The Wizard of Oz - Topics: Cinema; Drama ... - Criterion Pictures

Visual Education Centre presents aTeachWithMovies.com Learning Guide to thefeature film....LEARNING GUIDE TO:THE WIZARD OF OZSUBJECTS --- Cinema; Drama/Musicals; U.S./1865-1913;SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING --- Self-esteem; Friendship; Taking Care of Yourself;Breaking Out;MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS --- Trustworthiness, Respect, Caring.Description: A Kansas farm girl is caught in a tornado and knocked unconscious. She awakensfar from home in a magical land with witches, wizards, little people, flying monkeys, and otherfantastic characters. The movie describes her efforts to get back home. The film is adapted from thepopular children's book by L. Frank Baum.Benefits of the Movie: "The Wizard of Oz" is a classic musical, beloved by children and theirparents for generations. The film is perennially popular because it explores many of the issues andfears that children ages 5 - 12 must confront as they mature. In addition, the film can be used inlanguage arts classes. It is an example of the archetypal journey of the hero and displays severalliterary devices including the frame story, irony, foreshadowing and symbolism. Finally, anargument can be made that the story told by the book is an allegory to the history of populism in theU.S. in the late 1800s. High school history teachers can ask their classes to prove or refute thetheory as an alternative to the usual methods of teaching this period of U.S. history.LEARNING GUIDE MENUBenefits of the MoviePossible ProblemsParenting PointsSelected Awards & CastHelpful BackgroundDevelopmental Issues RaisedThe Movie as a Work ofLiteratureAllegory to History of PopulismDiscussion Questions:Understanding the StoryHopes and FearsSocial-Emotional LearningMoral-Ethical Emphasis(Character Counts)Bridges to ReadingLinks To The InternetProjects And ActivitiesBibliographyFeatured songs include: "Over the Rainbow," "Munchkin Land," "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead,""Follow the Yellow Brick Road," "If I Only Had a Brain/a Heart/the Nerve," "If I Were King of theForest," "The Merry Ole Land of Oz."Possible Problems:their minions.MINOR. Younger children may be frightened by the Wicked Witches andParenting Points: Parents can maximize the benefits of the film by asking and helping childrento answer the discussion questions. See Understanding the Story; Hopes and Fears and QuickDiscussion Questions. The remaining discussion questions are also helpful. See Social-EmotionalLearning and Morality and Ethics Discussion Questions. Select the questions that are appropriatefor your child's developmental level. Many children will want to see the film on several occasions.This will allow parents to ask different questions over a period of time. Even after children havestopped watching the film, parents can start discussions based on questions that had not beenpreviously asked. Don't be surprised if, after these discussions, children want to see the movieagain.Children will also like parents to retell the story at bedtime or to make up new stories about Dorothyand the other characters in the movie. These tales should repeat and reframe the issues raised bythe film. The first two parts of the Helpful Background section will help parents identify the themes tobe covered.Selected Awards, Cast and Director:Selected Awards: 1939 Academy Awards: Best Song ("Over the Rainbow"), Best Original Score;1939 Academy Award Nominations: Best Picture, Best Color-Cinematography, Best InteriorDecoration, Best Special Effects. Judy Garland received a special Academy Award for her performance."The Wizard of Oz" has been placed in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.Featured Actors: Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Burt Lahr, FrankMorgan, Charley Grapewin, Clara Blandick, Mitchell Lewis, Billy Burke.Director:Victor Fleming.QUICK DISCUSSION QUESTION FORCHILDREN AGES 5 - 9: Remember that theLion needed a medal from the Wizard beforehe felt that he was courageous. The Tin Manneeded a heart from the Wizard before hethought that he could be kind. And theScarecrow needed a piece of paper saying hewas smart. But the Lion was courageous, theTin Man kind and the Scarecrow smart whenthey were walking with Dorothy on the YellowBrick Road. This was long before they ever metthe Wizard. What does this tell you?Suggested Response: That you are who youare regardless of whether people recognizethat fact. Being given awards for your courage,compassion or knowledge is great but it doesn'tchange who you are. In this story, the personwho gave awards to the Lion, the Scarecrowand the Tin Man was himself a charlatan, afalse wizard, whose power came merely fromappearances.QUICK DISCUSSION QUESTION FORCHILDREN AGES 9 - 11: Where did the powerof the Wizard of Oz come from? Was it real?Suggested Response: It came fromappearances and the willingness of others toobey him. If a child responds that it is not real,remind them that the inhabitants of Oz obeyedthe Wizard and that throughout most of themovie Dorothy did as well. Talk about thepower to persuade, e.g., George Washingtoninspiring men to fight for the revolution; FranklinRoosevelt persuading Americans that we couldget through the Great Depression: "the onlything we have to fear is fear itself."; Gandhistopping the fighting between Hindus andMoslems by merely fasting; and Martin LutherKing inspiring civil rights activists to usenonviolence to gain equal rights. This type ofpower is not tangible but it is very real.QUICK DISCUSSION QUESTION FORCHILDREN AGES 12 and up: Compare theoutlines of the plot of "The Wizard of Oz" and

