Magnus McArthur

Mrs. Yeaton Period 3

English 10 Pre AP

4 May, 2018

The Princess Bride Dialectical Journals

Quote 1: “Even back on the farm, long before she knew her heart, it was good to watch

him run”. (Goldman, 339)

Quote 2: “At ten seconds per guard , she began figuring, but then stopped, because

numbers had been her enemy”. (Goldman, 339)

Answer 1: William Goldman incorporates a form of irony into the beginning of chapter 8

of “The Princess Bride”. As Buttercup is described by the narrator, the phrase “she knew her

heart” can be taken literally and in the way it is intended to be interpreted. The author doesn’t

actually mean Buttercup knows her heart as something she has physically met but means that she

knows who she loves. Also as Buttercup is anticipating Wesley's arrival of triumph another

phrase, “numbers had been her enemy”, catches the readers eye. Rather than meaning numbers

are her enemy giving them human form the author actually means that the odds have most of the

time are not on her side. (Rhetorical Analysis)

Quote 3: “...there you know, you miserable vomitous mass, and u say this now, and live

or die, it's up to you: Drop your sword” (Golman, 52)

Quote 4: “Westley’s eyes rolled up into his head and his body crumpled and half pitched

from the bed and the Prince saw that and went to the floor, grabbing for his sword…”. (Golman,

52)
 Answer 2: This section of the passage is significant because it determines the entire

outcome of the story and what the reader has been reading for. The author shows us the journey

Westley took to get to his beloved Buttercup and finally he has reached the point of taking her

back for himself. With the main antagonist Prince Humperdinck surrendered to Westley, a

positive outcome is predicted and a happily ever after is expected by the audience. Goldman

alters the entire mood of the book in this section, (Determine importance).