The+Golden+Compass


 * [[image:http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780375823459&height=300&maxwidth=170 caption="The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials"]] || [[image:http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/art/shim.gif width="25" height="1"]] || **The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials**

[|Fiction] - [|Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic]; [|Fiction] - [|Action & Adventure] | Knopf Books for Young Readers | Trade Paperback | September 2002 | $11.95 | 978-0-375-82345-9 (0-375-82345-X) Also available as an [|eBook], [|hardcover] and a [|paperback].
 * Written by** [|Philip Pullman][[image:http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/art/btn_author_alert.gif caption="Author Alerts: Random House will alert you to new works by Philip Pullman" link="http://www.randomhouse.com/author/at.pperl?authorid=24658&action=age_check"]]

http://www.paradiselost.org/
 * [[image:http://s9.addthis.com/button1-addthis.gif width="125" height="16" link="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php"]]
 * [[image:http://www.randomhouse.com/art/bw06/catalog/share/goodreads.png caption="Add to Good Reads" link="http://www.goodreads.com/book/isbn/9780375823459"]]
 * [[image:http://www.randomhouse.com/art/bw06/catalog/share/librarything.png caption="Add to Librarything" link="http://www.librarything.com/search_works.php?q=9780375823459"]]
 * [[image:http://www.randomhouse.com/art/bw06/catalog/share/shelfari.png caption="Add to Shelfari" link="http://www.shelfari.com/booksearch.aspx?Adv=True&SearchAmazon=True&Title=&Author=&Isbn=9780375823459"]] ||
 * [[image:http://www.randomhouse.com/art/bw06/catalog/share/shelfari.png caption="Add to Shelfari" link="http://www.shelfari.com/booksearch.aspx?Adv=True&SearchAmazon=True&Title=&Author=&Isbn=9780375823459"]] ||


 * TEACHERS GUIDE**

**NOTE TO TEACHERS**

Each of the novels in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy offers an exciting adventure that takes readers, young and old, on a journey through different dimensions to unknown worlds. The electrifying plots and unusual and mysterious characters make these novels excellent choices for reading aloud.

Themes of good vs. evil, betrayal, courage, fear, trust, and love raise important questions, offering students a wonderful opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue. This guide offers questions for discussion and includes activities that connect the language arts, social studies, science, music, and art curriculum.

**ABOUT THIS BOOK**

Philip Pullman’s intriguing and haunting trilogy sends fantasy lovers on an incredible journey through other worlds where they meet mysterious creatures and a brave and extraordinary 12-year-old girl, Lyra Belacqua, who has the power to seek truth.

In //The Golden Compass//, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by evil scientists.

//The Subtle Knife// takes Lyra to Cittagàzze, where she meets Will Parry, a fugitive boy from our own universe who becomes her ally and friend. On their journey from world to world, Lyra and Will’s lives become forever intertwined as they uncover a deadly secret.

And finally, in //The Amber Spyglass//, Lyra and Will, with the help of two tiny Gallivespian spies and Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear, set out to a world where no other living soul has ever gone, to make their most haunting discovery yet.

**ABOUT THIS AUTHOR**

Philip Pullman is the highly acclaimed and popular author of novels–from contemporary fiction to Victorian thrillers–plays, and picture books for readers of all ages. He received his degree in English from Oxford University and has taught middle school English for many years. //The Golden Compass//, the first of Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Fiction Prize, and is considered one of the best juvenile fantasy novels of the past 20 years. //The Amber Spyglass//, the trilogy’s astonishing finale, was the first children’s book in history to win the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. It was also nominated for the Booker Prize. Mr. Pullman lives with his family in England.

**TEACHING IDEAS**


 * //PRE-READING ACTIVITY//**

Religion plays an important part in many works of fantasy, which often include themes of good versus evil and characters searching to understand the basic foundations of their faiths. Ask students to use the Bible, a storybook, or an encyclopedia to read about the Garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2, 3). Have students discuss original sin, why God forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and how Adam and Eve’s lives changed once they gained knowledge.


