How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands alone and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun—which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. (21.1)
Here's a moment where the narrator gives us her own point of view on Life, the Universe, and Everything. The narrator says that there are moments of our lives where we just feel our place in the eternity of the universe, giving the example of watching the dawn and realizing that you've seen just one of "thousands and thousands"of sunrises.
Quote #8
"I can stand," he said, and his head was still held up and he said it quite grandly.
"I told thee tha' could as soon as tha' stopped bein' afraid," answered Dickon. "An' tha's stopped."
"Yes, I've stopped," said Colin. (22.4-6)
Can you think of examples in your own experience where fear of something has made you actually physically sick? How much of a relationship do you see between positive thinking and physical health? What do you think of Colin's cure through happiness and outdoor work: Is it realistic according to today's understanding of medicine?
Quote #9
"I shall live forever and ever and ever!" he cried grandly. "I shall find out thousands and thousands of things. I shall find out about people and creatures and everything that grows—like Dickon—and I shall never stop making Magic. I'm well! I'm well! I feel—I feel as if I want to shout out something—something thankful, joyful!" (26.21)
Mary starts to feel better once she stops thinking so much about herself and starts thinking more about Colin and the Secret Garden. Once Colin starts to feel better about himself, however, his focus is a lot bigger—he wants to find out about everything and do everything. Would you say that Colin gets less selfish by the end of this book? Do you think there's a subtle gender difference in the way that Colin reacts to the natural beauties of the Secret Garden and the way that Mary reacts?