Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia A Teacher's Guide To Socratic Discussion by Megan L. Andrews © 2013 The Center for Literary Education 3350 Beck Road Rice, WA 99167 www.centerforlit.com
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Ready Readers:
The Chronicles of Narnia
A Teacher's Guide To Socratic Discussion
by Megan L. Andrews
© 2013 The Center for Literary Education
3350 Beck Road Rice, WA 99167
www.centerforlit.com
3
Introduction
Table of Contents
Introduction 5
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 9
Prince Caspian 21
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 45
The Silver Chair 73
The Horse and His Boy 96
The Magician’s Nephew 115
The Last Battle 135
About the Author 159
4
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
5
Introduction
Introduction
These teacher guides are intended to assist the teacher or parent
in conducting meaningful discussions of literature in the classroom
or home school. Questions and answers follow the pattern
presented in Teaching the Classics, the Center for Literary
Education’s two day literature seminar. Though the concepts
underlying this approach to literary analysis are explained in detail
in that seminar, the following brief summary presents the basic
principles upon which this guide is based.
The Teaching the Classics approach to literary analysis and
interpretation is built around three unique ideas which, when
combined, produce a powerful instrument for understanding and
teaching literature:
First: All works of fiction share the same basic elements —
Context, Structure, and Style. A literature lesson that helps the
student identify these elements in a story prepares him for
meaningful discussion of the story’s themes.
Context encompasses all of the details of time and place
surrounding the writing of a story, including the personal life
of the author as well as historical events that shaped the
author’s world.
Structure includes the essential building blocks that make
up a story, and that all stories have in common: Conflict, Plot
(which includes exposition, rising action, climax,
denouement, and conclusion), Setting, Characters and Theme.
Style refers to the literary devices used by authors to
create the mood and atmosphere of their stories. Recognition
of some basic literary devices (alliteration, simile,
personification, metaphor, etc) enables a reader not only to
understand the author’s themes more readily, but also to
6
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
appreciate his craftsmanship more fully.
Second: Because it is approachable and engaging, Children’s
Literature is the best genre to employ in teaching the foundational
principles of literary analysis. Children’s books present these
building blocks in clear, memorable language, and are thus treasure
mines of opportunities for the astute teacher — allowing him to
present Context, Structure and Style with ease to children and
adults alike. Having learned to recognize these basic elements in
the simple text of a classic children’s story, a student is well
prepared to analyze complex works suitable for his own age and
level of intellectual development.
Third: The best classroom technique for teaching literary
analysis and interpretation is the Socratic Method. Named after the
ancient gadfly who first popularized this style of teaching, the
Socratic method employs the art of questioning, rather than
lecturing, to accomplish education. Based upon the conviction that
the process of discovery constitutes the better part of learning, our
program uses well placed questions to teach students how to think,
rather than dictating to them what to think.
The Teaching the Classics seminar syllabus supplies a thorough
list of Socratic questions for teachers to use in class
discussion. The questions are general enough to be used with any
book, but focused enough to lead the student into meaningful
contemplation of the themes of even the most difficult
stories. Questions on the list are arranged in order of
difficulty: from grammar level questions which ask for the mere
fact of a story, to rhetoric level questions which require discussion
of ideologies and transcendent themes. Properly employed, this list
can help teachers engage their classes in important discussions of
ideas, and can also provide a rich resource for essay and other
writing assignments! Used in conjunction with a good writing
program, Teaching the Classics produces deep thinkers at any age.
For more information, please contact:
The Center for Literary Education
3350 Beck Road Rice, WA 99167
(509) 738-2837
7
Introduction
A Few Notes About Numbering
Page numbers in this volume refer to the 1994 box set edition
of The Chronicles of Narnia issued by Harper Trophy, a division of
HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY,
10022.
That edition was the first to arrange the seven volumes in
Narnian chronological order — that is, according to the events of
Narnian history that they relate. Thus The Magician’s Nephew is
dubbed Volume One, followed by The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of
the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.
Earlier editions had always presented the tales in the order in
which C.S. Lewis wrote and published them between 1950 and
1956. The earlier order began with The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe and continued with Prince Caspian, The Voyage of The
Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The
Magician’s Nephew and The Last Battle.
