Childhood Contradictions :: Free Essays Online

Childhood Contradictions 1. Memories from my childhood are scarce and unintelligible at best. Everything is distorted and it always seems like every matchless is bigger than you, in more ways than one. From what I do remember, a major player in my development as a child was the overwhelming feeling of confusion. more(prenominal) times than not, I was confused by at least one of m some(prenominal) things (authority, my own identity, physical, mental and emotional changes, etc). A childs confusion is collectable to the massive series of contradictions that is childhood itself. In Lewis Carrolls novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the tone Glass , the meaning of childhood and what it is to be a child and literally live in a childs world takes on an entirely contrastive meaning than ever before. Similarly, the computer game based on the novels, American McGees Alice , gives an interesting perspective on the concept of childhood and the struggle to maturity. 2. The fortu ne of contradictions in both of Lewis novels is something that cannot be ignored, even by the around cardinal of readers. The entire concept of the novels themselves is providing text which, in all honesty, seems to be land up nonsense and providing that nonsense with sense . This theory of sense from nonsense is understandably developed in Chapter 2 of Through the Looking Glass . In this chapter, titled The Garden of Live Flowers, Alice remarks to the flowers, Arent you sometimes frightened at world planted out here, with nobody to take care of you? (Gray 121). In result to this remark, the Rose points out that theres the tree in the middle (Gray 122) as if that is conjectural to give any miscellany of rational explanation for their feeling of security. When Alice asks what sort of protection a tree could provide, the Rose tells her that if any danger comes along the tree can bark. Now, this is an entirely ridiculous concept to begin with. The estimate of inanimate objects having the ability to produce sound is complete nonsense to any rational person. However, the flowers give the trees ability to bark and their ability to talk patently rational explanations. According to the Daisy, the tree says Bough-Wough Thats why branches are called boughs (Gray 122). In rejoinder to the question about the flowers proficiency at language, the Rose tells Alice that in most gardens, they make the beds too soft - so that the flowers are always asleep(predicate) (Gray 122) and their flower bed is noticeably hard by comparison.