Daniel Lopez

4-28-14 Underground
English 12 Satire Essay

Merriam-Webster defines satire as the use of irony, exaggeration, or to expose flaws and
other immoralities. It is mostly used as way to ridicule and discredited other popular issues. In other
words satire would be used for mockery, ridicule, scorn and derision. Under the pseudonym Lewis
Carroll, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon, and photographer,
uses a theme of satire to ridicule aspects of the 19
th
century Victorian era in his famous written work,
Alices Adventures in Wonderland. For an educated writer like Charles Dodgson, there are many ways he
may approach a satiric theme, and he does this in a sneaky way by hiding all the satire underneath his
complex characters and an unpredictable story line like the one in Wonderland. A reader may find
out how a Mathematician like Carroll viewed the Victorian era in which he lived and its impact on its
culture.
The education of the Victorian era was mostly centered on literature, profusely on the
remembrance of poems, this is an aspect of which Carroll might have thought to be unnecessary. In
the beginning of the story Alice enters Wonderland by falling into a rabbit hole. While falling, she
questions where where she might be heading. As Alice travels through Wonderland, she begins to
question who she is, she does not remember poems she had memorized before. She then tries to go
through her times tables and fails to correctly answer any of the questions she comes up with. But
then I wonder what Latitude and Longitude Ive got to? Alice had not the slightest idea what
Latitude was, or Longitude either, but she thought they were nice grand words to say (Carroll 2).
Carroll might have been implying with his characters who question who Alice is because of the era
she had been brought up in. Carroll also emphasizes this idea when the Gryphon introduces the
Mock Turtle to Alice, where then the turtle tells Alice of his education. The turtle explains what
would be given for extra classes, in which Alice deems they would not be needed since he was given
Daniel Lopez
4-28-14 Underground
English 12 Satire Essay
lessens for example like in washing. The satire here is suggesting that education of this era wasnt
very useful in Alices situation and in a way like Wonderland was nonsense.
At times Carroll satire can be clearly seen, as when it comes to politics he has a sense of dry
opposition to it. For instance, when Alice couldnt quite find a way to get to the right size so that she
can get to a garden, and instead gets caught up in her tears being washed away with other creatures
unto a shore and attempts to dry herself along with the others. It is in this scene where Carrolls
mouse attempts to dry everyone off since they are soaked with Alices tears. Are you all ready? This
is the driest thing I know. Silence all round, if you please! William the Conqueror, whose cause was
favoured by the pope, was soon submitted to by the English, who wanted leaders, and had been of
late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest(Carroll 14). After the mouse fails, the Dodo
recommends that they try a caucus race, which actually means a gathering of party leaders to make
policy decisions. It is clear at this point that the satire is here pointed at how dry, boring and
meaningless the political topics Carroll lived through during the Victorian era. The caucus can be
seen as a gathering of many leaders who just hustle about and talk of the many plans that are ahead
for the country to flourish, but nothing ever amounts from what they say. At the end of the race,
everybody wins and deserves prizes for doing nothing at all.
Within the chapter named Who Stole the Tarts? is another scene in which Carroll likes to
expose the roles of the King and Queen, how they treated the lower class as well as how unjust their
actions might have been. What happen to be going on is apparently a case to find and punish the
crook who stole the Queens tarts, and the person who is on trial is the knave, everyone else being
citizens watching as to see what the King and Queen will decree. Carroll here is showing how the
people under rule were treated in front of others. No, no! Sentence first, verdict afterwards
(Carroll 82). It can be said after reading this excerpt that there was an uneasiness with how the
Daniel Lopez
4-28-14 Underground
English 12 Satire Essay
people were dealt with between the King and Queen. Carroll also shows how absolute the monarchy
was during the era by having the King and Queen suppress any confrontation. All persons more
than a mile high to leave the court Alice-Thats not a regular rule; you invented it just now King-
Its the oldest rule in the book(Carroll pg83). Thus is quite clear how the King and Queen could
abuse their power because of the position they take place. Carroll might have used this satire against
the Victorian era as to blame how it brought up his friends like Alice to become so blind to what
they are being taught to do.
Alices journey through Wonderland has made her question who she is and why all she tries
explain or achieve is nonsense in wonderland, particularly the Caterpillar and the Cheshire cat are
ones who do this well when they ask who she is and where she is going, for the way the Victorian
era has brought up Alice hasnt been of much use to her in a place where creatures make logical
decisions. This is done through the use of satire, Alice falling down the rabbit hole saying words she
probably will not come across in her lesson books, the mock turtle who describes the poor
education people had access to and the unfair courts system that based their actions on poor
evidence. Under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, Charles Lutwidge, uses a theme of satire to ridicule
aspects of the 19
th
century Victorian era in his famous written work, Alices Adventures in
Wonderland.

Bibliography
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/satire
http://www.erasofelegance.com/history/victorianlife.html