Directions Use each of the following words in a sentence that clearly shows understanding of the

Transcription

1 English II Spring Board Unit 3 Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms Directions: Write out the definition of each word. 1. Annotated bibliography 2. Archetype 3. Characterization 4. Dramatic irony 5. Foil 6. Folk tale 7. Foreshadowing 8. Hamartia 9. Motif 10. Plagiarism 11. Proverb 12. Reliability 13. Situational irony 14. Symbol 15. Tragic hero 16. Validity 17. Verbal irony

2 English II Spring Board Unit 3 Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms Directions Use each of the following words in a sentence that clearly shows understanding of the meaning of the word. Make sure to spell each word correctly in your sentences. 1. Annotated bibliography 2. Archetype 3. Characterization 4. Dramatic irony 5. Foil 6. Folk tale 7. Foreshadowing 8. Hamartia 9. Motif 10. Plagiarism 11. Proverb 12. Reliability 13. Situational irony 14. Symbol 15. Tragic hero 16. Validity 17. Verbal irony

3 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Foreword Activity 3.2 Proverbs and Folk Tales Learning Target: Examine thematic connections between proverbs and folk tales. Proverbs and folk tales are one part of a culture s oral tradition. People share proverbs and folk tales in order to express important stories, ideas, and beliefs about their culture. In the foreword to Night, Francois Mauriac says that he wishes he could explain to Elie Wiesel the role of suffering in Christian faith, but he is too overwhelmed by sorrow to do so. This lesson will explore proverbs that reveal people s beliefs about suffering. 1. Read each of the following proverbs about suffering and explain what you think it means. A. According to the suffering is the reward Armenian proverb B. Only through suffering and sorrow do we acquire the wisdom not found in books. Japanese proverb C. Look not at thieves eating meat, but look at them suffering punishment. Chinese proverb D. If a dog offers to help you across the river, don't ask if he is suffering from the mange. Arab proverb E. It is a person suffering from cold who will first think of closing the door. African proverb F. A man who is afraid of suffering suffers from fear itself. French proverb G. Experience purchased by suffering teaches wisdom. Latin proverb H. A friend who visits you when you are suffering is your best friend. Sudanese proverb I. The suffering patient knows more than the expert doctor. Sicilian proverb J. But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. Job 36:15 2. Choose one of the proverbs from above and tell why you agree or disagree with it. 3. What would you have said to Wiesel about the suffering he endured?

4 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Foreword Activity 3.2 Proverbs and Folk Tales Learning Target: Examine thematic connections between proverbs and folk tales. The book of Job is a part of the Hebrew Bible and is the oldest poetical book of the Old Testament. It addresses the theme of God s justice in the face of human suffering or more simply, Why do good people suffer? It is a theological work praised by Alfred Lord Tennyson as the greatest poem of ancient and modern times. As you read this excerpt, consider how it addresses the concept of suffering. Excerpt from The Book of Job (New International Version) Prologue 1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. 4 His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. This was Job s regular custom. 6 One day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [b] also came with them. 7 The LORD said to Satan, Where have you come from? Satan answered the LORD, From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it. 8 Then the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. 9 Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied. 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. 12 The LORD said to Satan, Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger. Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. 13 One day when Job s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!

5 16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, The fire of God fell from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you! 17 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you! 18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you! 20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: Naked I came from my mother s womb, and naked I will depart. [c] The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. 2 On another day the angels [a] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, Where have you come from? Satan answered the LORD, From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it. 3 Then the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason. 4 Skin for skin! Satan replied. A man will give all he has for his own life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face. 6 The LORD said to Satan, Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life. 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die! 10 He replied, You are talking like a foolish [b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

6 11 When Job s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. 3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 He said: 3 May the day of my birth perish, and the night that said, A boy is conceived! 4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. 6 Then Job replied: 2 If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. 25 How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove? 26 Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat my desperate words as wind? 27 You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend. 28 But now be so kind as to look at me. Would I lie to your face? 29 Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my integrity is at stake. [b] 30 Is there any wickedness on my lips? Can my mouth not discern malice? 8 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: 2 How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind.

