The wonderful wizard of oz character descriptions for teachers. The wonderful wizard of oz has been adapted to other media numerous times, most famously in the wizard of oz, the 1939 film starring judy garland, ray bolger, jack haley, and bert lahr. The wizard of oz, based on their favourite bedtime story about a land of oz, was published in 1900 and it immediately became a huge international success. The book was loosely adapted into a 1939 motion picture, the wizard of oz, which has over the course of years become one of the most beloved movies of all time. In fact, the wizard of oz is one of the masterpiece foundation stones and points of reference for many films of various genres and from different eras, from eyes wide shut 1999 to avatar 2009.
This symbolizes the cynicism that exists in politics due to the fact that politicians tend to change face. In his book the wonderful wizard of oz in american popular. She is simply a bystander to all of the corruption and symbolism pertaining to the novel. See more ideas about wizard of oz, wizard of oz play and wizard of oz musical. This is a list of characters in the original oz books by american author l. The wonderful wizard of oz is one of my favourite classic movies, so i was very excited to read this book and the author lived up to my high expectations. What do the characters represent in the wizard of oz. 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. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz wikipedia. What is the symbolic meaning of the wizard of oz answers. Frank baum wrote a total of 14 books with oz characters. See more ideas about wizard of oz, emerald city party and emerald city theme. Some historians believe oz stands for an abbreviation of the weight measure, ounce.
Ruth plumly thompson took over as a royal historian of oz in 1921 with the royal book of oz originally authorship was wrongly attributed to baum and proceeded to write an oz book a year for nineteen years until 1939. And it is dorothys fearless independent character that compels her to question her surroundings and predicament. The wonderful wizard of oz study guide course hero. The wizard of oz film symbols, allegory and motifs. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Ive heard several fullcast dramatizations of the wizard of oz on cd, and this bbc version is one of the best. According to springmeier, auntie em is a representation of founder of theosophy, hp blavatsky mulaprakriti while uncle henry represents her unmanifested logos.
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 wicked witch of the east is the eastern business while the wicked witch of the west is william mckinley. The wizard represents those humans who sip the nectar of their own illusion and become drunk with greed, power, and control. It deals with very important topics, of belief and of truth, similar to other productions such as alice in wonderland or the matrix. Literary scholars and critics, of course, have long interpreted the wonderful wizard of oz as a fable of populism, arguing that baum disparaged the social, political, economic, and moral order of the gilded age.
Innocent midwest girl, does not have the power to do anything about the changing world. Although he wrote numerous books, the wonderful wizard of oz is easily his. What is the symbolism found in the novel the wonderful. Unfollow wizard of oz characters to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. We have the folks from oz, and then we have a set of real world counterparts who live on and around uncle henrys farm in kansas. The book deals with the ethical concept of good versus evil and provides and interesting and innovative twist on the wizard of oz. Some of the major characters from baums first book the wonderful wizard of oz from left to right.
The wonderful wizard of oz study guide contains a biography of l. In the wizard of oz, characters like glinda the good witch represent the mother archetype because she looks out for dorothy, and toto represent the trickster, because he. Not unlike the way the characters in the wizard of oz correlate to. The wonderful wizard of oz as a fable of modern america. When dorothy and her little dog toto are caught shelve the wonderful wizard of oz. Join msmojo as we break down the plot, characters, themesmorals, music and overall legacycultural impact of each of these works, as we pit 1939s the wizard of oz. Mckinley presidency represented in oz news, sports, jobs. What is the deeper meaning of the wonderful wizard of oz.
Unseen for most of the novel, he is the ruler of the land of oz and highly venerated by his subjects. This set of seven whimsical pins depicting the characters of the wizard of oz was created. In the book and the play the shoes are silver, not ruby as they were famously depicted in the 1939 film. What do the characters in the wizard of oz represent. The centerpiece of the book is the journey to the emerald city, home of the. Since it was first published in 1900, the wonderful wizard of oz has enchanted readers of all ages with its lovable characters, gentle humor, and quiet wisdom. Four of the five biggest characters in the wizard of oz present us with a thorny dilemma. Dorothy must deal with an extraordinary number of natural and. The land of oz is colorful, to say the least, and the wonderful wizard of oz is replete with references to gold, silver, and green. Wizard of oz american icons temple university sites.