Helpful Background:THE FILM AS FAIRY TALE -- DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES RAISED BY "THE WIZARD OF OZ"Children love this film because it touches on important questions, fears, and desires. They include:Home is the center of a child's life. But children know that somewhere beyond the safety of homethere is a world that is exciting and colorful, yet sometimes dangerous. What will happen if thechild must leave home before he or she has grown up? Will the child be able to meet thechallenges? Will he or she ever be able to find the way back home?The Odyssey. How are they alike? See alsoDiscussion Question #2 for this question inrelation to the movie "Star Wars".Suggested Response: Each story is that of thereturn home of the hero. The hero did notvoluntarily seek the quest. The hero is takeninto an imaginary world. He/she has a protector(Athena for Odysseus and Glinda for Dorothy)who doesn't help him/her all the time, but onlysome of the time, particularly at the end. Thehero slays several opponents and undergoesseveral ordeals. The hero is steadfast in his/herdevotion to the desire to return home. Thereare probably more similarities.What about relationships with grownups? Adults are all-powerful to a young child but a childsoon learns that this power has limits, as when Auntie Em and Uncle Henry couldn't prevent MissGulch from taking Toto.What do children do when adults ignore or cannot respond to their pleas for help?How does a child learn what he or she needs to know to get through tough situations?Can children ever triumph over evil adults?What about appearances? How do you tell appearance from reality?What is the nature of power? How do people get power over other people?How does a child meet the challenges of becoming an adult? Specifically, how do you actintelligently (the challenge faced by the Scarecrow); how do you act courageously when you arevery scared (the goal for the Cowardly Lion); and how can you be a caring individual (the desireof the Tin Man).BUILDING VOCABULARY: allegory,amazement, anxious, aroused, astonished,aver, awkward, beneficent, bondage, bovine,caliginous, careworn, cataclysm, civilized,clumsy, companions, confidential, cruelty,curious, danger, dangerous, destroy,discouraged, dismal, earnest, enable,enchanted, fragrance, genuflect, hesitate, hobnob,inconvenient, industrious, journey,kowtow, luscious, misfortune, monstrous,motionless, munchkin, muddle, oblige, prairie,pusillanimous, reflection, reproach, scarecrow,sorceress, spectacles, tedious, vernacular,weapons, whopper, witch, whippersnapper,whirlwind, wizard. See also Vocabulary List forthe Wonderful Wizard of Oz and EnglishLearner Movie Guide to "The Wizard of Oz"from ESLnotes.com.These are core developmental issues that children must work out for themselves. They intrigueyoung people and resonate with the child inside us all."The Wizard of Oz" also contains some important lessons in social-emotional development andethics. Dorothy treats everyone with respect and courageously meets whatever challenges comeher way. The film teaches that groups of diverse beings can respect one another, work together,and achieve a common goal. It tells us that often evil, in the form of powerful and malevolent beings,has power over us only to the extent that we permit, due to our own weakness, fear, and error.Supposedly powerful people may turn out to be masters of deception who are not formidable whenunmasked.Through this story we also see that if we want to go looking for greater purpose in our lives, we maywant to avoid traveling "somewhere over the rainbow," and look instead in our own homecommunity. For some of us "there's no place like home," no matter what wonders and adventuresmight await us in the big colorful world. "The Wizard of Oz" and "It's a Wonderful Life" are themajor cinematic proponents of this view. There are many other movies that glorify the effort of youngpeople to break out of the restrictions of their home environments and live in that brightly colored,exciting and somewhat dangerous world beyond their home. These are collected in the BreakingOut section of the Social-Emotional Learning Index.THE MOVIE AS A WORK OF LITERATUREDorothy's story has the essential features of the classic hero's journeyof separation, descent and return: Dorothy is carried away to thethreshold of adventure (the cyclone takes her to Oz); she meets ahelpful or protective figure (the good witch Glinda); she is providedwith talismans to aid and protect her on the journey (the ruby slippersand the mark on her forehead from Glinda's kiss); she meets helpers(the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion); she goes through aseries of tests; she endures a supreme ordeal and triumphs (theepisode with the Wicked Witch of the West); and she gains herreward (the trip back to Kansas). See Quick Discussion Question for Children 12and Up, which compares Dorothy's journey to the "The Odyssey" and Discussion Question#2 which relates it to Luke Skywalker's journey in "Star Wars". For more on the journey ofthe hero see The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. This application ofCampbell's analysis to "The Wizard of Oz" derived from The Annotated Wizard of Oz,Centennial Edition, page 59.Dorothy gazed thoughtfullyThe movie employs the device of a frame story. Events in Kansas,at the Scarecrowshown in black and white, come at the beginning and at the end ofthe film. They bracket and give meaning to the colorful, adventurous journey through Oz. Thecharacters and occurrences in Kansas parallel and foreshadow the characters and occurrences inthe main story. Dorothy's dream transformed the three farmhands into the Scarecrow, the CowardlyLion and the Tin Man. It made Miss Gulch into the Wicked Witch of the West and Professor Marvelinto the Wizard of Oz. When Toto bites Miss Gulch, the advice given by the farmhands foreshadowsthe personality of their parallel characters in Oz. The conflict with Miss Gulch foreshadows and isconverted into the conflict with the Wicked Witch of the West. The powerlessness of Auntie Em andUncle Henry foreshadows the powerlessness of the Wizard to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.Irony plays an important role in the story. It is Dorothy, the innocent child who vanquishes thepowerful Wicked Witches who terrorize Oz. It is Toto, the meekest creature of them all who exposesOz "the great and powerful." It is the charlatan Wizard who gives legitimacy to the Scarecrow'sintelligence, the Tin Man's caring, and the Lion's courage.There are a number of symbols in the movie. The ruby slippers stand for the self-knowledgerequired to find happiness. The tornado is a symbol for the strong emotions felt by Dorothy whenAuntie Em and Uncle Henry could not stop Miss Gulch from taking Toto. The storm abates with thedeath of one of the Witches."I feel wise, indeed," said the Scarecrow.(Plate from the original book.)"Exactly So! I am a humbug."(Plate from the original book.)

