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. The easiest connection to populism is set in the characters. The Tinman started off as as simple laborer, however the Witch has placed a spell on him. This spell has dehumanized him, and made it so that the faster and better he worked, the more quickly he became a type of machine. This can be easily linked to a populist view on honest labor as the Tinman started off as a simple, honest worker but is slowly being corrupted into less of a human and more of a machine. Scarecrow starts …show more content…
The winged monkeys don’t want to be out harassing Dorothy and friends, they just want to go back to the way their lives used to be. Unfortunately since the Wicked Witch controls them, they just do as they say. They are a clear representation of the American People. If we are under a bad or evil leadership, we will do bad or evil things. Likewise, if we are under an overwhelmingly good leader, we will do positive and beneficial things. We are easily swayed by those of higher power than us, just as the monkeys …show more content…
Upon returning, they finally learn the truth in that the Wizard is nothing more than “a little man, with a bald head and a wrinkled face.” In an attempt to keep of the illusion of the Wizard being a terrible and fierce man full of power, he hid in his castle and let no visitors in. He regretted letting Dorothy and friends in once they had uncovered the truth that he was just a humbug. Just as the Wizard tried to keep up a powerful image, so did the presidents of the United States. They would rarely make appearances for fear of not having the respect and authority they needed to rule this
There were many characters and places that represented Populism in both the book and movie. The scarecrow, that wished for a brain, represented farmers who were viewed as stupid. Although he was missing a brain, he still provided solutions to many problems that arose. The tin man who lacked a heart represented industrial workers, implying they didn’t have
How did Baum reflect the ideas and values of the early nineteenth century in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?
Populism was a major thing in the 19th century. The populist was formed by farmers who believed that the government was treating them bad. Populism is usually most common in Democracy nations. In this Presidential election Bernie and Trump were seen being using the idea of populism. Both candidates both seemed to be anti-establishing platforms. Both candidates seemed to want to criticize free trade deals as the North American free Trade Agreement
The Populist Party was the people’s party, hence the name Populist, the party was created in the late 1800s when the Southern Famer alliance contacted Powderly, the head of The Knights of Labor. The party’s first platform was called the Omaha Platform which called for the abolition of the national bank, graduated income tax, direct election of senators, civil service reform, an eight hour work week, and the gov’t control of railroads, telegraphs and telephones. The Populists supported the Prohibition
The party adopted a platform calling for the free coinage of silver along with the abolition of national banks. Another aspect of the Populist Party, is a graduated income tax, government ownership of all forms of transportation and communication, and the election of Senators by direct vote of the people. Civil service reform, a working day of eight hours, postal banks, pensions, and the reform of immigration regulations are just some of the other views and beliefs of populists.
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.
Influence is the capacity or power of persons to produce an effect on the actions of others. Victor Flemming, the director of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, depicts a message that revolves around the reversal of power and gender roles. Moreover, Dorothy is a child in her physical presence but lives the role of a hero as she leads the scarecrow, lion, and tin man to the Wizard himself. Through the archetypes such as the hero being a women, Cultural values, and the stages of the journey, Flemming raises the argument that in this case those who don 't have much influence in society are very influential in the Emerald City.
The Populists and Progressive were two major movements that occurred during the outbreaks of the workers union after the civil war. The populists began during the late 1800s and the progressives began during the 1900s. There are many differences between these two movements, but yet both of these movements have many things in common. During this time, farmers united to protect their interests by creating a major political party. This party was known as the Peoples Party, which became known as the Populist Party. Populists drew their strength from rural areas as many Populists tended to mostly be poor and uneducated. They had ideas such as government ownership of major industries. Progressives, also affected by industrialization, began their movements in order to reestablish their society.
"Follow the yellow brick road" - The Wizard of Oz. Although society is more familiar with the 1939 version it was in fact the fifth remake of the 1910 silent film. In fact the original film was actually based off of a 1902 stage musical of the same content which was based off of the original book written by Lyman Frank Baum. The release of the movies 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ' and 'Oz the Great and Powerful ' is a 103 years difference. In that amount of time this movie has been remade 57 times and counting. Even though the newer version of the Wizard of Oz isn 't a remake of the original it 's more of a prequel , both the original and the new version were interesting as you get a different perspective because the focus was on different aspects, the techniques used were drastically different and the characters play roles that are unexpected.
“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
The Wizard of Oz does not give the Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow or the Cowardly Lion what they are seeking. He said he would grant their requests, but they must prove themselves by performing a small task; they must bring him the broom stick of the wicked witch of the west. The Wizard of Oz takes on the personality of a shapeshifter, because he changes the direction of Dorothy’s journey by sending them on another journey.
Throughout the 1880s and 1890s America was going through many changes and many of these were fought by the Populists. Silver being demonetized was another major problem for the Populists and they fought it along with asking for a national government regulated currency as well. The Populist Party also fought against the harsh taxes that were in place at the time in the United States. The biggest concern for many of the Populists was how to handle crop failures and how prices were to be controlled. All in all, the Populist movement was centered on helping out the farmers and improving the ever changing economy.
The Populist Movement began in the late 1800s with the Farmer’s Alliance. The Farmer’s Alliance aimed to improve economic conditions, including low agricultural prices and loss of land as a consequence (Foner, 510). In the 1890s, the Farmer’s Alliance grew into the Populists or the People’s Party. The evolved party appealed to a larger audience, specifically the working or “producing” classes (Foner, 511). Two of the Populists’ main focuses were lower mortgage interest rates and the
Everyone wishes that things could be given to them even if they have the means to obtain it themselves or already have it and do not realize it. That is very true for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The four main characters struggle with this concept. The Lion, Scarecrow, Tinman, and Dorothy take a journey together in the Land of Oz. They are traveling to the Emerald City to meet the Oz because they believe that he can give them what they want. The Oz gives all of them except Dorothy what they want even though they already had what they wanted. Dorothy finds Glinda the Good Witch and Glinda tells Dorothy that she already has the means to get home; the shoes. In the end, everyone gets what they want. The Scarecrow, Tinman, Lion, and Dorothy are all searching for someone to help them with a problem that they already have a solution to.
What does the word “populism” actually mean? The meanings of populism are various. There is no any single word or sentence can describe it. It has been defined based on political, economic, social, and discursive features (Weyland 2001,1). The widespread of this word is started at two places, the United States