The editors of these guides, having fallen in love with Narnia
in the 1970s under the old regime, still cling faithfully to the
opinion that reading the tales in publication order adds dimensions
of pleasure and wonder to the Narnian experience that can’t be had
otherwise. They have therefore arranged the guides in this volume
to correspond with the order of earlier editions.
Reference numbers in parentheses next to each question in this
book refer to the complete Socratic List, which is included in the
course syllabus of CenterForLit’s flagship seminar, Teaching the
Classics: A Socratic Method for Literary Education. For more
information about Teaching the Classics, please visit CenterForLit
at www.centerforlit.com.
9
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Overview
Plot
During a wartime visit to an old country house, four English
children stumble through the back of a magical wardrobe into
another world. There they join the great talking lion Aslan in a
struggle to free the land of Narnia from an evil enchantment.
Conflict
Can Aslan and his friends free Narnia from the clutches of the
White Witch? (Man vs. Man, Man vs. Society, Man vs. God) Will
Edmund be saved from the consequences of his treachery? (Man vs.
Self, Man vs. God)
Setting
England during WWII; the mythical land of Narnia
Characters
The talking lion Aslan; English children Peter, Susan, Edmund
and Lucy Pevensie; the evil White Witch; various talking beasts of
Narnia.
Theme
Sin and redemption; betrayal; forgiveness; sacrificial love
10
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
Questions About Structure: Setting
(1.d-i) Where does this story happen?
This story takes place in two separate settings. The first of
these creates what literary analysts call a story frame—an initial
narrative within which the main story takes place. Just as a picture
frame surrounds a piece of artwork, providing contrast and
positioning the work on the larger wall, so a story frame surrounds
a story with external context and added significance.
In Lewis’s book, the initial story setting finds the protagonists,
the four young Pevensie children, journeying to the English
countryside and the home of old Professor Digory Kirke in order
to avoid the air raids of World War II. In the Professor’s old
mansion there are many long corridors and dusty rooms to explore.
It is in one of these rooms that the children discover a doorway into
another world. As the children enter this world one by one, the
“frame” gives way to the interior portion of the story, which takes
place in the magical land of Narnia.
Though at first the Pevensie children are enamored with the
whimsical qualities of the new world in which they find
themselves, they soon discover that strife grips Narnia. Due to the
absence of Narnia’s true king, Aslan, a traitorous usurper — the
White Witch — has cast a spell on Narnia which makes it always
winter there, but never Christmas. As the tyrant rules Narnia with a
frigid fist, the beleaguered Narnians pray for Aslan to return and
deliver them. This political turmoil in Narnia is subtly allegorical.
The real, historical world of the external setting and the world of
Narnia may both be considered to languish in the rule of a usurper;
both await a Savior. Each of these worlds is equally rich in
circumstantial conflict, given the political and spiritual struggles
inherent in their settings. These complex settings and conflicts
enrich Lewis’s plot.
(2) When does this story happen?
Due to incongruities between the passage of time in Narnia
and in its correlative real world, this story takes place in a whole era
or generation of Narnian time while only a moment of time passes
in the England of the story’s external frame. While visiting Narnia,
the children experience adventure after adventure, maturing into
kings and queens who share the life-content of true adults. Yet
11
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
when they return to England at the end of all their adventuring, the
Pevensies find themselves children once again, not one moment
older than they were when they first entered the wardrobe.
NOTES:
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12
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
Questions About Structure: Characters
(3) Who is this story about? (Protagonist)
This story chronicles the adventures of the four young
Pevensie siblings: Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. Choosing a
protagonist for this story can produce a fruitful discussion. As a
result of the third person, omniscient narration, it is difficult to
pinpoint a single protagonist. While Lucy may be the protagonist
for a good portion of the story, Edmund soon takes her place when
the narrator follows him to the White Witch’s castle, where he
traitorously betrays his family. In addition, Aslan’s crucial, heroic
role in the climax and the resolution of the story leads many readers
to assign the protagonist badge to Him.
In fact, the choice of the protagonist depends largely on what
perspective the reader intends to chart: the human or the heavenly.
