Teaching Through the Simpsons

Home , Bart Sells His Soul, Homer the Heretic, In Marge We Trust, Reverend Lovejoy

Many topics can be taught using episodes of The Simpsons. Below are just some examples of the numerous topics that can be covered using this television show. These episodes can be used in many different ways.

• You can outline at the start of Class 1 what topic you are going to explore. You can discuss the key terms and explain a small bit about it, then play the episode. In Class 2 you can hand out the worksheet and ask students to fill it in from watching the episode in the last class. In Class 3 you can then discuss the episode using the questions from the worksheet as a guide.

• You can introduce the topic at the start of Class 1. You can explain about it and use other material to briefly introduce it. Then you can break the episode into three 10-minute sections that are watched over several classes, as time allows. After each section you can stop the episode and explore what the class have learned so far. At the end of the episode you can then hand out the worksheet. The worksheet should take one class to be answered in an indepth way. In a later class you can discuss in detail all that the episode has shown about the particular topic, using the worksheet as a guide.

The episodes with worksheets attached are:

1. ‘Bart Sells His Soul’ – In this episode Bart sells his soul without realising the consequences. Throughout the episode he learns an important lesson about the value of his soul. 2. ‘Homer the Heretic’ – In this episode Homer refuses to go to church with the family. He decides he doesn’t believe in God and religion. Throughout the episode he is taught a very important lesson. 3. ‘In Marge We Trust’ – In this episode Marge feels that she can help the people of Springfield just as well as the Reverend does. However, she soon learns that helping others is not as easy as it seems. 4. ‘The Tree House of Horrors’ – In this episode there are three different ‘mini’ stories. Each story contains an important lesson. 2 Time to Journey Online Resource

‘Bart Sells His Soul’

1. What is your idea of heaven? 2. What is your idea of hell? 3. Explain Reverend Lovejoy’s threat to the children after mass. 4. What do you think of what Reverend Lovejoy said? 5. It is said that The Simpsons often takes a point of view that is the opposite of what viewers believe, exaggerates it to the point of ridiculousness and hopes that people get it. What is the point of this episode? 6. What is a soul? 7. Do you believe everyone has a soul? Why/why not? 8. What do you think happens to a soul after death? 9. What was Lisa’s view of the soul? 10. What was Milhouses’s view of the soul? 11. What was Bart’s view of the soul? 12. Draw a cartoon version of what you think happens to the soul after death. Write some text un- derneath your cartoon to explain your point of view. Teaching through The Simpsons 3

‘Homer the Heretic’

1. What does the word ‘heretic’ mean? 2. How does it relate to Homer in this episode? 3. In this episode, what do you think of the behaviour of Homer as a: • Person • Husband • Father • Neighbour? 4. In what new way does Homer decide to worship God? 5. What did Homer say about Apu and his religion? What do you think of this? 6. Homer had a dream in which God appeared to him. Explain this dream. 7. Why does God give Homer the option to worship in ‘his own way’? 8. Ned Flanders insists that God did not burn down Homer’s house. How does Reverend Lovejoy feel about the issue? 9. Homer is saved by his neighbours, who are all of different religions. Name the religions. 10. What does this tell you about Homer’s neighbours? 11. After Homer is saved, how does he feel about God? 12. What did you think about the ending of the episode? 13. What religious issue/message is dealt with in this episode? 14. Are there any other moral/religious issues in this episode? 4 Time to Journey Online Resource

‘In Marge We Trust’

1. Explain briefly what happens in this episode, for: • Marge • Homer and the children. 2. What are the religious/moral issues in this episode? Explain. 3. Does the church help you in your daily life? 4. Should the church help you in your daily life? Why/why not? 5. In what ways do members of the church community take responsibility for each other: • In your parish • In the Simpsons’ parish. 6. Why are people sometimes put off helping others? 7. ‘People should look after members of their own religion first.’ Do you agree? Explain. 8. Imagine someone comes to you with a problem. They pour it all out and expect you to respond in some way. How are you going to try to help them? Would it make any difference if the person was not a close friend? Why/why not? 9. At the end of the episode, Reverend Lovejoy entertains the congregation with his exciting sermon. Compare this sermon to the one at the start of the episode. 10. What do you think of sermons at your place of worship? Teaching through The Simpsons 5

‘Tree House of Horrors’

1. Explain briefly what happens in each of the three parts of this episode. 2. Part 1 is about Homer selling his soul to the devil. Why, do you think, is Ned Flanders portrayed as the devil? 3. What do you think about the way hell is portrayed in this episode? 4. The selling of a soul was also dealt with in another episode. Compare the two episodes. 5. Part 1 ends with Marge explaining that Homer had given his soul to her on their wedding day; therefore, the devil could not take it. Do you think you can give a significant other your soul? Why/why not? 6 In Part 2 Bart has a dream about his death. Explain the dream. 7. Bart is on his way to school. What happens on the bus? 8. Why doesn’t anyone believe Bart? 9. Can you compare what happened to Bart with the story of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’? Why/why not? 10. Is there a lesson to be learned (religious or other) at the end of Part 2 of this episode? 11. Explain what moral message you think Part 3 might be trying to express. 12. What do you think about the way The Simpsons deals with religion? Explain.