From what we know of the
science of falling bodies, why is the fear Alice expresses of
dropping the ORANGE MARMALADE humorous?
Alice
is not aware of how gravity works on falling objects. She assumes
that if she drops to the jar of orange marmalade, it will fall to the
ground before herself- not considering that she also is falling at
the same speed it would. Alice is afraid to drop the jar because she
fears she would fall on it, so instead she somehow manages to slip it
back onto another shelf.
Where are Alice’s
parents? She does not seem to miss them at all, and is quite
self-reliant and inventive and . . . well quite unlike 7 year old
girls alone in a strange world without their mothers and fathers.
Alice’s
parents are not even given a passing mention in the book Alice in
Wonderland. Although we certainly cannot ascertain a definite answer,
this could be because of Lewis Carroll’s, Charles Lutwidge
Dodgson’s, relationship with Alice. Judging from the
supplementary reading, it seems that although Alice’s parents
certainly played a large part in her own life, they had a minimal to
non-existent role in the friendship of Charles and Alice.
One of the recurring
themes in the Alice books deals with distortions of bodily proportion
and dangers in unheeded warnings. What fears (from the real world) do
the “DRINK ME” and “EAT ME” warnings
(1.13,15) bring out?
The
idea of visiting a foreign land and simply eating or drinking
something at the command of a label is enough to make even an adult
very uneasy. Alice is a clever girl and does seem to demonstrate
hesitancy in following these directions. Not only can Alice not know
what the items will do, but also what they are made of and what they
might taste like. Alice’s comment concerning nonbeing in
Chapter 1.14 seems to be a rational one in this new world. The food
and drink she consumes never demonstrates that it can limit how big
or how small she may become, so she is entirely justified in her fear
of simply disappearing. Alice’s reaction to a claim of a threat
of nonbeing in Through the Looking Glass, which is a vehement claim
of "I am real!," sharply contrasts her reaction to the idea
of nonbeing in Alice in Wonderland. Perhaps Alice has come through
her experience in Wonderland a bit wiser and more self aware, but
more likely Carroll is trying to demonstrate that Alice is a bright
girl, and although fearing one might use too much shrinking magic is
a rational idea, believing one exists wholly in a dream is not.
What observations
about Alice’s character can we make based upon her ideas of her
two friends?
Alice
observes two things when she is comparing herself to other girls she
knows. First, she compares herself to Ada, but she concludes she is
not Ada because Alice’s hair is straight, not curly like Ada’s.
Then she compares herself to Mabel, but concludes she is not Mabel
because she knows more than Mabel. These comparisons indication that
not only does Alice understand that she is an individual, and not the
same as any other child, she also defines herself specifically by her
appearance and by internal factors. When the caterpillar demands
Alice “explain herself” she finds it very difficult, as
anyone would. Not only does she struggle with defining herself so
succinctly, but as she explains to the caterpillar, she finds it
difficult to explain herself since, having been so many different
sizes in such a short time, she is no longer sure herself. As Alice
describes later to the caterpillar, self-identidy relies not only on
appearance, but also on feelings. In the strange world Alice has
found herself in, her feelings have been tumultuous, further
compounding the problem of identifying herself. All of these factors
play into Alice’s attempt to define herself and may shed light
on why Alice’s self identify, and our own, is so difficult to
summarize.
After the episode of
Alice nearly drowning in her own tears (chap 2) the party gathers on
the shore (chap 3) to dry off. How is nonsensical word play brought
out in the history lesson and in the caucus race? What is “dry”
about each?
In
these sections, Carroll takes advantage of homonyms in the English
language. For the first attempt to get the group dry, the mouse
commands everyone to listen as he begins to recite a particularly
boring lecture on British History. The mouse describes it as “dry”,
making a joke on the word’s dual meanings of both “not
wet” and “boring”. The second attempt, the caucus
race, consists of simply running around in a random pattern for about
a half an hour. Clearly the creator of the caucus race, the Dodo,
doesn’t understand a caucus race is not actually a race or
that, in all probability, the animals and Alice would dry just as
quickly by laying out and staying still.
What is the defect in
logical thinking exhibited in the exchange between Alice and the
pigeon concerning serpents, little girls, and eggs? (3.48)
The
logical flaw in the exchange between the pigeon and Alice can be
found in this line on page 38: “but if they [girls] do [eat
eggs], why then they're a kind of serpent, that's all I can say.”
The pigeon fails to recognize that although eating eggs is a
necessary condition for being a serpent, it is not a sufficient
condition to conclude that something is a serpent. She assumes that
just because Alice eats eggs that Alice is a serpent, without
considering (or being aware that) creatures other than serpents also
eat eggs.
