Cana Academy® Guide LEADING A DISCUSSION ON THE GOLDEN GOBLET Mary Frances Loughran & Julia DeCelles-Zwerneman PUBLISHED BY CANA ACADEMY® www.canaacademy.org © 2019 Cana Academy® All rights reserved. Unauthorized uses prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations or excerpts embodied in published materials permitted by copyright law: in that case, the source of the quotations or excerpts must be included in the published materials. For permission requests, contact the publisher via the Cana Academy website. i ©2019 Cana Academy® THE GOLDEN GOBLET Eloise Jarvis McGraw (1915-2000) Grade Level: 6 ISBN: 0-14-030335-9 Recommended hours: 4 INTRODUCTION The Golden Goblet was written in 1961 by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. The book follows the story of twelve-year-old Ranofer and takes place in the ancient city of Thebes, which served as the capital of Egypt at the time the story takes place. Queen Tiy, wife of Amenhotep III and mother of Akhenaten, is the current queen of Thebes. She lived roughly between 1390 and 1353 BC, setting the story sometime during the 14th century BC. This guide includes the following: • A brief introduction to some geographic and historical background • A glossary of important terms • Discussion questions for each chapter • A list of broader questions suitable for closing discussions and writing assignments THE WORLD OF RANOFER, SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Golden Goblet takes place during the reign of Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt as pharaoh from 1390 to 1353 BC. His wife was Queen Tiye, and his successor was the famous pharaoh, Akhenaten. Central to the plot is ancient Egyptian religion. Although difficult to summarize briefly, this religion was marked by a fascination with the role of the dead, ancestors, and the afterlife. Burial was an important and revered practice in ancient Egyptian culture. After loved ones died, they were buried with whatever belongings would be necessary to protect and sustain them in the afterlife, including food, furniture, and clothing. Members of the royalty were often buried with jewelry and other expensive goods. The presence of this buried treasure tempted tomb robbers to loot the royal tombs, selling the burial goods for a fortune. Tomb robbery was considered highly sacrilegious and a serious crime, often punishable by death. The pharaoh was viewed as an important link between humanity and the gods, and he was revered both during life and after death. Some pharaohs, including Amenhotep III, even went so far as to be deified during their own lifetimes. Ancient Egyptian religion was polytheistic, but the most important deity was Ra, the god of the sun. His importance was due in part to the significance of solar cycles to farming in the fertile land of the Nile region. 1 ©2019 Cana Academy® Spoken today by descendants of the above Germanic grammar but written in Hebrew alphabet Traditionally, ancient Egyptian religion held that there were three important elements of a person’s spiritual essence. Here is the Encyclopedia Britannica's brief description: The most significant of these were the ka, which was the vital essence of a person that was transmitted from one generation to the next, the ba, which granted freedom of movement and the ability to take on different forms, principally in the next world, and the akh, the transfigured spirit of a person in the next world.1 Although it is not essential for the teacher to cover all facets of ancient Egyptian religion, students will need to have some basic familiarity with some of these ideas. IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS City of the Dead: located on the western side of Thebes; most artisan shops and craftsmen operated here Thebes: the capital of ancient Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdoms, located along the Nile and about 500 miles south of the Mediterranean Street of Good Fortune: the street on which Zau lives and works Street of the Crooked Dogs: the street on which Gebu and Ranofer live Street of the Masons: the street on which Wenamon lives Valley of the Kings: the valley near Thebes where many pharaohs and other members of ancient Egyptian royalty were buried 1 https://www.britannica.com/topic/ancient-Egyptian-religion/The-Gods 2 ©2019 Cana Academy® GLOSSARY To augment student understanding, we have included the following glossary of important terms. The number in parentheses indicates the page on which the word is first used. Adder (12) Common venomous snake Amulet (8) A charm often inscribed with a magical incantation or symbol; used for protection against evil Ankh (41) A cross