How we cite our quotes: (Book Title.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"When Pooh saw what it was, he nearly fell down, he was so pleased. It was a Special Pencil Case." (Winnie-the-Pooh.10.61)
At the same time that he satirizes formal education, Milne also values it. When Pooh gets this gift from Christopher Robin, he's the envy of all the Forest. Why are pencils so awesome? Well, it's easy to say that pencils are a nifty representation of literacy and education in general. By giving him pencils, CR gives Pooh the tools he needs to read and write. That's an enormous gift, and all the animals recognize it.
Quote #5
"Do you know what A means, little Piglet?" / "No, Eeyore, I don't." / "It means Learning, it means Education, it means all the things that you and Pooh haven't got. That's what A means." (House.5.101-103)
Even though Eeyore is being kind of a jerk, we have to admit that he's right. Without knowing the things that "A" represents, the characters in the book are destined to stay in the Forest. There's no growing up for them, no maturity, no responsibility. While there are of course scary things about these words, Milne would be the first to tell you how great it can be to Achieve Awesome and Amazing Accomplishments.
Quote #6
"What's this that I'm looking at?" said Eeyore, still looking at it.
"Three sticks," said Rabbit promptly. (House.5.110-111)
Of course, to take Eeyore down a peg, Milne can't help but show how arbitrary his symbol for education actually is. When you get down to the nitty-gritty of it, A is just three lines. It has no meaning in itself, until we assign one to it. That's a pretty heavy-duty philosophical statement, if you think about it.