Set of 5 classic brainteaser puzzles redesigned to match characters and artifacts from the wizard of oz. Specifically, the tin woodman seeks a heart even though he already brims with compassion. Dorothy this character s journey to see the wizard of oz brings friendship and adventure. 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 wonderful wizard of oz study guide objectives the wonderful wizard of oz is an entertaining and educational epic production that facilitates learning across all age groups. Certainly there were many, many books in the oz series that did not include the characters of the wizard of oz. Wishing to return home, she begins to travel to the city of oz where a great wizard lives. A brain or smarts would help him deal with all three. The political undertones of the wizard of oz by alexa morgan bricker. Garland won the role of dorothy despite substantial competition. 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. Seventyfive years later, it is still one of the most beloved and watched movies of all time. The political and economic symbols hidden inside the. The wizard of oz is the ruler of the land of oz and lives in emerald city.
Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz include treatments of the modern fairy tale written by l. His book, was published september 1 by the george m hill company of chicago and new york the book is in every. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting, a delightfully levelheaded heroine, and engaging fantasy characters, the story was enormously popular and became a classic of childrens literature. Womens wizard of oz dorothy ruby red slipper anklet socks. Frank baum and first published in 1900 as an allegory or metaphor for the political, economic, and social events of america in the 1890s. May 24, 2009 certainly there were many, many books in the oz series that did not include the characters of the wizard of oz. Book report 100 points create a book report that includes a brief essay comparing the book to the movie and draw a venn diagram to show the comparisons. Frank baums the wonderful wizard of oz offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. The main characters in the wonderful wizard of oz are dorothy gale, the wicked witches of the east and west, the cowardly lion, the tin woodman, the. Very bad wizards book 1 of 3 in the wicked wizards of oz series is a fulllength reverse haremnew adultfantasy romance novel, a gritty retelling of the wonderful wizard of oz. Wizard of oz character wizard of oz appears in 92 issues. What are the four virtues in the wizard of oz answers.
Tin woodman, toto, dorothy gale, cowardly lion, and scarecrow. The wizard of oz and political symbolism sophies tale. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west by gregory maguire, the wonderful wizard of oz by l. Salman rushdie, a noted fan of the wizard of oz who wrote a pretty amazing bfi classics book on the film, believes that one of the things that makes oz so powerful is that it lays bare the. It told of an orphaned kansas girl swept by a tornado into a fantastical world, but who wants to return home to her aunt and uncle.
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. Expand your options of fun home activities with the largest online selection at. 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. The emerald city represented the greenbacks who favored printing paper. But now, having learned a great deal more about american history, it seems. Frank baums classic novel the wonderful wizard of oz. 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. Frank baums original book, it ends up being overlong and dull. The lead character, dorothy gale, symbolizes the average american. When a cyclone whips across kansas, this character is carried away in the small farmhouse and eventually is set down in the land of the munchkins. The 1939 film starring a young judy garland was based on lyman frank baums book, the wonderful wizard of oz, published in 1900. Just as some of baums metaphors serve as a composite, the lion and the wizard represent different aspects of bryan.
The bad wizard of oz is a childrens novel written by l. It was released when technicolor was still a relatively new processthe threestrip process having been introduced in 1932. While not the original intent of the characters, the images of dorothy and her. Masterpieces wizard of oz emerald city piece puzzle.
A number of these references have been noted already, but the story makes. Frank baum wrote the childrens fantasy book the wonderful wizard of oz in 1900. The yellow brick road represents our spiritual path. Childrens literary series wizard of oz best for ages 7 to 11. Although his book the wonderful wizard of oz, published in 1900, is titled after a man, it is fundamentally a femalecentric 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. He wrote several sequels and numerous other kinds of books under a pseudonym. The wonderful wizard of oz, childrens book written by l. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting. The objective of her travels is to wizard the wizard of oz in emerald city so that she can go home. Beautifully designed and complete with quotes from the book to match each puzzle, the childrens literary series wizard of oz set is a truly magical way to test your cognitive skills. They are, of course, the scarecrow representing intelligence, the tin man representing compassion, and the cowardly lion representing courage. Political symbolism the wizard represents political leaders, particularly any of the us presidents during the late 19th century.
Other putative allegorical devices of the book include the wicked witch of the west as a. Believing he is the only man capable of solving their problems, dorothy and her friends travel to the emerald city, the capital of oz, to meet him. A modern fairy tale with a distinctly american setting, a delightfully levelheaded and assertive heroine, and engaging fantasy characters, the story was enormously popular and became a classic. Frank baum, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. There was a politician named william jennings bryan in the late 1800s who supported the free silver movement.
Like dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the lion embody traditional american values. The majority of characters listed here unless noted otherwise have appeared in multiple books. Dorothy, the main character in the novel, is said to represent the. The book reveals that glinda and elphaba knew each other from college and built a rivalry, the plot thickens when it is discovered that elphabas father is actually the wizard of oz. Mar 05, 2017 here is how wilson and others who believe in the allegory think how the characters match up. Compassion, courage, loyalty and patience are four virtues in the wizard of oz. The political and economic symbols hidden inside the wizard of oz.
