The Adventures of Lewis Carroll’s Alice

From a young get on with Charles Dodgsons spunk for writing was already made apparent. He had made several contributions to well-nigh national publications in England as well as to two topical anesthetic publications in Oxford (Karoline 31). It was in unrivalled of his contributions to the latter where he dod the pseudonym by which he would be remembered Lewis Carroll. It took some period before Carroll lastly came out(a) with a published version of his manuscript for Alice in Wonderland. Among early(a) things Carroll was also a mathematician and a deacon in his church (Collingwood 22-23).These occupations contributed to the check off in publication of the classic paper of Alice. After its release and widespread acclaim however, it wasnt foresightful before Carroll published its sequel, through the tone methamphetamine. The two texts declare been popularized as nestlingrens literature. However, closer analyses by critics scram brought forth a string of explanation s accounting for the un third estate descriptions and images in the texts. regardless of the circumstances surrounding the creation of the stories, it can non be denied that the same were scripted for the function and benefit of s driverren.Controversies Surrounding Alice The zeitgeist during the release of Alice in Wonderland was one of drug shame resistance and a counter-culture of dependence on psychedelic substances. Such an aura led scholars to deconstruct the text based on the prevalent norms in society. It was easy for scholars to relate Alices mushroom-eating and herb-use to regular pot sessions. few scholars check claimed that the imageries in the story are akin to the hallucinations experienced when under the make of addictive substances.From these factual circumstances arose the belief that Carroll himself was under the influence at the time that he wrote the text or that he was a wonted(prenominal) user. However, there is no proof to show that at any pull down in his life Carroll was involved in drug abuse. There is evidence to support however that Carroll may have been ill thus command p larkt the hyperbolic descriptions in Alice in Wonderland and its sequel. It was observed that Carroll documented suffering from grave migraines which approximately ofttimes affected the ill person by skewing his or her perspective, such(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) as making objects appear bigger consequently they really were (Carroll 52).It is surmised that Lewis Carroll suffered from such an affliction all his life and thus the vivid resourcefulness in his popular texts. The disease has now become popularly cognise as the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome or, medically, micropsia and macropsia. This is a neurological disease which affects visual percept in humans causing illusions in sizing, shape and color (Cinibis and Aysun 316). Some scholars have attributed the creativity in Carrolls text to the fact that he was ailing from this disease .As regards the text Through the Looking Glass, critics have unanimously categorised the same as nonsense literature. It is not hard to imagine why, what with the texts deconstruction of norms and the topsy turvy manner by which the text upends unquestioned usance such as telling time for type. More than anything however, the text is a clear presentation on a play of words and wit. The actually Alice The premier and sanitaryest argument that Carrolls stories were written simply for children to enjoy is an brushup of the life of Carroll. It has already been mentioned that Carroll was a deacon in his church.This paved the commission to his acquaintance with a little girl who sparked the creation of his childrens masterpiece. In her text, The actual Alice, Clarks shows that sometime in 1855 Carroll met the Liddell family whose head, heat content Liddell, was the dean of Christ church in Oxford. Because of his acquaintance with Henry Liddell, Carroll in turn became acquainte d with Henrys children. Alice Liddell was one of three girls belonging to the Liddell family. Carroll was quite fond of children and he lots took the Liddell children to picnics and boat rides where he regaled the children with stories and make-believes.It was on one such junction that Alice asked Carroll to tell them a story and the ensuing tale is what is known right away as Alice in Wonderland. Although Carroll had told the children early(a) stories prior to this particular one, the difference this time was that Alice Liddell had asked him to write down the story for her. Several pieces of evidence show that thus Alice Liddell was the model, or at least the inspiration, for Carrolls Alice. One of the strongest proofs is that Carroll actually utilize the go for to Alice Liddell thus demonstrating that Alice played a part in its completion.If it were unless a sign of the close relationship that he shared with the Liddell children, then Carroll should have dedicated the book to all of them and not rightful(prenominal) to one in