PosterAdvertisingOriginalBookThere are significant differences between thebook and the movie and they should be treatedas separate works of art. The book is anexcellent fairy tale that was very popular whenit was published in 1900. The script for the filmadds to and actually improves upon the storytold in the book. For a description of differencesbetween the book and the movie see Wikipediaarticle on "The Wizard of Oz".Original Book CoverALLEGORY TO THE HISTORY OF POPULISM IN THE U.S. -- LATE 1800SEducators can use the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as an allegory for the history of thepopulist movement in U.S. politics in the late 1800s. The validity of the theory is disputed. See theLinks to the Internet for sites reflecting the conflicting interpretations and The Annotated Wizard ofOz, Centennial Edition, Introduction, pages lxxxix and xc. Whether the theory is correct or not, it isan excellent way to teach: (1) the literary device of allegory and (2) the history of populism in theU.S. during the late 1800s.A simplified analysis is that the populists championed a bimetal standard for the U.S. currency, i.e.,one based on both gold and silver. With a gold standard, there was too little paper money incirculation. The bankers and industrialists of the day controlled gold and wanted a gold basedcurrency. This restricted the availability of money and hence, so the theory went, kept inflation andprices low. The populists believed that if a bimetal standard was adopted there would be morepaper money and an increase in commerce, salaries, and prices benefitting farmers and workers.The Quantity Theory of Money can be expressed as: MV = PQ where:M = the quantity of money in circulation (M1).The Wizard of Oz can be used as anintroduction to the interpretation of dreams. Themovie provides an oversimplified introductionto the interpretation of dreams. Going to Oz ispart of Dorothy's fulfillment of her wish to go"over the rainbow" but the events there and herstrong desire to go home are the result of herfears of what will occur. The Cowardly Lion, theTin Man, and the Scarecrow are Dorothy'stransmutation of characters from real life intothe dream. The same is true of the Wizard.Dorothy knows that Professor Marvel is acharlatan when she meets him, but she isgrasping at straws at that point. He is the falsepath, as the Wizard was the false path to gethome. Miss Gulch, is of course personified inthe Wicked Witches. Glinda is probably AuntieEm, or rather the Auntie Em that Dorothywishes she were. The death of the WickedWitches is from Dorothy's wish that they woulddie.V = the velocity with which money circulates in the economy. (This can be assumed to be aconstant. It does go up slowly over time as the technology for clearing transactions through thebanking system is improved.)P = the average price level.Q = real national output (GNP or GDP).The Quantity of Money Theory of Price is a corollary to the Quantity Theory of Money and assertsthat: P = MV/Q. This theory means that when the amount of money in circulation (M) rises, theaverage price level (P) will also rise.The U.S. had been on the gold standard (i.e., all dollars issued had to be backed by gold and couldbe redeemed for gold) until the Civil War. After the Civil War, the issuance of currency wasrestricted and, in 1879, the gold standard was resumed. The U.S. economy throughout most of thelate 1800s was expanding rapidly and there was a need for more currency. The 1890 ShermanSilver Purchase Act provided for increased purchase and coinage of silver. There were fears thatthe U.S. would switch from a gold to a silver standard and people began to hoard gold, depletingthe Treasury's supply. The populists believed that more money (M) would result in an increasedaverage price level. This was to be accomplished through "bimetalism," adding silver as a secondmetal on which the dollar was based.The populists never came to power in the U.S. The most influential populist/bimetallist candidate forpresident was William Jennings Bryan. Nominated for President by the Democratic party on threeoccasions, Bryan never achieved the presidency despite the fact that on one occasion he won thepopular vote.An allegory is "the representation of spiritual, moral, or other abstract meanings through the actionsof fictional characters that serve as symbols." Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 1999.The analogies on which this allegorical interpretation is based (there are some variations amongeducators) are as follows:Dorothy = the American people: plucky, good-natured, naive.Toto = the Prohibition (Temperance) party. Prohibitionists favored the bimetallic standard but likeany fringe group often pulled in the wrong direction. So they got to be a dog. (Toto is a play on"teetotalers.")Oz = the almighty ounce (oz) of gold.The yellow brick road = a path paved with gold bricks that leads nowhere.Dorothy's silver slippers = originally the property of the Wicked Witch of the East, until Dorothydrops the house on the Witch. Walking on the yellow brick road with the silver slippers representedthe bimetallic standard. (MGM changed the silver slippers to the ruby slippers to exploit thetechnology of Technicolor.)The Good Witch of the North = New England, a aopulist stronghold.The Good Witch of the South = the South, another populist stronghold.The Wicked Witch of the East = Eastern banking and industrial interests. She is killed by Dorothy's

