Reading Notes: The Looking Glass Part B

I am now continuing to read The Looking Glass.

The story about the two knights fighting to have Alice as their prisoner was a fun description. I think my favorite part was that the chess pieces act as normal characters (such as knights fighting or how the King and Queen were acting in the first half of the story) but then they realize that they are actually just chess pieces and break character (this is like when the knight said he wouldn't take Alice as a prisoner because his turn was almost over. I also think it was super cute that the knight who won was way over prepared as far as what he had on his horse. It made some sense because that is basically where he lives, so having things like a beehive for honey or a mouse trap somewhat made sense. He strikes me more as an over prepared boy scout though at the fact that he has shark guards around his horse's ankles.

What I liked most about the story of the knight was that even though he kept falling off the horse, he never felt dismayed and got right back on. It was meant to be funny or odd I'm sure but I saw it more as encouraging. The knight was determined to keep riding his horse and never give up and I liked that a lot about him. It could make for an interesting story to write about someone who isn't great at something but they keep trying. Maybe they even preserver and end up being the best.

Something that I loved, and possibly over analyzed, was the interaction between the White Queen, Alice and the Red Queen. The Red Queen became upset with something Alice said, and like most of us have done before, she followed it up with saying that she didn't mean to say that. The Red Queen makes a good point saying "'That's just what I complain of! You SHOULD have meant! What do you suppose is the use of a child without any meaning? Even a joke should have some meaning — and a child's more important than a joke, I hope." I took this to mean that people don't give children enough credit when they say something. Children should be listened to because a lot of the time they speak the truth since they are young and not as corrupt. Additionally, children should be taught young that what they say matters and words can really effect people so they should choose their words wisely. Again, I am possibly over analyzing this but it really struck home with me. 

Alice, the Red Queen and the White Queen

Bibliography: Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (1871).