Summer Reading Essay

       

The Wizard of Oz

By: L. Frank Baum

Over the summer vacation I read The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. This book was about a girl named Dorothy who was trapped inside her house during a cyclone. This cyclone took her to a magical place. When the cyclone stopped she woke up and found herself anywhere but Kansas. She was amazed by the color and things there, but yet frightened because she was far away from home. She was told by Glinda the good witch to find Oz in the emerald city if she wanted to get home. After that, she set off following the yellow brick road, frightened about the shoes the wicked witch of the west wanted from her. Through Dorothy's journey she met many new friends and encounters the wicked witch of the west. She was determined to find Oz and return home.

After reading this book it made me realize that both the movie and book are different in many ways. But the book had many more elements that made it stronger and better then the movie. One reason is because in the book it explains a few important details that the movie doesn't show. Another reason is that the book reveals more of the characters feelings, thoughts and shows how the characters changes from the beginning to the end. My last reason is that the book describes and explains the setting and problems that Dorothy encounters better than the movie. Overall this proves that this book is different in many ways and it helps the reader understand I the story better.

One reason the book is stronger and better than the movie because it reveals more of the characters feelings thoughts and how the characters change throughout the story. One example of this is on page, 173, it states “Dorothy wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to getting home…and she also felt sorry at losing Oz, and so does her companies.” It reveals how she is very upset that she lost her chance of going home. Additionally, it states, “the little girl began to weep, she was so disappointed; and the eyes winked again and looker upon her anxiously.” These statements show her feelings when she was told that she had to kill the wicked witch and it shows how she felt when she didn’t get want she wanted. This really made me empathize towards her and feel what she is going through. Overall, this proves that the book reveals more of the characters feelings and thoughts through the story

Another reason the book is different than the movie because the book explains a few important details that the movie doesn't show. One example of this is on page, 42-43 the book explains more about the scarecrows past then it does in the movie. It states, “My life has been so short that I really know nothing whatever. I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before that time is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made my head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what was going on.” This wasn’t said in the movie and is a very important part in the book because it shows the scarecrows past. Another example is in the book it explains and describes the house with a lot of detail. On the other hand the movie just shows a house that looks like that. If the author had not described the house it may have been hard to understand and imagine what Dorothy could have been doing during the cyclone. My Final example of this is on page106, it states, “It was a big, round room with a high arched roof, and the walls and ceiling and floor were covered with large emeralds set closely together. In the center of the roof was a great light, as bright as the sun, which made the emeralds sparkle in a wonderful manner.” This explains the room in great detail. This really helps the reader visualize the room. In the movie it doesn’t show and explain Dorothy describing the room as well as the book. Overall, this shows that a few little important details could change the understanding of the story sometimes.

My last reason is that the book describes and explains the setting and problems that Dorothy encounters better than the movie. One example is on page, 1 it says “there were four walls, a roof, which was made one room; and this room, contained a rusty looking cooking stove, a cupboard for the dishes...” This statement in the book is longer but it really explains and describes the house with a lot of detail. But, the movie just shows a house that looks like that. If the author had not described the house it may have been hard to understand and imagine what Dorothy could have been doing during the cyclone. Additionally, on page 208 it describes and gives a very clear explanation about what Dorothy does to the winged monkeys and that the movie doesn’t show. It also names and says the commands she give that are very important and don’t sound as powerful as they should. Overall, this shows how the book describes and explains the setting and problems that Dorothy encounters better than the movie.

In conclusion at the end of this book I learned that the book is different in ways that help the reader understand the Wizard of Oz better. One reason the book is different than the movie because it reveals more of the characters feelings thoughts and how different characters change throughout the story. Another reason the book is different than the movie because the book explains a few important details that the movie doesn't show. My last reason is that the book describes and explains the setting and problems that Dorothy encounters better than the movie.  I loved reading this book by L. Frank Baum and would recommend it to anyone who is ready to read about adventure and who is ready for exciting characters and events that happen in the story.