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Alice in Wonderland
(Poetry in Motion)
Study Guide
A Ballet Presented by State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara
Sponsored by the Valley Performing Arts Council
Janet M. Kelly
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Guidelines and tips
Prepare for your exams
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Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Biographical Information about Lewis Carroll. 7. The “Real” Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddel. 8-10. Summary of the story “Alice in Wonderland”.
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Alice in Wonderland
(Poetry in Motion)
Study Guide
A Ballet Presented by State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara Sponsored by the Valley Performing Arts Council
Janet M. Kelly [email protected]
Table of Contents
3 Letter to Educators
4-6 Biographical Information about Lewis Carroll
7 The “Real” Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddel
8-10 Summary of the story “Alice in Wonderland”
11-12 State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara Ballet Information
13-14 “Jabberwocky” Poem and Activities
15-16 Characters in Alice in Wonderland
Critical thinking about the symbolism of the characters
17-18 Poetry in Motion
19-20 “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, Woodstock, 1969
A critical thinking exercise for older students
21 Bibliography
Lewis
Carroll
Author of
Alice in
Wonderland
Synopsis
Born on January 27, 1832 in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, Charles Dodgson wrote and created games as a child. At age 20 he received a studentship at Christ Church and was appointed a lecturer in mathematics. Dodgson was shy but enjoyed creating stories for children. His books including "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" were published under the pen name Lewis Carroll. Dodgson died in 1898.
Early Life
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, best known by his pseudonym, Lewis Carroll, was born in the village of Daresbury, England, on January 27, 1832. The eldest boy in a family of 11 children, Carroll was rather adept at entertaining himself and his siblings. His father, a clergyman, raised them in the rectory. As a boy, Carroll excelled in mathematics and won many academic prizes. At age 20, he was awarded a studentship (called a scholarship in other colleges) to Christ College. Apart from serving as a lecturer in mathematics, he was an avid photographer and wrote essays, political pamphlets and poetry. "The Hunting of the Snark" displays his wonderful ability in the genre of literary nonsense.
Alice and Literary Success
Carroll suffered from a bad stammer, but he found himself vocally fluent when speaking with children. The relationships he had with young people in his adult years are of great interest, as they undoubtedly inspired his best-known writings and have been a point of disturbed
speculation over the years. Carroll loved to entertain children, and it was Alice, the daughter of Henry George Liddell, who can be credited with his pinnacle inspiration. Alice Liddell remembers spending many hours with Carroll, sitting on his couch while he told fantastic tales of dream worlds. During an afternoon picnic with Alice and her two sisters, Carroll told the first iteration of what would later become Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When Alice arrived home, she exclaimed that he must write the story down for her.
He fulfilled the small girl's request, and through a series of coincidences, the story fell into the hands of the novelist Henry Kingsley, who urged Carroll to publish it. The book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was released in 1865. It gained steady popularity, and as a result, Carroll wrote the sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (1871). By the time of his death, Alice had become the most popular children's book in England, and by 1932 it was one of the most popular in the world.
Photography and Legacy
Besides writing, Carroll created a number of fine photographs. His notable portraits include those of the actress Ellen Terry and the poet Alfred Tennyson. He also photographed children in every possible costume and situation, eventually making nude studies of them. Despite conjecture, little real evidence of child abuse can be brought against him. Shortly before his 66th birthday, Lewis Carroll caught a severe case of influenza, which led to pneumonia. He died on January 14, 1898, leaving an enigma behind him.
Poetry
In addition to the plays that Carroll wrote and the scripts that he composed for his puppet theater, he also wrote poems, stories, and humorous sketches for his own "magazines." In his "Useful and Instructive Poetry" magazine, for example, a volume that was composed for a younger brother and a sister, he satirized a copybook of stern, dogmatic maxims (a typical Victorian children's book), and in this poem, he alluded to his own handicap:
Learn well your grammar And never stammer.
The “Real Alice” that inspired Alice in Wonderland
On July 4, 1862, a young mathematician by the name of Charles Dodgson, better-known as Lewis Carroll, boarded a boat with a small group, setting out from Oxford to the nearby town of Godstow, where the group was to have tea on the river bank. The party consisted of Carroll, his friend Reverend Robinson Duckworth, and the three little sisters of Carroll's good friend Harry Liddell—Edith (age 8), Alice (age 10), and Lorina (age 13). Entrusted with entertaining the young ladies, Dodgson fancied a story about a whimsical world full of fantastical characters, and named his protagonist Alice. So taken was Alice Liddell with the story that she asked Dodgson to write it down for her, which he did when he soon sent her a manuscript under the title of Alice's Adventures Under Ground. This manuscript would become the well-loved story, Alice in Wonderland.
