In this excerpt from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, the focus is on language, especially the power and difficulty of using verbs. The speaker notes that some words, especially verbs, are proud and temperamental, making them harder to master compared to other parts of speech like adjectives.
Carroll humorously emphasizes the challenge of controlling verbs, suggesting they are more complex and less obedient than adjectives. The quote highlights the playful yet insightful view of language's intricacies, illustrating how certain words hold more power and difficulty in usage.