falling house because the populists expected that the eastern industrial workers would votepopulist, but this never really happened.The Wicked Witch of the West = the West was where the populists were strongest. The only reasonthe West gets a wicked witch is: a) you need two bad guys to balance the two good guys, andespecially, b) William McKinley was from Ohio, then thought of as a western state. The WickedWitch is sometimes identified directly with President McKinley.The Munchkins = slaves of the eastern banking and industrial interests, i.e., eastern workers whodidn't vote for Bryan.The Scarecrow = western farmers. They were populists.The Tin Man = eastern workers. Populist mythology always looked to this group for support, butnever found it in reality. Baum realized this (most populists didn't) and shows the Tin Man as avictim of mechanization. He's so dehumanized he doesn't have a heart.The Cowardly Lion = William Jennings Bryan.The Emerald City = Washington, D.C. The color is suggestive of paper greenbacks.The Wizard = President McKinley, but sometimes his advisor, Marcus Alonzo Hanna. McKinley andHanna deceived the people. The Wizard promises Dorothy that he will be able to bring her back toKansas with a balloon filled with a lot of "hot air." Instead, it is the slippers, which Dorothy had allthe time, that took her home. The Wizard's gifts of courage, brains and a heart are deceptions,although beneficial ones. Much of this section is quoted or derived from The Wizard of Oz as a Monetary Allegoryby Robert F. Mulligan, Ph.D., Western Carolina University College of Business.The state of Kansas is part of the Great Plains, which is a large plateau in the center of North America.The Great Plains extend for over 1500 miles from the Saskatchewan River in Canada, south to the RioGrande and the Gulf of Mexico. The East-West measure is about 400 miles beginning at the RockyMountains and extending east. The natural vegetation is buffalo grass. The climate is hot in summer andcold in winter. The average annual rainfall is only 20 inches. The landscape is famous for its undisturbedmonotony.Tornados are one of the most violent storms in nature. They can occur anywhere in the world but mostoften strike in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The speeds of the wind in a tornado rangefrom 200 to 500 miles per hour. Since tornados generally destroy any instruments which record windvelocities, we have no direct data on the speeds of winds inside a tornado. Tornados take the form of afunnel made up of water, dust, and debris sucked up into the storm. Where they touch the ground,tornados can be only a few meters wide or they can be up to a kilometer wide. Damage to propertyresults from the wind and from the extremely reduced pressure in the center. Structures explode if the aircan't get out of them fast enough. People are instructed to open windows and take cover if a tornadoapproaches.Discussion QuestionsUNDERSTANDING THE STORYAlmost all children will need help in answering these questions. Ask these questions after childrenwatch the movie and then let them watch the movie again.1. Did you recognize someone in Oz who reminded you of Miss Gulch? Who was she? Was theresomeone in Oz who was like Professor Marvel, the man who told Dorothy's fortune with the crystalball? Who was he? Were there people in Oz who were like the farmhands? Who were they?Suggested Responses: The dream transformed Miss Gulch to the Wicked Witch of the West; thethree farmhands to the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man, and Professor Marvel intothe Wizard of Oz.2. Despite the courage of the Cowardly Lion, the intelligence of the Scarecrow, the compassion ofthe Tin Man and the wisdom of the Wizard, Dorothy is the real hero of this story. Compare Dorothy'sstory to the story of another hero that you know and tell us some of the ways in which their storiesare alike. Suggested Response: You can pick any story. What about Luke Skywalker of the firstStar Wars movie? Both Dorothy and Luke are separated from their home and must undertake ajourney. Her journey is to return home and Luke's journey is to find his father (although he doesn'tknow it at the time). They both find helpful and protective figures. Skywalker meets Obi-won Kenobi.Dorothy meets Glinda, her three friends, and later the Wizard. They both go through many ordealsand eventually gain their reward. Both Dorothy and Luke triumph because of the inner force of theircharacters which they carried with them from the beginning. Luke had "the Force" which ran strongand deep within him. Dorothy had her strength of character (symbolized by the ruby slippers).However, before either of them could complete their journey these inner strengths had to bedeveloped and tested.3. How does Dorothy change through the course of the story told by this movie? SuggestedResponse: There is no one right answer. A good answer would include that she came to know herown strength and resourcefulness or that she grew in self-confidence.For a comparison of Dorothy's quest with that ofOdysseus, see Quick Discussion Question ForChildren 12 and up4. Did Oz really happen or was it just Dorothy's dream? Suggested Response: Most people saythat in the movie, Oz was just Dorothy's dream populated by characters from Dorothy's life changedby her imagination. But then, at the end of the film Uncle Henry says that they do believe her. Washe just humoring her or was he being serious? In short, there are two sides to this argument.5. In our dreams our minds work out our wishes and our fears, especially in relation to whathappened during the day before. Name two fears and one wish that Dorothy was working out in herdream about Oz. When thinking about Dorothy's wishes, remember that people's wishes often

conflict so it is possible that Dorothy could want two different and opposite things. SuggestedResponse: See Helpful Background Section for a list of fears. Some of Dorothy's wishes were: toget rid of Miss Gulch (the Wicked Witch) so that she couldn't hurt Toto any more; to experience theexciting life beyond the grayness of Kansas; to stay home with her aunt and uncle; to save Toto; forAuntie Em to be more like Glinda.6. Why is the land of Oz green? Suggested Response: It is the land of hope. The color green isoften associated with hope. (If the film is being used to study history, there is an additional analogy.Oz is the city of Washington, D.C., where money often holds sway according to the populist analogytheory.)7. A symbol is something in a story that stands for something else. What does the tornado standfor? Suggested Response: There are at least two possibilities. The tornado is a symbol of thestrong emotions felt by Dorothy when Auntie Em and Uncle Henry could not stop Miss Gulch fromtaking Toto. The tornado can also be interpreted as a symbol of the chance events that can happenin life that change our lives forever. It is really more an example of that than a symbol.QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE HOPES AND FEARS OF CHILDREN AGES 5 - 12Often the issues raised by this film are too disturbing to be discussed directly which, of course, iswhy we have fairy tales. Therefore, TWM suggests that teachers and parents ask questions whichdo not directly refer to how children feel about the issues described below. Have the children putthemselves "in the ruby slippers", i.e., how would they feel if they were in Dorothy's shoes or howdo they think Dorothy felt. Questions can also focus on how Dorothy successfully resolved theseissues. Parents or teachers who are good storytellers can make up a story with some of the samethematic elements. Young children delight in stories about the characters they saw in a movie.Make sure that each of the questions below is appropriate for the developmental level of your childor class.CONCEPT: Home is the center of a child's life. But children know that somewhere beyond thesafety of home there is a world that is exciting and colorful, yet uncertain and in some waysdangerous. This both attracts and frightens them. What if home is destroyed or the child is suddenlytaken away from home before he or she has had a chance to grow up? Will the child survive? Willhe or she ever be able to find the way back?8. At the beginning of the movie Dorothy was singing about wanting to be "Somewhere Over theRainbow". By the end of the movie she realized that "There's no place like home". What happenedto change her mind? Suggested Response: Before the tornado Dorothy didn't realize that goingaway from home meant leaving the people she loved. When she landed in Oz Dorothy realized thatshe was alone and suddenly Kansas didn't seem so bad. In fact, all she wanted to do while shewas in Oz was to get back home. A parent or teacher can also comment that this often happens topeople; that they want something very badly but they don't think about the consequences of gettingwhat they want.9. How do you think Dorothy felt when she woke up from the tornado and found that the farm andAunt Em and Uncle Henry were gone and that everything was different? Suggested Response: Ifthe child is reluctant to answer the adult can volunteer "Well, I would have been terrified andexcited at the same time. Where was my home? Where were my relatives? But Oz was so beautifuland exciting." This is the indirect approach. You can follow it up with -- "How would you have felt ifyou had been there instead of Dorothy?" or the reassuring question: "How do you think Dorothy feltwhen she got home?"10. Do you know any children who have had to leave their homes in real life? What happened tothem? Comment: If a child knows of a situation like this, the question will permit them to expresstheir feelings about it. Whatever the child's answer the adult should stress the fact that this situationis very unusual and provide reassurance that it is not something the child needs to worry about.CONCEPT: What about relationships with grownups? Mothers and fathers are all-powerful to ayoung child but a child soon learns that this power has limits, as when Auntie Em and Uncle Henrycouldn't prevent Miss Gulch from taking Toto.11. Just before the storm, why didn't Auntie Em and Uncle Henry stop Miss Gulch from takingToto? What do you think Dorothy felt about this? Comment: The answer to the first question is thatthere was an order from the sheriff. An answer to the second question allows a child to talk abouthis or her fears triggered by this incident. These are very strong emotions. The tornado is a symbolof the strength of Dorothy's emotions. There are a number of words to describe what Dorothy'sfeelings could have been. They include frustration, betrayal, and hurt. Dorothy may have felt thather world was changing in ways she didn't like since before this she had thought Uncle Henry andAuntie Em to be all-powerful. But it does happen sometimes that parents cannot protect theirchildren.CONCEPT: How does a child learn what he or she needs to know to get through tough situations?The following three questions should be asked in a group.12. How did Dorothy make it through all those dangerous situations in Oz? Suggested Response:There is no one correct answer. Good answers will contain some of the following concepts: Shetook things one at a time. She was respectful and kind to people and tried to help them. She choseher friends well. She met each challenge with courage and determination. She never lost sight ofher goal.13. What does this movie tell us about the solutions to some of