The Wizard of Oz was written by L. Frank Baum and was published by George Hill Company on May 17, 1900. The story wasn’t intended to become very popular, but by the year 1956, 3 million copies had been sold. Today, this story remains popular, and is forever considered a classic. In short, the story begins in Kansas with Dorothy and her dog Toto, a cyclone comes and sweeps up the house, landing Dorothy and Toto in the Land of Oz. The house had also landed on top of the Wicked Witch of the East, killing her. Dorothy simply wanting to get back home encounters the Good Witch of the North, who she suggests that Dorothy find her way to the Emerald City, following the yellow brick road, to speak with the Great and Powerful Oz and ask for his help to get back home. On her journey she encounters three characters, the Scarecrow, the Tin man, and the Cowardly Lion. As well as defending herself from the Wicked Witch of the West, attempting to …show more content…
Through the eyes of Christians, it appears that Dorothy embarks on a journey to seek enlightenment, however, is encounter by great evils along the way. Where the Emerald City represents heaven and Oz represents God. Yet, through the eyes of Atheists, it can be taken to mean just the opposite, on this excursion Dorothy learns that God is actually not real at all, and is merely an idea or illusion.
Baum was very close with his mother-in-law, who was an influential suffragist who had worked with woman such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Baum had also been the secretary of his local women’s suffrage club. Knowing this some would say that some feminism aspects had found its way into the story of The Wizard of Oz, the men in this story have no real power and are lacking some sort of aspects such as a heart, brain, courage. Though, the woman such as Dorothy and the witches have great power and are not lacking in any
The narrative begins with Dorothy, who lives on a farm in a black and white setting presuming the absence of vitality and the insufficiency of a place that was in poverty at the time. However, when Dorothy is picked up by a twister and wakes up in the Land of Oz, she finds herself in a completely opposite environment full of life, beauty, and color filled with new found opportunities. On her quest to Emerald City, Dorothy is presented with a few characters who are The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion, and The Scarecrow who all feel like they need something more to complete them and they all seek out the “all powerful” wizard to obtain the things they want. The items they yearn for were a brain, a heart, and courage. Three things that we learn to utilize with experiences we go through. The characters eventually realize that they have always had what they have been longing for after the many obstacles they came through on their journey. In the end, Dorothy says, “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't
The first major connection in The Wizard of Oz was the Scarecrow. The scarecrow was used to symbolize the farmers and their struggles in America in the 18th century (Foner, Eric 636-640). The scarecrow made of straw was vulnerable with no brain. The scarecrow had little control over the circumstances he was facing just as the farmers did in the 18th century. The western farmers had issues with overproduction and when prices fell farmers suffered ended up losing their farms (Foner, Eric
Frank Baums, The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of the most popular films made. Even though it was released in 1939, nearly three-quarters of a century ago, the film continues to entertain audiences and speak to them in a personal way. The question that comes to the mind when analyzing this film is: What is it about this film that gives it such timelessness? When reflecting on the film’s timeless qualities, it seems clear the plot is one of the things that enable it to maintain its relevance. Primarily, the plot of The Wizard of Oz is timeless because it is such an excellent example of the heroic journey, both in literally and cinematically. This journey of self-awareness is a metaphor for growth, which is something we all search to discover at some time in our lives.
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 film directed by Victor Fleming, which follows Dorothy Gale on her journey through the magical land of Oz. Dorothy is swept away from a farm in Kansas to the land of Oz in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return to her home in Kansas. The director, uses a number cinematic techniques such as camera angles, lighting, colour and dialogue to portray a central theme of There’s no place like home.
This passage from the story insinuates that men need women to see it they way they do, and men don’t appreciate it when women are free-thinking. Women in fiction, not just in books but in movies and television as well, are often represented in certain molds or ideas. The story of Cinderella and the story by Hurston both reinforce the idea that fictional portrayals of women are
Picture a child sitting in front of a television watching the Wizard of Oz. To them, it is an assortment of magical beings, a land filled with wonderful places, with varieties of different colors. They do not picture it as something with far more meaning than just a plain fairytale. On the other hand, gender/feminist critics have been able to analyze the Wizard of Oz as well as Wicked, in order to find a more elaborate meaning behind the story itself. They have discussed what lies behind the story when it comes to the issue of sexism and masculinity towards the book itself as well as the characters. There are many concepts as well that help to further explain feminism and gender criticism. The four concepts that will be discussed later on are gender, feminist writings, patriarchal society, and gynocriticism. These concepts will then be reviewed as to how they play a part in the book Wicked.
Scene: This scene in the film comes just after the house has been picked up in the twister. Dorothy's house has been lifted up into the sky and suddenly dropped back down to earth in the middle of the Land of Oz. In the scene itself, Dorothy leaves her home to see that she is "Not in Kansas anymore," and finds the new and amazing world of the munchkin city in front of her. She also meets Gwendela the good witch as her journey in Oz begins.
