Why is The Wizard of Oz Such A Popular Story?

According to the Library of Congress, The Wizard of Oz (from 1939) is the most watched film ever This is due in part to its regular broadcast on network TV beginning in the 1950s.

One interesting collection of insights comes from the writer Salman Rushdie, who shows that The Wizard of Oz has been successful because it embodies some of our most enduring values. At the same time, it also raises some provocative ideas. One prominent theme revolves around the inadequacy of adults—their inability to live up to expectations and to face down the larger forces in life. Adults, especially the good adults, are portrayed as powerless.In the beginning, for example, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are unable to prevent the wicked Miss Gulch from taking Toto away (after she gets bitten by him). They're also helpless to protect their farm, or to protect Dorothy, from the oncoming tornado. Later, the film's defining moment comes when we learn that the all-powerful Wizard is in fact powerless. These episodes will be disappointing to younger viewers, but they should hardly surprise older viewers, who are well-accustomed to the fallibility of adults. Is the film trying to convey this reality to children too? Another theme centers on the relationship between power and gender. The Wizard of Oz veers from the traditional Hollywood storyline in that there's no male hero. In fact, quite the opposite: the only two figures with any real power are women—Glinda the Good Witch and Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch. The male leads—the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion—play the classic "common man" roles, with little power to control their own destiny. The only other powerful character to emerge is Dorothy.In fact, after the struggle over Toto, the tornado can be understood as the clashing forces between Miss Gulch and the headstrong Dorothy. (It's no coincidence that Dorothy's last name is Gale). When we get to Oz, Glinda, Dorothy, and the Witch are the three powerful figures, while all the men are weak (including the Wizard). Thus, similar to the theme about the inadequacy of adults, we're also getting the message that men's power is illusory, whereas women's power is real. Dorothy’s immortal line is considered one of the central messages of the movie. If you ever go looking for your heart's desire, you don't have to look any further than your own back yard. In other words: your roots are important. Although this lesson is played up in the final scene of the film, the bulk of the story is instead about the dream of escaping, the desire to leave the here and now to find a better place. This desire is stirred early when Auntie Em admonishes Dorothy to go "find yourself a place where you won't get into any trouble." Dorothy wonders whether such a place exists, and her rendition of somewhere "Over the Rainbow" provides the answer. And is there any real contest between 1) the gray world of Kansas where there's nothing to do and no one to play with, and 2) a place where you're instantly loved by many (the Munchkins), you have a clear, meaningful goal (to see the wizard), and you have three new friends to help you reach that goal? There's little doubt whether viewers would want to stay in Kansas or escape someplace else. But Dorothy, who's still a child back in Kansas, has little choice but to stay for now. Without any real alternatives, isn't it better to just convince yourself that you're exactly where you want to be? These contrasting values (escaping vs. embracing your roots) broaden the movie's appeal, allowing you to take away whichever message speaks to you more. Or better yet, the two messages can be taken together: Be happy with what you've got, but you can still dream of escaping to a better place. We get a related message from Glinda, when she tells Dorothy that she's had the power to return herself home all along, she just didn't know it. Similarly, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion discover that what they were seeking—a brain, a heart, and some courage—were actually inside of them all along. Overall, the film is affirming that you have the ability to get what you want, and this power comes from within. Other people may be able to offer some moral support, but ultimately it's up to you. One of the more subtle messages of the film is the way it characterizes human nature: people are depicted as generally good. This theme is best expressed when Dorothy accuses the Wizard of being a very bad man for deceiving them, to which he humbly replies, "Oh no, my dear...I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad wizard." (He's powerless, but good.) Instead, all the evil emanates from the Wicked Witch, who can get others to behave badly while under her spell. Her foot soldiers, for example, turn out to be pretty nice guys once the witch is dead. Our goodness and our strengths come from within ourselves, while our wickedness originates from the outside—in this case by a truly evil person. This view of human nature fits with the current view held by many psychologists, who perceive people as well-intentioned but capable of behaving badly under harsh conditions or cruel authority figures.

What Are The Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Famous?

