I'm not sure who's leading this one but I won't have access to internet later today so I have to get this up.
I did a little research about the History of The Wizard of Oz and how it was received in the schools across the US after publication. I was surprised to find that, like Harry Potter, this book has been banned in some educational setting for religious reasons. There is mention of “good” witches, which is seen as impossible, considering that witches are “bad” people, and animals are depicted with human qualities. I find it interesting that stories, such as fairy tales and the like, which are meant for children, are then banned from schools because people find them inappropriate. Children have vivid imaginations and enjoy creating alternate realities in their minds. These types of books allow them to transport themselves away from everyday life and indulge their imagination. Upon The Wizard of Oz’s first publication, it was removed from shelves because people felt that fantasy book were “too radical” for children’s minds. It was also said that the book was not well written. I would have to agree with this statement. The action in the book was anti-climactic and I had a difficult time paying attention. I even went online and found a podcast version of the book and tried to read along with that, thinking it would keep my attention. Here’s the link if anyone is interested: http://www.mamalisa.com/classics/blogoz/?p=6 Unfortunately, even that didn’t work. I felt that the characters were flat and lacked dimension. They didn’t seem realistic to me and I was unable to relate. As a child, I enjoyed reading books where I was able to put myself into the shoes of the characters. For example, my favorite childhood book is The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I feel like the characters and their actions are more realistic and, as a child, I could easily relate. A lack of connection with any of the characters was definitely my biggest issue with The Wizard of Oz. It also didn’t help that the version I read, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger, portrayed the characters in a way that made them emotionless. What I have recently discovered is that illustrations do not always enhance a book’s enjoyment. In Alice and Wonderland, I found the illustrations to be helpful, but I didn’t think they were absolutely necessary, but in The Wizard of Oz, they took away from my overall enjoyment of the book.
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2 comments:
I have never liked the story The Wizard of Oz. It is not a genre I enjoy, but I do not think schools should go to lengths of banning it. I do agree that children like to imagine and pretend animals talk. There are so many movies know where this takes place.
So far the book has many differences from the movie we all grew up watching. Her famous ruby slippers are silver in the book. That is one thing I thought really defined Dorothy physically. The book is also a lot more violent that the movie. I don't think I would want to read this book as a child. It would be a bit frightening.
You grow to like the main characters in the story with their human-like qualities. This book also has a strong moral of anyone can do anything if you believe in it. The book goes so much more in depth in the story and the movie just kind of scraped the surface. I still will not say this is my favorite book, but I have agreater appreciation for it at this age than when I first saw the movie years ago.
I would have to disagree with what everyone was saying. I loved this version of the book and I thought the characters were far more intersting than those in the movie. I believe this is one of those books where they say it is better than the movie. I think the differences enhance the book with the addition of characters and scenes. I enjoyed reading this book so much actually, that it only took me a day to read. It is obvously meant to be read by children, so some of the concepts come off very easily, such as they always had what each character wanted. Anyway I really liked the book again, and I would definitely give it to my children to read. I don't think any part was particularly scary, but more that it dealt with death. Most stories do today so I didn't find it all that bad.
Also, in what was said earlier, I don't believe in the banning of books. You can either choose to read them or don't, but don't ban them from somebody because you don't like it. That goes for Harry Potter, or Farenheit 451, or any other book than has been banned. It is tragic in my mind. Some kids have no other means to read these books but at school.
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