Some people argue that the knowledge people attain in school also known, as a liberal education is nonfunctional. Liberal education is rather pointless due to the fact, that it can rarely be used in the real world. Often times intelligence causes people to be unhappy and has a tendency to get people into trouble, because after all ignorance really is bliss. In Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll satirizes the Victorian educational system to expose the uselessness of a liberal education, illustrate the beauty of ignorance, and the influence of nature in a pubescent age.
Throughout her adventures, Alice attempts to apply her knowledge to the laws of Wonderland, which inevitably fails. As Alice is falling down the rabbit hole she states “I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth . . . that would be four thousand miles down I think’ (for you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons in the school room . . .) “ (8). Alice’s attempts to apply the knowledge she learns in school to wonderland fails because wonderland is a world built upon nonsense. Wonderland represents more than just a fantasy it symbolizes actual society as a whole. Society and life itself holds no significant answers deeming Artificial / liberal, education valueless because it’s essentially a constant search for answers. “A man’s ignorance is not only useful, but beautiful, while his knowledge, so called, is oftentimes worse than useless beside being ugly” (Thoreau). If Alice had followed Thoreau’s idea that ignorance is useful and beautiful her journey would have been much easier and even far less confusing. Although wonderland seems to be a mystical fairytale land it is extremely similar to the world Alice actually lives in making the lessons she learns, such as the beauty of ignorance, not only applicable to her current situation, in wonderland, but to her future life in England.
Life is essentially a game of chess that we all play “ The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature” (Huxley). Nature and our surroundings control every aspect of our lives. We live immersed in nature’s beauty and learn crucial life lessons form it from the day we are born to the day we die. Alice learns how to manipulate her situation, specifically her size based upon her surroundings. The Caterpillar says to Alice “one side (of the mushroom) will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you grow shorter” (42). Though at first it takes her a while to reach the correct size she figures out how to use her fluctuating size to her advantage when facing the queen of hearts. “Off with her head!’ the queen shouted . . . ([Alice] had grown to her full size by this time) ‘you’re nothing but a pack of cards!” (103). Alice’s realization of her ability to use nature to her advantage at the end of the novel shows that she did not only grow to her full physical size but to her full evolutionary potential.
Nature does not only influence ones immediate situation but it influences their future in its entirety. “While breeders can select variations that are beneficial for them, omniscient nature has the power to develop and select
Hadji Sana Essay due 14 December The Language of Wonderland Language is a very important tool that persuades an audience. The writings do afford a very profoundness study into it. Throughout Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the author Lewis Carroll explores skillfully the function of language in wonderland; he makes his own rules creating a rare artistic work. In…
<br><center>I wrote this paper in High school. It got an A. With use of this essay cite works to "Kristin's People Places and Things" Tewksbury, MA: Free paper Inc., 1999.</center> <br> <br> <br>Lewis Carroll's works Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There are by many people considered nonsense books for children. Of course, they are, but they are also much more. Lewis Carroll had a great talent of intertwining nonsense and logic, and therefore creating…
Alice Walker Michael L. Brown Alice Walker, novelist, poet and activist whom had to overcome many obstacles growing up in the south as an African American female. Alice Walker focused on the African American experiences of slavery, race relations. Critics accused Walker of male bashing and being harsh towards men (such as the men in the novel and movie The Color Purple), which was because of her father’s belief’s that she was not recognized as an individual but as a girl, or woman whose place…
Relationship between Alice and the characters in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland By Rebecca Amber Andrelucci Severe spankings, missed suppers, being locked in a room for hours on end; these are the types of cruel punishments that were incorporated into children’s literature since the 18th century in order to help mold the young generation into becoming polite and useful members of society. During that period, children were perceived as young adults and were very well expected…
Alice in Wonderland Differences At the mention of the name Alice, one tends to usually think of the children’s stories by Lewis Carroll. Namely, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are two classic works of children’s literature that for over a century have been read by children and adults alike. These two stories tell the tale of a young girl named Alice who finds herself in peculiar surroundings, where she encounters many different and unusual characters. Although…
Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Wonderland. The very word can cause your imagination to run wild. This novel written by Lewis Carroll represents a dream like tale filled with wonder. It all begins one warm summer day as Alice sits on a riverbank with her sister. As she slowly grows tired, she sees a white rabbit with pink eyes wearing a waistcoat and a pocket watch. She follows behind it finding herself going down a rabbit hole. Alice continues to follow the rabbit down a hallway lined…
rabbit is a guide for Alice * The white rabbit is an invitation to another world * Ask questions to the class He then will start on his topic he researched on; tardiness, and he relates that to what is called “the call to adventure.” He will go deeper into that topic and move on to his next points: * Risk for reward * How the white rabbit acts as a guide/ indirect guide to Alice. Now Brad will present his topic over how the white rabbit is the contrast to Alice. Also how the white…
book Still Alice. I have never dealt with or have done any study on Alzheimer’s disease before reading this book. After finishing this book it has really opened my eyes to how bad of a disease and how it cripples the mind. I never imagined the effect of this disease on a patient and the patient family. This book is about a upper middle aged lady named Alice who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and how she and her family learn how to deal with disease. One of the things this book…
Alice walker February 9, 1944 (age 70) Putnam County, Georgia, United States • The youngest of eight children, to Willie Lee Walker and Minnie Lou Tallulah Grant. • Her mother enrolled her in first grade when she was four years old. • Growing up with an oral tradition, listening to stories from her grandfather (who was the model for the character of Mr. in The Color Purple), Walker began writing, very privately, when she was eight years old. • In 1952, Walker was accidentally wounded in…
September 25, 2014 Asharib Mazhar Essay: The Character of Maggie. Being strong is not always easy but at many points in life one must overcome obstacle that prevent maximum potential growth. In the short story ‘’Everyday Use’’ by Alice Walker, the youngest daughter Maggie proves that despite age, she is strong emotionally. Life up’s and down’s one must have strength to overcome. Maggie is a figure of purity, uncorrupted by selfishness or complex emotional needs. Severely burned in a house fire…