 * //THEMATIC CONNECTIONS//**


 * Betrayal**–Ask the class to look up the various meanings of the word betrayal. How does Lyra betray Roger in //The Golden Compass//? Discuss whether she was aware that she was betraying him. How does she try to rectify this betrayal? What is Lyra’s great betrayal in //The Amber Spyglass//? How do Lyra’s mother and father betray her–and then protect her? Discuss how Lyra deals with these betrayals.


 * Good vs. Evil**–The trilogy challenges our assumptions about good and evil: some witches are good, while some members of the church are evil. What are other examples of unexpected forms of good and evil in the trilogy? At the end of //The Amber Spyglass//, what do Will and Lyra learn about good and evil, about actions versus labels? How will this affect the way they will live the rest of their lives?


 * Courage**–Have students trace Lyra’s courage as she travels from one dimension to another. At what point does she almost lose her courage? How does Will show courage in //The Subtle Knife//? Discuss how Lyra and Will help one another sustain their courage throughout their quests in //The Subtle Knife// and //The Amber Spyglass//. Engage the class in a discussion about whether having possession of the alethiometer and //The Subtle Knife// either gives Lyra and Will courage or threatens it. How does it take courage to leave one another and return to their own worlds at the end of the trilogy?


 * Fear**–At the end of //The Golden Compass//, Lyra is afraid of her father, yet admires him. Why does he evoke fear in her? How can she be afraid and admire him at the same time? How is fear the basis of Will’s mother’s illness? Discuss how fear is related to courage. Engage the class in a discussion about how Lyra and Will’s fears contribute to their courage as they face the evil forces.


 * Trust**–In //The Subtle Knife//, Will accidentally kills an intruder who wants his father’s personal documents and then labels himself a murderer. Why does this enable Lyra to trust him? Which characters do Serafina Pekkala and Lee Scoresby decide to trust? Is their trust warranted? Who are the characters that Lyra once trusted, but in the end finds that she cannot? In what other way does trust play an important role in Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy?


 * Love**–In //The Amber Spyglass//, Will says to Serafina, “Thank you, Serafina Pekkala, for rescuing us at the belvedere and for everything else. Please be kind to Lyra for as long as she lives. I love her more than anyone has ever been loved.” (p. 509) Trace the development of Will and Lyra’s love for one another from the time they first meet in //The Subtle Knife// until they part in //The Amber Spyglass//. How does their love affect the fate of the living–and the dead? How does Lyra’s adventure help her to discover a new meaning of love?


 * //CONNECTING TO THE CURRICULUM//**


 * Language Arts**–//The Golden Compass// has been described as a heroic novel. Ask students to identify the qualities of a hero. Who are the heroes in Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy? Have students select a hero from one of the novels and write a poem about that hero. Encourage students to share their poems in class.

It is quite common for writers of fantasy to create their own vocabularies. Vocabulary, including the names of characters, is often symbolic of the underlying themes and messages of the story. Make a glossary for Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy that represents the unique vocabulary he created.


 * Social Studies**–At the end of //The Amber Spyglass//, Will and Mary return to their world and Will accompanies Mary to her flat. Mary explains to Serafina that she can’t just give Will a permanent home because in her world you must follow rules and regulations regarding keeping children. Find out today’s rules regarding foster care. What is the purpose of foster care? Discuss whether Will would qualify for foster care. Would Mary qualify as a foster mother?


 * Art**–Masks have been used through the ages to represent animals, monsters, supernatural spirits, dream creatures, etc. Ask students to think about which animal would most likely be their dæmon and create a mask to represent that animal. Allow students time to share their masks and to explain why they chose that particular animal as their dæmon.


 * Science/Health**–Mary says that Will’s mother sounds like a “classic manic-depressive.” Ask students to research the symptoms and characteristics of manic-depression or bipolar disorder. How is it different from other types of depression? From anxiety? Research the treatments for various types of depression. What type of treatment is Will’s mother likely to need?


