What is the function of the wizard of ozs poppy scene. Contentsshow history in greek mythology, demeter created the poppy so she could sleep. Quotes from the story such as toto, i have a feeling were not in kansas anymore, lions, and tigers, and bears. Yellow brick road symbolism, in wizard of oz architecture. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. However here are some of the symbols that have been suggested for the wizard of oz. In the book, the tin man, scarecrow and dorothy all saw the wizard quite differently. Munchkin symbolism in wizard of oz architecture revived. The visual component of film and television allows the audience to interpret symbolism in a way printed text cannot. Oz is the wizard that dorothy and the others travel to see in the wonderful wizard of oz. They travel along the yellow brick road the gold standard to see the wizard, who could represent president grover cleveland or william. The political interpretations focus on the first three, and emphasize the close relationshi. This book completely opened my eyes to the deeper, metaphysical meanings within the seemlyjuvenile wizard of oz. More than just a childrens story by lauren houlberg the wizard of oz is a classic, a legend, and a childrens story that will never grow old.
And the central message in the book is all about the rise of populism and the debate over gold versus silver. The secret political symbolism you never knew was hidden within. Like dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the lion embody traditional american values. Dorothys journey in oz symbolized the golden path in the afterlife. The souls journey on the golden path unknown binding january 1, 2005 4.
Scholars have examined four quite different versions of oz. Jan 04, 2019 here is the guidance offered to you by the story of the wizard of oz. Frank baum and followed by the iconic cinematic masterpiece starring judy garland in 1939, has remained one of the most enduring and popular stories over a hundred years later. Oct 22, 2015 dorothy literally died in the wizard of oz. Specifically, littlefield argued that the story of the wizard of oz was an elaborate metaphor for the populist movement a. And it turns out that the wizard of oz is full of hidden political symbolism, which sometimes seems barely hidden at all. Both versions tell the story of dorothy gale and her adorable dog toto getting stranded in a fantastical land by a tornado, and both include the iconic characters of the scarecrow. The political and economic symbols hidden inside the. Here are 16 hidden meanings that you might never have noticed before in l. The symbolism hidden within the wizard of oz many people believe that the wizard of oz was and is an allegory for the radically new state of affairs that existed in america in the 1930s, following the stock market crash and the bankruptcy of the united states government which. Bbc culture surveys bizarre suggestions, from religious allegory to an. As a theosophist, baum believed in a literal afterlife. More than a hundred years after the release of this book, kids everywhere are still enchanted by ozs world of wonder. Some historians believe oz stands for an abbreviation of the weight measure, ounce.
Aug 19, 2014 christian sermons have discussed the wizard of ozs biblical meanings, comparing dorothys song over the rainbow to the end of the tale of noahfrom the book of genesis, or claiming that the. But not everyone believes the wonderful wizard of oz includes any hidden meanings. They travel along the yellow brick road the gold standard to see the wizard, who could represent president grover cleveland or william mckinley. Littlefield pinpoints what he sees as symbols of monetary reform i. The symbolism hidden within the wizard of oz jabajabba. Dec 19, 2017 i discuss the occulthidden meaning of the wizard of oz through the eyes of the author l. Mar 08, 2020 its easier to fool people than convince them they have been fooled. This symbolizes the cynicism that exists in politics due to the fact that politicians tend to change face.
The wizard of oz is more than just a childrens story. The symbolic meaning of the wizard of oz depends upon the inclinations of the reader of the original 1900 book edition or the viewer of the beloved 1939 film version. Ray bolger as the scarecrow, the wizard of oz 1939 the scarecrow represents those farmers. Oh, my, and theres no place like home, are ones that will always pop into our heads when someone. I want songs, which have since become a staple of the genre. The lead character, dorothy gale, symbolizes the average american. One wellknown theory holds the entire novel is a comment on turnofthecentury monetary policy, where the yellow brick road symbolizes the conservative gold standard, and the silver slippers represent the populists. During her travels she encounters a number of characters, some good, some bad.
Thinking the great wizard of oz can grant her wish, she sets out to meet him with her beloved dog, toto, joined by a scarecrow, a tin woodman and a lion. This is because of the opium extracted from them and the bloodred color. The only creature not hypnotized by fear that is able to expose the wizard behind. Learn about the different symbols such as cyclone in the wonderful wizard of oz and how they contribute to the plot of the book. And it turns out that the wizard of oz is full of hidden political symbolism, which sometimes seems barely hidden at all but no one noticed the clear parallels to american politics in the 1890s until a historian named henry. This was after the loss of her daughter, persephone. Its easier to fool people than convince them they have been fooled. One story in particular had so much symbolism for me that i wanted to share what i unearthed. Oct 08, 2009 sharetweetemailwith its memorable story and its cast of colorful characters, the wizard of oz quickly became an american classic. Dorothy, the main character in the novel, is said to represent the average american.