with a loop for its upper vertical arm; emblem of life Anneal (22) Adder To heat and then cool; used in the process of softening and making metals less brittle Anubis (49) Jackal-headed god of death in Egyptian mythology “By Amon” (13) Analogous to “by God”; Amon was a major Egyptian deity Crucible (7) A vessel for melting substances at high temperatures; in this context, used to melt gold Deben (22) Ancient Egyptian unit of weight Goldhouse (8) A workshop where gold objects are made Ingot (7) A mass of metal cast into a convenient shape for storage or transportation Ka (20) One third of the soul, as conceptualized by the Crucible ancient Egyptians ©2019 Cana Academy® 3 Matt (left) and Osiris (right) Kheft (18) Ghost of the deceased “Land of the West” (28) Reference to the afterlife Maat (18) Egyptian goddess of truth, justice and harmony Month of Hathor, season of growing (8) The third month of the ancient Egyptian calendar; corresponds to November 10 through December 9 Osiris (39) Egyptian lord of the afterlife Ouzait (41) An amulet shaped like the Eye of Horus; symbol of wealth and good fortune; used as protection for the wearer Papyrus (29) A tall perennial plant of the Nile valley; commonly made into strips and pressed into a material to write upon Ra (31) Egyptian sun god 4 ©2019 Cana Academy® Shenti (30) Piece of linen fabric commonly worn around the waist Thoth (18) Egyptian god of writing, magic, wisdom and the moon Waif (36) A stray person, often homeless and malnourished CAST OF CHARACTERS The names of many of the characters are unusual and, as a result, may be difficult for students to remember. We have therefore included a short list of the main characters below. Teachers may direct students to keep track of these with page references in an index of their own making. They are listed here in alphabetical order. Gebu: Ranofer’s abusive half brother Heqet: one of Rekh’s apprentices; close friend of Ranofer Ibni: Rekh’s Babylonian porter Pai: foreman at Gebu’s stone-cutting shop Amulet depicting Ra Queen Tiy: Queen of Thebes Ranofer: the main character, 12 years old Rekh: the goldmaster at the shop where Ranofer works as a porter Sata: the First Craftsman at Rekh’s goldhouse Setma: a Nile-boat captain; acquaintance of Gebu Thutra: Ranofer’s deceased father Wenamon: a cloaked stonemason; associate of Gebu and Setma Zaohetep: craftsman at Gebu’s stone-cutting shop Zau: a famous goldsmith and friend of Ranofer’s deceased father; held in high esteem at the Pharaoh’s Palace ©2019 Cana Academy® 5 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS We recommend reading assignments of approximately one chapter per assignment, about twenty to thirty pages. These discussion questions are intended for the teacher’s use only. They should not be given to the students, nor should they be used as the basis for comprehension quizzes or tests. Rather, the questions are intended to help the teacher lead lively, penetrating discussions. The list of broader questions at the close of the guide should be consulted occasionally, as the relevance of those questions may arise in the discussions earlier than anticipated. Chapter 1 1. What does Ranofer enjoy doing? Why is he unable to do it? 2. What does the “sharp glint” in Ibni’s eyes indicate (11)? 3. What is Gebu doing with the wine with which Ibni sends Ranofer home? 4. What is happening with the gold from the goldhouse? 5. What do the stripes on Ranofer’s back indicate? What is happening to him? Why doesn’t he tell Rekh what he endures at home? 6. What does it mean to be apprenticed? Why is it so important to Ranofer that he be apprenticed instead of being a porter? 7. Describe Ranofer’s old life. How does it compare to his current situation? 8. Describe how Ranofer refers to the sun. Why does he refer to it this way? Chapter 2 1. Where does Ranofer live? What is this place called? Why does it have this name? Why do the craftsmen make items for tombs? Explain. 2. Describe Gebu. Explain his relationship with Ranofer. How does he diminish Ranofer? 3. What are Ranofer’s suspicions? How does Gebu respond to Ranofer’s suspicions? Is that how Ranofer expected him to respond? Explain. 4. Is Ranofer still right about Gebu? Are Gebu and Ibni stealing the gold? Explain. 5. What does Ranofer hate about Gebu, even more than the physical abuse he endures at his hands? 6. What does Ranofer eat for dinner? What does Gebu eat for dinner? What do you think of this? 6 ©2019 Cana Academy® Chapter 3 1. Describe what Ranofer is doing in the sand at the beginning of Chapter 2. What does he see everywhere in everyday objects? 2. What task does Rekh give Ranofer? Why does this make him so happy? 3.