7 3 Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? Surely God does not reject one who is blameless or strengthen the hands of evildoers. 9 Then Job replied: How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him? 15 Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy. Although I am blameless, I have no concern for myself; I despise my own life. 11 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: 2 Are all these words to go unanswered? Is this talker to be vindicated? 3 Will your idle talk reduce others to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock? If he comes along and confines you in prison and convenes a court, who can oppose him? 11 Surely he recognizes deceivers; and when he sees evil, does he not take note? 12 Then Job replied: Keep silent and let me speak; then let come to me what may. Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. 2 They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure. At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. 32 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.

8 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: God does all these things to a person twice, even three times 30 to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them. 34 Then Elihu said: Far be it from God to do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong. 11 He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves. Do you think this is just? You say, I am in the right, not God. 3 Yet you ask him, What profit is it to me, [a] and what do I gain by not sinning? 38 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: 2 Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? 3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him! 3 Then Job answered the LORD: 4 I am unworthy how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. 5 I spoke once, but I have no answer twice, but I will say no more. 42 Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?

9 Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. Epilogue 7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the LORD told them; and the LORD accepted Job s prayer. 10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver [a] and a gold ring. 12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years. 1. Who are the main characters in the story? 2. What is the setting of the story? 3. Briefly summarize the plot of the story. 4. What does the story have to say about suffering? 5. Explain how the character of Job serves as an archetype, and give an example of another story or movie character who fits this archetype. 6. Give an example of a symbol in the story, and explain the symbolism. 7. What lesson did the author of Job want to teach his readers? Support your answer with reference to the text.

10 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Night Section One Activity 3.5 Father and Son Learning Target: Analyze how a complex character interacts with other characters. 1. List one similarity between Eliezer and his father. 2. List one difference between Eliezer and his father that causes stress between them. 3. How does Eliezer deal with the tension between his father and himself? 4. Does Eliezer s father function as a foil character to Eliezer in this book? Explain your reasoning. 5. In your opinion, why don t the Jews in Sighet react more strongly when all foreign Jews are deported from Hungary? 6. How does the Jewish community react when Moshe returns from exile with stories of Jewish persecution at the hands of the Nazis? Explain how their reaction could be a motif in this book.

11 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Section Two Activity 3.7 Family Ties Learning Target: Analyze how a complex character interacts with other characters. 1. Describe how the behavior of the Jews changes after being locked together in a train car for hours. What does their behavior suggest about them and/or their captors? 2. Compare and Contrast the way Madame Schater is treated on the train with the way Moshe the Beadle was treated in Sighet. You may choose to use a Venn diagram. 3. Do you think the Jews on the train really trust the Germans when they are told that they will be sent to a work camp, and that families will be kept together? If so, what is the basis of their trust? If not, why do they treat Madame Schater the way they do? 4. Explain how the author uses characterization in the description of Madame Schater in order for her to function as a literary device. 5. With which character in the book are you most sympathetic at this point, and why?

12 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Section 3 Activity 3.8 Sacrificial Son Learning Target: Write an analytical response to a section of text. 1. Give an example of foreshadowing earlier in the book that hinted at what is now happening in section three, or give an example of foreshadowing from this section. 2. How has Eliezer changed since the beginning of the book, and what has caused this change? 3. How is the reaction of the younger Jews to their suffering different from the reaction of the older Jews? Why do you think the two groups react differently? 4. Why do you think Eliezer lies to Stein? Do you think the lie was justified? Explain your answer. 5. Compare Eliezer and his father to the Biblical character, Job. Which character seems to be more like Job? In what ways is the other character different? 6. Despite all they have seen, the prisoners continue to express their faith in God and trust in divine redemption. How do you think their transfer to Buna will affect their faith? 7. Eliezer s skepticism of his faith continues to grow as conditions become worse. How do you think his skepticism will affect his relationship with his father in the next section? 8. Do you think a violent uprising at Auschwitz would have been consistent with the religious beliefs of the prisoners? Do you think it could have been successful? 9. If Eliezer s father is an archetype for a character who endures great suffering without resistance, give another example of this archetype from literature or film. 10. Write one question you have about the book so far.

13 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Section 4 Activity 3.12 Different Reactions to Injustice and Suffering Learning Target: Analyze how complex characters react to the events in a plot. 1. At the beginning of this section, what plans does Eliezer make for after the war is over? 2. What prediction is made by Akiba Drumer? 3. What is ironic about Eliezer s reaction to the beating of his father at the hands of Idek? 4. How have Eliezer s values changed since the beginning of the book? 5. Why does the French girl who works next to Eliezer in the warehouse take pity on Eliezer? 6. How is Eliezer s gold tooth symbolic? 7. When the Jewish child is hanged in the central square, one of the prisoners asks, Where is God now? What is Eliezer s response? Explain what he means.

14 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Section 5 Activity 3.13 Decisions and Consequences Learning Target: Analyze how a theme is developed over the course of a novel. 1. How does Eliezer react to the celebrations of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement? 2. What does Eliezer conclude about the Jewish belief that the Jews are God s chosen people? 3. What does Eliezer conclude about the powers of man and God? 4. What gifts does Eliezer receive from his father in this section? Why are these gifts significant? 5. What miracle does Eliezer discover has happened when he returns from work one day? 6. What happens to Akiba Drumer, the man who earlier predicted that the prisoners would be freed soon? 7. Why does the rabbi no longer believe in God? 8. Eliezer has concluded that there is no reason to bless God, because there is no God, or God is dead. In your opinion, is there evidence of God working in Eliezer s behalf? Does he have anything to be thankful for? 9. What is ironic about Eliezer s decision to be evacuated with the others instead of staying in the infirmary when the Russian army approaches Buna?

15 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Sections 6 and 7 Activity 3.15 A Tragic Hero? Learning Target: Understand the concept of a tragic hero and determine whether the label can be used to describe Eliezer. 1. Consider the character of Eliezer in this book. Does he meet your criteria for being considered a hero? 2. Aristotle defined a tragic hero as one who has a mixture of good and bad in his personality, who has a fatal flaw, or hamartia, which leads to his downfall, who usually goes on a journey or participates in a quest, who has a large capacity for suffering, and whose downfall is often preceded by self-realization. To what extent, if any, does Eliezer fit this definition? Explain your answer. 3. Aristotle s definition of a tragic hero also says that the character is usually of high or noble birth. To what extent, if any, does Eliezer fit this part of the definition? Explain your answer. 4. Give an example of Eliezer acting selflessly on behalf of another character in this section. 5. Why does Eliezer lie to Rabbi Eliahou about his son? Evaluate his decision to lie. 6. Explain how Juliek s violin can serve as a symbol. 7. When Eliezer tells the story of the Parisian woman throwing coins to the native boys in Aden, the Parisian woman says, I like to give to charity. What type of irony is this an example of? Explain your reasoning. 8. Despite Eliezer s earlier conclusion that God is dead, he continues to pray during this section. Why do you think he does this?

16 Spring Board Unit 3 Night by Elie Wiesel Section 8 and 9 Activity 3.16 Colliding Cultures Learning Target: Analyze how key plot events develop a theme related to cultural conflict. 1. When Eliezer begins to look for his father after awakening from a deep sleep, he looks only halfheartedly. What internal conflict is Eliezer struggling with? How is this struggle tied to his religious beliefs? 2. In an earlier section of the book, Eliezer prays My God, Lord of the Universe, give me the strength never to do what Rabbi Eliahou s son has done. Why is this significant? 3. In an earlier part of the book, Eliezer concludes that God is dead, and then he and his father decide to leave the infirmary. Why is this significant? 4. In an earlier part of the book, Eliezer says that he has no reason to bless God. Why is this significant? 5. On April 11, 1945, The U.S. Third Army liberated the prisoners at Buchenwald. Wiesel went on to become a United States citizen. Night has sold over six million copies, and Wiesel went on to win a Nobel Peace Prize in He was approached about making the book into a movie, but he refused. Today he is politically active, recently criticizing the Obama administration for its lack of support for Israel in the construction in East Jerusalem. He describes himself as agnostic. After reading Night and this biographical information about Elie Wiesel, what is your impression of him? Should he be regarded as a hero? Explain your answer.

