Use the Internet to research and answer the questions.

For the definitions, be sure to

include all entries. Use examples from the text in your explanations.

1. Define: Victorian England

1837-1901 -- the Imperial Century, thought born to rule by divine right, the sole

superpower of the time – much improvement in the industrial revolution: sewage, cleaner

water, nutrition, hygiene, sanitation, higher standard of living – huge gap between classes

(paternalistic ideas of caring for the poor), political reform movement, mysticism rather

than rationalism – known for moral restraint though prostitution and child labor were

rampant

The criminal justice system in Victorian England was more than severe. At that time, if a

family could not pay rent, bills or taxes, they were put in debtor’s prison where they

would work. Punishments for prisoners included transportation to Australia, hard labor

and execution. There were many flaws in the court system as well. Alice in Wonderland

is clearly a parody of incompetent workings of the court and its unreasonable and unfair

punishments. The laws and policies were written in an over-complicated way, and the

system did little or nothing to improve society (just as nobody was actually beheaded in

Wonderland). The atmosphere in the courtroom was often described as one of bullying,

and the witnesses were often treated as criminals.

2. Define: parlour games in Victorian England

upper class had much leisure time, loved word play and logic games – many of today’s

kids’ games are based on Victorian England’s parlour games (i.e. pin the tail on the

donkey)

3. Define: surreal

surrealism: cultural movement related to Dadaism most known for its visual art and

writing which uses surprise and juxtaposition – surreal is the adjective which describes

this style
4. Define: homonym

same spelling and pronunciation – diff meaning – i.e. stalk

5. Define: homophone

Same pronunciation, maybe diff spell – carat, carrot

6. Define: pun

word play, two or more meanings, for humorous or rhetorical effect

7. Find at least three puns in Alice.

mouse: tale, tail – duchess: axis, axes – mock turtle: tortoise, taught us

8. Define: antipodes

2 points on earth directly opposite each other

9. Define: antipathy

strong dislike

10. Define: narrative

story or part of a story

11. How is Alice clearly a product of middle class Victorian upbringing? How would her

life have been different if she had been born into a poor family at the time?

Middle class or upper class children were able to attend school. If she had been born

poor, she wouldn’t have received any education, and she would have been working. Only

20% of children in 1840 London attended school. Her life would have been so hard that

she wouldn’t have had the knowledge of or the concern about manners. In the early

Victorian era, children began working as soon as they could walk. They worked 16 hour

days under dangerous conditions. Towards the middle of the century, more and more

laws were passed that constricted child labor and protected poor people. These reform

efforts were the result of the efforts of the middle class rejecting the notion of inherited

status in society in favor of more equal opportunity.

12. How do you think children’s imaginations were viewed in the Victorian era?

Poor children were viewed as a source of cheap labor, so they were to be obedient or else
they would most likely have been beaten. In fact, even in the upper classes, the saying

‘Spare the rod and spoil the child,’ was the rule of thumb.

13. In the middle and upper classes of Victorian England, wordplay games were

extremely popular. What might this reveal about the culture at the time?

They had leisure and social time on a regular basis. They valued education and used

their knowledge as a source of amusement (in conjunction with silly, physical games).

14. Describe the perfect woman of the Victorian era. Do you agree with this ideal of

womanhood?

Upper/middle class: belonged in the home as a symbol of virtuous womanhood, the

home, motherhood. She was a helpmate to her husband and could only be fulfilled by

the domestic sphere and motherhood. Women were expected to uphold impeccable

morals and instill them in her children. A woman who strayed from this path was

considered ‘a fallen woman’ and would be ostracized from high society. Her dress

accentuated the more womanly parts of her physique and made it impossible to move

quickly (just the fabric weighed around 15 pounds). Poor families came as close to this

ideal as was possible. Since the place for women was within the home, poor women

often took in domestic work such as sewing or laundry for little pay.

15. In Japan, the age of adulthood is commonly thought of as 20 years of age. In the

Victorian era, at what age were children thought to have grown up?

There really wasn’t a distinction for poor children. Children could be sent to adult ’s prison

(some were even hanged) and were expected to work as soon as possible. They weren ’t

thought of as requiring special care or guidance and, especially in the earlier part of the

era, were exploited at every turn. The middle and upper classes of the Victorian era

actually invented this idea of childhood (as in the 18th century and before, children were

viewed as mini-adults). The upper and middle classes valued the idea of childhood as a
separate, innocent time. Although they were quick to punish and had strict rules, they

doted on their children and dressed them extravagantly. Prior to the Victorian Era,

children were thought of as innately evil, and it was the job of parents to tame them or

control their bad natures. However, in the 19th century, the children of the upper classes

were thought of as good and pure.

16. Alice is thrown into the most surprising circumstances. How does she deal with it?

What are her coping strategies and reactions? Are these strategies similar to or

different from how people try to control their environments in reality? Explain your

answer. What effects do Alice’s efforts have? Are these effects similar to or different

from the effects in reality when people try to control their environments?