After all, the Chronicles of Narnia are, in part, an allegory of the
Christian life. While Edmund and Lucy represent human, fallen
sinners, Aslan is the Christ-figure who lays down His life for them.
Since the content of the greater portion of the story follows the
struggles and actions of the children (the sinners – Sons of Adam
and Daughters of Eve), it seems appropriate to consider them the
protagonists. It is their story, the sinners’ story, that we will chart
in this guide.
Even after this decision is made, we readers face a final
choice: do we chart Lucy’s story or Edmund’s? Lucy represents
the ideal, obedient Christian, never straying from her Lord’s set
path, faithfully believing Him until the end. In Lucy’s story,
Edmund is a sort of antagonist as he casts his lot with the White
Witch for a time. However, Edmund remains a Pevensie child, and
it is the Pevensies whom we have identified to be the protagonists
of the story. It seems likely that his turncoat behavior exists to
illustrate the traitorous nature of man. That is, whereas Lucy
represents innocent humanity searching for God, Edmund plays the
Prodigal Son. Both of these stories and responses are equally valid,
but they emphasize different conflicts and, therefore, will produce
different story charts. The choice remains for the reader to make.
Remember that getting the right answer is not the object of the
discussion here. What we are after is thoughtful discussion that
forces the kids to read closely and support their own understandings
of the story with evidence from the text.
13
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
For the purposes of this Teacher Guide, we will chart
Edmund’s story, since it is fraught with both internal and external
conflict. As the receiver of Aslan’s love and sacrifice, this story is
uniquely his. In addition, Edmund’s character is perhaps the most
sympathetic. While Lucy represents an ideal Christian and an
“example to follow,” the average struggling, suffering sinner may
not identify with her. Edmund, however, stands as a remarkably
sympathetic character. Helpless in his sin and treachery, he needs a
Savior desperately. All readers identify with this fundamental
need.
(4) Who else is the story about? (Antagonist)
The White Witch remains the story’s main antagonist. A
traitorous usurper, she opposes the children at every turn. She hates
the Pevensies from the start because ancient Narnian prophecy has
foretold that the arrival of these four siblings, destined to become
the monarchs of Narnia, will herald her downfall. The White Witch
opposes the children’s attempts to survive, to meet Aslan, and to
reach Cair Paravel, all for the purpose of preventing her prophesied
demise. Despite her reprehensible nature and purpose, the White
Witch commands a peculiar fascination and attraction. As Edmund
discovers soon after his entrance into Narnia, the White Witch is as
deceptively attractive as Queen Jadis in The Magician’s Nephew
(see chapter 6 below). Using her striking beauty and frigid charm
to their best advantage, she seduces Edmund into her service, but
her charms soon fade. Having once obtained her goal, the White
Witch reveals a heart as cold as the icy winter she imposes upon
Narnia.
Interestingly enough, Edmund too plays the part of an
antagonist in the initial portion of the story. Controlled entirely by
his lust for Turkish Delight and all that it signifies, Edmund is
driven to act in a way that is ultimately incompatible with his own
goals of survival and happiness. This Turkish Delight which
Edmund lusts after boasts intense allegorical significance. As
tantalizing as the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, the Witch’s
candy revolutionizes Edmund’s perspective on his own life and
situation. Much as the forbidden fruit incited dissatisfaction and
ambition in Adam and Eve, Turkish Delight opens Edmund’s eyes
to the insufficiency of his current state and rouses evil ambitions in
his mind and heart.
14
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
(5) What does the protagonist want? (6) Why can’t he have it?
As the protagonist, Edmund Pevensie’s desires and goals are
the driving focus of the story. Initially, Edmund wants one thing,
pure and simple: Turkish Delight. Due to the allegorical nature of
this story, however, this craving of Edmund’s is much deeper than
it seems. This is a fabulous point of discussion as well, for truly,
Edmund wants much more than sweet treats to tickle his taste buds.
He wants what the Turkish Delight represents, namely self-
gratification, guilty comfort and satisfaction, and all the fruits of
sin. He lusts after this end and dreams that he can obtain it, while
avoiding the consequences which inevitably follow such
indulgence.
