Is The Wizard of Oz a musical fantasy or a

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UNMASKING THE WIZARD OF OZ
Is The Wizard of Oz a musical fantasy or a
parable on Populism?
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The Wizard of Oz has been used for years in many
political cartoons. People find various symbolic
meanings and they can adapt the story to current
events.
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Bush asks the Wizard of Oz for proof of Iraqi
weapons
Artist Edward Smith Date 2003-01-10
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Wizard of Oz, Paul Wolfowitz, reveals truth about
Saddam's WMD
Artist Kirk Anderson Date 2003-06-04
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Henry Littlefield took it one step further in his
article The Wizard of Oz Parable on Populism
But first, a little background on The Wizard of
Oz
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L. Frank Baum The Author of The Wizard of Oz

• In favor of many Populist movements
• Political views may have influenced writing
• Helped produce a musical which was the premise
  for the
• 1939 MGM musical

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• What is Populism?
• Populists in late nineteenth century
• America wanted to help the common people
• They advocated measures that would help
• farmers and laborers
• They supported the free coinage of silver

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The Populist metaphors can be found in

• Settings
• Key Objects
• Characters

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KANSAS IN THE LATE 1800s

• Farmer discontent and Populist politics were
• concentrated in Kansas
• Suffering from a droughtmany farmers
• going through hard times
• Farmers wanted the free coinage of silver to
• help them out of debt

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• Shown in a sepia wash
• Dorothy wants out Somewhere Over the Rainbow

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• Silver is measured in ounces

• Bright and colorful

• Oz ounce

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THE EMERALD CITY

• Main political city of Oz
• Symbolizes the national capital, as well as paper
  money

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• CYCLONE
• Cyclones used in many Populist political cartoons
• Some pamphlets compared the depression of the
  1890s
• to a cyclone

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Dorothys house lands on the Wicked Witch of the
East, and she gets
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The Ruby Slippers

• Originally silver
• Changed to ruby because of color technology
• Symbolize the power of the silver movement

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The Yellow Brick Road

• Represents balance between silver and gold
  movements
• Journey on road is dangerousgold standard might
  not be wise

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DOROTHY

• Common people
• From a Kansas farm
• Does not see the power of slippers
• at first

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THE SCARECROW

• Represents farmers
• Farmers thought to be ignorantlooking for a
  brain
• Shows common sense throughout the storyhas
  always had a brain
• Shows belief that farmers were not as ignorant as
  wealthy people thought

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THE TIN MAN

• Industrial workers
• Wants a heartdehumanized
• Physically strong, hollow inside
• Stuck when the found himworkers
• felt trapped in an economic rut

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THE COWARDLY LION

• Represents William Jennings BryanPopulist leader
• Looking for courageBryan thought to be a coward
  by some
• Possessed courage all along

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WICKED WITCH OF THE EAST

• Stands for wealthy people of the East
  favoring gold currency
• Symbolic of big businesses and corporation who
  also wanted gold standard
• Dorothy kills herdefeats people who wanted gold
  currency

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WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST

• Personification of harsh natural forces of west,
  such as the drought
• Dorothys main adversarypresent throughout
  entire story

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• Uses nature to hurt Dorothy and friends
• Poppy field
• Flying monkeys

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She is killed by water, just like a drought
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THE WIZARD

• Represents leadership during the depression
• Government seemed powerless
• Uses hot air balloon (as did many cartoons)
• Wizard is from Kansas, like Dorothy

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ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE THEORY SOME SAY

• Baum was not really a Populist supporter
• The metaphors are purely coincidental

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DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOOK AND MOVIE

• Silver slippers changed to ruby
• Glinda changed from Good Witch of the South to
  the Good Witch of the North

Is the movie musical still a populist metaphor?
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There is still plenty of evidence that The Wizard
of Oz is in fact a parable on Populism.
So the choice is up to you. Next time you watch
the musical, look past the magic and color of the
movie to find deeper meanings and metaphors.
Then make up your mindis The Wizard of Oz just a
fun, harmless musical fantasy or is it something
more?
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REFERENCES
MGM Pictures The Wizard of Oz
http//thewizardofoz.warnerbros.com/cmp/photo.htm
Library of Congress http//www.loc.gov/exhibits/oz
/