Victorian Era I Say NOT

Image a little blonde girl in a light etiquette dress pondering her actions while following a White Rabbit down a hole into a confused and hectic world. She sparks conversations with a ridiculous Duchess and talks to a mad hatter?as she makes her way through a magical Wonderland?Curiouser and curiouser.
The Victorian Era, 1832-1901, was a period of literary, social, political and religious movements. The social classes of England were newly reforming and the definition of what made someone a man or woman was was constantly changing. So it is no wonder why many people think that a man born in this era writing about a lost girl in a questioning land was considered to be a Victorian Child. Yea not so much. An average Victorian child was considered to be a lighthearted brat oblivious to corruption, sexuality, and the real world. Although Alice was based off of the conservative Alice Liddel, a little girl born in 1852 whom Carroll knew quite well, and Carroll's description of Alice's physical attributes is that of a child's during the nineteenth century, Alice does not fit into the 'norm' of this society. Throughout Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Alice encounters many obstacles confronting her about civilization's abuse of the system,it's negative actions, and switch in order. When the Queen of Hearts, which is not a reference to Queen Victoria, cries "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS" Alice is quite disturbed and scared for her life. She knows that this fait accompli which the Queen has sentenced is morally a wrong injustice.In all of these occurrences, Alice is well aware of what is taking place and is quite concerned. 
In the Victorian Era, children were not sexually in tune; they most like did not know what sex, puberty,and a menstrual cycle was.Like many, Alice,at the beginning of the story, did not understand; yet she wanted to be like her elegant, older sister whom she praised. Her sister is a woman who reads books,drinks teas and,I am assuming rides horses, and Alice idolizes her for that.As Alice continues on in Wonderland she wants the characters to view her as an intellectual that she is, not as a common, stupid child. Alice wants  people to see her as an adult and a matured woman. Carroll effectively used the color red often in the novel to express Alice's long for maturity. I believe the dripping red rose symbolizes her period which ties into the concept of sexuality...need I go into detail of this image. I hope NOT.
And yes Alice sounds like a conservative and yes she might somewhat look like an innocent little Victorian child, but if the definition of a child of this time period or one of George Elliot's writings sounds parallel to that of Alice's strong courageous nature then I believe you have the thought process of a Victorian child. But do tell if I say Not the correct depiction of the Victorian Era.
-Vaness C.

Our Inner Cheshire Cat

I LOVE CANDY. 
       When I was born I was lucky enough to inherit my mother's nose, my grandmother's eyes, my grandfather's skin, and ofcoarse, my father's sweet tooth. From my very first sugary sweet, cavity enticing, little delight, I was hooked. Yet to my surprise, my mom never regulated my candy consumption. I mean, when I was little she would make sure that I wasn't eating drastic amounts, but usually, to the envy of my friends, let me decide how much was enough. 

        The Cheshire cat, from its first appearance, provides a striking contrast to the rest of Wonderland. Unlike his fellow characters, the cheshire cat is able to remain calm and even give Alice rational advice. Historically, the cat has been attributed with both light and dark. The Egyptians believed the cat to be divine and even recongnized it as being holy. Yet, by the Middle Ages people began associating the cat with the devil. Either way the cat has always been an animal that held great power, with its greatest power perhaps being able to stimulate people's imaginations with its vast knowledge and curious physique.
         It is thus not astonishing that Carroll would choose the cat as the all-knowing mentor, yet what is interesting is that he would include a rational character in Wonderland at all. The simple answer is that the Cheshire cat is just a catalyst Carroll uses to move the story along before Alice becomes too far lost within Wonderland. Yet, in the bigger picture, I believe Carroll is telling his readers that no matter how mad life gets, we should always hold onto our voice of reason. If we stay calm we are all capable of making rational decisions, even when life turns into a Wonderland.
          Now that I'm older I realize that my mom chose not to supervise me too much so that I would determine how to supervise myself. Even for something as trivial as candy consumption, I needed to learn how to listen to my inner Cheshire cat.  

--Sapir L.

       

Wonderland is WONDERland for a Reason

In one of my Alice in Wonderland responses, I analyzed a quote by the duchess that read “If everybody minded their own business…the world would go around a deal faster than it does.” This quote conveys Lewis Carroll’s opinions on the way human nature causes us to question and wonder why things happen. In this response, however, I analyzed Carroll’s views on this topic, but never got to input my own personal opinions and views on this issue.

I’d like to explain that it is questioning alone that got the world to be as technologically advanced as it is today. It was the inventors that asked “What can I invent that would make daily life more easy and convenient?” It was the computer programmers that asked “What can we do to speed up our processors and improve our operating system?” It was the car manufacturers that asked “How can we optimize these cars for maximum safety?” Because of them, we have knives that can cut through steak like butter, we have computers that can access the information on the internet within seconds, and we have SRS airbags standard in almost every newly produced car. So tell me, Lewis Carroll, is it better to leave things alone and “mind [your] own business”? Or is it better to move forward and continue progressing the way society has?

I’d also like to point out that questioning the wrongs of our surroundings makes us wonder how we can fix them and improve ourselves. In the book, Alice continually points out flaws like the duchess’s failure to care for the baby or the hatter’s watch not telling the time of day. Alice does this throughout Wonderland and although she angers the residents of Wonderland, she has a point. What if we never wondered why the earth gets hotter and hotter every year? Then we would have never came up with the theory of global warming and the ideas on how to fix it. My point is that questioning the wrongs of society and wondering how to fix them is what makes us improve as human beings.

It is questioning and reasoning that sets us humans apart from other irrational animals on this planet. We should use that difference to our advantage and apply those skills to our lives, not let life go as it is and never work on improving it, which is what Carroll seems to believe in.

-Nick B.

High School Royaltea

      This blog is the center for our team, the Royalteas consisting of six senior students for our 2010-2011 AP Literature and Composition class. The basis of this blog will be ideas that arise from class work, discussions, and such. We drew numbers to see who would be the first to address cyberspace first, and that task has fallen to me.



      The past few weeks we have been learning about archetypes, and have been working on finding them in literature. An archetype is universal, and is said to come from the collective’s unconscious to resonate with the reader to develop meaning when found in a text. Some examples we have covered are snakes, gardens, water, journeys, and quests.


      I can’t help but feel that this year is more or less a perfect illustration of the archetype of a journey or quest. As our final year in high school begins, it feels more and more as if our journey in schooling is about to come to a close. Many will continue onto college, but what we have always known as traditional school is ending. Our quest to receive our diplomas ends in less than 175 days. Then, this metaphorical quest is done, and then what? Many of us will never see each other ever again after graduation. I’ve already had people tell me, “Oh, this is our last year to hang out.”


     I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I suppose school in a way is more connected to the idea of growing up and learning than this metaphorical quest, but most times it feels more like reaching for one prize-our diplomas or grades- than progressing.


     So, this is it. Our last year of high school to show what we have learned and to learn as much as possible before we journey out into the world on our own. This blog will record what we learn in just one class, but often these ideas will be reflected in our lives.


     Bring on senior year... and the tea.


     Emily