Pilgrim's Progress
Introduction: The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which
Is to Come is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is
regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature
1.
What see the dreamer?
Answer: The
narrator defends the story he is about to tell, which is framed as a dream. He
explains that he fell asleep in the wilderness and dreamed of a man named
Christian, who was tormented by spiritual anguish. A spiritual guide named
Evangelist visits Christian and urges him to leave the City of Destruction.
Evangelist claims that salvation can only be found in the Celestial City, known
as Mount Zion.
2.
Discuss the neighbors Christian ?
Answer:
Pliable - A neighbor of Christian’s who accompanies him
for a while. After falling in the Slough of Despond, Pliable is discouraged and
returns home, only to be mocked by the townsfolk.
Pliable is persuaded to go
with Christian, hoping to take advantage of the Paradise that Christian claims
lies at the end of his journey. Pliable's journey with Christian is cut short
when the two of them fall into the Slough of Despond, a boggy mire-like swamp
where pilgrims' doubts, fears, temptations, lusts, shames, guilts, and sins of
their present condition of being a sinner are used to sink them into the mud of
the swamp.
3.
What
happen to the slough of despond?
Answer: The Slough of Despond is a fictional, deep bog in John
Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, into which the protagonist Christian
sinks under the weight of his sins and his sense of guilt for them.
This miry Slough is such a place as cannot be mended; it
is the descent whither the scum and filth that attends conviction for sin doth
continually run, and therefore is it called the Slough of Despond: for still as
the sinner is awakened about his lost condition, there ariseth in his soul many
fears, and doubts, and discouraging apprehensions, which all of them get
together, and settle in this place; and this is the reason of the badness of
this ground.
The "Slough of Despond" may have been inspired by Squitch Fen, a
wet and marshy area near his cottage in Harrowden, Bedfordshire, which Bunyan
had to cross on his way to church in Elstow, or "The Souls' Slough"
on the Great North Road between Tempsford and Biggleswade.
4.
Why this called the slough of
despond ?
Answer: The
Slough of Despond (/ˈslaʊ ... dɪˈspɒnd/;[citation needed] "swamp of
despair") is a fictional, deep bog in John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's
Progress, into which the protagonist Christian sinks under the weight of his
sins and his sense of guilt for them.
In John Bunyan’s famous allegory,
Pilgrim’s Progress the hero stumbles into the Slough of Despond, otherwise
known as the Swamp of Despair. Bunyan describes it as, “This miry Slough is
such a place as cannot be mended; it is the descent whither the scum and filth
that attends conviction for sin doth continually run, and therefore is it
called the Slough of Despond.”
5.
What happen to worldly Wiseman?
or
Answer: Worldly
Wiseman presents the first real temptation for Christian to stray from his
righteous path. He tells Christian to ignore the Evangelist's advice, and that
he can shed his burden by going to the town of Morality and following the
guidance of Mr. Legality and his son.
Mr. Worldly Wiseman symbolizes the
kind of person who strongly believes than he can achieve his own salvation by
obeying the law of Moses.
What is the
suggestion of Mr. worldly Wiseman?
Answer: Mr. Worldly Wiseman suggests
that Christian go to Mr. Legality’s, in the town of Morality, and Christian,
who is still quite vulnerable, is seduced by the idea. As Christian deviates
from his path, Bunyan suggests the pernicious power of the law by increasing
the weight of his burden. Rather than liberating Christian, as grace will, the
law further encumbers him, making his journey up the mountain extremely
difficult.
6.
What did see the Christian
interpreter house?
Answer: The
House of the Interpreter is sort of like school for Christian. "The
Interpreter" who lives there takes him from room to room, showing the new
pilgrim images representing Christian principles.
As Christian enters
the house, the Interpreter commands his servant to light the Candle. This
Candle is representative of the Spirit's work of illumination. Without this
light, the hallways and rooms of the house would be dark and unprofitable. In 1
Corinthians 2:14 Paul instructs us: "But the natural man does not receive
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Only by the power of
the Spirit can one who is by nature dead and blind, see and understand the Word
of God. "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,
who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).
7.
Discuss the way of Danger and way
of destruction.
Answer: Before
coming to the Hill of Difficulty, Christian meets two well-dressed men named
Formality and Hypocrisy who prove to be false Christians that perish in the two
dangerous bypasses near the hill, named Danger and Destruction. Christian falls
asleep at the arbor above the hill and loses his scroll, forcing him to go back
and get it. Near the top of the Hill of Difficulty, he meets two weak pilgrims
named Mistrust and Timorous who tell him of the great lions of the Palace
Beautiful. Christian frightfully avoids the lions through Watchful the porter
who tells them that they are chained and put there to test the faith of
pilgrims.
8.
Discuss about the Arbour?
Answer: One of
the gracious provisions from the Lord of Hill, set in the midst of Hill
Difficulty, is a pleasant Arbor. As Christian struggles to make it up and over
the hill, he takes refuge in the Arbor. We noted last time that the Arbor
represents a Word of Grace—a truth or promise of Scripture applied to our
present situation. This Word comes to us in many ways: listening to a sermon,
studying the Bible, reading books that are well grounded in Scripture, or
hearing a word of encouragement or comfort in a conversation with a brother or
sister in Christ. God uses many means to bring and apply His Word to our hearts
at our moment of need.
While in the
Arbor, Christian finds comfort in gifts he received at the Cross: the Roll
and the Coat. He takes great delight in contemplating all that God had
given him in Christ.
