How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Again Mistress Cooper raised her eyebrows. "You're a female, child, no matter what clothing you wear. You must become accustomed to that." (6.43)
Alanna is experiencing some, shall we say, dissonance regarding her identity. Wise mistress Cooper advises Alanna to make her peace with her gender.
Quote #5
"D'you think I want to be a lady? … 'Walk slowly, Alanna,'" she said primly. "'Sit still, Alanna. Shoulders back, Alanna.' As if that's all I can do with myself!" (1.5)
From Alanna's mocking descriptions, we can infer that being a noble lady in Tortall is as boring as waiting for YouTube videos to load—without all the wacky comments to pass the time.
Quote #6
The desert people were hard riders and relentless fighters. They hid their women in goatskin tents. (7.4)
Alanna notices that Bazhir women tend to stay out of the public eye. This is obviously different in the rest of Tortall, since Alanna observes women in the marketplace in the capital city, and stuff like that. It's a good think Alanna wasn't born in that culture—we're having a hard time imagining her staying confined in a tent.