10-18 for 10-20

1.       

“Trimmer’s works are dedicated to maintaining many aspects of the social and political status quo.” (page 737)

I have another English class this semester concerning British culture and the revolutionary movement of the Angry Young Men, which started in the 1950s. A lot of responding critics or authors had this agenda of maintaining the social and political status quo. The most interesting thing that history has shown us is that progress moves by the people who occasionally question or challenge the status quo. This ties in to one of the reasons why I found Carroll’s novels so compelling; they are filled with such nonsense, with thought-provoking elements that make us rethink some of our beliefs.

2.       

“For Trimmer, practicing kindness to animals as a child would hopefully lead one to ‘universal benevolence’ as an adult.” (page 740)

It makes perfect sense for this belief: As a child, it’s hard for you to practice sophisticated behavior with your friends, since most of them are probably not sophisticated enough to appreciate. It’s understandable that a good way to practice kindness is through other living things. It’s no wonder why kids in households are often taught to take good care of their pets first.

3.       

“The consequence of this was, that they contracted a great fondness for animals; and used often to express a wish that their Birds, Cats, Dogs, &c. could talk, that they might hold conversations with them.” (page 744)

This applies to me, but more than just animals. If you care enough about something, you can communicate with it even if it’s an inanimate object. I’ve yelled at my computer before like it was a person. But I believe most people think about just animals, maybe because they’re living things as opposed to just objects. In other words, animals are easier to personify.

A scene from In Bruges involving "inanimate objects": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PN6xemdjik

4.       

“‘The song of a bird sounds harsh and ugly to my ears when the singer is caged. If the little creatures cannot be free, I would rather go without their music.’” (page 780)

I found this quote moving because it’s metaphoric. Yes, in literal sense, a caged bird gives you an awful feeling while you’re looking at it, even if it’s singing. But to me, the caged bird can easily be a person. Artists flourish the best when they are at their most comfortable and most free state. Respect individuals for who they are and what they want to be.