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annoying little thing that everyone does, so I made one too. |
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Don’t wish… Don’t start…
Wishing only wounds the heart.
 Gwyndara · Sun Apr 26, 2009 @ 08:46am · 1 Comments |
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A kilted Scotsman was walking down a country path after finishing off a large amount of whisky at a local pub. He felt quite sleepy and decided to nap against a tree.
As he slept, two female tourists heard his loud snoring. When they found him, one said, "I've always wondered what a Scotsman wears under his kilt."
She boldly walked over to the sleeper, raised his kilt, and saw that he wore nothing at all. Her friend said, "Well, the mystery is solved! Let's thank him for sharing!"
She took off her pretty blue hair ribbon and gently tied it around the Scotsman's endowment. A while later, the Scotsman was awakened by the call of nature. He raised his kilt and was bewildered at the sight of the neatly tied blue ribbon. He stared for a minute, then said, "I don't know where y'been laddie... but it's nice ta see you won firrrst prrrize!"
Gwyndara · Sat Mar 14, 2009 @ 05:01am · 0 Comments |
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Facts I found intersting about the Wizard of OZ |
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Facts about “The Wonderful Wizard of OZ” written by L. Frank Baum.; Published April of 1900; That I found interesting; and will later compare to “WICKED The life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West” written by Gregory Maguire; Copyright 1995.
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Dorothy’s house lands upon the Wicked Witch of the East, who is an old woman. Her magical Shoes are Silver with pointed toes, not ruby red slippers, as we are lead to believe by the movie with Judy Garland.
The Good Witch of the North is a very old woman, whose name we are not ever told. She wears a white dress. She has never seen the Wizard of OZ, but sends Dorothy to him, believing he can send her home again. The Good Witch of the North kisses Dorothy upon her forehead placing a mark upon her for all to know that she is protected by the powers of Good.
The munchkins mistake her for a good witch because her dress is made of blue and white. The color blue signifies friendship and goodness, and the color white signifies that she is a witch; leading them to believe Dorothy to be a good witch.
Boq is a rich munchkin who is throwing a party to celebrate the death of the wicked witch of the east and his newfound freedom. He gives Dorothy food and shelter as she sets out on her journey to the Emerald City.
The Scarecrow is a newly made scarecrow who believes that he doesn’t have the smarts to be a real person and wants a brain. He was created by a farmer and Dorothy removes him from his farm, he goes with her to the Emerald City in hopes that the Wizard will give him a brain. Through out the story he comes up with clever ways to solve their problems proving to the reader that he does in fact have a brain, he just doesn’t know it.
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In the end, the wizard fills the scarecrow’s head with yarn and pins creating a “brain” and making the Scarecrow believe he has been given a brain. Explaining to him that he will learn wisdom through experience and giving him the confidence to rule the Emerald City after the wizard leaves.
The Tin man was once a wood cutter, a man of flesh and blood who was once in love. He was going to marry the girl, but she worked for an old woman who was lazy and feared to loose the girls’ services, so the old woman struck a bargain with the Wicked Witch of the East, who cursed the wood cutters ax. The ax cut off the mans leg, the man went to the tin-smith to see if he could replace it, and he did. Then the ax continued to cut off each of the limbs and head until the man was mostly tin, then it cut him in half which caused him to split open and loose his heart. The tin-smith was able to make a torso out of tin, keeping the man alive only now he was a tin-man, who rusted in the rain and thus effectively making it so he could not love and marry his young love. He wants to go to the wizard and get a heart so that he can love again. Throughout the story we see that he is a kind and gentle soul who loves all creatures. He feels a great deal proving that he does in fact posses the ability to feel and love and does have a heart after all.
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In the end, the wizard cut’s open the tin-mans chest and gives him a heart of silk, telling him that it is a good and kind heart. The Tin-man then believes that he has a heart and can once again feel love.
The Cowardly Lion is introduced to us as he attacks Toto, Dorothy is so angered and outraged that she snatches Toto from his jaws and slaps the Lion across the face. She calls him cowardly and he agrees with her, then explains that he is a coward. He decides to join them and ask the wizard for courage. Though throughout the story the Lion shows acts of bravery, saving them from the dangers of their journey. Though he is scared and feels fear he still goes through with fighting for their little group and protects them. Which is the very definition of courage, to be afraid of something and confront it anyway. He shows himself to be a very brave Lion.
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In the end the wizard gives him something to drink and explains that it will give him courage. Which basically just gives the Lion the desperate self confidence that he needs to believe that he is brave.
Upon entering the gates of the Emerald City they are each given green tinted sunglasses or spectacles as they are called in the story. These are locked upon them so that they can not take them off and are told that they are for their protection from the so as not to be blinded by the brilliance of the City.
Within the City, the citizens all seem to have a Green tint to their skin. Everything his in shades of green. The city is made of green marble, emeralds and diamonds.
Dorothy is given a green dress to wear. And they are taken to the Palace.
The Wizard is told of their arrival but doesn’t want anything to do with them until he is told of Dorothy’s Silver Shoes. When they are taken to the Wizard one by one, he appears as a different “entity” and told
“Well,” said the Head, “I will give you my answer. You have no right to expect me to send you back to Kansas unless you do something for me in return. In this country everyone must pay for everything he gets. If you wish me to use my magic power to send you home again you must do something for me first. Help me and I will help you.”