 * Science**–In Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra has the alethiometer, Will has the knife, and Dr. Malone has the spyglass to aid them in their quests. Though these items are fictitious, scientists have always used tools and instruments to conduct investigations. Have students research the type of instruments used through the ages and construct a time line that reveals their development. What instruments do scientists use today?


 * Music**–Music plays an important role in modern fantasy and science fiction films. Play music from films such as Star Wars and ask students to analyze the music as it applies to plot development. How is music an important link in communicating story? Divide students into three groups and assign each a novel in the trilogy. Instruct them to locate music that would be appropriate for a film of their assigned novel. Allow time to share the selections.

**BEYOND THE BOOK**


 * //ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OF PHILIP PULLMAN’S HIS DARK MATERIALS TRILOGY//**

The author tells us that //The Golden Compass// takes place “in a universe like ours, but different in many ways.” How do you think Lyra’s universe relates to ours?
 * //The Golden Compass//**

Why do you think Lyra is described as an unimaginative child? Why would imagination be dangerous to her? How would it affect her understanding of the alethiometer?

What do you think is the author’s purpose in inventing– and exploring–the world of the armored bear?

Are Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter in collusion or are they fighting each other? How and in what way?

How has Will learned to make himself unnoticed by others? Relate this to the witches’ ability to make themselves invisible.
 * //The Subtle Knife//**

How are the Shadows that communicate with Lyra through the computer related to Dark Matter (Dust)? If Lyra can understand the Shadows as she understands the alethiometer, is the computer also acting as a truth-giving device? What is the real origin of the Shadows’ messages?

Giacomo Paradisi tells Will the rules for bearing //The Subtle Knife//. (p. 188) Why do you think Will must “never open without closing”? What did Paradisi mean by a “base purpose”? Compare these formal guidelines to the instinctive rules Lyra obeys when using the alethiometer.

In what way can a knife that divides pathways between worlds–and can sever bone, rock, and steel–be called “subtle”?

Dust, Dark Matter, and Sraf are three different names for the same material. How do these names reflect the different worlds they come from? What kinds of attitudes and feelings does each society have about this material?
 * //The Amber Spyglass//**

Discuss whether Mrs. Coulter is aware that her influence on Will is capable of breaking the knife. What are the connections between Mrs. Coulter and Will’s mother?

Mrs. Coulter goes through a dramatic transformation as her maternal feelings for Lyra break through to the surface. What do you think is the catalyst for this change?

Discuss the significance of human dæmons taking an animal form. Do you think a Mulefa dæmon would take an animal or human form? What does this mean about the nature of dæmons?

By the end of the novel, what similarities can you see between Lyra and Mrs. Coulter? How is Lyra’s storytelling different from Mrs. Coulter’s lying?

**COPYRIGHT**

Prepared by Pat Scales, Director of Library Services, the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities, Greenville, SC.

