Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
Discussion Questions:
1804:
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Describe Carroll's attitude toward little girls.
1805:
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Explain: "Cumulatively, the 'lessons' given to Alice and her readers
bespeak a universe of randomness and chance" (1805).
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
1806:
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What might the rabbit hole represent?
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Explain the significance of Alice's conception of the people on the
other side of the earth.
1807:
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Why does Alice drink the bottle labelled "Drink Me"?
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Explain: "She generally gave herself very good advice (though
she very seldom followed it)" (1807).
1808:
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Why does Alice eat the cake labelled "Eat Me"?
1809:
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Why doesn't Alice know who she is?
1810:
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Explain Carroll's "parody" of Isaac Watt's hymn
.
"You are old, Father William"
See Carroll's poem alongside Southey's original
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What kind of relationship do William and his son have?
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Is Father William a "proper" gentleman? Explain.
1811:
"The Lobster-Quadrille"
See Mary Howitt's "The Spider and the Fly"
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How does this poem compare with the Howitt poem?
Through the Looking Glass (1871)
"Child of the pure unclouded brow"
1812:
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Explain lines 9-12.
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Explain: "We are but older children, dear, / Who fret to find
our bedtime near" (23-24).
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Explain the final four stanzas.
"Jabberwocky" and Humpty Dumpty's Explanation
1813:
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What is a portmanteau?
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What other portmanteaux can you identify in "Jabberwocky"?
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What other words can you "translate" from the poem?
"The Walrus and the Carpenter"
1815:
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Why do they ask the oysters to walk with them?
1816:
"The White Knight's Song"
See Carroll's poem alongside Wordsworth's "Resolution and Independence"
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How does Carroll's poem compare with Wordsworth's?
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What is the White Knight's attitude toward the old man?
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Explain lines 65-71.