One thing I’ve always wanted to be since I was a little girl is famous, but the only difference from then and now is that I’ve learned the advantages and disadvantages of being famous. One of the advantages would be being known, knowing that everyone knows your name, knows your face and want to know everything about you is the greatest feeling to me. Another thing is being an inspiration to others. To inspire someone and having people say they want to be like you, dress like you and do the things you do makes you want to strive harder for perfection because you don’t want to let people down because they are counting on you. Lastly is being able to buy new things. Being to buy your family and friends things and go on shopping sprees without having a budget is something I would love looking forward to because I don’t ever want to want for anything and I would hate for my family and friends to want for something when I can get it. The disadvantages of being famous would have to be the rumors. Even when you’re doing good and being positive people always try to find the littlest things bad about you or make up lies about you to give you a bad image. Another thing would be trying not to get old. By being old I don’t mean in age I mean trying not to get to the point when people get tired of seeing you or hearing you. If I ever get famous I want people to always want more of me I don’t want to fade out of the spotlight.

Do You Discuss Sex With Your Parents?

Unlike some children and their parents, my mom and I have a very strong bond. We talk about everything from school, to friends to relationships and sex. Even though she’s my mom we’re friends too and I can always come to her for advice or just when I need someone to listen to what I have to say. When we first start talking about sex she was happy that I felt comfortable talking to her about something like that even though she wasn’t encouraging me to do it she informed me of all the things about it. Most parents would scare their children by making sex seem like the most horrible thing but my mom told me facts and I love that about her. She was honest with me and told me that she hoped that I would wait till marriage but if I didn’t make sure it was the right time and the right person and I took those words to heart. I feel that since I can talk to her about sex we won’t ever have to hide anything from each other and our relationship will stay strong because sex is something that a lot of teenagers keep hidden but my mom is always there to help me through my problems not to judge me or mislead me.

What Do You Learn From Writing?

When I write I’m able to express the things that may be hard to say verbally. I’m the type of person that enjoys texting over talking on the phone sometimes because I’m sometimes shy to express myself while speaking. When I’m writing or texting I’m able to open up, it’s as if I’m another person when I write because I become more outgoing. When I’m writing I learn the proper language to use, proper spelling and also I learn more things about myself. The more I write, the more I notice how practice makes perfect because when I didn’t write as much my writing skills were very weak but now they have improved. Writing more has also gave me the courage to want to send letters to colleges and write more advanced papers in my current classes. When writing I’ve also learned the different writing devices, from narratives, persuasive, biographies, auto-biographies etc. I’ve learned how to distinguish the differences in literary devices and how to write my own types of writing. Another thing I’ve learned is how to structure my papers from my opening sentence to my ending sentence. So not only has writing enhanced my writing during school but also in my social life.

The Unknown

It was dark, windy yet cloudless day and the streets of Chicago were completely empty. We were expecting a tornado and there were warning announcements so everyone stayed tucked in bed and kept their eyes glued to the television, everyone except four rebellious teenagers. The thought of having a tornado was cool to them so they walked the streets of Chicago as if they owned them. Suddenly it hit twelve o’clock which made them even more convinced that all the tornado talk was fake. “Man we should just go home because it’s getting colder and my mom is probably worried” said David the youngest out of the group. “If you’re scared and want to go home with your mommy just say that David” said Marcus. Marcus began to laugh at David and the two other boys joined in, so David decided to stay a little while longer. “Me being scared? Are you crazy? I was just speaking up for you because I know you’re too chicken to say it. I can stay out here till the morning!” Said David. So they all continued to walk until they reached the local cemetery which was foggy and very cold for some reason. Everyone began to stare at each other to see who was going in first but no one made a move. Since Marcus was the oldest and appeared to be the toughest he volunteered to go in first. “Wow you guys, how old are we? And you’re scared to walk into a cemetery we have family here! It’s a family reunion!” Said David with a chuckle. So of course the other guys followed. Suddenly they started hearing voices saying “Come here Daviddd, Come here Marcusss, Come near Larryyy, Come near Jacksonnn”. At first the boys thought nothing of it until it got louder and louder. Then a huge white hand reached out toward them and they all begin to run out in different directions. David ran near the exit but was stopped by two shadows that grabbed and pulled on him until he finally fell to the ground. As he was turning around he noticed a grave behind him with his name saying “RIP DAVID ANDERSON (1994-2012). All of the other boys saw their graves also and begin to scream and cry. The shadows brought the boys back together and demanded them to prove that they were worthy of living by daring them to kill and the last person alive lives. The boys didn’t think twice and first struck Marcus which was the weakest then Larry. Last were David and Jackson. Even though they had been best friends since birth they acted as if they didn’t know each other and fought until someone was dead. In the end David lived and was sent free by the spirits and Larry, Marcus and Jackson were buried in their graves. After their deaths David ran home to his parents which were happy because the tornado passed them but suddenly became furious when they saw their only son covered in mud and blood. After they heard the story they went to the police but David was eventually admitted into a mental hospital and the ghost visited him every night until his death.