...s. The Scarecrow represents farmers, agricultural workers, ignorant of many city things but honest and able to understand things with a little education. The Tin Man, He represents the industrial worker whose heart has been torn out by the evils of factory work and industrialism. W.J. Bryan embodied the role of the cowardly lion. Bryan was a very loud and booming public speaker but was viewed as a coward because he did not support the Spanish-American war. OZ is the US. The emerald city is Washington D.C. filled with greenbacks and the wizard is the president. Dorothy and her “party” follow the yellow brick way, or gold standard, to find the wizard and fix her problem. When all along they way to fix her problem of how to get back home was to tap her ruby red shoes which were silver thus in the original book thus representing the Populists push for a silver standard.
“Wicked is all about strong female characters: Elphaba, Glinda, Nessa, Sarima, Melena, Dorothy, Nanny, Nor, Morrible, Princess Nastoya…” says Maguire. “This legacy actually comes from L. Frank Baum himself… ‘It was Baum who set up the powerful princesses of Glinda, the witches, and Ozma as the real wielders of power in Oz, and the Wizard was just a sham…’ (Harris). This quote shows the inspiration that women had in this book. They were majorly important to the plot and the theme that even big characters, such as the Wizard of Oz, were just put in to make them look
Baum took a different approach on gender than many did in this time period. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz reverses the accepted gender roles of its time, women taking control, even helping men in times of need. Throughout the novel are a number of examples of a woman helping a man through a problem, and a woman getting through her problems on her own. This novel was one of the first signs of feminism, putting the woman into power. As Baum said, “Never give up. No one knows what’s going to happen next” (www.goodreads.com).
The Wizard of Oz is a fiction story written by L. Frank Baum. The story has two main settings. The first setting is, Dorothy’s home, the Kansas prairies. The prairies are described as dry and gray. The second setting is the land of Oz. Oz is opposed from Kansas, it is colorful, bright, and full of joy. The Wizard of Oz has a grate theme or message behind the story. The message is that we all have good qualities in us, but it is up to us to use them.
Throughout 1939, Hollywood experienced a very productive year, releasing numerous quality films. In August of 1939, MGM Studios released The Wizard of Oz, which was directed by Victor Fleming. The film is based on a book written by L. Frank Baum in 1900. (Magill 82)The charming story by Baum was an instant hit in the United States, and therefore many agree it was well worth it to transform the widespread story into a movie. Although The Wizard of Oz is a playful movie that has been enjoyed throughout the years by Americans of all ages, the film offers a deeper message and several historical connections to suggest an anti-war viewpoint, as well as give Americans a sense of hope through some of the roughest years in history, the 1930s. Released on August 25, 1939, the film tells the story of an All-American teenage girl from Kansas, named Dorothy. She and her dog, Toto, get caught in a tornado in Kansas and end up in the fictional Land of Oz, which is populated by unfamiliar beings- some being good and others being evil. In this imaginary land, Dorothy encounters a number of people and befriends many of them, such as the scarecrow, tin woodman, and the lion. The film describes their journey to Emerald City to seek the Wizard of Oz, who they hope can grant them the things they wish. In the end of the story, the four adventurers discover that the so-called wizard is just a fraud and a humbug. However, "Oz" quickly becomes apologetic and finds ways to help them, offering them hope and encouragement. Finally, the magic takes place in the last scene, as we see Dorothy tap her ruby red slippers three times, and say "There's no place like home." After a long journey of hardships, such as defeating the evil Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy...
"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them" - Denis Waitley. The condition of the world is up to the common people who live there. In The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the characters change their lives because of their drive and willingness to do what is right. The world is similar to the courage of the characters because the common people have the heart and the brains to change what needs to be changed and to learn from the past. Upper class Tyrants will always be challenged by the people, for the people all,over the world throughout history.
Sometimes, the hardest parts of life can make one a better person in the long run, it just takes time. In the novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy learns the importance of being independent and brave. By going on the journey to Oz, she runs into many challenges throughout the novel that help her grow into a hero at the end of the novel. In the story, Dorothy lives a normal life, but then there was a twister that hit her house and flew her away into a different land. This land was called, munchkin land. Here, Dorothy was welcomed, then she tells the princess she wants to go home and the princess tells her the only way to get home was to follow the yellow brick road to Oz. So she follows the road and runs into many obstacles, but in the end, Dorothy ends up talking to Oz and getting home safely. Dorothy grows into a hero because she had to face her fear of defeating the witch and makes it back home, while also helping out the scarecrow, tiger, and the tin man and she has to learn how it is important to be independent.
The Wizard of Oz is much more than a children’s story, it holds many valuable themes and messages for the audience. One of the most important and obvious being there is no place like home. Dorothy comes from a place that many people would be reluctant to call home. The prairies of Kansas are vast and tend to be very absent of color and beauty, along with dangerous cyclones. In contrast to Kansas, Oz is marvelously vibrant and stunning. It is settled with eccentric human beings, lush fields of flowers, a magnificent Emerald City, plenty of adventures and miles of hearty farmland. Most of its inhabitants are cheerful, helpful, and virtuous. At first, it seems odd that Dorothy would want to leave this glorious land to return home. However, realizing the importance of her root’s triumphs all of that. Dorothy never questions her want to return. She is from Kansas, her guardians are there, and she has responsibilities back home. Dorothy has a strong love for Oz and made many friends there, but knows it is not where she belongs. Baum understood