our own problems? SuggestedResponse: This movie tells us that many times solutions to our problems lie within ourselves. Allthe time that Dorothy was in Oz searching for a way home, the solution (the ruby slippers) were rightthere on her feet. She just didn't know how to make them work. The movie makers were trying to tellus that the key to our heart's desire is often within ourselves, we just have to discover how to unlockour own potential.14. Did Dorothy change as a result of her experiences in Oz? Suggested Response: Yes. Theexperiences in Oz forced Dorothy to call upon her own strengths. She learned that she could fightfor herself and overcome obstacles and evil forces.15. Why couldn't Dorothy use the ruby slippers to get home at the beginning of the film, right afterthey appeared on her feet? Suggested Response: Dorothy needed to be ready. She needed thegrowth and the knowledge of her own strength and power that came from the experiences that she

growth and the knowledge of her own strength and power that came from the experiences that shehad in Oz.CONCEPT: Can children ever triumph over evil adults?16. What would you have done to the Wicked Witches that Dorothy met in Oz? SuggestedResponse: It is possible for children to triumph over evil adults but sometimes it is hard. Adultsshould point out that Dorothy is a very strong and resourceful girl. She meets every challenge withdetermination and intelligence. Eventually, she triumphs.17. Is there anyone that you know who seems be like Miss Gulch? Comment: The purpose of thisquestion is to allow children to talk about their own fears. If a child says that he or she doesn't knowanyone like that, then the child should be reassured. If the child does name someone, an adultasking this question must decide what to do about it. Either to reassure the child, to take someaction to reconcile the child with the person, or to take some action to protect the child from theperson.CONCEPT: What about misleading appearances? How do you tell appearance from reality?18. Are things always what they seem? Suggested Response: The obvious answer is that theyaren't. Children should be reassured that as they get older it will get easier to tell what is real andwhat is not. However, it should be acknowledged that everyone, no matter what their age, must dealwith this question. As people get older and wiser, it gets easier to separate appearance from reality,but adults still have to work at it. Sometimes its hard to tell and you have to look very carefully.Sometimes most everyone is fooled, like in the Emerald City.19. How do you determine which appearances to trust and which not to trust? SuggestedResponse: You use common sense and all of the information that is available. You keep your eyesand ears open. That's why being older helps because you've had more experiences and morechances to see how the world really works.20. What appearances in this movie are misleading? Suggested Response: There are many: thepower of the Wizard of Oz; the ability of Professor Marvel to see into the future; the idea that Dorothyis a powerless little girl; the Scarecrow's stupidity; the Tin Man's lack of heart; and the Lion'scowardice.CONCEPT: What is the nature of power? How do people get other people to do what they want?(This is a very complex question but it isn't bad for kids to start to think about it.)21. How did the Wizard come to power in the city of Oz and become renowned as a great andpowerful wizard? Suggested Response: The people of Oz wanted to believe that he was a greatand powerful man. It is people's agreement that allows others to hold power.CONCEPT: How can a child ever meet the challenge of learning what a person needs to know tobe an adult (the Scarecrow)?22. How does a child learn what he or she needs to be an adult? Suggested Response: There isno one right answer. A good response will include going to school, learning a trade, becomingmature, listening to their parents, and watching how others behave. The adult asking this questionshould assure the child that there are many ways to get this knowledge and that he or she willsucceed.CONCEPT: How can a child ever learn to have courage even when he or she is very scared?23. Do courageous people feel fear? Suggested Response: Yes, absolutely.24. How does a person who is afraid act with courage? Suggested Response: Courageous peopleknow what they must do and they do it, even though they may be very much afraid. If a child isinterested in this question, it might be a good idea to read to them or have them read The RedBadge of Courage. See Learning Guide to "The Red Badge of Courage".OTHER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS25. See Standard Questions Suitable for Any Film26. Why was Dorothy so happy to return home to a drab existence in Kansas when the land of Ozwas so beautiful and colorful? Suggested Response: Kansas was home and the people that sheloved were there.27. Some people contend that the story is driven by the inadequacy of adults and shows thatDorothy must make her own way. Analyze the story from this perspective and give some examplesof the inadequacy of adults that had to be overcome by Dorothy. Suggested Response: WhenDorothy runs away the first time, she is trying to protect Toto from Miss Gultch. Auntie Em and UncleHenry had been powerless to stop Miss Gulch from taking Toto. The Wizard could not stop theWicked Witch of the West nor could he control the balloon.Social-Emotional Learning Discussion Questions:SELF-ESTEEM1. Was the Scarecrow any smarter after he got his diploma [or did he just think he was]? SuggestedResponse: No. He thought he was wiser and his belief in himself allowed him to give expression tohis wisdom.2. Was the Lion any more courageous after he received his medal [or did he just think he was]?Suggested Response: No. But since he thought he was courageous he would act courageously.3. Was the Tin Man any more compassionate after he got his heart [or did he just think he was]?Suggested Response: No. But since he thought he was kind he would act in a kindly manner.FRIENDSHIP4. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion were all very different. Did that stopthem from being friends? Does this lesson apply to real life? Why would people want to be friends

