1. Once again we find that time flows differently in Narnia than on Earth. How does this affect Edmund, Lucy, and Caspian? How do you think you would handle the situation?For Edmund and Lucy, this was the second time they'd experienced this. The last time, centuries had passed, and so it would have been quite reasonable for them to think that after another year had passed in England, a similar number of centuries would have passed in Narnia. So it would have been a pleasant surprise for them to meet people that they'd met on their last trip, only a few years older.
For Caspian, this was the first time he'd experienced the phenomenon. I think he'd expected never to see the Pevensies again, so it would have been quite a shock for him - and the fact that they hadn't aged as much as he had.
2. Caspian's quest is to find his father's old friends. What about this quest is noble and honorable? How do you think this quest will turn out?I think Caspian wants to honour his father most of all. I imagine that, as none of the Lords ever returned, he doesn't expect to find any of them alive, but finding out what happened to them is part of allowing his father's spirit to be at peace, perhaps. Since the journey is planned to take a year and a day, that means that after six months (and twelve hours - there's a thought: are there twenty-four hours in a Narnian day?) they will have to turn around and head back, no matter how much success they've had; and they have no idea how much world there is out there beyond the Lone Islands.
3. In Prince Caspian the trees were asleep and had been sleeping for quite some time. When do you think the Dryad sang to Reepicheep? Why did the Dryad sing to Reepicheep and not any other Narnians?To be honest, I think this is a slip-up on Lewis' part - if the Dryads were asleep when Reepicheep was young, there's no way one could have sung to him. I think the only way it could have happened would be in a dream, which, given the prophetic nature of it, must have come from Aslan.
4. Reepicheep has a longing in his heart from when he was a young mouse. Have you ever had a longing like this? What was it? Do you think Reepicheep will find the object of his desire?This may sound silly, but since I was about ten or eleven I wanted to have a song I'd written get into the charts. I've written getting on for two hundred songs so far, but never had one published. Being a Christian doesn't help - secular record labels won't touch them and Christian labels (at least in the UK) are only interested in the kind of praise and worship songs that can be sung by large congregations, i.e. musically predictable and full of stock Christian cliches. But I digress.
As for Reepicheep, if the longing in his heart had been inspired by a prophetic dream sent by Aslan, then I think the chances of success are pretty certain!
5. What do you think of the way in which Drinian and Caspian talk about the events on Galma?I can imagine that Caspian found himself in a potentially embarrassing situation in which the possibility of his marrying the Duke's daughter was raised, and Drinian found it very funny. It shows what great friends they've become that Drinian dares show his amusement - if it had been Miraz and he'd so much as smiled, he would have been beheaded on the spot.
6. In LWW, Lewis hints that Edmund's character might have been restored in part by Lucy's cordial. Why do you think it doesn't seem to change Eustace's disposition?Edmund had already turned away from the Witch and apologised to the other three, so he had the desire to change and become better. Eustace hadn't experienced anything in Narnia so far apart from a soaking, the fright of his life encountering all sorts of mythical non-human talking creatures, and sea-sickness, so it's not surprising he wasn't in the mood to embrace any change the cordial might have offered him.
7. Why do you think Lewis writes, "Of course Caspian's ship was not that horrible thing, a galley rowed by slaves. ... and everyone ... had often taken a turn"?I think Lewis is establishing that Caspian was a fair, just and kind monarch who treated his subjects with respect. It puts me in mind of the gondoliers who become kings in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Gondoliers", who establish "a monarchy that's tempered with republican equality".
8. Why do you think Lewis included the aside that Lucy feeds the chickens?Lucy is a very practical person and wants to help in practical ways; she's not content to just sit there and wallow in being a Queen of Narnia.
9. What do you make of Eustace's journal? How does it serve the story?It shows how he sees events, and how his memory is selective - for instance, he says "It's a good thing I'm not seasick", forgetting that he was. He also hasn't grasped yet that he is in a different world, where powered ships and aeroplanes don't exist, and there's no British Consul. The Pevensies realised that Narnia was another world very quickly; Eustace is so set in his belief that there are no other worlds that he can't yet accept it.
He's also quite paranoid, thinking that everyone's against him and that everything that happens is all about trying to make him miserable. Given what we learn about Experiment House in The Silver Chair, and the way that he must have been bullied and the only way he knew how to cope with it was to suck up to the bullies, I think that's understandable. Underneath it all, he was very frightened and powerless. To make himself feel stronger he refers to "ordinary people" and marks himself and his parents as different, and by implication, better. I can sympathise with him because that's exactly what I was like when I was his age, except that I never (well, hardly ever) sucked up to the bullies and I didn't try to make other people's lives a misery (well, maybe occasionally). But I certainly did go around saying "I got such-and-such a mark"!
10. Reepicheep's chivalry clashes with Eustace's modern sensibilities in this chapter. Whose perspective do you think is correct in regards to fighting? Why?I think, to be fair to Eustace, his views are quite understandable given that he was living (or had just lived, depending on your view of the timeline) through a horrific war with Nazi Germany that had claimed millions of lives, both military and civilian. For Reepicheep, on the other hand, the war with the Telmarines (not counting the years of living in hiding) had been a relatively short affair, culminating in a single battle and consisting for the most part of hand-to-hand fighting. Reepicheep sees sword-fighting as much as a sport as a part of warfare, but there's nothing sporting in wondering if your house in Cambridge is going to get bombed to bits today. So, from the perspective of their respective worlds, they're both right.
11. What do you think Edmund means when he says it only makes Eustace worse if you try to be nice to him?As Eustace is so paranoid, he thinks that any contact anyone tries to make with him is an attempt to hurt or humiliate him, so he lashes out in response.
12. This chapter has a lot of description, both of the boat and situations. Which one stands out the most to you and why?When I read the book when I was young, I didn't really take much of this description in. Now, I have a clearer idea of what the Dawn Treader looks like, and I think the Walden film got the look pretty much right. The thing that struck me the most is that the Dawn Treader was quite a compact ship, with every nook and cranny used to store goods (and people!). Almost like being in an Ikea bedroom.