Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

As we progress through Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Saw There, we continue to witness Alice’s encounters with numerous fantastical situations filled with a host of odd characters and unbelievable events: a scurrying white rabbit with a pocket-watch, a worried deck of cards painting roses a different color, a disappearing curious cat, and hookah-smoking philosophical caterpillar, just to name a few. However, though these encounters may seem bizarre, they also give the reader an opportunity to wonder at their meaning and offer an interpretation as to their significance. Does the White Rabbit symbolize something more than furry mammal that appears to be running late? Why is he so concerned with time? Why does he appear so nervous? Why is he wearing a waistcoat? Does the Cheshire Cat stand for something more than an eccentric feline? Why does that cat keep smiling? Why does he keep disappearing and reappearing? Why does he do so one body part at a time? By thoroughly questioning and analyzing details of each of the scenes in Carroll\\\'s text, the reader is able to interpret their significance and offer an argument for the existence of an extended metaphor. (An extended metaphor is a metaphor that drawn-out and expanded over the course of several sentences or paragraphs and incorporates other points is comparison.) For this essay, interpret a scene or character from the text and write a 4-6 page essay that discusses and explains how scene or character can be an extended metaphor for something in the world outside the text. (If you choose to focus on Alice as a point of comparison, do so in the context of a specific scene.) As an extended metaphor is extended, be sure to include detailed supporting examples from both Carroll’s text and the concept/idea that you are comparing it to. As you brainstorm and draft, consider 1. What is the central metaphor you want to focus on? In other words, what scene/character are you comparing to what element of the world/society? 2. If you are focusing on a scene: What happens in the scene? What is the progression of events? Who is involved? How do characters interact? Is there any miscommunication or conflict that arises? Between whom? How? Why? a. How might these details be compared to the world/society 3. If you are focusing on a character: what does the character look like? What is the character wearing? Or not wearing? What role does the character play? What attitude does the character have? What concerns does the character express? How does the character interact with others? Does the character have (or exercise) any authority? What kind of language(s) does the character use? a. How these details might be compared to the world/society 4. What other specific details are included within the scene/for the character? a. Where is the scene set? Or what scene(s) does/ do the character appear in? b. How might these details be compared to the world/society? 5. What purpose might be established by creating the extended metaphor that you create? a. What are the implications or effects of viewing the scene/ character from the metaphorical viewpoint that you establish? Grading: Your essay will be graded based on the following questions: • Focus: Does the essay present a clear purpose and unique thesis? Does the essay remain focused on that purpose and contextualize it? • Organization: Does the overall organization make sense in terms of the larger goals of the paper? Is the essay easy to follow and understand? • Development: Does the writer thoroughly and thoughtfully explained the extended metaphor and its implications? Are examples easy to follow, and connections explained thoroughly? • Word Choice and Sentence Fluency: Is the vocabulary precise and engaging? Does the writer demonstrate an awareness of audience and strive to have an original voice? • Conventions: Is the writing relatively free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting?