The Eagle of the Ninth 18
Study Guide Questions for Ch. 18 “The Waters of Lethe”
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Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)
Being/Needing A Guide, Temptation, Loyalty, Wilderness vs. Civilization, Freedom, Appearance vs. Reality
Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)
What things did Marcus ask for from Guern the hunter?
According to the text, why did Marcus and Esca need a guide?
What kind of terrain did the three men have to cross and why was it so dangerous?
What advice did Guern give as to the rest of their journey to the wall?
What did Guern ask to see before parting from Marcus and Esca?
What did Marcus impulsively encourage Guern to do and what was Guern’s response?
What was starting to significantly hinder Marcus’ ability to make progress on their journey home?
What happened which proved Marcus and Esca had waited too long to find a “fox-hole” to hide out in “until dusk”?
Where did Marcus and Esca hide even though it “offered a bare chance of safety”?
What happened which gave away their position to their pursuers?
Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)
Why was Guern willing to help Marcus and Esca despite the great personal risk it would cost him?
How was Guern able to lead them safely even through the thick fog?
Why did Marcus ask Guern to come back with them?
In Greek and Roman mythology Lethe is one of the rivers in the underworld (the place of the dead) which souls must cross before being reincarnated into a new life. The waters of Lethe are said to wash away the memories of your past life. In light of this, what does it mean when the text says, “There was no way back through the Waters of Lethe”?
Why did Marcus and Esca think this journey was worthwhile, even if they were about to die?
The text says that Marcus “noticed for the first time that a clump of harebell had taken root in a cranny of the fallen parapet close to him, and, late in flowering because of the place in which it grew, still carried on fragile bell aloft on an arching thread-slender stem”? How is this symbolic of Marcus’ own situation? How does this connect with similar themes from earlier in the book?
Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)
How ought we to define the concept of “loyalty”? How is loyalty an important idea in this chapter? What kinds of things would need to occur for a person’s change of loyalty to be legitimate (honorable)? Explain your answer carefully and with good reason.
When does it become necessary to have a guide? What makes someone qualified to be a guide?
Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)
Read Deuteronomy 11 and compare it to what Guern told Marcus and Esca, “Do as I bid you and you will cross safely; disobey me, and you will sink.” In what way might we argue that Guern’s words are analogous to this biblical passage?