CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES: Cool Hand Luke Worksheet

Luke: The Messianic Mission- Whether known or not!!

CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES: Cool Hand Luke Worksheet

We have watcheda wonderful movie; you may have seen this movie before, but I hope that this time you watchedit with a different set of eyes (“Metanoia”). This movie, featuring a man who wants only to do ‘his own thing’ and not bother anyone else- positively or negatively, is about a hero who is a ‘natural born earth shaker. In doing his "own thing", he can’t help but influence others.

While I believe that our official hero, Jesus of Nazareth, had a call to be THEofficial Messiah for Christians (you have probably studied the idea of the “deus ex machine” in literature), this man, Luke, certainly has what it takes to be a "messiah” in his own right.

Like most humans, Luke:

  • "follows Jesus onto his own cross and into his own resurrection";
  • sharesJesus’ messianic work helping people feel better about themselves;
  • influences others to do good in the world.

Thus, Luke had his own inborn ability to help people see beyond themselves and transcend their humdrum existence—whether he was aware of such a “call” is certainly open to discussion.

CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES: Cool Hand Luke Worksheet

Jon Sobrino, in his book, The Principle of Mercy: Taking the Crucified People from the Cross
(page 17), tells us:

“When Jesus wishes to show what it is to be an ideal, total human being, he narrates the parable of the Good Samaritan. The moment is a solemn one in the gospels. More is at stake here than mere curiosity as to which is the ‘greatest of the commandments’: this parable is a presentation of what it is to be a human being. The ideal, total human being is represented as one who has seen someone else lying wounded in the ditch along the road, has re-acted, and has helped the victim in every way possible. The parable does not tell us what was going through the Samaritan’s head at the time, or with what ultimate finality he acted. The only thing we are told is that he did what he did because he was “moved to pity.”

The ideal human being, the complete human being, is the one who interiorized the suffering of another—in the case of the parable, unjustly afflicted suffering – in such a way that this interiorized suffering becomes a part of him, is transformed into an internal principle, the first and the last, of her activity. Mercy, as re-action, becomes the fundamental action of the total human being. Thus, this mercy is more than just one phenomenon in human reality among many. It directly defines the human being.”

To be moved towards goodness is to be moved towards fuller humanity.
To desire the movement towards goodness is important, but the movement is the most important part.

Sometimes we don’t realize that we are movingtowards goodness until after the trip.

Luke may or may not have realized his value to the other campers,

but he certainly changed their lives…his life mirrors many of ours—

we often don’t realize how valuable we are to others.

COOL HAND LUKE ASSIGNMENTS

Do one the following Discussion Questions for Homework.

350-500 words should be sufficient to answer any one of the questions.

I have provided a “Cool Hand Luke script” of the movie to help you recall ideas.

  1. How does Luke change the way that the “campers” treat each other and the way they look at their lives?
  2. How does the fight change the attitudes of the campers about violence and about each other?
  3. How does the “50 eggs” scene create a different atmosphere in the camp?
  4. What does the “picture from the bar” symbolize for the campers?
  5. How does the final escape change the attitude of the campers?
  1. Was Luke really “beaten” by the Captain and the Prison System or was he just playing and waiting for another opportunity to escape?
  • Explain why you think “yes” or “no” to his being beaten by giving some examples.
  • What difference would it make if he were only faking his “broken-ness?”
  • Does it make a difference to us if we think that Jesus was only faking his death rather than being really dead?
  • Why is life in the camp, after the fight, an example of what “eschaton” or “olam ha-ba” might look like?
  1. We’ve talked about the “Deus ex machine” concept in Greek drama/literature: after humans had created an insurmountable amount of chaos, it was necessary for God/the universe/the fates to interject a hero/messiah/demi-god into the scene to straighten out the mess and to recreate Order. This was necessary because men were incapable of getting themselves out of trouble. This is similar and opposite to what we discussed about “Ethical Eschaton” (we are empowered by God to reclaim the earth for Him) and Thomas Jefferson’s Deistic idea of the universe (God created the universe, enabled it with the power to govern itself, and then leaves it alone).
  • Was Luke the same “Deus ex machine” that Jesus was? Explain your answer by giving examples from each of their stories and quoting from what they said.
  1. The Heroic Journey or the Vision Quest: The Hero: Show how Luke fulfills his own “Heroic Journey”.
  • responds to a call to lifechanging adventure
  • feels that his/her life is unsettled and incomplete without accepting the call;
  • senses that 'destiny' (God/universe has given a task) must be fulfilled;
  • must be separated (make a clean break) from the old way of life; this shock must be met with courage (heartforce);
  • finds that the quest can not be done alone and must be aided by a mentor's wisdom and magical/mystical powers;
  • travels into the "underworld" of adventure where strange, dangerous guardians make retreat impossible and progress difficult;
  • goes into a 'land of the unknown'; a dream like labyrinth of tests and trials which challenge his courage and resolve; There is no going back from now on.
  • realizes that in order to pass each phase of the heroic initiation, all 'dragons' and demons must be destroyed or killed;
  • seemingly accomplishes destiny by seizing the treasure or rescuing the princess;
  • comes to know that the final, heroic act is to face death in order to return from the underworld to the 'real' world. This final act must be accomplished through the wisdom of the heart (courage) and not by some intellectual process