Abraham and Isaac Activity

Image taken from: http://terryfrancis.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/abraham-and-isaac-on-mount-moriah.jpg on 20/04/10

Teaching point one is that all texts are implied propaganda. They invite a reading which will privilege certain values .

Read and discuss the story of Isaac, using the following questions. In your discussion, try to use the same amount of depth that we used for The Lion King questions.

What's left out?

What are the gaps?

What behaviors are rewarded?

What does the story take for granted?

What questions aren’t being asked?

One way of thinking about the gaps is to explore the choices Abe implicitly makes but which the story does not make explicit:

(Two of the biggest gaps happen between verse two and three and between verse 18 and 19. Think about the following things:

Between Verses Two and Three:
What is Abraham’s reaction to God’s demand?
How does he feel about it?

Between Verses 18 and 19:
What did they talk about as they walked down the mountain?
How did Isaac react?
How might Sarah have reacted when they came home and told her what had happened?

Overall,
What is silenced?
Why?
What is the moral of this story?