Stowe 18-22

    In my word cloud, I made sure to include all the main characters. I have also included locations, adjectives to describe the characters, and themes. Many of the words present a harsh contrast, such as brutality and kindness. Both are present in the book, often intertwined closely in the culture of slavery.

Stowe, Chapters 13-17

Stowe, Chapters 5-8

Stoker Storyboard

Philosophy on Objectionable Elements

   In our world of staggering media consumption, it's often impossible to avoid objectionable material. The verse that I apply most to my decision process is I Corinthians 10:23, which states that, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify." When encountering inappropriate material, I first ask myself if the material is beneficial to me. Why do I want to read this? Will this be useful in either my everyday life or my spiritual walk? Very rarely do I encounter  any inappropriate material that I feel would be useful to me as a Christian. Second, I ask myself if the material might cause my mind to stray towards sinful thoughts. If I can watch something that is deemed inappropriate and still feel that I'm in complete accordance with God's law, then I would go right ahead and do it, but really, that's probably not the case.
   One of my biggest struggles is my own reading choices. Although I believe that books have helped me a lot in my struggle for wisdom, there have been many cases where books have gotten me into trouble. I've never been attracted to the types of movies or television programs which promote explicit material, however, it's very difficult for me to stop reading a book that I've already gotten into. If I'm reading a book and I find a scene that goes against my convictions, I need to be able to skip over it or boycott the book entirely. 

   I believe that as a Christian, it's best to avoid anything that can corrupt us. I've heard fellow Christians argue that as long as sinful material is viewed objectively, it can have no negative effects on our hearts. Although they may believe that their decision is righteous, I think it's unwise to invite evil into our hearts, regardless of the reason. I'd certainly not be the first Christian to be overcome by worldly sins, and it seems unwise to put myself in a position of temptation. Matthew 6:22-23 says, "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness."