I found the first half of the Alice in Wonderland unit extremely fascinating. The reason I find it so intriguing is because how bizarre the story is, yet it relates to our lives.
This story offers questions we all ask ourselves throughout our entire lives. Who are we? Where do we want to go? Do we fight for what we want or back down? Do we walk aimlessly through life or live it to the fullest? Alice experienced all of these questions already in the first unit!
First, she goes down a hole and in a matter of hours has already switched sizes physically multiple times. Alice changes physically and I think it signifies human change as well over time. She gets frustrated and does not understand why all of these things are happening to her. Does that sound familiar?
Here are a couple of examples of some life lessons Alice teaches us. The caterpillar asks Alice who she is. She says she doesn't know because how many times she's changed that day. The caterpillar says explain yourself. Alice replies I can't because I am not myself. The caterpillar would continue to badger her to where Alice brought up how the caterpillar would turn into a butterfly and might understand one day. I say all this to make a point that I believe the story might be making. When going through life we experience a ton of change, but the only reason we experience stress and hardship is because we allow that feeling to live in us. The only person that can take control and save us is ourselves. So, like Alice when she doesn't know how to react with so much fast change, we can either move on or stay immobile.
A very short note I would like to add is when Alice gets a very long neck. A bird calls her a serpent and argues with her about her identity. Alice refutes being a serpent. All I'd like to say for this life lesson is that things are not always what they seem. Do not judge people so quickly by their appearance and in general.
The last life lesson I believe in the story is about decisions we make. The cat asks Alice where she wants to go at the end of this unit. Alice replies anywhere but here. The cat says then that it doesn't matter which place you go. Alice insists on ending up somewhere. The cat then says walk long enough and you'll definitely end up in a location. So, the point in this piece of the story is how you live your life. Do you live it with purpose and make decisions on your own to get where you want to be? Is it the other way around and you aimlessly walk through life taking the easy way out when given a chance? I believe this is what the writer could have meant to be pondered.
Now, understand that I am just guessing at what the writer may have wanted. However, even if it wasn't, I think my points have value and may make whoever is reading this think critically.
No comments:
Post a Comment