Literature insight 2: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

BEFORE YOU READ

• 1Read about Lewis Carroll. Do you know any of the characters in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Through the Looking-Glass? Who are they?

• 2Read the background to the story. What is unusual about the rabbit? What do you think a place called 'Wonderland' is like?

About the author

Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson)

Born: 1832 in Daresbury, Cheshire, England

Died: 1898

Important works: Novels: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (1871); Poems: Jabberwocky (1871), The Hunting of the Snark (1876)

Did you know? Charles Dodgson was an English author, mathematician, inventor and photographer. When he was a child, he was very good at writing word games and puzzles. Charles had ten brothers and sisters and he often told stories to entertain them. At the age of eighteen, he went to study mathematics at Oxford University and later became a teacher.

Charles got the idea for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1862 while on a boat trip on the River Thames with a colleague and the colleague's children. Alice was the name of one of the children. At first he told her the story. She liked it and she asked him to write it down. Because he was a mathematician, there are lots of references to mathematical theories and problems in the book, but you don't have to be good at maths to enjoy it.

BACKGROUND TO THE STORY

Alice is sitting next to her older sister on a river bank. Her sister is reading a book, but Alice has got nothing to do. There aren't any pictures in the book for Alice to look at and there isn't anyone to talk to. She feels bored. Suddenly, she sees a white rabbit run past her. It's wearing a waistcoat and it's got a pocket watch. Alice quickly runs after it and falls into a rabbit hole, where she finds a fantasy world of talking animals and strange people.

1Read the extract below. What happens to Alice after she drinks from the bottle? 

She was now in a long, dark room with doors all round the walls, and she could not see the White Rabbit anywhere.

She tried to open the doors, but they were all locked. 'How will I ever get out again?' she thought sadly. Then she saw a little glass table with three legs, and on the top of it was a very small gold key. Alice quickly took the key and tried it in all the doors, but oh dear! Either the locks were too big, or the key was too small, but she could not open any of the doors.

Then she saw another door, a door that was only forty centimetres high. The little gold key unlocked this door easily, but of course Alice could not get through it − she was much too big. So she lay on the floor and looked through the open door, into a beautiful garden with green trees and bright flowers.

Poor Alice was very unhappy. 'What a wonderful garden!' she said to herself. 'I'd like to be out there − not in this dark room. Why can't I get smaller?' It was already a very strange day, and Alice was beginning to think that anything was possible.

After a while she locked the door again, got up and went back to the glass table. She put the key down and then she saw a little bottle on the table ('I'm sure it wasn't here before,' said Alice). Round the neck of the bottle was a piece of paper with the words DRINK ME in large letters.

But Alice was a careful girl. 'It can be dangerous to drink out of strange bottles,' she said. 'What will it do to me?' She drank a little bit very slowly. The taste was very nice, like chocolate and oranges and hot sweet coffee, and very soon Alice finished the bottle.

 

* * *

'What a strange feeling!' said Alice. 'I think I'm getting smaller and smaller every second.'

And she was. A few minutes later she was only twenty-five centimetres high. 'And now,' she said happily, 'I can get through the little door into that beautiful garden.'

She ran at once to the door. When she got there, she remembered that the little gold key was back on the glass table. She ran back to the table for it, but of course, she was now much too small! There was the key, high above her, on top of the table. She tried very hard to climb up the table leg, but she could not do it.

At last, tired and unhappy, Alice sat down on the floor and cried. But after a while she spoke to herself angrily.

'Come now,' she said. 'Stop crying at once. What's the use of crying?' She was a strange child, and often talked to herself like this.

Soon she saw a little glass box near her on the floor. She opened it, and found a very small cake with the words EAT ME on it.

From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Oxford Bookworms. Text adaptation by Jennifer Bassett.

2Read the extract again. Put the events a−h in the correct order. 

• a Alice leaves the key on the table.

  b Alice finds something to eat.

  c Alice picks up a key which unlocks one of the doors.

  d Alice worries the drink might be dangerous.

  e Alice decides to go into the garden.

  f Alice tries to get out of the room, but discovers that she can't.

  g Alice becomes so small that she can't reach the key.

  h Alice gets annoyed with herself.

She was now in a long, dark room with doors all round the walls, and she could not see the White Rabbit anywhere.