=The Golden Compass Questions= Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer. Keywords[|Pullman, Philip];[|“His Dark Materials” Trilogy];[|National Theatre];[|London, England];[|Children’s Books];[|BBC Polls];[|Milton, John] Unless you reserved a seat in December, even before the reviews came out, the only way you can see the adaptation of Philip Pullman’s trilogy “His Dark Materials,” at the National Theatre in London this winter, is to stand in line and hope to get one of the thirty seats or sixty spaces for standees that are set aside for sale on the day of the performance. Otherwise, you will have to miss a play that lasts six hours (it can be seen in one sitting, with a dinner break, or on separate days, in three-hour segments); includes witches, angels, armored polar bears, talking dolls who ride dragonflies, evil prelates, a hundred and seventeen scene changes, multiple universes, Timothy Dalton, and a hot-air balloon; and features one of the few theatrical representations of the death of God (who turns out to be a tiny old guy in a plastic casket, and who, when he has his big moment, literally croaks). The run ends in March, and the production was designed for a special multitiered revolving stage, in the Olivier Theatre at the National, so it’s not likely to be remounted anywhere else. There are plans, though, to bring it back at the end of 2004. > The first volume of Pullman’s trilogy, called “Northern Lights” in England and “The Golden Compass” in the United States, came out in 1995. The books are basically for twelve-year-olds, but they have acquired a following rivalling that of “The Lord of the Rings.” The claim is based on an empirical finding. Last fall, in a BBC poll undertaken to determine “the UK’s best-loved book,” “His Dark Materials” finished third, behind “Pride and Prejudice” and the great Frododyssey itself. (The BBC received three-quarters of a million votes. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” finished fifth, just ahead of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Winnie the Pooh,” and “1984.” “Ulysses” limped across the line in seventy-eighth place.) > At a recent performance, a few people left during the dinner break, but not many, and though there were plenty of twelve-year-olds in the audience, it was by no means a young crowd. And there were no complaints heard afterward about the length. The reviews, when they did appear, were mixed; some critics were unhappy because the play wasn’t enough like the books, which they loved, and some were unhappy because it was too much like the books, which they thought were overrated. “Whatever their merits,” the reviewer for the //Daily Mail// remarked, “they are not Charles Dickens or Victor Hugo.” The critics, though, were grownups. The kids at the theatre seemed thrilled. > The kids were probably not aware that Pullman’s title, “His Dark Materials,” is a phrase from “Paradise Lost.” They were probably not aware, either, that the books are intended as an answer to Milton, and an attack on Christian theology and the Church. This is not something that has been missed by the Church, of course. The Association of Christian Teachers, in England, pronounced the show “blasphemous,” and called for it to be banned. In Pullman’s story, the death of God is a good thing, a step forward for the universe. It releases the teen-age heroes, Will and Lyra—played by two excellent young actors, Dominic Cooper and Anna Maxwell Martin—from a world of guilt and oppression and phony purity. Somehow, the cascade of imaginary beings is so overwhelming and the occasional discourses on the nature of the universe are so opaque that the theological point is almost completely buried. The chief villain in the story is the head of the Church, a cold-blooded control freak in purple robes. He is played, by Stephen Greif, as Donald Rumsfeld—slicked-back silver hair, rimless glasses, nasal American accent. Maybe this interpretation was intended to deflect the books’ animus away from established religion and toward an entity whose wickedness these days is, in Europe, somewhat less controversial. > Pullman also has a following in the United States—his prose is more elegant and his plots are more sophisticated than Tolkien’s or J. K. Rowling’s—and a lot of people in the theatre for that January performance were Americans. A three-movie adaptation is in the works, to be produced by Scholastic Entertainment in collaboration with New Line Cinema, which produced Peter Jackson’s three-movie adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings.” A script for the first volume has already been written, by Tom Stoppard. Pop mythology used to be the specialty of the United States, but Britain is on the verge of becoming its leading producer. It’s not the worst position for a former empire to find itself in; there seems to be no end to the demand for the stuff. > http://www.shmoop.com/golden-compass/questions.html
 * 1) Are humans inherently good?
 * 2) Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?
 * 3) Is "Dust" good or bad? What does Lyra think? What do you think?
 * 4) Are you the master of your own destiny, or does fate guide your course?
 * 5) Is Lord Asriel a hero or a villain? Is this a trick question?
 * 6) Could Lyra have saved Roger? Why or why not?
 * 7) What kind of animal would your daemon be? Why?
 * 8) Do you like Lyra? Did you like her through out the whole book, or did she grow on you over time?
 * 9) [[image:http://www.newyorker.com/images/covers/2004/2004_02_02_p323.jpg]]
 * [|Print]
 * [|E-Mail]
 * [|Single Page]
 * [|Print]
 * [|E-Mail]
 * [|Single Page]
 * [|Single Page]