The real “Alice” Alice Lidell (L) in a photograph taken by Lewis Carroll. Alice with her sisters in the above photograph
A long procession of charming little girls skipped through Carroll’s life, but none ever took the place of Alice Liddel. He wrote to her after her marriage, “I have had scores of child-friends since your time, but they have been quite a different thing. Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) was a photographer, and took several charming photographs of Alice.
Summary of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice sits on a riverbank on a warm summer day, drowsily reading over her sister’s shoulder, when she catches sight of a White Rabbit in a waistcoat running by her. The White Rabbit pulls out a pocket watch, exclaims that he is late, and pops down a rabbit hole. Alice follows the White Rabbit down the hole and comes upon a great hallway lined with doors. She finds a small door that she opens using a key she discovers on a nearby table. Through the door, she sees a beautiful garden, and Alice begins to cry when she realizes she cannot fit through the door. She finds a bottle marked “DRINK ME” and downs the contents. She shrinks down to the right size to enter the door but cannot enter since she has left the key on the tabletop above her head. Alice discovers a cake marked “EAT ME” which causes her to grow to an inordinately large height. Still unable to enter the garden, Alice begins to cry again, and her giant tears form a pool at her feet. As she cries, Alice shrinks and falls into the pool of tears. The pool of tears becomes a sea, and as she treads water she meets a Mouse. The Mouse accompanies Alice to shore, where a number of animals stand gathered on a bank. After a “Caucus Race,” Alice scares the animals away with tales of her cat, Dinah, and finds herself alone again.
Alice meets the White Rabbit again, who mistakes her for a servant and sends her off to fetch his things. While in the White Rabbit’s house, Alice drinks an unmarked bottle of liquid and grows to the size of the room. The White Rabbit returns to his house, fuming at the now-giant Alice, but she swats him and his servants away with her giant hand. The animals outside try to get her out of the house by throwing rocks at her, which inexplicably transform into cakes when they land in the house. Alice eats one of the cakes, which causes her to shrink to a small size. She wanders off into the forest, where she meets a Caterpillar sitting on a mushroom and smoking a
Turtle to hear his story. The Queen of Hearts sends Alice with the Gryphon as her escort to meet the Mock Turtle. Alice shares her strange experiences with the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon, who listen sympathetically and comment on the strangeness of her adventures. After listening to the Mock Turtle’s story, they hear an announcement that a trial is about to begin, and the Gryphon brings Alice back to the croquet ground.
The Knave of Hearts stands trial for stealing the Queen’s tarts. The King of Hearts leads the proceedings, and various witnesses approach the stand to give evidence. The Mad Hatter and the Cook both give their testimony, but none of it makes any sense. The White Rabbit, acting as a herald, calls Alice to the witness stand. The King goes nowhere with his line of questioning, but takes encouragement when the White Rabbit provides new evidence in the form of a letter written by the Knave. The letter turns out to be a poem, which the King interprets as an admission of guilt on the part of the Knave. Alice believes the note to be nonsense and protests the King’s interpretation. The Queen becomes furious with Alice and orders her beheading, but Alice grows to a huge size and knocks over the Queen’s army of playing cards.
All of a sudden, Alice finds herself awake on her sister’s lap, back at the riverbank. She tells her sister about her dream and goes inside for tea as her sister ponders Alice’s adventures.
Alice in Wonderland Ballet
by State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara
Choreography by Robert Sund Music by Jean Sibelius Costumes by Mary Etta Lang Set Design by Daniel Nyiri A community favorite when it premiered at the Lobero in 2001, Alice in Wonderland combines the beauty of classical ballet with the sassiness of a Broadway show to tell the uniquely whimsical tale of Lewis Carroll’s heroine. This original production toured successfully to sold- out audiences throughout China and Taiwan in 2003, and has become a signature example of State Street Ballet’s innovative style – elegance with a twist! It seems only fitting that the journeys of young Alice return to the stage for our 20th Anniversary Season, as we celebrate our own sense of adventure, curiosity, and artistic growth.
Emmy Award-winning choreographer Robert Sund has had a long and versatile relationship with State Street Ballet, creating his original full-length productions of Beauty and the Beast , Alice in Wonderland , and Taming of the Shrew on the artists of the company. As the child of deaf parents, Mr. Sund’s ability to express emotion through movement is extraordinary, as are his diverse and imaginative musical choices. His story line for Alice in Wonderland combines elements from author Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass , producing a wildly creative and fantastically entertaining performance that appeals to all ages.
The numerous creatures and characters in Alice in Wonderland provide the perfect opportunities to dazzle the imagination. Adults will take a trip down memory lane and children will gasp with delight at the vividly theatrical costumes and stunningly realistic masks. With an extensive background in theater and film, Costume Designer Mary Etta Lang successfully blurs the line between reality and fantasy with her dreamy, enchanting, and fanciful designs. Alice in Wonderland is the ideal visual treat for the whole family.