She tried to open the doors, but they were all locked. 'How will I ever get out again?' she thought sadly. Then she saw a little glass table with three legs, and on the top of it was a very small gold key. Alice quickly took the key and tried it in all the doors, but oh dear! Either the locks were too big, or the key was too small, but she could not open any of the doors.

Then she saw another door, a door that was only forty centimetres high. The little gold key unlocked this door easily, but of course Alice could not get through it − she was much too big. So she lay on the floor and looked through the open door, into a beautiful garden with green trees and bright flowers.

Poor Alice was very unhappy. 'What a wonderful garden!' she said to herself. 'I'd like to be out there − not in this dark room. Why can't I get smaller?' It was already a very strange day, and Alice was beginning to think that anything was possible.

After a while she locked the door again, got up and went back to the glass table. She put the key down and then she saw a little bottle on the table ('I'm sure it wasn't here before,' said Alice). Round the neck of the bottle was a piece of paper with the words DRINK ME in large letters.

But Alice was a careful girl. 'It can be dangerous to drink out of strange bottles,' she said. 'What will it do to me?' She drank a little bit very slowly. The taste was very nice, like chocolate and oranges and hot sweet coffee, and very soon Alice finished the bottle.

 

* * *

'What a strange feeling!' said Alice. 'I think I'm getting smaller and smaller every second.'

And she was. A few minutes later she was only twenty-five centimetres high. 'And now,' she said happily, 'I can get through the little door into that beautiful garden.'

She ran at once to the door. When she got there, she remembered that the little gold key was back on the glass table. She ran back to the table for it, but of course, she was now much too small! There was the key, high above her, on top of the table. She tried very hard to climb up the table leg, but she could not do it.

At last, tired and unhappy, Alice sat down on the floor and cried. But after a while she spoke to herself angrily.

'Come now,' she said. 'Stop crying at once. What's the use of crying?' She was a strange child, and often talked to herself like this.

Soon she saw a little glass box near her on the floor. She opened it, and found a very small cake with the words EAT ME on it.

From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Oxford Bookworms. Text adaptation by Jennifer Bassett.

3  Read the questions and give your opinion.

1. What is Alice like? Think of three adjectives to describe her. Give reasons for your choice.
2. What do you think happens next. Does Alice eat the cake? How does she get out of the room?

4Read what happens next. Who does Alice decide to visit? 

Alice decides to visit .

READ ON

Alice eats the cake. At first nothing happens, but then she starts getting bigger and bigger. Soon she hits the ceiling of the room. Alice starts to cry and she cries for so long that her tears form a river. She finds a pair of white gloves and puts them on, then she becomes small again. In fact, she becomes so small that the river of tears carries her out of the room. Once outside, she discovers she isn't in the beautiful garden. She's in a wood, where she meets the White Rabbit again and talks to some strange creatures like the Cheshire Cat, who is always smiling. Alice asks the cat who lives nearby. The cat tells her that the March Hare lives to the right and a Hatter to the left, but he warns her that they are both mad. Alice sets off to visit the Hare.

5Play the recording and listen to the next part of the story. What time is it when Alice arrives at the March Hare's house? What time is it when she leaves? 

6Play the recording and listen again. Complete sentences 1−10 with the names of the characters. 

• 1The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice sits between the Hatter and the March Hare.

• 2The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice doesn't wait for an invitation to sit down.

• 3The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice offers Alice something to drink.

• 4The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice makes a comment about someone's hair.

• 5The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice thinks the Hatter and the March Hare aren't polite.

• 6The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice asks unusual questions.

• 7The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice likes puzzles.

• 8The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice sleeps most of the time.

• 9The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice looks at his watch to find out what day it is.

• 10The March HareThe HatterThe DormouseAlice thinks that butter is good for watches.

7  Read the questions and give your opinion.

1. What do Alice, the March Hare and the Hatter do that is rude? In your opinion, who is the rudest? Why?
2. What is the difference between 'I mean what I say' and 'I say what I mean'?
3. Does Alice enjoy the tea party? What kind of parties do you enjoy?

8  Imagine you are at an unusual tea party. Write a description of it. Include this information: who invited you who is at the party where it is what you have to eat and drink why it is unusual  Write your task in another program (e.g. Word).  Save the file to your computer.  Upload your file.  If you want to add a note to your teacher, write it in the Comments box.  Select Submit to Dropbox to send your work to your teacher.