The delightfully absurd
character of the Duchess is surely one of the most disturbing in the
book…
The duchess does and says several things that would be considered
uncouth in this time period. For example, the duchess tells her “You
don’t know much” (43) and yells “chop off her
head” (43). Additionally, rather than maternally caring
for her “child” she calls it a pig and handles it
recklessly.
Tossing her child to Alice on the way out the doors to play a game
might be indicative of poor parenting or neglect. Additionally, the
duchess’s disregard of Alice’s personal space could be
handled very differently in today’s social climate.
Children’s stories in the Liddell girls’ times we not at
all as tame as Children’s stories are today. Stories we as
much for entertainment as they were about teaching children about
sometimes gruesome realities in the world and how to avoid them.
Although the nonsensical aspect indicate this story was more for
enjoyment, it is not surprising we find hidden morals that are not
sugar coated as they would be today.
Modern sensibilities tell us that children should be sheltered and
protected from the more grim realities of life. We fear that
children cannot handle being exposed to certain ideas. This
historical view reminds us that children can and have in history
dealt with difficult issues and have been table to learn from them.
The chapter in which Alice is trapped in the house might be edited
from a “child safe” edition of today. Not only is Alice
confronting a fer of growing to tremendous proportions, but the
methods the animals discuss for getting alice out are not at all
pleasant sounding.
Social
behavior occupied much of Victorian literature. In perhaps the most
famous chapter of Wonderland, “A Mad
Tea-Party,” social convention at the dining table is parodied.
What are a few of manners observed?
In
this chapter, the mad hatter, the March Hare, and the dormouse are
all sitting down to tea. The humor in this chapter is achieved by
pushing politeness to the extreme. For instance, the Hare points out
Alice’s error in sitting down uninvited by offering her wine,
which they don’t have (50). The entire table is laid out for
three guests because the hare’s watch is broken and remains
reading that it is tea time, so rather than not have tea time (which
would be socially uncouth) the Mad Hatter and the March Hare have a
perpetual tea party.
Chapters 11 and 12 which
end the book parody the law courts. Which law customs ordinarily
observed are turned upside down by Carroll?
Like
the rest of the book, the scenes in the royal court are conducted in
absolute absurdity. The jurors write down everything that is said,
even unrelated things spoken out of turn (84). Even after Alice steal
on of the Juror’s pencils he continues to take notes- but with
his finger! (85) The king begins the proceedings by asking for a
verdict (85), and then continues by calling varied witnesses who have
little or nothing to do with the “case”. The hatter, when
he fidgets, is ordered to not be nervous or else face the punishment
of death (85). When Alice is called to testify, the king confuses the
words important and unimportant. So when Alice claims she knows
nothing, he reminds the jury that that is very important (91). The
best silliness comes towards the end of the trial, when the most
significant piece of evidence is offered: a poem, and the court
illogically conclude it belongs to the defendant since it is not in
his handwriting and not signed (92-93).
Comment upon this
perspective from you own desires—what things would you like to
see the reverse of? Or to see behind?
Going
through a mirror into a backwards world would be both exciting and
intimidating. Imagine seeing life from that perspective, the reality
before the facade, the inside before the outside. Although it isn’t
Alice’s experience in the mirror, what if an experience in a
mirror world allowed to make a first impression through character and
the condition of your heart instead of appearances. You would read
books and the logical sequence would be to read the conclusion before
the introduction. What if thinks like front and back or near and far
were reversed. Portrait paintings would appear as peoples’ hair
and shoulders, maybe we could even see a picture of the artists face
as they created their masterpiece.
Carroll has fun with
mirror poetry with “Jabberwocky” (1.134-36; 4.191-93).
How does Humpty-Dumpty bring out this perspective?
Humpty
claims to have supreme knowledge and mastery of the English language.
And belittles Alice for her supposedly simply understanding. Humpty
claims, 'When I use a
word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.'
(169) And when Alice requests that he help her understand the
Jabberwocky, they launch into a long exchange regarding how to
interpret the poem. Humpty Dumpty acts as if the poem has some hugely
significant meaning, but even after his nonsensical translation, the
poem has little useful meaning.
Why does the rose advise
Alice to “walk the other way” (141) and why does this
advice result in getting Alice to the place she wants to arrive at?
Can you explain what Carroll is up to here? In what ways would a
mirror world behave as he is describing?
When
you stand before a mirror and watch your image, you can notice this
effect. If you want your reflected image to reach for you, you have
to make the opposite action and reach towards it. If you want your
image to move to it’s left, you have to move to your right. If
you want your image to go north, you have to go south. It is this
kind of logic Lewis is using in the Looking Glass world. If Alice saw
where she wanted to go, and began to walk towards it, it would not
get her where she needed to be, but if she saw what she needed to do,
and then did the exact opposite, as she eventually learns she needs
to do, then she would get to her destination.