I discuss the occulthidden meaning of the wizard of oz through the eyes of the author l. The wizard of oz is a nostalgic tale of dorothy, a young farm girl from kansas, who is swept away to a magical land by a tornado. The wizard of oz symbolism goes incredibly deep, from the main characters to the cyclone, those famous slippers, and even toto. This gives more credence to the populist silver vs. Emerald city symbol from the wizard of oz symbol meanings. Frank baum wrote 14 wizard of oz books, but his biggest home run was 1900s the wonderful wizard of oz, which mgm turned into a wonderful wizard of oz movie. The winged monkeys are a representation of the plight of dispossessed and enslaved native americans and asian laborers. Theres actually a term to describe the pattern perfected by dorothys over the rainbow. The wizard of oz starts and ends with the musical, and as you may have suspected, actually served as the inspiration for countless musicals to come. Frank baum was editor of the aberdeen saturday pioneer.
In the wizard of oz, characters like glinda the good witch represent the mother archetype because she looks out for dorothy, and toto represents the trickster. The wizard of oz and political symbolism sophie tale. What is the deeper meaning of the wonderful wizard of oz. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy tale written by l. To me, it is a story about a spiritual seeker on a journey of selfdiscovery. Frank baum and originally published in 1900, may have been inspired by the reallife economic struggles during the gold standard. In buddhism and an important part of theosophical teachings the same concept is referred to as the golden path. The wizards name oz could be the abbreviation for an ounce of gold, the letters o to z on the second of baums pair of filing cabinets, or just a word that sounds good with wizard. Oz operates on two levels, one literal and puerile, the other symbolic. The symbolic quest to find your inner heroes, face your worst enemy, and attain wholeness. Christian sermons have discussed the wizard of ozs biblical meanings, comparing dorothys song over the rainbow to the end of the tale of noahfrom the. Is the wizard of oz an allegory for politics in the 1890s.
Symbolism, the representation of objects and ideas through the use of symbols, often of a more abstract concept, gives deeper meaning to a text. In 1890, baum wrote a series of articles regarding theosophy, including his views on the use of mystic symbolism in fiction, something he put into practice ten years later with the wizard of oz. Described as each of us at our best kind but selfrespecting, guileless but levelheaded, wholesome but plucky. Here is the guidance offered to you by the story of the wizard of oz. The scarecrow thinks he doesnt have a brain, which parallels the view that easterners in the country had of the farmers of the midwest region, as being generally irrational, uneducated, and ignorant. Political symbolism in the wonderful wizard of oz many people are not aware that the wonderful wizard of oz is suspected to have referenced several political issues of the late 1800s. Those who find political meanings and symbolisms in the wizard of oz may see the scarecrow as representative of the farmers. Sharetweetemailwith its memorable story and its cast of colorful characters, the wizard of oz quickly became an american classic.
Dorothys journey in the land of oz symbolized mans journey through the afterlife to rebirth. In the story of the wizard of oz, dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow and the lion defeat the wicked witch and return to the emerald city. Theosophists wrote about a golden path that led through the blue sky to heaven. The wizard of oz as satire a closer look to some extent, allegory and metaphor are always in the eye of the beholder, and unless an author has explicitly explained just exactly what he or she was trying to say in a particular work and baum never revealed his true intentions with respect to the wizard of oz to anyone there will. The symbolism hidden within the wizard of oz many people believe that the wizard of oz was and is an allegory for the radically new state of affairs that existed in america in the 1930s, following the stock market crash and the bankruptcy of the united states government which occurred immediately thereafter. Baum published the book in 1900, just after the us emerged from a period of deflation and depression. Speculation of the parallels between the characters in the book and history of the united states began with a history teacher by the name of henry littlefield. What is the symbolic meaning of the wizard of oz answers. Both versions tell the story of dorothy gale and her adorable dog toto getting stranded in a fantastical land by a tornado, and both include the iconic characters of the scarecrow, cowardly lion, tin man, glinda the good witch. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz. The bad wizard of oz is a childrens novel written by l. The secret political symbolism you never knew was hidden. The symbolism of the wizard of oz came to light again recently after the famous filmmaker, bill still, produced a twohour documentary film, the secret of oz, in which he shakes up the existing economic paradigms and contends that the book contains a solution to the economic problems that plague this country. The entire story of the wizard of oz is an allegorical tale of the souls path to illumination the yellow brick road.
