I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to fairy tales, I’m not the best person to go to. Though fairy tales were a part of my childhood, they weren’t a big part. I would usually fall asleep to the sound of the television with cartoons on it, rather than the voice of my parents reading a book to me. It wasn’t my parents fault, they read to me, but I was more interested in watching t.v. then listening to them read, so this section of fairy tales is interesting for me.
Anyway, now with Alice in Wonderland. Well, I have seen the Disney movie several times; however, reading this version of Alice was also interesting for me. In this version of the text, Alice is once again curious. We see that when she drinks out of a bottle and all of a sudden she doesn’t know who she is. Now, like I said, I have seen the Disney version, but that was a long long time ago, so I really don’t remember much. None the less, when I read this, I found Alice’s curiosity very interesting. I mean she is a child, right? So, even though she is a child, that doesn’t stop her from being curious, she still wonders off and does things, that’s what made it interesting.
Alice goes on many different trips in her adventures. She talks to animals and just has a good old time on her adventures. However, later on in the story, she is woken up and she realizes that none of it was real, it was a dream. But that doesn’t seem to bother her, she still enjoyed her adventures and she still has a great imagination.
I personally think that whichever version you read (whether it was this one or another one), Alice in Wonderland is the pinnacle of fairy tales because it just allows your imagination to run free and it’s just so magical. Like I said, fairy tales weren’t a big part of my childhood, however, I always enjoyed a couple of them, one would be Little Red Ridding Hood, and the other would be Alice in Wonderland. I really enjoyed reading Alice in Wonderland.
*I didn’t know who was supposed to post first this week. I guess it was Gabriela Sosa, but it looks like she’s either not in our group anymore, or she dropped the class. Either way, I went ahead and did the lead post. *
2 comments:
I haven't finished reading Alice in Wonerland yet, but I am absolutely enjoying it! Again, I watched the Disney version over the weekend. I can't believe how similar the text and movie are, even right down to the same exact lines! I love how the characters say "indeed." Just like in the movie, "Very peculiar, indeed!"
What I found most interesting was that in the beginning, Alice says she is only interested in books with pictures because that is the best part. She is interested in a world that is far different than her own. Alice is intrigued by every happening in Wonderland, BUT at the same time she cries many times. She finds herself scared and very frustrated with many characters. She shrinks and grows about every other scene. Alice begins to get quite frustrated when she cannot find her way or her right size. Though she is in the world of wonderful imagination, she still wishes a number of times that she was at home with Dinah. Sometimes she even fears that she will never retrun home or even to the right size again. I found it interesting that there she was, in a wonderful world of wonder, and was crying so often. Maybe this represents childhood. Though children like to travel in their own worlds, they still want to come home and feel safe. I think that is how Alice felt, scared and unsure, but still enjoyed the characters of a different world.
She has many encounters with different and interesting characters. With every character she gets into some argument or offends them in some way. It is kind of like going to a different country. One encounters many people, but finds it hard to communicate and sometimes offends others without meaning to. Alice is in a differnt world, learning how to get along with others. Some encounters are good, while others are just plain frustrating. I have enjoyed this book so far and can't wait to finish it!
I was surprised and relieved as I read Alice in Wonderland, because it wasn’t completely different from my memories. After reading all the fairy tale variations, I was a bit disappointed, but after reading the first line of Alice in Wonderland I began to feel better about the stories I knew as a child.
Mandy, I really liked your two observations. Your observation of how much Alice cried, and how it may be representative of childhood. Children are constantly exploring and entering imaginary worlds of their creation, yet they are always relieved and happy to see a familiar face or place.
The other observation was how Alice’s adventure may represent someone traveling in a foreign place and how it is difficult to communicate and how easy it is to offend people of different backgrounds. But at the same time, I had to laugh because Alice’s choice of conversation starters was a bit “blonde”. Example: When she was trying to talk to the mouse. Referencing that she has a cat that catches and eats mice is not the best way to strike up a friendship or companionship. I’m not sure if it was the foreign place, her “blondeness”, or her inability to think before she spoke, which was the root of the communication gap.
If my memory serves me right, I did not care for Alice in Wonderland the movie, but I am enjoying reading the book. Throughout this story, I laughed often, and was thoroughly entertained. The best part is using my imagination to visualize the scene being described. It has been a long time since I’ve sat down and read something that actively engages my imagination. I forgot how fun it can be. I am really happy that this story did not disappoint, like so many of the fairy tales did.
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