddy Moore. Sadly, Paddy died fighting in the war. Soon after that, Lewis was wounded and was discharged. When Lewis returned home he followed up on a promise that he had made to Paddy that he would take care of Paddy’s mother and sister. Mrs. Moore treated Lewis like a son. Lewis bought a house which he lived in with Paddy’s family up until Mrs. Moore died and his sister was old enough to get along on her own. (About C.S. Lewis) In 1939 during World War II Lewis and his brother took in children from London seeking refuge from bombings. During that time Lewis wrote one of his greatest books called “The Screwtape Letters”. It was one of Lewis’ best books, but he admits that it was difficult to write. The book was Lewis’ first Christian success. It portrays a person trying to live a Christian life with temptations as seen from the devil’s view. Lewis later got married to Joy Davidson in 1956. He was pretty old at that point. Joy was dying of cancer but they decided to get married anyway. She only lived for three years after they got married but they lived very happily up until then. Lewis then died a few months later in 1898. (Clive Staples Lewis) “For this I bless you as the ruin falls.” (As the Ruin Falls) The theme of...
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...How to Overcome Failure Dr. Ernest L. Easley Matthew 26 January 30, 2007 Have you ever considered the similarities between a sparrow and a saint .... a tiny bird and a troubled believer? Well .. consider the sparrow: they possess incredible strength and endurance .. severe winds and bad weather doesn't seem to slow them down ... they fly continually .. all day long. They've been clocked at great speeds and have been known to fly hundreds of miles in one day .. their endurance and energy levels are enormous. They are extremely strong and appear to be indestructible. Yet .. as powerful as they are .. if you were to catch a sparrow in your hand and squeeze it .. you could break every bone in its body and crush it to death in thirty seconds. How similar we are to the sparrow! We appear powerful and strong. We boast of our endurance and are convinced that we are indestructible flying at high speeds all day long. But just as a strong and mighty sparrow can be crushed and destroyed by a single human hand ... FAILURE can crush and destroy us within thirty seconds robbing us of joy. Let me ask you a question: Has failure crushed you this past year? Perhaps it was a failed marriage? a failed business? a failed dream? And today you're say, "Pastor, I feel like such a failure!" Perhaps growing up you were told over and over what a failure you were and now you're grown up convinced that you are. Perhaps your failure has you believing that you're somehow now a second class saint and...
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...The Screwtape Letters Approach Paper I. The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis is filled Lewis’ classic satirist style of writing. Lewis uses The Screwtape Letters to contrast his Christian views with a Non-Christian outlook, thus requires those who read the marvelous book to dig deep into our inner most thoughts and realize the true power of the Devil. The two main characters in the book are Uncle Screwtape and Wormwood, Screwtape’s nephew. Throughout the book Screwtape tries to twist Wormwood thinking with the demonic thoughts; such as if one was to win an award instead of being happy about yourself, one will become prideful and boastful. II. Uncle Screwtape: Manipulative, Twisted, Persistent Wormwood: Naïve, Mute, Student III. 1. Why does Screwtape see a relationship with God so “unfathomable?” 2. What are Screwtape’s views on war and why does he appreciate war and fear it at the same time? 3. How does the relationship of Wormwood and Screwtape change throughout the book? IV. “Humour is for them the all-consoling and (mark this) the all-excusing, grace of life. Hence, it is invaluable as a means of destroying shame. If a man simply lets others pay for him, he is 'mean,' but if he boasts of it in a jocular manner and twits his fellows with having been scored off, he is no longer 'mean' but a comical fellow. Mere cowardice is shameful; cowardice boasted of with humourous exaggerations and grotesque gestures can be passed off as funny. Cruelty is shameful --...
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...I decided to pick letter 25 of Screwtape and align it with the social teaching of “Call to family, community, and participation.” In letter 25 Screwtape draws attention to the problem by having the patient in a social group that focuses only on Christianity. In the social teaching our friends and family are where you learn to relate with each other, sacrifice for one another and love each other. In letter 25 Screwtape explains to wormwood that he needs to take the patient mind off the temporal realities and fixate it on real life events. In the social teaching God wants us to be together as a community and look out for each other, and If we get distracted lead them back on the right path and show them the best way to go. In letter 25 Screwtape objects to his friends because they are merely christians. He would prefer them to be interested in christianity and...
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