Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2009) and Edward Lear’s The Owl and the Pussycat (1871) are works of literature that both use “nonsense” to convey a story. In what follows I will argue that nonsense is significant, especially in children’s literature, as it is a useful tool for education, and promotes individuality of thoughts. The use of nonsense in literature challenges rules and it allows for the brain to think outside of the restricted boundaries of teaching, which stimulates original thinking. I have chosen texts that demonstrate the concept that nonsense used in a text does not have to be logical or boring to effectively teach lessons of identity, or create interest for diversity.
To support the theory that nonsense …show more content…
The rabbit character is filled with anxiety. The rabbit’s anxiety shows in his statement, “Oh dear! Oh dear I shall be late!” (Carroll 10). “He later checks his pocket watch to see the time” (Carroll 10). Anxiety presented in the rabbit is shown as well in Alice’s characteristics. Alice’s anxiety is shown when she is worried that she has to decide whether she will follow the instructions on the “label” (Carroll 13) that says, “‘DRINK ME’” (Carroll 13). Alice is thinking of what she knows to be correct in her world as she states, “she had read several nice little stories about children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts” (Carroll 13) and “all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had taught them” (Carroll 13). Alice is accustomed to normal traditional rules and she displays anxiety when she is faced with the decision to listen to the instructions on the bottle or go against the instructions of the rules. This particular part of the novel demonstrates that everybody has anxieties with dilemmas, no matter if they live in a nonsensical world, or the real world. Which again is not a significant part of learning in school as the emphasis is on the education of subjects and not individual struggles. This as well shows that Alice must learn to think for herself and be independent. Carroll has created this nonsensical world, in …show more content…
For instance, the turkey that handles the wedding, the pig that sells the wedding ring and the owl that marries the pussycat all work together to help each other (Lear 1871). Lear is teaching a lesson of acceptance through the use of talking animals and silly text. This lesson could be applied to not only the Victorian Era in which it was published, but also relevant in present society, with regards to inter-racial marriages, prejudices, and discrimination. Effectively, Edward Lear wrote this nonsensical poem, The Owl and the Pussycat in 1871 that included an underlying lesson of respect and tolerance. Lear provided a piece of nonsense literature with a timeless thought-provoking message. A message that remains relevant in today’s society. This chosen text demonstrates the concept that education does not have to be logical to accept curiosity and create lessons for
To support the theory that nonsense …show more content…
The rabbit character is filled with anxiety. The rabbit’s anxiety shows in his statement, “Oh dear! Oh dear I shall be late!” (Carroll 10). “He later checks his pocket watch to see the time” (Carroll 10). Anxiety presented in the rabbit is shown as well in Alice’s characteristics. Alice’s anxiety is shown when she is worried that she has to decide whether she will follow the instructions on the “label” (Carroll 13) that says, “‘DRINK ME’” (Carroll 13). Alice is thinking of what she knows to be correct in her world as she states, “she had read several nice little stories about children who had got burnt, and eaten up by wild beasts” (Carroll 13) and “all because they would not remember the simple rules their friends had taught them” (Carroll 13). Alice is accustomed to normal traditional rules and she displays anxiety when she is faced with the decision to listen to the instructions on the bottle or go against the instructions of the rules. This particular part of the novel demonstrates that everybody has anxieties with dilemmas, no matter if they live in a nonsensical world, or the real world. Which again is not a significant part of learning in school as the emphasis is on the education of subjects and not individual struggles. This as well shows that Alice must learn to think for herself and be independent. Carroll has created this nonsensical world, in …show more content…
For instance, the turkey that handles the wedding, the pig that sells the wedding ring and the owl that marries the pussycat all work together to help each other (Lear 1871). Lear is teaching a lesson of acceptance through the use of talking animals and silly text. This lesson could be applied to not only the Victorian Era in which it was published, but also relevant in present society, with regards to inter-racial marriages, prejudices, and discrimination. Effectively, Edward Lear wrote this nonsensical poem, The Owl and the Pussycat in 1871 that included an underlying lesson of respect and tolerance. Lear provided a piece of nonsense literature with a timeless thought-provoking message. A message that remains relevant in today’s society. This chosen text demonstrates the concept that education does not have to be logical to accept curiosity and create lessons for