Princess Ben, Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Cycle 5 FCR Response, 63-165 (chap. 5-10)
Brief Summary:
Princess Ben has had trouble adjusting to palace life. It has been bad, but it takes a change, a change for the worse. From the beginning of Ben's life at the palace Queen Sophia made it clear that royalty, "were not beggars at a banquet." To the diligent hawk eyes of the Queen, Ben is never served more than half a portion at every meal. None-the less, her girth does not lessen. With her secret hampers of food delivered on a regular basis, Ben accepts the queens restrictions without any protest. However, this raises the Queens suspicion and the basket is found. Ben is then forced to move rooms, to a cell placed above the Queen's room. The entrance to Ben's new prison is in the ex-room of the Queens chambers, and is locked on a daily basis. Thus starting an even darker chapter of her life.
Finally Ben loses it. One night after the usual dull talk between Queen Sophia and Lady Beatrix, the plates are about to be cleared away. Ben notices Lady Beatrix's tart is barely touched, and suggests that the chef might be offended to see his food slighted so. Once again Queen Sophia tells her not to dwell on food, and Ben reaching over, snatches the tart and gobbles it down. As punishment the Queen immediately beats her hand with a leather strap. It takes all Ben's will to not flinch or start to cry while welts form instantly on her hand. After the beating they commence with dinner as though nothing has happened; the Queen consuming more wine than usual. At last, in an attempt to get Ben to participate the Queen suggests that she joins in on the conversation saying, "A queens greatest responsibility is to learn the art of speaking well, while saying nothing." Ben replies with saying that she thought a queen's greatest responsibility was to bear her husband a child. As Queen Sophia could not bear a child, this is a grave insult. It results in the wiping of the other hand, and this time even harder.
After the dinner in her room alone, finally Ben allows herself to cry. Her fingers are so swollen that she cannot even undress herself, and in her agony she flings herself against the wall. Only to be scared out of her wits when her arm disappears into solid stone. After investigation, Ben finds an ancient chamber of wizardry covered in dust. She sees a book that the dust magically is not resting on, and here marks the start of her lessons in enchantment.
The book is tedious to read because of the slanted script of the writer, but she perseveres. Also, she can only study during the night, because she still has her planned curriculum to learn. Eventually over the months she gets the hang of staying up all night, and sleepwalking through the day. She makes elementary steps such as producing fire, water and air. Then, one night after weeks of cleaning the room up, she discovers a new passageway that leads out of the chamber into the castle. She figures that the castle was made out of wizards, and that the ex-rooms serve as entryways to a secret system of passageways. On one of her nightly strolls to the kitchen she overhears her Aunty talking. Evidently the threat of war has been creeping closer and to prevent it, Ben will have to be married to the son their enemy or a very strong alliance. Queen Sophia is planning to throw a ball in Bens honor, so that she may meet all her suitors.
At the ball, all powdered and primped, Princess Ben suffers greatly. (Though she does take pleasure in stepping on her suitor's feet while they attempt to dance with her.) Finally she has had enough, and disappears into a secret passageway leading to her room. She performs the doubling charm so that it appears as if her clone is asleep, while she prepares to fly on her broomstick out of the castle grounds. As she is getting ready to leave the Queen comes in looking for her. She sees the sleeping Ben, and a clocked figure standing by the window with a broom in hand. Queen Sophia quickly orders the guards after what she thinks to be a sorceress. As the guards reach out to take hold of the conscious Ben, she barley makes it out the window, and starts to plummet to the ground…
Diction and Rhetorical Devices:
****All definitions procured from the Oxford English Dictionary****
Penitence: The undergoing of a discipline or exercise as an outward expression of repentance and expiation of an offence, either voluntarily or as imposed by an ecclesiastical authority; a penance.
Incontrovertible: That cannot be controverted; incontestable, indisputable, indubitable
Controverted: Subject to controversy
1. Made an object of contest; disputed
2. Made an object of controversial discussion
Indubitable: That cannot be doubted; perfectly certain or evident.
Reticence (n): Reluctance to speak about something or to express personal thoughts and feelings freely; maintenance of silence; the state or quality of being taciturn or reserved in speech; an instance of this. Also fig.
Myopia: fig. Lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.
Vernacular (adj): That writes, uses, or speaks the native or indigenous language of a country or district.
Victuals: foodstuffs, rations, chow, provisions, cuisine, and fodder. (got this from computer thesaurus)
Euphemistically: Pertaining to euphemism; of the nature of a euphemism; containing a euphemism.
Euphemism: That figure of speech which consists in the substitution of a word or expression of comparatively favorable implication or less unpleasant associations, instead of the harsher or more offensive one that would more precisely designate what is intended.
Interminable: That cannot be bounded or ended; boundless; endless. (In mod. use freq. exaggerative, implying impatience or disgust at the length of something.)
Veritable: Of a statement, etc.: That is in accordance or conformity with the truth or verity; true. ?Obs.
Lector: Eccl. An ecclesiastic belonging to one of the minor orders, whose duty originally consisted in reading the ‘lessons’.
Ecclesiastic: Of language (esp. Gr. or L.), words, or senses of words: Characteristic of ecclesiastical writers; opposed to classical or secular. Obs.
Inexorable: Incapable of being persuaded or moved by entreaty; that cannot be prevailed upon to yield to request, esp. in the way of mercy or indulgence; not to be moved from one's purpose or determination; relentless, rigidly severe. a. Of persons, their actions or attributes.
Creative Critical Reflection:
THE EDITOR
If I was the editor of Princess Ben
I would tell Catherine to take out her pen
The initial plot of the book is intriguing
But the emotions of Princess Ben need rethinking
Her feelings are not complex, but are immature
Not like the feelings a teenage girl would procure
It's a fun read don't get me wrong
The ideas and diction are very strong
It's just that it could be more realistic
If the character weren't so very simplistic
Fun and humorous rhyming couplets in your reflective component: read aloud to even out the rhythm of your lines.
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