Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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Subject Topic: CHESTERTON ESSAY-The Extraordinary Cabman Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Mackfam
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Posted: Feb 21 2012 at 5:05pm | IP Logged Quote Mackfam
From our master thread - High school essay course using Chesterton. {Reminder: These essays come from G.K. Chesterton's book, Tremendous Trifles, available free for ereader/Kindle}

Essay for this week: The Extraordinary Cabman

All are welcome to join in the discussion!

1) READ THE ESSAY

2) Add to this thread any observation, enjoyable discussion, question, natural spin-off or rabbit trail that introduced itself by way of this essay.

3) Encourage high schoolers to model an essay based on Chesterton's essay.

IDEAS:

4) If you subscribe to Gilbert Magazine, and received the Nov/Dec 2011 issue, read the article on p. 11, The Children and The Cross. This article was the inspiration for this course. (Back issues of this issue of Gilbert Magazine are available.) High school students might enjoy reading the examples of model essays shared on p. 12 and 13: The Extraordinary Dust Rag and The Extraordinary Coke Bottle. Both of these essays were written by two young ladies (one age 14 and one age 16) and modeled after the essay we're reading this week, The Extraordinary Cabman.

5) Notice Chesterton's mention at the beginning of his article of narration:
G.K. Chesterton wrote:
From time to time I have introduced to this newspaper column the narration of incidents that have really occurred.

The goal for this essay will be to narrate (in the written form) an incident that has really occurred. Chesterton calls these "parables out of daily life."

6) Discuss the logic of certainty that Chesterton and his lunch companions discuss.

7) What is metaphysics? How could it be emotional?

8) Ask your family to help you re-enact Chesterton's lively and emotional luncheon scene at your dinner table one night. Come up with a subject that can be discussed with emotion and announce it at the beginning of dinner. See if you can identify who is broad-minded and who might be the opposite: close-minded. How did Chesterton identify himself? Open or close minded?

9) Discuss exactitude of detail. Chesterton's essays exemplify narrations with "exactitude of detail" and they are extraordinary examples of written narrations. Chesterton narrates incidents that have occurred and then inserts his own thoughts and reflections in his narrations. High schooler/student: are exact details present in your narrations? Could you build or cultivate the habit of giving exact details in your narrations?

10) Read the dialogue between Chesterton and the cabman aloud. Use good inflection and appropriate emotion in reading the scene, and try to cultivate a passable English accent (since most of you are not British). The cabman has a different accent than Chesterton, by the way.

11) How does Chesterton know or reason the cabman is honest in his assertion? Have you ever been in a situation where you were reasonably certain of a thing AND someone else communicated in an honest, earnest way that they were reasonably certain of the opposite thing? Imagine you were confronted this way in the area of apologetics. Could you defend your position firmly and certainly? Are there tools you could use to help you defend your faith? Identify them and set as a goal to put those (knowledge/understanding) tools in place.

All discussion and further sharing is encouraged!

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Jen Mackintosh
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Shari in NY
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Posted: Feb 23 2012 at 6:47am | IP Logged Quote Shari in NY
Lots to work with here! Thanks,Jen, for keeping this going! (I'll try to be better at posting about what we do with these essays )
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Mackfam
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Posted: Feb 23 2012 at 6:59am | IP Logged Quote Mackfam
Oh, no pressure at all, Shari! I really enjoy hearing how others enjoy these essays, but the above are literally just the ideas and thoughts that pop out of my head as I read an essay. For the most part, they're either things my daughter and I have already enjoyed discussing...or things we are going to discuss. His essays can really prompt a variety of avenues of thought - one of the reasons I like them so much!

So, do share if you're inclined! I'd love to hear different or even similar ways your family enjoyed an essay! No pressure though! Just enjoy the essay!

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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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