The purpose of
the Arbor is for the refreshment of weary travelers. It is a place to find
strength and encouragement along the Way. But the Arbor is not designed for
lodging. It is not meant to distract travelers from continuing on their
journey. It is a place to rest for a moment, for pilgrims to catch their breath
and then press on. The Arbor becomes a hindrance when Christian settles in,
satisfied with where he is in the journey. He fails to keep looking up the Hill
and beyond to his final destination. He falls into a sinful slumber of pride
and self-satisfaction in his present state of grace.
9.
Discuss
about the place of Beautiful.
Answer: House Beautiful,
a palace that serves as a rest stop for pilgrims to the Celestial City. It
apparently sits atop the Hill Difficulty. From the House Beautiful one can see
forward to the Delectable Mountains. It represents the Christian congregation,
and Bunyan takes its name from a gate of the Jerusalem temple (Acts 3:2, 10).
10.
Discuss about valley of humiliation?
Answer: Valley of Humiliation was a steep hill, and the
way was slippery; but they were very careful, so they got down pretty well.
This Valley of Humiliation is of itself as fruitful a place, as any the crow
flies over; Christian was and I am persuaded, if we could hit upon it, we might
find somewhere hereabouts, something that might give us an account why
Christian was so hardly beset in this place.
Christian enters and Valley of Humiliation where he
encounters a monster Apollyon who Christian begins to feel afraid, and he
wonders whether he should go back or stand his ground. If he turns back, the
devil would have an advantage over him because the devil would be able to shoot
arrows at his back with his bow, So, Christian decides that the best course for
him would be to stand and face Apollyon.
11.
Christian’s combat with apollyon?
Answer: When Christian replies that he is coming
from the City of Destruction and bound for the City of Zion, Apollyon points
out that he is the prince and god of the City of Destruction and all
surrounding territory, that Christian is therefore one of his subjects and owes
him obedience, that he should obey his command and turn around and go home.
Christian refuses, announcing his intention of continuing "in the King's highway,
the way of holiness." With that, Apollyon blocks the path and lets fly at
Christian with a flaming dart, which Christian deflects with his shield. But
then comes a shower of flaming darts, "thick as hail," inflicting
many wounds. Christian's sword is useless to him, for Apollyon stays out of
reach as he moves around hurling his darts.
The fight goes on for above half a
day." Toward the end, growing weaker and weaker from loss of blood,
Christian has to give way a step or two, at which the monster rushes at him,
knocks the sword from his hand, and throws him down, pinning his shoulders to
the ground. Thinking each breath will be his last, Christian reaches out a
hand, fortunately finds his sword within reach, and plunges it into his
tormentor. Apollyon jumps up and staggers back, with Christian after him,
hoping to bury his sword in his heart. But the monster escapes by taking to his
dragon wings and flying off, threatening to be back again to deal with
Christian.
13.
Discuss a town called vanity?
Answer: This is Bunyan's allegorical account of
Christian's progress from sin and evil to glory and redemption, told as an
account of a journey from the City of Despond to the City of Zion. The phrase
"Vanity Fair" is also known, of course, through its appearance as the
title of William Makepeace Thackeray's novel in the nineteenth century. In
Bunyan's narrative, Christian travels through the Slough of Despond, up the Hill
of Difficulty, through the Valley of Humiliation, across the Valley of the
Shadow of Death, and past the very mouth of Hell. Christian meets Faithful and
Evangelist, the latter being a guide for many pilgrims. Evengelist warns
Christian and Faithful that they must go through the town of Vanity, where
Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion have erected a huge fair. At the fair, warns
Evangelist the travelers will be tempted by every kind of vain and worldly
merchandise:
They presently saw a town before them,
and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is kept a fair,
called Vanity Fair; it is kept all the year long; it beareth the name of Vanity
Fair, because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity; and also
because all that is there sold, or that cometh thither, is vanity.
•
The pilgrim’s progress
allegorically significant of Book i-ii
Answer:
The Pilgrim's Progress was written by “John Bunyan" as an allegory. It is a
story with metaphors and symbols, picturing a man on his spiritual journey to
Heaven, facing troubles and adversities all along the way. Christian, the main
character in the plot, makes his pilgrimage to the Celestial City.
For example, Vanity Fair is a city filled with pleasures
and parties and is meant to distract Christian from his journey with its
alluring, glamorous enticements. It represents the world that offers temporary
trinkets and treasures that will soon pass away. It is owned by the Landlord,
Beelzebub, another name for the Devil.
Obstinate and Pliable appear early in the story to
convince Christian to return to his city. Obstinate stands very stubbornly, and
though Christian urges him to join him, Obstinate's concrete feet adamantly
refuse, and he tenaciously retreats back into his city.
Pliable, however is a fickle, feeble, fair-weather
follower. He changes his mind frequently, and after accompanying Christian a
short distance, he turns back when the way gets too hard to travel.
Help and Faithful
are two loyal friends that assist Christian on his journey. Their names
demonstrate their character. Faithful is martyred at Vanity Fair for refusing
to take part in their vain materialistic merchandise and fashionable festivals.
His dying testimony is that he is faithful to the end. Help rescues Christian
when he is sinking fast in the Slough of Despond and proves to be a trustworthy
friend.
The many
allegories and symbolic characters in Pilgrim's Progress are meant to remind a Christian that all the
treasures of this world will soon pass away and that there is a life after
death for which one must prepare.
* The pilgrim’s
progress allegorically significant of Book i-ii
Answer: The
Pilgrim's Progress was written by
“John Bunyan" as an allegory. It is a story with metaphors and
symbols, picturing a man on his spiritual journey to Heaven, facing troubles
and adversities all along the way. Christian, the main character in the plot,
makes his pilgrimage to the Celestial City. Actually, his journey symbolizes
his spiritual experiences and the progress which he spiritually makes.
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