with others who were different from themselves? Suggested Response: Each of Dorothy's friends,and Dorothy herself, brought skills and talents that were necessary for the group to survive andreach the Land of Oz. If they had all been the same, they would not have managed to meet all of thechallenges that confronted them.5. Can you see a benefit to yourself in having friends who are very different than you? SuggestedResponse: It would be really boring if everyone was the same. We have something to learn fromeveryone, especially people who are different than we are.TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF6. If Dorothy had not had the ability to face all of the challenges presented to her in the land of Oz,what would have happened to her? Suggested Response: She wouldn't have been able to returnhome.See Discussion questions 8 - 9 above.BREAKING OUT7. At the beginning of the movie, Dorothy lived in Kansas. She yearned to leave home and go"somewhere over the rainbow." What did she learn about lands over the rainbow when she gotthere? Is this a realistic lesson or should children, at least when they are grown, seek their destinyaway from home? Suggested Response: There are several good responses to this question. One isthat she finds that she is not happy because it is not her home and the people that she loves are notthere. Another is that she finds that there are problems in the world over the rainbow that are just asbad or worse than what she faced at home. When children are grown, sometimes it is their destinyto move away from home. But that is a decision made only when they are adults and young childrendon't have to think about that question for many, many years.8. Is this movie telling us that children should never leave home? Suggested Response: No. Thisonly refers to a child as young as Dorothy was. Whether a child who is mature, who has gonethrough school, and who is an adult should leave home is another question. Fortunately, it doesn'tneed to be answered now.Discussion Questions on Morality and Ethics Using The Six Pillars of CharacterDiscussion Questions Relating to Ethical Issues will facilitate the use of this film to teach ethicalprinciples and critical viewing. Additional questions are set out below.TRUSTWORTHINESS(Be honest; Don't deceive, cheat or steal; Be reliable -- do what you say you'll do; Have the courageto do the right thing; Build a good reputation; Be loyal -- stand by your family, friends and country)Character Counts and the Six Pillars ofCharacter are marks of the CHARACTERCOUNTS! Coalition, a project of the JosephsonInstitute of Ethics.1. The Wizard, as Professor Marvel in Kansas, and in Oz, makes things appear different than they really are.He lies to Dorothy in both places. In the movie these lies are either harmless or for Dorothy's benefit (as whenhe sends her home after looking into the crystal ball). Is this true of most lies people tell in real life? SuggestedResponse: No. Most lies are to get something the liar wants or to avoid something unpleasant. The lie hurts theliar, even if it goes undetected, because it separates the liar from other people (often from people that he or sheloves) and makes the liar feel alone. It also lowers his or her sense of self-esteem. It puts the liar in theemotionally draining position of having to be vigilant about guarding the lie in future speech and action. Notonly does a lie separate us from other people, the lie undermines our sense of unity with the Universe. All goodmoral or ethical codes have a spiritual component. This does not have to be religious in the sense of belief in aSupreme Being, but it must contain a sense of a relationship to others and to the Universal good. Acting in animmoral manner separates us from the Universal good and denies us the strength that comes from being inharmony with our sense of the Universe.RESPECT(Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule; Be tolerant of differences; Use goodmanners, not bad language; Be considerate of the feelings of others; Don't threaten, hit orhurt anyone; Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements)2. Dorothy met many different kinds of beings when she was in The Land of Oz. Other than the WickedWitches, how did she treat them? We'll give you a hint. It's one of the Six Pillars. Suggested Response:Dorothy treated everyone with respect: the Munchkins, the witches' minions, the Scarecrow, the Lion and theTin Man. Even after Dorothy knew the Wizard was a fraud, she treated him with respect. Even when Dorothykilled the Wicked Witches, it was by accident.3. If Dorothy had not treated others with respect would she have ever made it home? Suggested Response: Sheneeded the help of strangers in Oz (and in Kansas, too). Dorothy would have had a much more difficult timegetting home without their help. She might have never made it.(Additional questions are set out in the "Friendship" section above.)CARING(Be kind; Be compassionate and show you care; Express gratitude; Forgive others; Help people inneed)4. Why is home so important to Dorothy? Suggested Response: Home is where the people who love her live.(Additional questions are set out in the "Friendship" section above.)Bridges to Reading: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a great book to read to a younger child or forchildren 8 - 12 to read on their own. L. Frank Baum wrote a total of 14 books with Oz characters.Their complete texts can all be found on the web at various places, including The Wonderful Website of Oz! Purchase these books at Amazon.com.MOVIES ON RELATED TOPICS: None.

