Symbolism In William Jennings Bryan's 'The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz'?

Dorothy’s last name Gale, is metaphor that is used to show Dorothy’s journey to the Land of Oz, because of the differences from her home, her expectation of paradise, and her realization of her true home. A gale can knock a person off course into somewhere they do not recognize. Dorothy journeys to the Land of Oz through a strong wind, and when she reaches she finds it to be very different from her home. The metaphor of a gale wind is used to imply that drastic change of course Dorothy took when she reach Oz. Dorothy believes Oz to be a paradise soon after she reaches there. The metaphor of a gale wind is shown here, because when caught in such a strong wind and near death, we might imagine our resting place, a paradise; heaven. Although just

The story of The Wizard of Oz parallels this in the way it chooses to represent things. In the beginning of the story the main character Dorothy is just living out her life in her home of Kansas when a tornado hits. This represents the fact that a lot of Americans were simply living out their lives and trying to make ends meet when all of the sudden things began to change. Monopolies began forming. Currencies began to be manipulated and many people had no say in any of it. The tornado sweeps Dorothy away to a land called Oz. This represents how one day many Americans woke up and the country had become something completely different. Dorothy and her dog Toto have no idea where they are and all they want to do is go home. She meets Glinda the Good Witch of the North and finds out that there is a wizard that lives in the emerald city who may be able to help her get home to Kansas. She learns that she must follow the yellow brick road to get there. There are many ways to interpret these parts of the plot. Dorothy finds herself in this new world that she doesn’t like, kind of like how many Americans felt about the dynamic of American commerce and politics at the time, and decides she is going to find her way home. This represents the beginning of the populist movement. It shows hoe people decided they

The late-nineteenth century was a turning point for American society, economics and politics. This era was an era of seeming prosperity and diversity. Nonetheless, there were many perspectives that were omitted from this prosperous and wealthy view shared among the few. As a result, the late 1800s was known as the Gilded Age, named by Mark Twain as an allusion to the concept of something that is seemingly pleasantly plated with gold on the outside, but rotten to the core. This Gilded Age, in essence, was a period of rapid growth of industry in the American North and West. This industrialization brought many benefits, however, along with the benefits for the select few, it also saw heavier persecution and exploitation against those who were

Paul E. Johnson’s 2004 book Sam Patch: The Famous Jumper uses a mill worker’s personal background to relay a series of socio-economic changes that occurred during the 1800’s. The Industrial Revolution, for many, was the beginning of something new. Due to the development and proliferation of technology, the economic gain from the Industrial Revolution was formidable. Unfortunately, the working class was forced to endure hazardous working conditions. For Sam Patch— a nineteenth century daredevil exhibitionist with nothing to his name— leaping from tall cliffs was a form of visual oppression designed to challenge the authority of well-respected political leaders of the upper class. The ideology that a simple man rose to fame by performing acts that, by many, was considered foolish, contradicted the beliefs of the upper class. This publication highlights several broad changes that occurred during this time period. Society’s perception of fame changed dramatically. Sam Patch went from being a simple mill worker to being a celebrity overnight. This work also highlights issues regarding domestic textile industries, including poor working conditions and child labor. Sam Patch began working at the age of seven; that was not entirely uncommon during this time period. Children were subjected to dust-filled rooms that were either “hot in the summer or cold in the winter.” Furthermore, this book also emphathizes the growing hostility between the Whig Party and the Jacksonian Party.

In Henry Littlefield’s “The Wizard of Oz: Parable of Populism” he argues that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz may not be as innocent as it seems. While it does seem that it is just a fantasy story, there are actually some deep seated Populist allegory inside of it.

Andrew Jackson was one of the most powerful and influential presidents of the nineteenth century. To many Americans in the 1820s and 1830s, Andrew Jackson was a champion of democracy, a symbol of a spirit of anti-elitism and equality of all people that was sweeping American life. In fact, many considered that Andrew Jackson did more than any other American of his generation to enlarge the possibilities of American democracy. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, however, historians have disagreed sharply not only in their assessments of Jackson himself, but also in their portrayal of American society in his era. The progressive historians of the early twentieth century tended to see the politics of Jackson and his supporters as a indication of their own generation’s battles against economic privilege and political corruption. As a result, Jackson is one of the most controversial presidents in American history. Although the portrayal of Jackson as a champion

