1.
The Princess lives in a half castle, half farmhouse what could this
be symbolic of?
2. Why was the princess never allowed outside after dark?
3. Tell me about the goblins. Do you remember their history?
How do they look? Why? What about their animal companions?
They were now, not ordinarily ugly, but either absolutely hideous, or
ludicrously grotesque both in face and form. There was no invention, they said,
of the most lawless imagination expressed by pen or pencil, that could surpass
the extravagance of their appearance. But I suspect those who said so had
mistaken some of their animal companions for the goblins themselves - of which
more by and by. The goblins themselves were not so far removed from the human as
such a description would imply. And as they grew misshapen in body they had
grown in knowledge and cleverness, and now were able to do things no mortal
could see the possibility of. But as they grew in cunning, they grew in
mischief, and their great delight was in every way they could think of to annoy
the people who lived in the open-air storey above them. They had enough of
affection left for each other to preserve them from being absolutely cruel for
cruelty's sake to those that came in their way; but still they so heartily
cherished the ancestral grudge against those who occupied their former
possessions and especially against the descendants of the king who had caused
their expulsion, that they sought every opportunity of tormenting them in ways
that were as odd as their inventors; and although dwarfed and misshapen, they
had strength equal to their cunning. In the process of time they had got a king
and a government of their own, whose chief business, beyond their own simple
affairs, was to devise trouble for their neighbors.
4. How old is Irene (the Princess) when the story begins? Why is
this an important age? What happened in your life when you were eight?
5. What does her great old grandmother Irene look like? What does
she do in the attic?
“When she carried away the basin and towel, the little princess wondered to
see how straight and tall she was, for, although she was so old, she didn't
stoop a bit. She was dressed in black velvet with thick white heavy-looking lace
about it; and on the black dress her hair shone like silver.”
6. Why doesn't the Princess' nurse believe her when she tells her about
her dear old grandmother?
7. Who saves Irene and her nurse when they are accidently out after dark?
8. Tell me about Curdie. What is he like?
9. Why do you think the goblins hate verse (poetry or song)?
10. What did Irene promise Curdie when they returned home? Why did the
nurse make a big deal about it?
11. Why does Curdie work late in the mines? (Red petticoat for
Mother and to find out what the goblins are up to)
12. What is the goblins’ weakness? What is unusual about their
feet?
13. How does Curdie find out the goblins’ plan?
14. How does Curdie lose his way in the mountain even though he still
following his string?
15. What is Irene’s relationship like with her King-Papa?
16. What is great grandmother spinning? Who is she spinning it for?
17. How does she heal Irene’s hand? What does the ointment smell
like?
18. What does the grandmother say about people finding the room or seeing
the globe? “The greater part of those who do take it for a meteor, wink
their eyes, and forget it again. Besides, nobody could find the room except I
pleased. Besides, again - I will tell you a secret - if that light were to go
out you would fancy yourself lying in a bare garret, on a heap of old straw, and
would not see one of the pleasant things round about you all the time.”
When you see with the eyes of faith, you see beauty and wonder, when you see as
the world sees, you see drab humdrum life.
19. What is Curdie’s mother like? What is his relationship with
her?
Mrs. Peterson was such a nice good mother! All mothers are nice and good more or
less, but Mrs. Peterson was nice and good all more and no less. She made and
kept a little heaven in that poor cottage on the high hillside for her husband
and son to go home to out of the low and rather dreary earth in which they
worked. I doubt if the princess was very much happier even in the arms of her
huge great-grandmother than Peter and Curdie were in the arms of Mrs. Peterson.
True, her hands were hard and chapped and large, but it was with work for them;
and therefore, in the sight of the angels, her hands were so much the more
beautiful. And if Curdie worked hard to get her a petticoat, she worked hard
every day to get him comforts which he would have missed much more than she
would a new petticoat even in winter. Not that she and Curdie ever thought of
how much they worked for each other: that would have spoiled everything.
20. How does her great old grandmother change appearance at times?
Why do you think?
Then Irene looked again, and saw that what she had taken for a huge bouquet of
red roses on a low stand against the wall was in fact a fire which burned in the
shapes of the loveliest and reddest roses, glowing gorgeously between the heads
and wings of two cherubs of shining silver. And when she came nearer, she found
that the smell of roses with which the room was filled came from the fire-roses
on the hearth. Her grandmother was dressed in the loveliest pale blue velvet,
over which her hair, no longer white, but of a rich golden colour, streamed like
a cataract, here falling in dull gathered heaps, there rushing away in smooth
shining falls. And ever as she looked, the hair seemed pouring down from her
head and vanishing in a golden mist ere it reached the floor. It flowed from
under the edge of a circle of shining silver, set with alternated pearls and
opals. On her dress was no ornament whatever, neither was there a ring on her
hand, or a necklace or carcanet about her neck. But her slippers glimmered with
the light of the Milky Way, for they were covered with seed-pearls and opals in
one mass. Her face was that of a woman of three-and-twenty.
21.
When Irene is covered with mud and her grandmother wants to give her a hug, why
does Irene hesitate? What does the grandmother do? What is this
showing us? Why is the flaming rose too hot for Irene?
22. What does the great grandmother give to Irene? What is it
fastened to? Why can’t she see it?
23. What does grandmother say about growing old? 'I am very old
indeed. It is so silly of people - I don't mean you, for you are such a tiny,
and couldn't know better - but it is so silly of people to fancy that old age
means crookedness and witheredness and feebleness and sticks and spectacles and
rheumatism and forgetfulness! It is so silly! Old age has nothing whatever to do
with all that. The right old age means strength and beauty and mirth and courage
and clear eyes and strong painless limbs. I am older than you are able to think,
and -'
24.
How did the goblins catch Curdie? Who rescues him? How?
25. The Princess has faith for both herself and Curdie (Curdie does not
see the string but the Princess does). If the string=faith , at what point
is Curdie given the gift of faith?
26. What was the plan that the goblins had to attack the good people of
the mountain and take over the kingdom? And how did it end up backfiring? How
does this show us that evil destroys itself?
Activity :
Have a large spool of yarn/string (cotton yarn - like to make potholders out
of works great). Have 2 kids tie the yarn to the starting point and with
letting the yarn out as they go, hide a statue of Our Blessed Mother somewhere
in the house/yard. 2 other children follow the yarn, around chairs, under
tables, through rooms, etc. until they find the Blessed Mother.