She scolds herself. She falls back on memorized knowledge and tries to present some

lesson material or ideas of morals or manners to each character in Alice that she

encounters. People often try to master threatening situations by impressing other people

with their knowledge or have firm ideas about how they themselves and other people

should behave. Alice’s efforts usually backfire. In fact, she is often scolded for her lack of

manners (as when she talks about her cat to the mouse or when she sits down at the tea

party without being invited). When people try to control their environment in real life,

their efforts often backfire. There are many parts of life that we cannot control, and it is a

mistake to value obedience over mutual respect or manners over kindness.

17. What was education in Victorian England like (use the Internet to find your answer)?

Did every child receive the same education? If not, how did it differ? Alice often

refers back to her school lessons as she confronts new situations. As well, the

animals Alice meets take on a didactic tone at times. What might the author be

expressing about the educational system in Victorian England? Do you think that

curiosity was a highly valued trait in children at the time? Is it today? Which traits in
 children do you think were valued in Victorian England?

The style of education at the time followed suit. The lessons focused on memorization

and recitation. Education covered the ‘three R’s’: writing, reading and arithmetic.

Fanciful ideas from the imaginations of children didn’t have a place in this culture which

made Carroll’s celebration of children’s curiosity quite radical.

18. Of what did Queen Victoria become a symbol or, in other words, for what did the

Victorian era become famous?

She became a symbol of moral restraint and family life. Also she was known for her bad

temper. The Duchess and Queen in Wonderland were most likely thinly veiled parodies of

the queen.

19. Unlike the other animal characters Alice meets, the puppy is simply a puppy, without

human characteristics. Why do you think this is?

It adds a contrastive element with the other animal characters who clearly symbolize

adult humans in the real world. It emphasizes the purity of childhood and ?? perhaps

implies that this mindset is not dependent upon size or that size and maturity or elevated

thinking are independent of each other.

20. Alice begins to question her identity in Wonderland. Animals in Wonderland often

have mistaken impressions of her. Give an example of this happening with the White

Rabbit. What does this express about the way in which our sense of identity is

formed? How do people’s perceptions and expectations change as a child becomes

an adult and, more specifically, a little girl becomes a woman?

In addition to Alice’s changing size, other characters’ reactions to her make her wonder

who she is. For example, she even responds after being called MaryAnn by the White

Rabbit.

The idea of an ideal woman is not innate. Women learn what is expected of them from

the reactions of others: in what ways they are taught, praised and criticized – this
becomes how they think of themselves, their identity. People ’s identities are formed as a

product of society. As little girls become women, they often have less physical freedom

and fewer opportunities to explore and learn (in the Vic age).

21. Alice occasionally pretends to be two people. In what kind of situations does she do

this? What role does the ‘other Alice’ play in these times? What does this say about

how Alice views maturity?

Alice becomes two people when she scolds herself. It is as if she has internalized the

adult and playacts reprimands when she acts in a way that she thinks they would

disapprove. Ch 1 p 3 “sometimes she scolded herself so severely as to bring tears into

her eyes; and once she remembered trying to box her own ears for having cheated

herself in a game of croquet….”

22. Alice often wishes to show off the knowledge she has gained in school (though her

facts are often mistaken). She strives to be taken seriously by others in this way. Is

this common in children? Is it common in adults? Explain your answer. How does

the author feel about such behavior (e.g. Does he approve of it, judge it, ridicule it, or

view it with kindness or pity)?

Carroll mocks the idea that memorization is at all related to true understanding or

meaningful knowledge. Children often want to seem more adult and want to please their

teachers. Adults may do it but not in such an overt way.

23. The author was politically active and deeply concerned about issues such as the

abuse of animals, the existence of slavery, mistreatment of factory workers, and the

degradation of women. Is his viewpoint somehow expressed in the book? Explain

your answer.

The sleepy Dormouse may represent the apathetic tone of most of society to injustice and

madness that abounds. Within Wonderland, there is strict hierarchy as well as arbitrary

and nonsensical social customs. Wonderland parodies the strict socially constructed
manners of the Victorian Era that coexisted with the absence of a fair justice system and

fair treatment of people. Any character in Alice overly concerned with roles or hierarchy

is portrayed as an absolute fool. The Caterpillar and Cat alone are outsiders in a way to

this hierarchy and are portrayed as having a certain wisdom.

24. When Alice saw the perfect garden through the tiny door, she longed to be smaller.

However, after becoming small, the only way to reach the key to the door required

her to become bigger once again. Thinking in terms of growing up and different

stages of growth, what might the garden represent? What is the significance of

different sizes being required at different times to reach the garden?

True enlightenment requires experience of life with the curiosity and openness of

childhood.

25. In what ways is the genre of fantasy a perfect vehicle to comment on reality?

It’s safe from government censorship and/or persecution. People are often more open

when issues are framed in a fantastical world – it’s easier to make a leap to new ways of

viewing the real world when the story creates or shows other ways of being. Fantastical

worlds make people look at their own reality with new eyes.