Alice in Wonderland: the Impossible Is Possible
- Submitted by: jcdancer93
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- Category: English: Creative Writing
- Date Submitted: 04/20/2010 11:37 PM
- Pages: 5
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Before the Harry Potter craze, there was Alice in Wonderland. The popularity of both of these book series is truly unreal. But what is it that makes them so appealing? The authors, J.K. Rowling and Lewis Carroll, incorporate an element of magic and fantasy into their books that attracts both children and adults throughout the world. Their ability to make readers believe that the impossible is absolutely possible is what really captivates children and adults alike. While the Harry Potter series is fairly new, Alice in Wonderland has truly stood the test of time.
Alice’s story is a clear representation of the “literary nonsense” genre that kids find so relatable. Written in 1865, children love everything about the nonsense world Alice becomes trapped in and the belief “that very few things indeed were really impossible” (17). According to Roni Natov, “Fun is made of the literalness of the child’s mind.” In fact, knowledgeable people may not understand the story as well as little kids. From the beginning, the white rabbit is introduced and leads children into an unexpected world of true imagination and reversals. The fact that the rabbit can talk with its absurd watch, fan, and gloves, is enough to make any child giggle. Another quirky character that easily intrigues children is the Cheshire cat with its mischievious ability to disappear and its goofy grin. The cat engages in amusing and sometimes vexing conversations with Alice and the supposedly “mad” world she has entered. Truth be told, Alice’s confusion throughout Wonderland is easily relatable to the problems children face while transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Her fluctuations in size and shape show the desire for a balance between power and limits. When she’s small, she feels insignificant and powerless, but when she’s tall, she feels powerful but she is limited because she is much too large for certain places in Wonderland. Children love knowing they have control and the ability to break...
Alice’s story is a clear representation of the “literary nonsense” genre that kids find so relatable. Written in 1865, children love everything about the nonsense world Alice becomes trapped in and the belief “that very few things indeed were really impossible” (17). According to Roni Natov, “Fun is made of the literalness of the child’s mind.” In fact, knowledgeable people may not understand the story as well as little kids. From the beginning, the white rabbit is introduced and leads children into an unexpected world of true imagination and reversals. The fact that the rabbit can talk with its absurd watch, fan, and gloves, is enough to make any child giggle. Another quirky character that easily intrigues children is the Cheshire cat with its mischievious ability to disappear and its goofy grin. The cat engages in amusing and sometimes vexing conversations with Alice and the supposedly “mad” world she has entered. Truth be told, Alice’s confusion throughout Wonderland is easily relatable to the problems children face while transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Her fluctuations in size and shape show the desire for a balance between power and limits. When she’s small, she feels insignificant and powerless, but when she’s tall, she feels powerful but she is limited because she is much too large for certain places in Wonderland. Children love knowing they have control and the ability to break...