E349S March 1: Life As We Know It

Life As We Know It

The final chapter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland falls as a pivotal monument in translating the overall thematic message of identity and preservation of one's youth. The story ends with Alice's sister dreams of how "this little sister of hers would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood."[1] The return of Alice to her world symbolizes her final departure from a confusing transitional period in light of her lack of identity and her realization that she must not falter, she must not change, she must be true to herself and her blossoming youth. She must never forget who she truly is to become the woman she will eventually be. Alice's sister's foretelling of the potential future leaves the reader on a high note, highlighting the return of a new Alice: confident, unique, and enduring. Alice has concluded her internal struggle, emerging from her dreams with a true sense of reality. She realizes she must not conform to societal demands, but rather, she must preserve the beauty of naivety and youth within her. 

 

Kids these days...or should I say Young Adults.

 Just as Carroll helps the reader grasp a greater understanding in the importance of the preservation of childhood character an will, Hopkins provides the reader with a humbling appreciation to the omniscient aura of God and his presence in all spheres of life, even found in the simplicity of nature. In his poem, The Windhover, Hopkins provides a grandeur display of the glorification of Christ. The final six lines emphasize the "relationship between God and the world" because Hopkins implies "ma can contribute to this relationship by keeping in mind Christ's example of obscure toil and self-sacrifice."[2] In comparison, Hopkin's poem God's Grandeur parallels the same conviction with God's presence and impact in nature. From the very first two lines, Hopkins denotes," the world is charged with the grandeur of God/ it will flame our, like shining from shook foil."[3] The poem stresses the direct relationship God and nature, implying deviation from the God's natural world will weaken the religious strength of man, while God will remain eternal in nature. The poem strengthens the premise of Hopkin's The Windhover, as both poems give way to the ultimate idea that God is everywhere, but he must be sought out in the simple miracles of life, from a budding rose to a soaring Windhover.

 

Only a child can truly appreciate God's creation

Works Cited

1. Lewis Carroll, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2000), 126.

2. Gerard Manley Hopkins, The Major Works Including all the Poems and Selected Prose (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), 353.

3. Hopkins, The Major Works, 128.