The advertisements above were put up to promote movie-viewing by a group of cinemas.

[The oversimplified image of wild animals in captivity as shown in films is that a friendship bond would be formed between the wild animal and a human, where mutual acceptance and assistance exist. This, in fact, is rare in reality and a wild animal needs to undergo vigorous taming programmes to be eligible as a domestic pet. As for love cruises - the name says it all - people are tricked into believing that one can find his or her lifetime partner on board these cruise. Therefore, if the setting of the movie is as such, a typical romance story is expected. However, given a dose of reality, love is such an abstract feeling - that no one can fully explains it - that love cruises are just a sham.]

Questions to ponder upon throughout the reading of the text.

1. Discuss Alice’s treatment by the different characters she encounters in the books. Why do you think they act they way they do, and what does their behavior say about Alice?
[Alice's first encounter is with the White Rabbit, whom was constantly too busy with time to bother about Alice. However, when the rabbit finally payed attention to her, it mistook her for the housemaid Mary Ann. This only stands to assert the fact that Alice portrays a rather mediocre image of a housemaid. Moving on, the Mouse and the birds generally regard Alice rather inquisitively. The Mouse willingly told stories to Alice and the whole lot had a race to dry themselves. The Mouse eventually got fed up and insulted at Alice's consistent nonsense, whereas the birds were terrified when Alice mentioned her cat Dinah. On the other hand, the Pigeon mistook Alice for a serpent and expressed it's contempt for her. Besides that, the Caterpillar treated Alice like an innocent child; it acts as a sage-figure, whose mysterious silences and terse responses provide a sharp contrast to Alice's exasperation and confused replies.]

2. What is the significance of Alice’s fluctuations in size and shape in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?
[Closely connected to growth into adulthood, size change is another recurring concept in the text. These dramatic changes in size point out at the radical changes the body undergoes during adolescence. It also symbolized her gradual emotional growth throughout the book. For instance, when she met the giant caterpillar, he told her that by eating one side of the nearby mushroom, she could grow taller. Eaten from the other side, the mushroom would make her reduce in size. She cleverly used this advantage to aid her in getting what she wanted and also to get where she wanted to go. Alice's size changes also bring about a change in perspective, and she begins to see the world from a very different view. As shown in the last trial scene, her growth into a giant reflects a much stronger, self-possessed person. She is then able to speak out against the unruly proceedings of the trial.]

3. Throughout the story, there are occasional oblique references to death. What purpose do these references serve in the stories, and why might Carroll include them?
[In his stories, Alice goes through moments where she faces death - narrowly missing it in some cases. This is exemplified during her encounter with the enormous puppy, where Alice was nearly trampled over. Another example of the recurring theme of death is, when the melancholy and pessimistic Mock Turtle is singing a song about turtle soup: “Though a real turtle need not be eaten, a Mock Turtle probably knows how he will end up.” This aspect of death is its inevitability. As growth is concerned, Carroll probably wanted to portray that mortality is inescapable and death is the final step of this process. Besides that, there’s the Queen of Hearts and her obsession with ordering beheadings. Overall, Alice's survival and growth from conflicts might reflect how Carroll escapes embarrassing situations by “laying low” and becoming skilled in avoiding confrontation.]

4. What role does the garden play in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland?
[Initially, the garden in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland serves as a place of longing for Alice. The sight of the garden draws Alice in with its “beds of bright flowers” and “cool fountains”. In Alice's mindset, she perceives the garden as a place of childlike grace and innocence. Alice’s desire to enter the garden corresponds to her desire to remain a child indefinitely. When she finally enters the garden, Alice discovers that the garden is a complete bogus. The garden turns out to be an imitation of childhood paradise, and in truth the inhabitants are irrational and ill tempered. In my opinion, the garden in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland acts as world of adults viewed in the eyes of a child.]

5. Discuss the significance of the Queen of Hearts in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
[As the clear ruler of Wonderland - the King seems to acknowledge the Queen's power - the Queen of Hearts functions as the primary antagonist, opposing Alice at every turn. She is, in fact, the heart or cause of Alice’s conflict with Wonderland. At the end, when Alice exposes the Queen as a fraud, claiming 'You're nothing but a pack of cards!', the dream of Wonderland ends abruptly. Many times in the book, Alice hesitates to reveal that fact, demonstrating the power of authority that the Queen of Hearts has in Wonderland. The Queen’s role was also to instill fear in her subjects and Alice with threats of decapitation - in which she was successful, though her threats were indeed hollow and nobody was ever executed.]

Classifying Thinkers (A summary of the previous text)

We don't really know how to define intelligence. However, this does not discourage some people from categorizing others according to their intelligence or lack of it. In his essay, "Thinking as a hobby," author William S. Golding does exactly this. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.

According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers. These people are docile. They follow orders and they obey other people's wishes. They never learn to think for themselves and cannot distinguish truth from lies. A dictator could take control of them and make them do whatever he wanted, as if they were sheep. The resulting mob would be brutal and ugly.

Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator. These grade-two thinkers, who make up 9 percent of the population, see corruption in the world. For example, grade-two thinkers may question the honesty of religion or political institutions,but they fail to find new ideals to believe in.

The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers. They not only see corruption, but they also know how to seek truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Such thinkers are creative and imaginative geniuses, like Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein, who opened new worlds in music, art and science.

One wonders in which category Golding would place himself. Surely not among the "sheep"! Golding may prefer to believe that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators, but the number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao shows that this belief is incorrect. In fact, sometimes the common sense and compassion of the ordinary man is all that stands between civilization and barbarism. As one of the so-called sheep, I say bah to Mr. Golding!


Answer the Questions:

1. Circle the thesis statement. How does Golding classify people?
[The thesis statement: In his essay, "Thinking as a hobby," author William S. Golding does exactly this.]
[Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.]

2. Underline the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
[Body paragraph 1: According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers.]
[Body paragraph 2: Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator.]
[Body paragraph 3: The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers.]

3. How does the author describe 90 percents of the population? The remaining 9 percent? The final 1 percent?
[The author explains that 90 percent of the population are docile. They follow orders and they obey other people's wishes. They never learn to think for themselves and cannot distinguish truth from lies. As for the remaining 9 percent, the population is said to able to see corruption in the world. For the final 1% of the population, they not only see corruption, but they also know how to seek truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Such thinkers are creative and imaginative geniuses.]

4. Underline the examples used in the third body paragraph to describe "Grade-one thinkers."
[Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein.]

5. What is the writer's opinion of Golding's essay? In which paragraph do you find this opinion?
[The writer feels that the current situation throughtout the world contradicts Golding's opinion. Thus, he is rather in disbelief of Golding's essay. This opinion of his can be found in paragraph five.]

6. What support (facts, examples) are used in the conclusion to argue the writer's point of view?
[Golding may prefer to believe that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators, but the number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao shows that this belief is incorrect.]


Cohen F Robert and Miller Judy "Reason to write -Strategies for success in academic writing"
Oxford University Press