On August 31, 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt visited Osawatomie, Kansas to give a speech and participate in a memorial dedication. (Hennessy, 1910). Roosevelt had declined to run for re-election to the presidency in 1908, deciding to exit politics and go on a yearlong African safari (Ellis, 2001, p. 284). Frustrated with President Taft’s actions, Roosevelt reentered political life in 1910 (Mowry, 1939). In the Osawatomie address, Roosevelt introduced his idea for a New Nationalism. Many of the speech’s components became the bedrock of the Bull Moose campaign used by the Progressive Party in the 1912 election (Spring, 1970). In the address, Roosevelt compares the struggle for economic equality to the one for abolition of slavery

the gilded age, as coined by mark twain, is a term describing the glossy surface but retched core of late nineteenth century america. this scathing euphemism stems from the literary definition of the word gilded, which describes an object as being coated with golf leaf or paint, much like 1890's America. in this way, the Chicago world's fair of 1893 as described by Erik Larson proves to be a shockingly accurate metaphor for the time period it occurs in. the fair itself turns out to be a magnanimous success, marked by its dazzling achievements in technology and overall splendor. however, the corruption, extortion, and overall evil that it took to make the fair happen is much akin the politics and economic practices of gilded age corporations.

Fairy tales are unique to literature as readers have the freedom to visualize an extraordinary world filled with imagination, excitement, and wonder, leaving reality to linger at the back of the mind. L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classic tale about Dorothy’s adventurous trip along the Yellow Brick Road, finding her way back to her Aunt Em in Kansas City. However, many critics thoroughly analyzed the true meaning behind this classic tale to have a more profound message than simply a friendly children’s story. The theories developed from the interpretations of populist, feminist, and religious critics create a fascinating perspective of the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

What most individuals can 't seem to decipher is that The Wizard of Oz referenced several late 1800’s political issues and ideas. Whether these references are true or not is difficult to say.

Born in 1897, William Faulkner was born into a traditional southern family in Mississippi. Throughout his career, Faulkner chronicled the effects of the Great Depression in the postbellum South with his short stories and novels. Following an era of excess and luxury, the Great Depression revolutionized the life of Americans living in the southern states. The economic turmoil brought on by the recession increased existing racial tensions and heightened the disparity between the upper and middle classes. Although it takes place approximately forty-five years prior, allusions to the Great Depression can be seen throughout William Faulkner’s short story “Barn Burning” in the racial and social clashes between Abner and the surrounding community, along with the lifestyle of the Snopes family.

In John Steinbeck’s tragic, mangled novel, The Grapes of Wrath, the reader is shipped off into the heart of the great Dust Bowl in the American Midwest in the peak of American hardship. Through his use of realism in the era of the modern age, Steinbeck reveals the hardships that were faced by common American citizens during the Great Depression, and utilizes the Joad family in an effort to depict the lives of the farmers who had to flee to new land in the high hopes of a new and better life. The obstacles the family faces are similar to what countless other families had to face, with very little of the population able to successful thrive at the time. By utilizing the empowering endeavors unforeseen by these poor families and the meteorological catastrophes overlooking the Midwest, Steinbeck illustrates the nationwide panic faced by many Americans in an effort to delineate their confusion and uncertainty.

“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”, repeated Dorothy. A young girl trying to go back home to Kansas after a cyclone lands her and her dog, Toto, in the Land of Oz. There Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the TinMan, and the Cowardly Lion who are all in need of something that is considered important to them; a brain, a heart, and courage. Along the way, they have to travel to Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz, directed by the Good Witch of the North, especially for Dorothy to get back home. However, Dorothy and the gang run into problems with the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants Dorothy’s ruby slippers (which was originally the Wicked

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book thick with symbolism and metaphors. It is a debatable fact that Scout, the female protagonist, is a symbol for innocence. Though the validity of her symbol is in doubt, I am certain that the symbol in this novel for injured faith, or broken innocence, is Boo Radley. That puts in question the reason why Boo continues to amble down the same road of apathy while Scout is being led down the path to unbiased maturity. I believe that Atticus, the father figure in the novel, is the subtle influence that raises Scout to be aware of the immoral actions around her but not to accept them. Prejudice corrupts a child’s progression of innocence to maturity, but Atticus keeps his children from assuming the attitudes of the townspeople.

Life in the 1800s has taken on an almost idealistic quality in the minds of many Americans. The images linked to this era of our history are, on the surface, pleasurable to recall: one room school houses; severe self-reliance; steam-powered railroads and individual freedom.