His dreams prove ultimately futile. As every sinner knows, the
wages of sin are death, and Edmund’s violation is no different. No
sooner does he indulge in the fruits of his sin than he finds himself
bound to the White Witch; simultaneously, his awareness of the
cruelty of his liege-lady grows. As the realization of his dire
predicament dawns on Edmund, he becomes miserable and begins
to long for salvation. This conflict begins as a Man vs. Self conflict
as Edmund gratifies himself despite the harm his actions will
eventually cause him. Later it becomes a Man vs. Man conflict, as
Edmund longs for freedom and the White Witch holds him captive.
NOTES:
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43
Prince Caspian
Ex
posi
tio
n
Th
e P
even
sies
ret
urn
to N
arn
ia t
o
fin
d t
hat
man
y a
ges
have
pass
ed.
Mea
nw
hil
e, C
asp
ian
fle
es f
or
his
li
fe f
rom
Mir
az’
s h
ou
se a
nd f
all
s in
w
ith
a b
and
of
“Old
Narn
ian
s.”
TH
EM
E
C
om
ing o
f A
ge
Fait
h
Good
vs.
Evil
PL
OT
SE
TT
ING
CO
NF
LIC
T
Wil
l C
asp
ian
def
eat
Mir
az
an
d t
ake
the
thro
ne
of
a f
ree
Narn
ia?
(M
an
vs.
Man
, M
an
vs.
Socie
ty)
Wil
l th
e ch
ild
ren
tru
st i
n A
slan
’s d
irec
tion
s or
rely
on
th
eir
ow
n e
ffort
s?
(Man
vs.
God
, M
an v
s. S
elf)
W
ill
Casp
ian
matu
re i
nto
an e
ffec
tive
kin
g?
(Man
vs.
Self
)
CH
AR
AC
TE
RT
he
myth
ical
lan
d
of
Narn
ia d
uri
ng a
re
bel
lion
again
st
the
op
pre
ssio
n o
f th
e T
elm
ari
nes
Ris
ing
Act
ion
Th
e k
ids
join
Casp
ian
’s e
ffort
to
def
eat
Mir
az
for
“Old
Narn
ia.”
T
hey
str
uggle
to t
rust
in
Asl
an
and
to
ex
erci
se w
ise
lead
ersh
ip.
Co
ncl
usi
on
A
slan
all
ow
s th
e T
elm
ari
nes
to
leave
Narn
ia t
hro
ugh
a m
agic
door
into
an
oth
er w
orl
d.
Th
rou
gh t
his
sa
me
door,
th
e P
even
sies
ret
urn
to
En
gla
nd
Den
ou
emen
t L
ed b
y A
slan
, th
e O
ld N
arn
ians
rou
t th
e T
elm
ari
nes
and
res
tore
th
e la
nd
to i
ts r
igh
tfu
l p
eop
le.
Casp
ian
is
cro
wn
ed k
ing,
thou
gh
he
feel
s u
nw
ort
hy.
Cli
max
Aid
ed b
y t
he
trea
cher
y o
f th
e T
elm
ari
nes
, P
eter
def
eats
Mir
az
in
sin
gle
co
mb
at.
Asl
an
; th
e W
hit
e W
itch
; th
e P
even
sie
chil
dre
n;
th
e ta
lkin
g b
east
s of
Narn
ia
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Story Chart
44
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
Ex
posi
tio
n
TH
EM
E
PL
OT
SE
TT
ING
CO
NF
LIC
T
CH
AR
AC
TE
R
R
isin
g A
ctio
n
Co
ncl
usi
on
Den
ou
emen
t
Cli
max
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Story Chart
155
The Last Battle
Questions About Style: Literary Devices
(17) Does the author use the characters and events in his story
to communicate a theme that goes beyond them in some way?
Lewis uses the characters of Shift and Rishda Tarkaan to
communicate an underlying irony throughout the story. Though
they themselves don’t believe in Tash or Aslan, the conspirators
“summon” Tash in the presence of a host of witnesses. Ironically,
both Aslan and Tash do, in fact, exist. In answer to the summons,
Tash appears in Narnia. Tirian and his fellows see the specter
floating fast to Stable Hill. The dwarf in the king’s company
chuckles to himself:
“this fool of an Ape, who didn’t believe in Tash,
will get more than he bargained for! He called
for Tash: Tash has come…
“Ho, ho , ho!” chuckled the Dwarf, rubbing his
hairy hands together. “It will be a surprise for
the Ape. People shouldn’t call for demons unless
they really mean what they say.” (p. 103-104)
This ironic thread is woven throughout the story, increasing
the tension and adding an element of humor to the portentous
events of the tale.
