Opium as a Possible Influence upon the Alice Books

The use of opium during the Victorian period may have . or been reflected in Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. Mind altering . resulting from narcotics (=Rauschgift) relate nicely to some of the detailed descriptions in the Alice books, such as the growing and .. and the image of the .. smoking the hookah (=Wasserpfeife). The complex atmosphere which Alice lives through can easily be compared to a mind-altering (=bewusstseinsndernd) drug experience. The idea of eating a mushroom or drinking from a bottle that causes one to feel altered (=verndert) in some way drug experience as well. In Carroll's time five out of six families used opium habitually (=stndig). Infant was an extremely common result of the use of the narcotic. It was said that infants "shrank up into little old men" when they became sick. This image is strangely similiar to that of the duchess's baby turning into a pig. Regardless (=egal, ungeachtet) of whether or not the books are written as a result of opium use, it seems very likely that they .. to various aspects of its use. Perhaps Carroll, who loved children, argued its .. to children. Or maybe it was included simply as a sign of the times -- a . of the age.

Drug influences in the books.

Drugs enthusiasts relate Alice's adventures to the "trip". Drugs heighten .. to one's . . Accompanying (=begleiten) this stronger sense of awareness (=Bewusstsein) is sometimes a "slowing down" of one's sense of and movement. This "slowing down" sensation is found in the very first chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, when she is falling down the rabbit hole. While falling, "she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next." The mind drugs also produce an "orgy of vision". Alice's trips through Wonderland and the looking glass certainly contain an abundance (=Reichtum) of imaginative visual experiences. At every turn Alice comes into contact with what could be hallucinogetic animals and objects. One specifically good example of this is the . and reappearing Cheshire Cat. The grin of the Cheshire Cat is one spectacular imaginative psychedelic vision. Another good example is the Caterpillar. His hookah, or water pipe, has become a common way to inhale marijuana. The Caterpillar also imparts some very interesting. . That is, to eat the mushroom. The mushroom can expand (=erweitern) the mind (=Geist; Verstand) as much as it did Alice's height.
Minfluenced

fading harmfulness mortality reflection caterpillar widespread dream shrinking experiences surroundings refer parallels advice Victorian Growth and Self-Discovery awareness expanding disappearing time Victorian works of both fiction and nonfiction that the last century was a time of ............................................... and of seeking (=searching) order in the world. Victorian ................................ in God complicated this seemingly

futile (= sinnlos; vergeblich) search for the.................................... . The core (= heart; centre) of Alice's ......................................... crisis in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is the following: certain aspects of religion come into play throughout this young girl's ...................................., a journey symbolic of universal ..................................... and self-discovery. As Alice learns a great deal about ....................................... with each new encounter (=Begegnung) in Wonderland, she begins to realize that these experiences ...................................... and even distort (= verzerren; beeintrchtigen) her ........................................................ stable self-image. Accepted norms now seem foreign to Alice, and in many ways she becomes an ............................................ . The caterpillar is one character who cannot accept Alice's ............................... of selfawareness (= Selbsterkenntnis; Selbstbewusstsein), or at least what he considers self-awareness to indicate. When he asks Alice to divulge (=preisgeben) her identity, Alice cannot respond with .......................................... and suffers the caterpillar's reprimand (= Tadel). Alice explains her predicament (= Dilemma) by saying, "I--I hardly know, Sir, just at present--at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then". Alice can only explain her current state of existence; how and why she grows or shrinks seem impossible to explain. Alice here reflects a characteristic Victorian irony: Trying to explain oneself generates ....................................................., significantly reduces the effectiveness of religion, and creates a more disorganized world view. self-reflection growth confidence previously weaken confusion identity lack journey proud herself useless suggest perceptions doubt outcast self

Education's Role in the Alice Books

Education plays a large role in the Alice books, contributing (= beitragen) to Carroll's ................................................. of Victorian England. Throughout the Alice books, as in this passage, Alice refers to her lessons and her education, usually very ................ of the learning that she has acquired (=erwerben). It seems, however, that the information that she remembers from her lessons is usually either completely ......................................... or wrong. For example, although she can remember the how many miles down until the center of the earth, she mistakenly believes that everything will be upside down when she passes through to the other side.
(put the sentences into the correct order)

__ A further goal of education was to mold the student into a young Christian gentleman. __ This rejection of typical Victorian manners and education of children supports one of the themes in his Alice books, the idea that a child's imagination has value. __ The information in the Victorian Web about education indicates that traditional public schools emphasized Greek and Latin, house systems, school spirit, improving character. __ Carroll certainly made a conscious decision to make morals and tales of obedience, a large part of Victorian upbringing, nonsensical. __ This approach can be seen in Alice, since her knowledge seems to consist mainly of maxims and morals about obedience and safety.

Themes, Motifs & Symbols

The Tragic and Inevitable Loss of Childhood Innocence
(put the sentences into the correct order)

__ This discomfort she feels at never being the right size is a symbol for the changes that occur during puberty. __ This means that she struggles to maintain a comfortable physical size but her attempts are a bit hopeless. She still keeps changing. In the course of her journey, __ Alice goes through a variety of absurd physical changes. __ These constant fluctuations represent the way a child may feel as her body grows and changes during puberty. __ Alice finds these changes to be traumatic, and feels discomfort, frustration, and sadness when she goes through them.

Life as a Meaningless Puzzle

__ Alice learns that she cannot expect to find logic or meaning in the situations that she encounters, even when they appear to be problems, riddles, or games that would normally have solutions that Alice would be able to figure out. __ Carroll makes a point about the ways that life frustrates expectations and resists interpretation, even when problems seem familiar or solvable. __ So she, for instance, tries to understand the Caucus race, solve the Mad Hatters riddle, and understand the Queens ridiculous croquet game, but without success. __ She expects the situations she encounters to make a certain kind of sense, but they repeatedly frustrate her. __ Throughout her journey through Wonderland, Alice encounters a series of puzzles that seem to have no clear solutions. __ In every situation, the riddles and challenges presented to Alice have no purpose or answer.

The Queen of Hearts

__ As the ruler of Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts is the character that Alice must inevitably (=unvermeidbar) face to figure out the puzzle of Wonderland. __ This means that in a sense, the Queen of Hearts is literally the heart of Alices conflict. __ The Queen of Hearts is concerned with absolute rule and execution. __ This makes her a force of fear who even dominates the king. __ Also Alice gets a taste of true fear in the Queens presence, even though she understands that the Queen of Hearts is merely (=only) a playing card. __ The Gryphon later informs Alice that the Queen never actually executes anyone she sentences (=verurteilen) to death. __ Consequently, the Queen becomes representative of the idea that Wonderland is devoid of (=without) substance.