Posts tagged ‘children’s literature’

THE WIZARD OF OZ CONTINUED

                           THE WIZARD OF OZ CONTINUED

Much as today there was a wide gulf between the haves and the have-nots. Back then the haves were called robber barons and fortunes were made by the manipulation of the gold standard for money.

The have-nots were agriculture workers and the rest of the working-class. Sound familiar. A movement, popularism, was started in support of the have-nots and Littlefield ‘decoded’ The Wizard of Oz in relation to the times then in existence with some interesting comparisons.

In Littlefield’s thinking the yellow brick road represents gold and those in support of the gold standard and that road leads to the Emerald City where we meet the wizard of Oz who turns out to be a phony.

 Dorothy lives in Kansas, a state at the time and still is heavy in agriculture. Along with the farmer’s theme the scarecrow stands for the frightened farmers.

The Tin Man represents workers who have lost their heart.

Now to the cowardly lion. That character represents William Jennings Bryan, a well-known fierce orator who accomplishes nothing.

Then there are the witches of East and West. These characters represent the two coasts where political power and cities holding financial power exist.

Now for the ruby red shoes. In the book they are silver in color, the metal which the popularists want to be made into the monetary standard replacing gold.

Finally, the value of gold is expressed in ounces. What is the abbreviation for ounce?

November 19, 2024 at 2:40 pm Leave a comment

THE GIVER BY LOIS LOWRY: AN OPINION FAR FROM THE USUAL

The other day I was getting my seasonal haircut, when I began discussing books with my barber and authors she enjoyed.  During our conversation she mentioned The Giver.  I have read this book and the books concept remains a sore point for me.  I found it lacking in belief, even for fiction.

I know who am I, a totally unknown writer, and who am I to detract from a classic, but here it goes.

I had no problem with most of the story until the fact was revealed in the warped world of The Giver, all you needed to do is cross a bridge over a river and enter the world of normality.  Salvation was just on the other side of this bridge, yet no one dared cross it.  I find that unexplainable.  Perhaps my readers can tell me how my thinking is wrong.  My barber said they did not cross the bridge because they had been brainwashed.  I feel it should have taken a lobotomy.

I shall now boldly go where no one in their right mind has gone.

I shall suggest an alternate ending to the novel.  I would have preferred to see the novel take this turn.  On the other side of the bridge there exists a sinister forest constantly cloaked in darkness.  In this forest reside malevolent beasts, some part human, who kill and devour all foreign life they find.  The journey through this forest would be dangerous beyond belief, but I feel some barrier must exist for the souls inhabiting the land of the Giver, to overcome.

Beyond this forest is another bridge over another river which these monsters of the forest dare not cross.  Beyond this bridge lies a normal society.  Those who risk the forest will find a fulfilled life.

That’s how I would have ended the story.

Comments?

February 29, 2016 at 9:36 pm Leave a comment

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