17 English II Mr. Fox Spring Board Unit 3 Embedded Assessment 3.2 Five Paragraph Literary Analysis Essay Name Your assignment is to write an analytical essay about Night in which you examine a character and his or her response to a conflict. Even though Night is a memoir in which actual events are recorded, the book can still be analyzed in a literary way. Analyze how the conflict challenges the character s sense of identity and explain how his or her response shapes the meaning of the work as a whole. Steps: 1. Identify the protagonist of the story. The protagonist is usually a dynamic, or round character. This means that the character changes in some significant way. If no characters change, you are likely reading an allegory (a brief story that is told to teach a lesson, and which the characters are symbolic). If there is a dynamic protagonist in Night, who is it? If Night is an allegory, who seems to be the main character? a. Example: In the book of Job, Job is the protagonist, but he is not a dynamic character. He gains insight but does not significantly change as a character. 2. Identify a personality trait or belief that the protagonist holds at the beginning of the book. a. Example: Job believes deeply in God, and that we must worship him despite our circumstances. 3. Identify any character who has a belief or character trait that is opposite of the belief or trait you identified in #2. This character could be a foil character or possibly the antagonist. a. Example: All of Job s friends believe that Job is being punished by God for sins he has committed, and they urge him to repent. His wife believes he is cursed by God, and should curse God and die. 4. Identify the conflict. What challenge does the protagonist face that begins to change him or her? a. Example: Job faces incredible suffering through the loss of his children, his wealth, and his health. He does not understand the reason behind his suffering. 5. Identify the change in the protagonist s character traits or beliefs. If you read Night as an allegory, what does the main character seem to symbolize? a. Example: Since the book of Job is an allegory, Job symbolizes the kind of man God wants his followers to be: one who is faithful even when circumstances are terrible. 6. Identify the fate of the character. At the end of the novel, how do things turn out for the protagonist? a. Example: Job is chastised by God for questioning his methods, but then God blesses Job with twice the wealth he had at the beginning of the story. 7. Draw a conclusion about the main character s traits or beliefs, based on his or her fate. Does the author want us to learn what the protagonist learned? Is the reader supposed to admire, pity, scorn, love, hate, etc. the protagonist? What is the message the author is sending the reader through the protagonist? This message is the theme. a. Example: Job is blessed by God at the end, so the author s purpose is to show that his belief system was correct, and that believers should model Job s faith, and understand that God does not promise good circumstances or an easy life on earth.