What comment is Carroll
making regarding, for example, our perception (and that of the
Victorians) that we make our own decisions in life, that we and not
some external power control our own destiny?
This
element of Through the Looking Glass reminds me distinctly of
government. Each type of player can only move in certain ways and
through certain squares, much like the class system in the time when
this novel was written. Some are allowed to move freely, others are
allowed to get into tight situations or even be lost to the opposing
team in sacrifice for the good of the team. The chess players decide
which way to go, but their movements are closely regulated and no
doubt monitored by the king and queen. Alice is on a quest to the
square where the queen has told her that she may become royalty,
which could be indicative of a capitalistic ideal. I believe Carroll
is indicating that the notion we make all of our own decisions is
incorrect, and that he is pointing out that we play a chess game
(perhaps the rat race) and are not always in control of the square on
which we may land next.
“Faster! Faster!”
cries the Queen to Alice as they madly run. Is Carroll making a
comment here about modern life?
I
do believe that Carroll is commenting on modern life, and that his
statement is even more true today. Not only is this the logical
workings of a mirror world, but it also captures the frustration
Carroll likely felt as a bachelor math professor in a bustling world.
People often equate life to treading water, and the Queen’s
remark captures this: It’s difficult enough to stay afloat, let
alone more forward.
List a few more
inversions found in the remaining chapters, giving each their
location.
Nobody
is somebody – Ch 7 pg 179
Days
and nights occur in random order – Ch 9 pg 202
Instead
of one queen there are several – Ch 9
Tweedledum and
Tweedledee are screwy logicians; but can you make out the truth of
their definition of logic? Or do you think it nonsense? (4.160)
Although
expressed very obtusely, Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee actually make
sense.
"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."
Put
into more concise wording: If A was true, then A might be true. If A
was true, then A would be true. And if A is not true, the A is not
true. Tweedledum and Tweedledee might make lousy English majors, but
their grasp of logic is actually valid.
How does the poem, page
245, (beginning “A boat beneath a sunny sky…”) sum
up the Alice books?
A boat
beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering
onward dreamily
In an
evening of July—
The
first stanza can be understood as referring to the first day Lewis
Carroll told Alice and her sisters this story. That event took place
in a boat in the summer, rowing slowly to their destination.
Children
three that nestle near,
Eager eye
and willing ear,
Pleased a
simple tale to hear—
The
second stanza can be taken as a description of the children’s
attentiveness as Lewis crafted the story for them.
Long
has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes
fade and memories die.
Autumn
frosts have slain July.
The
first part of this stanza uses rather shallow language to refer to
the fact that time has passed since that day, each line becomes
progressively more fanciful in its description of how time has
passed.
Still
she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice
moving under skies
Never
seen by waking eyes.
Even
though Lewis never sees Alice when she is older, she remains with him
as the memory of his favorite child-friend, and the subject of his
two novels which he invested so much of his life in.
Children
yet, the tale to hear,
Eager
eye and willing ear,
Lovingly
shall nestle near.
In
this stanza he reminds himself that even though Alice is grown and
gone, there are many, many young girls and boys eager to hear Alice’s
story- children who will be just as excited and enraptured as Alice
was.
In a
Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming
as the days go by,
Dreaming
as the summers die:
In
this stanza, Lewis may be equating childhood with a dream in which
one is on an adventure- just like in Alice’s wonderland.
Carroll may be saying that like Alice’s adventure, childhood is
full of experiences in new places and meeting new, and sometimes very
interesting, people.
Ever
drifting down the stream—
Lingering
in the golden gleam—
Life,
what is it but a dream?
The
final stanza sums up his theory on life and even on Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland. Life is a dream-like adventure, not really
so much different from Alice’s adventures.
Take
several cartoons and analyze them for the qualities they possess that
seem to go beyond the immediate confines of the plot. Describe your
own perceptions of the cartoons. What moods in you do they inspire?
I believe that one of the most grotesque images appears on page 8,
on the first page of the second chapter. Poor Alice is
disproportionately tall, with a freakishly long neck. The image is
haunting- with her helpless arms flailing around beside her. This
picture reminds me of an illustration advertising a turn of the
century freak show or even a modern day exhibit in Ripley’s
Believe It or Not.
Another provocative image is on page 96, on the second to last page
of the book. Alice is being attacked by a flurry of cards and is
surrounded by small creatures. Her face displays both malice and
fear. As she is assaulted from above and the creatures below her
scatter. Few people wouldn’t be afraid if they had to hunker
down from something coming from above only to find that lizards and
toads and rodents and birds surrounded their feet.
One of the most humorous pictures, I believe, is on page 63 and in
chapter 8. It is the small picture of Alice having a face off with
her flamingo, while the hedgehog croquet ball attempts to creep
away. I like the quizzical look on both Alice and the Flamingo’s
faces.
