Winning His Spurs 6
Study Guide Questions for Ch. 11-12
If you are looking for the beginning of the study for G. A. Henty’s Winning His Spurs then you can go HERE for a brief introduction. At the bottom of the introduction you will find the links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available. If you would like to see the growing list of book studies available for free on this site you can go HERE. Enjoy!
Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)
Adoption, Recklessness, Unity, Loyalty, Honor, Faith, Piety
Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)
What had put King Richard into a “fever of anxiety?”
What did the king of Cyprus do when Richard demanded that he make amends for his actions and what was the end result?
What did Richard do which caused some “quiet grumbling among his troops?”
What had the French been doing at Acre before Richard and his men arrived?
What caused Acre to surrender to the crusaders in the end?
What prized “relic” was retrieved when Acre was conquered?
What action was said to have “sullied” Richard’s reputation?
What circumstances led to King Richard gaining supreme command of the fighting forces?
What became of those who “straggled” behind in the march toward Jerusalem?
During the battle with Saladin’s forces, what were the Archers supposed to do in relation to the knights?
What was the role and responsibility of a squire during battle?
Toward what goal did Saladin devote “a large number of his best troops?”
How did Cuthbert’s quick thinking save the king?
What was “one of the features of this war” against the Saracens which made complete victory so difficult to attain?
What honor did Cuthbert receive due to his actions during the battle?
Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)
Why do you think the King of Cyprus did not yield to Richard’s demands?
What do you think motivated the king’s decision to marry the princess immediately after her rescue from the king of Cyprus?
Why might King Philip have thought it best to wait for Richard and his forces?
Why might Saladin have chosen not to come to the defense of Acre even though he was nearby?
Compare and contrast the English and Moslem (Muslim) forces in their appearance and battle tactics. What seem to be the relative advantages and disadvantages for each?
Why would the normal ceremonies associated with knighthood be bypassed when granted to someone during a time of war?
What might we infer about Cuthbert by the fact that he knelt in prayer “alone” in his tent after being made a knight?
Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)
Henty said, “In those days a town taken by assault was always looked upon as the property of its captors.” This seems to suggest that it was no longer the case in Henty’s day to view victory in this way. What, according to your understanding, is the relationship and responsibility a country has with/to another country which they have conquered? Explain your thinking on this carefully.
Was Richard’s deposition of the King of Cyprus just or unjust? Explain your reasoning carefully.
The English and French fought together with real unity at the siege of Acre. What kind of conditions bring about unity? What would you say is necessary for long lasting unity? What kind of things bring about the dissolution of unity where it used to exist?
Was Richard right to threaten that “any man who moved from the ranks should die by his hand?” Why or why not?
Do you think wars are easier to win when they are in your home country or when they are away from your home country? What factors affect the ability to win a war and how is this affected by the location of the war relative to the home of the military forces?
Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)
Read 2 Kings 25 (which contains the story of the siege of Jerusalem and fall of Judah to the Babylonians). Compare and contrast this to the two different sieges in our current reading. What is similar and different? Is Richard like Neudchadnezzar or is he more righteous in his doings? Explain your thinking about this.