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. A tornado appears and carries her to the magical land of oz. The wizard of oz 1939 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The wizard is one of the characters in the wonderful wizard of oz. The wonderful wizard of oz is too long to be a parable and not quite didactic enough to be an allegory. The tinman, scarecrow and cowardly lion represent blavatskys mental, emotional, and physical bodies.
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. The main characters in the wonderful wizard of oz are dorothy gale, the wicked witches of the east and west, the. He is believed to be very powerful and able to change shape. Dorothy would represent the goodness and innocence of human kind. The world of miss mindy wicked witch statue wizard of oz. The main themes in the wonderful wizard of oz are good versus evil, home, and. Populism and the world of oz national museum of american. Dorothy and the wizards head from the book, the wonderful wizard of oz. In his reading of the wizard of oz, littlefield believed that dorothy was a standin for the average american, and that the magic silver shoes represented the late 1890s free silver movement. A deadly flower might seem curious at first, but poppies, of course, are no ordinary bloom. When the wicked witch of the west tries to take them later on in the film, she is electrocuted, unable to take them from dorothy.
In the book, the tin man, scarecrow and dorothy all saw the wizard quite differently. During her travels she encounters a number of characters, some good, some bad. The great oz himself represents the fallacy through which humans are persuaded to worship a false deity who is perceived as a wondrous being that performs seeming miracles, but when their religion is questioned and explored their god turns out to be a human behind a screen of imagery. Many people are not aware that the wonderful wizard of oz is suspected to have referenced several political issues of the late 1800s. Baum proceeded to write 14 oz books, the first of which, the wonderful wizard of oz, was published in 1900. The farmhands only appear in the motion picture version, the wizard of oz, produced in 1939 and starring judy garland as.
The scarecrow is thought to represent the western farmers. The whole problem in the movie is that dorothy followed it looking for the wizard of oz, instead of for oz. As with those characters in the wizard of oz, americans have always had all the sensibility, smarts, heart and courage they need within themselves. Political interpretations of the wonderful wizard of oz. Much like politicians, the people of oz have no idea what the wizard truly represents and, as we all know, he breaks his promises. A humbug magician who ruled the land of oz for a time, and later became one of its beloved citizens. The wonderful wizard of oz is a great book to read to a younger child or for children 8 12 to read on their own. And finally, choose one scene from the book and draw a. That interpretation is couched in the populist terms of the 1890s, when baum already may have been working out characters and plots in the decade before publishing the first of 14 books in his oz. Until this version, the book had inspired a number of now less well known stage and screen adaptations, including a profitable 1902 broadway musical and three. On august 12, 1939, mgm studios premiered the wizard of oz based on l. Throughout the film, they represent dorothys specialness in oz, and her purity in the face of danger and evil.
Still, the main characters dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, and the lion embody traditional american values. I want songs, which have since become a staple of the genre. The symbolism hidden within the wizard of oz jabajabba. When a nasty neighbor tries to have her dog put to sleep, dorothy takes her dog, toto, and starts to run away. Over the years, both book and movie have fueled a number of elaborate. Include a threeparagraph summary of the book that includes information on the plot, setting, characters, and conflict. Forever allied with kansas, the the wonderful wizard of oz was a book. The wizard of oz and political symbolism book and media.
This book tells the backstory of the film, and stars the wife of the author who wrote the original book that the. Frank baum this study guide consists of approximately 39 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the wonderful wizard of oz. The cmla version on four cds is so slavishly faithful to every episode in l. Their complete texts can all be found on the web at various places, including the wonderful website of oz. From the san francisco call california november 18, 1900 the wonderful wizard of oz, by l frank baum, with pictures by w.
This study guide is an aid for parents and teachers to help children gain important and relevant knowledge of our adaptation, theatre etiquette. In this scenario, dorothy represents the common citizen, the tin man is the. Scholars have examined four quite different versions of oz. Both the book and the film the wizard of oz feature iconic scenes of dorothy, toto, and the cowardly lion the only flesh and blood members of the gang, lulled to sleep by a field of poisonous poppies. Come take a tour, visit our exhibitions, and view the gorgeous main reading room. However, one of the more persistent interpretations has been that the scarecrow represents farmers, the tin man represents factory workers, the lion represents william jennings bryan, and the wizard in the emerald city represents. Judy garland as dorothy gale, in the 1939 film the wizard of oz. Dorothy gale, the lead character of the wonderful wizard of oz, is an 11yearold orphan girl who resides in kansas with her aunt em and uncle henry. Frank baum, is a book that has transcended its time and place more than a century after its publication, it remains a seminal piece of popular culture helped, of course, by the iconic 1939 film adaptation starring judy garland.
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