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wizard of oz

Decent Essays

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. During the great depression in the 1930 's women were at the bottom of the totem pole as men tried to get the …show more content…

I was petrified." He is not the typical wise old man, and in all honesty is nothing but a fake and a normal bystander during her journey. Furthermore, gender roles comes into effect when the two witches use their power throughout the film, and are the only ones to do so. Glinda the Good Witch is the one who can be seen to be the mentor of Dorothy as she influences and guides her to overcome the Wicked Witch of the West. Again, the mentor is usually a male but it is obviously different in this film. Furthermore, Glinda also uses her powers to help fend of the Wicked Witch as she tries to take the ruby slippers from Dorothy. Glinda uses her power to make the Wicked Witch feel small as she says, "You have no power here! Begone, before somebody drops a house on you, too!" This leads to Dorothy having more confidence because she knows she has the power of Glinda behind her. Though Dorothy knows she has Glinda on her side she meets three more friends in the Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow who all join her on her journey to Oz. She notices that the Lion doesn 't have courage, the Scare crow isn 't scary because he doesn 't have a brain, and the Tin Man doesn 't have a heart. For example the Lion says, "I 'm afraid there 's no denying '. I 'm just a dandy-lion. A fate I don 't deserve. I 'm sure I could show my prowess. Be a lion, not a mouse. If I only had the nerve." Dorothy gets

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