Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: A Parody of Pedagogy Miss Koester & Miss Levitsky

The Life of Lewis Carroll Born 1832, died 1898 Famous for writing “nonsense” poems, which parodied Victorian norms. Carroll had many talents, including math, photography, and clever wordplay. (Hudson)

Summary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Alice falls into a whimsical world with its own unique code of logic. Alice meets a crazy cast of characters, including the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts. Alice takes part in a trial to find out who stole the tarts from the Queen of Hearts. When the trial begins to get out of hand, Alice wakes up. She realizes that the whole adventure had been a dream. (Carroll)

Vocabulary Words From The Text: Ignorant: Lacking knowledge or awareness. “And what an ignorant little girl she’ll think me for asking! No, it’ll never do to ask. Perhaps I’ll see it written up somewhere” (Carroll 21). Savage: Fierce, violent, and uncontrolled. “Oh! The Duchess, the Duchess! Won’t she be savage if I’ve kept her waiting?” (Carroll 27).

Connection to Victorian England Alice’s experience in the novel relates to the overwhelming experience of growing up and going to school in Victorian England. Children like Alice would have been expected to memorize poetry, learn skills such as sewing, learn at least one foreign language, and also never ask questions or speak out of turn. Students were punished for bad behavior, but sometimes did not even know what they did wrong. (The Victorian School) Carroll even parodies actual Victorian poems for children and includes their warped versions in the world of Wonderland. For example, he turns G. W. Langford’s poem, “Speak Gently,” into a poem called “Speak Roughly,” sung by the Duchess to her baby. (Poem Origins) Carroll uses the Duchess to parody Victorian adults. When Alice mentions that she didn’t know that cats could smile, the Duchess sharply responds, “You don’t know much, […] and that’s a fact” (Carroll 61).

Connection to Modern Times The Pink Floyd song, “Another Brick in the Wall” relates to similar themes of teachers ignoring the voices of students. The lyrics say, “all in all it’s just another brick in the wall.” Each student is no more than a brick in the building of an uncreative, unquestioning society. Other lyrics simply shout, “You! Yes, you! Stand still laddy!” and “Wrong, do it again!” These phrases would have been as ubiquitous in Victorian England as they are in Pink Floyd’s modern England. (Another Brick In The Wall Lyrics)

Works Cited "Another Brick In The Wall Lyrics." Lyrics Mode. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/pink_floyd/another_brick_in_the_wall.html>. Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 2000. Hudson, Derek. "Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)." A Biography of Lewis Carroll. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/hudsond/carroll/index.htm>. "Poem Origins: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Lenny's Alice in Wonderland Site. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/alice7a.html>. "The Victorian School." Victorianschool.co.uk. The Paradox Group. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.victorianschool.co.uk/schoolday.html>.