Deplorable Word: Difference between revisions

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The Deplorable Word, as used in The Magician's Nephew, by British author C. S. Lewis, is a magical curse which kills all life in the world except that of the one who speaks it. Writing in 1955 at the height of the Cold War, Lewis has the lion Aslan say to the central characters, who are children from the Victorian era:

"It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations of your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice... Let your world beware. That is the warning."

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The children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, come to a desolate and lifeless world, which they later learn is called Charn. In an ancient and almost ruined building they awaken a queen, Jadis. She tells them of a world-wide civil war she fought with her sister for complete power. All of her armies were defeated in rivers of blood and her sister was victorious. Then Jadis spoke the horrible curse which her sister knew she had discovered but did not think she would use. She killed every living thing in the world except herself to keep her sister from the throne.

The children are shocked by this account, but Jadis has no remorse. She still craves power. Eventually she becomes the White Witch who rules Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

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-The '''Deplorable Word''', as used in ''[[The Magician's Nephew]]'', by British author [[C. S. Lewis]], is a magical weapon of last resort in [[Charn]], the home world of the character Queen [[White Witch|Jadis]]. All life besides the user's is apparently extinguished by its power.
+The '''Deplorable Word''', as used in ''[[The Magician's Nephew]]'', by [[United Kingdom|British]] author [[C. S. Lewis]], is a [[Magic (paranormal)|magical]] [[curse]] which kills all life in the [[world]] except that of the one who speaks it. Writing in 1955 at the height of the [[Cold War]], Lewis has the lion [[Aslan]] say to the central characters, who are children from the [[Victorian era]]:
+:"It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as [[evil]] as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations of your world will be ruled by [[tyrant]]s who care no more for joy and justice... Let your world beware. That is the warning."
 {{spoiler}}
-Apparently, Charn had been engulfed in a [[civil war]] one thousand years before the events of ''[[The Magician's Nephew]]'' took place.  (Since [[Narnia]]n time differs from Earth time, however, Charn time may also differ from Earth time as well; as a result, there is no way to know how long ago the war happened relative to events on Earth). Jadis, the Queen, was challenged by her sister, who led an army against her; Jadis, her entire army destroyed, used the word, which destroyed all other life in her world, to keep her sister from the throne.
+The children, [[Digory Kirke]] and [[Polly Plummer]], come to a desolate and lifeless world, which they later learn is called [[Charn]]. In an ancient and almost ruined building they awaken a [[queen]], [[White Witch|Jadis]]. She tells them of a world-wide [[civil war]] she fought with her sister for complete power. All of her armies were defeated in rivers of blood and her sister was victorious. Then Jadis spoke the horrible curse which her sister knew she had discovered but did not think she would use. She killed every living thing in the world except herself to keep her sister from the [[throne]].
-Though it was apparently known in Charn that the Deplorable Word existed, it was forbidden to try to discover it or use it; Jadis mentions vaguely that it was difficult for her to discover it, and also says that although her sister knew that Jadis knew the Word, she did not expect the Queen to actually use it. What the Word actually is, is never said; probably this is because if Jadis told anybody what the word was, it would simply cause another mass death throughout her world. (How she was told the Word is not explained.)
-It could be hypothesized to be a reference by Lewis to [[nuclear weapon]]s. This is given credence by the Word's destructiveness and that Jadis sister felt that Jadis would never use it; also, at the end of the book, [[Aslan]] warns the characters [[Digory Kirke]] and [[Polly Plummer]] that:
+The children are shocked by this account, but Jadis has no remorse. She still craves power. Eventually she becomes the White Witch who rules [[Narnia]] in [[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]].
-"It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations of your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy as the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware. That is the warning." <!-- is the quote "as the Empress" or "than the Empress"?  The latter makes grammatical sense... -->
 [[Category:Narnia]]