Jabberwocky
By Lewis Carroll
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
Have the students read a stanza of The Jabberwocky and create movement to go with the words. Second stanza could be good for younger students. Make cloze activity out of The Jabberwocky poem Have older students determine whether the nonsense words are nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs. Have students replace the nonsense words with actual words. For younger students, have them use the first two stanzas and do a group write poem. Then do creative movement to the poem. (examples on next page) For older students, do some analysis of the beheading of the Jabberwocky, the Red Queen’s obsession with beheadings, and the European history of beheadings. Older students might research “St. George and the Dragon” from English History/Mythology. Remember, Lewis Carroll was British.
One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. Source: The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (1983)
’Twas __________, and the
Did ________ and _________ in the _____________: All ____________ were the _________________, And the ______________ ___________ ______________. ’Twas summer, and the blazing sun Did shine and glare in the sky: All roasting were the children, And the kids jumped into the pool.
’Twas Friday Night, and the Football Team Did Rush and Tackle in the Field: All Screaming were the Spectators, And the Cheerleaders Didn’t Notice.
’Twas July 4, 1776, and the Reluctant Delegates
Did argue and debate in the Second Continental Congress:
All compromised were the critical issues,
And the Declaration of Independence was finally signed.
Almost any topic or circumstance can be used in the cloze… and then acted out, putting the poetry in motion.
o In the ballet, executions were carried out by beheading o In reality, beheading was for persons of a higher social class. Those of a lower social class were executed by hanging. Is there a reason the Queen of Hearts keeps saying “off with her/his head”? o There is historical evidence that The Queen of Hearts represents Queen Victoria o Lewis Carroll was not fond of Queen Victoria o There was a tendency during this time to sentence the prisoner before a verdict was rendered. o Some of the more sophisticated history can be found at http://www.carleton.edu/departments/ENGL/Alice/CritVict.html Deck of Cards o All dancers are dressed identically, with the exception of the card they represent o Why? o What do you know about playing cards? Game of Croquet o What is croquet o Why was it being played in the queens court Alice o In your opinion, was she a well behaved or naughty child? o Support your opinion with evidence. o Why did she drink from the bottle without knowing what was in it? o What character quality or qualities does she have that would lead her to getting into the trouble she was in (curiosity? Stubbornness? Willfulness?) o In what ways are you like Alice?
Poetry in Motion
There are a number of poems from Alice in Wonderland that are parodies of actual
poems. Compare and contrast the poems. Ask students to act out either or both the
poems. This involves critical thinking, vocabulary, application, creativity, and
comprehension…a real-bang-for-the-buck.
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat (Carroll) Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you're at! Up above the world you fly, Like a tea-tray in the sky.
The Star (Jane Taylor) Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.
How doth the little crocodile (Carroll) How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws!
Against Idleness and Mischief (Isaac Watts) How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day From every opening flower! How skillfully she builds her cell! How neat she spreads the wax! And labours hard to store it well With the sweet food she makes.
Lewis Carroll’s Parody of the The “Real” Poem Poem
Lewis Carroll’s Parody of the Poem
The “Real” Poem
"White Rabbit"
By Jefferson Airplane, 1967
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all Go ask Alice When she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar Has given you the call Call Alice When she was just small
When the men on the chessboard Get up and tell you where to go And you've just had some kind of mushroom And your mind is moving low
This would be a discussion for older
students only… or perhaps modified
for younger students. Music is often
poetry put to a melody. If students
think about lyrics, they can learn
much about the intent of the song
and what events were taking place at
the time.
Why do you think Alice would drink the drink, eat the mushroom, etc. without knowing anything about them? What do you think of her judgment? Was there anything going on in Lewis Carroll’s life that might have influenced him so that he would add these elements to a Children’s story… or is this actually a story for children, or for both children and adults? “The White Rabbit” song was written in the 1960’s. What events were occurring in these days that might have something to do with the writing of this song? Does this have to do with drugs? War? Change? If you were to put this poetry to motion, how would you move? There is a You-Tube video of Jefferson Airplane singing “White Rabbit” at the Woodstock Festival in
- Watch the movements of Grace Slick, the singer and songwriter. Can you think of other stories or poems put to music?
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head
Feed your head
For younger students, ask them what they think about Alice eating or drinking something when she didn’t know what she was consuming. Let students brainstorm what it would be like to be very large or very small. How would they move if they were taller than a telephone pole or smaller than a mouse?
Jefferson Airplane singing “White Rabbit” at Woodstock, 1969.