Sep 02, 2016 the wonderful wizard of oz 1939, like many fairy tales depicting a series of fantastic adventures, is really the story of an individuals inner journeya story of personality integration and coming of age. While the story of the wizard of oz is packed full of deep spiritual insights from start to finish, the first significant hidden message is shared with the viewer with the introduction of the wicked black witch of the west. Heres the real, forgotten meaning of the wizard of oz. I really enjoyed the journey and i hope you do too pretty much everyone enjoyed the movie the wizard of oz and it has been remade recently by disney. Unbeknownst to many, however, he was also writing a carefullycoded political allegory, in which nearly every character, event, and object is representative of something from the american political landscape at the time. Although the wizard of oz might be most famous today for the 1939 movie, starring judy garland, the book was originally written in the 1890s by author l. Because there are many different colors of poppies, there are many different meanings.
The struggles and wonders in the land of oz represented her journey toward rebirth. The objective of her travels is to wizard the wizard of oz in emerald city so that she can go home. In the century following the publication of the wizard of oz, scholars and critics have assigned all sorts of symbolic and allegorical meanings to various elements of the novel. In this lesson, you will learn some of the symbols and then be quizzed on your understanding. The novel the wonderful wizard of oz has deep and underlying meanings that symbolize various ideas. Dorothy gale, the lead character of the wonderful wizard of oz, is an 11yearold orphan girl who resides in. Nobody ever suggested it until 1964, says bradley hansen, who is a professor of economics at the university of mary washington. The winged monkeys carrying dorothy, the tin man, and the cowardly lion, as illustrated by w. Judy garland as dorothy gale, in the 1939 film the wizard of oz. Still, the main characters dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the lion embody traditional american values.
Her character represented the best of what was valued as the. Frank baum wrote his famous novel the wonderful wizard of oz, he was writing a story that he hoped children would enjoy for ages. Mark twain there are numerous interpretations of the wizard of oz or is it oz as in ounce. Interestingly enough, there are arguably also some parallels to todays political scene. Asked in cooking measurements, volume, weight and mass, wizard of oz. In general, a poppy means imagination and eternal sleep. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Other people cannot tell us what meanings to make or. What is the political meaning of the wizard of oz answers. Less known is that dorothy symbolically represents the average american, and arguably serves as an allegory for the united states itself. Benjamin blankenbehler october 27, 2015 october 19, 2016 0. What is the deeper meaning of the wonderful wizard of oz by.
The political and economic symbols hidden inside the wizard of oz. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy tale as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and social events of america in the 1890s. The wizard of oz symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver. The wonderful wizard of oz is too long to be a parable and not quite didactic enough to be an allegory. Few, however, recognize that, under its deceptive simplicity, the story of the wizard of oz.
The question and answer section for the wizard of oz film is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The wonderful wizard of oz was, littlefield thought, a midwesterners vibrant and ironic portrait of this country as it entered the twentieth century. Populism and the world of oz national museum of american. Frank baum was a theosophist who believed in rebirth. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz wikipedia. Oct 27, 2015 frank baum put hidden symbols in his book the wonderful wizard of oz. Frank baum and first published in 1900 as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and social events of america in the 1890s. The wizard of oz and political symbolism sophies tale. Like dorothy said in the film, but it wasnt a dream, it was a place this was a real, truly live place. It is filled with symbols and metaphors, all pointing to other things. Hill company in chicago on may 17, 1900, and has since been reprinted countless times, most often under the name the wizard of oz, which is the name of both the 1902 stage play and the extremely popular, highly acclaimed 1939 fil. The wonderful wizard of oz 1939, like many fairy tales depicting a series of fantastic adventures, is really the story of an individuals inner journeya story of personality integration and coming of age. Think the big hidden meaning in oz is about turnofthe20thcentury politics and the gold standard. Frank baum put hidden symbols in his book the wonderful wizard of oz.
A symbol in a story is a specific thing that represents something greater or has a figurative meaning. Over the decades, the wizard of oz has been seen by many christians and used often in sermons see here for one example as an allegory of faith. The occult roots of the wizard of oz the vigilant citizen. Try egyptian deities, masonic rituals, and archetypical symbolism common to many of the worlds mystery religions. The occult symbolism of the wizard of oz a positive. The wizard of oz film symbols, allegory and motifs. Political symbolism the wizard represents political leaders, particularly any of the us presidents during the late 19th century.