- Screwtape refers to two types of women in this letter: the terrestrial and an infernal Venus. The terrestrial woman is described as "readily mixed with charity, readily obedient to marriage, coloured all through with that golden light of reverence and naturalness which we detest." The infernal Venus is described as "a type best used to draw him away from marriage altogether but which, even within marriage, he would tend to treat as a slave, an idol, or an accomplice." This type of woman is also said to be best as a prostitute or mistress but can be used to Wormwood's advantage as a wife. I think that most people are haunted by these two types of characters in the opposite sex. A woman who is a Christian and knows Biblical truths should be knowledgeable of what type of spouse she should be seeking in her life. However, women (even Christian women) are often tempted by good looks, a suave personality, and a "sexy" demeanor. What we see on television and watch in the movie theater greatly influences how we expect men to look and act like. Girls who are obsessed with romance movies often have a very distorted view of what their "perfect guy" should look and act like. I think this applies to me personally in some ways because I know what I should be looking for in someone that I am considering spending the rest of my life with. I want to live with someone who is a "terrestrial" and is well-grounded in Biblical principles and can be an encouragement to me. I don't think I'm haunted by an "infernal Venus" because I'm already interested in someone. That person is a really good influence on me, and he is always guiding me to live for God. So I would say that he is definitely a "terrestrial" and not an "infernal Venus."
2. How is the World "...making the role of the eye in sexuality more and more important and at the same time making its demands more and more impossible"?
- I think the World is doing this through television, movies, and music specifically. All three of these pop culture media outlets can be easily reached by most people in the world. Many television shows today are focused on outward appearances and things other than what is really important in life. Young girls on television shows are made to look older than they are by the way the dress and the makeup they wear. Most women on television strive to be seen as the epitome of sexiness; they act, look, and dress a certain way to attract a male audience. Even commercials that we see on television every day are geared toward the idea of a "perfect looking woman." A big example would be the Victoria's Secret commercials. Those are on all the time and we see them quite often. A lot of movies always have some "hot" or "sexy" girl to go along with the lead male character. There is a lot of sex in movies too, and the way women dress and the looks they give men also exude a feeling of attractiveness. Men are also used to look really good in movies. Romance movies make the lead male character seem to be so attractive. It causes people who watch those kinds of movies to think that they will also get a "prince charming" who looks and acts just like how the movie characters do. The motto: "sex sells," is seen all over the culture of modern man. Music is another avenue through which sex plays a huge part of. Vulgar and inappropriate references to women and sex are in all kinds of music. Most people just listen to a song because it's catchy or they like the tune but sometimes they never really listen to the lyrics and what the artist is trying to convey. Music videos are a huge part of the music industry too. There are tons of music videos out there with very inappropriate things focused on both men and women. With all these avenues through which we can view what the world thinks of sexuality, some people tend to create a fantasy idea of what the "perfect" man or woman should look like. It is probably impossible to find someone who matches all the criteria of the "perfect" man or woman.
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