Alice In Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland research paper due and don't know how to start it? How about like this?

Lewis Carroll's classic novel, Alice in Wonderland, is considered a masterpiece of parody and satire. To the first time reader, exactly what the author is parodying and satirizing may remain unclear, but upon further examination Carroll's satirical intentions begin to emerge.

• Satire, by definition, is "the use of wit, irony or sarcasm to expose vice or folly". Throughout Alice in Wonderland Carroll uses satire to expose the "vice and folly" of the human condition, more specifically, the adult human condition.
• Parody is defined as a "humorous or satirical imitation". It can be argued that Alice is a parody on the experience of growing up.

Carroll's Characters

Carroll wastes no time in introducing the first character in this strange, yet satirically familiar world. In the second paragraph of the book, as the youthful Alice passes the time lazily in a world of seemingly perpetual springtime, she sees the White Rabbit, a hurried and nervous figure who consults his pocket-watch and determines aloud that he is late. Clearly, the characters of Alice, the child, and White Rabbit, the adult, lie in stark contrast to one another. One has nothing to do but laze about and daydream, the other in a frenzied rush to be somewhere. The fact that Alice follows the rabbit is a simple ode to childish curiosity. The fact that she falls down a dark and deep hole could be symbolic of how children often get in over their heads when they give in to curiosity. However, once Alice realizes that she is not falling quickly, rather floating in a slow descent, she takes the time to closely examine and consider her new surroundings with impressive presence of mind. So, here we have a young girl, in the midst of complete chaos, using her reason, remaining calm and displaying a more mature sense than the supposedly elder rabbit. Alice's trip down the rabbit hole, though it only encompasses four pages, is a telling introduction to the novel's heroine and the beginning of a wild ride.