18 8. Write a thesis statement that identifies the theme or author s purpose for writing the book. Remember that the message must apply to the reader s actual life, not just to the characters in the book. a. Example: The book of Job is an anonymously written, poetic allegory that contains two important theological ideas: good people suffer because God has the authority to call them to suffer, and God sometimes has purposes beyond our understanding. 9. Select at least three passages from the text that support your thesis statement. Write them out word for word. Cite each quote parenthetically in MLA style, and explain how each quote supports your thesis statement. a. Example: i. In all this, Job did not sin in what he said (Job 2:10). This quote establishes that Job s suffering was not a punishment for any sin he was guilty of. Job was a righteous man. ii. Where were you when I laid the earth s foundation? / Tell me, if you understand. / Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! / Who stretched a measuring line across it? (Job 38:4). This passage is God talking to Job. He challenges Job by asking questions that Job could not possibly know the answers to, demonstrating that his knowledge is far superior to Job s. It also suggests that God s purposes are more important than Job s. iii. He replied, You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (Job 2:10). This verse is important because Job is replying to his wife, whose advice to Curse God and die seems logical from a human perspective (Job 2:9). She is expressing the feeling that, if God allows us to suffer, we should reject him. Job s rejection of her self-centered approach and continued faithfulness to God is a role model for believers today. 10. Within the passages you selected, identify three literary devices the author uses to achieve the theme, and label each example within the quotes. a. Example: i. The author of Job uses rhetorical questions when God speaks to Job. Where were you when I laid the earth s foundation? and Who marked off its dimensions? These questions are rhetorical because God knows that no human could answer them. The questions are used to expose Job s inferior understanding compared to God s. ii. Verbal irony is used when God says to Job, Surely you know! God s words mean the opposite of what they say, because Job does not know the answer to God s question. God s words are harsh, so they can also be considered sarcasm. iii. Job expresses a maxim (a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage) when he asks the rhetorical question, Should we accept good from God, and not trouble? The question is rhetorical because the answer is implied in the question. The implied answer is a maxim because it is a brief statement that gives advice, not only to his wife, but to the reader, and actually expresses the theme of the book. 11. Read through the sample outline I created for my literary analysis essay on the Book of Job. Create an outline for your analysis of Night, using the materials you have generated in all the previous steps. Your thesis statement should go in the first paragraph, and three body paragraphs can be created around the three quotes you chose. Your conclusion should include an evaluation of the theme. Do you agree with the author s message or not, and how relevant is the message to readers?

19 12. Read the sample literary analysis essay on the Book of Job. 13. Use the supplied template to write your literary analysis. Use the handout Basic Tips on Writing a Literary Analysis to make sure your format is correct. 14. Rough Draft is due 15. Exchange papers with a classmate and complete a literary analysis essay peer review. Have at least one peer review completed for your essay. 16. Read through the peer review and revise your essay. Typed draft is due

20 English II Mr. Fox Spring Board Unit 3 Embedded Assessment 3.2 Five Paragraph Literary Analysis Essay Sample Outline Name I. Paragraph 1: Introduction a. Thesis statement: The book of Job is an anonymously written, poetic allegory that contains two important theological ideas: good people suffer because God has the authority to call them to suffer, and God sometimes has purposes beyond our understanding. b. The book of Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible, written around 4,000 years ago (make sure to cite source) c. Important book because it addresses a question that keeps many people today from believing in God: Why would a good God allow so much suffering in the world? II. Body Paragraph 1 a. Quote: In all this, Job did not sin in what he said (Job 2:10). b. Job is not being punished, even though his friends will suggest he is. c. Suffering does not always mean that God is angry or that we are being punished. III. Body Paragraph 2 a. Quote: Where were you when I laid the earth s foundation? / Tell me, if you understand. / Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! / Who stretched a measuring line across it? (Job 38:4). b. Use of rhetorical questions to demonstrate that God knows more than Job c. God uses sarcasm, which is unexpected, but illustrates Job s foolish questioning of God s methods. d. Illustrates the point that God has his own purposes, which we may not understand, just as we do not understand how he created the world. e. God defeats and humiliates Satan through Job s sufferings, and Job never learns this. He must simply accept that God had a reason. IV. Body Paragraph 3 a. Quote: He replied, You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? (Job 2:10). b. Even Job s wife thought he was cursed by God, and that he should Curse God and die. c. Job s maxim is that believers need to accept good and bad from God, and not allow circumstances to make us doubt. d. Part of staying faithful to God in all circumstances often requires us to oppose members of our own family and friends. Being a believer is not easy. V. Paragraph 5: Conclusion a. One of the most asked questions about God is answered in this book. b. Relevance to believers: we must not allow our faith to depend on our circumstances. c. Many examples of Christian suffering in the Bible include Jesus, Paul, and the disciples. d. Personal reaction: suffering is part of the Christian faith, and, though my sufferings cannot compare to what Job went through, I have experienced suffering and learned from it.