“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” This is a quote from Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. If you haven't read the book, you really should. Carroll wrote the story for a little girl, and while most of the story is whimsical, he hid pearls of wisdom throughout the story to help teach the child life lessons while she read. Many of the lines are memorable in themselves and no real explanations are necessary. I have put three examples below.
Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don’t much care where--" said Alice. "Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat. "--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Alice added as an explanation. "Oh, you’re sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough.” In this small exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat, Carroll has hidden an important life lesson. Without some idea of what you want to accomplish, you will only drift your way through life. While Carroll used a cross road to set up this exchange, It is easy to see how he could be warning the girl to think about what she wants out of life before she goes running off chasing rabbits. To set out without a destination in mind can easily lead to nowhere. And, if you stop to get directions you must have some idea of where you want to go or what you want to accomplish for any response to be meaningful to you. In the story, Alice speaks to the cat, who doesn't really care where she goes. In real life though, a child may speak to someone who has an agenda for them. This could be the child's parents, or a friend, or just a stranger with an agenda. Instead, the cat is blunt and tells it like it is. If you don't know where you want to go, then it really doesn't matter what direction you take. “Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” Here again is a good piece of advice for a child hidden among the ramblings within a story. Oftentimes, young children wish to convey information to an adult, but don't really know where to begin. Many times they will just stand there and stammer and not make any sense at all. In this quote, Carroll has the king explain to Alice how to best make herself understood by everyone. The advice is simple, and to the point, and a great lesson for a young child to learn... if they are astute enough to pick up on it! Carroll dropped many pearls of wisdom throughout the story, and while it's likely that a child will not pick up on all of them, they would still likely be able to pick up on some of them. “I don't think..." then you shouldn't talk, said the Hatter.” Here is another one! Direct and to the point. Think before you speak. This advice, I find, is designed to keep everyone out of trouble. No further discussion is necessary for this one. Think before you speak. And if you are going to say something negative... then think twice! What wonderful advice for an adult, let alone a child. Now back to the first quote I mentioned: “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” Alice In Wonderland is in itself a perfect example for this quote! Carroll used his imagination to teach life lessons that he hid among the text in his whimsical story. And his lessons have endured for more than a century. Given the popularity of Alice In Wonderland, it's likely that his lessons will be ready for many more years to come as well. Although Alice has become part of the popular culture, and the movies and games do not have all of the pearls of wisdom on display, the movies introduce Carroll's world to a new generation. At least some of these viewers will likely want to see more, and eventually find the book to read. The reality here is that fewer and fewer people are reading books nowadays. Attention spans are getting shorter, and many people seem to like to read only short snippets and prefer to get their "culture" through videos and television. For those who want more, Alice In Wonderland is a great book to escape into and allow your imagination to run free. Hard lessons can be learned easily with the use of a little imagination. I think Carroll would agree with that thought.
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