particular. Moreover, a poem in Through the Looking Glass reveals an acrostic magical spelling out the come across of Alice Pleasance Liddell. Although Carroll himself admitted using acrostics to spell out the names of young ladies with whom he was acquainted, the appearance of Alice Liddells name in twain his books is quite epochal.No other acquaintance of his was mentioned in both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Certainly it was much than just the similarity in names of his friend and his protagonist that prompted him to spell out Alices name in the sequel of his story. There is also evidence demonstrate that Carroll station the story on dates significant to Alice Liddell. The first story was set on May 4, Alices birthday, and the second story was set on November 4, Alices half-birthday (Wikipedia Alice Liddell). Carroll certainly went out of his way to allude to such significant dates in both his s tories.Furthermore, when the fictional Alice stated her age it reflected the actual age Alice Liddell would have been at that time. Certainly that too could not have been innocent coincidence. Although Carroll denied any association between his writings and Alice Liddell, the subtle hints that he planted in the story speak for themselves. A possible cause for the defensive measure might have been the intrigue that eventually followed his intimate relationships with children. Karoline Leach first raised such a point in her book, In the tail assembly of a Dreamchild, when she attempted to deconstruct the Carroll Myth.In essence, Leach insinuated pedophilia by sight that the relationship Carroll maintained with young girls was unnatural. Of course, with the stature and popularity that Carroll had attained, such statements, though founded with as much proof as other accepted historical facts regarding Carroll, were hotly contested and rebutted. This is not to say however that they have been debunked as such is not the case. Regardless of the relationship between Alice Liddell and Carroll, it is uncontested that the first book was dedicated to Alice Liddell while she was liquid a young child.Above any other proof of motivation, this clear manifestation of intent reflects that the story of Alice in Wonderland was written for the fancies of children. It necessarily follows therefore that its sequel also catered to childrens delights. A excursion into Wonderland Apart from the biographical setting, one may also look at the fictional setting which Carroll developed. The story starts out with a random romp in the woods with a little girls next companion, her pet. It is a daunt day and, upon falling into the lapin hole, Alice finds herself in a refreshing change of scenery.The situation is not un desire the many dull summers days wherein children are wont to play make-believe. Wonderland itself is a crayon enlargement of pictures that are commonly drawn by child ren. The antithetical colored trees and stark modify worn by the characters, both on their clothes and on their furs, shows a childs easy use of colors. The scenery in itself has a nursery rhyme quality almost it reflecting the target audience it was written for. The contrast in colors is truly much the same manner by which children view the cosmos.It is only the braggy-world that defines colors by hues of black, gray, and khaki. Such a variety of colors as is seen in Alices adventures is the world of young children. The mere fact that children often like to reverse colors in their portrayals of the world around them shows that they enjoy such mismatches. This only serves to reveal the delight they must have felt to have been launched alongside Alice into a world filled with mixtures of colors. Furthermore, the skewed perception of size of objects was entirely in line with the perspective of small children.For children, size is overstated in proportion with their own size. Mor e so, size is magnified in proportion to their understanding of the utility of a particular object. Take for case the larger-than-life portrayal of the chess board pieces. The game of chess is a game of knowledge and of skill. It is not unlikely therefore that a child would find such a game taxing, especially so when he or she is free to enjoy the free terrain of nature. Another such example is found in the upturning of the concept of time telling in the story.One of the most difficult things to teach a child is how to tell time. The importance of the long hand, the short hand, and the second hand are sheer mysteries to a child who needs only to keep track whether or not it is iniquity or day outside. The mockery of timepieces in the story is entirely in line with such difficulty. The concept may be refreshing to adult readers but it also allows child readers to completely relate with the story. Apart from the setting, Carrolls use of characters already familiar to children showed that the story was indeed intended for them.The characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum for example, cover right out of the nursery rhyme to meet Alice in