Alice in Wonderland interpretation

From RainbowBarf of DeviantArt:

The beauty of the Alice books is that it could be read a certain way, although you can't say the same for literature as a whole. you could read it however you choose, but you cannot say you truly read a story until you at least tried to understand the author's expression. literature, just like art, requires much more than just a passing glance for true interpretation and appreciation. literature is far more than words jumbled up together to make up a story, much less good literature like carroll. the genius behind carroll doesn't lie in the story of some cutesy girl trapped in acid-land, its how he wove commentary and personal angst within the brightness of the story and then turned it against the reader. since we're here, i might as well answer your other quiestion.

Through The Looking Glass is all about reflection. if wonderland was a reflection of the real world, and the looking glass is a reflection of wonderland, then what is a reflection like in the world inside of a looking glass? i also should note that Through The Looking Glass was written after the HUGE success of Alice In Wonderland, and it was something that he did not intend to write.

Alice can only read if she holds up the book of poems into a mirror, which is a reference to the first book seeing as she magically forgot all of her lessons and recited poetry backwards. there is a constant back and forth in the story, taking aspects from the first and flipping it around in the second. in a way, its about enlightment and growth. the chess game in itself can also be seen as a metaphor for fate. there is no doubt that she absolutely has to move forward, but it is the unseen hand that moves her and the events of her surroundings that lead her to the position of queen.

Alice starts out as a pawn - the least valuable and capable piece in chess - and through the help of those around her grows to be the queen. what is interesting about this maturity however, is that throughout the stories Alice tries desperately to understand her surroundings and grows frustrated with not having control. her becoming the queen is all about having control and can be seen as her maturing.

keep in mind that along with being an extraordinary poet, Carroll was also a mathematician and often times encorporated his use of numbers, patterns, and rhythyms into words. this is seen all throughout "Through The Looking Glass" seeing as the entire story is based on her playing chess as the pawn, and eventually climbing up the ranks until she herself becomes queen and checkmates the king, ending the game. the world "reflection" is used both externally (in terms of mirrors) as well as internally. while the first was all about those around her, this was all about her.

there is also a comparison from the white knight to Carroll himself. Carroll begins to reveal who the real Alice is, and it's the girl who the story was written for. she was an object of fascination for carroll. he wrote the story for her, he photographed her, and he wrote an acrostic poem at the end of the story that when put together spells ALICE PLEASANCE LIDELL. but anyway, back to the story. the white knight is carroll - he describes himself and his affection for Alice. however, he leaves her at the point where she is still a child and states a regret for allowing himself to grow so close because now, she is to become an adult and he must leave her. this is interesting because at the beginning of the story, there is a poem with the walrus and the carpenter, where the walrus seduces the small clams despite their grandma clam's warnings. the walrus eats them. this can be seen as a lewis comparing himself to the walrus, desiring of small clams. he also had a tendancy to name characters to dedicate poems to the daughters of his other friends later on in the future. its alleged that he was a suppressed pedophile, but there's not much evidence proving it other than his fascination with little girls.

The Alice books are a massive mind fuck and i can honestly keep going. there is so much weaved into these stories; there is so much symbolism hidden behind many things and carroll loves to play with numbers and words, yet throughout the entire series you are reminded that to interpret these things would be mad. that's exactly where the madness lies.

The Dark side of Twilight

From Teh_Sheba of Gaiaonline.

"It's so sad watching young girls actually DEFEND this kind of abusive behaviour.

Edward DID continue after Bella blacked out, and that, regardless of how Meyer glorified it, IS Rape. The only reason she was ok with it when she wakes up is because she has a history of conviniently ignoring Edwards signs and symptoms of being an abusive boyfriend. She's a freakin' doormat and lets him walk all over her simply because she can't survive without him and it's Twu Wuv, oh, and because he's a vampire, and this somehow makes it ok.

Tell me, [username edited out], hypothetically, if you and a guy were having sex and you passed out...Would you not be disgusted, frightened and angry if it was evident that the guy had continued on without you? Used your body for purposes unkown to you? Moreso, on your very first time? Personally, the fact that someone could have sex with another while they're knocked out stone cold is appalling to me.

The fact that he's a Vampire makes very little difference. I thought the whole point of this book was partially that Edward still had some shred of humanity in him? That's the whole center of angst for him. Now, shredding pillows to keep himself busy I might be able to understand...But honestly, the sex scene shouldn't have even happened if he knew that he was going to go insane and possibly hurt Bella. That's why he's always cut them off whenever they get too physical, because he fears he's going to lose himself.
What, does he think this problem has suddenly disappeared? If he truly loved Bella, he wouldn't cave into her constant begging for sex because he didn't want to hurt her. That has always been the Edward way, to just restrain himself from too much physical activity, I don't know why he contradicted himself and banged her. He's really gotta lay off the heroin.

And the fact that Bella woke up with bruises...That doesn't signal anything to you?? At all?? And if it's as you say and they were from him carrying her in from the beach....WTF? Just because he has super strength doesn't mean he doesn't know how to control it. I think that's a load of bullshit. He's had a hundred years to learn.

If he bruised her, during sex that was technically RAPE because she was unconcious....What the hell DO you call that, if not abuse?! It certainly ain't love! And you know what, you can cry and say that it was because he's a Vampire Sparklepire and that he couldn't control his own urges...But then what was the headboard and pillows for? Why didn't he just stop when it got to be too much, or when she passed out??
Abuse is abuse is abuse, honey, and Edward IS abusive. It's freaky that girls now want a man who's just like him. Honestly, Meyer should be ashamed of promoting her abusive, wet dream relationship. because fiction or not, it does affect people, especially when the audience of her books are that highly impressionable, easily misguided age. That's what I see happening with people and Twilight. They want a man just like Edward. They suddenly think that things like abusive relationships, rape, giving up your friends, teen pregnancy, teen marriage and even pedophilia are ok.
And they make people believe that these abominations of sparkle fairies are actual vampires.

Twilight is a horrid book, not all for the book itself, but what it's DOING and the MESSAGES it's sending to kids, and Edward is NOT a good boyfriend. He is abusive. He raped Bella. It doesn't matter how you paint it, that is what happened, and obviously the only ones who can see that are those of us who have not been "dazzled" by his charm and good looks."