NOTES:
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156
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
Ex
posi
tio
n
Th
e ath
eist
mon
key
Sh
ift
use
s a
lion
sk
in d
isgu
ise
to c
on
vin
ce
Narn
ians
that
serv
itu
de
is t
he
wil
l of
“A
slan
,” s
hak
ing t
hei
r fa
ith
and
p
utt
ing N
arn
ia a
t ri
sk.
TH
EM
E
F
ait
h;
Mate
riali
sm v
s.
Su
per
nat
ura
lism
; G
ood
vs.
Evil
PL
OT
SE
TT
ING
CO
NF
LIC
T
Wil
l T
iria
n a
nd
his
fri
end
s sa
ve
Narn
ia a
nd
res
tore
its
peo
ple
’s f
ait
h i
n A
slan
?
(Man
vs.
Soci
ety)
CH
AR
AC
TE
RT
he
myth
ical
lan
d
of
Narn
ia a
t th
e ver
y e
nd
of
its
his
tory
Ris
ing
Act
ion
Eu
stace
and
Jil
l jo
in K
ing T
iria
n i
n
gath
erin
g a
band
of
tru
e N
arn
ians
to r
esis
t th
e C
alo
rmen
e in
vad
ers.
T
hey
con
fron
t S
hif
t an
d h
is
ath
eism
and
th
e L
ast
Batt
le e
nsu
es.
Co
ncl
usi
on
T
he
chil
dre
n r
eali
ze
that
this
last
N
arn
ian a
dven
ture
wil
l n
ever
en
d,
bec
au
se t
hey
are
in
th
e re
al
“A
slan
’s c
ou
ntr
y” —
hea
ven
, w
her
e all
worl
ds
are
on
e.
Den
ou
emen
t T
hou
gh
Narn
ia f
ail
s, A
slan
lea
ds
his
foll
ow
ers
thro
ugh
th
e st
able
d
oor
and
in
to H
is o
wn
cou
ntr
y,
“fu
rth
er u
p a
nd
furt
her
in.”
Cli
max
At
the
hei
gh
t of
the
batt
le,
Tir
ina
leap
s th
rou
gh t
he
stab
le d
oor
an
d
mee
ts A
slan
him
self
, alo
ng w
ith
all
th
e old
kin
gs
and
qu
een
s of
Narn
ia.
Fait
h i
s co
nfi
rmed
by s
igh
t.
Eu
stace
Scr
ub
b a
nd
Ji
ll P
ole
; th
e P
even
sie
chil
dre
n;
Tir
ian
, K
ing o
f N
arn
ia;
Ris
hd
a
Tark
aan,
the
Calo
rmen
e in
vad
er;
the
god
s T
ash
an
d
Asl
an
.
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
Story Chart
157
The Last Battle
Ex
posi
tio
n
TH
EM
E
PL
OT
SE
TT
ING
CO
NF
LIC
T
CH
AR
AC
TE
R
R
isin
g A
ctio
n
Co
ncl
usi
on
Den
ou
emen
t
Cli
max
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
Story Chart
158
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of Narnia
NOTES:
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About the Author
Megan Andrews is a sophomore
English major at Hillsdale College in
Hillsdale, Michigan. She is the
author of several popular Teacher
Guides published by the Center for
Literary Education, including Straw
Into Gold by Gary Schmidt and The
Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall.
Ready Readers: The Chronicles of
Narnia is her first book-length
compilation. Megan also writes
poetry and essays and works as a
tutor in the CenterForLit writing
center.
In addition to her literary pursuits,
Megan is an accomplished classical ballerina who also enjoys
singing jazz standards and contemporary church music.
When she is home from school, she likes spending time with her
sister Molly Kate, her four brothers—Ian, Aaron, Calvin and Charlie—and her dog, Hound.
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