her adventure. This is very significant because to no other audience would these two characters hold strong bearing than to children. The spoken language used in the story is also meditative of the genre for which the texts were intended. To most the language is mere nonsense. But the play of words, specially in Through the Looking Glass, presents so much more than just play. The manner in which Carroll communicates his feelings with non-words is reflective of the way children themselves attempt to demo themselves to adults.For example, in the poem Jabberwocky, Carroll uses the combination of words and the emotions evoked by non-words to paint out a story for his audience. Such mixture of words to express a new feeling or thought is most often observed in children who, for lack of vocabulary, resort to such splicing when the ne ed arises. Furthermore, children often take meaning from the feelings that a particular word arouses in them, particularly so when they dont know the meaning of the word. The use of language in the two stories is a play on such psychological science of children.Finally, the variety of sounds that Carroll brings to life in his stories presents good exercise for childrens linguistic abilities. The spectrum of sounds that his stories present is good training ground for improved diction and musclebuilder memory for his young readers. Finally, let us examine Alice herself. Alices propensity is that of an obedient young girl who is both shocked and amused by the play of the characters she meets. Alice presents the character of a child who has learned to believe the teachings of her elders without amply understanding why she should do so.This very character of Alice persists from her falling into the rabbit hole to her arguing against the disruption of norms. Yet every time that Alice i s oblige to explain her stands, she finds herself running out of thoughts and words. Such blind obedience is common in children, particularly those starting education but not to that extent fully being taught about the concepts behind the lessons being learned. It is argued that Alices adventures had a darker undertone to it, with Alice finding each of her hopes being crushed throughout the story.However, such an observation does not discount the fact that Alices story still holds for the benefit of child readers. If nothing more, such an undertone elevates Alices story to apply even to young adults. It seems that Alices realization that her fantasies and dreams are not always in line with reality and therefore must be discarded shows a coming of age theme in the story. As with most coming of age stories, it is not uncommon that adults themselves find the issues they demonstrate being addressed.However, the benefit that children may derive from the story is not undermined because the issues pictured are particularly addressed to the ones that they themselves face. A Childs Wonderland Scholars have applied the themes present in the stories to everyday life of more acquire audiences. Moreover, numerous criticisms have been aimed at Carrolls stories reflecting them to be no more than the products of a hallucinating mind. Despite these judgments regarding the source of the idea of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, it cannot be denied that both pieces have had a tremendous involve on its young readers.There is no doubt that these stories were created primarily for the enjoyment of children and for their unspoiled understanding. This intention is the focal key in understanding the disjointed world that Lewis Carroll painted. To most adults and to the scholarly world, an in-depth analysis of the text was needed, particularly so when considering the discernment and the capacity of the man who rendered the same. But it is undeniable that the ver y reason why Alices Adventures are still loved today is borne of a deep affiliation between children and Alice herself.Carrolls depiction of Alice and her Wonderland embodies the make-believe world that children often find themselves voiceless to express. In his masterpiece, Carroll is not only able to express the world of a child but he is able to shock the viewpoints of adults as well. Works Cited Alice Liddell. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. April 2008. 16 April 2008 . Carroll, Lewis. The Diaries of Lewis Carroll. capital of the United Kingdom The Lewis Carroll Society, 1993-2007. Carroll, Lewis. The Complete, Fully Illustrated Works.New York Gramercy Books, 1995. Cinibis, M. , and Aysun, S. Alice in Wonderland syndrome as an initial manifestation of Epstein-Barr virus infection. British Journal of Ophthalmology, 76, 316, 1992. Clark, Anne. The Real Alice. New York Stein And Day, 1982. Cohen, Morton N. Lewis Carroll A Biography. capital of the United Kingdom Macmillan, 1995. Collingwood, Stuart D. The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll. London T. Fisher Unwin, 1898. Leach, Karoline. In the Shadow of the Dreamchild A New Understanding of Lewis Carroll. London Peter Owen Publishers, 1999.