“What must I do?” asked the girl
“Kill the wicked witch of the West,” answered OZ.
__ L. Frank Baum, The wonderful Wizard of OZ __
Each one is promised their desire if only they would help Dorothy to kill the Wicked Witch of the West.
They decide to try it. They leave by way of the gate, giving back their spectacles. Once outside the City Dorothy’s dress is no longer green, but white, as is the green color Toto had been given.
The Wicked Witch of the West is an old woman with only one eye that sees great distances. Her name is never given. When Dorothy and her companions enter her “realm” she sees that it would do her no good to enslave them, except for the Lion which she can use like a horse. So she sends our her creatures.
A wolf pack of 40 wolves who are killed by the Tin-man.
Then a flock of 40 wild crows who are killed by the scarecrow.
Then black bees who kill themselves by stinging the tin man and loose their stingers.
Then she sends out 12 Winkies who are her slaves the Lion Roars at them and scares them back to the yellow palace where the witch beats them and sends them back to their labors.
In desperation she places the gold cap upon her head and calls forth the Flying Monkeys.
She can only call upon them three times and then they are no longer in her service.
She had called upon them in the past to enslave the Winkies, and then again to drive the Wizard OZ from the west. This would be her final time to call upon their help.
The monkeys are ordered to destroy them, save the Lion whom she wants for a slave.
The Monkeys throw the Tin-Man upon the rocks. They tare the straw from the scarecrow and throw his clothes up into a tree.
They capture the Lion and take him to the palace.
But Dorothy has the Mark of goodness upon her and they dare not harm her, so they gently take her to the wicked witch. And then they are free from the Evil witch.
The Wicked Witch of the West dares not harm Dorothy for the mark of Goodness that had been placed upon the child frightens the old witch. Her first reaction is one of fear for she fears the power of the Silver Shoes but then realizes that Dorothy doesn’t know how to use their power, and enslaves Dorothy by threatening to kill her if she doesn’t do as she is told.
Glad that the witch decided not to kill her, Dorothy throws herself into her work cleaning for the Wicked Witch of the West.
The wicked witch is frightened of the Lion and dares not enter the place of his confinement, and threatens to starve him to death if he doesn’t cooperate with her and become like a horse.
Dorothy sneaks food to the Lion and conspires to escape.
The witch threatens violence against Dorothy to keep her in line, but what Dorothy doesn’t know is that the witch would never harm her because of the good mark that the Northern Witch placed upon the Girls forehead.
The Wicked witch of the West covets the Silver Shoes and wants them for herself, but Dorothy will not give them to her, and only takes them off at night when she bathes.
The wicked witch is frightened of the Dark and more so of water and so she doesn’t go near Dorothy when she takes off the shoes. Instead she places an Iron bar in the kitchen, and makes it invisible causing Dorothy to trip and loose one of her shoes, the Wicked Witch of the West picks up the shoe and puts it on her own foot. Dorothy gets angry and demands the witch give back her shoe. The witch refuses and tells her that she will get the other one too. In her Anger Dorothy picks up a bucket of water and throws it on the witch, not knowing that it would melt her. The Wicked Witch cries out, and Dorothy apologizes to her for melting her, but what is done is done and the witch dies; leaving an awful brown mess, so Dorothy splashes more water upon the melted mess and cleans it up. Then washes the Silver Shoe and places it back on her foot.
Dorothy liberates the Winkies and the Lion and then asks them to help her rescue her friends. They give the Tin-man a golden handled ax, and the scarecrow new straw.
They give Toto and the Lion collars of Gold.
They give the Scarecrow a golden headed walking stick, and Tin-man an oil-can inlaid with Gold and precious Jewels, and a bracelet of Diamonds to Dorothy.
Dorothy also takes the gold cap that calls the flying monkeys.
When they get back to the Emerald City to collect their rewards the Wizard refuses to see them. But when the Lion threatens that Dorothy will call in the Flying Monkeys he all of a sudden will see them.
Dorothy and the others discover that he is just and ordinary man, and call him a “humbug”. Dorothy accuses him of being a bad man, but he says that he is not a bad man, just a bad wizard.
He then finds a way to give them what they want in exchange for their secrecy.
And explains to Dorothy that he needs to make a hot-air ballon which she helps him to sew. He leaves the Emerald City and makes the Scarecrow it’s leader. Dorothy is supposed to go with him, but she doesn’t make it intime and he takes off.
A guard tells her she should Seek out the Good Witch of the South. And so once again they set out on a journey to reach a far off Land.
It isn’t until this point that we meet Glinda the Good who is the Good Witch of the South.
She is the most powerful of all the witches, she is old, but has kept her youth and is beautiful. She sits upon a throne of Rubies and has rich red colored hair, her eyes are blue and she wears a pure white dress.
She explains to Dorothy how the Silver Shoes can take her home. And so Dorothy says her goodbyes to her friends.
Clicks her heals three times and says.
“Take me home to Aunt Em.”
And then poof she is standing just outside the new home her uncle had built after the storm. Her Aunt and Uncle are happy to see her and had been worried about her.
And the Silver Shoes are lost for she had arrived home in “stalking feet”.
Gwyndara · Wed Nov 12, 2008 @ 11:52am · 2 Comments |
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