English 112A, Spring 2002 Study Questions
Charlotte's Web /
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe / Holes/ Walk Two Moons.
1. What is a runt? Explore the extended meanings of this
English 112A, Spring 2002 Study Questions
Charlotte's Web /
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe / Holes/ Walk Two Moons.
1. What is a runt? Explore the extended meanings of this term.How does this portray the differences between parents and children? Are their values different? Explain.
2. How are Fern's fears very like Wilbur's? Are they also similar to Hansel's and Gretel's? Do Fern's fears extend beyond the immediate problem? Explore the possibilities.
3. What is the meaning of the chapter "Escape"? What are the dynamics involved in this chapter? What, for example, does Wilbur decide to do? Why does he give up his freedom? This is an example of a dynamic tension, conflict, or polarity within the work.
4. Describe the character of Templeton? How does what Templeton does differ from Charlotte's work? from the other animals? Explore the nature of "ratness."
5. Children's literature can best be understood by examining important episodes. One such episode is in Chapter 5 (39-42) in which the characters discuss the importance of food. Discuss how food is a metaphor in the book.
6. Discuss the importance of Wilbur's failure to be able to spin a web? Connect this to your previous discussions of Templeton and being a runt. In this context, what does "versatility" mean (116-17)? Its value?
7. How is Charlotte's tale about her cousin connected to the story's theme? Explain the value of her identity as shown in the following paragraph. "I am not entirely happy about my diet of flies and bugs, but it's the way I'm made.... Way back for thousands and thousands of years we spiders have been laying for flies and bugs.
8. Look closely at the death of Charlotte. What is the dynamic connection between Charlotte's magnum opus, her death, and the everyone's role? "Is it a plaything?" "Plaything? I should say not. It is my egg sac, my magnum opus."
9. Explore the significance of the last paragraph of the book. "Wilbur never forgot Charlotte.... She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both."
10. What is the meaning of the title of the book? Think of the implication when we say we are reading Charlotte's Web. Are we getting trapped the way Charlotte's victims are trapped? What about the power of words?
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
1. What is the relevance of the setting to the story? "This story is about something that happened to [four children] when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids" (1). What does this add to the story?
2. Picture the architecture of this very old house, in which "no one will mind what they do." What is implied in this statement? Connect the architecture of a house with all its sections, attics, basements etc. to conceptions of ideas of the self.
3. What are the laws of time and space that govern Narnia? Are they different from the ordinary world? Discuss how the transition is made between the natural world and the imaginative world (hint: in the closet). Compare and contrast the differences in chronotopes (we will explain this part of the questions in class).
4. This story involves the act of reading--interpreting signs--on several levels. What are some of the conventional signs which must be read or interpreted correctly? Why does Lucy seem better at this than Edmund?
5. Madness--lack of control--as a theme is touched upon directly or indirectly several times in this book, most notably in the figures of Lucy, Edmund, and the White Witch. How is this insanity akin to excessive imagination? What might your definition of madness be?
6. Look carefully throughout the book for images of darkness, "vanishing," light, warmth, cold, and touching. Is there a pattern? What conclusions can you draw?
7. C. S. Lewis incorporates mythologies from very different sources, mixing them together. Discuss a few of them, how Lewis's use differs from the original and how they make the story more understandable.
8. How is magic defined in this story? What are the characteristics of magic? synonyms?
9. Note the change in Edmund during the course of the story. How is his educational background different from his siblings? Examine Edmund's "addiction" to turkish delight.
10. Analyze the ways in LWW can be seen as a text for teens or adults. How does this story compare to Joseph Campbell's hero cycly?
1. The book starts by explaining what is not at Camp Green Lake. There used to be trees, a lake, a town, shade, and people, now there are only lizards, rattlesnakes, and scorpions. How is this puzzle attractive reading? How does this beginning illustrate the basic pattern of the narrative? A braided narrative? juxaposition as narrative form?
2. "My name is easy to remember," said Mr. Pend