Links To The Internet:Web sites and articles claiming that the story is an allegory about the history of populism:●The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism This is the article published by Henry M. Littlefield inthe American Quarterly 16 (1964): 47-58 that started this theory;●The Crime of 1873;●●OVER THE RAINBOW -- Once upon a time, the Wizard of Oz was a populist fable;The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Money Reform Parable.Web sites and articles disputing the idea that Baum intended the story as a parable of the history ofpopulism:●●●The Rise and Fall of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a "Parable on Populism"; this is thearticle published in the JOURNAL OF THE GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF HISTORIANS, vol.15 (1994), pp. 49-63 that some take as the definitive response to the populism allegory theory;The Fable of the Allegory: The Wizard of Oz in Economics;Dorothy's Progress: The Wizard of Oz as Spiritual Allegory (Criticizes the historical allegoryand discusses others concluding that "The moral seems indeed to be that 'there's no placelike home.' A deprived existence in a miserable shack is preferable to the Garden of Edenbecause it's home. The truth concealed behind this platitude is that the ultimate spiritualreality lies within each individual person-in their 'own backyard'-and not off somewhere overthe rainbow. 'The kingdom of Oz is within you.'")Links relating to the story as a classic hero adventure:●●●The Female Hero: Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz Compared to Luke in Star Wars;Chart of the Female Hero's Journey;Chart of the Traditional Male Hero's Journey.OTHER LESSON PLANS:Search for a lesson plan throughthe Gateway to EducationalMaterials;The man who first realized thatthe story of The WonderfulWizard of Oz could be anallegory for the history ofpopulism in the U.S. was namedHenry M. Littlefield. He was ahigh school history teacher whowas struggling to keep theattention of an American Historyclass during the day and readingthe book to his own youngchildren in the evenings. For hisexplanation, see The Wizard ofAllegory;Wizard of Oz Lesson PlanSuggestions ;"the wonder behind Oz";L. Frank Baum TeachersResource Page;Nancy Pollette's Children'sLiterature Guides.●●●●●●Other links:●●●●Criticisms on Oz;Jim's Wizard of Oz Web Site;Time Line of the Life of L. Frank Baum; Script for the film;Roger Ebert has an excellent review of this film.PHOTOGRAPHS, DIAGRAMS AND OTHERVISUALS:●●Embracing the Child;The Wizard of Oz - An AmericanFairy Tale.Projects And Activities: Projects Suitable for Any Film. For U.S. history students ask them towrite an essay agreeing or disagreeing with the theory that the book The Wizard of Oz is anallegory for the history of populism and bimetalism in the U.S. in the late 1800s.Bibliography: In addition to web sites which may be linked in the Guide and selected film reviewslisted on the Movie Review Query Engine, the following resources were consulted in thepreparation of this Learning Guide:●The Annotated Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, annotated with an introduction by Michael PatrickHearn, W. Norton & Company, New York, 2000;● The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (Cleveland; World, 1956);●"Oz is Us", by John Updike, New Yorker, Sept. 25, 2000 pp. 84 et seq.Copyright © 2004, 2006 & 2007 byTeachWithMovies.com, Inc. All rights reserved.Note that unless otherwise indicated anyquotations attributed to a source, photographs,illustrations, maps, diagrams or paintings werecopied from public domain sources or areincluded based upon the "fair use" doctrine. Noclaim to copyright is made as to those items.DVD or VHS covers are shown by permissionof Amazon.com and may be subject tocopyrights shown thereon. The television setlogo and the pencil and filmstrip logo aretrademarks of TeachWithMovies.com, Inc.This particular Learning Guide published November 8, 2004 and revised on November 28, 2004, March 24, 2006 (BuildingVocabulary), August 18, 2006, and July 21, 2007.