“Speak in French when you can’t think of the English for a thing, turn out your toes as you walk, and remember who you are!”
How many little girls have had the same advice from their governesses or their mamma—“Turn out your toes when you walk, and remember who you are!”
This is what made Lewis Carroll so irresistibly funny—the way he had of bringing in the most common everyday expressions in the most uncommon, unexpected places. Only in Alice’s case it took her quite a long time to remember who she was, just because the Red Queen told her not to forget. Children are very queer about that—little girls in particular—at least those that Lewis Carroll knew, and he certainly was acquainted with a great many who did remarkably queer things.
Alice’s meeting with the two fat little men named Tweedledum and Tweedledee recalled to her memory the old rhyme:
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Agreed to have a battle;
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle.
Just then flew down a monstrous crow,
As black as a tar barrel;
Which frightened both the heroes so,
They quite forgot their quarrel.
Fierce little men they were, one with Dum embroidered on his collar, the other showing Dee on his. They were not accustomed to good society nor fine grammar. They were exactly alike as they stood motionless before her, their arms about each other.
“I know what you’re thinking about,” said Tweedledum, “but it isn’t so—nohow.” [Behold the beautiful grammar.]
“Contrariwise,” continued Tweedledee, “if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.”
Now, Alice particularly wanted to know which road to take out of the woods, but somehow or other her polite question was never answered by either of the funny little brothers. They were very sociable and seemed most anxious to keep her with them, so for her entertainment Tweedledum repeated that beautiful and pathetic poem called: