Vulnerable and Inadequate
“he had never known such peace, never realized that joy
could be so sweetly compounded with pain” (230).
Points for Reflection
Children of Men, chps. 27-33
- early in these chapters, Theo oscillates between taking hold of hope and feeling all hope is lost. Where does he end up, ultimately?
- would it be appropriate to label the ornamentations, dance, and ritual violence of the hostile Omegas as “Art”? [sec 02: Nick B]
- recall any particular indigenous people groups? Will an American audience read these details differently than a British audience?
- what does Rolf’s physical and emotional response to Julian’s revelation (186-87) reveal about his character? [sec 01: Kolt K]
- how does Theo respond to Julian’s revelation, and what does this suggest about the original nature of his affection for her?
- Julian’s pregnancy constitutes a kind of miracle—even Theo has referred to it as such. Is she intended to be a mother of Christ, Mary-like, figure, or something else?
- any thoughts as to why P. D. James titled this novel as she did?
- do the various changes undergone by Theo in this novel include the kind of spiritual rebirth advocated by Christianity?
- early in these chapters, Theo oscillates between taking hold of hope and feeling all hope is lost. Where does he end up, ultimately?
- Theo told us in his diary that he was “learning to love” (176), and Miriam observes that Julian is beginning to love Theo (187). Does the book provide a clear definition of “true” love?
- why might Theo throw his diary into the lake (219)?
- which proves more important in helping Theo learn to value both beauty and love, intellect or emotion?
- does Theo, ultimately, share Xan’s comfort with power and violence?
- recall that Julian and Rolf both consider the Warden, Xan, to be evil. Is their assumption proven correct?
- earlier in the novel, Theo’s response to Rolf’s and the group’s criticisms of the Quietus, treatment of the Sojourners, and the Isle of Man Penal Colony was that no one cared enough to complain, since they are relatively comfortable and safe. Luke and Julian suggest that what society really needs is a transformed “moral will,” that the people themselves have to be changed (64). Does this novel prove their hope to be an impossible pipe dream?
- in this novel’s opening pages, Theo reflects on both the curious nature of Christianity (and whether a visiting alien race will be able to decipher the significance of the cross) and humanity’s deification of science and medicine (4-5). By the close of this novel, have either God or science emerged victorious?
T. S. Eliot's "Journey of the Magi" (1927), PDF
- this poem narrates the journey of not only the magi traveling to see the Christ child, but Eliot's own journey towards faith--a journey which culminated in 1927 which his baptism and conversion to the Anglican church in 1927. Given this interpretive schema, what do lines 1-20 begin to represent?
- consider the possible significations of the following symbols: "a temperate valley" (l.21), "a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness" (l.23), "three trees on the low sky" (l.23), "an old white horse" (l.25), and "Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver" (l.27).
- what does the word "satisfactory" denote in line 31?
- is the unease which characterizes the lives of the Magi upon their return to their homeland a positive or negative experience?
- has the Magus narrating this poem become suicidal in the poem's final line?
- Eliot could have chosen any number of Biblical narratives to metaphorically describe his own spiritual journey. Why choose this one? Consider this question in light of Eliot's earlier poems.
Power (1931)
Cyril Power
Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu
