THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ

PUBLISHED IN 1900, L.FRANK BAUM

LYMAN FRANK BAUM

Born : May 15, 1856

Chittenango, New York.

Education :  the Peekskill Military School, private tutor.

Occupation : Author, newspaper editor, journalist,actor, screenwriter,film producer

Died : May 6,1919 (aged 62) Hollywood, California

Literary Background

Literary : He had clear intentions with his books. He removed and objected to use violance in his works. He omitted romance because he thought love to be uninteresting and incomprehensible for children. ( Emerald City of Oz)

Political : He was a Republican and did not support the political ideas of populist movement.

Editorials about Native Americans :

He wrote two editorials about Native Americans and supported the “extermination” of the remaining Indians.

Religion :

Protestan- Episcopal Church, Theosophist

Plot

Major Conflict (Problem) : Dorothy thinks that life will be better

somewhere else (i.e. “over the rainbow), so she runs away from home with her dog,Toto. While returning, a cyclone hits their home and takes Dorothy and Toto to another country “over the rainbow” called Oz Land. She is in a desperate situation to find her way to home in Kansas.

Plot

Chain of events : - Dorothy lives with Uncle Henry, Aunt Em and with

her dog Toto in Kansas.

- One day a cyclone hits her home and when she opens her eyes, she finds herself in a different country called Oz.

- The Witch of the North gives Dorothy silver shoes. She says her to go to Emerald City and ask Wizard of Oz for help.

- On the way to the Emerald City, Doroth meets Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion.

Plot

Climax :

- The Wicked Witch captures Dorothy and her friends in her castle and wants to stole her shoes.

- When she breaks one of the shoes, Dorothy gets angry and throws a bucket of water over the Witch.

Plot

Conclusion( Resolution) :

- Dorothy kills the Witch and frees her friends.

- They meet with the Wizard of Oz. - Glinda teaches Dorothy how to use

the silver shoes.- She returns to her home in Kansas

and very pleased to be home again.

Plot

Conclusion - Dorothy realizes that…”If I ever go looking for

my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with!”

- Tinman, Cowardlylion and Scarecrow realize that they always have possesses the qualities they are seeking.

Setting

Place : Kansas and Land of

Oz

Time : Not Stated

Characterization

Protagonist :Dorothy: The main focus of story is on her desire

to “find her heart’s desire over the rainbow” and all other actions revolve around that problem.

Antagonist :The Wicked Witch: She causes some big problems

that Dorothy faces ,for example, she captures her and her friends in her castles

Chararcterization

Round Characters Dorothy: The reader knows several sides of Dorothy. We know

her as a teeneager who is frustrated by the injustices of the adult world, as a niece, as a friend, as a hero to the Munchkins, and as an opponent to the witch.

Flat CharactersAll the other characters are flat, (the Scarecrow, Tinman,

Cowardlylion, Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda, Wizard, and Dorothy’s family) because we only know how these people relate to or oppose Dorothy, and we really only know them by

this relationship.

Characterization

Stereotypes Good Witch vs. Bad Witch: Glinda and the Wicked Witch of

the West represent the commonly personified forces of good versus evil.

Static Characters The Wicked Witch of the West: Even in the witch’s death,

she still epitomizes the doctrines of evil. “Who ever thought a little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness ?”

Characterization

Dynamic Characters :

Dorothy: She realized that there is no perfect place to live happily. She understood that all she needs in life to be happy is already at her disposal.

Tinman, cowardlylion and Scarecrow: These characters realize that they do not need to rely on somebody else to feel better about themselves and they already possess what they are looking for.

Wizard : The Wizard realizes that he can not deceive people to feel powerful.

Narration

Point of view :

3rd person omniscient narrator : “ She was awakened by a shock, so sudden and severe that if

Dorothy had not been lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. “

The narrator knows more about each individual character in The Wizard of Oz than any one of them knows about themselves or about others. For example, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion think they lack a heart, a brain, and courage, respectively.

Theme

Self-recognition, self-sufficiency, happiness, friendship

Main idea

We do not need to go away in order to be happy because we already possess what we are looking for.

Atmosphere

There are some witches and creatures in the story and they are sometimes frightening and threatening in some instances. But, overall the athmosphere of the story is optimistic because goodness overcomes evil.

Symbols

- Dorothy Gale represents the level-headed, everyday American.

- The Scarecrow is the American farmer, who has much more common sense than educated brains.

- The Tin Woodman is the American worker, who is driven by the money and power holders to work ever harder, ever faster, ever better until he's nothing more than their machine.

- The Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryan [1860-1925], who fought for the rights of common people.

- The Wizard is the President of the United States.- The Winged Monkeys are the aborigines, who belong to the

land, and don't want to leave it.- The Wicked Witch of the West represents the cruel natural

forces that so plague the farmers with cyclone, droughts, and other environmental stresss

Language

A figurative language is used in the Wizard of Oz. Figurative language refers to communicating by ways other than through literal meanings. It works on the imagination. An example in 'The Wizard of Oz' is the incident in which Dorothy Gale throws water on the Wicked Witch of the West. The Witch is described as melting away like brown sugar.

The preceding description is an example of the figurative language type that's called a simile. In a simile, something that characterizes one thing is applied to something else.

Critical Evaluation

The Wizard of Oz has had a huge impact in the world of children's literature. Oz is still considered a classic fairytale, it is mostly remembered mostly with nostalgia for a more innocent period of young adult literature. Many reviewers note that the book is not like the movie at all. It is more exciting, more active, and the characters more well rounded than the movie adaptation. 

References

Parker, David B. (1997, October 3) The Rise and Fall of  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a "Parable on Populism". JOURNAL OF THE GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF HISTORIANS, vol. 15 (1994), pp. 49-63. Retrieved from http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/Populism.htm

The Literary News,  pp. 296-297,  October 1900. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/oz/ozsect1.html

30 Days of Scans, Day 16: Favorite LBGTQ Character. (2010, August 31)Scans_Daily. Retrieved from http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/2340127.html

http://oz.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Oz_Book_Characters http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-wonderfulwizardoz/essays.html http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/Populism.htm http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~gwtuma/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz http://oz.wikia.com/wiki/Land_of_Oz http://www.gradesaver.com/the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz/wikipedia/themes/  

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

ERKAN YÜCE