1. If Peter had been the one to trip would Miraz have waited for him to get up? If Peter and Miraz had been fighting as a part of a battle instead of single combat would it still have been right for Peter to wait for him to get up?
2. Peter says the battle is no place for mice and the narrator calls the mice "ridiculous" Do you agree? Why or Why not?
3. Do you think the man beating the boy deserved to be turned into a tree?
4. The narrator doesn't tell us if the boys were in fact turned into pigs. Do you think they were? And if they were, what do you think of that?
5. What theme or themes do you see in this chapter?
6. What other thoughts, if any, do you have about this chapter?
1. If Peter had been the one to trip would Miraz have waited for him to get up? If Peter and Miraz had been fighting as a part of a battle instead of single combat would it still have been right for Peter to wait for him to get up?
For the former, absolutely not. Miraz has been proven to only care about "honor" in the sense of how others perceive him. I have a feeling he would be more concerned about winning the battle and not appearing weak than to appear to have honor. As for the latter... that's a more difficult question. I don't think it would have been wrong to strike him while he was down in a real battle, since it's a war, and you have your other soldiers to defend and other enemies to fight. One could argue that, in fact, showing that kind of honor is a distraction that could cost lives, though I don't care to debate that.
2. Peter says the battle is no place for mice and the narrator calls the mice "ridiculous" Do you agree? Why or Why not?
To a certain degree, in part because the mice, or at least Reepicheep, seem just as much interested in the glory of battle as anything else. They're rushing into a battlefield which is very dangerous for them, even moreso than for other fighters, without a second thought. At the same time, though - battle isn't a place for children, either, yet there Peter, Edmund, and Caspian all are.
3. Do you think the man beating the boy deserved to be turned into a tree?
I guess it depends on the context. What did the boy do to deserve the beating - or did he do nothing? I have a hard time believing that he deserved more than one hit, and from the sounds of it he was going much too far. And... yeah, it's not hard to imagine that a man who beats a child deserves that. Still, I'd like some more context before judging too much. I think we can assume that, if Aslan let it happen, he deserved it.
4. The narrator doesn't tell us if the boys were in fact turned into pigs. Do you think they were? And if they were, what do you think of that?
I don't really know what I think - I think it's interesting that the narrator deliberately left it opened ended, whereas in the above example, the man definitely became a tree. There's a reason why the possibility that it's just a legend is left open. If they were, though... I mean, bullies are certainly responsible for their choices, no matter their age. But being turned into pigs - animals that may very well be slaughtered to be eaten later? That seems rather harsh. Though, it does raise the question, for both them and the man in the earlier question - is the transformation permanent, or could it be undone eventually?
5. What theme or themes do you see in this chapter?
One thing I see is the fulfillment of faith in Aslan. For Peter and the others at the duel, even though Trumpkin did voice his concern about Aslan not acting before the duel began, which was part of the idea - buying Aslan time - Peter still went on with it. Aslan then reveals himself in two ways during the duel - first, sending the awakened trees their way, and secondly, destroying the bridge so the Telmarines couldn't get to their defenses. We also see Aslan and the others arriving just in time for others - just in time to rescue the boy being beaten, in time to raise the spirits of Gwendolen and the school mistress, and just in time to save Caspian's nurse's life. After all the waiting and wondering if Aslan would come, we finally see it in action.
6. What other thoughts, if any, do you have about this chapter?
I find it interesting how the book explicitly states that, had Glozelle not stopped to kill his own king, Peter would have been killed. It's just such a great illustration of the difference between the true Kings of Narnia and the usurpers - Peter, Edmund, and Caspian trust each other and Aslan implicitly, and all their choices are made with their kingdoms in mind. Miraz and Glozelle both took, ultimately, self-destructing paths that hurt their own people, for their own selfish purposes.
N-Web sis of stardf, _Rillian_, & jerenda
Proud to be Sirya the Madcap Siren
1. If Peter had been the one to trip would Miraz have waited for him to get up? If Peter and Miraz had been fighting as a part of a battle instead of single combat would it still have been right for Peter to wait for him to get up?
No, I don't think Miraz would have waited. He did murder his own brother after all. I think in a battle it would have been alright for Peter not to wait but it still would be more noble to let him get up.
2. Peter says the battle is no place for mice and the narrator calls the mice "ridiculous" Do you agree? Why or Why not?
Not really, they seemed to provide a valuable service. It might be more dangerous for them than others.
3. Do you think the man beating the boy deserved to be turned into a tree?
I assume the beating was going beyond reasonable punishment. It does seem a bit harsh but since Aslan was there it must have been right.
4. The narrator doesn't tell us if the boys were in fact turned into pigs. Do you think they were? And if they were, what do you think of that?
I'm not sure. It is possible. It seems a bit harsh if they were but I kind of like the idea as well - act like a pig become a pig.
5. What theme or themes do you see in this chapter?
Renewal and being freed from oppression. There was also fear and punishment for some.
6. What other thoughts, if any, do you have about this chapter?
I like how the dumb animals flock to Aslan as well and that they have some Telmarines that follow them.
NW sister to Movie Aristotle & daughter of the King
1. If Peter had been the one to trip would Miraz have waited for him to get up? If Peter and Miraz had been fighting as a part of a battle instead of single combat would it still have been right for Peter to wait for him to get up?
Miraz most certainly did not. To quote from a few paragraphs earlier:
But indeed there was no need to egg the usurper on. He was on top of Peter already.
And for the second part, there's this from the midst of the battle:
...and fell as often as not. If he fell, the mice finished him off; if he did not, someone else did.
Not much quarter given, from the sound of it. And think of the
2. Peter says the battle is no place for mice and the narrator calls the mice "ridiculous" Do you agree? Why or Why not?
They seemed rather effective to me, though as we find out in the next chapter, The indignity of being defeated by a mouse sure would have rankled, if I were an opponent (and survived).
3. Do you think the man beating the boy deserved to be turned into a tree?
Whether he did or not, (it seemed almost a natural consequence) it couldn't have been all that terrible a punishment. After all, there were many noble trees. It wasn't like being turned into I wonder, would he have been a sentient tree, able to take human form, or would he have become a "dead" tree, the same as a non-Talking animal?
4. The narrator doesn't tell us if the boys were in fact turned into pigs. Do you think they were? And if they were, what do you think of that?
Well, they were acting like pigs, so why not? Didn't sound like they would be missed much, anyway.
6. What other thoughts, if any, do you have about this chapter?
I love how the tension is kept up in this bit--we know that Aslan is there, the trees are roused, and Miraz sure to be defeated. Why, even the army themselves knew that the trees were there to help them, and yet they had to go through with the single combat, and didn't know how it would turn out.
Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away ... my days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle